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Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini
by Sid FleischmanBiography of Houdini. How did he walk through walls, escape drowning, and shatter iron chains? The rare photos and the exclusive update about the rumor that Houdini was poisoned might help. But remember, a true magician never reveals his tricks.
Playground: A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion
by Jennifer SaginorYou are six years old. Every day after school your father takes you to a sprawling castle filled with exotic animals, bowls of candy, and half-naked women catering to your every need. You have your own room. You have new friends. You have an uncle Hef who's always there for you. Welcome to the world of Playground, the true story of a young girl who grew up inside the Playboy Mansion. By the time she was fourteen, she'd done countless drugs, had a secret affair with Hef's girlfriend, and was already losing her grip on reality. Schoolwork, family, and "ordinary people" had no meaning behind the iron gates of the Mansion, where celebrities frolicked, pool parties abounded, and her own father -- Hugh Hefner's personal physician and best friend, the man nicknamed "Dr. Feel Good" -- typically held court. Every day was a party, every night was an adventure, and through it all was a young girl falling faster and faster down the rabbit hole -- trying desperately hard not to get lost.
The Dancing Girls of Lahore: Selling Love and Hoarding Dreams in Pakistan's Ancient Pleasure District
by Louise BrownThe dancing girls of Lahore inhabit the Diamond Market in the shadow of a great mosque. The twenty-first century goes on outside the walls of this ancient quarter but scarcely registers within. Though their trade can be described with accuracy as prostitution, the dancing girls have an illustrious history: Beloved by emperors and nawabs, their sophisticated art encompassed the best of Mughal culture. The modern-day Bollywood aesthetic, with its love of gaudy spectacle, music, and dance, is their distant legacy. But the life of the pampered courtesan is not the one now being lived by Maha and her three girls. What they do is forbidden by Islam, though tolerated; but they are gandi, "unclean," and Maha's daughters, like her, are born into the business and will not leave it. Sociologist Louise Brown spent four years in the most intimate study of the family life of a Lahori dancing girl. With beautiful understatement, she turns a novelist's eye on a true story that beggars the imagination. Maha, a classically trained dancer of exquisite grace, had her virginity sold to a powerful Arab sheikh at the age of twelve; when her own daughter Nena comes of age and Maha cannot bring in the money she once did, she faces a terrible decision as the agents of the sheikh come calling once more.
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia
by Marya HornbacherWhy would a talented young woman enter into a torrid affair with hunger, drugs, sex, and death? Through five lengthy hospital stays, endless therapy, and the loss of family, friends, jobs, and all sense of what it means to be "normal," Marya Hornbacher lovingly embraced her anorexia and bulimia -- until a particularly horrifying bout with the disease in college put the romance of wasting away to rest forever. A vivid, honest, and emotionally wrenching memoir, Wasted is the story of one woman's travels to reality's darker side -- and her decision to find her way back on her own terms.
Silent Witness: The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo's Death
by Mark FuhrmanWe all watched Terri Schiavo die. The controversy around her case dominated the headlines and talk shows, going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, the White House, and the Vatican. And it's not over yet. Despite her death, the controversy lingers. In Silent Witness, former LAPD detective and New York Times bestselling author Mark Fuhrman applies his highly respected investigative skills to examine the medical evidence, legal case files, and police records. With the complete cooperation of Terri Schiavo's parents and siblings, as well as their medical and legal advisers, he conducts exclusive interviews with forensics experts and crucial witnesses, including friends, family members, and caregivers. Fuhrman's findings will answer these questions: What was Terri and Michael Schiavo's marriage really like? What happened the day Terri collapsed? What did Michael Schiavo do when he discovered Terri unconscious? How long did he wait before calling 911? What do medical records show about her condition when she was first admitted to the hospital? What will the autopsy say? The legal issues and ethical questions provoked by Terri Schiavo's extraordinary case may never be resolved. But the facts about her marriage, her condition when she collapsed, and her eventual death fifteen years later can be determined. With Silent Witness, Fuhrman goes beyond the legal aspects of the case and delves into the broader, human background of Terri Schiavo's short, sad life.
The Reagan Diaries
by Douglas Brinkley Ronald ReaganReagan's diary while he was the American President from 1981 to 1989.
The Shaolin Way: 10 Modern Secrets of Survival from a Shaolin Kung Fu Grandmaster
by Steve DemascoDeMasco joins monks at the Shaolin Temple and learns their fighting techniques. In the process, he uncovers an ancient philosophy that helps him to learn, grow, and over come his past. In this book, he shares his philosophy and gives ten secrets for survival that will help others to live a more fulfilled life.
