- Table View
- List View
From Rags to Riches: People Who Started Businesses from Scratch
by Nathan AasengPresents brief biographies of the enterprising individuals who started such companies as HP, Apple computers, Sears, The Wall Street Journal, J.C. Penney, Hershey's chocolate, Marriott and Procter & Gamble.
From Rocky Waters to a Smooth Finish: Neal Petersen's Story (Fountas & Pinnell LLI Purple #Level S)
by Helen ScullyBorn dark-skinned in South Africa and with a missing hip joint, Neal Petersen faced many challenges to achieve his dream of sailing around the world.
From Russia to the West: The Musical Memoirs and Reminiscences of Nathan Milstein
by Antonina W. Bouis Nathan Milstein Solomon Volkov1. Childhood in Odessa I was born in Odessa, a beautiful and gay city on the Black Sea, in the south of the Russian empire. I grew up a hellion. I would run outside, shout, fight with other kids, then save myself by running home. It wasn't very brave or risky on my part, but Mother worried about me anyway. A neighbor in our building, Mrs. Roisman, gave advice: "You have to keep Nathan busy! Let him take music lessons!"
From Sapper to Spitfire Spy: The WWII Biography of David Greville-Heygate DFC
by Sally-Anne Greville HeygateDavid Greville-Heygate was one of the few men who served in both the army and the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, but it was in the sky that he really earned his stripes. Stalking the skies flying photo-reconnaissance missions with No. 16 Squadron over Northern France, he was to win the illustrious and highly coveted Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Another highlight saw him in action in the skies above the French coastline in preparation for the D-Day landings, taking photographs that would provide the allies with essential intelligence upon which to base their plans. Based in Holland in December 1944, David flew armed recces with No.168 Squadron then transferred to No.2 Squadron where he reported on troop movements behind German lines. During the course of a dynamic and eventful career, he flew a wide variety of iconic wartime aircraft including Lysanders, Mustangs, Typhoons and Spitfires in England, the Netherlands and Germany.Although there have been many stories about the Battle of Britain there has been less published about the life of a photo reconnaissance pilot during this time. David's thrilling exploits in the sky and the part he played within the context of the wider war are enlivened here to great effect by his daughter, Sally-Anne Greville Heygate, herself a professional photographer. Using snippets from diary entries, letters, logbooks, squadron records and other documents, she has managed to construct an engaging history of a talented photo-reconnaissance pilot and the war in which he fought.
From Sarah to Sydney: The Woman Behind All-of-a-Kind Family
by June Cummins Alexandra DunietzThe untold life story of All-of-a-Kind Family author Sydney Taylor, highlighting her dramatic influence on American children&’s literature"Delv[es] deeply into historical context, including Jewish immigrant experiences. . . . An uncommonly intimate portrait. . . . Deeply empathetic."—Elissa Gershowitz, Horn Book This is the first and only biography of Sydney Taylor (1904–1978), author of the award-winning All-of-a-Kind Family series of books, the first juvenile novels published by a mainstream publisher to feature Jewish children characters. The family—based on Taylor&’s own as a child—includes five sisters, each two years apart, dressed alike by their fastidious immigrant mother so they all look the same: all-of-a-kind. The four other sisters&’ names were the same in the books as in their real lives; only the real-life Sarah changed hers to the boyish Sydney while she was in high school. Cummins elucidates the deep connections between the progressive Taylor&’s books and American Jewish experiences, arguing that Taylor was deeply influential in the development of national Jewish identity. This biography conveys the vital importance of children&’s books in the transmission of Jewish culture and the preservation of ethnic heritage.
