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Splendidly Unreasonable Inventors: The Lives, Loves, and Deaths of 30 Pioneers Who Changed the World
by Jeremy Coller Christine ChamberlainWhy do some inventors succeed and others fail? A private equity pioneer explores personal traits and processes that worked for thirty innovators—or didn’t.Jeremy Coller, a pioneer in the world of private equity, argues that there are three basic personality types in the arena of invention. The Principal, Broker, and Consultant each display certain traits that dictate the potential for success, but few people have the full package. Failure results when an individual who excels in one area of competence attempts to become all things. Thus, even accomplished geniuses can end up penniless.In Splendidly Unreasonable Inventors, Coller focuses on the individual rather than the invention—and explores the ways in which he or she did or did not succeed in bringing their vision to fruition. On one level, the book is a collection of fascinating stories packed with quirky, often humorous nuggets of information. On another level, these stories provide an unconventional look at the processes and personalities that created products that changed the world, including: Jonas Salk and the polio vaccineKing Gillette and the safety razorAlfred Nobel and dynamiteSam Colt and the revolverRudolph Diesel and the diesel engine, and more
Michael Jackson: The Life & Legacy of Pop Music's King
by Daryl EasleaRelive the incredible history of the King of Pop in reverse. Michael Jackson: Rewind charts the life to Michael from his tragic, unexpected passing to his childhood.By the time Michael Jackson passed away in 2009, he had sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide over his career. He had won 26 American Music Awards and 13 Grammy Awards as well as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was ranked number three, after The Beatles and Elvis Presley, of best-selling music artists. Five years after his death, the net worth of his estate is more than 600 million dollars. He is, without a doubt, one of the most popular - and controversial - artists of all time. Now, for the first time ever, author Daryl Easlea will explore the life and history of Michael Jackson... in reverse. Starting with his tragic death and rewinding to his early hits with the Jackson 5 and life in Gary, Indiana, this is a complete illustrated history of the King of Pop: his genius, his life, and his demons. Loaded with over 300 images, a timeline of his life, a complete discography, and more, this is the must-have book for any Michael Jackson fan.
Watching Porn: And Other Confessions of an Adult Entertainment Journalist
by Lynsey G“Lynsey G. is an intrepid explorer, boldly going where few reporters have gone with such a critical eye: deep inside the real world of commercial sex.” —Tina Horn, host of the Why Are People Into That?! podcast Lynsey G. never imagined that she would ever work in porn, but at twenty-four years old, with a degree in English literature and an empty bank account, she found herself reviewing the film East Coast ASSault for an adult magazine in New York City. One interview later and it was official: she was a porn journalist. The job was supposed to be temporary—just a paycheck until she could spark her legitimate writing career—but she loved it and spent nearly a decade describing the nuances of money shots and the effectiveness of sex toys. As both a porn consumer and a porn critic, she was not quite an insider, not quite an outsider, but came to know the industry intimately.She found it so fascinating that she co-founded WHACK! Magazine. Finally, she had a platform to voice her thoughts and observations of the adult film world, as well as educate the rest of us about what really goes on behind the scenes. Eventually, Lynsey was thrust back into the “real” world, but not before realizing that one of the most diverse and nebulous—and profitable—industries on the planet isn’t so quite as different from the rest of the world as she thought. Tantalizing, eye-opening, and witty, Watching Porn is a provocative book about an average girl’s foray into the porn industry and the people who make it what it is, both in front of and behind the camera.“Marvelous.” —The New York Times Book Review
Jane Welsh Carlyle and Her Victorian World: A Story of Love, Work, Marriage, and Friendship
