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Fishing in the Sky: The Education of Namory Keita
by Donald LawderWhat distinguishes this remarkable narrative from other accounts of personal growth is not just its vivid and intimate picture of West African life, but the fact that its author embarked on his adventure at an age when most men and women are resigned to life in a rocking chair. At age sixty-six, after the break-up of a stormy marriage, Donald Lawder begins a new life as a volunteer teacher for the Peace Corps in the impoverished country of Mali, in West Africa. He is adopted by a Moslem family, given a Malian name, and learns to pray in the village mosque. As "Professor of English" at the state teacher's college in Mali's capital city of Bamako, he teaches Debate, Black American History, and the philosophy of Emerson and Thoreau to French-speaking African students and becomes deeply involved with a Moslem student less than one third his age. Later, after a two-year job hunt in the U.S. convinces him that America is no country for old men, he returns to Bamako for good, as chief of an African family of six children ranging in age from three to twenty-three years. He arrives in time to witness his unarmed students' heroic overthrow of the brutal dictator Moussa Traore and their confused efforts to establish one of the first democracies in West Africa. An intimate and moving account of modern Africa in turmoil and of an old man's discovery of love in one of the poorest countries of the world.
Fishing on the Edge
by Mike IaconelliWith his colorful tattoos and booming hip-hop sound track, Mike Iaconelli has turned the world of big-money competitive bass fishing upside down. In Fishing on the Edge, Iaconelli tells his own story-and it's a whopper: a Philly-born, Jersey-bred Yankee who's been stealing the spotlight from bass fishing's traditionally all-Southern anglers, attracting fans and dominating one of the fastest-growing sports in America. How did Mike Iaconelli, a college-educated kid from New Jersey, come blasting into a sport dominated by old-school stars like Gary Klein, Kevin VanDam, and Denny Brauer? How did Mike, aka "Ike," take a secret childhood passion and turn it into a profession, earning million-dollar sponsorships and a storm of media attention, ranging from ESPN's SportsCenter to profiles in "The New York Times and "Esquire? While Mike has attracted both fans and foes on the tour, his success speaks for itself, especially his victory at the 2003 CITGO Bassmaster Classic, the Super Bowl of competitive fishing. Forty-four million Americans fish, but no one does it quite like Mike Iaconelli. In Fishing on the Edge, he lets you in on the secrets to his extraordinary success-how he developed his "power" fishing style, how he attacks the water, positions the boat, and perseveres through those days when the bass just aren't biting. With sidebar tips that can be used by any fisherman-from using spinner baits to picking out the right rod to his no-fail "secret weapons"-this is an intensive, informative, and often raucous journey through the life of a brash young man destined to do for fishing what Tony Hawk did for the X Games: take the sport to a whole new level. At the same time, it'sthe compelling first-person story of a man who prepared carefully every step of the way, kept notes on every fish he ever caught, and executed the perfect plan to get to the top. A tale of passion, competition, and extre
Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence
by Geoffrey CanadaLong before U.S. News and World Report named him one of America's Best Leaders and Oprah Winfrey called him "an angel from God," Geoffrey Canada was a small, vulnerable, scared boy growing up in the South Bronx. Canada's world was one where "sidewalk" boys learned the codes of the block and were ranked through the rituals of fist, stick, and knife. Then the streets changed, and the stakes got even higher. In this candid and riveting memoir, Canada relives a childhood in which violence stalked every street corner. "If you wonder how a fourteen-year-old can shoot another child his own age in the head and then go home to dinner," Canada writes, "you need to know you don't get there in a day, or week, or month. It takes years of preparation to be willing to commit murder, to be willing to kill or die for a corner, a color, or a leather jacket."