From SAS to Blood Diamond Wars
by Hamish Ross Fred Marafono<p>On the point of being demobbed from the SAS, Fred Marafono was recruited by David Stirling for his private security company. After Stirling’s death, Fred found himself in the midst of Sierra Leone’s Blood Diamond wars, and formed an unbreakable bonding with the country’s champion of democracy, Chief Hinga Norman, whose leadership and tragic death are integral to the story. <p>Fred was recruited by Simon Mann for the finest of all private military companies in Africa, Executive Outcomes. Fewer than two hundred of them defeated the rebels in their strongholds. Through political weakness, Executive Outcomes were made to leave the country, and chaos ensued. Committed men like Hinga Norman and British High Commissioner Peter Penfold saw that in the absence of military commitment from the west, only high caliber mercenaries would win the fight to restore democracy: three of them kept a vital air bridge open − ‘What God abandoned, these defended’. Fred’s final action was supporting the SAS in their brilliant hostage release, ‘Operation Barras.’ <p>Peter Penfold sums it all up in the book’s foreword, writing of the, ‘confidence, trust and admiration I have for this remarkable man.’</p>
From SAS to Blood Diamond Wars
by Hamish Ross Fred MarafonoAlcibiades is one of the most famous (or infamous) characters of Classical Greece. A young Athenian aristocrat, he came to prominence during the Peloponnesian War (429-404 BC) between Sparta and Athens. Flamboyant, charismatic (and wealthy), this close associate of Socrates persuaded the Athenians to attempt to stand up to the Spartans on land as part of an alliance he was instrumental in bringing together. Although this led to defeat at the Battle of Mantinea in 418 BC, his prestige remained high. He was also a prime mover in Athens' next big strategic gambit, the Sicilian Expedition of 415 BC, for which he was elected as one of the leaders. Shortly after arrival in Sicily, however, he was recalled to face charges of sacrilege allegedly committed during his pre-expedition reveling. Jumping ship on the return journey, he defected to the Spartans.Alcibiades soon ingratiated himself with the Spartans, encouraging them to aid the Sicilians (ultimately resulting in the utter destruction of the Athenian expedition) and to keep year-round pressure on the Athenians. He then seems to have overstepped the bounds of hospitality by sleeping with the Spartan queen and was soon on the run again. He then played a devious and dangerous game of shifting loyalties between Sparta, Athens and Persia. He had a hand in engineering the overthrow of democracy at Athens in favor of an oligarchy, which allowed him to return from exile, though he then opposed the increasingly-extreme excesses of that regime. For a time he looked to have restored Athens' fortunes in the war, but went into exile again after being held responsible for the defeat of one of his subordinates in a naval battle. This time he took refuge with the Persians, but as they were now allied to the Spartans, the cuckolded King Agis of Sparta was able to arrange his assassination by Persian agents.There has been no full length biography of this colorful and important character for twenty years. Professor Rhodes brings the authority of an internationally recognized expert in the field, ensuring that this will be a truly significant addition to the literature on Classical Greece.
From Saturday Night to Sunday Night: My Forty Years of Laughter, Tears, and Touchdowns in TV
by Dick EbersolA memoir by the legendary television executive detailing his pioneering work on Saturday Night Live, Sunday Night Football, the Olympics, the NBA, music videos, late night, and more.Think of an important moment in live TV over the last half-century. Dick Ebersol was likely involved. Dropping out of college to join the crew of ABC&’s Wide World of Sports, Ebersol worked the Mexico City Olympics during the famous protest by John Carlos and Tommie Smith as well as the Munich Olympics during the tragic hostage standoff. He went on to cocreate Saturday Night Live with Lorne Michaels and later produced the show for four seasons, helping launch Eddie Murphy to stardom. After creating Friday Night Videos and partnering with Vince McMahon to bring professional wrestling to network TV, he next took over NBC Sports, which helped turn basketball into a global phenomenon and made history as the first broadcaster to host the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, and the Summer Olympics in the same year; it was Ebersol who was responsible for Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame in Atlanta. Then, following a plane crash that took the life of his fourteen-year-old son Teddy and nearly killed him, he determinedly undertook perhaps his greatest career achievement: creating NBC&’s Sunday Night Football, still the #1 primetime show in America. The Today show&’s headline-making hosting changes, the so-called &“Late-Night Wars,&” O.J. Simpson&’s Bronco chase—Ebersol had a front-row seat to it all. From Saturday Night to Sunday Night is filled with entertaining and illuminating stories featuring such boldface names as Billy Crystal, Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton, Jay Leno, Peyton Manning, Michael Phelps, and Larry David. (Ebersol even inspired the famous Seinfeld episode in which George Costanza pretends he didn&’t quit his job.) More than that, the book offers an insightful history and analysis of TV&’s evolution from broadcast to cable and beyond—a must-read for casual binge-watchers and small-screen aficionados alike.