Seize the Fire: Heroism, Duty, and Nelson's Battle of Trafalgar
by Adam NicolsonIn October 1805 Lord Horatio Nelson, the most brilliant sea commander who ever lived, led the British Royal Navy to a devastating victory over the Franco-Spanish fleets at the great battle of Trafalgar. It was the foundation of Britain's nineteenth-century world-dominating empire. Adam Nicolson's "Seize the Fire" is not only a close and revealing portrait of a legendary hero in his final action but also a vivid account of the brutal realities of battle; it asks the questions: Why did the winners win? What was it about the British, their commanders and their men, their beliefs and their ambitions, that took them to such overwhelming victory
Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead
by Paula ByrneA terrifically engaging and original biography of one of England's greatest novelists, Evelyn Waugh, and the glamorous, eccentric, debauched, and ultimately tragic family that provided him with the most significant friendships of his life and inspired his masterpiece, Brideshead Revisited. Fans of The Mitfords, D. J. Taylor's Bright Young People, and Alexander Waugh's Fathers and Sons, as well as Anglophiles in general, will find much to savor in Paula Byrne's wonderful Mad World. A major theme of the book and part of its original research relates to Waugh's bisexuality and how this, at the time, criminal offense effected him and his friends. In addition the thread of homosexuality runs continually through the book.
747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation
by Jay Spenser Joe SutterThis is the thrilling story behind "the Queen of the Skies"--the Boeing 747--as told by Joe Sutter, one of the most celebrated engineers of the twentieth century, who spearheaded its design and construction. Born in 1921 in Seattle, Sutter grew up on a hilltop overlooking the Boeing plant and flying field. It was a thrilling era of open cockpits, silk scarves, leather helmets, and goggles. After serving in World War 2, Sutter joined Boeing, then a small company, eager to build airplanes. In July 1965, he was asked to lead the large Boeing team designing the new 747. Pan Am wanted a new airliner as quickly as possible. This all-new transport had to be far bigger than anything in service or even on anybody's drawing board. To make it fly, Sutter and his team would have to push far beyond the technological boundaries of the late 1960s. Could it be done? Almost everything about the 747 would be unprecedented. Its cabin would be so wide that it would need two aisles. Its horizontal tail would be bigger than the wings of most airliners ever built. Jet engines big enough to lift it off the ground didn't yet exist. Runways at the world's airports couldn't handle it, and neither could Boeing's factories. They had to erect the world's largest building just to produce it. A truly mammoth undertaking, the 747 became one of the most successful airplane models ever. Sutter's vivid narrative takes us back to a time when American technology was cutting-edge--the 747, came on the market the same year that men first set foot on the moon--and jet travel was still glamorous and new. With wit and warmth, he gives an insider's sense of the larger-than-life-size personalities and the tensions in the aeronautical world. Ultimately, 747 is an inspiring story of grit and glory.
Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption
by Christopher Kennedy LawfordThe firstborn child of famed Rat Pack actor Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy, sister to John F. Kennedy, Christopher Kennedy Lawford grew up with presidents, senators, and movie stars as close relatives and personal friends. When he was a toddler, Marilyn Monroe taught him how to dance the twist. He recalls being awakened late at night to hear his uncle Jack announce his candidacy for president. His early life was marked by the traumatic assassinations of two beloved uncles during his teen years, he succumbed to the tragic allure of the 1970s drug scene. "Symptoms of Withdrawal" is Lawford's unflinchingly honest portrayal of his life as a Kennedy--a journey overflowing with hilarious insider anecdotes, heartbreaking accounts of his addictions to narcotics as well as to celebrity, and, ultimately, the redemption he found by asserting his own independence.
The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis
by Alan JacobsonBiography of Lewis and an analysis of his writings.
A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare
by James S. ShapiroThose with a keen interest in Shakespeare will enjoy insight into the man, his work and his times. Shapiro knows his readership will be a motivated one and is counting on the subject material to drive them to carry on. What makes the book an engaging read is the political context it provides. We begin to understand why he wrote some of his plays and certain characters, and what pressures he would've dealt with keeping his craft "cutting-edge", but popular to the masses, as well as staying in the Queen's favor.
Cracks in My Foundation: Bags, Trips, Make-up Tips, Charity, Glory, and the Darker Side of the Story (Essays and Stories)
by Marian KeyesThe author's hilarious observations on glamour, family, Children, friends, home, travel, hairdressers, feminism, turning 40, husbands, shopping, and more!
