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Committed: Confessions of a Fantasy Football Junkie
by Mark St. AmantFantasy football is America's fastest growing obsession, and sports humorist Mark St. Amant is among the obsessed. Entering the 2003 season--utterly fed up with never having won his league championship--St. Amant decided to embark on a quest for fantasy football knowledge and glory. He abandoned his advertising career and made fantasy football his new full-time job, setting out on a sprawling reconnaissance mission to discover what really makes this game -- and its players--tick. He stalked industry experts and gained access to leagues from all over the country, from private local leagues to the biggest (and richest) league on the planet, the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) in Las Vegas. Wading through the game's history, from its humble beginnings in a New York hotel in 1962 to the serious business it is today, Committed takes readers on a wickedly funny, deeply informative descent into the underbelly of an exploding national pastime. St. Amant provides an all-access, sideline pass to his entire season, and this world, as he strategizes, plots, trades, rants, and chases his league championship. For longtime veterans and newbies, hardcore sports nuts and casual sports fans, Committed reveals the truth behind the unique attraction of fantasy football."Mark St. Amant quit his job and dropped out of life in order to concentrate on his fantasy football team. Obviously, he is the smartest man who's ever lived." --Chuck Klosterman, author of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs "Dude, I get more f***ing e-mails from you than from the girl I'm seeing!" This was the exasperated, fourteen-word e-mail that told me once and for all, like a bucket of freezing-cold water to the face, that I had officially become a fantasy football junkie. It was December 2002 and I was desperately trying to make a deal before the trade deadline cut me off. My target was my friend, former coworker, and Felon Fantasy League-mate, Mark "Big Dog" Moll, co-owner of the eponymous Big Dogs. You see, my team--Acme Fantasy Football, Inc., named in honor of the perpetually frustrated cartoon character Wile E. Coyote--was 6-4 and tied with three other squads for the last of four coveted FFL playoff slots. But I was way behind in total points, our league's first tiebreaker. I knew I couldn't pull ahead and make the playoffs without acquiring a total stud and having an absolutely huge final four weeks. Enter Mr. Total Stud, Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes. I sent Big Dog approximately sixteen e-mails within the span of, oh, three minutes, frantically trying to get him to trade me Priest for near-stud Buffalo Bills running back Travis Henry--whom I didn't really need now that Saints RB Deuce McAllister had emerged into a weekly stud--and Quincy Morgan, the Cleveland Browns receiver who had just had a not-a-chance-in-hell-will-he-do-it-again 118-yard, 2-TD game against Jacksonville. Sell high. Henry and Morgan for Priest was a very fair deal. And by very fair, I mean that I was trying to rob my friend blind--
Committed: A Love Story
by Elizabeth GilbertLook out for Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, on sale now!At the end of her bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who'd been living in Indonesia when they met. Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other, but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. (Both were survivors of previous bad divorces. Enough said.) But providence intervened one day in the form of the United States government, which-after unexpectedly detaining Felipe at an American border crossing-gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again. Having been effectively sentenced to wed, Gilbert tackled her fears of marriage by delving into this topic completely, trying with all her might to discover through historical research, interviews, and much personal reflection what this stubbornly enduring old institution actually is. Told with Gilbert's trademark wit, intelligence and compassion, Committed attempts to "turn on all the lights" when it comes to matrimony, frankly examining questions of compatibility, infatuation, fidelity, family tradition, social expectations, divorce risks and humbling responsibilities. Gilbert's memoir is ultimately a clear-eyed celebration of love with all the complexity and consequence that real love, in the real world, actually entails.From the Hardcover edition.
Committed: A Love Story
by Elizabeth GilbertAt the end of her bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe - a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who'd been living in Indonesia when they met. Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other,but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. (Both survivors of difficult divorces. Enough said. ) But providence intervened one day in the form of the U. S. government, who -after unexpectedly detaining Felipe at an American border crossing -gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again. Having been effectively sentenced to wed, Gilbert tackled her fears of marriage by delving completely into this topic, trying with all her might to discover (through historical research, interviews and much personal reflection) what this stubbornly enduring old institution actually is. The result is Committed- a witty and intelligent contemplation of marriage that debunks myths, unthreads fears and suggests that sometimes even the most romantic of souls must trade in her amorous fantasies for the humbling responsibility of adulthood. Gilbert's memoir - destined to become a cherished handbook for any thinking person hovering on the verge of marriage - is ultimately a clear-eyed celebration of love, with all the complexity and consequence that real love, in the real world, actually entails.
