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Raquela: A Woman of Israel
by Ruth GruberA National Jewish Book Award–winning biography: A look at the early years of Israel&’s statehood, experienced through the life of a pioneering nurse.During her extraordinary career, nurse Raquela Prywes was a witness to history. She delivered babies in a Holocaust refugee camp and on the Israeli frontier. She crossed minefields to aid injured soldiers in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and organized hospitals to save the lives of those fighting the 1967 Six-Day War. Along the way, her own life was a series of triumphs and tragedies mirroring those of the newly formed Jewish state.Raquela is a moving tribute to a remarkable woman, and an unforgettable chronicle of the birth of Israel through the eyes of those who lived it.
Raquela: A Woman of Israel
by Ruth GruberA National Jewish Book Award–winning biography: A look at the early years of Israel&’s statehood, experienced through the life of a pioneering nurse.During her extraordinary career, nurse Raquela Prywes was a witness to history. She delivered babies in a Holocaust refugee camp and on the Israeli frontier. She crossed minefields to aid injured soldiers in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and organized hospitals to save the lives of those fighting the 1967 Six-Day War. Along the way, her own life was a series of triumphs and tragedies mirroring those of the newly formed Jewish state.Raquela is a moving tribute to a remarkable woman, and an unforgettable chronicle of the birth of Israel through the eyes of those who lived it.
Family Memories: An Autobiographical Journey
by Rebecca WestWest's wise and entertaining memoir--now available as an ebookPublished posthumously, this family history and memoir offers keen insight into the origins of Rebecca West and her workWorking on Family Memories for over twenty years, West set out to narrate the story of her mother's, father's and husband's unique and talented families. As in her novels, the richly drawn characters of her heritage and childhood traverse a diverse landscape, from Scotland to Australia to Africa, encountering love, loss, and a panoply of challenges. Although fans will recognize many settings, characters, and themes from her novels, West's exploration of her family stands on its own as an engaging narrative. Told with her compelling voice, West's chronicles reflect not only the importance of family to identity, but to the way one relates to the larger world.
Predators I Have Known
by Alan Dean FosterAn adrenaline-fueled travel memoir of life in the wild among the planet&’s most ferocious and fascinating predators.Over the last forty years, New York Times–bestselling author Alan Dean Foster has journeyed around the globe to encounter nature&’s most fearsome creatures. His travels have taken him into the heart of the Amazon rain forest on the trail of deadly tangarana ants, on an elephant ride across the sweeping green plains of central India in search of the elusive Bengal tiger, and into the waters of the Australian coast to come face-to-face with great white sharks. Packed with pulse-pounding adventure and spiked with rapier wit, Predators I Have Known is a thrilling look at life and death in the wild.
Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman
by James GleickNew York Times Bestseller: This life story of the quirky physicist is &“a thorough and masterful portrait of one of the great minds of the century&” (The New York Review of Books). Raised in Depression-era Rockaway Beach, physicist Richard Feynman was irreverent, eccentric, and childishly enthusiastic—a new kind of scientist in a field that was in its infancy. His quick mastery of quantum mechanics earned him a place at Los Alamos working on the Manhattan Project under J. Robert Oppenheimer, where the giddy young man held his own among the nation&’s greatest minds. There, Feynman turned theory into practice, culminating in the Trinity test, on July 16, 1945, when the Atomic Age was born. He was only twenty-seven. And he was just getting started. In this sweeping biography, James Gleick captures the forceful personality of a great man, integrating Feynman&’s work and life in a way that is accessible to laymen and fascinating for the scientists who follow in his footsteps.