Fit for the Presidency?: Winners, Losers, What-Ifs, and Also-Rans
by Seymour Morris Jr.Every four years Americans embark on the ultimate carnival, the Super Bowl of democracy: a presidential election campaign filled with endless speeches, debates, handshakes, and passion. But what about the candidates themselves? In Fit for the Presidency? Seymour Morris Jr. applies an executive recruiter’s approach to fifteen presidential prospects from 1789 to 1980, analyzing their résumés and references to determine their fitness for the job. Were they qualified? How real were their actual accomplishments? Could they be trusted, or were their campaign promises unrealistic? The result is a fresh and original look at a host of contenders from George Washington to William McAdoo, from DeWitt Clinton to Ronald Reagan. Gone is the fluff of presidential campaigns, replaced by broad perspective and new insights on candidates seeking the nation’s highest office.
Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks!
by Heather SansomRegardless of discipline, level of expertise, training philosophy, body shape, or fitness level, all riders do better—in horse-related activities both on the ground and in the saddle—when they take care of their bodies and maintain their fitness in ways other than just riding. While riding is a great way to enjoy an active lifestyle, on its own it is not enough to condition and tone the body to the degree we need, and then the horse must make up the fitness gap in our physical partnership. If our reflexes are slow, if our bodies fatigue, if our position collapses, if tension patterns appear, then the horse suffers repetitive asymmetrical strain or develops compensatory movement habits. It is for his good, as well as ours, that certified personal trainer and riding coach Heather Sansom has developed an utterly achievable 9-week plan to give every rider the straightness, suppleness, strength, and stamina she needs to ride her best. With hundreds of one-of-a-kind illustrations depicting accurate musculature on the rider's body, and dozens of proven exercises organized in a progressive fitness program with easy-to-use schedule charts, Sansom's book is the key to enjoying the ride, being fair to your horse, and getting into fabulous shape—in just a couple of months.
Fit to Serve: Reflections on a Secret Life, Private Struggle, and Public Battle to Become the First Openly Gay U.S. Ambassador
by Erin Martin James C. HormelThis is the memoir of James C. Hormel-a man who grew up feeling different not only because his family owned the Hormel "empire" and lived in a twenty-six-bedroom house in a small Midwest town, but because he was gay at a time when homosexuality was not discussed or accepted. Outwardly he tried to live up to the life his father wanted for him-he was a successful professional, had married a lovely woman, and had children-but as vola-tile changes in the late 1960s impeded on the American psyche, Hormel realized that he could not hide his true self forever.Hormel moved to New York City, became an antiwar activist, battled homophobia, lost dear friends to AIDS, and set out to become America's first openly gay ambassador, a position he finally won during the Clinton administration. Today, Hormel continues to fight for LGBT equality and gay marriage rights. This is a passionate and inspiring true story of the determination for human equality and for attaining your own version of the American Dream-life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without exception.
Fitz H. Lane: An Artist's Voyage through Nineteenth-Century America
by James A. CraigFitz H. Lane�s maritime masterpieces are known throughout the world, but the man himself has eluded both historians and art critics for over a century.The Luminist painter�s successful career began in his early childhood in picturesque Gloucester, Massachusetts and his talents developed and matured over time, making him one of the nation�s premier nineteenth-century artists. Throughout his career, Lane painted with a vitality and attention to detail that was purely American at heart, and it is in pursuit of this ideal that James Craig embarks on a detective�s investigation to reconstruct with accuracy and honesty the details of a man about whom much has been written but little revealed. Few clues remain today about the artist who so thoroughly embodied the American spirit during �one of humanity�s most dramatic and confusing historical epochs.� Lane�s era was one of great change for America, and both he and his art were there to capture that spirit. This dazzling and exhaustive effort provides the first glimpse behind the canvas, beyond the career and into the soul of Fitz H. Lane. Passionate, stunning and thrilling, this is a narrative that returns life and color to a man intent or preserving and presenting the life of the culture he loved. James Craig has given Gloucester back one of her favorite sons.
