Award-Winning Finalist in the Fiction: Multicultural category of the 2012 International Book Awards Mimi (the protagonist of Mimi and Her Mirror) is a successful young Vietnamese immigrant practicing law in Washington, D.C. when the postcards begin to arrive. Postmarked from Thailand, each hand-drawn card is beautifully rendered and signed simply "Nam." Mimi doesn't recognize the name, but Nam obviously knows her well, spurring her to launch what will become a decade-long quest to find him. As her search progresses, long-repressed memories begin to bubble to the surface: her childhood in 1970s Vietnam in a small alley in pre-Communist Saigon. Back then, who was her best friend as well as her brother's playmate, and what did art have anything to do with the alleys of her childhood? What was the dream of these children then? What happened when these children were separated by the end of the Vietnam war, their lives diverged onto different paths: one to freedom and opportunity, the other to tragedy and pain? Now Mimi must uncover the mystery of the postcards, including what might have happened to the people who where less fortunate: those who escaped the ravaged homeland by boat after the fall of Saigon. When the mystery is solved, Mimi has to make a resolution: what can possibly reunite the children from the alley of her childhood even when the alley exists no more?

Award-winning journalist and host of Black Enterprise Business Report Caroline Clarke's moving memoir of her surprise discovery of her birthmother—Cookie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole—and the relationship that blossomed between them through the heartfelt messages they exchanged on hundreds of postcards. Caroline Clarke was born in an era when adoptions were shameful, secret, and sealed. While she wondered about her biological parents, she kept her curiosity in check, until a series of small health problems raised concerns about her genetic heritage and its consequences for her two children's lives and her own. Though Spence-Chapin Family Service, the agency that handled her adoption, could not reveal the name of her birth mother, it was able to provide details that lead to a shocking truth. Caroline's birth mother and her family were related to a friend. The woman who gave her life was none other than Carole "Cookie" Cole, the daughter of iconic crooner and pianist Nat King Cole. Drawing on details provided by the agency and her own investigative skills, Caroline embarked on a life-changing journey of discovery that stretched from coast to coast, forged through e-mail, phone calls, and post cards. The constancy, volume, and intimacy of her steady correspondence with Cookie filled the days and distance between them. Through brief yet poignant messages squeezed onto three-inch open-faced squares, mother and daughter revealed themselves, sharing secrets, taking risks, and ultimately building a bond like no other. A heartfelt, inspiring tribute to both Caroline's adoptive parents and her biological mother, Postcards from Cookie illuminates the enduring power of love to shape and guide our lives.

Martin Parr is a key figure in the world of photography and contemporary art. Some accuse him of cruelty, but many more appreciate the wit and irony with which he tackles such subjects as bad taste, food, the tourist, shopping and the foibles of the British. Parr has been collecting postcards for 20 years, and here is the cream of his collection - his boring postcards. With no introduction or commentary of any kind, Parr's boring postcards are reproduced straight. They are exactly what they say they are, namely boring picture postcards showing boring photographs of boring places, presumably for boring people to buy to send to their boring friends. All of them are shot in Britain, taking us on a boring tour of its motorways, ring roads, traffic interchanges, bus stations, pedestrian precincts, factories, housing estates, airports, caravan sites, convalescent homes and shopping centres. Some attempt to idealize their subjects, only to fail dismally. Others lack any apparent purpose or interest, but the resultant collection of photographic images is wholly compelling. Boring Postcardsis multi-layered: a commentary on British architecture, social life and identity, a record of a folk photography which is today being appropriated by the most fashionable photographers (including Parr), an exercise in sublime minimalism and, above all, a richly comic photographic entertainment.

What can brighten the day more than an unexpected happy message? Instant Happy Notes Postcards provides 30 bright and happy postcards designed to share the smiles. Make someone's day a little more happy with the perfect postcard pick-me-up. This little book is filled with happy cheerful messages, quotes and doodles that can make a big impact through a little gesture.

When I was young, like so many other young men of my generation, I gave our country what we thought was our obligation to our country. Like the generation of our fathers and the generation that came after us. I never minded a persons belief in being against the war in Vietnam. But they forgot that the ones that served were good people too. They found us in contempt. But they were wrong. We did what this generation is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no difference. Things have changed over the years and people now thank us for our service as they do the new generation. That is nice, and should be said. The misnomer that we lost the war is not accurate. We won every major battle in Vietnam we fought. Often times out-numbered. The Communists only fought major battles when they had the advantage. The Tet offensive of 1968 hurt them severely, completely wiping out the V.C. Army and making the N.V.A. Army rebuild. If North Vietnam would have honored the peace treaty, it would have been like the Korean War with the south and the north. America did not though support South Vietnam after our troops moved out. Congress did not appropriate funds to the South Vietnamese government. But I think our country could no longer fund in money and lives. It always would come down to that. Stats of Marines in Vietnam: 26% casualty rate. Highest of any combat group in South Vietnam.

This interdisciplinary account explores how English infantrymen in Belgium and France experienced and coped with war between 1914 and 1918.

Packed with travel information, including more listings, deals, and insider tips:CANDID LISTINGS of hundreds of places to eat, sleep, drink, and danceRELIABLE MAPS to help you get around cities, jungles, mountains, and beachesThe best VOLUNTEER, study, and work opportunities throughout VietnamTIPS for getting around, bargaining, and blending in with local customsSUGGESTED ITINERARIES for your time frame, from ten days to two monthsEXPANDED COVERAGE of the remote Northwest Highlands

Expat Journal: Postcards from the Edge, draws heavily from Mr. Dennstedt's travel blog of the same name. It chronicles his transition from commercial banker to expatriate and international photographer, and the events that led up to this life-altering change. Often witty and funny, it also touches on serious subjects: Death, divorce, Vietnam, Cuban cigars, Scotch Whisky, beautiful women and a little gecko named Pedro Gonzalez. It is hoped that this first volume will be part of an ongoing series.