Madboy: Beyond Mad Men: Tales from the Mad, Mad World of Advertising
by Richard Kirshenbaum Jerry Della FeminaA thrilling and irreverent memoir about the transformation of the advertising business from the 1980s to todayRichard Kirshenbaum was born to sell. Raised in a family of Long Island strivers, this future advertising titan was just a few years old when his grandfather first taught him that a Cadillac is more than a car, and that if you can't have a Trinitron you might as well not watch TV. He had no connections when he came to Madison Avenue, but he possessed an outrageous sense of humor that would make him a millionaire. In 1987, at the age of twenty-six, Richard put his savings on the line to launch his own agency with partner Jonathan Bond, and within a year, had transformed it from a no-name firm into the go-to house for cutting-edge work. Kirshenbaum and Bond pioneered guerilla marketing by purchasing ad space on fruit, spray-painting slogans on the sidewalk, and hiring actors to order the Hennessy martini in nightclubs. They were the bad boys of Madison Avenue--a firm where a skateboarding employee once bowled over an important client--but backed up their madness with results. Packed with business insight, marketing wisdom, and a cast of characters ranging from Princess Diana to Ed McMahon, this memoir is as bold, as breathtaking, and as delightful as Richard himself.
Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave
by Virginia HamiltonThe &“unforgettable&” novel from the Newbery Medal–winning author tells the true story of a runaway slave whose capture and trial set off abolitionist riots (Kirkus Reviews).Anthony Burns is a runaway slave who has just started to build a life for himself in Boston. Then his former owner comes to town to collect him. Anthony won&’t go willingly, though, and people across the city step forward to make sure he&’s not taken. Based on the true story of a man who stood up against the Fugitive Slave Law, Hamilton&’s gripping account follows the battle in the streets and in the courts to keep Burns a citizen of Boston—a battle that is the prelude to the nation&’s bloody Civil War.
The Wit and Wisdom of Ted Kennedy
by Bill AdlerThe mantras and political philosophies of Ted Kennedy, collected by the editor of the New York Times best-selling The Kennedy WitA collection of quotations and philosophies from Ted Kennedy, grouped thematically in categories ("Words of Inspiration," "On the Kennedy Family and its Legacy," "Personal Reflections," "On Religion and Public Life," "Lighter Movements"). Each section includes a brief introduction by the editor to set off the group quotes, which range from charming one-liners to Kennedy's letter to Pope Benedict that President Obama hand-delivered to the Vatican in July 2009.
In Search of Bisco: A Memoir
by Erskine CaldwellIn this travelogue and memoir, groundbreaking novelist Erskine Caldwell looks back at a life lived in the troubled South Five decades removed from his own Southern childhood, novelist Erskine Caldwell sets out on a journey to find an old friend—a friend lost to him through the culture of segregation. As Caldwell follows a trail through Georgia, South Carolina, and much of the Deep South in search of his black childhood friend Bisco, his interviews with white and black Americans expose a range of attitudes that are tragic, if not surprising. Published first in the mid-1960s just as the South was undergoing a radical transformation by freedom marches and sit-ins, In Search of Bisco offers a heartfelt account of the civil rights movement by one of the region&’s fiercest critics and most prominent sons. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erskine Caldwell including rare photos and never-before-seen documents courtesy of the Dartmouth College Library.
90-Day Geisha: My Time as a Tokyo Hostess
by Chelsea HaywoodAn introspective journey into the glamorous world--and Dionysian temptations--of Japanese nightlife The hard-drinking, drug-taking, all-night culture that dominates Tokyo's Roppongi district can be a surreal place. Intrigued by rumors of this strange subculture and armed with her 90-day work visa and new husband, Matt, Chelsea throws herself into the lion's den. Yet what she discovers about herself and about the inhabitants of this nocturnal life far exceeds her expectations.
Gandhi
by Jad Adams"Provocative. Adams strips away Gandhi's saintly aura and explores the duality . . . of India's most famous leader." --Financial Times Jad Adams traces the course of Gandhi's multi-faceted life, and the development of his religious, political, and social thinking over seven tumultuous decades: from his comfortable upbringing in a princely state in Gujarat; his early civil rights campaigns; his leadership through civil disobedience in the 1920s and 1930s that made him a world icon; and finally to his assassination by a Hindu extremist in 1948, only months after the birth of independent India. An elegant and masterly account of one of the seminal figures of twentieth-century history, Adams presents for the first time the true story behind the man whose life may truly be said to have changed the world.