Fitz Lee: A Military Biography of Major General Fitzhugh Lee, C.S.A.
by Edward G. LongacreAs the grandson of Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee and the nephew of Robert E. Lee, Fitzhugh Lee—nicknamed “Fitz”—was born into one of Virginia’s most distinguished families. Upon graduation from West Point, Fitz Lee served in the U.S. Army until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he joined the Confederate cavalry forces. After participating in the Peninsula Campaign, he rapidly rose in rank, promoted first to brigadier general in July 1862, then to major general in the fall of 1863. Only twenty-seven years old, he commanded with distinction at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Severely wounded in 1864, he subsequently returned to service and was promoted to commander of the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia, which he led during the final campaigns of the war. After the war Fitz Lee served as governor of Virginia, commander of the U.S. Volunteers in the Spanish-American War, and postwar occupation commander in Cuba. He also wrote many popular works of military history and biography; his biography of Robert E. Lee is still in print. Acclaimed Civil War author Edward G. Longacre has combed family records, West Point cadet files, and the National Archives to produce a lively biography of one of the South’s youngest and ablest cavalry commanders—a man who later became one of America’s most distinguished military leaders.
Fitzgerald and the War Between the Sexes: Essays
by Scott DonaldsonWritten by the preeminent Fitzgerald biographer and literary critic Scott Donaldson, this book presents a fresh, insightful exploration of the war between the sexes in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s fictional and autobiographical writings.The volume opens with a close reading of Tender Is the Night, in which Donaldson argues that the key theme of the novel is warfare—the struggle between the sexes for dominance in a marriage or relationship. Other essays expand on this theme, examining Fitzgerald’s assessment of love and the American dream in The Great Gatsby, Zelda Fitzgerald’s alleged affair with the French aviator Edouard Jozan, the writer’s relationship with his fellow author Dorothy Parker, and Fitzgerald’s autobiographical writings, in which he recounts his fast, extravagant life during the Jazz Age.Engagingly written and based on a deep understanding of Fitzgerald’s life and career, Fitzgerald and the War Between the Sexes will inform and influence fans and students of Fitzgerald’s work for many years to come.
Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir
by John Paul StevensWhen he resigned last June, Justice Stevens was the third longest serving Justice in American history (1975-2010)--only Justice William O. Douglas, whom Stevens succeeded, and Stephen Field have served on the Court for a longer time. In Five Chiefs, Justice Stevens captures the inner workings of the Supreme Court via his personal experiences with the five Chief Justices--Fred Vinson, Earl Warren, Warren Burger, William Rehnquist, and John Roberts--that he interacted with. He reminisces of being a law clerk during Vinson's tenure; a practicing lawyer for Warren; a circuit judge and junior justice for Burger; a contemporary colleague of Rehnquist; and a colleague of current Chief Justice John Roberts. Along the way, he will discuss his views of some the most significant cases that have been decided by the Court from Vinson, who became Chief Justice in 1946 when Truman was President, to Roberts, who became Chief Justice in 2005. Packed with interesting anecdotes and stories about the Court, Five Chiefs is an unprecedented and historically significant look at the highest court in the United States.
Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor's True Story of Auschwitz
by Olga LengyelOlga Lengyel tells, frankly and without compromise, one of the most horrifying stories of all time. This true, documented chronicle is the intimate, day-to-day record of a beautiful woman who survived the nightmare of Auschwitz and Birchenau. This book is a necessary reminder of one of the ugliest chapters in the history of human civilization. It was a shocking experience. It is a shocking book.
Five Days in November
by Clint Hill Lisa McCubbin HillSecret Service agent Clint Hill reveals the stories behind the iconic images of the five tragic days surrounding President John F. Kennedy&’s assassination in this 60th anniversary edition of the New York Times bestseller.On November 22, 1963, three shots were fired in Dallas, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the world stopped for four days. For an entire generation, it was the end of an age of innocence. That evening, a photo ran on the front pages of newspapers across the world, showing a Secret Service agent jumping on the back of the presidential limousine in a desperate attempt to protect the President and Mrs. Kennedy. That agent was Clint Hill. Now Hill commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of the tragedy with this stunning book containing more than 150 photos, each accompanied by his incomparable insider account of those terrible days. A story that has taken Hill half a century to tell, this is a &“riveting, stunning narrative&” (Herald & Review, Illinois) of personal and historical scope. Besides the unbearable grief of a nation and the monumental consequences of the event, the death of JFK was a personal blow to a man sworn to protect the first family, and who knew, from the moment the shots rang out in Dallas, that nothing would ever be the same.
Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City
by Wes Moore Erica L. GreenFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore, a kaleidoscopic account of five days in the life of a city on the edge, told through eight characters on the front lines of the uprising that overtook Baltimore and riveted the world When Freddie Gray was arrested for possessing an “illegal knife” in April 2015, he was, by eyewitness accounts that video evidence later confirmed, treated “roughly” as police loaded him into a vehicle. <P><P>By the end of his trip in the police van, Gray was in a coma from which he would never recover. In the wake of a long history of police abuse in Baltimore, this killing felt like the final straw—it led to a week of protests, then five days described alternately as a riot or an uprising that set the entire city on edge and caught the nation's attention. Wes Moore is a Rhodes Scholar, bestselling author, decorated combat veteran, former White House fellow, and CEO of Robin Hood, one of the largest anti-poverty nonprofits in the nation. <P><P>While attending Gray’s funeral, he saw every stratum of the city come together: grieving mothers, members of the city’s wealthy elite, activists, and the long-suffering citizens of Baltimore—all looking to comfort one another, but also looking for answers. He knew that when they left the church, these factions would spread out to their own corners, but that the answers they were all looking for could be found only in the city as a whole. <P><P>Moore—along with journalist Erica Green—tells the story of the Baltimore uprising both through his own observations and through the eyes of other Baltimoreans: Partee, a conflicted black captain of the Baltimore Police Department; Jenny, a young white public defender who&’s drawn into the violent center of the uprising herself; Tawanda, a young black woman who’d spent a lonely year protesting the killing of her own brother by police; and John Angelos, scion of the city’s most powerful family and executive vice president of the Baltimore Orioles, who had to make choices of conscience he’d never before confronted. <P><P>Each shifting point of view contributes to an engrossing, cacophonous account of one of the most consequential moments in our recent history, which is also an essential cri de coeur about the deeper causes of the violence and the small seeds of hope planted in its aftermath.
Five Floors Up: The Heroic Family Story of Four Generations in the FDNY
by Brian McDonaldRescue Me meets Blue Bloods in this riveting social history of the New York City Fire Department told from the perspective of the Feehan family, who served in the FDNY for four generations and counting.Seen through the eyes of four generations of a firefighter family, Five Floors Up the story of the modern New York City Fire Department. From the days just after the horse-drawn firetruck, to the devastation of the 1970s when the Bronx was Burning, to the unspeakable tragedy of 9/11, to the culture-busting department of today, a Feehan has worn the shoulder patch of the FDNY. The tale shines the spotlight on the career of William M. Feehan. &“Chief&” Feehan is the only person to have held every rank in the FDNY including New York City&’s 28th Fire Commissioner. He died in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. But Five Floors Up is at root an intimate look at a firefighter clan, the selflessness and bravery of not only those who face the flames, but the family members who stand by their sides. Alternately humorous and harrowing, rich with anecdotes and meticulously researched and reported, Five Floors Up takes us inside a world few truly understand, documenting an era that is quickly passing us by.
Five Gentlemen of Japan
by Frank GibneyA newspaperman, an ex-Navy vice-admiral, a steel worker, a farmer, and the 124th Emperor of Japan himself--these are the fascinating heroes of Gibney's brilliant book about modern Japan. Strongly individual, every one of them, the five yet share the common inheritance of Japan's precocious but unstable past.Through their lives and attitudes, Gibney gives us an invaluable analysis of this new sovereign nation so suddenly thrown into the world's power conflicts. He helps us understand the historical and social forces which make Japan what she is today--the old contracts and loyalties from which each of the Five Gentlemen is struggling to break away from his country. Their courageous efforts to weld a new Japan from the remains of the old society, and to come to terms with the present, are as exciting as it is important.