by Kathy Chamberlain&“Intelligent, witty, thoroughly engaging . . . the most fascinating biography I have read in years.&” —The Minneapolis Star Tribune She was one of the all-time great letter writers, according to Virginia Woolf, but as the wife of Victorian literary celebrity Thomas Carlyle, Jane Welsh Carlyle has been much overlooked. In this &“hugely satisfying&” new biography (The Spectator), Kathy Chamberlain brings Jane out of her husband&’s shadow, focusing on Carlyle as a remarkable woman and writer in her own right. Caught between her own literary aspirations and Victorian society&’s oppression of women, Jane Welsh Carlyle hoped to move beyond domestic life and become a respected published writer. As she and her husband moved in exclusive London literary circles, mingling with noted authors, poets, and European revolutionaries, Carlyle created and reported to her correspondents on her rich, rewarding life in her Chelsea home—until her husband&’s infatuation with a wealthy, imposing aristocratic society hostess threw her life into chaos. Through dedicated research and unparalleled access to Jane Welsh Carlyle&’s private correspondence, Chamberlain presents an elegant portrait of an extraordinary woman. &“Sparkles with the wit and intelligence of the subject herself . . . If you think, as I originally did, that you have no particular interest in the life of Jane Carlyle, read this—you will be captivated.&” —Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lucy by the Sea &“Compelling . . . illuminates the outwardly decorous but often inwardly tempestuous lives of Victorian women.&” —The New Yorker &“Chamberlain, Jane&’s latest and incomparably best biographer . . . gives us, at last, a Jane Carlyle who seems thrillingly alive.&” —Christian Science Monitor
Lady Gaga: Behind the Fame
by Emily HerbertThis revealing biography goes behind the popstar persona to tell the inside story of Lady Gaga’s rise to fame.A true original, Gaga found fame the hard way, playing the grimy bars and burlesque shows of New York City, before finally relocating to Los Angeles to begin work on what would become her debut album The Fame. Constantly en vogue and always in the public eye, this is the biography of the rise of Gaga, from her early life as a teenage protégé, to her life as one of the most respected musicians and most recognized entertainers on the planet. This book lifts the lid on Lady Gaga, going beyond the familiar narrative to reveal new insight into her vision, artistry, and business savvy.
Road Home
by Rex OgleA Printz Award Honor Book A Stonewall Book Award Honor Book An Amazon Best Book of the Year A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year This final, essential chapter in Rex Ogle’s memoir trilogy recounts being forced from his home and living on the streets after his father discovered he was gay. When Rex was outed the summer after he graduated high school, his father gave him a choice: he could stay at home, find a girlfriend, and attend church twice a week, or he could be gay—and leave. Rex left, driving toward the only other gay man he knew and a toxic relationship that would ultimately leave him homeless and desperate on the streets of New Orleans. Here, Rex tells the story of his coming out and his father’s rejection of his identity, navigating abuse and survival on the streets. Road Home is a devastating and incandescent reflection on Rex’s hunger—for food, for love, and for a place to call home—completing the trilogy of memoirs that began with the award-winning Free Lunch.
King: A Life (Young Adult Edition)
by Jonathan EigHailed as “the most compelling account of [Martin Luther] King’s life in a generation” by the Washington Post, the Pulitzer Prize–winning bestseller is now adapted for young adults in this new standard biography of the most famous civil rights activist in American History. Often regarded as more of a myth and legend than man, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was many things throughout his storied life: student, activist, preacher, dreamer, father, husband. From his Atlanta childhood centered in the historically Black neighborhood of Sweet Auburn to his precipitous rise as a civil rights leader on the streets of Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, Dr. King would go on to become one of the most recognizable, influential, and controversial persons of the twentieth century.In this fast-paced and immersive adaptation of Jonathan Eig’s groundbreaking New York Times bestseller readers will meet a Dr. King like no other: a committed radical whose demands for racial and economic justice remain as urgent today as they were in his lifetime, a minister wrestling with his human frailties and dark moods, a citizen hunted by his own government.The inspiring young adult edition of King: A Life highlights the author’s never-before-seen research—including recently declassified FBI documents—while reaffirming and recontextualizing the lasting effects and implications of MLK’s work for the present day. Adapted by National Book Award–nominated authors Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long, this biography for a new generation is a nuanced, unprecedented portrayal of a man who truly shook the world.Accolades and Praise for King: A Life: Pulitzer Prize WinnerA New York Times, Washington Post, and Indie BestsellerA National Book Award Nominee One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of the Year A National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist A “Best Book of the Year” from New York Times ● Washington Post ● TIME Magazine ● The New Yorker ● Publishers Weekly ● The Chicago Tribune ● Smithsonian Magazine ● Christian Science Monitor ● Air Mail“Supple, penetrating, heartstring-pulling and compulsively readable . . . Eig’s book is worthy of its subject.” —New York Times “No book could be more timely than Jonathan Eig’s sweeping and majestic new King.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
