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Losing Isn't Everything: The Untold Stories and Hidden Lessons Behind the Toughest Losses in Sports History
by Curt Menefee Michael ArkushA refreshing and thought-provoking look at athletes whose legacies have been reduced to one defining moment of defeat—those on the flip side of an epic triumph—and what their experiences can teach us about competition, life, and the human spirit.Every sports fan recalls with amazing accuracy a pivotal winning moment involving a favorite team or player—Henry Aaron hitting his 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth; Christian Laettner’s famous buzzer beating shot in the NCAA tournament for Duke. Yet lost are the stories on the other side of these history-making moments, the athletes who experienced not transcendent glory but crushing disappointment: the cornerback who missed the tackle on the big touchdown; the relief pitcher who lost the series; the world-record holding Olympian who fell on the ice.In Losing Isn’t Everything, famed sportscaster Curt Menefee, joined by bestselling writer Michael Arkush, examines a range of signature "disappointments" from the wide world of sports, interviewing the subject at the heart of each loss and uncovering what it means—months, years, or decades later—to be associated with failure. While history is written by the victorious, Menefee argues that these moments when an athlete has fallen short are equally valuable to sports history, offering deep insights into the individuals who suffered them and about humanity itself.Telling the losing stories behind such famous moments as the Patriots’ Rodney Harrison guarding the Giants' David Tyree during the "Helmet Catch" in Super Bowl XLII, Mary Decker’s fall in the 1984 Olympic 1500m, and Craig Ehlo who gave up "The Shot" to Michael Jordan in the 1989 NBA playoffs, Menefee examines the legacy of the hardest loses, revealing the unique path that athletes have to walk after they lose on their sport’s biggest stage. Shedding new light some of the most accepted scapegoat stories in the sports cannon, he also revisits both the Baltimore Colts' loss to the Jets in Super Bowl III, as well as the Red Sox loss in the 1986 World Series, showing why, despite years of humiliation, it might not be all Bill Buckner's fault.Illustrated with sixteen pages of color photos, this considered and compassionate study offers invaluable lessons about pain, resilience, disappointment, remorse, and acceptance that can help us look at our lives and ourselves in a profound new way.
Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers
by Juliet MenéndezDream big with the Latinitas in Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers.Discover how 40 influential Latinas became the women we celebrate today! In this collection of short biographies from all over Latin America and across the United States, Juliet Menéndez explores the first small steps that set the Latinitas off on their journeys. With gorgeous, hand-painted illustrations, Menéndez shines a spotlight on the power of childhood dreams.From Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to singer Selena Quintanilla to NASA’s first virtual reality engineer, Evelyn Miralles, this is a book for aspiring artists, scientists, activists, and more. These women followed their dreams—and just might encourage you to follow yours!The book features Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Juana Azurduy de Padilla, Policarpa Salavarrieta, Rosa Peña de González, Teresa Carreño, Zelia Nuttall, Antonia Navarro, Matilde Hidalgo, Gabriela Mistral, Juana de Ibarbourou, Pura Belpré, Gumercinda Páez, Frida Kahlo, Julia de Burgos, Chavela Vargas, Alicia Alonso, Victoria Santa Cruz, Claribel Alegría, Celia Cruz, Dolores Huerta, Rita Moreno, Maria Auxiliadora da Silva, Mercedes Sosa, Isabel Allende, Susana Torre, Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Sonia Sotomayor, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Mercedes Doretti, Sonia Pierre, Justa Canaviri, Evelyn Miralles, Selena Quintanilla, Berta Cáceres, Serena Auñón, Wanda Díaz-Merced, Marta Vieira da Silva, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Laurie Hernandez.Godwin Books
Latinitas (Spanish edition): Una celebración de 40 soñadoras audaces
by Juliet MenéndezDescubre cómo cuarenta latinas influyentes se convirtieron en las mujeres que hoy celebramos. En esta colección de biografías cortas de personajes de toda América Latina y de Estados Unidos, Juliet Menéndez explora los primeros pasitos con los que estas latinitas iniciaron su camino. Con hermosas ilustraciones, hechas a mano, Menéndez pone en relieve el poder que tienen los sueños de la infancia.Desde la jueza de la Corte Suprema Sonia Sotomayor hasta la cantante Selena Quintanilla y la primera ingeniera de realidad virtual de la NASA, Evelyn Miralles, este libro aborda figuras que servirán de inspiración a futuras artistas, científicas, activistas y más. Ellas hicieron realidad sus sueños ¡y hasta puede que te alienten a alcanzar los tuyos!
