- Table View
- List View
Good Morning, Mr. Mandela
by Zelda La Grange"In Good Morning, Mr. Mandela, Zelda la Grange recounts her remarkable life at the right hand of the man we both knew and loved. It's a tribute to both of them--to Madiba's eye for talent and his capacity for trust and to Zelda's courage to take on a great challenge and her capacity for growth. This story proves the power of making politics personal and is an important reminder of the lessons Madiba taught us all." --President Bill Clinton "President Nelson Mandela's choice of the young Afrikaner typist Zelda la Grange as his most trusted aide embodied his commitment to reconciliation in South Africa. She repaid his trust with loyalty and integrity. I have the highest regard for her." --Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu "Zelda la Grange has a singular perspective on Nelson Mandela, having served as his longtime personal aide, confidante and close friend. She is a dear friend to both of us and a touchstone to all of us who loved Madiba. Her story of their journey together demonstrates how a man who transformed an entire nation also had the power to transform the life of one extraordinary woman." --Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary, actor, producer of Invictus A white Afrikaner, Zelda la Grange grew up in segregated South Africa, supporting the regime and the rules of apartheid. Her conservative family referred to the imprisoned Nelson Mandela as "a terrorist." Yet just a few years after his release and the end of apartheid, she would be traveling the world by Mr. Mandela's side, having grown to respect and cherish the man she would come to call "Khulu," or "grandfather." Good Morning, Mr. Mandela tells the extraordinary story of how a young woman's life, beliefs, prejudices--everything she once believed--were utterly transformed by the man she had been taught was the enemy. It is the incredible journey of an awkward, terrified young secretary in her twenties who rose from a job in a government typing pool to become one of the president's most loyal and devoted associates. During his presidency she was one of his three private secretaries, and then became an aide-de-camp and spokesperson and managed his office in his retirement. Working and traveling by his side for almost two decades, La Grange found herself negotiating with celebrities and world leaders, all in the cause of supporting and caring for Mr. Mandela in his many roles. Here La Grange pays tribute to Nelson Mandela as she knew him--a teacher who gave her the most valuable lessons of her life. The Mr. Mandela we meet in these pages is a man who refused to be defined by his past, who forgave and respected all, but who was also frank, teasing, and direct. As he renewed his country, he also freed La Grange from a closed world of fear and mistrust, giving her life true meaning. "I was fearful of so much twenty years ago--of life, of black people, of this black man and the future of South Africa--and I now was no longer persuaded or influenced by mainstream fears. He not only liberated the black man but the white man, too." This is a book about love and second chances that honors the lasting and inspiring gifts of one of the great men of our time. It offers a rare intimate portrait of Nelson Mandela and his remarkable life as well as moving proof of the power we all have to change.
As the Twig Is Bent: A Memoir
by Wallace Byron GrangeWallace Byron Grange (1905–87) was an influential conservationist who worked alongside Aldo Leopold. Grange’s story vividly describes his mostly idyllic childhood watching bird life in the once grand prairies just west of Chicago. He documents his family’s journey and pioneering struggle to operate a farm on the logged cutover country in northern Wisconsin, a land that provided him with abundant opportunities to study the lives of wild creatures he loved most. Written when Grange was in his sixties, As the Twig Is Bent conveys how a leading conservationist was formed through his early relationship to nature. In beautifully composed vignettes, he details encounters both profound and minute, from the white-footed mice attracted by cookie crumbs in his boyhood clubhouse to the sounds of great horned owls echoing through the wintry woods. As he develops his own understanding of the natural world, he comes to an awareness of the dramatic and devastating role of humankind on ecosystems. Grange’s poignant observations still resonate today amid global conversations about the fate of our natural resources and climate change.