Using Terri: The Religious Right's Conspiracy to Take Away Our Rights
by Jon B. EisenbergThe Terri Schiavo case centerred around the removal of a feeding tube from a dying woman. Eisenberg, who served as one of the lead attorneys on Michael Schiavo's side, asserts that the Terri Schiavo case was a key battle in a larger political struggle over abortion, stem-cell research, physician-assisted suicide, gay rights, and the appointment of federal judges. The religious Right chose to make it a national spectacle because they thought they could win. They were wrong. But there are many more battles to come. Jon Eisenberg, who served as one of the lead attorneys on Michael Schiavo's side, exposes the religious Right's strategies and follows the money trail to reveal how they are organized, who is funding the movement, and where we can expect future legal maneuvers to combat the American traditions of autonomy and freedom. Jon Eisenberg has experienced the family struggle of removing a feeding tube from a loved one and witnessed firsthand the Florida drama that will continue to have national legal and political consequences for years to come. What tactics can we expect to see in courtrooms and state legislatures all across this country in the days ahead? Who is behind the funding and what do they hope to accomplish and when? What are the religious and bioethical issues that are at the center of these debates and how will they affect future legal battles? Using Terri gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what happened -- and what's coming. Author Info. Jon B. Eisenberg teaches appellate procedure at the University of California's Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
Hard Times: Force of Circumstance, Volume II
by Richard Howard Simone De BeauvoirThis volume of Simone de Beauvoir's legendary autobiography presents Beauvoir at the height of her international fame and portrays her inner struggle with aging. Beauvoir recounts her difficult long-distance romance with novelist Nelson Algren and her involvement with Claude Lanzmann (the future director of Shoah). She also vividly describes her travels with Sartre to Brazil and Cuba, reveals her private sense of despair in reaction to French atrocities in Algeria, and confronts her own deepening depression. Simone de Beauvoir's outstanding achievement is to have left us an admirable record of her unceasing battle to become an independent woman and writer.
A Death of One's Own
by Gerda LernerA touching memoir of a marriage, a family in crisis, a man faced with death. Riveting, beautifully written, profoundly moving. A testimonial to love, courage, and honesty.
Disturbing the Universe
by Freeman DysonWhile the focus of this book is a biography of the physicist Freeman Dyson up till about 1980, the side stories and range of people and projects he became involved in make this book a galaxy spanning story. From analyzing British bomber activity in WW II to meeting Hans Bethe and Richard Feynman when he was just trying to figure out what he wanted as a career, to helping design a nuclear starship to work on nuclear arms control, to the intersection of physics and biology, along with the poetry and stories that inspired him and the activities of his own family, the story expands to fill an amazing volume.
The Starship and the Canoe
by Kenneth BrowerThe story of a father and son who search for life's meaning in very different ways. "In the tradition of Carl Sagan and John McPhee, a bracing cerebral voyage past intergalactic hoopla and backwoods retreats. "--Kirkus Reviews
A Slot Machine, A Broken Test Tube: An Autobiography (Sloane Foundation)
by S. E. LuriaThis is the autobiography of Nobel Prize winning Salvador E. Luria. Luria was one of the founders of molecular biology, a renowned professor and teacher at several major universities including MIT where he also was the first director of the Cancer Center. He was also an anti-Vietnam war activist and champion of all causes to reduce social and financial inequality.
Edgar A. Poe
by Kenneth SilvermanFrom a Pulitzer-Prize winning biographer, the most revealing, fascinating, and important biography of one of our greatest literary figures.
Talking To High Monks In The Snow: An Asian-American Odyssey
by Lydia Y. MinatoyaWinner of the 1991 PEN/Jerard Fund Award, Talking to High Monks in the Snow captures the passion and intensity of an Asian-American woman's search for cultural identity.
A Leg to Stand On
by Oliver SacksDr. Oliver Sacks's books "Awakenings, An Anthropologist on Mars" and the bestselling "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat" have been acclaimed for their extraordinary compassion in the treatment of patients affected with profound disorders. In "A Leg to Stand On", it is Sacks himself who is the patient: an encounter with a bull on a desolate mountain in Norway has left him with a severely damaged leg. But what should be a routine recuperation is actually the beginning of a strange medical journey when he finds that his leg uncannily no longer feels part of his body. Sacks's brilliant description of his crisis and eventual recovery is not only an illuminating examination of the experience of patienthood and the inner nature of illness and health but also a fascinating exploration of the physical basis of identity. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Paper Daughter: A Memoir
by M. Elaine MarWhen she was five years old, M. Elaine Mar and her mother emigrated from Hong Kong to Denver to join her father in a community more Chinese than American, more hungry than hopeful. While working with her family in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant and living in the basement of her aunt's house, Mar quickly masters English and begins to excel in school. But as her home and school life--Chinese tradition and American independence--become two increasingly disparate worlds, Mar tries desperately to navigate between them. Adolescence and the awakening of her sexuality leave Elaine isolated and confused. She yearns for storebought clothes and falls for a red-haired boy who leads her away from the fretful eyes of her family. In his presence, Elaine is overcome by the strength of her desire--blocking out her family's visions of an arranged marriage in Hong Kong. From surviving racist harassment in the schooIyard to trying to flip her straight hair like Farrah Fawcett, from hiding her parents' heritage to arriving alone at Harvard University, Mar's story is at once an unforgettable personal journey and an unflinching, brutal look at the realities of the American Dream.
Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery
by Patricia Weaver FranciscoShe invites the reader into her life and into the questions raised by a crime with no obvious solutions or easy answers. We see the dimensions of a human struggle often kept hidden from view. While there are an estimated twelve million rape survivors in the United States, rape is still unspeakable, left out of our personal and cultural conversation. In Telling, Francisco has found a language for the secret grief carried by men and women who have survived rape.