Yvonne Clark and Her Engineering Spark
by Allen R. WellsBased on a true story, this inspiring picture book is about a curious, tinkering girl who grew up to become one of the first Black female engineers for NASA – for fans of Ada Twist, Scientist and Counting on Katherine.Yvonne Clark had an engineering spark—an instinct for figuring out how things worked.Broken lamp? She screwed, rewired, and wrenched until…light!Wrecked radio? She twisted, snipped, and hammered until…music!Clogged furnace? She picked, plucked, and cleared until…heat!When she grew up, Yvonne’s problem-solving power took her to NASA, where fellow engineers had a serious problem with the Saturn V rocket’s F-1 engine: It had hot spots—high temperatures in the engine.Can Yvonne Clark and her engineering spark solve the problem?In an electric tribute, Allen R. Wells artfully tells the life story of his favorite engineering professor who also happened to be one of our nation’s most influential African American engineers. DeAndra Hodge’s bright illustrations explode with energy, matching the vibrance of Yvonne as a creative child and following her rise to NASA and beyond.
The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom
by Nancy ReddyTimely and thought-provoking, Nancy Reddy unpacks and debunks the bad ideas that have for too long defined what it means to be a "good" mom.When Nancy Reddy had her first child, she found herself suddenly confronted with the ideal of a perfect mother—a woman who was constantly available, endlessly patient, and immediately invested in her child to the exclusion of all else. Reddy had been raised by a single working mother, considered herself a feminist, and was well on her way to a PhD. Why did doing motherhood "right" feel so wrong?For answers, Reddy turned to the mid-20th century social scientists and psychologists whose work still forms the basis of so much of what we believe about parenting. It seems ludicrous to imagine modern moms taking advice from midcentury researchers. Yet, their bad ideas about so-called “good” motherhood have seeped so pervasively into our cultural norms. In The Good Mother Myth, Reddy debunks the flawed lab studies, sloppy research, and straightforward misogyny of researchers from Harry Harlow, who claimed to have discovered love by observing monkeys in his lab, to the famous Dr. Spock, whose bestselling parenting guide included just one (1!) illustration of a father interacting with his child.This timely and thought-provoking book will make you laugh, cry, and want to scream (sometimes all at once). Blending history of science, cultural criticism, and memoir, The Good Mother Myth pulls back the curtain on the flawed social science behind our contemporary understanding of what makes a good mom.
Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman
by Brooke ShieldsINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom generational icon Brooke Shields comes an intimate and empowering exploration of aging that flips the script on the idea of what it means for a woman to grow olderBrooke Shields has spent a lifetime in the public eye. Growing up as a child actor and model, her every feature was scrutinized, her every decision judged. Today Brooke faces a different kind of scrutiny: that of being a “woman of a certain age.”And yet, for Brooke, the passage of time has brought freedom. At fifty-nine, she feels more comfortable in her skin, more empowered and confident than she did decades ago in those famous Calvin Kleins. Now, in Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old, she’s changing the narrative about women and aging.This is an era, insists Brooke, when women are reclaiming agency and power, not receding into the shadows. These are the years when we get to decide how we want to live—when we get to write our own stories.With remarkable candor, Brooke bares all, painting a vibrant and optimistic picture of being a woman in the prime of her life, while dismantling the myths that have, for too long, dimmed that perception. Sharing her own life experiences with humor and humility, and weaving together research and reporting, Brooke takes aim at the systemic factors that contribute to age-related bias.By turns inspiring, moving, and galvanizing, Brooke’s honesty and vulnerability will resonate with women everywhere, and spark a new conversation about the power and promise of midlife.