Committed: A Rabble-rouser's Memoir
by Dan MathewsCommitted is a bold, offbeat, globe-trotting memoir that shows how the most ridiculed punching bag in high school became an internationally renowned crusader for the most downtrodden individuals of all -- animals. This irresistibly entertaining book recounts the random incidents and soul-searching that inspired a reluctant party boy to devote his life to a cause, without ever abandoning his sense of mischief and fun. "Everyone has a tense moment in their career that makes them wonder, how the hell did I get into this mess?" writes Mathews. "For me, it was when I was dressed as a carrot to promote vegetarianism outside an elementary school in Des Moines, and a pack of obese pig farmers showed up and peeled off slices of bologna for kids to throw at me." As the irreverent force behind the colorful crusades carried out by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), one of the most effective and enduring pressure groups in the world, Mathews has strutted naked before a fur convention in Tokyo, halted GM's use of animals in crash tests by storming the carmaker's float in the Rose Parade dressed as a rabbit, and crashed a fashion show in Milan dressed as a priest. With self-deprecating wit and candor, Mathews reveals all the edgy details of his unorthodox coming-of-age and equally outrageous career. With backdrops such as the rock scene in Hollywood and London, the inner sanctums of New York high fashion, jails in Hong Kong and Boston, and a psychiatric ward in Paris, Committed spotlights the adventures life can offer when you don't abandon your youthful ideals and imagination.
Committed: A Memoir of Madness in the Family
by Paolina MilanaAfter a decade of caring for crazy and keeping her mother&’s mental illness a secret from the outside world, twenty-year-old Paolina Milana longs for just one year free from the madness of her home. When she gets the chance to go to an out-of-state school, she takes it, but her family won&’t leave her be. Letter after letter arrives, constantly reminding her of the insanity rooted in her family tree. Even worse, the voices in her own head whisper words she&’s not sure are normal. &“Please don&’t make me be like Mamma,&” she prays to a God she&’s not sure is listening.The unexpected death of her father soon after she returns home leaves Paolina in shock—and in charge of her paranoid schizophrenic mother. But it isn&’t until she is twenty-seven and her sister two years her junior explodes in a psychotic episode and, just like Mamma, is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and must be committed, that Paolina descends into her own despair, nearly losing herself to the darkness.Poignant and impactful, Committed is one woman&’s story of resilience as she struggles to stay sane despite the madness that surrounds her.
Committed: On Meaning and Madwomen
by Suzanne ScanlonA raw and masterful memoir about becoming a woman and going mad—and doing both at once. When Suzanne Scanlon was a student at Barnard in the 90s, grieving the loss of her mother—feeling untethered and swimming through inarticulable pain—she made a suicide attempt that landed her in the New York State Psychiatric Institute. After nearly three years and countless experimental treatments, Suzanne left the ward on shaky legs. In the decades it took her to recover from the experience, Suzanne came to understand her suffering as part of something larger: a long tradition of women whose complicated and compromised stories of self-actualization are reduced to &“crazy chick&” and &“madwoman&” narratives. It was a thrilling discovery, and she searched for more books, more woman writers, as the journey of her life converged with her journey through the literature that shaped her. Transporting, honest, and graceful, Committed is a story of discovery and recovery, reclaiming the idea of the madwoman as a template for insight and transcendence through the works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Janet Frame, Audre Lorde, Shulamith Firestone, and others.
Committed: A Memoir of Finding Meaning in Madness
by Suzanne Scanlon'A deep, sometimes harrowing book about loss, grief, and the way literary representations of mental illness shaped Scanlon's experience of her own life' Emily Gould, The Cut'Visceral, raw and tender, this candid and timely memoir is, at heart, a love-letter to the profound and redemptive power of literature' Annabel Abbs'An immensely talented writer, at her finest, cutting through propriety and convention to reach what is essential, meaningful, real' Amina CainWhen Suzanne Scanlon was a student at Barnard in the 90s and grieving the loss of her mother, she made a suicide attempt that landed her in the New York State Psychiatric Institute.After nearly three years and countless experimental treatments, Suzanne left the ward on shaky legs. In the decades it took her to recover from the experience, Suzanne came to understand her suffering as part of something larger: a long tradition of women whose complicated and compromised stories of self-discovery are reduced to 'madwoman' narratives. Transporting, honest, and unflinching, Suzanne recounts her story alongside her reading of writers from the 'madwoman canon' - including Audre Lorde, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and radical feminist Shulamith Firestone. The result is a profoundly moving journey through madness, from breakdown to breakthrough, and a revelatory exploration of being a woman and being mad - and how interwoven those experiences can be.
