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Little Libraries, Big Heroes
by Miranda PaulFrom an award-winning author and illustrator, the inspiring story of how the Little Free Library organization brings communities together through books, from founder Todd Bol&’s first installation to the creation of more than 75,000 mini-libraries around the world. Todd and his friends love heroes. But in school, Todd doesn&’t feel heroic. Reading is hard for him, and he gets scolded for asking too many questions. How will he ever become the kind of hero he admires? Featuring stunning illustrations that celebrate the diversity of the Little Free Library movement, here is the story of how its founder, Todd Bol, became a literacy superhero. Thanks to Todd and thousands of volunteers—many of whom are kids—millions of books have been enjoyed around the world. This creative movement inspires a love of reading, strengthens communities, and provides meeting places where new friendships, ideas—and heroes!—spring to life. Includes an author&’s note and bibliography.
Little Matches: A Memoir of Finding Light in the Dark
by Maryanne O'Hara“Gripping and true in all ways. This fine, affecting memoir will stay with me for a very long time.”—Meg Wolitzer, author of The Female Persuasion“In this vividly written memoir novelist O’Hara shares a painful but ultimately beautiful account of her daughter Caitlin’s life with cystic fibrosis. . . . Her compelling story will resonate with anyone seeking a light in the darkest depths of grief.”—Library JournalIn the vein of The Year of Magical Thinking and Beautiful Boy, an emotionally raw and inspiring memoir that illuminates a mother’s grief over the loss of her adult child and considers the hope of soulful connections that transcend the boundary of life and death.When their only child was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of two, Maryanne O’Hara and her husband were told that Caitlin could live a long life or be dead in a matter of months. Thirty-one years later, Caitlin lost her battle with this devastating disease following an excruciating two-year wait on the transplant list and a last-minute race to locate a pair of healthy lungs. The sudden spiral of events left Maryanne in an existential crisis, searching to find an answer to the eternal question: Why we are here? During her final years, Caitlin had become a source of wisdom and comfort for her mother—the partner with whom she shared a deep spiritual quest to understand what it meant to have a soul. After Caitlin’s passing, Maryanne began to notice signs—poignant, persistent synchronicities that seemed to lean toward proof of Caitlin’s enduring presence.Weaving together a series of interconnected meditations with illuminating glimpses of life rendered via text messages, e-mails, and journal entries, Little Matches is a profound reflection on life and death, motherhood, the pain of chronic uncertainty, and finding inspiration in the unexpected sparks that light our way through the darkness.
Little Me
by Patrick DennisBack in print at last! From the author of Auntie Mame: the bawdy, bestselling, bountifully illustrated autobiography of an imaginary diva whose life is one hilarious mishap after another.For Belle Poitrine, née Mayble Schlumpfert, all the world's a stage and she's the most important player on it. At once coy and coercive, with a name that means "beautiful bosom" in French, she claws her way from Striver's Row to the silver screen. Recalling Belle's career, which ranged from portraying Anne Boleyn in Oh, Henry to roles in both Sodom and its sequel Gomorrah (not to mention the classic Papaya Paradise), Little Me serves up copious quanitites of husbands, couture, and Pink Lady cocktails, with international adventures and a murder trial to boot.A runaway bestseller that made its way to Broadway, starring Sid Caesar in 1962 and Martin Short in 1998, Little Me is now reprinted--with all of the 150 historic, hysterical photographs depicting the funniest scenes from Belle's sordid life, including cameo appearances by the author and Rosalind Russell. Considered a collector's item, the first edition of Little Me was like a performance in book form. Now this glittering spoof of celebrity is gloriously reincarnated for connoisseurs of all things chick and cheeky.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Little Melba And Her Big Trombone
by Frank Morrison Katheryn Russell-BrownMelba Doretta Liston loved the sounds of music from as far back as she could remember. As a child, she daydreamed about beats and lyrics, and hummed along with the music from her family's Majestic radio. At age seven, Melba fell in love with a big, shiny trombone, and soon taught herself to play the instrument. By the time she was a teenager, Melba's extraordinary gift for music led her to the world of jazz. She joined a band led by trumpet player Gerald Wilson and toured the country. Overcoming obstacles of race and gender, Melba went on to become a famed trombone player and arranger, spinning rhythms, harmonies, and melodies into gorgeous songs for all the jazz greats of the twentieth century: Randy Weston, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, and Quincy Jones, to name just a few. Brimming with ebullience and the joy of making music, Little Melba and Her Big Trombone is a fitting tribute to a trailblazing musician and a great unsung hero of jazz.