You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist
by Kari Ferrell"A captivating, sharp and very funny memoir." —New York Times Book ReviewThe compelling, edgy, compassionate, laugh-out-loud memoir from Kari Ferrell, formerly known as the "Hipster Grifter"Before Anna Delvey, before the Tinder Swindler, there was Kari Ferrell. Adopted at a young age by a Mormon family in Utah, Kari struggled with questions of self-worth and identity as one of the few Asian Americans in her insulated community, leading her to run with the “bad crowd” in an effort to fit in. Soon, stealing from superstores turned into picking up men (and picking their pockets), and before she knew it, Kari had graduated from petty theft to Utah’s most wanted list. Though Kari was able to escape the Southwest, she couldn’t outrun her new moniker: the Hipster Grifter. New York City’s indie sleaze scene had found its newest celebrity—just as Kari found herself in a heap of trouble. Jail time, riots, bad checks, and an explosion of internet infamy and fetishization put her name in the spotlight. Beyond the gossip and Gawker posts, there’s a side to Kari the media never saw—until now. By turns rollicking and irreverent, warm and compassionate, You’ll Never Believe Me tells Kari’s story for the first time. A heartfelt narrative of redemption and reconciliation as Kari eventually dedicates her life to activism, social justice, and setting the record straight, this memoir introduces a fresh, hilarious new voice to the literary stage and offers readers a nostalgic, uplifting, and at times unbelievable book that grapples with truth, why we lie, and what it means when our pasts don’t paint the whole picture.
Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue
by Buddy LevyTwo-time National Outdoor Book Award-winning author Buddy Levy's thrilling narrative of polar exploration via airship―and the men who sacrificed everything to make history.Arctic explorer and American visionary Walter Wellman pioneered both polar and trans-Atlantic airship aviation, making history’s first attempts at each. Wellman has been cast as a self-promoting egomaniac known mostly for his catastrophic failures. Instead he was a courageous innovator who pushed the boundaries of polar exploration and paved the way for the ultimate conquest of the North Pole—which would be achieved not by dogsled or airplane, but by airship.American explorer Dr. Frederick Cook was the first to claim he made it to the North Pole in 1908. A year later, so did American Robert Peary, but both Cook’s and Peary’s claims had been seriously questioned. There was enough doubt that Norwegian explorer extraordinaire Roald Amundsen—who’d made history and a name for himself by being first to sail through the Northwest Passage and first man to the South Pole—picked up where Walter Wellman left off, attempting to fly to the North Pole by airship. He would go in the Norge, designed by Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile. The 350-foot Norge flew over the North Pole on May 12, 1926, and Amundsen was able to accurately record and verify their exact location.However, the engineer Nobile felt slighted by Amundsen. Two years later, Nobile returned, this time in the Italia, backed by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. This was an Italian enterprise, and Nobile intended to win back the global accolades and reputation he believed Amundsen had stripped from him. The journey ended in disaster, death, and accusations of cannibalism, launching one of the great rescue operations the world had ever seen.Realm of Ice and Sky is the riveting tale of the men who first flew the most advanced technological airships of their time to the top of the world, risking and even giving their lives for science, country, and polar immortality.
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
by J. D. VanceHillbilly Elegy recounts J.D. Vance's powerful origin story...From a former marine and Yale Law School graduate now serving as a U.S. Senator from Ohio and the Republican Vice Presidential candidate for the 2024 election, an incisive account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America's white working class.THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"You will not read a more important book about America this year."—The Economist"A riveting book."—The Wall Street Journal"Essential reading."—David Brooks, New York TimesHillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for more than forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.'s grandparents were "dirt poor and in love," and moved north from Kentucky's Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually one of their grandchildren would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that J.D.'s grandparents, aunt, uncle, and, most of all, his mother struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, never fully escaping the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. With piercing honesty, Vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history.A deeply moving memoir, with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.