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home
by Tembi LockeA poignant and transporting cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hour. <p><p> It was love at first sight when Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of him marrying a black American woman, an actress no less. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forges on. They build a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopt at birth. Eventually, they reconcile with Saro’s family just as he faces a formidable cancer that will consume all their dreams. <p> From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family and his origins, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother in law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s incredible romance—an indelible love story that leaps off the pages. <p> In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a death—in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both. Her story is about loss, but it’s really about love found. Her story is about travel, but it’s really about finding a home. It is about food, but it’s really about chasing flavor as an act of remembrance. From Scratch is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and needed a powerful reminder that life is…delicious. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
From Scratch: Writings in Music Theory
by Lauren Pratt Robert Wannamaker Michael Winter James Tenney Larry PolanskyOne of the twentieth century's most important musical thinkers, James Tenney did pioneering work in multiple fields, including computer music, tuning theory, and algorithmic and computer-assisted composition. From Scratch is a collection of Tenney's hard-to-find writings arranged, edited, and revised by the self-described "composer/theorist." Selections focus on his fundamental concerns--"what the ear hears"--and include thoughts and ideas on perception and form, tuning systems and especially just intonation, information theory, theories of harmonic space, and stochastic (chance) procedures of composition.
From Sea to Shining Sea: A Novel
by James Alexander Thom"Splendid... Thom tells the story with humor and eloquence, and a thumping good tale it is, too." THE WASHINGTON POST. In one generation, the Clark family of Virginia fought for our nation's independence, and explored, conquered, and settled the continent from sea to shining sea. This powerfully written book recreates the warm life of the family, the dangers of the battlefield, the grueling journeys across an untamed wilderness, and the soul-stirring Lewis and Clark Expedition. This mighty epic is a fitting tribute to the wisdom and courage of Ann Rogers Clark, her husband John, and the ten sons and daughters they nurtured and inspired.
From Shanghai to the Burma Railway: The Memoirs & Letters of Richard Laird, A Japanese Prisoner of War
by Rory LairdA graphic record of one man’s experience in an infamous POW camp during World War II, and how he survived being forced to build the “Death Railway.”Captured after fighting in the Malayan Campaign, Richard Laird was incarcerated in Changi before being drafted as slave labor with “F” Force on the notorious Burma Railway. He was one of only 400 out of 1600 to survive Songkurai No. 2 Camp, despite disease and terrible hardship. His moving memoir begins with a rare description of ex-patriate life in 1930s Shanghai with the Sino-Japanese war raging around the European cantonments. An additional dimension to his story is the developing relationship between the author and Bobbie Coupar Patrick to whom he became engaged shortly before the fall of Singapore. Bobbie’s letters graphically described her dramatic escape to Australia and work for Force 136. They were reunited in Colombo, Ceylon and their son has been instrumental in compiling this exceptional record. Three appendices round off this superb book including the official report on the hardships and losses suffered by “F” Force.“A compelling story that deserves to be widely read.” —Firetrench
From She-Wolf to Martyr: The Reign and Disputed Reputation of Johanna I of Naples
by Elizabeth CasteenIn 1343 a seventeen-year-old girl named Johanna (1326–1382) ascended the Neapolitan throne, becoming the ruling monarch of one of medieval Europe's most important polities. For nearly forty years, she held her throne and the avid attention of her contemporaries. Their varied responses to her reign created a reputation that made Johanna the most notorious woman in Europe during her lifetime. In From She-Wolf to Martyr, Elizabeth Casteen examines Johanna's evolving, problematic reputation and uses it as a lens through which to analyze often-contradictory late-medieval conceptions of rulership, authority, and femininity. When Johanna inherited the Neapolitan throne from her grandfather, many questioned both her right to and her suitability for her throne. After the murder of her first husband, Johanna quickly became infamous as a she-wolf—a violent, predatory, sexually licentious woman. Yet, she also eventually gained fame as a wise, pious, and able queen. Contemporaries—including Francesco Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, Birgitta of Sweden, and Catherine of Siena—were fascinated by Johanna. Drawing on a wide range of textual and visual sources, Casteen reconstructs the fourteenth-century conversation about Johanna and tracks the role she played in her time’s cultural imaginary. She argues that despite Johanna’s modern reputation for indolence and incompetence, she crafted a new model of female sovereignty that many of her contemporaries accepted and even lauded.