Five Hours North: A Memoir of Outlaw Farming on California's Cannabis Frontier
by Ty KearnsThe colorful true adventures of an unexpected "pot-star" turned cannabis CEO in the new Wild West of California's green rush. Don't give anyone your real name. Never say anything to your loved ones. Always have a full tank of gas, a jump starter, and an alibi. The year is 2008, and the green rush is taking root in Humboldt County, California. Born and raised in this "Emerald Triangle" famous for its natural beauty and perfect cannabis-growing conditions, Ty Kearns wants no part of it. He has seen too many friends and acquaintances lose or derail their lives for the green dream, always feeling the itch for more cash and more power. But as a college student with tuition to pay—and few options in the middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression—Ty is willing to try almost anything. When his eccentric Uncle Bob introduces him to some local growers, the rules of the industry start to dominate Ty's double life. He spends his days taking notes in lecture halls and his nights and weekends five hours north at his secret farm in the mountains, where danger and beauty are as tangible as the plants themselves. Soon, he is more successful than he ever could have imagined—more successful than just about any other grower on the mountain. But he faces natural disasters, animal encounters, the gossip mill, the authorities, the highs and lows of first love, and a crowd of "trimmigrants" and pot-star groupies as he grapples with the damage that growing does to his mental health and the land itself. Today, Ty is the CEO of SEVEN LEAVES, a fully licensed cannabis cultivation operation with product in over four hundred stores and a commitment to 100 percent green energy. But his path to sustainable growing was long and gnarly. Growing pot wasn't Ty's plan, but he found his calling when he stepped out of the shadow of the mountain. A coming-of-age journey where the truth is stranger than fiction, Five Hours North tells the story of the lost pre-legalization weed scene, when the characters were larger than life and the growers were always one step from disaster.
Five Hours: How My Son's Brief Life Changed Everything: A Memoir
by Lucinda Weatherby"Heartbreaking and yet uplifting, this is a beautifully written memoir that speaks to the challenges many women face regarding sexuality and motherhood."--Wendy Kline, author of Bodies of Knowledge: Sexuality, Reproduction, and Women's Health in the Second Wave"Powerful and enlightening...I saw what a gift it was for Lucinda Weatherby to carry, deliver, and finally meet her precious child, no matter how briefly. It was a profound paradigm shift for me."--Pamela Colloff, Texas Monthly"Illuminated with courage and humor, Lucinda Weatherby's memoir explores what for any of us would be an unthinkable loss. Wake up to death, and to life, Weatherby writes of her struggle to find her way, to open to the unknown, to grace. Unflinching work--frank, grave, lucid...Five Hours is a moving glimpse into the human heart and the transcendent power of love over grief."--Glenda Burgess, author of The Geography of Love"As Lucinda Weatherby herself says in her memoir, she is an ordinary woman who has opened herself to the mystery of birth and death. She has embraced both exuberance and sorrow--and it shows in these pages. With all the intimate honesty one might find in a diary, she allows us to see that she is not to be pitied, that she in fact sometimes feels herself to be the luckiest mother alive for having known five perfect hours with her son."--Monica Wesolowska, author of Holding Silvan: A Brief LifeCan the death of a newborn be anything other than a tragedy? Lucinda Weatherby's son Theo was born with trisomy 13, a rare chromosomal disorder with fatal birth defects. Rather than take extraordinary steps to prolong what would have been a short and painful life, Lucinda and her husband made the decision to let Theo go. In this brave and beautiful memoir, Lucinda tells the story of Theo's life--a life that was bathed in the love of the family members and close friends who gathered in the predawn hours to welcome him and then say goodbye--and the profound sense of grace his existence bestowed upon all of those he touched. Five Hours is also the story of a mother who is forced to confront every parent's most terrifying fear: losing a child. With unflinching honesty and eloquence and even humor, Lucinda chronicles Theo's life and death, and the inspiring aftermath of an experience most people think they wouldn't be able to survive. All readers, whether parents or not, will be moved by her ability to confront a tragedy and transform it into something healing and transcendent.