The Many Lives of Mama Love (Oprah's Book Club): A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing
by Lara Love Hardin&“Once you start reading, be prepared, because you won&’t want to stop.&” —Oprah Winfrey OPRAH&’S BOOK CLUB PICK • New York Times bestselling author Lara Love Hardin recounts her slide from soccer mom to opioid addict to jailhouse shot caller and her unlikely comeback as a highly successful ghostwriter in this harrowing, hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir.No one expects the police to knock on the door of the million-dollar two-story home of the perfect cul-de-sac housewife. But soccer mom Lara Love Hardin has been hiding a shady secret: she is funding her heroin addiction by stealing her neighbors&’ credit cards. Lara is convicted of thirty-two felonies and becomes inmate S32179. She finds that jail is a class system with a power structure that is somewhere between an adolescent sleepover party and Lord of the Flies. Furniture is made from tampon boxes, and Snickers bars are currency. But Lara quickly learns the rules and brings love and healing to her fellow inmates as she climbs the social ladder and acquires the nickname &“Mama Love,&” showing that jailhouse politics aren&’t that different from the PTA meetings she used to attend. When she&’s released, she reinvents herself as a ghostwriter. Now, she&’s legally co-opting other people&’s identities and getting to meet Oprah, meditate with the Dalai Lama, and have dinner with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. But the shadow of her past follows her. Shame is a poison worse than heroin—there is no way to detox. Lara must learn how to forgive herself and others, navigate life as a felon on probation, and prove to herself that she is more good than bad, among other essential lessons. The Many Lives of Mama Love is a heartbreaking and tender journey from shame to redemption, despite a system that makes it almost impossible for us to move beyond the worst thing we have ever done.
Murder in the Lincoln White House (Lincoln's White House Mystery #1)
by C. M. GleasonFrom the bestselling author of the American in Paris mysteries featuring Julia Child&’s best friend, and the Phyllida Bright mysteries featuring Agatha Christie&’s fictional housekeeper, this intriguing mystery stars quick-witted Adam Quinn, President Lincoln&’s newly hired aide, on a momentous day . . .March 4, 1861: On the day of Abraham Lincoln&’s inauguration gala, the last thing anyone wants is a hitch in the proceedings—let alone murder. But when the worst happens, fortunately, Mr. Lincoln has his resourceful aide by his side . . . When a man is found stabbed to death only yards from the new president, Lincoln dispatches his trusted aide Adam Quinn to discreetly investigate. Was it an assassination attempt gone wrong or some other sinister motive? Though he is new to the capital city, Quinn, an experienced tracker and seasoned soldier, is well-suited to the task. Though he must navigate the unfamiliar world of high society, political personages, and a city preparing for war, he finds an unexpected ally in determined young Sophie Gates, who lives in the Smithsonian Institution with her uncle and his family. Sophie is determined to make a name for herself as a journalist, and investigating a murder at the gala is the perfect opportunity. Quinn and Gates, along with George Hilton, a free man of color and brilliant physician, plunge into a city teeming with spies and dark plots as it careens toward war. Together, they must make haste to apprehend a killer—for nothing less than the fate of the nation is at stake . . . Praise for the author&’s previous mysteries &“Exhilarating. . . . Sure to please.&” —The New York Times Sunday Book Review &“Wonderfully witty . . . deliciously dark and delightfully entertaining.&” —The Chicago Tribune&“Gleason&’s novel is a well-oiled machine . . . the authentic historical framework . . . the compelling personalities.&” —School Library Journal
Memorial Days: A Memoir
by Geraldine BrooksA heartrending and beautiful memoir of sudden loss and a journey towards peace, from the bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse. <p> Many cultural and religious traditions expect those who are grieving to step away from the world. In contemporary life, we are more often met with red tape and to-do lists. This is exactly what happened to Geraldine Brooks when her partner of more than three decades, Tony Horwitz – just sixty years old and, to her knowledge, vigorous and healthy – collapsed and died on a Washington, D. C. sidewalk. <p> After spending their early years together in conflict zones as foreign correspondents, Geraldine and Tony settled down to raise two boys on Martha’s Vineyard. The life they built was one of meaningful work, good humor, and tenderness, as they spent their days writing and their evenings cooking family dinners or watching the sun set with friends at the beach. But all of this ended abruptly when, on Memorial Day 2019, Geraldine received the phone call we all dread. <p> The demands were immediate and many. Without space to grieve, the sudden loss became a yawning gulf. Three years later, she booked a flight to a remote island off the coast of Australia with the intention of finally giving herself the time to mourn. In a shack on a pristine, rugged coast she often went days without seeing another person. There, she pondered the various ways in which cultures grieve and what rituals of her own might help to rebuild a life around the void of Tony’s death. <p> A spare and profoundly moving memoir that joins the classics of the genre, Memorial Days is a portrait of a larger-than-life man and a timeless love between souls that exquisitely captures the joy, agony, and mystery of life. <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
