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First Gen: A Memoir
by Alejandra Campoverdi*A NATIONAL BESTSELLER* Winner of the Martin Cruz Smith Award (CALIBA) 2024 Council for Opportunity in Education National Book Club Selection Longlisted for the Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award for First Year Experience An unflinching memoir and "invaluable resource" (Kirkus) about navigating social mobility as a first gen Latina—offering both a riveting personal story and an examination of the unacknowledged emotional tolls of being a trailblazer. Alejandra Campoverdi has been a child on welfare, a White House aide to President Obama, a Harvard graduate, a gang member&’s girlfriend, and a candidate for U.S. Congress. She&’s ridden on Air Force One and in G-rides. She&’s been featured in Maxim magazine and had a double mastectomy. Living a life of contradictory extremes often comes with the territory when you&’re a &“First and Only.&” It also comes at a price. With candor and heart, Alejandra retraces her trajectory as a Mexican American woman raised by an immigrant single mother in Los Angeles. Foregoing the tidy bullet points of her resume and instead shining a light on the spaces between them, what emerges is a powerful testimony that shatters the one-dimensional glossy narrative we are often sold of what it takes to achieve the American Dream. In this timely and revealing reflection, Alejandra draws from her own experiences to name and frame the challenges First and Onlys often face, illuminating a road to truth, healing, and change in the process. Part memoir, part manifesto, FIRST GEN is a story of generational inheritance, aspiration, and the true meaning of belonging—a gripping journey to &“reclaim the parts of ourselves we sacrificed in order to survive.&”
First Generation: 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great
by Rich Wallace Sandra Neil Wallace Agata NowickaCelebrate the genius, diversity, and grit of immigrants and refugees in this boldly illustrated guide to 36 American trailblazers.The men and women in this book represent nations from Somalia to Germany, from Syria to China, from Mexico to Sweden, and more. They are people like Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, international singing sensation Celia Cruz, star basketball player Dikembe Mutombo, world-renowned physicist Albert Einstein, and influential journalist Jorge Ramos. And they are all immigrants or refugees to the United States of America. Their courage, their achievements, and their determination to change the world have helped make our country a stronger place. Perhaps after reading their stories, you will be inspired to make the world a better place, too.
First Girl Scout
by Ginger WadsworthJust in time for the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts in 2012, a lavishly illustrated account of the fascinating life of the woman who started it all. Juliette (Daisy) Gordon Low was a remarkable woman with ideas that were ahead of her time. She witnessed important eras in U.S. history, from the Civil War and Reconstruction to westward expansion to post-World War I. And she made history by founding the first national organization to bring girls from all backgrounds into the out-of-doors. Daisy created controversy by encouraging them to prepare not only for traditional homemaking but also for roles as professional women--in the arts, sciences, and business--and for active citizenship outside the home. Her group also welcomed girls with disabilities at a time when they were usually excluded. Includes author's note, source notes, bibliography, timeline, places to visit, the Girl Scout Promise and Law, and musical notation for the favorite scout song "Make New Friends."
First Great Triumph: How Five Americans Made Their Country a World Power
by Warren ZimmermannAmerican history around 1900 with a focus on five figures.
First Impressions: Off Screen Conversations with a Bachelor on Race, Family, and Forgiveness
by Matt JamesMatt James, the first Black bachelor on ABC&’s beloved television show, The Bachelor, shares his views on the controversial topics that defined his season and confronts matters of race, opportunity, and his biracial identity head on. When The Bachelor franchise announced Matt James as the first Black lead, it was celebrated as long-overdue progress on the primetime show. America fell in love with Matt—the Christian, former NFL athlete, and nonprofit CEO—who charmed millions of viewers each week. But the off-screen conversations around the show revealed the realities and inescapable challenges of being Black in America and the depth of racism that still exists. On the show, Matt could only go so far in sharing his own story with America. In First Impressions, Matt shares his views on controversial topics like race and opportunity that defined his season on The Bachelor. Matt lives at the intersection of these important issues and shares the wisdom his experience has granted him. Matt describes the joys and difficulties of being the youngest of two Black sons, raised by a single, working-class, white mother in Raleigh, North Carolina. He elaborates on the spiritual closeness and sense of duty he felt for his mother, but also the complex relationships he had with the many male figures in his life: his prejudiced, Italian grandfather, who had trouble accepting Matt as his own; his father, whose womanizing and petty crime put strain on the family; and his older brother, who was Matt&’s protector in youth, but who struggled with the long shadow of their father&’s legacy. Simultaneously inspirational and informative, First Impressions will leave readers with a deeper understanding of the life experiences that prepared Matt for such a divisive moment in television history.