Committed: A Memoir of Finding Meaning in Madness
by Suzanne Scanlon'A deep, sometimes harrowing book about loss, grief, and the way literary representations of mental illness shaped Scanlon's experience of her own life' Emily Gould, The Cut'Visceral, raw and tender, this candid and timely memoir is, at heart, a love-letter to the profound and redemptive power of literature' Annabel Abbs'An immensely talented writer, at her finest, cutting through propriety and convention to reach what is essential, meaningful, real' Amina CainWhen Suzanne Scanlon was a student at Barnard in the 90s and grieving the loss of her mother, she made a suicide attempt that landed her in the New York State Psychiatric Institute.After nearly three years and countless experimental treatments, Suzanne left the ward on shaky legs. In the decades it took her to recover from the experience, Suzanne came to understand her suffering as part of something larger: a long tradition of women whose complicated and compromised stories of self-discovery are reduced to 'madwoman' narratives. Transporting, honest, and unflinching, Suzanne recounts her story alongside her reading of writers from the 'madwoman canon' - including Audre Lorde, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and radical feminist Shulamith Firestone. The result is a profoundly moving journey through madness, from breakdown to breakthrough, and a revelatory exploration of being a woman and being mad - and how interwoven those experiences can be.
Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training
by Adam SternGrey&’s Anatomy meets One L in this psychiatrist&’s charming and poignant memoir about his residency at Harvard. Adam Stern was a student at a state medical school before being selected to train as a psychiatry resident at one of the most prestigious programs in the country. His new and initially intimidating classmates were high achievers from the Ivy League and other elite universities around the nation. Faculty raved about the group as though the residency program had won the lottery, nicknaming them &“The Golden Class,&” but would Stern ever prove that he belonged? In his memoir, Stern pulls back the curtain on the intense and emotionally challenging lessons he and his fellow doctors learned while studying the human condition, and ultimately, the value of connection. The narrative focuses on these residents, their growth as doctors, and the life choices they make as they try to survive their grueling four-year residency. Rich with drama, insight, and emotion, Stern shares engrossing stories of life on the psychiatric wards, as well as the group&’s experiences as they grapple with impostor syndrome and learn about love and loss. Most importantly, as they study how to help distressed patients in search of a better life, they discover the meaning of failure and the preciousness of success. Stern&’s growth as a doctor, and as a man, have readers rooting for him and his patients, and ultimately find their own hearts fuller for having taken this journey with him.
Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt
by Edward J. Renehan JrArmed with a trove of previously unreleased archives, Edward J. Renehan Jr. offers a compelling portrait of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who built large shipping and rail enterprises into cornerstones of the American economy, and amassed one of the greatest fortunes the world has ever known. This is the definitive biography of a man whose influence on American business was unsurpassed in his day--or any other.
Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun
by Rhoda BlumbergIn 1853, few Japanese people knew that a country called America even existed.<P><P> For centuries, Japan had isolated itself from the outside world by refusing to trade with other countries and even refusing to help shipwrecked sailors, foreign or Japanese. The country's people still lived under a feudal system like that of Europe in the Middle Ages. But everything began to change when American Commodore Perry and his troops sailed to the Land of the Rising Sun, bringing with them new science and technology, and a new way of life.<P> Newbery Medal Honor book
Commodus: The Damned Emperors Book 2 (The Damned Emperors)
by Simon TurneyWorshipped by Rome. Betrayed by love. Stalked by death. Rome is enjoying a period of stability and prosperity. The Empire's borders are growing, and there are two sons in the imperial succession for the first time in Rome's history. But all is not as it appears. Cracks are beginning to show. Two decades of war have taken their toll, and there are whispers of a sickness in the East. The Empire stands on the brink of true disaster, an age of gold giving way to one of iron and rust, a time of reason and strength sliding into hunger and pain.The decline may yet be halted, though. One man tries to hold the fracturing empire together. To Rome, he is their emperor, their Hercules, their Commodus.But Commodus is breaking up himself, and when the darkness grips, only one woman can hold him together. To Rome she was nothing. The plaything of the emperor. To Commodus, she was everything. She was Marcia.