Michelle Yeoh: A Little Golden Book Biography (Little Golden Book)
by Angela SongDream big with a Little Golden Book biography about Malaysian action movie star and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, the first person of Asian descent to win an Academy Award for Best Actress. It's the perfect introduction to nonfiction for young readers—as well as fans of all ages!This Little Golden Book about Michelle Yeoh—the first person of Asian descent to win an Academy Award for Best Actress, known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Crazy Rich Asians, and Everything Everywhere All At Once—is an inspiring read-aloud for young kids as well as fans of any age!Look for more Little Golden Book biographies: • Rita Moreno • Steven Spielberg • William Shatner • Keanu Reeves • Arnold Schwarzenegger
Roots and Rhythm: A Life in Music
by Charlie PeacockA beautifully crafted memoir unveiling the ancestral, musical, and spiritual roots of Grammy Award-winning music producer Charlie Peacock. In this artful memoir, Grammy Award–winning music producer Charlie Peacock flexes his literary chops and gives readers the gritty backstage stories they crave: biographical anecdotes, geeky trivia, and how the hits were written and recorded (from jazz to rock and pop). Threaded throughout is Peacock&’s unique ancestral and spiritual story—the roots. Like Coltrane, Dylan, and Bono before him, Peacock reveals a Christ-affection while refusing genres too small for his music. Peacock, the great-grandson of a Louisiana fiddler, is an American musical polymath. He&’s been the young jazz musician sitting at the feet of trumpeter Eddie Henderson and pianist Herbie Hancock; the singer-songwriter plucked from the Northern California punk/pop underground by legendary impresarios Bill Graham and Chris Blackwell; a pioneering, innovative contributor to the nascent rise of gospel rock in the 1980s; and the genre-busting producer behind such diverse artists as Al Green, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Chris Cornell, Audio Adrenaline, The Civil Wars, Switchfoot, Turtle Island Quartet, and John Patitucci.Roots and Rhythm includes Peacock&’s seminal NorCal days, the story of indie labels Exit and re:think, his first decade as a Nashville producer (1989–1999), and his essential role in the 21st-century folk/Americana boom (The Civil Wars, Holly Williams, The Lone Bellow). While his exploits and achievements grace the book (including the story of Amy Grant&’s &“Every Heartbeat&” and the evergreen &“In the Light&”), Peacock is hardly the only character. Instead, he writes as a Joan Didion-style essayist, weaving together a quintessential American story. Beat poet Gary Snyder, evangelist Billy Graham, producer T Bone Burnett, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and writers Wendell Berry and Isabel Wilkerson all appear in this sweeping tale where ancestry, migration, teenage love, Jesus, and Miles Davis collide. The book is an invitation to all, including aspiring musicians: embrace the roots and rhythm of our own lives, letting the music and God&’s insistent love lead us to gratitude and wonder.
Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equation (Jewish Lives)
by Kenneth TuranKenneth Turan brings to life the extraordinary partnership of Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg and their role in creating the film industry as we know it &“Sharply observant.&”—Farran Smith Nehme, Wall Street Journal One was a tough junkman&’s son, the other a cosseted mama&’s boy, but they dreamed the same mighty dream: that the right movies could make a profit and change both the culture and individual lives. Sharing a religion and an evangelical zeal for film, Louis B. Mayer (1884–1957) and Irving Thalberg (1899–1936) were unlikely partners in one of the most significant collaborations in movie history. Over the course of their decade-long relationship, as key players at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and major players in Hollywood, they joined forces in redefining and mastering the template for the film industry. Mayer, older by more than a dozen years, was the business-minded face of the studio, while Thalberg worked closely with the creative corps, especially writers; together they rarely set a foot wrong. And while Mayer initially viewed Thalberg as the son he never had, the two would go from passionate friends to near enemies before Thalberg&’s shocking death at the age of thirty-seven. In the first joint biography of the two men in fifty years, film critic Kenneth Turan traces their fraught relationship while examining the complicated history of Jewish identity in Hollywood.