First In His Class: A Biography Of Bill Clinton
by David MaranissWho exactly is Bill Clinton, and why was he, of all the brilliant and ambitious men in his generation, the first in his class to reach the White House?Drawing on hundreds of letters, documents, and interviews, David Maraniss explores the evolution of the personality of our forty-second president from his youth in Arkansas to his 1991 announcement that he would run for the nation's highest office. In this richly textured and balanced biography, Maraniss reveals a complex man full of great flaws and great talents. First in His Class is the definitive book on Bill Clinton.
First In, Last Out: An American Paratrooper in Vietnam with the 101st and Vietnamese Airborne
by John D HowardA Vietnam veteran recounts his experience through two tours of duty—early in the conflict and then in its final stages. Fresh out of West Point, John Howard arrived for his first tour in Vietnam in 1965, the first full year of escalation when U.S. troop levels increased dramatically, from 23,000 to 184,000. When Howard returned for a second tour in 1972, troop strength stood at 24,000 and would dwindle to a mere fifty the following year. He thus participated in the very early and very late stages of American military involvement in the Vietnam War. Howard&’s two tours—the first as a platoon commander and member of an elite counterguerrilla force, and the second as a senior advisor to the South Vietnamese—provide a fascinating lens through which to view not only one soldier&’s experience in Vietnam, but also the country&’s.
First In, Last Out: An Unconventional British Officer in Indo-China
by J.P. CrossThis is the astonishing tale of two episodes in the life of Colonel J P Cross, jungle fighter and linguist extraordinaire.As a young officer at the end of the war against Japan in 1945, he took part in counterinsurgency operations against the Vietminh at a time of chaos and confusion. Sent to the area to help disarm the defeated Japanese, Cross found himself commanding a battalion of the very same troops against the Vietminh.That period provides the backdrop to Crosss experiences as British Defence Attache to Laos between 1972 and 1976. His mastery of the languages of the region allowed him rarely accorded access to high Laotian political circles.Allowed to wander at will even by the Communists, he was in the unique position to survey the subterfuge and rivalry surrounding an overlooked yet fascinating sideshow to the Vietnam War. A remarkable man, J P Cross provides an absorbing account of his life amidst the cut and thrust of Laotion politics.
First In: A History of the 21st Independent Parachute Company, 1942–1946
by Ron KentThe First World War as a living history is to all intents and purposes over. As of today February 2005, there are only twelve veterans from six million alive who served on the Western Front. Richard has spent the last 20 years interviewing and carefully recording the memories of over 270 veterans and this book is a culmination of his 20 years of work.The book will be an extraordinary collection of stories told by the veterans themselves but also through the author's memories of them: the remarkable, the sad, the funny, the moving. It will also feature an outstanding collection of photographs taken of the veterans as they were, as soldiers during the war together with recent images of almost all of these men, taken at home, back on the Western Front, at the final veterans' reunion, and at various investitures. Britain's Last Tommies will also offer a unique list of veterans, all of who individually hold the poignant title of being the last Gallipoli veteran, the last Royal Flying Corps veteran, the last Distinguished Conduct Medal holder, the last cavalryman, the last Prisoner of War.
First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan
by Gary C. SchroenIn the days following 9/11, a small group of CIA agents covertly began to change history. This is the riveting first-person account of the harrowing top-secret mission inside Afghanistan to set the stage for the defeat of the Taliban and launch the war on terror. After 9/11, the author was drafted back for his most dangerous assignment: to lead a handpicked team of operatives deep into Afghan territory and prepare the way for an American assault.
