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Come My Fanatics: A Journey into the World of Electric Wizard
by Dan Franklin'Electric Wizard is heavy, man - we don't sing about love and flowers.' Jus ObornIn 1993, in the market town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, England, the heaviest band in the world was born. Led by guitarist and singer Jus Oborn, Electric Wizard began as an untameable power trio. They inhaled the iniquity of their lives and vomited it out in colossal waves of doom metal, synthesising the forbidding local landscape, biker culture, video-nasties, black magic rituals and titanic doses of psychedelics. In 1997 they released their revolutionary second album, Come My Fanatics... Then, after triumphant and calamitous tours of the USA and following the release of arguably the heaviest rock album ever recorded, 2000's Dopethrone, Electric Wizard all but imploded, destroyed by the very reality they were fighting against. However, when guitarist Liz Buckingham joined Oborn on guitar for We Live, they drew a magic circle around themselves in a new line-up that went on to explore deeper occult horrors on modern doom classic Witchcult Today onwards. Come My Fanatics is a kaleidoscopic exploration of the subculture the band has absorbed and, in turn, created. From seventies exploitation cinema, through the writers of Weird Tales magazine and a panoply of the marginal and downright sinister, to the band's own live ceremonial happenings - this is Electric Wizard's world. We're just dying in it.
Come On, America: The Inspirational Journey of Ambassador Dave Phillips
by Mary BogestCome On, America traces the incredible life of former United States Ambassador to Estonia, S. Davis (Dave) Phillips, who early in life faced challenges including a leg amputation, bullies, rheumatic fever, and being held back a year in school. Dave leads his life with hope and optimism through both his personal and business life, facing new challenges and grasping each opportunity with that unwavering view. This attitude led him to many places throughout the world and allowed him to meet national and international leaders. He is the recipient of many awards, but his most treasured is the Choate Seal, which was first given to John F. Kennedy. The broad spectrum of Dave&’s personal and business stories constantly entertains readers. Come On, America includes elements of historical relevance focusing on areas such as: the city of High Point, North Carolina; state politics as Secretary of Commerce under Governor Jim Hunt; United States ambassador involving world leaders; and a personal experience of the first international cyber-war including Estonia and Russia.A major influence in the shaping of the International Furniture Market that brings 80,000 visitors to High Point twice a year, Dave&’s business acumen resulted in three of his companies being sold on the NYSE. Each new venture widened his scope of business and led him to make a beneficial difference in the city, state, national, and international sphere. He became an admired leader and successful businessman. Readers find his journey both inspirational and educational as they discover in Come On, America the qualities and traits needed to be an effective leader and a successful businessman.
Come Out Smokin': Joe Frazier: The Champ Nobody Knew
by Phil PepeThe first book ever to delve into the life of the legendary heavyweight boxing champion. Acclaimed sportswriter Phil Pepe explores the iconic boxer &“Smokin&’ Joe&” Frazier&’s early beginnings. From his dirt poor childhood and relationship with his father to his street fights and Olympic boxing championship, Pepe&’s book follows Frazier&’s rise, culminating in the &“Fight of the Century&” with Muhammad Ali. Pepe beat all other writers to the punch in his seminal work on the champ nobody knew. Originally published in 1972, now available in ebook format for the first time.
Come sopra, così sotto: La mia vita come adepto
by Seila OrientaAutobiografia di un ermetico: Questa autobiografia mostra un resoconto della vita dell'adepto. Seila Orienta parla apertamente di importanti e interessanti traguardi della sua vita come gli incontri con l'ordine magico, le visite alle sfere, ai domini di geni negativi, gli studenti di Orienta e la Bardon League che fondò negli anni '80 e alcune precedenti incarnazioni dell'autore. La prima parte del libro è puramente autobiografica mentre la seconda parte descrive le intuizioni che l'autore ha raccolto durante la sua vita ermetica. Nella seconda parte del libro, i capitoli includono e trattano di demonologia, degli elementi, di Cristo, Shiva, dell'amore, del credo, dello spirito custode e di molti altri argomenti interessanti. Questo libro completa notevolmente tutti gli altri libri di questo autore. Nel corso della sua vita, Seila Orienta ha sempre posto i bisogni degli altri prima dei suoi. Il lettore capirà quanto l'autore ha dovuto subire a causa di malattie e disgrazie finanziarie. Eppure non si è mai lamentato o ha chiesto assistenza finanziaria. Tutta la sua conoscenza e il suo aiuto lo hanno distribuito liberamente senza esitazione agli studenti bisognosi.