American to the Backbone
by Christopher L. WebberThe incredible story of a forgotten hero--a former slave, Yale scholar, minister, and international leader of the Antebellum abolitionist movement At the age of 19, scared and illiterate, James Pennington, escaped from slavery in 1827 and soon became one of the leading voices against slavery prior to the Civil War. Just ten years after his escape, Pennington was ordained as a priest after studying at Yale and was soon traveling all over the world as an anti-slavery advocate. He was so well respected by European audiences that the University of Heidelberg awarded him an honorary doctorate, making him the first person of African descent to receive such a degree. This treatment was a far cry from his home across the Atlantic, where people like him, although no longer slaves, were still second-class citizens.As he fought for equal rights in America, Pennington's voice was not limited to the preacher's pulpit. He wrote the first-ever "History of the Colored People" as well as a careful study of the moral basis for civil disobedience, which would be echoed decades later by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. More than a century before Rosa Parks took her monumental bus ride, Pennington challenged segregated seating in New York City street cars. He was beaten and arrested, but eventually vindicated when the New York State Supreme Court ordered the cars to be integrated. Although the struggle for equality was far from over, Pennington retained a delightful sense of humor, intellectual vivacity, and inspiring faith through it all. American to the Backbone brings to life this fascinating, forgotten pioneer, who helped lay the foundation for the contemporary civil rights revolution and inspire generations of future leaders.
My Kitchen Wars: A Memoir (At Table Ser.)
by Betty FussellMy Kitchen Wars is a war story. This time, though, the warrior is a woman and the battleground is the kitchen. With kitchen implements, Betty Fussell pries open the past, giving voice to a generation of women whose stories were shaped but nonetheless silenced by an era of domestic strife and global conflict, from World War II to Vietnam. It's also a love story, the story of Fussell's marriage to World War II veteran and historian Paul Fussell. Captive in the roles of faculty wife and mother, Betty Fussell's inner war brings down the marriage, but she emerges to cook another dinner and tell her tale.
The Hillary Effect
by Taylor MarshSpanning nearly two decades of American politics, The Hillary Effect is the provocative and insightful story of the first viable female presidential candidate in history to win a primary and do so in spite of her campaign team's mistakes. It addresses the galvanizing impact that her loss represented for both women and men, in and out of Washington. And it revolves around media coverage that treated her differently as first lady, senator, and then presidential candidate--not only because she was a woman, but because she was Hillary Clinton.Candidly written by veteran political analyst Taylor Marsh, this is the view from a recovering partisan, someone whom the Washington Post called a "die hard Clintonite" in its profile of Hillary in 2008.The Hillary Effect began when Hillary, as first lady, dared to challenge China's treatment of women. A countless number of women have benefited and will benefit from her presidential loss, the most famous of these being Sarah Palin (the Tea Party queen of 2010 and first female on a national Republican presidential ticket), who weaves throughout this story as the anti-Hillary. The Hillary Effect also sees Michele Bachmann as a player, as the first Republican female to win a straw poll, primary, or caucus.The male leads in this stunning tale are Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama (someone who turned out to be very different from candidate Obama), with David Plouffe and Mark Penn making appearances. The story includes a host of media personalities and their outlets, but also new-media and progressive voices, and famous names like Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Sally Quinn, the late Tim Russert, Richard Wolffe, Laura Ingraham, Liz Cheney, Peggy Noonan, Maureen Dowd, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and even Bill O'Reilly, who offered Hillary the best interview she would do during the 2008 season.All of this is seen through the economic and political crises of today--health care, women's individual freedoms, Afghanistan, women's rise around the world, the debt-ceiling debate, tax cuts for the wealthy, Occupy Wall Street, and an American public disenchanted with both Republicans and Democrats.
