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A Woman Like Me
by David Ritz Bettye LavetteNow in paperback, "an un-inching and uncompromising look at a life lived across the tracks from fame . . " (Detroit Free Press) As a teenager in Detroit, Bettye LaVette scored a hit single with "My Man--He's a Lovin' Man." But by twenty, she had faded into obscurity, and bad luck repeatedly sabotaged her career. Then, after forty years of singing in clubs, her unforgettable performances at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors and at President Obama's preinaugural concert put her back in the spotlight. A chronicle of LaVette's incredible life, A Woman Like Me is a poignant, brazen, take-no-prisoners memoir as thrilling and fearless as her music.
A Woman Living in the Shadow of the Second World War: Helena Hall's Journal from the Home Front
by Helena Hall&“These previously unpublished diaries of an English woman surviving the war at home provide a fascinating insight into society and life&” (Firetrench). Helena Hall&’s daily diary of the war years, from 1940 to 1945, is one of the most vivid, detailed and evocative personal records of the Second World War as it was experienced by people living in an English village. In her journal she describes her everyday activities alongside momentous national and international events. The war overshadows her narrative. Each daily entry gives us an insight into the extraordinary impact of the conflict on local lives, and shows how much energy and commitment ordinary people put into the war effort. This edited edition of her previously unpublished diary, written without embellishment or hindsight, shows how she heard about the war and how she reacted to it, and how it was reported and understood. It allows the reader today to connect directly with the wartime past and to see events clearly, as they were seen at the time. &“A handwritten account of what war was like and how it affected people in their everyday lives . . . Truthful and unvarnished. There&’s fear and humour mixed up and the more you read the closer to Helena Hall you become.&” —War History Online
A Woman Loved
by Andreï MakineCatherine the Great's life seems to have been made for the cinema. Countless love affairs and wild sexual escapades, betrayal, revenge, murder - there is no shortage of historical drama. But Oleg Erdmann, a young Russian filmmaker, seeks to discover and portray the real Catherine, her essential, emotional truth.When he is dropped from the film he initially scripted - his name summarily excised from the credits - Erdmann is cast adrift in a changing world. A second chance beckons when an old friend enriched by the capitalist new dawn invites him to refashion his opus for a television serial. But Erdmann is made acutely aware that the market exerts its own forms of censorship. While he comes to accept that each age must cast Catherine in its own image, one question continues to nag at him. Was the empress, whose sexual appetites were sated with favours bought with titles and coin, ever truly loved? In his search for an answer, Erdmann will find a love of his own that brings the fulfilment that filmmaking once promised him.
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography Of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
by C. David HeymannBased on interviews with over 600 people and access to CIA and FBI files, this is a biography of former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
A Woman Of No Importance: A tenderly observed, ruthlessly honest and hilariously funny memoir about the joys and horrors of motherhood
by Kate KonopickyIf there's one thing that everyone has an opinion about it's how to bring up a child - especially your child. Kate Konopicky found herself an embattled mother, knowing that however hard she worked everything was wrong. If she went back to full-time employment she was neglecting her child. If she stayed at home the child would be clingy and shy. So, she became a combination of teacher, nurse, nutritionist, psychologist, entertainer and mind reader. She didn't get weekends off and never phoned in sick when she wanted a lie-in. The boss was illogical, demanding, incapable of undertaking the simplest task. Yes, we've all had jobs like that but at least we got paid for them. Kate Konopicky is an anarchic voice in the face of regimented parenting books. With brilliant humour, she'll make you believe you're not a failure when your fairy cakes don't rise, and you'll slowly come to realise that you may not be perfect but that you are doing your best.'A wildly irreverent look at the parenting game. This riotous look back over her first five years of motherhood will come as a relief to imperfect parents everywhere - in other words, to all parents.' You Magazine
A Woman Soldier's Own Story
by Barry Brissman Bingying XieFor the first time, a complete version of the autobiography of Xie Bingying (1906-2000) provides a fascinating portrayal of a woman fighting to free herself from the constraints of ancient Chinese tradition amid the dramatic changes that shook China during the 1920s, '30s, and '40s.Xie's attempts to become educated, her struggles to escape from an arranged marriage, and her success in tricking her way into military school reveal her persevering and unconventional character and hint at the prominence she was later to attain as an important figure in China's political culture. Though she was tortured and imprisoned, she remained committed to her convictions. Her personal struggle to define herself within the larger context of political change in China early in the last century is a poignant testament of determination and a striking story of one woman's journey from Old China into the new world.