Journal Of My Life
by Jacques-Louis Ménétra Daniel Roche Robert DarntonAn eighteenth-century Frenchman describes life in Paris, the events of the French Revolution, and his own fondness for pranks and jokes.
Pagoda of Light: A Falun Gong Story from Today's China
by Yuan Meng Long TuThis true story of the Bai Family in China traces how their devotion to truth placed them on a collision course with the Communist Party. When they became practitioners of Falun Gong, it paved the way for a painful and torturous, yet enlightening, path in life, especially for the two brilliant brothers Xiaojun and Shaohua. After the Chinese Communist regime began its systematic repression of Falun Gong practitioners in 1999, Bai Xiaojun was tortured to death in one of the laogai or "re-education through labour" camps. His brother Bai Shaohua also disappeared in another such prison for three years. Through blood and sweat, Shaohua made it alive out of prison but was once again abducted in early February, 2008. The details in this gripping account of how Falun Gong practitioners are being repressed reveal the larger pattern of life, and death, under a totalitarian regime. Authors Long Tu and Yuan Meng, now living in Canada, compiled this account through personal contact with members of the Bai Family. They also write from personal experience. Long Tu is a computer program designer and Yuan Meng an architect and urban designer. Yuan Meng was herself imprisoned for 16 months in a laogai camp before leaving China, where unusual "meals" caused her body to swell and her back bones were broken during the persecution. They now live in Toronto and wrote Pagoda of Light to honour their imprisoned friends, noting that "the experience of the Bai family is but one of thousands of examples."
Mayor For A New America
by Thomas M. Menino"When your career includes delivering twenty straight State of the City addresses in Boston, you&’ve got a lot to teach the world about leadership and &“getting stuff done.&” Mayor for a New America is a fascinating look at how he did it. I worked with Tom Menino for eight years on the challenges facing our cities. I know how much he did for the people of Boston." —President Bill Clinton &“Mayor Tom Menino led the resurgence of Boston's neighborhoods, expanded parks and livable spaces, and fought for an economy at the frontiers of innovation. He also knitted together a divided city and led the way for a new American revolution, ordering insurance coverage for domestic partners in 1996, performing marriages for same-sex couples in 2004, and sponsoring an annual gay prom at City Hall for Boston&’s teenagers. A Mayor for a New America tells his story, from meeting his wife Angela to leading Boston after the Marathon bombings. Menino's Boston truly is a city on a hill, a model for the country and for the world.&” —Senator Elizabeth Warren, author of A Fighting Chance —
Homing Instincts: Early Motherhood on a Midwestern Farm
by Sarah MenkedickSarah Menkedick spent her twenties trekking alone across South America, teaching English to recalcitrant teenagers on Reunion Island, picking grapes in France and camping on the Mongolian grasslands; for her, meaning and purpose were to be found on the road, in flight from the ordinary. Yet the biggest and most transformative adventure of her life might be one she never anticipated: at 31, she moves into a tiny 19th-century cabin on her family's Ohio farm, and begins the journey into motherhood. In eight vivid and boldly questioning essays, Menkedick explores the luminous, disorienting time just before and after becoming a mother. As she reacquaints herself with the subtle landscapes of the Midwest, and adjusts to the often surprising physicality of pregnancy, she ruminates on what this new stage of life means for her long-held concepts of self, settling, and creative fulfillment. In “Millie, Mildred, Grandma Menkedick,” she considers the nature of story through the life of her tough German grandmother, who raised two boys as a single mother in the 1950s and then spent her seventies traveling the world with her best friend Marge; in “Motherland,” on a trip back to Oaxaca, Mexico to visit her husband’s family, she finally embraces her Midwestern roots; in “The Milk Cave,” she discovers in breastfeeding a new appreciation for the spiritual and artistic potential of boredom; and in “The Lake,” she revisits her childhood with her father, whose relentless optimism and mystical streak she sees anew once she has a child of her own. A story of a traveler come home to the farm; of becoming a mother in spite of reservations and doubt; and of learning to appreciate the power and beauty of the quotidian, Homing Instincts speaks to the deepest concerns and hopes of a generation.