The Habit
by Susan MorseThere is an unmistakable gleam in Ma&’s eye, and her absolute composure both appalls me and rips my heart from its root. I burst into tears. The gauntlet is thrown.From the time she was conceived, Susan Morse was her mother&’s &“special&” child. For Susan, special translated into becoming her incorrigible mother&’s frazzled caretaker, a role that continued into adulthood. Now she finds herself as part of the sandwich generation, responsible for a woman whose eighty-five years have been single-mindedly devoted to identifying The Answer To Everything. And, this week&’s Answer looks like it may be the real thing.Susan&’s mother is becoming a nun.Mother Brigid is opinionated and discerning (Don&’t call them trash cans. They&’re scrap baskets!), feisty and dogmatic (Stop signs and No Parking zones are installed by bureaucratic pencil pushers with nothing better to do), a brilliant artist (truly, a saving grace), and predictably unpredictable, recently demonstrated by her decision to convert to Orthodox Christianity and join its holy order. Dressed in full nun regalia, she might be mistaken for a Taliban bigwig. But just as Mother Brigid makes her debut at church, a debilitating accident puts her in a rehab center hours from Susan&’s home, where Susan&’s already up to her neck juggling three teenagers, hot flashes, a dog, two cats, and a husband whose work pulls him away from the family for months at a time. Now Susan gets to find out if it&’s less exhausting to be at her mother&’s beck and call from one hundred miles away or one hundred feet. And she&’s beginning to suspect that the things she always thought she knew about her mother were only the tip of a wonderfully singular iceberg.In this fresh, funny, utterly irresistible memoir, Susan Morse offers readers a look at a mother-daughter relationship that is both universal and unique. For anyone who&’s wondered how they made it through their childhood with their sanity intact, for every multitasking woman coping simultaneously with parents and children, for those of us who love our parents come hell or high water (because we just can&’t help it), Susan Morse&’s story is surprising, reassuring, and laugh-out-loud funny. A beguiling journey of love, forbearance, and self-discovery, The Habit introduces two unforgettable women you&’ll be glad to know—from a safe distance.
Babe: The Legend Comes to Life
by Robert W. CreamerThe definitive life story of the legendary Yankee slugger: &“The best biography ever written about an American sports figure&” (Sports Illustrated). Nearly a century has passed since George Herman Ruth made his major league debut, and in that time millions of words have been used to describe baseball&’s greatest hero. But for a man like the Babe, for whom the phrase &“larger than life&” seems to have been coined, those millions of words have created a mythologized legacy. Who was the real Babe Ruth? Relying on exhaustive research and interviews with teammates, family members, and friends, historian Robert W. Creamer separates fact from fiction and paints an honest and fascinating portrait of the slugger. This is the definitive biography of a man who was, in legend and in truth, the best who ever lived.
Big Bill Tilden: The Triumphs and the Tragedy
by Frank Deford&“A compelling, long overdue tribute&” to America&’s first tennis star from the renowned sportswriter and author of Everybody&’s All-American (Kirkus Reviews). When he stepped onto the Wimbledon grass in 1920, Bill Tilden was poised to become the world&’s greatest tennis star. Throughout the 1920s he dominated the sport, winning championship after championship with his trademark grace, power, and intelligence. He owned the game more completely than Babe Ruth ruled baseball, making his name, for more than a decade, synonymous with tennis. Phenomenally intelligent—he completed his first book on tennis in the three weeks before his first Wimbledon triumph—Tilden&’s success came with a dark side. This classic biography by legendary sports writer Frank Deford tells of Tilden&’s dominance, which was unlike anything the sport had ever seen—and the big man&’s tragic fall.
Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8,000-Meter Peak (Lyons Press Ser.)
by Maurice HerzogOne of Sports Illustrated&’s Top 100 Sports Books of All Time: A gripping firsthand account of one of the most daring climbing expeditions in history. #1 New York Times Bestseller Annapurna I is the name given to the 8,100-meter mountain that ranks among the most forbidding in the Himalayan chain. Dangerous not just for its extreme height but for a long and treacherous approach, its summit proved unreachable until 1950, when a group of French mountaineers made a mad dash for its peak. They became the first men to accomplish the feat, doing so without oxygen tanks or any of the modern equipment that contemporary climbers use. The adventure nearly cost them their lives. Maurice Herzog dictated this firsthand account of the remarkable trek from a hospital bed as he recovered from injuries sustained during the climb. An instant bestseller, it remains one of the most famous mountaineering books of all time, and an enduring testament to the power of the human spirit.