First Into Action: A Dramatic Personal Account of Life Inside the SBS
by Duncan FalconerThe SBS was first into battle a month before the SAS in the Falklands War and again in the Gulf War, yet hitherto it is the SAS that has had by far the higher profile. The SBS draws its manpower solely from the Marine Commando Units, and the Royal Marines are the oldest and most battle-honoured regiment in the world. FIRST INTO ACTION is the first Special Boat Services memoir written from the inside. It tells how Duncan Falconer trained with the Royal Marines in Deal before being recruited into the SBS at Poole in Dorset. The regimen of ruthless training is graphically described and the book also includes revelatory accounts of SBS operations in Ulster, Bosnia and the Gulf War, and of the intense rivalry between the SAS's individualist mentality and the more team-based, marine ethos of the SBS. Duncan Falconer's grippingly detailed memoir is sure to command the attention of anyone interested in the Special Forces and how they operate.
First Kills: The Illustrated Biography of Fighter Pilot Wladyslaw Gnys
by Stefan W. Gnys&“Remarkably detailed . . . It is a tribute to Wladyslaw Gnys, the decorated ace pilot, but also to the charming and humble man himself.&” —Hamilton Magazine Polish pilot Wladyslaw (Wladek) Gnys was credited with shooting down the first two German aircraft of World War II on September 1, 1939. On this day, as Gnys&’ squadron took off near Kraków to intercept the German invaders, German Stuka pilot Frank Neubert attacked, killing the captain. Wladek, who barely survived himself, evaded the pursuing Stukas and went on to make the first Allied kills, while Neubert was credited with the first aerial kill of the war. Fifty years after the invasion of Poland, in the summer of 1989, Gnys and Neubert met and shook hands, making news around the world. They reconciled their differences and remained friends until their deaths. This event symbolized the prevailing friendly coexistence between Poland and Germany. Written by his son Stefan and drawing from his logbooks, this highly illustrated biography of Wladek Gnys is the most in-depth account of the Polish hero&’s life. It tells Wladek&’s story from his childhood in rural Poland, through his time flying in three Allied air forces during World War II, his capture and escape during Operation Overlord, and his reconciliation with Neubert and his commemoration as a national war hero in Poland. &“Tells the story of one man&’s ride through the history of most of the 20th century . . . This is far from a run-of-the-mill wartime story, being more of a touching and revealing look into an extraordinary life.&” —Aircrew Remembered
First Ladies
by Margaret TrumanThis well-informed, intimate look at 29 women whose lives were intertwined with those who lead and have led this country presents forthright interviews with Lady Bird Johnson, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan, and others, while warmly recalling Pat Nixon and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Ms. Truman's legendary frankness is present but so, too, is a generosity of spirit. Photos throughout.From the Hardcover edition.
First Ladies Fact Book -- Revised and Updated: The Childhoods, Courtships, Marriages, Campaigns, Accomplishments, and Legacies of Every First Lady from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama
by Bill Harris Laura RossThe revised and updated edition, including all-new information on Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Betty Ford America's first ladies have captured the hearts of the citizens of our country ever since its humble beginnings. This newly updated edition of The First Ladies Fact Book is a comprehensive, fascinating, and intimate look at the life of each first lady from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama. Each profile includes a portrait, key biographical information, and several additional photographs. Among the topics covered are childhood and upbringing, early marriage years, the path to the White House, hobbies, career, style of dress, and decorating preferences. Find out which first lady: had the most children * served as a delegate to the United Nations * was accused of looting the White House * was a professional dancer * or never cooked a meal. Packed with information and surprising facts, The First Ladies Fact Book combines the breadth of a textbook with the intimacy of a biography.And don't forget to pick-up the companion title, The President's Fact Book -- Revised and Updated (978-1-57912-889-0), also available by Black Dog & Leventhal.