Searching for Jimmie Strother: A Tale of Music, Murder, and Memory
by Gregg D. KimballThe incredible true story of a blind musician, a brutal crime, and the making of an American folk legend In June 1936 James Lee Strother performed thirteen songs at the Virginia State Prison Farm for famed folklorist John Lomax and the Library of Congress. Rooted in the rich soil of the Piedmont region, Strother&’s repertoire epitomized the Black songsters who defy easy classification. Blinded in a steel mill explosion, which only intensified his drive to connect to the world through song, Strother drew on old spirituals and country breakdowns as readily as he explored emerging genres like blues and ragtime. Biographer Gregg Kimball revives this elusive but singular talent and the creative and historical worlds in which his dramatic life unfolded. Myths surround Strother but, as Kimball reveals, the facts of Strother&’s life are just as compelling as the fanciful embellishments proffered by early folklorists. Musician, murderer, and beloved family member—Strother somehow played each of these roles, and more. And while the songster&’s comedic ditties, spirituals, and blues tunes reached a wide range of listeners (and were later covered by musicians like Pete Seeger and Jefferson Airplane), they carried a dark undercurrent that spoke directly to the experiences of Black Americans: sundown towns, Jim Crow segregation, and labor exploitation. As Kimball shows, Strother&’s powerful songs and remarkable, tumultuous life continue to influence and remain deeply relevant to American culture to this day.
Memorial Days
by Geraldine BrooksA heartrending and beautiful memoir of sudden loss and a journey to peace, from the bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse.Many cultural and religious traditions expect those who are grieving to step away from the world. In contemporary life, we are more often met with red tape and to-do lists. This is exactly what happened to Geraldine Brooks when her partner of more than three decades, Tony Horwitz - just sixty years old and, to her knowledge, vigorous and healthy - collapsed and died on a Washington, D. C. sidewalk.After spending their early years together in conflict zones as foreign correspondents, Geraldine and Tony settled down to raise two boys on Martha's Vineyard. The life they built was one of meaningful work, good humor, and tenderness, as they spent their days writing and their evenings cooking family dinners or watching the sun set with friends at Lambert's Cove. But all of this came to an abrupt end when, on Memorial Day 2019, Geraldine received the phone call we all dread. The demands were immediate and many. Without space to grieve, the sudden loss became a yawning gulf.Three years later, she booked a flight to a remote island off the coast of Australia with the intention of finally giving herself the time to mourn. In a shack on a pristine, rugged coast she often went days without seeing another person. There, she pondered the various ways in which cultures grieve and what rituals of her own might help to rebuild a life around the void of Tony's death.A spare and profoundly moving memoir that joins the classics of the genre, Memorial Days is a portrait of a larger-than-life man and a timeless love between souls that exquisitely captures the joy, agony, and mystery of life.
The Sable Cloak
by Gail Milissa GrantIn this atmospheric novel set in the Jim Crow South, a powerful Black family fights to protect their empire—for readers of Tayari Jones. Jordan Sable, a prosperous undertaker turned political boss, has controlled the Black vote in St. Louis for decades. Sara, his equally formidable wife, runs the renowned funeral establishment that put the Sable name on the map. Together they have pushed through obstacles in order to create a legacy for their children. When tragedy bursts their carefully constructed empire of dignity and safety, the family rallies around an unconventional solution. But at what cost? Set in the Midwest in the 1940s, The Sable Cloak is a rarely seen portrait of an upper middle class, African American family in the pre-Civil Rights era. This deeply personal novel inspired by the author's own family history delves into legacy and the stories we tell ourselves, and celebrates a largely self-sustaining, culturally rich Missouri community that most Americans may not be aware of.
The Angel Orphan: Charlotte Mason Finds Her Way Home - Tales of Boldness and Faith - Book 1
by Leah BodenWho is Charlotte Mason?The Angel Orphan tells the true and inspiring story of the courageous young girl who changed the face of education in the United Kingdom and beyond. In this fictionalized biography, author Leah Boden brings to life the story of the intelligent young girl who grew to be an author and champion of education. Charlotte Marie Shaw Mason was born in Wales and raised as an only child in the north of England. Her family struggled, but she became a self-directed learner. Orphaned as a teenager, Charlotte had a lifelong struggle with illness. Yet Charlotte persevered. She became a faithful, thoughtful female leader in the late 1900s. The Angel Orphan is a delightful tale of hope, the joy of learning, and strength of character. Each chapter allows Charlotte Mason&’s story to unfold, sharing a reflective lesson from her life for children, and takes the reader on an insightful journey through the UK.