Come, Tell Me How You Live: An Archaeological Memoir
by Agatha Christie MallowanOver the course of her long, prolific career, Agatha Christie gave the world a wealth of ingenious whodunits and page-turning locked-room mysteries featuring Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and a host of other unforgettable characters. She also gave us Come, Tell Me How You Live, a charming, fascinating, and wonderfully witty nonfiction account of her days on an archaeological dig in Syria with her husband, renowned archeologist Max Mallowan. Something completely different from arguably the best-selling author of all time, Come, Tell Me How You Live is an evocative journey to the fascinating Middle East of the 1930s that is sure to delight Dame Agatha’s millions of fans, as well as aficionados of Elizabeth Peters’s Amelia Peabody mysteries and eager armchair travelers everywhere.
Come to the Edge: A Memoir
by Christina HaagThe Love Story of JFK Jr. and Christina Haag * New York Times bestseller When Christina Haag was growing up on Manhattan's Upper East Side, John F. Kennedy, Jr., was just one of the boys in her circle of prep school friends, a skinny kid who lived with his mother and sister on Fifth Avenue and who happened to have a Secret Service detail following him discreetly at all times. A decade later, after they had both graduated from Brown University, Christina and John were cast in an off-Broadway play together. It was then that John confessed his long-standing crush on her, and they embarked on a five-year love affair. Glamorous and often in the public eye, but also passionate and deeply intimate, their relationship was transformative for both of them. Exquisitely written, Come to the Edge is an elegy to first love, a lost New York, and a young man with an enormous capacity for tenderness, and an adventurous spirit, who led his life with surprising and abundant grace.m to live life to its fullest. A haunting book, Come to the Edge is a lasting evocation of a time and a place--of the indelible sting of the loss of young love, and of the people who shape you and remain with you, whether in person or in spirit. It is about being young and full of hope, with all the potential of your life as yet unfulfilled, and of coming of age at a moment in New York's history when the city at once held danger, magic, and endless possibilities for self-discovery. Rarely has a love story been told so beautifully.From the Hardcover edition.
Come to This Court and Cry: How the Holocaust Ends
by Linda KinstlerIn 1965, five years after the capture of Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, one of his Mossad abductors was sent back to South America to kill another fugitive Nazi, the so-called &“butcher of Riga,&” Latvian Herberts Cukurs. Cukurs was shot. On his corpse, the assassins left pages from the closing speech of the chief British prosecutor at the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg: &“After this ordeal to which mankind has been submitted, mankind itself . . . comes to this Court and cries: &‘These are our laws—let them prevail!&’&” Years later, the Latvian prosecutor general began investigating the possibility of redeeming Cukurs for his past actions. Researching the case, Linda Kinstler discovered that her grandfather, Boris, had served in Cukurs&’s killing unit and was rumored to be a double agent for the KGB. The proceedings, which might have resulted in Cukurs&’s pardon, threw into question supposed &“facts&” about the Holocaust at the precise moment its last living survivors—the last legal witnesses—were dying. Rich with scholarly detective work and personal reflection, Come to This Court and Cry is a fearlessly brave examination of how history can become distorted over time, how easily the innocent are forgotten, and how carelessly the guilty are sometimes reprieved.