A Woman Soldier's Own Story: The Autobiography of Xie Bingying
by Bingying XieFor the first time, a complete version of the autobiography of Xie Bingying (1906-2000) provides a fascinating portrayal of a woman fighting to free herself from the constraints of ancient Chinese tradition amid the dramatic changes that shook China during the 1920s, '30s, and '40s.Xie's attempts to become educated, her struggles to escape from an arranged marriage, and her success in tricking her way into military school reveal her persevering and unconventional character and hint at the prominence she was later to attain as an important figure in China's political culture. Though she was tortured and imprisoned, she remained committed to her convictions. Her personal struggle to define herself within the larger context of political change in China early in the last century is a poignant testament of determination and a striking story of one woman's journey from Old China into the new world.
A Woman Speaks: The Lectures, Seminars, and Interviews of Anais Nin
by Evelyn J. HinzThis book details a series of interviews with Nin about her life, art, and feminism.
A Woman Unknown: Voices from a Spanish Life
by Lucia GravesLucia Graves, daughter of the poet Robert Graves and his wife Beryl, grew up in the beautiful village of Deia on the island of Majorca. Neither Spanish nor Catholic by birth, she nevertheless absorbed the different traditions of Spain and felt the full impact of Franco's dictatorship through the experience of her education. Lucia found herself continually bridging the gaps between Catalan, Spanish and English, as she picked up the patterns and nuances that contain the essence of each culture.Portraying her life as a child watching the hills lit up by bonfires on Good Friday, or, years later, walking through the haunting backstreets of the Jewish quarter of Girona, this is a captivating personal memoir which provides a first-hand account of Catalonia, where Lucia lived and raised a family. It is also a unique and perceptive appraisal of a country burdened by tradition yet coming to terms with political change as the decades moved on.
A Woman Unknown: Voices from a Spanish Life
by Lucia GravesLucia Graves, daughter of the poet Robert Graves and his wife Beryl, grew up in the beautiful village of Deia on the island of Majorca. Neither Spanish nor Catholic by birth, she nevertheless absorbed the different traditions of Spain and felt the full impact of Franco's dictatorship through the experience of her education. Lucia found herself continually bridging the gaps between Catalan, Spanish and English, as she picked up the patterns and nuances that contain the essence of each culture.Portraying her life as a child watching the hills lit up by bonfires on Good Friday, or, years later, walking through the haunting backstreets of the Jewish quarter of Girona, this is a captivating personal memoir which provides a first-hand account of Catalonia, where Lucia lived and raised a family. It is also a unique and perceptive appraisal of a country burdened by tradition yet coming to terms with political change as the decades moved on.
A Woman in Amber: Healing the Trauma of War and Exile
by Agate NesauleA woman in amber is one trapped and preserved in her past. Nesaule (literature and women's studies, Univ. of Wisconsin) tells a moving story to promote the reader's understanding and her own healing. As a child in Latvia, she endured the terror and dislocation of World War II at the hands of both Soviets and Germans, lived in a postwar refugee camp, and became an immigrant to the American Midwest, establishing a life there shaped by survivor's guilt and a sense of victimization. Integral to her life are family relationships, especially estrangement from her mother, stemming from the war years and the author's own unhappy marriage. In middle age, Nesaule at last comes to terms with her past, builds a new life, and offers her audience a well-written and insightful memoir. For subject collections and general readers. -Library Journal.
A Woman in Amber: Healing the Trauma of War and Exile
by Agate NesauleAmerican Book Award Winner: A &“stunning&” memoir of surviving WWII Latvia—and the long journey to healing that followed (The New York Times Book Review). &“A heartbreaking yet inspiring memoir of tragedy and healing,&” A Woman in Amber tells the story of how the occupation of Latvia during World War II affected a woman&’s relationship with her mother and husband for years to come (Tim O&’Brien). Though Agate Nesaule eventually immigrated to the United States and became successful in her professional life, she found herself suffering from depression and unable to come to terms with its cause—until she found her voice and began to share what happened to her and her family at the hands of invading Russian soldiers. In a true story that &“draws the reader forward with the suspense of a novel,&” Nesaule reveals the effects of hunger, both physical and emotional, in stories about begging Russian soldiers for food, the abusive relationship with her first husband, and the redemption that came when she met her second (The New York Times Book Review).