Fighter in the Woods: The True Story of a Jewish Girl who Joined the Partisans in World War II
by Joshua M. GreeneFrom award-winning author Joshua M. Greene (The Girl Who Fought Back; Signs of Survival) comes this remarkable true story of a Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Poland who escaped near death to join -- and fight -- with the Soviet partisans in the woods. Scholastic Focus is the premier home of thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and thoughtfully designed works of narrative nonfiction aimed at middle-grade and young adult readers. These books help readers learn about the world in which they live and develop their critical thinking skills so that they may become dynamic citizens who are able to analyze and understand our past, participate in essential discussions about our present, and work to grow and build our future.The year was 1941, and Nazi Germany was bombing Poland. Celia Kassow, a young Jewish girl, knew she was in danger of being seized by the Nazis, so she ran to seek shelter at a Polish classmate's house. The classmate's response? "Get away from here, you dirty Jew."Celia and her family, like all the Jewish families in their town, were then imprisoned in a Nazi ghetto, facing daily starvation and torture. Most of Celia's family was murdered there, but a different Polish classmate of Celia's, a boy who had a crush on her, helped Celia escape to his family's farm, and eventually, into the woods to join the Soviet partisans.The partisans were resistance fighters who gathered in secret during WWII to fight back against the Axis powers by attacking German garrisons and blowing up trains. When Celia joined them, the other partisans -- mostly young men -- wanted to put her on kitchen duty, but Celia refused and asked to be put on patrol. She was given a horse, ammunition, and an assignment. Celia survived the war fighting with the partisans. After the war, she would go on to get married, have children, and immigrate to the United States, where she lived out her days assisting other immigrants and raising her family. Her true story, based on first-person testimony and vetted by Celia's son, is one of incredible bravery and grit in the face of unimaginable evil.
Interficial ARTelligence: The Moments That Met Me
by Chuck DLegendary hip-hop artist Chuck D (Public Enemy, Prophets of Rage) details and illustrates his encounters with some of society’s most influential musicians, entertainers, politicians, athletes, and public figures. In Interficial ARTelligence: Moments That Met Me, Chuck D presents his encounters with some of his greatest heroes and other public figures. These seminal moments in Chuck D’s life include: an editorial meeting with John F. Kennedy Jr.; presenting an award to Davie Bowie; being recruited by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay to act in a film; eating chips and guac with Quincy Jones; being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Harry Belafonte; lobbying on Capitol Hill with Anita Baker; musical collaborations with Prince, Sheryl Crow, Janet Jackson, Erykah Badu, and John Mellencamp; and visiting Mumia Abu-Jamal in prison. Chuck D says, “For a PErson like myself—an aged distance beyond a half century of life on Earth—I have experienced a vast array of PEople, PlacEs & Things. The memories are always a looping swirl in my mind. I’m often asked about them and I consider myself a decent storyteller. As an illustrator, I’m able to recreate that point of view as I saw it. So Interficial ARTelligence: Moments That Met Me is a tale with images from my PErspective in a time when so many people listen with their eyes.” Chuck’s beautiful illustrations and remarkable commentary also include his cross-pollinations with: music industry titans like Berry Gordy and Ahmet Ertegun; musical icons Madonna, the Notorious B.I.G., the Rolling Stones, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Mavis Staples, Michael Stipe, Ice Cube, Patti LaBelle, Lenny Kravitz, and LL Cool J; athletes Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Julius Erving, Barry Bonds, and Barry Sanders; entertainers/actors Oprah Winfrey, Joan Rivers, Jeremy Piven, Dick Gregory, Robin Williams, Warren Beaty, Alec Baldwin, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, and Spike Lee; political figures like Angela Davis and Jesse Jackson; and many more.