Lights and Sirens
by Kevin GrangeA true account of going through UCLA's famed Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program--and practicing emergency medicine on the streets of Los Angeles.Nine months of tying tourniquets and pushing new medications, of IVs, chest compressions, and defibrillator shocks--that was Kevin Grange's initiation into emergency medicine when, at age thirty-six, he enrolled in the "Harvard of paramedic schools": UCLA's Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program, long considered one of the best and most intense paramedic training programs in the world.Few jobs can match the stress, trauma, and drama that a paramedic calls a typical day at the office, and few educational settings can match the pressure and competitiveness of paramedic school. Blending months of classroom instruction with ER rotations and a grueling field internship with the Los Angeles Fire Department, UCLA's paramedic program is like a mix of boot camp and med school. It would turn out to be the hardest thing Grange had ever done--but also the most transformational and inspiring.An in-depth look at the trials and tragedies that paramedic students experience daily, Lights and Sirens is ultimately about the best part of humanity--people working together to help save a human life.
Wild Rescues: A Paramedic's Extreme Adventures in Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton
by Kevin GrangeWild Rescues is a fast-paced, firsthand glimpse into the exciting lives of paramedics who work with the National Park Service: a unique brand of park rangers who respond to medical and traumatic emergencies in some of the most isolated and dangerous parts of America. In 2014, Kevin Grange left his job as a paramedic in Los Angeles to work in a response area with 2.2 million acres: Yellowstone National Park. Seeking a break from city life and urban EMS, he wanted to experience pure nature, fulfill his dream of working for the National Park Service, and take a crash-course in wilderness medicine. Between calls, Grange reflects upon the democratic ideal of the National Park mission, the beauty of the land, and the many threats facing it. With visitation rising, budgets shrinking, and people loving our parks to death, he realized that—along with the health of his patients—he was also fighting for the life of "America's Best Idea."
1001 Australian Nights
by Dave GraneyLegendary rock showman Dave Graney takes us on a journey about self-discovery. As a young man fired up by punk rock he sets off on a road-trip from small-town Australia, outside of life and looking for a way in. When he loses the map Graney discovers his groove, then twists and turns through three decades as a working artist. When Graney takes the wheel, you don't know where you'll end up - or if you'll get there safe. This ain't no standard rock'n'roll trip; it's an education. This is Graney up close, out there and on his game. Turn it up loud.
The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art
by Mary Grandpre Barb RosenstockVasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy: he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. And when his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers--like a proper artist. But as Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing the reds, the yellows, the blues, he heard a strange sound--the swirling colors trilled like an orchestra tuning up for a symphony! And as he grew older, he continued to hear brilliant colors singing and see vibrant sounds dancing. But was Vasya brave enough to put aside his proper still lifes and portraits and paint . . . music? In this exuberant celebration of creativity, Barb Rosenstock and Mary GrandPré tell the fascinating story of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the very first painters of abstract art. Throughout his life, Kandinsky experienced colors as sounds, and sounds as colors--and bold, groundbreaking works burst forth from his noisy paint box. Backmatter includes four paintings by Kandinsky, an author's note, sources, links to websites on synesthesia and abstract art.From the Hardcover edition.
Mr. Spuffington Calls the Doctor
by John GranditsIn this funny story, Mr. Spuffington cuts his finger, bumps his head, and falls asleep in the sun with his cat, Pablo. With each injury, he fears the worst and is quick to call Dr. John. Kids will enjoy learning about how the human body responds to injuries and begins to heal itself.
Emergence: Labeled Autistic
by Temple Grandin Margaret M. ScarianoA true story that is both uniquely moving and exceptionally inspiring, Emergence is the first-hand account of a courageous autistic woman who beat the odds and cured herself. As a child, Temple Grandin was forced to leave her "normal" school and enroll in a school for autistic children. This searingly honest account captures the isolation and fears suffered by autistics and their families and the quiet strength of one woman who insisted on a miracle.
Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World
by Temple Grandin Sy MontgomeryWhen Temple Grandin was born, her parents knew that she was different. Years later she was diagnosed with autism. While Temple's doctor recommended a hospital, her mother believed in her. Temple went to school instead. Today, Dr. Temple Grandin is a scientist and professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Her world-changing career revolutionized the livestock industry. As an advocate for autism, Temple uses her experience as an example of the unique contributions that autistic people can make. This compelling biography complete with Temple's personal photos takes us inside her extraordinary mind and opens the door to a broader understanding of autism.
The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism
by Temple Grandin Sean BarronBorn with autism, Sean Barron and Temple Grandin now famously live successful social lives. But their paths were very different. Temple's logical mind controlled her social behavior. She interacted with many adults and other children, experiencing varied social situations. Logic informed her decision to obey social rules and avoid unpleasant consequences. Sean's emotions controlled his social behavior. Baffled by social rules, isolated and friendless, he made up his own, and applied them to others. When they inevitably broke his rules, he felt worthless and unloved. Both Temple and Sean ultimately came to terms with the social world and found their places in it. Whether you are a person with autism, a caregiver in the autism community, or just someone interested in an "outsider" view of society, their powerful stories will enthrall and enlighten you.
Different, Not Less: Inspiring Stories of Achievement and Successful Employment From Adults With Autism, Asperger's, and ADHD
by Temple Grandin Tony Attwood<p>Temple Grandin offers the world yet another great work, an inspiring and informative book that offers both hope and encouragement. <p>In these pages, Temple presents the personal success stories of fourteen unique individuals that illustrate the extraordinary potential of those on the autism spectrum. <p>One of Temple’s primary missions is to help people with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and ADHD tap into their hidden abilities. Temple chose these contributors from a wide variety of different skill sets to show how it can be done. Each individual tells their own story in their own words about their lives, relationships, and eventual careers. The contributors also share how they dealt with issues they confronted while growing up, such as bullying, making eye contact, and honing social skills. <p><i>Different...Not Less</i> shows how, with work, each of the contributors: <p> <li>Found invaluable mentors <li>Learned skills necessary for employment when young <li>Became successfully employed <li>Developed self-confidence <li>Faced the challenges of forming and maintaining relationships (and sometimes) Raised families</li> </p>
Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism
by Temple Grandin a Foreword by Oliver SacksTemple Grandin, Ph.D., is a gifted animal scientist who has designed one third of all the livestock-handling facilities in the United States. <P> <P> She also lectures widely on autism--because Temple Grandin is autistic, a woman who thinks, feels, and experiences the world in ways that are incomprehensible to the rest of us. <P><P>In this unprecedented book, Grandin delivers a report from the country of autism. Writing from the dual perspectives of a scientist and an autistic person, she tells us how that country is experienced by its inhabitants and how she managed to breach its boundaries to function in the outside world. What emerges in Thinking in Pictures is the document of an extraordinary human being, one who, in gracefully and lucidly bridging the gulf between her condition and our own, sheds light on the riddle of our common identity.
Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports from My Life with Autism
by Temple GrandinTemple Grandin, Ph.D., is a gifted animal scientist who has designed one-third of all the livestock-handling facilities in the United States. She also lectures widely on autism--because Temple Grandin is autistic, a woman who thinks, feels, and experiences the world in ways that are incomprehensible to the rest of us. In this unprecedented book, Grandin delivers a report from the country of autism. Writing from the dual perspectives of a scientist and an autistic person, she tells us how that country is experienced by its inhabitants and how she managed to breach its boundaries to function in the outside world. What emerges in Thinking in Pictures is the document of an extraordinary human being, one who, in gracefully and lucidly bridging the gulf between her condition and our own, sheds light on the riddle of our common identity.
The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger’s
by Temple GrandinIn this innovative book, Dr. Temple Grandin gets down to the REAL issues of autism, the ones parents, teachers, and individuals on the spectrum face every day. Temple offers helpful do's and don'ts, practical strategies, and try-it-now tips, all based on her "insider" perspective and a great deal of research. These are just some of the specific topics Temple delves into: How and Why People with Autism Think Differently, Economical Early Intervention Programs that Work, How Sensory Sensitivities Affect Learning, Behaviors Caused by a Disability vs. Just Bad Behaviors, Teaching People with Autism to Live in an Unpredictable World, Alternative Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine, Employment Ideas for Adults with Autism, And many more! PLUS an exclusive interview between world-renowned psychologist Dr. Tony Attwood and Temple Grandin!