Little Miracles Everywhere: My Unorthodox Path to Holistic Veterinary Medicine
by Marcie FallekJoin holistic veterinarian Marcie Fallek on an unconventional healing path that puts love of animals and their wellness first. In this funny, honest, and illuminating memoir, Marcie Fallek, a skeptical New Yorker and animal lover, embarks on a journey to become a veterinarian. She begins her quest at an Italian veterinary school, where most students flunk out. Her struggles lead her to India, in search of Divine help. She vows, following a series of cathartic experiences there, to devote her life to caring for animals, with her conscience as her guide. Eventually licensed and working, Marcie discovers that the driving force for many of her colleagues is money, not a love of animals. Unscrupulous vets fake test results, perform unnecessary procedures, and prescribe drugs and food to line their pockets. In fact, Marcie discovers that many of the very prescriptions and procedures designed to heal her charges might, in fact, be leading to more injury and illness. Though she risks losing everything that took so long to build, she sets out to learn the truth. This quest is not without consequences. Yet Marcie stays true to her ethical compass, refusing to compromise her morals and values. At each dark turn, a succession of instances (coincidences? miracles?) leads her down an unconventional healing path, where her spiritual and professional self merge. Marcie finds her true purpose in life: healing animals—including those destined for end-of-life measures—using her wits, wisdom, intuition, love, and holistic care.
Little Miss Diagnosed: A Surgeon's Guide to Breaking Bones and Bending Rules
by Erin Nance, MDFrom the real-life Meredith Grey, comes an inspiring collection of essays based on Dr. Erin Nance’s popular TikTok account @littlemissdiagnosed, detailing Dr. Nance’s journey as a young female orthopedic surgeon navigating challenging cases and ethical dilemmas in the high-stakes, cutthroat world of medicine. In her debut essay collection, renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Erin Nance offers a raw, unfiltered look into the exhilarating yet complicated world of healthcare. Compassionate, honest, and most of all, transformative, Little Miss Diagnosed tells the story of how a modern female surgeon survived family tragedy, systemic sexism, and everything New York City had to throw at her, to become the most trusted doctor on the internet. Through her popular social media presence, she has become a trusted figure for shedding light on these issues, making her insights and advice invaluable to readers. Little Miss Diagnosed offers even more of that unique and unfiltered perspective on the healthcare system, providing readers with a deeper understanding of its inner workings and how to navigate it effectively. As thought-provoking, as it is revealing, what started as an honest attempt at sharing stories to humanize medicine, became a catalyst for @littlemissdiagnosed, Nance’s viral TikTok account that has grown to inspire thousands daily. With gripping accounts of true cases, Little Miss Diagnosed serves as a powerful testament to the resilience and care often thought missing in the medical world. The essay collection expands on familiar favorite stories and brings in a bevy of new ones. Nance's dedication to listening to her patients and finding personal solutions bring to mind the dedication and tenaciousness of the beloved Meredith Grey, but in an equally challenging and even more male-dominated specialty. From lying to hospital administrators to get a homeless woman a lifesaving surgery to solving a one-year long medical mystery Dr. House style, each anecdote reflects Dr. Nance's commitment to her patients and the world at large. With decades of expertise under her belt, Dr. Nance’s Little Miss Diagnosed goes beyond memoir, allowing readers to feel they have slipped on their own white coats, solving cases and treating people, while recognizing what it’s like to live within the American health care system and the dedication it takes to move beyond it.