Come Up And Get Me: An Autobiography Of Colonel Joseph Kittinger
by Joseph W. Kittinger Craig RyanA few years after his release from a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp in 1973, Colonel Joseph Kittinger retired from the Air Force. Restless and unchallenged, he turned to ballooning, a lifelong passion as well as a constant diversion for his imagination during his imprisonment. His primary goal was a solitary circumnavigation of the globe, and in its pursuit he set several ballooning distance records, including the first solo crossing of the Atlantic in 1984. But the aeronautical feats that first made him an American hero had occurred a quarter of a century earlier. By the time Kittinger was shot down in Vietnam in 1972, his Air Force career was already legendary. He had made a name for himself at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, New Mexico, as a test pilot who helped demonstrate that egress survival for pilots at high altitudes was possible in emergency situations. Ironically, Kittinger and his pre-astronaut colleagues would help propel Americans into space using the world's oldest flying machine -- the balloon. Kittinger's work on Project Excelsior--which involved daring high-altitude bailout tests--earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross long before he earned a collection of medals in Vietnam. Despite the many accolades, Kittinger's proudest moment remains his free fall from 102,800 feet during which he achieved a speed of 614 miles per hour. In this long-awaited autobiography, Kittinger joins author Craig Ryan to document an astonishing career.
Come What May: The Autobiography
by Dónal Óg CusackDónal Óg Cusack has been one of Ireland's leading hurlers for the past decade, winning five Munster titles and three All-Ireland medals with Cork, and establishing himself as one of the game's most compelling and articulate figures. In this book, he tells the story of his life and extraordinary career.'This is not simply one of the best and most readable sports books to be published anywhere this year, it is one of the best and most important books to be published in Ireland this year' Sunday Tribune'Certain to become a sports classic' The Times'Certainly the book of the year' Irish Times'The engine of the book is truthfulness: raw, compelling and uncomfortable' Sunday Times
The Comeback: Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France
by Daniel de Visé&“Greg LeMond was Lance Armstrong before Lance Armstrong . . . the story of a true hero . . . This is a must read if you believe in miracles.&”―John Feinstein, New York Timesbestselling author In July 1986, Greg LeMond stunned the sporting world by becoming the first American to win the Tour de France, the world&’s pre-eminent bicycle race, defeating French cycling legend Bernard Hinault. Nine months later, LeMond lay in a hospital bed, his life in peril after a hunting accident, his career as a bicycle racer seemingly over. And yet, barely two years after this crisis, LeMond mounted a comeback almost without parallel in professional sports. In summer 1989, he again won the Tour—arguably the world&’s most grueling athletic contest—by the almost impossibly narrow margin of 8 seconds over another French legend, Laurent Fignon. It remains the closest Tour de France in history. &“[A] blend of chaos, kindness and cruelty typifies the scenes that journalist de Visé brings to life in this sympathetic-verging-on-reverential retelling of LeMond&’s trailblazing career (first American to enter the tour, first to win it) . . . As an author in quest of his protagonist&’s motivation, [de Visé] subjects it to extreme torque.&”—The Washington Post &“A great book . . . Well written and thoroughly researched . . . Engrossing and hard to put down. If you&’re a Greg LeMond fan, The Comeback is a must read because it&’s a detailed accounting of his career and―more importantly―his life and person off the bike. It&’s also an important reminder that American cycling did not begin and end with Lance Armstrong.&”—PEZ
The Comeback
by Geoffrey C. WardAn eBook short.Franklin Roosevelt contracted polio in the summer of 1921, resulting in permanent paralysis from the waist down. One year later, he went back to work. Noted historian Geoffrey C. Ward, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Parkman Prize and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, who is himself a polio survivor, investigates the courage and character of the man who became the greatest president of the twentieth century. "The Comeback," a selection from A First-Class Temperament, the second volume in Ward's monumental biography that began with Before the Trumpet, is the story of one extraordinary man's struggle to regain his feet and reenter public life. Before his illness, FDR's political future had seemed bright. He knew that pity was poison, that if the public understood the extent of his disability his career would be at an end. Roosevelt, therefore, had to teach himself the impossible: how to walk--or seem to walk--again. This is that journey, following the future president from his disastrous attempt to return to his law office to his triumphant march down the aisle at the 1924 Democratic National Convention, where, leaning on his crutches, he delivered the triumphant "Happy Warrior" speech for ill-fated presidential candidate Al Smith and was hailed as a hero. It was FDR's new beginning.