From Silence to Fame: James Earl Jones (Fountas & Pinnell Classroom, Guided Reading)
by Donald Campbell Tyrone GeterNIMAC-sourced textbook. From Silence to Fame: James Earl Jones. Author: Donald Campbell
From Silk to Silicon
by Jeffrey E. GartenThe story of globalization, the most powerful force in history, as told through the life and times of ten people who changed the world by their singular, spectacular accomplishments.This is the first book to look at the history of globalization through the lens of individuals who did something transformative, as opposed to describing globalization through trends, policies, or particular industries. From Silk to Silicon tells the story of who these men and women were, what they did, how they did it and how their achievements continue to shape our world today. They include:* Genghis Khan, who united east and west by conquest and by opening new trade routes built on groundbreaking transportation, communications, and management innovations.* Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who arose from an oppressive Jewish ghetto to establish the most powerful bank the world has seen, and ushered in an era of global finance.* Cyrus Field, who became the father of global communications by leading the effort to build the transatlantic telegraph, the forerunner to global radio, TV, and the worldwide Internet.* Margaret Thatcher, whose controversial policies opened the gusher of substantially free markets that linked economies across borders.* Andy Grove, a Hungarian refugee from the Nazis who built the company--Intel--that figured out how to manufacture complex computer chips on a mass, commercial scale and laid the foundation for Silicon Valley's computer revolution.Through these stories Jeffrey E. Garten finds the common links between these figure and probes critical questions including: How much influence can any one person have in fundamentally changing the world? And how have past trends in globalization affected the present and how will they shape the future? From Silk to Silicon is an essential book to understanding the past--and the future--of the most powerful force of our times.y did each leave? What do their stories tell us about globalization today? What do they imply for the future?With the Internet tying the world together in ways that would have been unfathomable just a few years ago, with the economic ups and downs of China and other emerging nations whipsawing international markets, and with terrorism causing the largest flows of refugees since the end of World War II, a fresh way of thinking about globalization could not be more urgent. That is exactly what From Silk to Silicon provides.Praise for From Silk to Silicon"This is a tale of globalization and leadership that is both sweeping and personal. By focusing on ten transformational people, it shows how individuals can affect the flow of history. It's a guide to the future as well as to the past."--Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin"From Silk to Silicon creatively combines the impersonal forces of globalization with the very personal faces of biography in an engaging and thought-provoking story. Ranging over eight centuries of empires, exploration, and enterprise, Garten's colorful histories portray how willpower and persistence can propel societies to new achievements--and he says the best is yet to come!"--Robert B. Zoellick, former president of the World Bank"Impressive, fascinating, and very creative. Jeffrey Garten draws on decades of experience in the modern world economy to tell the story of globalization and, in so doing, not only brings the creation of our present world into focus but also widens our understanding of how the world may well evolve in the future."--Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Prize"Jeffrey Garten has brilliantly updated Thomas Carlyle's Great Man theory of history in his gallery of transformative figures, notably including a woman, who have spurred globalization. A tour de force--imaginative, informative, and just plain fun to read."--Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution"From Silk to Silicon is a most nifty work, as well as being serious history. Garten persuasively shows how, in the broad unfolding of events that brought us from the Dark Ages to the twenty-first century, ind...
From Silk to Silicon: The Story of Globalization Through Ten Extraordinary Lives
by Jeffrey E. Garten"A tale of globalization and leadership that is both sweeping and personal. It’s a guide to the future as well as to the past.” --Walter IsaacsonThe story of globalization, the most powerful force in history, as told through the life and times of ten people who changed the world by their singular, spectacular accomplishments.This is the first book to look at the history of globalization through the lens of individuals who did something transformative, as opposed to describing globalization through trends, policies, or particular industries. From Silk to Silicon tells the story of who these men and women were, what they did, how they did it and how their achievements continue to shape our world today. They include:• Genghis Khan, who united east and west by conquest and by opening new trade routes built on groundbreaking transportation, communications, and management innovations.• Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who arose from an oppressive Jewish ghetto to establish the most powerful bank the world has seen, and ushered in an era of global finance.• Cyrus Field, who became the father of global communications by leading the effort to build the transatlantic telegraph, the forerunner to global radio, TV, and the worldwide Internet.• Margaret Thatcher, whose controversial policies opened the gusher of substantially free markets that linked economies across borders.• Andy Grove, a Hungarian refugee from the Nazis who built the company—Intel—that figured out how to manufacture complex computer chips on a mass, commercial scale and laid the foundation for Silicon Valley’s computer revolution.Through these stories Jeffrey E. Garten finds the common links between these figure and probes critical questions including: How much influence can any one person have in fundamentally changing the world? And how have past trends in globalization affected the present and how will they shape the future? From Silk to Silicon is an essential book to understanding the past—and the future—of the most powerful force of our times.