Don't Forget Me
by Philomene GrandinIzzy Young was a distinctive figure in the folk music and beatnik world. He set up the Folklore Center in New York&’s Greenwich Village, where Patti Smith, Emmylou Harris and Allen Ginsburg performed, and he produced Bob Dylan&’s first show in New York in the 1960s. In 1973, Izzy moved to Sweden, where he opened up a similar cultural centre.In Stockholm, the young Philomène and her father resided in the basement of the folklore centre, living a bohemian life, rich in culture and love. Thirty years later Izzy is fighting dementia.In a raw and unembellished manner, Philomène depicts the emotional rollercoaster of losing a beloved parent and a larger-than-life personality to an invisible, invincible foe. Interspersed are small moments of joy as the fog briefly parts to allow for a reconnection. Philomene masterfully intertwines the two timelines with a beautifully sparse language that vibrates with emotion. Don&’t Forget Me is a deeply personal book, yet the story itself is highly universal.
Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City
by Greg GrandinThe stunning, never before told story of the quixotic attempt to recreate small-town America in the heart of the Amazon In 1927, Henry Ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of Delaware in the Brazilian Amazon. His intention was to grow rubber, but the project rapidly evolved into a more ambitious bid to export America itself, along with its golf courses, ice-cream shops, bandstands, indoor plumbing, and Model Ts rolling down broad streets. Fordlandia, as the settlement was called, quickly became the site of an epic clash. On one side was the car magnate, lean, austere, the man who reduced industrial production to its simplest motions; on the other, the Amazon, lush, extravagant, the most complex ecological system on the planet. Ford's early success in imposing time clocks and square dances on the jungle soon collapsed, as indigenous workers, rejecting his midwestern Puritanism, turned the place into a ribald tropical boomtown. Fordlandia's eventual demise as a rubber plantation foreshadowed the practices that today are laying waste to the rain forest. More than a parable of one man's arrogant attempt to force his will on the natural world,Fordlandia depicts a desperate quest to salvage the bygone America that the Ford factory system did much to dispatch. As Greg Grandin shows in this gripping and mordantly observed history, Ford's great delusion was not that the Amazon could be tamed but that the forces of capitalism, once released, might yet be contained.
Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings
by Reyna Grande Sonia Guiñansaca""Wide-ranging yet consistently affecting, these pieces offer a crucial and inspired survey of the immigrant experience in America."" –Publishers Weekly"[These contributions] touch on so many different facets of the immigrant experience that readers will find much to ponder... [and] experience how creative writing enriches our understanding of each other and our lives." –BooklistIntroduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Viet Thanh NguyenA unique collection of 41 groundbreaking essays, poems, and artwork by migrants, refugees and Dreamers—including award-winning writers, artists, and activists—that illuminate what it is like living undocumented today.In the overheated debate about immigration, we often lose sight of the humanity at the heart of this complex issue. The immigrants and refugees living precariously in the United States are mothers and fathers, children, neighbors, and friends. Individuals propelled by hope and fear, they gamble their lives on the promise of America, yet their voices are rarely heard.This anthology of essays, poetry, and art seeks to shift the immigration debate—now shaped by rancorous stereotypes and xenophobia—towards one rooted in humanity and justice. Through their storytelling and art, the contributors to this thought-provoking book remind us that they are human still. Transcending their current immigration status, they offer nuanced portraits of their existence before and after migration, the factors behind their choices, the pain of leaving their homeland and beginning anew in a strange country, and their collective hunger for a future not defined by borders.Created entirely by undocumented or formerly undocumented migrants, Somewhere We Are Human is a journey of memory and yearning from people newly arrived to America, those who have been here for decades, and those who have ultimately chosen to leave or were deported. Touching on themes of race, class, gender, nationality, sexuality, politics, and parenthood, Somewhere We Are Human reveals how joy, hope, mourning, and perseverance can take root in the toughest soil and bloom in the harshest conditions.