Wild River Blues
by Sarah MenkedickIn her early thirties and an aspiring literary journalist, Sarah Menkedick joins her baby brother Jackson and his precious Honda, the ”Jackwagon,” for fourteen transformative days on an east-coast backpacking adventure. The two cross mountains and by the end—exhausted to the core and unshowered—they reflect on the trajectory of their lives, the music they make and listen to, the principles to which they strive, and the disillusionment one can encounter after years of doggedly pursuing a passion. With only each other for company, they escape the trappings of their material lives. Together, they learn to heal, to love, and finally—to listen to one another. A Vintage Shorts Original. A ebook short.
Faith to Foster: An All-American Story of Loving the Least of These
by T.J. Menn Jenn MennFaith to Foster is a candid look into the life of ordinary foster parents TJ and Jenn Menn. It is a journey chronicling their decision making process, how the children arrived, the birth parents struggle to rehabilitate, help from friends and family, emotional goodbyes, and how faith in Jesus empowered them through it all. This is a story they wished they’d read before starting their foster parenting adventure. TJ and Jenn share their experiences and feelings in a way that encourages any reader to serve their neighbors, not just foster parents. Faith to Foster reminds Christians how God can use them to make a difference in their community.
Francis Ford Coppola (Contemporary Film Directors)
by Jeff MenneAcclaimed as one of the most influential and innovative American directors, Francis Ford Coppola is also lionized as a maverick auteur at war with Hollywood's power structure and an ardent critic of the postindustrial corporate America it reflects. However, Jeff Menne argues that Coppola exemplifies the new breed of creative corporate person and sees the director's oeuvre as vital for reimagining the corporation in the transformation of Hollywood. Reading auteur theory as the new American business theory, Menne reveals how Coppola's vision of a new kind of company has transformed the worker into a liberated and well-utilized artist, but has also commodified individual creativity at a level unprecedented in corporate history. Coppola negotiated the contradictory roles of shrewd businessman and creative artist by recognizing the two roles are fused in a postindustrial economy. Analyzing films like The Godfather (1970) and the overlooked Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) through Coppola's use of opera, Menne illustrates how Coppola developed a defining musical aesthetic while making films that reflected the idea of a corporation as family--and how his studio American Zoetrope came to represent a new brand of auteurism and the model for post-Fordist Hollywood.
Su Friedrich (Contemporary Film Directors)
by Barbara MennelAuteurism expanded With acclaimed films like Sink or Swim and The Odds of Recovery, Su Friedrich’s body of work stands at the forefront of avant-garde and Queer cinema. Barbara Mennel examines the career of an experimental auteur whose merger of technical innovation and political critique connects with both cinephiles and activists. Friedrich’s integration of cinematic experimentation with lesbian advocacy serves as a beginning rather than an end point of analysis. With that in mind, Mennel provides an essential overview of the filmmaker’s oeuvre while highlighting the defining characteristics of her artistic and political signature. She also situates Friedrich within the cultural, political, and historical contexts that both shape the films and are shaped by them. Finally, Mennel expands our notion of auteurism to include directors who engage in collaborative and creative processes rooted in communities.
Testimonies and Secrets
by Robert MennelThis compelling history is drawn from the papers of the Crouse-Eikle family, discovered in their ancestral home in Crousetown on Nova Scotia's South Shore. Millwright John Will Crouse (1844-1914) kept a meticulous diary spanning five decades. Reflective by nature, he recorded the challenges of work, pondered the intricacies of communal life, and wrote movingly of his personal and spiritual struggles. His daughter Elvira Crouse Eikle reported on village events for local newspapers, and her son, Harold Eikle (1912-1977), a gifted teacher and musician, wrote letters and family history. Harold's correspondence celebrated the social liberations of the 1930s and beyond, but also showed their limits in the suffering he experienced as a gay man in a heterosexual world.Using the family papers, other unpublished documents and oral history, Robert M. Mennel connects the experiences of the Crouse-Eikle family and their community to larger themes of social and cultural change in North America. A story of vivid personalities and episodes, by turns sad, conflicted, joyful, bitter, funny and reflective, Testimonies and Secrets will be read with pleasure by scholars and general readers alike.