Five Hundred Summer Stories: A Lifetime of Adventures of a Surfer and Filmmaker
by Greg MacGillivrayThe filmmaker of the surfing documentary Five Summer Stories and pioneer of the IMAX format tells stories from his adventurous life and groundbreaking career in Hollywood and beyond. Greg MacGillivray is a man with stories. Stories of being a surfer kid in California, and making his first movie at the age of 13; of his early days as a filmmaker, creating iconic surfing documentaries such as the cult classic 5 Summer Stories, with his partner in crime, Jim Freeman; of his years in Hollywood, working in Hollywood with such legends such as Stanley Kubrick (on The Shining, no less); and of his work pioneering the 70mm IMAX film format, creating some of the most spectacular, groundbreaking cinematography celebrating the natural world. There are stories of almost dying in New Guinea, flying into eyes of hurricanes, the perils of shooting in the USSR, and how filming Mount Everest changed his life. Greg MacGillivray has led a life like no other, - and for the first time, he&’s telling his story. In this fascinating memoir, Greg chronicles his personal journey as an artist, a self-made filmmaker, a father, and an entrepreneur at the head of the most successful documentary production company in history. It is also a story about MacGillivray&’s deep commitment to family, to ocean conservation, and to raising awareness about the importance of protecting our natural heritage for generations to come. Contributions by legendary surfers Gerry Lopez and Bill Hamilton, and filmmakers such as Stephen Judson and Brad Ohlund, plus 40 QR codes to extraordinary film clips, add give even more depth and perspective to this amazing journey. Greg&’s compelling stories of adventure, surfing, love, loss, inspiration, conservation, and filmmaking give you a front seat to an extraordinary life - and, just like his IMAX movies, makes you feel as if you are there. EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS: Includes 40 QR codes linked to rare, incredible videos that bring Greg MacGillvray&’s stories to life. BEHIND-THE-SCENES SECRETS: Learn the history of the IMAX film format, and how filmmakers achieve an immersive and awe-inspiring visual experience. FROM SURFER TO MOVIE LEGEND: Follow the journey of a man who went from a teenage surfer to the most successful documentary filmmaker in history with hundreds of amazing escapades and achievements in between.
Five Lieutenants: The Heartbreaking Story of Five Harvard Men Who Led America to Victory in World War I
by James Carl NelsonJames Carl Nelson tells the dramatic true story of five brilliant young soldiers from Harvard, a thrilling tale of combat and heroism.Five Lieutenants tells the story of five young Harvard men who took up the call to arms in the spring of 1917 and met differing fates in the maelstrom of battle on the Western Front in 1918. Delving deep into the motivations, horrific experiences, and ultimate fates of this Harvard-educated quintet—and by extension of the brilliant young officer class that left its collegiate and post-collegiate pursuits to enlist in the Army and lead America's rough-and-ready doughboys—Five Lieutenants presents a unique, timeless, and fascinating account of citizen soldiers at war, and of the price these extraordinary men paid while earnestly giving all they had in an effort to end "the war to end all wars."Drawing upon the subjects' intimate, eloquent, and uncensored letters and memoirs, this is a fascinating microcosm of the American experience in the First World War, and of the horrific experiences and hardships of the educated class of young men who were relied upon to lead doughboys in the trenches and, ultimately, in open battle.
Five Lives in Music: Women Performers, Composers, and Impresarios from the Baroque to the Present
by Cecelia Hopkins PorterRepresenting a historical cross-section of performance and training in Western music since the seventeenth century, Five Lives in Music brings to light the private and performance lives of five remarkable women musicians and composers. Elegantly guiding readers through the Thirty Years War in central Europe, elite courts in Germany, urban salons in Paris, Nazi control of Germany and Austria, and American musical life today, as well as personal experiences of marriage, motherhood, and widowhood, Cecelia Hopkins Porter provides valuable insights into the culture in which each woman was active. Porter begins with the Duchess Sophie-Elisabeth of Braunschweig-Lueneberg, a harpsichordist who also presided over seventeenth-century North German court music as an impresario. At the forefront of French Baroque composition, composer Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre bridged a widening cultural gap between the Versailles nobility and the urban bourgeoisie of Paris. A century later, Josephine Lang, a prodigiously talented pianist and dedicated composer, participated at various times in the German Romantic world of lieder through her important arts salon. Lastly, the twentieth century brought forth two exceptional women: Baroness Maria Bach, a composer and pianist of twentieth-century Vienna's upper bourgeoisie and its brilliant musical milieu in the era of Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, and Erich Korngold; and Ann Schein, a brilliant and dauntless American piano prodigy whose career, ongoing today though only partially recognized, led her to study with the legendary virtuosos Arthur Rubinstein and Myra Hess. Mining musical autographs, unpublished letters and press reviews, interviews, and music archives in the United States and Europe, Porter probes each musician's social and economic status, her education and musical training, the cultural expectations within the traditions and restrictions of each woman's society, and other factors. Throughout the lively and focused portraits of these five women, Porter finds common threads, both personal and contextual, that extend to a larger discussion of the lives and careers of female composers and performers throughout centuries of music history.