Comeback Pitchers: The Remarkable Careers of Howard Ehmke and Jack Quinn
by Lyle Spatz Steve SteinbergThe careers of pitchers Jack Quinn and Howard Ehmke began in the Deadball Era and peaked in the 1920s. They were teammates for many years, with both the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox and later with the world champion Philadelphia Athletics, managed by Connie Mack. As far back as 1912, when he was just twenty-nine, Quinn was told he was too old to play and on the downward side of his career. Because of his determination, work ethic, outlook on life, and physical conditioning, however, he continued to excel. In his midthirties, then his late thirties, and even into his forties, he overcame the naysayers. At age forty-six he became the oldest pitcher to start a World Series game. When Quinn finally retired in 1933 at fifty, the &“Methuselah of the Mound&” owned numerous longevity records, some of which he holds to this day. Ehmke, meanwhile, battled arm trouble and poor health through much of his career. Like Quinn, he was dismissed by the experts and from many teams, only to return and excel. He overcame his physical problems by developing new pitches and pitching motions and capped his career with a stunning performance in Game One of the 1929 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, which still ranks among baseball&’s most memorable games. Connie Mack described it as his greatest day in baseball.Comeback Pitchers is the inspirational story of these two great pitchers with intertwining careers who were repeatedly considered washed up and too old but kept defying the odds and thrilling fans long after most pitchers would have retired.
Comeback Season: My Unlikely Story of Friendship with the Greatest Living Negro League Baseball Players
by Cam PerronThe uplifting, unlikely, and inspirational true story of the friendships formed between Cam Perron—a white, baseball-obsessed teenager from Boston—and hundreds of former professional Negro League players, who were still awaiting the recognition and compensation that they deserved from Major League Baseball more than fifty years after their playing days were over. Featuring the players&’ fascinating stories and original photographs.Cam Perron always loved history, and from an early age, he had a knack for collecting. But when he was twelve and bought a set of Topps baseball cards featuring several players from the Negro Leagues, something clicked. Cam started writing letters to former Negro League players in 2007, asking for their autographs and a few words about their careers. He got back much more than he expected. The players responded with detailed stories about their glory days on the field, and the racism they faced, including run-ins with the KKK. They explained how they were repeatedly kept out of the major leagues and confined to the historic but lower-paying Negro Leagues, even after Jackie Robinson—who got his start in the Negro Leagues—broke the color barrier. By the time Cam finished middle school, letters had turned into phone calls, and he was spending hours a day talking with the players. In these conversations, many of the players revealed that their careers had been unrecognized over time, and they&’d fallen out of touch with their former teammates. So Cam, along with a small group of fellow researchers, organized the first annual Negro League Players Reunion in Birmingham, Alabama in 2010. At the celebratory, week-long event, fifteen-year-old Cam and the players—who were in their 70s, 80s, and 90s—finally met in person. They quickly became family. As Cam and the players returned to the reunion year after year, Cam became deeply involved in a complicated mission to help many players get pension money that they were owed from Major League Baseball. He also worked to get a Negro League museum opened in Birmingham, and stock it with memorabilia. Sports fans—and anyone who enjoys a heartfelt story—will have their eyes opened by this book about unlikely friendships, the power of memories, and just how far a childhood interest can go.