Somewhere We Are Human \ Donde somos humanos (Spanish edition): Historias genuinas sobre migración, sobrevivencia y renaceres
by Reyna Grande Sonia GuiñansacaCon una introducción del ganador del Premio Pulitzer, Viet Thanh Nguyen, En algún lugar somos humano es una antología de cuarenta y cuatro ensayos y poemas atrevidos, importantes y revolucionarios escritos por inmigrantes, refugiados y Dreamers, incluidos escritores galardonados, artistas y activistas, que iluminan la realidad del día a día de un indocumentado. Hoy en día, existe un efusivo debate sobre el tema de la inmigración en los Estados Unidos, pero se pierde de vista lo más importante: que los migrantes y refugiados viviendo precariamente en este país son madres y padres, hermanos y hermanas, hijos e hijas; individuos impulsados por la esperanza y el miedo que se juegan la vida con la promesa del sueño americano. Sus historias, sin embargo, caen a menudo en el olvido.En estos tiempos de inquietudes, agitación política e incertidumbre, esta antología de ensayos, poesía y arte intenta transformar la xenófoba y estereotipada perspectiva colectiva que tenemos sobre los inmigrantes y refugiados en una basada en la justicia y humanidad. Les autores de esta colección alterarán la visión que tienen de sí mismes y de sus respectivas comunidades a través de la narración y el arte para así declarar orgullosamente que, tanto aquí como en cualquier otro lugar, todos somos humanos a pesar de la militarización de las fronteras, la detención masiva y la legislación draconiana y antiinmigrante en los Estados Unidos.En algún lugar somos humanos revela cómo la alegría, la esperanza, el duelo y la perseverancia nos ayudan a florecer en los terrenos más áridos y en las condiciones más extremas.
La búsqueda de un sueño: Una autobiografía (Atria Espanol)
by Reyna GrandeLa extraordinaria historia de Reyna Grande—que comenzó en su exitosa autobiografía La distancia entre nosotros—continúa ahora en esta fabulosa travesía para encontrar su lugar en los Estados Unidos como universitaria latina de primera generación y como escritora.Reyna Grande tenía nueve años cuando cruzó la frontera de México y los Estados Unidos buscando un hogar y el reencuentro con sus padres, quienes la habían dejado en su tierra natal para migrar a Los Ángeles en busca de una mejor vida. Sin embargo, lo que encontró fue a una madre indiferente y a un padre alcohólico y violento, en un país cuyo sistema educativo menospreciaba sus raíces. Reyna se refugió en las palabras. Su amor por la lectura y la escritura fueron su inspiración para salir adelante y lograr lo que parecía imposible: ser la primera persona en su familia en asistir a la universidad. Pero la experiencia universitaria resultó intimidante, y muy pronto descubrió que desconocía lo que se requiere para forjar una carrera a partir de un sueño. Contra viento y marea, Reyna convirtió su condición de inmigrante indocumentada en la de “una escritora valiente, inteligente y brillante” (Cheryl Strayed, autora de Wild) que “habla por millones de inmigrantes cuyas voces no han sido escuchadas” (Sandra Cisneros, autora de La casa en Mango Street). Narrada con esa prosa conmovedora y sincera que la caracteriza, en La búsqueda de un sueño Reyna Grande nos relata cómo persiguió sus sueños para construir lo que siempre había anhelado: un hogar duradero.