Between Everything and Nothing: The Journey of Seidu Mohammed and Razak Iyal and the Quest for Asylum
by Joe MenoBestselling author Joe Meno brings his novelist's eye to the true story of two asylum seekers and their international journey through the chaos of an unjust immigration system. Long before their chance meeting at a Minneapolis bus station, Ghanaian asylum seekers Seidu Mohammed and Razak Iyal had already crossed half the world in search of a new home. Seidu, who identifies as bisexual, lived under constant threat of exposure and violence in a country where same-sex acts are illegal. Razak's life was also threatened after corrupt officials contrived to steal his rightful inheritance. Forced to flee their homeland, both men embarked on separate odysseys through the dangerous jungles and bureaucracies of South, Central, and North America. Like generations of asylum seekers before, they presented themselves legally at the U.S. border, hoping for sanctuary. Instead, they were imprisoned in private detention facilities, released only after their asylum pleas were denied. Fearful of returning to Ghana, Seidu and Razak saw no choice but to attempt one final border crossing. Their journey north to Canada in the harsh, unforgiving winter proved more tragic than anything they had experienced before. Based on extensive interviews, Joe Meno's intimate account builds upon the international media attention Seidu and Razak's story has already received, highlighting the harrowing journey Of asylum seekers everywhere while adding dimension to one of the greatest humanitarian concerns facing the world. JOE MENO is a fiction writer and journalist who lives in Chicago. He is the winner of the Nelson Algren Literary Award, a Pushcart Prize, and the Great Lakes Book Award and was a finalist for the Story Prize. The best-selling author of seven novels and two short story collections, including Marvel and a Wonder, The Boy Detective Fails, and Hairstyles of the Damned, he is a professor in the English and creative writing department at Columbia College Chicago. Find out more, at joemeno.com.
Gifted
by Sudha MenonGifted celebrates the journeys of Indians who are born different from the rest of us. These are neither CEOs nor part of any influential power clubs, but are special in their own, unique way. These are stories that can inspire even the most 'abled' among us.
The EveryGirl's Guide to Life
by Maria MenounosRaised by working-class immigrant parents and later exposed to Hollywood's most elite experts in every field, Access Hollywood's, Today's, and Nightly News's reporter Maria Menounos reveals her EveryGirl secrets on everything: her systems to organize life, manage time, and ascend the ladder of success; her lazy woman's workout; her weight-loss tips (how she lost forty pounds and kept it off); and her guide to styling yourself like the stars-a self-proclaimed EveryGirl, Maria often does her own hair and makeup for celebrity events. In The EveryGirl's Guide to Life, Maria shares personal experiences and photos from her life and professional journey as well as the various mantras, mottos, and philosophies she's adopted from the world's most impressive women. She gives advice on health, career, relationships, renovations, recreation, and more. From your carpet to the red carpet, Maria teaches the EveryGirl on a budget how to do it all, while living a healthier and happier life.
Brilliant Bathroom Reader (Mensa®): 5,000 Facts from the Smartest Brand in the World
by American MensaAmerican Mensa presents: The Brilliant Bathroom Reader—The ultimate book of 5,000 facts curated by the world's smartest brand. Perfect to expand any curious mind! Whether gearing up for a big trivia night or simply wanting to give your brain something interesting to think about, this big book of 5,000 facts from the smartest brand in the world fits the bill. These facts will make you think. They&’ll make you wonder. You may even want to research more about some of these topics. Most of all, you&’ll have a ton of fun learning about everything from Thomas Edison&’s attempts at mind reading to Dr. Lucy King&’s beehive fences that scare elephants from destroying farms. We cover as many topics as possible, including facts that got our attention while weeding out the stuff that made us yawn or go, &“Yeah, yeah, I&’ve heard that one a million times.&” Topics include: Flora, Fauna, and FungaScience and TechnologyWorld CultureHistory US PresidentsNational ParksArt, Fashion, and LiteratureArchitectureHealthComicsMusic and EntertainmentSports and LeisureBizarre but TrueThe Brilliant Bathroom Reader is the perfect gift for learning new and exciting facts whenever you have a spare moment or two.