A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert
by Gertrude Bell Georgina HowellA portrait in her own words of the female Lawrence of Arabia, the subject of the upcoming major motion picture Queen of the Desert, starring Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Damian Lewis, and Robert Pattinson, and directed by Werner HerzogGertrude . <P><P>Bell was leaning in 100 years before Sheryl Sandberg. One of the great woman adventurers of the twentieth century, she turned her back on Victorian society to study at Oxford and travel the world, and became the chief architect of British policy in the Middle East after World War I. Mountaineer, archaeologist, Arabist, writer, poet, linguist, and spy, she dedicated her life to championing the Arab cause and was instrumental in drawing the borders that define today's Middle East. As she wrote in one of her letters, "It's a bore being a woman when you are in Arabia." Forthright and spirited, opinionated and playful, and deeply instructive about the Arab world, this volume brings together Bell's letters, military dispatches, diary entries, and travel writings to offer an intimate look at a woman who shaped nations.
A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City
by Anonymous Philip BoehmA New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice. For eight weeks in 1945, as Berlin fell to the Russian army, a young woman kept a daily record of life in her apartment building and among its residents. "With bald honesty and brutal lyricism" ( Elle), the anonymous author depicts her fellow Berliners in all their humanity, as well as their cravenness, corrupted first by hunger and then by the Russians. "Spare and unpredictable, minutely observed and utterly free of self-pity" (The Plain Dealer,Cleveland), A Woman in Berlin tells of the complex relationship between civilians and an occupying army and the shameful indignities to which women in a conquered city are always subject - the mass rape suffered by all, regardless of age or infirmity. A Woman in Berlin stands as "one of the essential books for understanding war and life" (A. S. Byatt, author of Possession).
A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary
by Anonymous Philip BoehmA New York Times Book Review Editors' ChoiceFor eight weeks in 1945, as Berlin fell to the Russian army, a young woman kept a daily record of life in her apartment building and among its residents. "With bald honesty and brutal lyricism" (Elle), the anonymous author depicts her fellow Berliners in all their humanity, as well as their cravenness, corrupted first by hunger and then by the Russians. "Spare and unpredictable, minutely observed and utterly free of self-pity" (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland), A Woman in Berlin tells of the complex relationship between civilians and an occupying army and the shameful indignities to which women in a conquered city are always subject--the mass rape suffered by all, regardless of age or infirmity.A Woman in Berlin stands as "one of the essential books for understanding war and life" (A. S. Byatt, author of Possession).
A Woman in Both Houses: My Career in New Mexico Politics
by Pauline EisenstadtThe first woman to serve in both houses of the New Mexico legislature, Pauline Eisenstadt has witnessed many exciting moments in the state&’s political history and made much of that history herself. Her memoir takes readers to the floors of the House and Senate, offering an insider&’s view of how New Mexico&’s government operates—or doesn&’t.&“I always had great respect for [Pauline&’s] integrity, honesty, and leadership, and A Woman in Both Houses does a great job of conveying her character, her concerns, and her profound affection for our state and its citizens.&”—Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico&“This colorful book offers a unique view from a seat in both the House and the Senate. It is a poignant memoir of one of New Mexico&’s woman legislator pioneers. Pauline is a true role model for aspiring women leaders in our state and beyond and this book shows us why.&”—Diane Denish, former lieutenant governor of New Mexico&“I recommend A Woman in Both Houses to anyone who enjoys viewing New Mexico politics from an insider&’s perspective.&”—Senator Jeff Bingaman
A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton
by Carl BernsteinA Woman in Charge reveals the true trajectory of Hillary's astonishing life and career. From a staunchly Republican household and apparently idyllic Midwestern girlhood - her disciplinarian father here revealed as harsher than she has acknowledged - we see the shaping of a brilliant girl whose curiosity was fuelled by the ferment of the 1960s and a desire to change the world. During her student years, she was already perceived as a spokeswoman for her generation. Then, at Yale Law School, she met and fell in love with Bill Clinton, cancelling her own dreams to tie her fortunes to his. Bernstein clarifies the often amazing dynamic of their marriage, charting both her political acumen and her blind spots, and untangling her relationship to the great controversies of Whitewater, Troopergate and Travelgate. And then, in the emotional and political chaos of the Lewinsky affair we see Hillary standing by her husband - evoking a rising wave of sympathy from a public previously cool to her and in effect, Bernstein argues, saving his presidency. It helps carry her into the Senate: her time has come. As she decides to run for President, this self-described 'mind-conservative and heart liberal' has one more chance to fulfill her long-deferred ambitions. Bernstein has interviewed some 200 of her colleagues, friends and enemies and was given unique access to the candid record of the 1992 presidential campaign kept by Hillary's best friend, Diane Blair. Marshalling all the skills and energy that propelled his history-making Pulitzer prize-winning coverage of Watergate, he gives us a detailed, sophisticated, comprehensive and revealing account of the complex human being and political meteor who has already helped define one presidency and may well become the woman in charge of another.