The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, And The History Of American Comedy
by Kliph NesteroffIn The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff's groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years. <P><P> Starting with the vaudeville circuit at the turn of the last century, Nesteroff introduces the first stand-up comedian--an emcee who abandoned physical shtick for straight jokes. After the repeal of Prohibition, Mafia-run supper clubs replaced speakeasies, and mobsters replaced vaudeville impresarios as the comedian's primary employer. In the 1950s, the late-night talk show brought stand-up to a wide public, while Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and Jonathan Winters attacked conformity and staged a comedy rebellion in coffeehouses. From comedy's part in the Civil Rights movement and the social upheaval of the late 1960s, to the first comedy clubs of the 1970s and the cocaine-fueled comedy boom of the 1980s,The Comedians culminates with a new era of media-driven celebrity in the twenty-first century.
The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy
by Kliph NesteroffIn The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff’s groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years.Starting with the vaudeville circuit at the turn of the last century, Nesteroff introduces the first stand-up comedian-an emcee who abandoned physical shtick for straight jokes. After the repeal of Prohibition, Mafia-run supper clubs replaced speakeasies, and mobsters replaced vaudeville impresarios as the comedian’s primary employer. In the 1950s, the late-night talk show brought stand-up to a wide public, while Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and Jonathan Winters attacked conformity and staged a comedy rebellion in coffeehouses. From comedy’s part in the Civil Rights movement and the social upheaval of the late 1960s, to the first comedy clubs of the 1970s and the cocaine-fueled comedy boom of the 1980s, The Comedians culminates with a new era of media-driven celebrity in the twenty-first century.
Comediantes y mártires: Ensayo contra los mitos
by Juan José SebreliTras deslumbrar a los lectores y la crítica con su análisis de la filosofía del siglo XX en El olvido de la razón, Juan José Sebreli dedica su nueva y brillante obra a la figura del héroe en la sociedad contemporánea, a partir de cuatro mitos universales de origen argentino: Evita, Gardel, el Che Guevara y Maradona. ¿Cómo se construye el mito? ¿Qué similitudes guarda con la vida real de los personajes? Con estas dos preguntas como guía, Sebreli pasa revista a las circunstancias vitales y las características personales de estos cuatro iconos y desentierra un elenco de contradicciones rabiosas y paradojas flagrantes: la pasión por la alta costura de la «abanderada de los humildes»; el desganado oportunismo de Gardel; el amor a la violencia del Che Guevara y los devaneos y alardes de Diego Maradona, siempre entre el escándalo y el fraude. Sebreli observa con precisión microscópica las conductas y logra un ensayo maduro y reflexivo para todos los lectores lúcidos, que no podrán sino coincidir con la cita de Bertolt que encabeza el libro: «Pobres los pueblos que necesitan héroes». Libro galardonado con el I Premio de Ensayo Debate-Casa de América.
A Comedy & A Tragedy
by Travis Hugh CulleyIn this powerful memoir, former bicycle messenger and acclaimed author of The Immortal Class recounts his difficult journey to literacy. A Comedy & A Tragedy is the story of one young man's effort to teach himself to read. Complex and many-leveled, this book is also a manifesto about the acquisition of intellectual independence. It is a plea for better understanding of the impact of dysfunctional family dynamics in education, and a passionate indictment of a broken school system that lets so-called problem kids slip through the cracks.When Travis Hugh Culley moves with his family to Miami in the spring of 1980, the bright six-year-old hopes things will be easier for him. Instead, he is dubbed "Birdbrain" by his older brother and classified by his new teachers as a discipline problem. Travis fakes his way through tests and homework assignments, mimicking his fellow students and pretending to know how to read. When his music teacher suggests that he audition for an acting program, Travis begins an unlikely path toward literacy.The moment Travis begins to perform, he is confronted by his angry father, who is threatened by the transformation in his son. Unsure of how to make sense of what has happened, Travis grabs a pen and writes his experience down. Suddenly, everything can be seen in a new light. Having written, he begins to understand in a new way the relationship between words and actions.When his parents separate and his grades fall, Travis clings to a journal in which he notes the details of his changing life. Having no place else to turn to process his emotions, Travis lays claim to the project of his own emancipation. This troubled student runs away from home but does not drop out of school. With pen in hand, he commits to an education in the theater and begins to fully realize the power and importance of literacy. Travis discovers that only through the mastery of writing can he determine his place in the world. Eventually, he will become an accomplished author--with a triumphant story to tell. A Comedy & A Tragedy is an important and inspired memoir that will touch the hearts of parents, teachers, students, and anyone who has struggled with traumatic experiences in education. It is a work of love, of friendship, and of confidence in one young scholar's infinite belief in language.