Five Love Affairs and a Friendship: The Paris Life of Nancy Cunard, Icon of the Jazz Age
by Anne de CourcyDazzlingly beautiful, highly intelligent and an extraordinary force of energy, Nancy Cunard was an icon of the Jazz Age, said to have inspired half the poets and novelists of the twenties. Born into a life of wealth and privilege, yet one in which she barely saw her parents, Nancy rebelled against expectations and pursued a life in the arts. She sought the constant company of artists, writers, poets and painters, first in London's Soho and Mayfair, and then in the glamorous cafes of 1920s Paris.This is the remarkable story of Nancy's Paris life, filled with art, sex and alcohol. She became a muse to Wyndham Lewis, Constantin Brâncusi sculpted her, Man Ray photographed her and she played tennis with Ernest Hemingway. She had many love affairs, the most significant of which are included in this book: the American poet Ezra Pound, the novelists Aldous Huxley and Michael Arlen, the French poet Louis Aragon and finally and controversially the black American pianist Henry Crowder, with whom she ran her printing press in Paris. She was also shaped by her lifelong friendship with George Moore, her mother's lover.This tempestuous tale of passion and intrigue is as much a portrait of twenties Paris as it is the story of an extraordinary woman who defined her age.
Five Love Affairs and a Friendship: The Paris Life of Nancy Cunard, Icon of the Jazz Age
by Anne de CourcyDazzlingly beautiful, highly intelligent and an extraordinary force of energy, Nancy Cunard was an icon of the Jazz Age, said to have inspired half the poets and novelists of the twenties. Born into a life of wealth and privilege, yet one in which she barely saw her parents, Nancy rebelled against expectations and pursued a life in the arts. She sought the constant company of artists, writers, poets and painters, first in London's Soho and Mayfair, and then in the glamorous cafes of 1920s Paris.This is the remarkable story of Nancy's Paris life, filled with art, sex and alcohol. She became a muse to Wyndham Lewis, Constantin Brâncusi sculpted her, Man Ray photographed her and she played tennis with Ernest Hemingway. She had many love affairs, the most significant of which are included in this book: the American poet Ezra Pound, the novelists Aldous Huxley and Michael Arlen, the French poet Louis Aragon and finally and controversially the black American pianist Henry Crowder, with whom she ran her printing press in Paris. She was also shaped by her lifelong friendship with George Moore, her mother's lover.This tempestuous tale of passion and intrigue is as much a portrait of twenties Paris as it is the story of an extraordinary woman who defined her age.