Commodus: The Damned Emperors Book 2 (The\damned Emperors Ser.)
by Simon TurneyRome is enjoying a period of stability and prosperity. The Empire's borders are growing, and there are two sons in the imperial succession for the first time in Rome's history. But all is not as it appears. Cracks are beginning to show. Two decades of war have taken their toll, and there are whispers of a sickness in the East. The Empire stands on the brink of true disaster, an age of gold giving way to one of iron and rust, a time of reason and strength sliding into hunger and pain.The decline may yet be halted, though. One man tries to hold the fracturing empire together. To Rome, he is their emperor, their Hercules, their Commodus.But Commodus is breaking up himself, and when the darkness grips, only one woman can hold him together. To Rome she was nothing. The plaything of the emperor. To Commodus, she was everything. She was Marcia.
Common As Muck!: The Autobiography of Roy 'Chubby' Brown
by Roy Chubby BrownBy the time he was nineteen, Royston Vasey had married, divorced, fathered two children, spent two years in Britain's toughest Borstal, served three prison stretches and been stabbed while in the Merchant Navy. He thought his only career choice would be a life of crime. Fifteen years later, he was one of Britain's most successful comics, playing live to half a million fans a year as Roy 'Chubby' Brown. COMMON AS MUCK! tells an incredible story of hardships, heartbreak and, ultimately, success. From an impoverished childhood with his abusive father, to his brand of comedy too rude for television and his determined fight against throat cancer, COMMON AS MUCK! is a frank telling of a remarkable life, laced with Roy's irrepressible humour.
Common As Muck!: The Autobiography of Roy 'Chubby' Brown
by Roy Chubby BrownBy the time he was nineteen, Royston Vasey had married, divorced, fathered two children, spent two years in Britain's toughest Borstal, served three prison stretches and been stabbed while in the Merchant Navy. He thought his only career choice would be a life of crime. Fifteen years later, he was one of Britain's most successful comics, playing live to half a million fans a year as Roy 'Chubby' Brown. COMMON AS MUCK! tells an incredible story of hardships, heartbreak and, ultimately, success. From an impoverished childhood with his abusive father, to his brand of comedy too rude for television and his determined fight against throat cancer, COMMON AS MUCK! is a frank telling of a remarkable life, laced with Roy's irrepressible humour.
Common As Muck!: The Autobiography of Roy 'Chubby' Brown
by Roy Chubby BrownAbandoned by his mother when he was just nine years old, by the time Royston Vasey was nineteen he had been married, divorced, had two children, spent two years in Borstal and several months in prison, and had been shot at in the Merchant Navy. By the time he was thirty-five, he was one of Britain's most successful comics, playing live to half a million fans a year as Roy 'Chubby' Brown. In Common as Muck he tells his incredible story. Frank, funny and - perhaps unexpectedly - often moving, it is a tale of a man battling to escape his background and become a star. From his impossibly deprived childhood to his controversial comic persona to his more recent battle against throat cancer, Roy 'Chubby' Brown's life is as remarkable and fascinating as the man himself.