First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women
by Susan Swain C-Span Foreword by Richard Norton SmithC-SPAN's year-long history series, "First Ladies: Influence and Image," aired in 2013 and 2014 and was devoted to revealing the private lives and public actions of 43 iconic American women. First Ladies captures the spirit of this special series by assembling its impressive collection of contemporary first ladies historians into book form. Their original interviews, condensed into an essay about each first lady, create intimate portraits of these women, their lives, ambitions, and their unique partnerships with their presidential spouses. Susan Swain and the C-SPAN team elicit the details that made these women who they were. You’ll read how Martha Washington intentionally set the standards followed by first ladies for the next century; how Lucretia Garfield calmed the nation in the wake of her husband’s shooting just four months into his presidency; and how Mamie Eisenhower harnessed the advent of television to reinforce her and her husband’s positive public images. First Ladies informs its readers in interesting ways about America’s most well-known first ladies, such as Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Mary Todd Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, and Michelle Obama. Yet, some of its very best gems are contained in the lives of first ladies whose stories had been lost to the pages of history or overshadowed by their powerful presidential partners--Louisa Catherine Adams, Jane Pierce, Sarah Polk, Frances Cleveland, and Edith Wilson. What is ultimately unraveled in the book is the untold half of the story: how American women lived, worked, and thrived over 200+ years of history. The role of first ladies in our political culture has long been a subject of lively debate. This book provides an intimate historical look at the interesting women who persevered in the glare that is the White House, supporting their families and famous husbands and sometimes changing history. You’ll find it illuminating, entertaining, and ultimately inspiring. Illustrated, and including both the basic biographical information and a rich look at the public and inner lives of the first ladies, this book is a resource, a fascinating read, and a beautiful gift.
First Lady Florence Harding: Behind the Tragedy and Controversy
by Katherine A. S. SibleyFlorence Kling Harding has come down through history as one of our most scorned first ladies. Victimized by caricatures and branded a shrew, she stands at the bottom of historians' polls, her reputation tarnished by her husband's scandals despite their joint popularity while in office. These depictions, argues Katherine Sibley, have prevented us today from seeing how innovative a first lady Florence Harding really was. This new look at Mrs. Harding restores humanity to an oft-maligned figure by examining her progressive causes, her celebrity, and her role in her husband's work. For if Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with shattering the first lady's ceremonial mold, it was Florence Harding who made the first cracks. Sibley's is the first book to offer a full treatment of Florence as first lady rather than as mere supporting actress in the Harding administration. Never shying from publicity, she made herself more available to the press than did her predecessors and opened the White House up to the public. And she took such a pioneering role in Warren Harding's campaign and presidency that many thought she outdid her husband as a politician. Turning to primary sources that others have overlooked, Sibley challenges the clichés about Florence's time in the national spotlight. She describes how Mrs. Harding supported racial equality, lobbied for better treatment for veterans and female prisoners, and maintained a lifelong interest in preventing animal cruelty. As adviser to her husband, she assisted with his speechwriting and consulted with the cabinet; she was also the first first lady to deliver spontaneous speeches while traveling with the president. At a personal level, Sibley examines in detail how Mrs. Harding responded to her husband's death, assessing why this tragedy struck Americans with such force even as national empathy proved so fleeting. She also offers a more nuanced description of the president's philandering, viewing Nan Britton's claims with skepticism while noting the effects on Florence of his dalliance with Carrie Phillips. Florence Harding bequeathed an activist legacy, and it is due to her example that aspiring presidential wives are expected to campaign with their husbands and be accessible to public and press. Florence Harding truly set the stage for those to follow; this book delivers the full and fair portrait that has long been her due.
