Benjamin Read – författare

Most social science studies of local organizations tend to focus on "civil society" associations, voluntary associations independent from state control, whereas government-sponsored organizations tend to be theorized in totalitarian terms as "mass organizations" or manifestations of state corporatism. Roots of the State examines neighborhood associations in Beijing and Taipei that occupy a unique space that exists between these concepts.Benjamin L. Read views the work of the neighborhood associations he studies as a form of "administrative grassroots engagement." States sponsor networks of organizations at the most local of levels, and the networks facilitate governance and policing by building personal relationships with members of society. Association leaders serve as the state's designated liaisons within the neighborhood and perform administrative duties covering a wide range of government programs, from welfare to political surveillance. These partly state-controlled entities also provide a range of services to their constituents. Neighborhood associations, as institutions initially created to control societies, may underpin a repressive regime such as China's, but they also can evolve to empower societies, as in Taiwan. This book engages broad and much-discussed questions about governance and political participation in both authoritarian and democratic regimes.

Most social science studies of local organizations tend to focus on "civil society" associations, voluntary associations independent from state control, whereas government-sponsored organizations tend to be theorized in totalitarian terms as "mass organizations" or manifestations of state corporatism. Roots of the State examines neighborhood associations in Beijing and Taipei that occupy a unique space that exists between these concepts.Benjamin L. Read views the work of the neighborhood associations he studies as a form of "administrative grassroots engagement." States sponsor networks of organizations at the most local of levels, and the networks facilitate governance and policing by building personal relationships with members of society. Association leaders serve as the state's designated liaisons within the neighborhood and perform administrative duties covering a wide range of government programs, from welfare to political surveillance. These partly state-controlled entities also provide a range of services to their constituents. Neighborhood associations, as institutions initially created to control societies, may underpin a repressive regime such as China's, but they also can evolve to empower societies, as in Taiwan. This book engages broad and much-discussed questions about governance and political participation in both authoritarian and democratic regimes.

Most social science studies of local organizations tend to focus on "civil society" associations, voluntary associations independent from state control, whereas government-sponsored organizations tend to be theorized in totalitarian terms as "mass organizations" or manifestations of state corporatism. Roots of the State examines neighborhood associations in Beijing and Taipei that occupy a unique space that exists between these concepts.Benjamin L. Read views the work of the neighborhood associations he studies as a form of "administrative grassroots engagement." States sponsor networks of organizations at the most local of levels, and the networks facilitate governance and policing by building personal relationships with members of society. Association leaders serve as the state's designated liaisons within the neighborhood and perform administrative duties covering a wide range of government programs, from welfare to political surveillance. These partly state-controlled entities also provide a range of services to their constituents. Neighborhood associations, as institutions initially created to control societies, may underpin a repressive regime such as China's, but they also can evolve to empower societies, as in Taiwan. This book engages broad and much-discussed questions about governance and political participation in both authoritarian and democratic regimes.

Set within a time of myth and fairy tale, Briar follows the story of Princess Layka, who seeks an end to the curse that keeps her shut off from the world.Trapped for years behind the enchanted barrier of the briar, she awaits her one true knight, who has been tasked with the quest to break the curse and set her free.By Benjamin Read & Chris Wildgoose, creators of the acclaimed Porcelain: A Gothic Fairy Tale, Briar is inspired by European myth and folklore. It subverts the fairy tale tradition of the princess imprisoned behind a hedge of thorns, turning it into something dark, bittersweet, and original.

Set within a world that’s a magical echo of our own, Porcelain is the story of Child, an urchin, who leaves behind the cold streets of a snowy city when she climbs the high wall into the Porcelain Maker’s garden.The Porcelain Maker discovers Child trespassing but, amused by her audacity, he offers her the chance to stay. He’s a lonely man, kept company only by his alchemically-powered automata, and he and Child form an unlikely friendship.Shut off from the world beyond the wall, Child wants or needs for nothing as the Porcelain Maker heaps affection and luxury upon her, indulging her like a daughter. In return, she can do as she pleases, except for one command, one rule that must never be broken, she must not look behind the workshop door.