A Common Good: The Friendship of Robert F. Kennedy and Kenneth P. O'Donnell
by Helen O'DonnellAn illuminating account of the history-making friendship between RFK and the chief of staff to JFK—a bond built on shared ideals, but severed by tragedy. When they first met at Harvard in 1946, young Bobby Kennedy and Kenny O&’Donnell could not have imagined where their lives would take them. Teammates on both the football and debate teams, they formed a partnership that would sustain them through the years, from Robert Kennedy&’s tenure as attorney general to O&’Donnell&’s years as John F. Kennedy&’s chief of staff. Together they lived, worked, and struggled through some of the most pivotal moments of the twentieth century, including the assassination of JFK in Dallas. Their harmonious relationship was cut short only by Bobby&’s own tragic death. With full access to the Kennedy family archives, Helen O&’Donnell brings an inspiring personal and political alliance to life. With A Common Good, she amply fulfills the promise she made to her late father to honor and preserve his memories of Robert F. Kennedy for future generations. Kirkus Reviews hails A Common Good as &“a moving and intimate study of a unique friendship but also of the time and place, now long ago, in which this friendship formed and blossomed.&” O&’Donnell &“set out to write &‘a good book about two good men.&’ In this she has succeeded.&”
Common Ground: Encounters with Nature at the Edges of Life
by Rob CowenAll too often, we think of nature as something distinct from ourselves, something to go and see, a place that’s separate from the ordinary modern world in which we live and work. But if we take the time to look, we soon find that’s not how nature works. Even in our parceled-out, paved-over urban environs, nature is all around us; it is in us. It is us. That’s what Rob Cowen discovered after moving to a new home in northern England. After ten years in London he was suddenly adrift, searching for a sense of connection. He found himself drawn to a square-mile patch of waste ground at the edge of town. Scrappy, weed-filled, this heart-shaped tangle of land was the very definition of overlooked—a thoroughly in-between place that capitalism no longer had any use for, leaving nature to take its course. Wandering its meadows, woods, hedges, and fields, Cowen found it was also a magical, mysterious place, haunted and haunting, abandoned but wildly alive—and he fell in fascinated love. Common Ground is a true account of that place and Cowen’s transformative journey through its layers and lives, but it’s much more too. As the land’s stories intertwine with events in his own life—and he learns he is to become a father for the first time—the divisions between human and nature begin to blur and shift. The place turns out to be a mirror, revealing what we are, what we’re not and how those two things are ultimately inseparable. This is a book about discovering a new world, a forgotten world on the fringes of our daily lives, and the richness that comes from uncovering the stories and lives—animal and human—contained within. It is an unforgettable piece of nature writing, part of a brilliant tradition that stretches from Gilbert White to Robert Macfarlane and Helen Macdonald. “I am dreaming of the edge-land again,” Cowen writes. Read Common Ground, and you, too, will be dreaming of the spaces in between, and what—including us—thrives there.
Common Ground: A Political Life
by Justin TrudeauJustin Trudeau&’s candid memoir reveals for the first time the experiences that have shaped him over the course of his life, revealing how his passion for politics took root. From his childhood at the prime ministerial residence of 24 Sussex to his leadership of the Liberal party, Trudeau captures the formative moments of his upbringing, including the influence of his father, Pierre, who was prime minister before him, and the tragic death of his brother, Michel. Filled with anecdotes, personal reflections, and never-before-seen photographs from his own collection, Common Ground is an intimate portrait of the man who has thrust Canada back onto the world stage. Not only this, but it also presents a moving case for a better kind of politics at a time when people are more disillusioned with politics than ever before.
Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance
by Alexander ZaitchikWho is this guy and why are people listening? Forget Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity--Glenn Beck is the right's new media darling and the unofficial leader of the conservative grassroots. Lampooned by the left and lionized by the far right, his bluster-and-tears brand of political commentary has commandeered attention on both sides of the aisle. Glenn Beck has emerged over the last decade as a unique and bizarre conservative icon for the new century. He fantasizes aloud about killing his political opponents and encourages his listeners to embrace a cynical paranoia that slides easily into a fantasyland filled with enemies that do not exist, and solutions that are incoherent, at best. Since the election of Barack Obama, Beck's bombastic, conspiratorial, and often viciously personal approach to political combat has made him one of the most controversial figures in the history of American broadcasting. In Common Nonsense, investigative reporter Alexander Zaitchik explores Beck's strange brew of ratings lust, boundless ego, conspiratorial hard-right politics, and gimmicky morning-radio entertainment chops. Separates the facts from the fiction, following Beck from his troubled childhood to his recent rise to the top of the conservative media heap. Zaitchik's recent three-part series in Salon caused so much buzz, Beck felt the need to attack it on his show. Based on Zaitchik's interviews with former Beck coworkers and review of countless Beck writings and television and radio shows. Examines Beck's high-profile obsessions (Acorn and Van Jones) as well as his lesser-known influences (obscure Mormon radicals like Cleon Skousen.) Zaitchik's writing has appeared in the New Republic, the Nation, Salon, Wired, the New York Times, and AlternetBeck, a perverse and high-impact media spectacle, has emerged as a leader in a conservative protest movement that raises troubling questions about the health of American democracy.