Good Hair: The Essential Guide to Afro, Textured and Curly Hair
by Charlotte MensahA celebration of the unique beauty of Black hair, this book is packed with expert advice, top maintenance tips!'Legendary' Zadie Smith'Charlotte is not only the most influential expert on black hair, but an inspiring entrepreneur whose Notting Hill salon is part beauty destination, part cultural hub with its cross-section of powerful, dynamic clients' Kenya Hunt, Fashion Editor at Grazia___________________Featuring case studies of clients who came to her looking for a hair fix, Good Hair dispels common hair myths and give you the knowledge and tools to attain good hair health. Charlotte's expertise is second-to-none and her advice acts as a corrective to the conflicting and misguided advice that can be found online.Packed with expert advice, nourishing recipes and top maintenance tips, Good Hair is a celebration of the unique beauty of Black hair. It is the ultimate guide on how to:· Identify and understand your curl textures· Promote hair growth and find good products· Choose the right protective styles· Overcome hair loss, itchiness and dryness· Try styles such as cornrows, locs and bantu knotsAnd while Good Hair is the long over-due bible and how to guide for black hair, this is not just a hairstyling book. It is also a very well-documented account of the cultural and political history of black hair as well as an inspirational memoir of hope, determination and entrepreneurialism, as we follow Charlotte's journey from Ghana to opening her first hair salon in West London.'This book is not just a brilliant insight into exactly how she became such a powerhouse, it is also an excellent guide to everything you need to know about black hair' Funmi Fetto, author of Palette and contributing editor at British Vogue
Because: A Lyric Memoir
by Joshua MenschA gripping verse memoir that offers a compassionate and wrenching account of the author’s experience of childhood sexual abuse. <P><P> Joshua Mensch’s devastating lyric memoir, Because, explores with extraordinary literary power and sophistication the toxic power of adults who prey on the children in their care. Its story begins when Mensch is ten years old and first meets Don, the charming director of a youth wilderness camp and a lifelong friend of his parents. What follows is a harrowing account of sexual and psychological abuse, told from the evolving perspective of a child entering adolescence. Because unfolds through a series of precise, jewel-like scenes that render the shifting and uncertain landscapes of childhood memory with vividness and precision. Its swift, convincing music, propelled by the powerful litany of the word "because," builds a heartbreaking tale of genuine power whose characters are as complex and fully realized as those in a novel. An unflinching take on the vulnerabilities and dangers of childhood, Because succumbs neither to self-pity nor platitudes, but instead finds consolation in the healing power of its own narrative act.
Alexander the Great: Selections From Arrian, Diodorus, Plutarch, and Quintus Curtius
by Pamela Mensch Arrian Diodorus Plutarch Quintus Curtius James RommComprised of relevant selections from the writings of four ancient historians, this volume provides a complete narrative of the important events in the life of Alexander the Great. The Introduction sets these works in historical context, from the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War through Alexander's conquest of Asia, and provides an assessment of Alexander's historical importance, as well as a survey of the central controversies surrounding his personality, aims and intentions. Includes a timeline, maps, bibliography, glossary, and index.
Legendary Locals of Idaho Falls
by Paul MenserIn 1864, a stage line driver named Matt Taylor and two associates decided Black Rock Canyon was the place for a toll bridge to handle traffic to and from Montana. The following year, their bridge opened and a town called Eagle Rock took shape. With the coming of the railroad, trains brought everyone from saloon keeper Dick Chamberlain to temperance crusader Rebecca Mitchell. To project a more genteel air, Eagle Rock became Idaho Falls in 1891. Joseph Clark, the first mayor, and newspaper publisher William Wheeler were just two of the people who helped pave the streets and turn on the lights. After assiduous wooing by boosters such as Bill Holden, D.V. Groberg, and E.F. McDermott, the Atomic Energy Commission in 1949 chose Idaho Falls for the headquarters of its National Reactor Testing Station. Today, Idaho Falls is a vital trading and service center with two hospitals, a professional baseball team, symphony orchestra, and world-class museum. It is also the hometown of some remarkable people who have gone out in the world to make names for themselves.