First Lady of Letters
by Sheila L. SkempJudith Sargent Murray (1751-1820), poet, essayist, playwright, and one of the most thoroughgoing advocates of women's rights in early America, was as well known in her own day as Abigail Adams or Martha Washington. Her name, though, has virtually disappeared from the public consciousness. Thanks to the recent discovery of Murray's papers--including some 2,500 personal letters--historian Sheila L. Skemp has documented the compelling story of this talented and most unusual eighteenth-century woman.Born in Gloucester, Massachussetts, Murray moved to Boston in 1793 with her second husband, Universalist minister John Murray. There she became part of the city's literary scene. Two of her plays were performed at Federal Street Theater, making her the first American woman to have a play produced in Boston. There as well she wrote and published her magnum opus, The Gleaner, a three-volume "miscellany" that included poems, essays, and the novel-like story "Margaretta." After 1800, Murray's output diminished and her hopes for literary renown faded. Suffering from the backlash against women's rights that had begun to permeate American society, struggling with economic difficulties, and concerned about providing the best possible education for her daughter, she devoted little time to writing. But while her efforts diminished, they never ceased.Murray was determined to transcend the boundaries that limited women of her era and worked tirelessly to have women granted the same right to the "pursuit of happiness" immortalized in the Declaration of Independence. She questioned the meaning of gender itself, emphasizing the human qualities men and women shared, arguing that the apparent distinctions were the consequence of nurture, not nature. Although she was disappointed in the results of her efforts, Murray nevertheless left a rich intellectual and literary legacy, in which she challenged the new nation to fulfill its promise of equality to all citizens.
First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis’s Civil War
by Joan E. CashinWhen Jefferson Davis became president of the Confederacy, his wife, Varina Howell Davis, reluctantly became the First Lady. For this highly intelligent, acutely observant woman, loyalty did not come easily: she spent long years struggling to reconcile her societal duties to her personal beliefs. Raised in Mississippi but educated in Philadelphia, and a long-time resident of Washington, D.C., Mrs. Davis never felt at ease in Richmond. During the war she nursed Union prisoners and secretly corresponded with friends in the North. Though she publicly supported the South, her term as First Lady was plagued by rumors of her disaffection. After the war, Varina Davis endured financial woes and the loss of several children, but following her husband's death in 1889, she moved to New York and began a career in journalism. Here she advocated reconciliation between the North and South and became friends with Julia Grant, the widow of Ulysses S. Grant. She shocked many by declaring in a newspaper that it was God's will that the North won the war. A century after Varina Davis's death in 1906, Joan E. Cashin has written a masterly work, the first definitive biography of this truly modern, but deeply conflicted, woman. Pro-slavery but also pro-Union, Varina Davis was inhibited by her role as Confederate First Lady and unable to reveal her true convictions. In this pathbreaking book, Cashin offers a splendid portrait of a fascinating woman who struggled with the constraints of her time and place.
First Lady of the Seeing Eye
by Morris Frank Blake ClarkThis story written by Morris Frank tells of how he trained in Switzerland with Buddy, the first Seeing Eye dog in America. Also tells of the very early history of The Seeing Eye in Morristown N.J. "Here are adventures that encompass thirty years and countless of miles: the fight to have dog guides admitted to restaurants and hotels, trains and planes; lectures and demonstrations all over the country; meetings with millionaires and Presidents--and with mountaineers and truckdrivers; and the humor and pathos of day-to-day events. The story begins on page 11. Un-numbered pages of photos, described and with captions, are between pages 64 and 65.
First Lady: The Life of Lucy Webb Hayes
by Emily GeerLucy Webb Hayes, married to Rutherford B. Hayes, served as First Lady of the United States from 1877-81. This was an important transitional era in nineteenth-century American history, when the country was still recovering from the Civil War, and a new modern economic and social world was being born. Lucy was the first presidential wife to hold a college degree, and in this way was a role model for the "new woman." Still, as a married woman, she was expected to serve as White House hostess, manage her household, supervise family life, and be a loving and supportive wife. Lucy fulfilled all these roles admirably, with propriety and Christian morality, and was much praised in Washington DC and across the nation for her grace and charm. Where she may have failed the "new woman" was in supporting her husband's view of women's suffrage, which he thought entailed the exercise of political duties that were inconsistent with the demands of maternity. Lucy and her husband famously held a temperance policy for entertaining at the White House, which was a political as much as a moral decision. Historians have often falsely blamed Lucy for this stance, dubbing her "Lemonade Lucy." This comprehensive biography uncovers the truth about the intelligent, warm-hearted woman, adored and respected by her family, who was the ideal nineteenth-century political wife.