The Distance Between Us: A Memoir
by Reyna GrandeMago pointed to a spot on the dirt floor and reminded me that my umbilical cord was buried there. "That way," Mami told the midwife, "no matter where life takes her, she won't ever forget where she came from." Then Mago touched my belly button . . . She said that my umbilical cord was like a ribbon that connected me to Mami. She said, "It doesn't matter that there's a distance btween us now. That cord is there forever." <P><P> When Reyna Grande's father leaves his wife and three children behind in a village in Mexico to make the dangerous trek across the border to the United States, he promises he will soon return from "El Otro Lado" (The Other Side) with enough money to build them a dream house where they can all live together. His promises become harder to believe as months turn into years. <P>When he summons his wife to join him, Reyna and her siblings are deposited in the already overburdened household of their stern, unsmiling grandmother. The three siblings are forced to look out for themselves; in childish games they find a way to forget the pain of abandonment and learn to solve very adult problems. When their mother at last returns, the reunion sets the stage for a dramatic new chapter in Reyna's young life: her own journey to "El Otro Lado" to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years, her long-absent father. <P>In this extraordinary memoir, award-winning writer Reyna Grande vividly brings to life her tumultuous early years, capturing all the confusion and contradictions of childhood, especially one spent torn between two parents and two countries. Elated when she feels the glow of her father's love and approval, Reyna knows that at any moment he might turn angry or violent. Only in books and music and her rich imaginary life does she find solace, a momentary refuge from a world in which every place feels like "El Otro Lado." <P>The Distance Between Us captures one girl's passage from childhood to adolescence and beyond. A funny, heartbreaking, lyrical story, it reminds us that the joys and sorrows of childhood are always with us, invisible to the eye but imprinted on the heart, forever calling out to us of those places we first called home.
The Distance Between Us: Young Reader Edition
by Reyna GrandeAward-winning author Reyna Grande shares her compelling experience of crossing borders and cultures in this middle grade adaptation of her "compelling...unvarnished, resonant" (BookPage) memoir, The Distance Between Us.When her parents make the dangerous and illegal trek across the Mexican border in pursuit of the American dream, Reyna and her siblings are forced to live with their stern grandmother, as they wait for their parents to build the foundation of a new life. But when things don't go quite as planned, Reyna finds herself preparing for her own journey to "El Otro Lado" to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years: her long-absent father. Both funny and heartbreaking, The Distance Between Us beautifully captures the struggle that Reyna and her siblings endured while trying to assimilate to a different culture, language, and family life in El Otro Lado (The Other Side).
La distancia entre nosotros (Atria Espanol)
by Reyna GrandeFrom the award-winning author of Across a Hundred Mountains.Cuando el padre de Reyna Grande deja a su esposa y sus tres hijos atrás en un pueblo de México para hacer el peligroso viaje a través de la frontera a los Estados Unidos, promete que pronto regresará con el dinero suficiente para construir la casa de sus sueños. Sus promesas se vuelven más difíciles de creer cuando los meses de espera se convierten en años. Cuando se lleva a su esposa para reunirse con él, Reyna y sus hermanos son depositados en el hogar ya sobrecargado de su abuela paterna, Evila, una mujer endurecida por la vida. Los tres hermanos se ven obligados a cuidar de sí mismos. En los juegos infantiles encuentran una manera de olvidar el dolor del abandono y a resolver problemas de adultos. Cuando su madre regresa, la reunión sienta las bases para un capítulo nuevo y dramático en la vida de Reyna: su propio viaje a El otro lado para vivir con el hombre que ha poseído su imaginación durante años-- su padre ausente. En esta memoria extraordinaria, la galardonada escritora Reyna Grande le da vida a sus años tumultuosos, capturando la confusión y las contradicciones de una infancia divida entre dos padres y dos países. Sólo en los libros, en la música y en su rica imaginación ella encontrará consuelo, un refugio momentáneo de un mundo en el que cada lugar se siente como El otro lado. La distancia entre nosotros capta el paso de una niña de la infancia a la adolescencia y más allá. Una divertida, lírica, pero desgarradora historia, nos recuerda que las alegrías y las tristezas de la infancia están siempre con nosotros, impresas en el corazón, recordándonos de ese lugar que fue nuestro primer hogar.