Little Miss Little Compton: A Memoir
by Arden MyrinComedian and actress Arden Myrin delivers a hilarious and heartfelt memoir about navigating adulthood and her rise on the comedy scene despite an unconventional upbringing.Arden Myrin is the product of not one, but two hasty decisions. Her paternal grandparents ran off and got married twenty-four hours after they met. Arden's parents did one better -- they married on a dare. Growing up in Arden's family, her dad ate nothing but sheet cake, while her mom was busy teaching a Cub Scout troop how to put on a Broadway musical. Oh, and she grew up in a small farm town called Little Compton, Rhode Island. Human population: 3,518. Cow population: 278. General Store: One. Stop Lights: Zero. At nineteen, Arden packed her bags with stars in her eyes and landed at ImprovOlympic in Chicago, where for the first time in her life she felt like she finally made sense. After drinking in as much comedy experience (and Sea Breezes) as she could, Arden got her big break when she was cast on an NBC sitcom. She moved to Los Angeles, knowing no one, and quickly realized she had no clue how to be a fully-grown human adult on her own.How do you date someone and not ruin it? How do you interact with people if you have a teeny bit of social anxiety? How do you stand up for yourself if you're a people pleaser? And most of all, how do you start to believe that you are enough?From small town Rhode Island to accidentally kicking Courteney Cox in the face on a soundstage in Hollywood, Arden's hilarious, inspiring, and honest story shows readers how one totally unconventional upbringing might be the very thing one needs to thrive, all while showing up as your most outrageous, authentic self. Shout out to Little Compton!! Woot Woot!!!
Little Mission on the Clearwater: A Story Based on the Life of Young Eliza Spalding (Daughters of the Faith Series)
by Wendy G. LawtonDaughters of the Faith: Ordinary Girls Who Lived Extraordinary Lives.In 1847, ten-year-old Eliza Spalding is growing up with her missionary family as the first white girl to be born in the Oregon Territory. Eliza loves seeing the Nez Perce Indians come to know Jesus, and she prays the Cayuse tribe will believe as well. But when an epidemic ravishes the Cayuse and tensions rise, Eliza finds herself witnessing the historical episode known as the Whitman Massacre. Told with rich detail and cultural appreciation for Native Americans, this adventure story will thrill young readers and encourage them in their faith.
Little Mission on the Clearwater: A Story Based on the Life of Young Eliza Spalding (Daughters of the Faith Series)
by Wendy G. LawtonDaughters of the Faith: Ordinary Girls Who Lived Extraordinary Lives.In 1847, ten-year-old Eliza Spalding is growing up with her missionary family as the first white girl to be born in the Oregon Territory. Eliza loves seeing the Nez Perce Indians come to know Jesus, and she prays the Cayuse tribe will believe as well. But when an epidemic ravishes the Cayuse and tensions rise, Eliza finds herself witnessing the historical episode known as the Whitman Massacre. Told with rich detail and cultural appreciation for Native Americans, this adventure story will thrill young readers and encourage them in their faith.
Little Money Street: In Search of Gypsies and Their Music in the South of France
by Fernanda EberstadtIn 1998, Fernanda Eberstadt, her husband, and their two small children moved from New York to an area outside Perpignan, France -- a city with one of the largest Gypsy populations in Western Europe. Here she found a jealously guarded culture, a society made, in part, of lawlessness and defiance of non-Gypsy norms; and she met MoÏse Espinas, the lead singer of the Gypsy band, Tekameli. As her relationship with the Espinas family developed over the years, progressing from mutual bafflement to a deep-rooted friendship, Eberstadt found herself a part of the captivating Gypsy life-a life rich with tradition and culture, but slowly being consumed by the modern world.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Little Panic: Dispatches from an Anxious Life
by Amanda SternIn the vein of bestselling memoirs about mental illness like Andrew Solomon's Noonday Demon, Sarah Hepola's Blackout, and Daniel Smith's Monkey Mind comes a gorgeously immersive, immediately relatable, and brilliantly funny memoir about living life on the razor's edge of panic.The world never made any sense to Amanda Stern--how could she trust time to keep flowing, the sun to rise, gravity to hold her feet to the ground, or even her own body to work the way it was supposed to? Deep down, she knows that there's something horribly wrong with her, some defect that her siblings and friends don't have to cope with.Growing up in the 1970s and 80s in New York, Amanda experiences the magic and madness of life through the filter of unrelenting panic. Plagued with fear that her friends and family will be taken from her if she's not watching-that her mother will die, or forget she has children and just move away-Amanda treats every parting as her last. Shuttled between a barefoot bohemian life with her mother in Greenwich Village, and a sanitized, stricter world of affluence uptown with her father, Amanda has little she can depend on. And when Etan Patz disappears down the block from their MacDougal Street home, she can't help but believe that all her worst fears are about to come true. Tenderly delivered and expertly structured, Amanda Stern's memoir is a document of the transformation of New York City and a deep, personal, and comedic account of the trials and errors of seeing life through a very unusual lens.
