Books published by International Publishers

This book, Slackers, is a collection of short stories, part of International Publisher's ongoing Manuel Tiago series The title story, "The Slackers," deals humorously with a mixed bag of misfits who are forced to report to a military correctional camp to complete their obligatory service. As in several of his other works of fiction, Tiago, (Álvaro Cunhal), based his tale on his own life. For a time, in late 1939 and early 1940, Cunhal was forced to complete his military service in a Disciplinary Company. "Hand in Hand" is a teenage love story set against the background of the post-1974 public flowering of the Communist Party as a significant partner in the democratic reconstruction of the country. In this story the author once again calls upon his own memories, having served as a very young man as leader of the Federation of Portuguese Communist Youth. "Parallel Stories" is the centerpiece of the collection, the longest and most developed story in this volume, essentially a novella. Set in contemporary democratic times, we see a small regional Communist Party organization struggling with its past as primarily a party of the working class at a time when the working class itself was undergoing profound changes. The final story, "Lives," reads like the treatment of an epic-long family saga, or even asprawling multi-season TV miniseries. Its timeframe is deliberately obscure, although to be sure, there is an automobile that plays a small part toward the end. Otherwise, we seem tohover anywhere between the late 19th century all the way up through the mid-20th.

This book is not, strictly speaking, a memoir but rather is a compilation of some 10,000 news articles penned by Wheller over the course of the last half of the 20th century. In pulling together this compilation Wheeler mined research lbraries accross the country. Originally written on assignment for the Worker, Daily World, People's World and People's Weekly World, his articles represent a history of our nation and of the world from Wheeler's proggressicve point of view,More than just a compliation of articles, however, the book represents a documentation of Wheller's lifes journey, at least in relation to his reporting. and includes little persomal gems, like his impressions of various public figures and other reporters. All in all this book is required reading for anyone who wants to get a view of things from a working persons perspective - a perspective that is so sadly lacking today.