Comedy and Error: They Really Were Marvellous Times
by Simon DayBest known as one of the stars of the Fast Show (where he played characters such as Dave Angel -- Eco-Warrior, Tommy Cockles and Competitive Dad) and Bellamy's People co-starring Paul Whitehouse, Simon Day tells the shocking, sometimes sad and hilariously funny story of his life so far. Simon Day's memoir is a story of unlikely successes and secret lives. In the early 1980s he was a petty thief living rough in South East London and stealing whatever he could to fund an addiction to fruit machines. He was arrested and sentenced to borstal. Simon's memoir tells the story of how this nice, middle-class boy from the suburbs -- a self-confessed 'crap criminal' -- served time with the professionals and hard-cases in a jail fiercely divided along racial lines during the height of the 1981 riots. It moves on to the lucky breaks, the talent getting recognised, the 'redemption' of his years as a celebrity . . . with the parallel story of his addiction which -- with money and success -- became fuelled by drugs. Dark and dramatic, Simon Day's memoir is a laugh-out-loud-funny story of drugs, crime and comedy.
Comedy, Comedy, Comedy, Drama: The Sunday Times bestseller
by Bob OdenkirkIn this brilliantly entertaining and heartfelt memoir, beloved star and comic maverick Bob Odenkirk writes honestly about the highs and lows of showbiz: his work on infamous cult comedy Mr. Show, as a performer and writer on legendary series such as The Larry Sanders Show and Saturday Night Live, becoming everyone's favourite lawyer in global hit TV series' Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and what it's like to reinvent himself as an action film ass-kicker at fifty in Nobody. Bob Odenkirk's career is inexplicable. And yet he will try like hell to explicate it for you... Featuring humorous tangents, never-before-seen photos, wild characters, and Bob's trademark unflinching drive and humour, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is a classic showbiz tale told by a determined idiot.(P) 2022 Penguin Audio
Comedy, Comedy, Comedy, Drama: A Memoir
by Bob OdenkirkIn this hilarious, heartfelt memoir, the star of Mr. Show and Breaking Bad spin off Better Call Saul opens up about the highs and lows of showbiz, his cult status as a comedy writer, and what it's like to reinvent himself at age fifty as an action-film ass-kicker.Bob Odenkirk's career is inexplicable. And yet he will try like hell to explicate it for you. Charting a "Homeric" decades-long "odyssey" from his origins in the seedy comedy clubs of Chicago to a dramatic career full of award nominations-with a side-trip into the action-man world that is baffling to all who know him-it's almost like there are many Bob Odenkirks! But there is just one, and one is plenty.Bob embraced a life in comedy after a chance meeting with Second City's legendary Del Close, then somehow made his way to a job as a writer at Saturday Night Live. While surviving that legendary gauntlet by the skin of his gnashing teeth, he stashed away the secrets of comedy writing-eventually employing them in the immortal "Motivational Speaker" sketch for Chris Farley, honing them on The Ben Stiller Show, and perfecting them on Mr. Show with Bob and David.In Hollywood, Bob demonstrated a bullheadedness that would shame Sisyphus himself, and when all hope was lost for the umpteenth time, the phone rang with an offer to appear on Breaking Bad-a show about how boring it is to be a high school chemistry teacher. His embrace of this strange new world of dramatic acting led him to working with Steven Spielberg, Alexander Payne, and Greta Gerwig, and then, in a twist that will confound you, he re-re-invented himself as a bona fide action star. Why? Read this and do your own psychoanalysis-it's fun!Featuring humorous tangents, never-before-seen photos, wild characters, and Bob's trademark unflinching drive and humour, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is a classic showbiz tale told by a determined idiot.
Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir
by Bob OdenkirkBob Odenkirk’s career is inexplicable. And yet he will try like hell to explicate it for you. Charting a “Homeric” decades-long “odyssey” from his origins in the seedy comedy clubs of Chicago to a dramatic career full of award nominations—with a side-trip into the action-man world that is baffling to all who know him—it’s almost like there are many Bob Odenkirks! But there is just one and one is plenty. <p><p> Bob embraced a life in comedy after a chance meeting with Second City’s legendary Del Close. He somehow made his way to a job as a writer at Saturday Night Live. While surviving that legendary gauntlet by the skin of his gnashing teeth, he stashed away the secrets of comedy writing—eventually employing them in the immortal “Motivational Speaker” sketch for Chris Farley, honing them on The Ben Stiller Show, and perfecting them on Mr. Show with Bob and David. <p><p> In Hollywood, Bob demonstrated a bullheadedness that would shame Sisyphus himself, and when all hope was lost for the umpteenth time, the phone rang with an offer to appear on Breaking Bad—a show about how boring it is to be a high school chemistry teacher. His embrace of this strange new world of dramatic acting led him to working with Steven Spielberg, Alexander Payne, and Greta Gerwig, and then, in a twist that will confound you, he re-re-invented himself as a bona fide action star. Why? Read this and do your own psychoanalysis—it’s fun! <p><p> Featuring humorous tangents, never-before-seen photos, wild characters, and Bob’s trademark unflinching drive, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is a classic showbiz tale told by a determined idiot. <p> <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin: Artistry in Motion
by Dan KaminThe Comedy of Charlie Chaplin provides an in-depth analysis of Chaplin as a movement artist and physical comedian.
Comedy Sex God
by Pete HolmesThe standup comic, podcaster, and HBO star explores the role of religion in his life in this blend of memoir, philosophical inquiry, and spiritual quest.Pete Holmes is a sold-out-every-night stand-up comedian with two HBO specials and the host of the hugely successful podcast You Made It Weird, and he was the creator-star of the hit HBO show Crashing. But it wasn’t always roses for Pete. Growing up, Pete was raised an evangelical Christian, but his religion taught him that being “bad”—smoking, drinking, having doubts or premarital sex—would get him sent to an eternity in hell. So, terrified of the God he loved, Pete devoted his life to being “good,” even marrying his first girlfriend at the age of twenty-two only to discover a few years later he was being cheated on. Thanks for nothing, God.Pete’s failed attempt at a picture-perfect life forced him to reexamine his beliefs, but neither atheism, nor Christianity, nor copious bottles of Yellow Tail led him to enlightenment. Pete longed for a model of faith that served him and his newfound uncertainties about the universe, so he embarked on a soul-seeking journey that continues to this day. Through encounters with mind-altering substances, honing his craft in front of thousands of his comedy fans, and spending time with savants like Ram Dass, Pete forged a new life—both spiritually and personally.Beautifully written and often completely hilarious—imagine Dass’s Be Here Now if penned by one of the funniest people alive—Comedy Sex God reveals a man at the top of his game and a seeker in search of the deeper meanings of life, love, and comedy.“Pete Holmes is a thoughtful and hilarious contradiction. Centered, but ambitious. Zen, but stressed. He’s like the Buddha if the Buddha Googled himself. This memoir captures all the wonderful inconsistencies and strengths of my very funny friend. It was a joy to read.” —John Mulaney
Comes the Peace