Common People: In Pursuit of My Ancestors
by Alison Light"Family history begins with missing persons," Alison Light writes in Common People. We wonder about those we've lost, and those we never knew, about the long skein that led to us, and to here, and to now. So we start exploring. Most of us, however, give up a few generations back. We run into a gap, get embarrassed by a ne'er-do-well, or simply find our ancestors are less glamorous than we'd hoped. That didn't stop Alison Light: in the last weeks of her father's life, she embarked on an attempt to trace the history of her family as far back as she could reasonably go. The result is a clear-eyed, fascinating, frequently moving account of the lives of everyday people, of the tough decisions and hard work, the good luck and bad breaks, that chart the course of a life. Light's forebears--servants, sailors, farm workers--were among the poorest, traveling the country looking for work; they left few lasting marks on the world. But through her painstaking work in archives, and her ability to make the people and struggles of the past come alive, Light reminds us that "every life, even glimpsed through the chinks of the census, has its surprises and secrets. " What she did for the servants of Bloomsbury in her celebrated Mrs. Woolf and the Servants Light does here for her own ancestors, and, by extension, everyone's: draws their experiences from the shadows of the past and helps us understand their lives, estranged from us by time yet inextricably interwoven with our own. Family history, in her hands, becomes a new kind of public history.
Common Sense and a Little Fire
by Annelise OrleckThis book has its roots in the memories and stories of my grandmother, Lena Orleck, a sharp-tongued woman with a talent for survival and for dominating every she met.
Common Sense of an Uncommon Man
by Jim Denney Michael ReaganSome say Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of our century. He rescued America from economic collapse and ended the cold war. He toppled the Soviet "Evil Empire" without firing a shot. Now his son, Michael Reagan -- the most listened-to nighttime talk show host -- takes you on a tour of the heart and mind of our fortieth president. Funny, inspiring, and warmly nostalgic, The Common Sense of an Uncommon Man is filled with photographs covering the span of Ronald Reagan's life. This enduring keepsake will be treasured forever by all who honor Ronald Reagan, cherish freedom, and love our American way of life.
A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction
by Stephen Fried Patrick J. Kennedy**A New York Times Bestseller**Patrick J. Kennedy, the former congressman and youngest child of Senator Ted Kennedy, details his personal and political battle with mental illness and addiction, exploring mental health care's history in the country alongside his and every family's private struggles.On May 5, 2006, the New York Times ran two stories, "Patrick Kennedy Crashes Car into Capitol Barrier" and then, several hours later, "Patrick Kennedy Says He'll Seek Help for Addiction." It was the first time that the popular Rhode Island congressman had publicly disclosed his addiction to prescription painkillers, the true extent of his struggle with bipolar disorder and his plan to immediately seek treatment. That could have been the end of his career, but instead it was the beginning. Since then, Kennedy has become the nation's leading advocate for mental health and substance abuse care, research and policy both in and out of Congress. And ever since passing the landmark Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act--and after the death of his father, leaving Congress--he has been changing the dialogue that surrounds all brain diseases.A Common Struggle weaves together Kennedy's private and professional narratives, echoing Kennedy's philosophy that for him, the personal is political and the political personal. Focusing on the years from his 'coming out' about suffering from bipolar disorder and addiction to the present day, the book examines Kennedy's journey toward recovery and reflects on Americans' propensity to treat mental illnesses as "family secrets."Beyond his own story, though, Kennedy creates a roadmap for equality in the mental health community, and outlines a bold plan for the future of mental health policy. Written with award-winning healthcare journalist and best-selling author Stephen Fried, A Common Struggle is both a cry for empathy and a call to action. From the Hardcover edition.
The Common Years
by Jilly Cooper OBEDuring the ten years she lived at the edge of Putney Common Jilly Cooper walked daily on this expanse of green. For most of the time she lived there she kept a diary, noting the effects of the changing seasons and writing about her encounters with dogs and humans. The book is a distillation of those diaries: an affectionate and enthralling portrait - warts and all - of life on Putney Common. Never has Jilly Cooper written more lyrically about flowers, trees, birds and the natural world; more tellingly about the sorrows - as well as the joys - of caring for dogs and children; or more outrageously about the gossip, illicit romances and jealousies of life in a small community.