From Slave to Priest: The Inspirational Story of Father Augustine Tolton (1854-1897)
by Sister Hemesath<p>Born into a black Catholic slave family, Fr. Augustine Tolton (1854-1897) conquered almost insurmountable odds to become one of the very first black priests in the United States. By his early death at 43, this pioneer black priest left behind a shining legacy of holy service to God, the Church and his people. <p>Tolton's cause for canonization has been officially opened by the Archdiocese of Chicago as announced by Cardinal Francis George. <p>The thorough scholarly research and inspirational writing by Sister Caroline Hemesath on the great legacy and courage of this former slave who became a priest in the face of incredible prejudice within the Church and society will be a source of strength for modern Christians who also face persecution. In American history, many black people have achieved success against great odds. But Father Tolton faced a different source of prejudice - an opposition from within the Church, the one institution he should have been able to rely on for compassion and support. He endured many rebuffs, as a janitor spent long hours in the church in prayer, and attended clandestine classes taught by friendly priests and nuns who saw in his eyes a deep love of God and the Church, and a determination to serve his people. Denied theological training in America, his friends helped him to receive his priestly education, and ordination, in Rome. He later became the pastor of St. Monica's Church in Chicago and established a flourishing center at St. Monica's that was the focal point for black Catholics in Chicago for 30 years. <p>The author interviewed many people who knew Father Tolton personally, including St. Katharine Drexel, and presents a deeply inspiring portrait of a great American Catholic. Book includes illustrations and photographs.</p>
From Snow to Ash: Solitude, soul-searching and survival on Australia's toughest hiking trail
by Anthony SharwoodAt the start of the hellish, fiery Australian summer of 2019/20, Walkley Award-winning journalist and suburban dad Anthony Sharwood set off on a journey. Abandoning his post on a busy news website to clear his mind, he solo-trekked the Australian Alps Walking Track, Australia's most gruelling and breathtakingly beautiful mainland hiking trail, which traverses the entirety of the legendary High Country from Gippsland in Victoria to the outskirts of Canberra.The journey started in a blizzard and ended in a blaze. Along the way, this lifelong lover of the mountains came to realise that nothing would ever be the same - either for him or for the imperilled Australian Alps, a landscape as fragile and sensitive to the changing climate as the Great Barrier Reef.
From Source to Sea: Notes from a 215-Mile Walk Along the River Thames
by Tom ChesshyreAuthors, artists and amblers have always felt the pull of the Thames, and now Tom Chesshyre is following in their footsteps. He’s walking more than 200 miles from the Cotswolds to the North Sea. Seeing some familiar sights through new eyes, Chesshyre explores the living present and remarkable past of England’s longest and most iconic river.
From Source to Sea: Notes from a 215-Mile Walk Along the River Thames
by Tom ChesshyreAuthors, artists and amblers have always felt the pull of the Thames, and now Tom Chesshyre is following in their footsteps. He’s walking more than 200 miles from the Cotswolds to the North Sea. Seeing some familiar sights through new eyes, Chesshyre explores the living present and remarkable past of England’s longest and most iconic river.
From Source to Sea: Notes from a 215-Mile Walk Along the River Thames
by Tom ChesshyreAuthors, artists and amblers have always felt the pull of the Thames, and now Tom Chesshyre is following in their footsteps. He’s walking more than 200 miles from the Cotswolds to the North Sea. Seeing some familiar sights through new eyes, Chesshyre explores the living present and remarkable past of England’s longest and most iconic river.
From Source to Sea: Notes from a 215-Mile Walk Along the River Thames
by Tom ChesshyreAuthors, artists and amblers have always felt the pull of the Thames, and now Tom Chesshyre is following in their footsteps. He’s walking more than 200 miles from the Cotswolds to the North Sea. Seeing some familiar sights through new eyes, Chesshyre explores the living present and remarkable past of England’s longest and most iconic river.