First Light: A Journey Out of Darkness
by Lucas MatthiessenA deeply felt literary memoir of one man&’s journey to redemption through vision loss, alcoholism, and the burden of a family legacy. Born to the author Peter Matthiessen, young Lucas traveled through life believing himself a disappointment to his famous father. From an early age, Lucas was exposed to the fanciful ideas of his parent&’s group of renowned bohemians as well as to their addictive pastimes. Within the shadow of his father&’s professional success came another source of darkness—the deterioration of Lucas&’s vision from retinitis pigmentosa. With blindness looming imminently, Lucas spirals downward, unsure of how to turn his degree in English Literature into a job and relying more and more on alcohol. As Lucas&’ drinking and eyesight worsen, so too do his interpersonal relationships and first career in publishing.First Light is a memoir of loss and learning. By pulling himself out of addiction and accepting that he will lose his sight completely, Lucas transitions from being &“the son of&” someone famous to an individual with his own strong sense of self. Despite continued personal tragedies, Lucas develops a second sight that is aimed inward, laying his triumphs and failures bare.With great honesty, Lucas Matthiessen creates a vivid portrait of self-destruction and rebirth, which is, above all, a vision of hope.
First Love, Second Chance
by Colin ShindlerEighteen years ago, Tom Johnson returned to California from Oxford and broke Julia's heart. Mike Ramsey picked up the pieces, but a family tragedy has left their marriage slowly disintegrating to the point where they can hardly bear to touch one another. Mike takes refuge on the golf course with their teenage son; Julia in fantasises of her lost lover. Then she learns that Tom is divorced and still thinking about her, and an old friend gives her Tom's card. A work trip to San Francisco will take her just 50 miles from his vineyard in the Napa Valley, but should she risk the consequences of seeking him out?
First Love, Second Chance
by Colin ShindlerEighteen years ago, Tom Johnson returned to California from Oxford and broke Julia's heart. Mike Ramsey picked up the pieces, but a family tragedy has left their marriage slowly disintegrating to the point where they can hardly bear to touch one another. Mike takes refuge on the golf course with their teenage son; Julia in fantasises of her lost lover. Then she learns that Tom is divorced and still thinking about her, and an old friend gives her Tom's card. A work trip to San Francisco will take her just 50 miles from his vineyard in the Napa Valley, but should she risk the consequences of seeking him out?
First Love: Essays on Friendship
by Lilly DancygerA bold, poignant essay collection that treats women&’s friendships as the love stories they truly are, from the critically acclaimed author of Negative Space&“Fiercely felt and finely etched.&”—Leslie Jamison, New York Times bestselling author of The Empathy ExamsLilly Dancyger always thought of her closest friendships as great loves, complex and profound as any romance. When her beloved cousin was murdered just as both girls were entering adulthood, Dancyger&’s devotion to the women in her life took on a new urgency—a desire to hold her friends close while she still could. In First Love, this urgency runs through a striking exploration of the bonds between women, from the intensity of adolescent best friendship and fluid sexuality to mothering and chosen family.Each essay in this incisive collection is grounded in a close female friendship in Dancyger&’s life, reaching outward to dissect cultural assumptions about identity and desire, and the many ways women create space for each other in a world that wants us small. Seamlessly weaving personal experience with literature and pop culture—ranging from fairy tales to true crime, from Anaïs Nin and Sylvia Plath to Heavenly Creatures and the &“sad girls&” of Tumblr—Dancyger&’s essays form a kaleidoscopic story of a life told through friendships, and an expansive interrogation of what it means to love each other.Though friendship will never be enough to keep us safe from the dangers of the world, Dancyger reminds us that love is always worth the risk, and that when tragedy strikes, it&’s our friends who will help us survive. In First Love, these essential bonds get their due.