Empire Made: My Search for an Outlaw Uncle Who Vanished in British India - Rilegato

Praise for War Boy: “Lit with the sense of possibility that rock has always offered it confused, blessed boys”—New York Times “An old-fashioned romance disguised in postmodern hipness and, like the heroine of a Victorian novel, Radboy saves himself for the boy who truly loves him. Thackeray himself couldn't have done it better.”—San Francisco Chronicle "It's rare to be deeply moved by something as apparently hip and accessible as War Boy, but that's the way art works, I guess, taking us by surprise once in a while and reminding us that we have more in common with each other than a shared set of grammatical rules and some exclusive ideas about how to live with each other."—Washington Post Book World

"An honest, pacey portrayal of empire-building at a critical juncture in the Great Game...a fascinating and very surprising read.”—Financial Times “Hillsbery’s exploration of what happened to his British uncle who went to India in 1841, never to return, makes achingly vivid how difficult it was to escape one’s preordained class and societal expectations in Victorian England... Great details abound... Marvelous insights into the British in India, along with a glimpse into gay life. This has a narrative sweep reminiscent of Christopher Hibbert’s social histories.” –BOOKLIST **Starred Review** “There are travelers who can’t write and writers who can’t travel. Fortunately for his readers, Kief Hillsbery can do both. Part travelogue, part family memoir, Empire Made is a fine and moving tale, sensitively explored and beautifully written.” —Justin Marozzi, author of Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood

“Hillsbery’s exploration of what happened to his British uncle who went to India in 1841, never to return, makes achingly vivid how difficult it was to escape one’s preordained class and societal expectations in Victorian England... Great details abound... Marvelous insights into the British in India, along with a glimpse into gay life. This has a narrative sweep reminiscent of Christopher Hibbert’s social histories.” –BOOKLIST **Starred Review**  

Praise for War Boy “Lit with the sense of possibility that rock has always offered it confused, blessed boys”—New York Times “An old-fashioned romance disguised in postmodern hipness and, like the heroine of a Victorian novel, Radboy saves himself for the boy who truly loves him. Thackeray himself couldn't have done it better.”—San Francisco Chronicle "It's rare to be deeply moved by something as apparently hip and accessible as War Boy, but that's the way art works, I guess, taking us by surprise once in a while and reminding us that we have more in common with each other than a shared set of grammatical rules and some exclusive ideas about how to live with each other."—Washington Post Book World "Written in beautiful prose that is alternatively frenetic and poetic."—Booklist What We Do Is Secret was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award

“Hillsbery’s exploration of what happened to his British uncle who went to India in 1841, never to return, makes achingly vivid how difficult it was to escape one’s preordained class and societal expectations in Victorian England... Great details abound... Marvelous insights into the British in India, along with a glimpse into gay life. This has a narrative sweep reminiscent of Christopher Hibbert’s social histories.” –BOOKLIST **Starred Review** “There are travelers who can’t write and writers who can’t travel. Fortunately for his readers, Kief Hillsbery can do both. Part travelogue, part family memoir, Empire Made is a fine and moving tale, sensitively explored and beautifully written.” —Justin Marozzi, author of Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood

KIEF HILLSBERY is the author of the critically acclaimed novel War Boy. He is a former contributing editor and columnist for Outside magazine and a former writer for Rolling Stone. He lives in Arizona.