Fear Strikes Out
by Jim Piersall Al HirshbergA star of the 1950s Red Sox recounts his career and his battle with mental illnessWhen Jim Piersall first donned a Boston Red Sox uniform, he quickly distinguished himself as one of baseball's most colorful figures. Prone to wild rages, he argued with umpires, managers, and his fellow teammates, showing off an unpredictable personality that fans and sportswriters ate up, but which infuriated his club. His behavior became more erratic until he suffered a violent breakdown that saw him institutionalized and diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Cowritten with Boston sportswriter Al Hirshberg, this is the story of Piersall's collapse and his subsequent attempt to return to the major leagues. A shattering confessional of mental hardship, Fear Strikes Out is an unforgettable look at the difficulties of playing sports at the highest level.
Du Pont Dynasty: Behind the Nylon Curtain (Forbidden Bookshelf #6)
by Gerard ColbyAward-winning journalist Gerard Colby takes readers behind the scenes of one of America&’s most powerful and enduring corporations; now with a new introduction by the author Their name is everywhere. America&’s wealthiest industrial family by far and a vast financial power, the Du Ponts, from their mansions in northern Delaware&’s &“Chateau Country,&” have long been leaders in the relentless drive to turn the United States into a plutocracy. The Du Pont story in this country began in 1800. Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, official keeper of the gunpowder of corrupt King Louis XVI, fled from revolutionary France to America. Two years later he founded the gunpowder company that called itself &“America&’s armorer&”—and that President Wilson&’s secretary of war called a &“species of outlaws&” for war profiteering. Du Pont Dynasty introduces many colorful characters, including &“General&” Henry du Pont, who profited from the Civil War to build the Gunpowder Trust, one of the first corporate monopolies; Alfred I. du Pont, betrayed by his cousins and pushed out of the organization, landing in social exile as the powerful &“Count of Florida&”; the three brothers who expanded Du Pont&’s control to General Motors, fought autoworkers&’ right to unionize, and then launched a family tradition of waging campaigns to destroy FDR&’s New Deal regulatory reforms; Governor Pete du Pont, who ran for president and backed Newt Gingrich&’s 1994 Republican Revolution; and Irving S. Shapiro, the architect of Du Pont&’s ongoing campaign to undermine effective environmental regulation. From plans to force President Roosevelt from office, to munitions sales to warlords and the rising Nazis, to Freon&’s damage to the planet&’s life-protecting ozone layer, to the manufacture of deadly gases and the covered-up poisoning of Du Pont workers, to the reputation the company earned for being the worst polluter of America&’s air and water, the Du Pont reign has been dappled with scandal for centuries. Culled from years of painstaking research and interviews, this fully documented book unfolds like a novel. Laying bare the bitter feuds, power plays, smokescreens, and careless unaccountability that erupted in murder, Colby pulls back the curtain on a dynasty whose formidable influence continues to this day. Suppressed in myriad ways and the subject of the author&’s landmark federal lawsuit, Du Pont Dynasty is an essential history of the United States.
Du Pont Dynasty: Behind the Nylon Curtain (Forbidden Bookshelf #6)
by Gerard ColbyAward-winning journalist Gerard Colby takes readers behind the scenes of one of America&’s most powerful and enduring corporations; now with a new introduction by the author Their name is everywhere. America&’s wealthiest industrial family by far and a vast financial power, the Du Ponts, from their mansions in northern Delaware&’s &“Chateau Country,&” have long been leaders in the relentless drive to turn the United States into a plutocracy. The Du Pont story in this country began in 1800. Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, official keeper of the gunpowder of corrupt King Louis XVI, fled from revolutionary France to America. Two years later he founded the gunpowder company that called itself &“America&’s armorer&”—and that President Wilson&’s secretary of war called a &“species of outlaws&” for war profiteering. Du Pont Dynasty introduces many colorful characters, including &“General&” Henry du Pont, who profited from the Civil War to build the Gunpowder Trust, one of the first corporate monopolies; Alfred I. du Pont, betrayed by his cousins and pushed out of the organization, landing in social exile as the powerful &“Count of Florida&”; the three brothers who expanded Du Pont&’s control to General Motors, fought autoworkers&’ right to unionize, and then launched a family tradition of waging campaigns to destroy FDR&’s New Deal regulatory reforms; Governor Pete du Pont, who ran for president and backed Newt Gingrich&’s 1994 Republican Revolution; and Irving S. Shapiro, the architect of Du Pont&’s ongoing campaign to undermine effective environmental regulation. From plans to force President Roosevelt from office, to munitions sales to warlords and the rising Nazis, to Freon&’s damage to the planet&’s life-protecting ozone layer, to the manufacture of deadly gases and the covered-up poisoning of Du Pont workers, to the reputation the company earned for being the worst polluter of America&’s air and water, the Du Pont reign has been dappled with scandal for centuries. Culled from years of painstaking research and interviews, this fully documented book unfolds like a novel. Laying bare the bitter feuds, power plays, smokescreens, and careless unaccountability that erupted in murder, Colby pulls back the curtain on a dynasty whose formidable influence continues to this day. Suppressed in myriad ways and the subject of the author&’s landmark federal lawsuit, Du Pont Dynasty is an essential history of the United States.
