SHELLEY EMLING
MY BOOKS
Setting the World on Fire
ISBN-13: 978-1137279804
One of only two patron saints of Italy, the other being St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine was ahead of her time. As a political powerhouse in late 14th century Europe, it’s easy to see why feminists through the years have sought to claim the patronage of St. Catherine. From her refusal to marry to her assertion that her physical appearance was of no importance, the famous Saint is ripe for modern interpretation. She was a peacemaker who convinced Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy to Rome at a time when the Catholic Church was unraveling.
She was illiterate but grew into one of the greatest writer in church history by dictating to assistants. She was frail and punished herself mercilessly, often starving herself, while offering moral guidance and inspiration to kings, queens and popes.
How did this girl, the second-youngest of 25 children of a middle-class dyer, grow to become one of the most beloved spiritual figures of all time, a theological giant to rank alongside the likes of Thomas Aquinas? In “Setting the World on Fire,” Emling gives an intimate portrayal of this fascinating and revolutionary woman.
Marie Curie and her Daughters
ISBN-13-9880770074082
In Marie Curie and Her Daughters, science writer Shelley Emling shows that far from a shy introvert toiling away in her laboratory, the famed scientist and two-time Nobel prize winner was nothing short of an iconoclast. Emling draws on personal letters released by Curie's only granddaughter to show how Marie influenced her daughters yet let them blaze their own paths.
Emling also shows how Curie, following World War I, turned to America for help. Few people know about Curie's close friendship with American journalist Missy Meloney, who arranged speaking tours across the country for Marie and her daughters. Months on the road, charming audiences both large and small, endeared the Curies to American women and established a lifelong relationship with the United States that formed one of the strongest connections of Marie's life.
Factually rich, personal, and original, this is an engrossing story about the most famous woman in science that rips the cover off the myth and reveals the real person, friend, and mother behind it.
The Fossil Hunter
ISBN-56-6784659396375
Mary Anning was only twelve years old when, in 1811, she discovered the first dinosaur skeleton--of an ichthyosaur--while fossil hunting on the cliffs of Lyme Regis, England. Until Mary's incredible discovery, it was widely believed that animals did not become extinct.
A story worthy of Dickens, The Fossil Hunter chronicles the life of this young girl, with dirt under her fingernails and not a shilling to buy dinner, who became a world-renowned paleontologist. Dickens himself said of Mary: "The carpenter's daughter has won a name for herself, and deserved to win it."
Here at last, Shelley Emling returns Mary Anning, of whom Stephen J. Gould remarked, is "probably the most important unsung (or inadequately sung) collecting force in the history of paleontology," to her deserved place in history.
Your Guide to Retiring to Mexico, Costa Rica and Beyond
ISBN-68-3459876038524
The benefits of retirement abroad can include lower costs for medical care, household help, housing, and food, plus perhaps a more agreeable climate. These benefits can be offset by political instability, difficult cultural adjustments, awkward residency requirements, complicated tax situations, and distance from family and friends. In a fairly up-to-date manner, Emling, a journalist and world traveler, does a competent job of presenting both the benefits and the drawbacks of retiring in Latin America. In addition to the countries in the title, she covers only Guatemala and Ecuador.