At Midnight, when all good folk should be abed, the Night Post rides forth to serve the dead.’ – Victorian Children’s VerseWritten by Benjamin Read and illustrated by Laura Trinder, Night Post is the story of the other mail service; the one you haven’t heard of, the one that starts work at midnight and delivers to all the creatures of the night. Whether ghost or ghoul, witch or werewolf, or just downright odd things with tentacles, they all have post and someone has to deliver it, no matter how terrifying it might be to do so.Night Post follows a very special type of postman on his round, as he delivers macabre mail to a spooky set of customers. From graveyard, to cave, tower to lair, the post must get through, even if the postman is sometimes mistaken for supper.Offering a fascinating glimpse into a midnight world, Night Post is a picture book suitable for Children of All Ages.

More than a decade has passed since the events of Porcelain: A Gothic Fairy Tale, and Child has become Lady. Inheritor of all of Uncle’s secrets and wealth, she has continued his work, becoming equally as isolated in her quest to refine the Porcelain and put right past mistakes.With the Porcelain more sought after than ever, Lady comes to the attention of a ruthlessly ambitious General who desires inhuman soldiers for the war effort and won’t take no for an answer. Other, more human, problems rear their head when a handsome young Captain discovers a secret part of Lady’s life.Faced with impossible choices, Lady must forge her own path through the complexities of love and war.

A Brother and Sister leave our world and its rules behind, journeying into legend through the Butterfly Gate, where every step they take will come at a price.Butterfly Gate follows the story of two siblings who, after throwing themselves headlong into another world, must face the brutal reality that lies beyond and find their place amidst an empire built after a revolution against the Gods.An ongoing, episodic, SF odyssey, Butterfly Gate is also a silent comic, conveying the story purely through its imagery.

More than a decade has passed since the events of Porcelain: A Gothic Fairy Tale, and Child has become Lady. Inheritor of all of Uncle’s secrets and wealth, she has continued his work, becoming equally as isolated in her quest to refine the Porcelain and put right past mistakes.With the Porcelain more sought after than ever, Lady comes to the attention of a ruthlessly ambitious General who desires inhuman soldiers for the war effort and won’t take no for an answer. Other, more human, problems rear their head when a handsome young Captain discovers a secret part of Lady’s life.Faced with impossible choices, Lady must forge her own path through the complexities of love and war.

The second spellbinding adventure in Benjamin Read andLaura Trinder's magical Midnight Hour series!'A fantastic magical adventure featuring a cast of Ghibli-esquecharacters, a feisty heroine and a hedgehog. I loved it.'M.G. LEONARD, author of BEETLE BOY on book 1'Fans of Nevermoor will love this'THE BOOKSELLER on book 1'I haven't enjoyed this kind of caper so much since HarryPotter' NEW STATESMAN on book 1'Pure delight' THE GUARDIAN on book 1Emily needs to work out why magic is leaking from the MidnightHour – but her shape-shifting Pooka relatives and a terrifyinghaunting aren't making things easy. Plus ... she's supposed to be grounded.Officer-in-training Tarkus and pet hedgehog Hoggins are on handto help – but if they can't work out what's going wrong,it will be the end of the midnight world ... The second critically-acclaimed book in the much-lovedMidnight Hour seriesA hilarious, spooky adventure full of genuine scaresand belly laughs! Coraline meets A Wrinkle in Time: allthe makings of a modern classicContinue the adventure with book 3, The MidnightHunt

The third and final adventure in Benjamin Read and LauraTrinder's magical Midnight Hour series!'A fantastic magical adventure featuring a cast of Ghibli-esquecharacters, a feisty heroine and a hedgehog. I loved it.'M.G. LEONARD, author of BEETLE BOY on book 1'Fans of Nevermoor will love this'THE BOOKSELLER on book 1'I haven't enjoyed this kind of caper so much since HarryPotter' NEW STATESMAN on book 1'Pure delight' THE GUARDIAN ON BOOK 1Emily is locked out of the Midnight Hour, and things havegrown dangerously dark in Victorian London. Her friendsand family are on the run from the terrifying Midnight Hunt,while the foul Make Britain Dark Again party schemes to break thespell that keeps both worlds safe. It's going to take more thanjust Emily's big mouth to fix this one. But how's a girl meantto save theday (and night) when she's all out of snacks and her possibly-magicpocket hedgehog is hibernating? The ingeniously-plotted finale to the much-loved MidnightHour trilogy, which began with The Midnight Hourand The Midnight HowlA hilarious, spooky adventure full of genuine scaresand belly laughs! Coraline meets A Wrinkle in Time: allthe makings of a modern classic