by Daja Wangchuk Meston Clare Ansberry"I packed a blue Samsonite suitcase with my belongings -- a couple of pairs of jeans and shirts, UB40 tapes, the Swiss army knife I had stolen from my mother, my Tibetan prayer book, and a red plastic Camay soap dish I bought in Dharamsala that had become a good luck charm for me." With these, all his worldly possessions at the age of seventeen, Daja Wangchuk Meston caught an airliner to America, the unfamiliar land of which he was a citizen, and began his arduous personal journey to discover and mend his long-severed ties to his family, his country, and, in a very real sense, his own identity. In this moving memoir, the author tells the incredible story of a young man who used his Buddhist upbringing and the love of a good woman -- his young wife -- to learn that forgiving others can play a critical role in healing a damaged soul. Daja had much to forgive. In the early 1970s, at the age of three, he was taken by his hippie American parents to Nepal and left in the care of a Tibetan family. The Tibetans in turn placed him in a Buddhist monastery where, at the age of six, he was ordained to be a monk. There, in scenes reminiscent of the novels of Charles Dickens, he was ostracized by the other boy monks, who taunted him for his Caucasian physical traits, left so hungry he stole scraps of bread, and slept on a flea-infested straw mat. He was an outsider in an insular monastic world, unable to understand what had befallen him and longing for the warmth of his mother's embrace. His mother became a Buddhist nun, and caring for a child, she thought, would impede her spiritual journey. Her occasional and brief visits with young Daja became increasingly rare. As he grew up, there were often years without a single maternal visit. His father, unbeknownst to the boy, had suffered a mental breakdown and returned, helpless, to Los Angeles. The story of Daja's self-generated ouster from the monastery as an adolescent (he pretended to have slept with a prostitute), his eventual migration to his homeland, his lifelong attempt to understand and reconnect with his parents, and his eventual and dangerous work on behalf of Tibetan rights under Chinese oppression make for a compelling reading experience. But more than that, the story of Daja Meston reminds us of the universal human need for roots and family bonds. It is ultimately an unforgettable story of love, hope, and forgiveness and of a gentle man with an enormous capacity for all three.
Comet Chaser: The True Cinderella Story of Caroline Herschel, the First Professional Woman Astronomer
by Pamela S. TurnerThe real-life Cinderella story of the very first professional woman astronomer—Caroline Herschel!Comet Chaser is the thrilling and beautifully illustrated biography of a woman who made a lifetime of incredible contributions to science. She was the first woman to discover a comet, the first officially recognized in a scientific role, and the first to be given a Gold Medal by the Royal Astronomical Society.In a day when girls were barely educated at all, Caroline Herschel's father taught her math and music . . . until, suddenly, he died. Her mother saw her as little more than a household servant. Caroline might have been doomed to a life of drudgery and dimness if not for her brother, who took her from Germany to England. There they started building telescopes in their free time, gradually making them larger and larger, and discovering new comets—even new planets! When the great astronomers of the day wondered how Caroline and her brother accomplished this and came to see for themselves, they found that the Herschels had made the best telescopes of their time.From household drudge to belle of the scientific ball, Caroline Herschel won international prizes never before awarded to a woman and earned a professional wage from the king. She and her discoveries remain as stunning today as they were then. Some of her calculations are still in use! In this delightfully imaginative retelling of Caroline's career, her fairy godmother is none other than her own bright intelligence, hard work, and passion for science.WOMEN IN STEM: Passion and persistence save the day and offer a wonderful model for girls seeking their way into science, technology, engineering, and math in this starry biography.AN EMPOWERING, TRUE CINDERELLA STORY: What a brilliant way of telling the story of an inspirational woman in science—as a true Cinderella story! Caroline must escape a humble life of drudgery, and with the magic of real science, she makes her own fairy-tale ending.BIOGRAPHY BOOK FOR KIDS: A great addition to classrooms and libraries, with fascinating examples of hands-on engineering, mathematics, and scientific study.INSPIRATIONAL GIFT: Inspire budding scientists of all kinds with this magical true story!Perfect for:Kids interested in science, space, or astronomyTeachers and librarians looking for excellent picture book biographies and nonfiction books about scienceGift givers hoping to inspire a love of STEM topicsFans of Hidden Figures, The Fire of Stars, and Ada Twist, Scientist