The Change Maker: Preserving the Promise of America
by Al ChecchiEntertaining, fast-paced, instructional, The Change Maker is not only a memoir, but a blueprint for how we can change our own lives, as well as the world around us, by providing personal lessons in the values of strategic thinking and responsible leadership. Through compelling true stories, both humorous and serious, Al Checchi demonstrates that through experience, vision, and courage, one person can make a difference and lead others to move beyond their comfort zones and transform our institutions. Al Checchi, a remarkable change maker, chronicles how his creativity, strategic thinking, and negotiating skills helped transform three major American institutions--Marriott Corporation, Walt Disney, and Northwest Airlines--and led him to challenge the California political establishment as a candidate for governor. Peppered with excerpts from speeches and articles, The Change Maker offers thoughtful perspective on institutional change in America since the 1960s, and scalding commentary on the current state of our public and private institutions, political parties, the emergent political class, and the economic policies and leadership of today's administration. The Change Maker challenges us to confront the status quo and demand accountability and a restoration of the fiduciary standards that are so vital to reclaiming and maintaining America's position of economic and political leadership. Readers will finish the book feeling revitalized, hopeful, and armed with new ideas on how change can, and always will, occur.
The Man in the Empty Boat
by Mark SalzmanFrom the author of Iron & Silk comes a moving memoir of love and family, loss and spiritual yearningAnxiety has always been part of Mark Salzman&’s life: He was born into a family as nervous as rabbits, people with extra angst coded into their genes. As a young man he found solace through martial arts, meditation, tai chi, and rigorous writing schedules, but as he approaches midlife, he confronts a year of catastrophe. First, Salzman suffers a crippling case of writer&’s block; then a sudden family tragedy throws his life into chaos. Overwhelmed by terrifying panic attacks, the author begins a search for equanimity that ultimately leads to an epiphany from a most unexpected source. The Man in the Empty Boat is a witty and touching account of a skeptic&’s spiritual quest, a story of one man&’s journey to find peace as a father, a writer, and an individual.
Golden Lilies
by Eileen Goudge Zhang Qing Kwei LiCentury-old letters tell a story of timeless love in a vanished countryFirst translated by American scholar Elizabeth Cooper in 1914 and published as My Lady of the Chinese Courtyard, this haunting collection of letters was out of print until discovered by bestselling author Eileen Goudge. In its pages she found the story of Kwei-li, a noblewoman of nineteenth-century China. In rich, elegant detail, Kwei-li writes of passionate love for a man whom she first meets on their wedding day. She navigates the difficulties of homemaking and motherhood, becoming a confident wife as her happy home is threatened by the forces of change that are sweeping the nation. Enhanced with beautiful new illustrations, this is a timeless chronicle of a strong woman's struggle against the onset of modernity. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Eileen Goudge including rare photos from the author's personal collection.
Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America
by Natalie GoldbergThe author of Writing Down the Bones shares her story of self-discovery through Zen Buddhism, in &“beautiful and simple prose&” (Library Journal). In this autobiographical work, Natalie Goldberg takes us on a journey from her suburban childhood to her maturation as a writer. From the high-school classroom where she first listened to the rain, to her fifteen years as a student of Zen Buddhism, Natalie Goldberg&’s path is by turns illuminating, disciplined, heartbreaking, hilarious, and healing. Along the way she reflects on her life and work in prose that is both elegant and precise, reminding the reader of what it means to be fully alive. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Natalie Goldberg, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s personal collection.