A Dream Called Home: A Memoir
by Reyna Grande&“Here is a life story so unbelievable, it could only be true.&” —Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of The House on Mango StreetFrom bestselling author of the remarkable memoir The Distance Between Us comes an inspiring account of one woman&’s quest to find her place in America as a first-generation Latina university student and aspiring writer determined to build a new life for her family one fearless word at a time.As an immigrant in an unfamiliar country, with an indifferent mother and abusive father, Reyna had few resources at her disposal. Taking refuge in words, Reyna&’s love of reading and writing propels her to rise above until she achieves the impossible and is accepted to the University of California, Santa Cruz.Although her acceptance is a triumph, the actual experience of American college life is intimidating and unfamiliar for someone like Reyna, who is now estranged from her family and support system. Again, she finds solace in words, holding fast to her vision of becoming a writer, only to discover she knows nothing about what it takes to make a career out of a dream.Through it all, Reyna is determined to make the impossible possible, going from undocumented immigrant of little means to &“a fierce, smart, shimmering light of a writer&” (Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild); a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist whose &“power is growing with every book&” (Luis Alberto Urrea, Pultizer Prize finalist); and a proud mother of two beautiful children who will never have to know the pain of poverty and neglect.Told in Reyna&’s exquisite, heartfelt prose, A Dream Called Home demonstrates how, by daring to pursue her dreams, Reyna was able to build the one thing she had always longed for: a home that would endure.
The President Will See You Now: My Stories and Lessons from Ronald Reagan's Final Years
by Peggy GrandeAn affectionate and intimate memoir about Ronald Reagan by his longtime personal assistant, who worked closely with the president for 10 years after he left the White House.In The President Will See You Now, devoted Reagan insider Peggy Grande shares behind-the-scenes stories, intimate moments, and insights into one of America's most beloved presidents. Grande, who started in the Office of Ronald Reagan as a college student and earned her way into a coveted role as the president's Executive Assistant, offers an unparalleled perspective on the post-presidency of a political icon. Grande's stories and never-before-seen photos show a unique, private side to a public figure and leader who reshaped conservatism, ushered in an era of prosperity, and helped spur the end of the Cold War. Grande reveals what day-to-day life was like in Reagan's California office, including the former president's relationship with the First Lady and his interactions with friends, world leaders, and everyday Americans. Grande recalls how Reagan kept a vigorous schedule for years after he left the White House, his robust engagement with others, and ongoing political advocacy. Despite his eventual Alzheimer's diagnosis, Grande shows how Ronald Reagan remained true to core beliefs, his gentlemanly kindness, and his undying hope for his country. Today the Reagan legacy looms over American politics more than ever. Grande reminds readers why: When Ronald Reagan was president, we not only loved ourselves but also loved America, and the American values he represented: faith, optimism, and patriotism.
Curators: Behind the Scenes of Natural History Museums
by Lance GrandeOver the centuries, natural history museums have evolved from being little more than musty repositories of stuffed animals and pinned bugs, to being crucial generators of new scientific knowledge. They have also become vibrant educational centers, full of engaging exhibits that share those discoveries with students and an enthusiastic general public. At the heart of it all from the very start have been curators. Yet after three decades as a natural history curator, Lance Grande found that he still had to explain to people what he does. This book is the answer—and, oh, what an answer it is: lively, exciting, up-to-date, it offers a portrait of curators and their research like none we’ve seen, one that conveys the intellectual excitement and the educational and social value of curation. Grande uses the personal story of his own career—most of it spent at Chicago’s storied Field Museum—to structure his account as he explores the value of research and collections, the importance of public engagement, changing ecological and ethical considerations, and the impact of rapidly improving technology. Throughout, we are guided by Grande’s keen sense of mission, of a job where the why is always as important as the what. This beautifully written and richly illustrated book is a clear-eyed but loving account of natural history museums, their curators, and their ever-expanding roles in the twenty-first century.