Leap: Making the jump to take netball to the top of the world
by Geva MentorAn inspiring memoir by England netball star and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Geva Mentor. **Includes an exclusive 15% discount code for Gilbert Netball**Geva Mentor is the best netballer in the world. In her honest, open and inspiring autobiography, Leap, she sheds light on her journey to the top.As a child Geva was a naturally gifted athlete, standing out at 5'10" at the age of twelve. She began life as a champion trampolinist, but when she outgrew the sport, literally, she found she had to try something new. This led her to basketball, but the boys on the other teams complained - she was just too good. Making up the numbers for an impromptu netball match one day at the age of thirteen she found her home in netball - or rather it found her.From here, Geva's rise amongst the ranks of British netball was stratospheric, she was playing for the England senior team when she was just fifteen years old. Taking risks and forging the way for other athletes Geva moved to Australia to develop her game by playing in the best league in the world and eventually winning Commonwealth gold with the England Roses. However, it's not all been easy, both on and off the court, and Geva talks honestly about her personal life, and how the difficulties and failures of her teams, both international and domestic, have driven her on to achieve the highest possible success in the sport.
Leap: Making the jump to take netball to the top of the world
by Geva MentorAn inspiring memoir by England netball star and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Geva Mentor. **Includes an exclusive 15% discount code for Gilbert Netball**Geva Mentor is the best netballer in the world. In her honest, open and inspiring autobiography, Leap, she sheds light on her journey to the top.As a child Geva was a naturally gifted athlete, standing out at 5'10" at the age of twelve. She began life as a champion trampolinist, but when she outgrew the sport, literally, she found she had to try something new. This led her to basketball, but the boys on the other teams complained - she was just too good. Making up the numbers for an impromptu netball match one day at the age of thirteen she found her home in netball - or rather it found her.From here, Geva's rise amongst the ranks of British netball was stratospheric, she was playing for the England senior team when she was just fifteen years old. Taking risks and forging the way for other athletes Geva moved to Australia to develop her game by playing in the best league in the world and eventually winning Commonwealth gold with the England Roses. However, it's not all been easy, both on and off the court, and Geva talks honestly about her personal life, and how the difficulties and failures of her teams, both international and domestic, have driven her on to achieve the highest possible success in the sport.
Voice Lessons: A Sisters Story
by Cara Mentzel Idina MenzelVoice Lessons is the story of one younger sister growing up in the shadow of a larger-than-life older sister—looking up to her, wondering how they were alike and how they were different and, ultimately, learning how to live her own life and speak in her own voice on her own terms. As Cara Mentzel, studied, explored, married, gave birth (twice) and eventually became an elementary school teacher, she watched her sister, Idina Menzel, from the wings and gives readers a front row seat to opening night of Rent and Wicked, a seat at the Tonys, and a place on the red carpet when her sister taught millions more, as the voice of Queen Elsa in the animated musical Frozen, to “Let It Go.” Voice Lessons is the story of sisters—sisters with pig tails, sisters with boyfriends and broken hearts, sisters as mothers and aunts, sisters as teachers and ice-queens, sisters as allies and confidantes. As Cara puts it, “My big sister is Tony-Award-Winning, Gravity-Defying, Let-It-Go-Singing Idina Menzel who has received top billing on Broadway marquees, who has performed for Barbra Streisand and President Obama, at the Super Bowl and at the Academy Awards. The world knows her as 'Idina Menzel', but I call her 'Dee'.” Voice Lessons is their story.
Unfinished Journey
by Yehudi MenuhinThe autobiography of the accomplished and world-renowned violinist.
Diary of an Anorexic Girl
by Morgan MenzieMorgan Menzie takes readers through a harrowing but ultimately hopeful and inspiring account of her eating disorder. Her amazing story is told through the journals she kept during her daily struggle with this addiction and disease. Her triumphs and tragedies all unfold together in this beautiful story of God's grace. Features include: daily eating schedule, journal entries, prayers to God, poems, and what she wished she knew at the time. It's the true story of victory over a disease that is killing America's youth.