From Splendor to Revolution: The Romanov Women 1847–1928
by Julia P. Gelardi“A richly detailed portrait of four women, whom marriage and blood put at the center of European history.” —Richmond Times-DispatchThis sweeping saga recreates the extraordinary opulence and violence of Tsarist Russia as the shadow of revolution fell over the land and destroyed a way of life for these Imperial women.From the early 1850s until the late 1920s Russia underwent a massive transformation, taking it from days of grandeur under the tsars to the chaos of revolution and the beginnings of the Soviet Union.At the center of all this tumult were four Romanov women. Marie Alexandrovna, Tsar Alexander II’s pampered daughter, astonished her mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, with her strength of character. Thrust into the role of queen at sixteen, Olga Constantinovna’s altruistic streak benefited Greeks and Russians alike. Charming and vivacious, Marie Feodorovna, the mother of the ill-fated Tsar Nicholas II, excelled in her role as empress. Formidable and ambitious, Marie Pavlovna emerged as a rival to Tsarina Alexandra, Nicholas II’s embattled consort.From Splendor to Revolution presents the unforgettable political and personal dramas of these extraordinary women. What began for them as a time of splendor ended after World War I, with a Russia destroyed by revolution.“Relating the drama and tragedy of royal life, Gelardi ably weaves in the extended family ties that connected most European rulers, including Queen Victoria.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Simple, straightforward, and engaging. Gelardi is proof that history written from the female perspective can be all business.” —The Roanoke Times
From Staircase to Stage: The Story of Raekwon and the Wu-Tang Clan
by RaekwonLegendary wordsmith Raekwon the Chef opens up about his journey from the staircases of Park Hill in Staten Island to sold-out stadiums around the world with Wu-Tang Clan in this revealing memoir—perfect for fans of The Autobiography of Gucci Mane and Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter. There are rappers who everyone loves and there are rappers who every rapper loves, and Corey Woods, a.k.a. Raekwon the Chef, is one of the few who is both. His versatile flow, natural storytelling, and evocative imagery have inspired legions of fans and a new generation of rappers. Raekwon is one of the founding members of Wu-Tang Clan, and his voice and cadence are synonymous with the sound that has made the group iconic since 1991. Now, for the first time, Raekwon tells his whole story, from struggling through poverty in order to make ends meet to turning a hobby into a legacy. The Wu-Tang tale is dense, complex, and full of drama, and here nothing is off-limits: the group&’s origins, secrets behind songs like &“C.R.E.A.M.&” and &“Protect Ya Neck,&” and what it took to be one of the first hip-hop groups to go from the underground to the mainstream. Raekwon also delves deep into the making of his meticulous solo albums—particularly the classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx—and talks about how spirituality and fatherhood continue to inspire his unstoppable creative process. A celebration of perseverance and the power of music, From Staircase to Stage is a master storyteller&’s lifelong journey to stay true to himself and his roots.
From Staircase to Stage: The Story of Raekwon and the Wu-Tang Clan
by RaekwonLegendary wordsmith Raekwon the Chef opens up about his journey from the staircases of Park Hill in Staten Island to sold-out stadiums around the world with the Wu-Tang Clan in this revealing memoir - perfect for fans of The Autobiography of Gucci Mane and Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter. There are rappers that everyone loves and there are rappers that every rapper loves, and Corey Woods, a.k.a. Raekwon the Chef, is one of the few who is both. His versatile flow, natural storytelling and evocative imagery has inspired legions of fans and a new generation of rappers. As one of the founding members of Wu-Tang Clan, Raekwon&’s voice and cadence is synonymous with the inimitable sound that has made the group iconic since 1991. Now, for the first time, Raekwon tells his full story, from struggling through poverty to make ends meet to turning a hobby into a legacy. The Wu-Tang story is dense, complex and full of drama, and here nothing is off limits: the group&’s underground origins, secrets behind songs like 'C.R.E.A.M.' and 'Protect Ya Neck', and what it took to be one of the first hip-hop groups to break into the mainstream. Raekwon also dives deep into the making of his meticulous solo albums - particularly the classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - and talks about how spirituality and fatherhood continue to inspire his unstoppable creative process.A celebration of perseverance and the power of music, From Staircase to Stage is a master storyteller&’s lifelong journey to stay true to himself and his roots.