A Woman in Defence: My Story of the Enemy Within the Irish Army
by Karina Molloy'Absorbing, poignant and often shocking' Irish Times'Clear-eyed and unsentimental ... a sobering and timely testament' RTÉ Guide'A reporter once asked me what justice would look like for me, and I replied from the heart. Justice for me simply means that the next 18-year-old female and male who walk through those gates will be protected, and that no one will ever again have to deal with the physical, sexual and psychological abuses we experienced.'When Karina Molloy took early retirement from the Irish army in 2012, she left behind a trailblazing career spanning over three decades. For the first woman to ever reach the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer rank, however, that trail was marked by setbacks, as she faced repeated promotional glass ceilings, routine harassment and bullying, and incidents of sexual assault. Despite the toll it took on her, Karina persevered, going on to become one of the key voices today in demanding change and accountability within the Irish army.From Donegal to the Curragh Camp to tours in Lebanon, Eritrea and Bosnia, this is her astonishing story.'A searing, honest and courageous account of professional soldiering in a toxic military culture' Senator Tom Clonan, retired army captain
A Woman in Defence: My Story of the Enemy Within the Irish Army
by Karina Molloy'Absorbing, poignant and often shocking' Irish Times'Clear-eyed and unsentimental ... a sobering and timely testament' RTÉ Guide'A reporter once asked me what justice would look like for me, and I replied from the heart. Justice for me simply means that the next 18-year-old female and male who walk through those gates will be protected, and that no one will ever again have to deal with the physical, sexual and psychological abuses we experienced.'When Karina Molloy took early retirement from the Irish army in 2012, she left behind a trailblazing career spanning over three decades. For the first woman to ever reach the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer rank, however, that trail was marked by setbacks, as she faced repeated promotional glass ceilings, routine harassment and bullying, and incidents of sexual assault. Despite the toll it took on her, Karina persevered, going on to become one of the key voices today in demanding change and accountability within the Irish army.From Donegal to the Curragh Camp to tours in Lebanon, Eritrea and Bosnia, this is her astonishing story.'A searing, honest and courageous account of professional soldiering in a toxic military culture' Senator Tom Clonan, retired army captain
A Woman in Engineering: Memoirs of a Trailblazer. An Autobiography by Monique (Aubry) Frize (Biographies et mémoires)
by Monique FrizeHer goal: to become a world-renowned biomedical engineer working with scientific societies to improve the role of women in scientific fields and the way scientists and engineers integrate people and society into their work. By 1979, this goal had become a reality. In her memoirs, esteemed biomedical engineer Monique Frize recalls the events that taught her to over-come obstacles, become more resilient, recognize the importance of mentors and role models, and remain focused on the future. She also speaks of her appreciation of the critical role played by family and friends in maintaining the strength and determination required to succeed—and, above all, to succeed in a man’s world. Frize fondly remembers her youth in Montréal and in Ottawa, as well as her marked interest for math and science. Her entry into the world of engineering was both romantic—she met her husband—and tragic. She recounts the prejudice and stereotypes she faced. She pursued a challenging and rewarding international career in a very specialized field at a time when this was still very uncommon for a woman, acceding at the very moment of the tragic École Polytechnique massacre to key positions in support of women in science. These memoirs are sure to inspire young women who have a dream, and more specifically those who wish to enter sciences and engineering.
