Staying behind when their circus moves on, a young clown and a troupe of baby animals put on a special Christmas Eve show for an Italian village too poor to celebrate the holiday.

"On the Couch" eavesdrops on the therapeutic process as some of America's best-known writers take the reader into the charged and sacred space between patient and analyst.

"Petronius, the funniest clown in the world, has had enough of being told what to do. Together with his friends, he sets up his own circus. Will the hopeful crew finally be able to perform the tricks they've always dreamed of doing? This picture book classic from 1961 has been newly illustrated by award winner Torben Kuhlmann for a whole new generation to enjoy."--Back cover

Eleven “impeccably crafted, painfully hilarious” tales of innocence lost and families in search of connection from the New York Times–bestselling author (San Francisco Chronicle). A reluctant trophy wife on her Italian honeymoon; a young woman in love with her sister’s dead boyfriend; a lonely puppeteer flirting with the hostess of a children’s party; a teenage girl traveling to Paris with her father and, unexpectedly, his young girlfriend. Francine Prose’s characters inhabit a world of rich emotion and startling clarity, searching for connection in a world full of surprise and humor; they travel, love, break up, and start again. Even their animal companions—a gecko rescued from a wild party, a dog who bites a bride, a hamster who dies unexpectedly and sends a family on a journey to give it a proper funeral—shine with the emotional complexity and sly satire that make Prose’s work such a joy to experience. In this collection, the New York Times–bestselling author and National Book Award finalist demonstrates the craft, humor, and piercing human insight that make her, in the words of Gary Shteyngart “one of a handful of truly indispensable American writers.”

The Wastelands is a book of short stories compiled to shock, disturb and maybe even evoke laughter. Inside are tales from the far future and a tyrannical government to a therapist who may have found the ability to change the past. You'll find the true meaning of madness and how simply and how fast it can take over a rather rational man. You will find out what it is like to be the last man on earth and suddenly find out that you may no longer be alone. These are stories that shall tap into your darkest fears and also open up your wildest fantasies and imagination. The ones that you've only thought about. Inside these pages are your greatest desires and most terrifying nightmares. These are stories that could only come from one place and it's a small little place that we like to call The Wastelands.

Into your heart comes the story about Cookie the Clown and her family who journey from Clownika, the homeland of real clowns, into our human world. They begin living among Gudigads (what the clowns call us) and become minorities in our world. By looking at the clown race, the story teaches children that people are sometimes treated differently based solely on how they look.

Acclaimed entertainer Hans Schneir collapses when his beloved Marie leaves him because he won’t marry her within the Catholic Church. The desertion triggers a searing re-examination of his life—the loss of his sister during the war, the demands of his millionaire father and the hypocrisies of his mother, who first fought to “save” Germany from the Jews, then worked for “reconciliation” afterwards. Heinrich Böll’s gripping consideration of how to overcome guilt and live up to idealism—how to find something to believe in—gives stirring evidence of why he was such an unwelcome presence in post-War German consciousness . . . and why he was such a necessary one.

THE PARTY'S OVER - SOMEONE NEEDS TO TELL SEAN NIPWUD. After all the years of excesses: the drinking, the drugs, the casual sex, the highs with your mates - Just what are you supposed to do next? Sean Nipwud, a 33-year old married father of one. A chronic insomnia disorder. A dubious lack of morals. A devious double persona. A reckless quest for excitement. And a huge chasm in his social fulfillment that demands his full attention. Nipwud menaceson the cusp of personal disaster as he toils in his descision between the frivolity and fantasies that his hungry, fatigued mind craves, or the family that loves him the most. Sean Nipwud is the chemical generations newest belated anti-hero. JOIN THE COMEDOWN!

Goosebumps now on Disney+! Ray Gordon really likes the circus. His uncle, Theo, is a performer in Koko's Klown Academy and he invites Ray to come join him for the summer. At first, Ray's parents are reluctant-they know their son has a habit of getting himself into strange situations. But Ray manages to convince them that he'll be on his best behavior. The circus itself is very cool. The clowns stay in their makeup all day and only go by their clown names. Ray becomes a clown-in-training named Mr. Belly-Bounce. But the longer he's there, the scarier things become. There are whisperings about a place called Clown Street and nobody, including Murder the Clown, wants to go there. Will Ray be able to survive the dark secrets of the circus?

The history of television in Chicago begins with the birth of the medium and is defined by the city's pioneering stations. WBKB (now WLS-TV) was the principal innovator of the Chicago School of Television, an improvisational production style that combined small budgets, personable talent, and the creative use of scenery and props. WNBQ (now WMAQ-TV) expanded the innovative concept to a wider audience via the NBC network. WGN-TV scored with sports and kids. Strong personalities drove the success of WBBM-TV. A noncommercial educational station, WTTW, and the city's first UHF station, WCIU, added diversity and ethnic programming. The airwaves in Chicago have been home to a wealth of talented performers and iconic programs that have made the city one of the country's greatest television towns. Chicago Television, featuring photographs from the archives of the Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) and the collections of local stations and historians, gives readers a front-row seat on a journey through the fi rst 50 years of Chicago television, 1940-1990. Founded in 1982 by broadcaster Bruce DuMont, the MBC Web site offers over 10,000 digital assets.