Five Men Who Broke My Heart
by Susan ShapiroIn this honest, hilarious, fiercely intelligent memoir, journalist Susan Shapiro dares to do what every woman dreams of: track down the five men who'd broken her heart and find out what really went wrong. Between the ages of thirteen and thirty-five, Susan had plunged into love, heart-first, five times. One bad breakup was more hurtful and humiliating than the next. With insight and daring, Susan chronicles her six-month-long journey back down a road strewn with romantic regret. Although for years she'd blamed her boyfriends for their flagrant infidelity, ludicrous faults, and immature foibles, to her shock she can now suddenly pinpoint the exact moment where she herself screwed up each relationship. A successful freelance writer living in Manhattan, Susan Shapiro was in the midst of a midlife crisis she called her "no-book-no-baby summer. " Married for five years to Aaron, a workaholic TV comedy writer always on the road, she was beginning to wonder if she'd remain book- and babyless forever. Then the phone rang, and it was Brad, a college flame who'd become a Harvard scientist with a book coming out. Susan offers to interview him, and she winds up launching into all the intense, invasive questions she'd always wanted to ask him. To her surprise, he answers them! This ignites a spark that sends her on a cross-country jaunt back through her lust-littered past. While Brad is still single, she finds that Heartbreaks Number Two, Three, and Four are not. George, a theater professor, and Richard, a music biographer, are happily married with children. Tom, a handsome blond lawyer in L. A. , is getting divorced. Just as it's becoming easy to worm her way back into her exes' good graces, she crashes head-on with David, a wry Canadian root canal specialist. ("It's the equivalent of what you did to me emotionally," she tells him. ) She then gut-wrenchingly relives the agony of splitting up with her first love all over again. Yet somewhere between the tantalizing what-ifs and bittersweet might-have-beens, she finds what she's been searching for all along. Part relationship manifesto, part confessional, and part valentine to the males in her life she adores,Five Men Who Broke My Heartis for anyone who has ever wondered what became of their first love. Or second, third, fourth, or fifth...
Five Minutes of Amazing
by Wendy Holden Chris GrahamThis story poses a profound question - do we accept the hand that fate deals us, or do we battle to make the most of the life we have and help others in the process? Chris Graham, just 38 years old but already facing the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, has emphatically chosen the latter.Having lived through a troubled childhood, Chris joined the British Army at a young age and found that the life of a soldier provided him with a much-needed sense of stability. However, his world was turned upside down when, at just 34 years of age, he was diagnosed with a form of early onset dementia. This brutal disease had already claimed the life of his father at 42, along with several other members of his family, and tragically had already confined his brother to a nursing home at the age of 43. In his brother's life, Chris could see a terrifying window into his own near future.Chris, though, is an extraordinary human being. Having been handed nothing less than a death sentence, he decided overnight to stand up to this horrendous disease and do something to leave his mark before it was too late. And so it was that last year, Chris embarked on an awareness-raising 16,000-mile solo cycle around North America, armed only with his bike, a sense of humour, and some good old-fashioned British grit. Leaving his ever-supportive wife Vicky and baby son Dexter at home, he took on huge challenges - for instance, the fear that the ability to discern left from right might leave him at any point while navigating an entire continent - and made it home in time for Christmas, determined to spending however long he has left pouring his love and attention into his family life. Five Minutes of Amazing is both the story of Chris' epic journey and of his fight against the disease increasingly being recognised as the defining disease of our generation. Inspiring and heart-rending in equal measure, it's as important as it is moving, and it will touch everyone who reads it.
Five Minutes of Amazing
by Wendy Holden Chris GrahamThis story poses a profound question - do we accept the hand that fate deals us, or do we battle to make the most of the life we have and help others in the process? Chris Graham, just 38 years old but already facing the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, has emphatically chosen the latter.Having lived through a troubled childhood, Chris joined the British Army at a young age and found that the life of a soldier provided him with a much-needed sense of stability. However, his world was turned upside down when, at just 34 years of age, he was diagnosed with a form of early onset dementia. This brutal disease had already claimed the life of his father at 42, along with several other members of his family, and tragically had already confined his brother to a nursing home at the age of 43. In his brother's life, Chris could see a terrifying window into his own near future.Chris, though, is an extraordinary human being. Having been handed nothing less than a death sentence, he decided overnight to stand up to this horrendous disease and do something to leave his mark before it was too late. And so it was that last year, Chris embarked on an awareness-raising 16,000-mile solo cycle around North America, armed only with his bike, a sense of humour, and some good old-fashioned British grit. Leaving his ever-supportive wife Vicky and baby son Dexter at home, he took on huge challenges - for instance, the fear that the ability to discern left from right might leave him at any point while navigating an entire continent - and made it home in time for Christmas, determined to spending however long he has left pouring his love and attention into his family life. Five Minutes of Amazing is both the story of Chris' epic journey and of his fight against the disease increasingly being recognised as the defining disease of our generation. Inspiring and heart-rending in equal measure, it's as important as it is moving, and it will touch everyone who reads it.