A Woman in the Polar Night (Pushkin Press Classics)
by Christiane Ritter&“An epic story, elegantly told and full of mystery.&” — Maggie Shipstead, author of Great CircleA rediscovered classic memoir - the mesmerizingly beautiful account of one woman's year spent living in a remote hut in the ArcticThis rediscovered classic memoir tells the incredible tale of a woman defying society's expectations to find freedom and peace in the adventure of a lifetime.In 1934, the painter Christiane Ritter leaves her comfortable life in Austria and travels to the remote Arctic island of Spitsbergen, to spend a year there with her husband. She thinks it will be a relaxing trip, a chance to 'read thick books in the remote quiet and, not least, sleep to my heart's content', but when Christiane arrives she is shocked to realize that they are to live in a tiny ramshackle hut on the shores of a lonely fjord, hundreds of miles from the nearest settlement, battling the elements every day, just to survive.At first, Christiane is horrified by the freezing cold, the bleak landscape the lack of equipment and supplies... But as time passes, after encounters with bears and seals, long treks over the ice and months on end of perpetual night, she finds herself falling in love with the Arctic's harsh, otherworldly beauty, gaining a great sense of inner peace and a new appreciation for the sanctity of life.
A Woman of Adventure: The Life and Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover
by Annette B. DunlapWhen Lou Henry married Herbert Hoover in February 1899, she looked forward to a partnership of equality and a life of adventure. She could fire a rifle and sit a horse as well as any man. The Quaker community of Whittier, California, where she lived as a teen, reinforced the egalitarian spirit of her upbringing. But history had other ideas for Lou Henry Hoover. For the first fifteen years of married life, Lou globe-trotted with her husband as he pursued a lucrative career in mining engineering and consulting. World War I not only changed the map of the world, it changed the map of the Hoovers&’ marriage. Herbert Hoover&’s Commission for the Relief of Belgium launched him into a political career that led to the White House. Lou, who detested the limelight, led a dual life: she supported her husband&’s political career, managed their multiple households, and saw to the needs of their family. Behind the scenes, she pursued her own interests. History has long since forgotten the breadth of her achievements, but Lou Henry Hoover&’s powerful legacy endures in the ongoing success of the Girl Scouts, the music and physical therapy degree programs at Stanford University, athletic opportunities for women, and the countless unknown men and women who received an education thanks to Lou&’s anonymous financial support. Conveying Lou&’s humor, personality, and intelligence, A Woman of Adventure takes a fresh look at the first lady who preceded Eleanor Roosevelt and her also-extraordinary accomplishments.
A Woman of Courage on the West Virginia Frontier: Phebe Tucker Cunningham
by Sir Robert ThompsonAuthor Robert Thompson recounts the harrowing story of Phebe Tucker Cunningham, from her marriage at Prickett's Fort to her return to the shores of the Monongahela.Life on the West Virginia frontier was a daily struggle for survival, and for Phebe Tucker Cunningham, that meant the loss of her four children at the hands of the Wyandot tribe and being held captive for three years until legendary renegades Simon Girty and Alexander McKee arranged her freedom. Thompson describes in vivid detail early colonial life in the Alleghenies and the ways of the Wyandot, providing historical context for this unforgettable saga.
A Woman of Honor: Dr. Mary E. Walker and the Civil War
by Mercedes GrafChronicles the remarkable accomplishments of a female surgeon during the Civil War.
A Woman of Influence: The Spectacular Rise of Alice Spencer in Tudor England
by Vanessa WilkieThis extraordinary true story transports us to Tudor and Stuart England as Alice Spencer, the daughter of an upstart sheep farmer, becomes one of the most powerful women in the country and establishes a powerful dynasty that endures to this day. Perfect for fans of The Duchess Countess and Georgiana.Alice Spencer was born in 1560 to a family on the rise. Her grandfather had amassed a sizeable estate of fertile grazing land and made a small fortune in sheep farming, allowing him to purchase a simple but distinguished manor house called Althorp. With her sizable dowry, Alice married the heir to one of the most powerful aristocratic families in the country, eventually becoming the Countess of Derby. Though she enjoyed modest renown, it wasn&’t until her husband&’s sudden death (after he turned in a group of Catholics for plotting against Queen Elizabeth I) that Alice and her family&’s future changed forever. Faced with a lawsuit from her brother-in-law over her late husband&’s fortune, Alice raised eyebrows by marrying England&’s most powerful lawyer. Together, they were victorious, and Alice focused her attentions on securing appropriate husbands for her daughters, increasing her land ownings, and securing a bright future for her grandchildren and the entire Spencer family. But they would not completely escape scandals, and as the matriarch, Alice had to face an infamous trial that threatened everything she had worked so hard for. Now, the full story of the remarkable Alice Spencer Stanley Egerton is revealed in this comprehensive and colorful biography. A woman both ahead of and part of her time, Alice&’s ruthless challenging of the status quo has inspired future generations of Spencers and will change the way you view Tudor women.