Little People Big Dreams Stephen Hawking
by Maria Isabel Sánchez VegaraWhen Stephen Hawking was a little boy, he used to stare up at the stars and wonder about the universe. Although he was never top of the class, his curiosity took him to the best universities in England: Oxford and Cambridge. It also led him to make one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the 20th century: Hawking radiation. This inspiring story of the brilliant physicist's life features a facts and photos section at the back.
Little Piano Girl
by Ann IngallsWhat if you loved music more than anything? Suppose you had just learned to play the piano. Imagine that your family has to move to a new city and you have to leave your piano behind. People don't like you in the new city because of what you look like. How will you make yourself feel better? Mary Lou Williams, like Mozart, began playing the piano when she was four; at eight she became a professional musician. She wrote and arranged music for Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and was one of the most powerful women in jazz. This is the story of Mary Lou's childhood in Pittsburgh, where she played the piano for anyone who would listen.
Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage
by Jeff BenedictSuzette Kelo was just trying to rebuild her life when she purchased a falling down Victorian house perched on the waterfront in New London, CT. The house wasn't particularly fancy, but with lots of hard work Suzette was able to turn it into a home that was important to her, a home that represented her new found independence. Little did she know that the City of New London, desperate to revive its flailing economy, wanted to raze her house and the others like it that sat along the waterfront in order to win a lucrative Pfizer pharmaceutical contract that would bring new business into the city. Kelo and fourteen neighbors flat out refused to sell, so the city decided to exercise its power of eminent domain to condemn their homes, launching one of the most extraordinary legal cases of our time, a case that ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court. In Little Pink House, award-winning investigative journalist Jeff Benedict takes us behind the scenes of this case -- indeed, Suzette Kelo speaks for the first time about all the details of this inspirational true story as one woman led the charge to take on corporate America to save her home.
Little Plane, Huge Dream (Fountas & Pinnell LLI Gold #Level Q)
by Albert BrayLittle Plane, Huge Dream Author: Albert Bray
Little Poison: Paul Runyan, Sam Snead, and a Long-Shot Upset at the 1938 PGA Championship
by John DechantPaul Runyan—the Arkansas farm boy who stood five feet, six inches and weighed 130 pounds—shocked the golf world by defeating long and lean, sweet-swinging Sam Snead in the finals of the 1938 PGA Championship, thus earning the nickname &“Little Poison.&” Runyan did more than beat Snead: he shellacked him as decisively as David toppled mighty Goliath. His resounding victory was so convincing, so dominant, that even Snead had to shake his head when it was finished and wonder how the porkpie-wearing, pint-sized golf pro had gotten the better of him in the thirty-six-hole final. One bookmaker made Snead a 10-to-1 favorite before the match. Despite Snead&’s physical gifts—he routinely outdrove Runyan by fifty yards or more—Snead was no match for Runyan, the underdog victor in one of golf&’s four major championships.Little Poison is the story of a man who made a career out of punching above his weight on the golf course. Runyan won twenty-nine PGA tournaments between 1930 and 1941, as well as another major championship in 1934. Runyan served in the navy during World War II, joining Snead and other prominent professionals who played exhibition matches to entertain troops and help raise money. After the war he played sparingly—but successfully—and focused on his career as an instructor, teaching his revolutionary short-game techniques. Little Poison follows Runyan throughout these stages of his life, from anonymity to stardom and into golf mythology. At the heart of Runyan&’s story is his Depression-era grit. He believed passionately that proper technique and relentless hard work would outlast talent and brawn. Americans who emerged from the Great Depression likely had a little Runyan in them, too, making him the perfect sports hero for the era. His story began not on the immaculate fairways of a country club but on a farm in Hot Springs, Arkansas, near a golf course with oiled sand greens. A disadvantage, some would say—but not Runyan. On those sand surfaces he developed a sustainable technique that became the bedrock of his hall of fame career.
Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
by Conor GrennanA young man embarks on a life-threatening mission to reunite Nepalese children with their families in this New York Times–bestselling memoir.In search of adventure, twenty-nine-year-old Conor Grennan embarked on a yearlong journey around the globe, beginning with a three-month stint volunteering at an orphanage in civil war-torn Nepal. But a shocking truth would forever change his life: these rambunctious, resilient children were not orphans at all but had been taken from their families by child traffickers who falsely promised to keep them safe from war before abandoning them in the teeming chaos of Kathmandu. For Conor, what started as a footloose ramble became a dangerous, dedicated mission to unite youngsters he had grown to love with the parents they had been stolen from. In Little Princes, Conor recounts a breathtaking adventure through the treacherous Nepalese mountains to bring the children home.
Little Red: Three Passionate Lives through the Sixties and Beyond
by Dina HamptonIn the early 1960s, a remarkable crop of students graduated from a small New York City school renowned for progressive pedagogy and left-wing politics: Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School. These young people entered college at the peak of the transformative era we now call The Sixties, and would go on to impact the course of United States history for the next half century. Among them were Angela Davis, the brilliant, stunning African American Communist and academic who became the face of the Black Power movement; Tom Hurwitz, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) activist and cinematographer who played a key role in the occupation of Columbia University; and Elliott Abrams, who rebelled against the leftist political orthodoxies of the school and of the times, and ultimately played key roles in the Reagan administration, the George W. Bush administrations and the neoconservative movement.In Little Red, based on extensive original interviews and archival research, Dina Hampton tells the compelling, interwoven life stories of these three schoolmates. Their tumultuous, divergent, public and private paths wind through the seminal events and political conflicts of recent American history, from the civil rights movement to the Vietnam War; the Summer of Love to the feminist uprising; Iran-Contra to Occupy Wall Street. As they pursue political ends, each of their lives will be shaped by events, relationships and social changes they never imagined. Their successes and setbacks will resonate with anyone who has struggled to reconcile the utopian goals of The Sixties-or of youth itself-with the realities of day-to-day life in the world as it is. Today, a new generation is taking to the streets, galvanized by controversial wars and social and economic inequities as troubling as those we faced in the 1960s. The stories of Angela, Tom and Elliott serve as both road map and cautionary tale for anyone engaged in that most American of acts-trying to perfect the world.
Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar: The Musical Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll
by Charnelle Pinkney BarlowA picture-book biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the woman who invented rock and roll—a warm, inspiring tale of a childhood filled with music, community, and a drive to succeed."Music is the heart of our story," says Momma to young Rosetta, surprising her with her first guitar. Rosetta's strums sound like ker-plunks. But with practice and determination, she makes music, fingers hopping "like corn in a kettle," notes pouring over the church crowd "like summer rain washing the dust off a new day."In this stunning picture book, author and illustrator Charnelle Pinkney Barlow imagines the childhood of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose rural roots inspired the music we still hear today.Young readers will see a child's dream become reality through hard work and perseverance. And they'll learn the overlooked story of a pioneering Black artist, whose contribution to music history is only now being discovered.
Little Shoes: The Sensational Depression-Era Murders That Became My Family's Secret
by Pamela EverettIn the summer of 1937, with the Depression deep and World War II looming, a California triple murder stunned an already grim nation. After a frantic week-long manhunt for the killer, a suspect emerged, and his sensational trial captivated audiences from coast to coast. Justice was swift, and the condemned man was buried away with the horrifying story. But decades later, Pamela Everett, a lawyer and former journalist, starts digging, following up a cryptic comment her father once made about a tragedy in their past. Her journey is uniquely personal as she uncovers her family's secret history, but the investigation quickly takes unexpected turns into her professional wheelhouse. Everett unearths a truly historic legal case that included one of the earliest criminal profiles in the United States, the genesis of modern sex offender laws, and the last man sentenced to hang in California. Digging deeper and drawing on her experience with wrongful convictions, Everett then raises detailed and haunting questions about whether the authorities got the right man. Having revived the case to its rightful place in history, she leaves us with enduring concerns about the death penalty then and now. A journey chronicled through the mind of a lawyer and from the heart of a daughter, Little Shoes is both a captivating true crime story and a profoundly personal account of one family's struggle to cope with tragedy through the generations.
Little Sister: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood
by Lana WoodIn this memoir, Lana Wood investigates the mysterious drowning of her sister, the actress Natalie Wood, and clears up the myths and misconceptions behind one of the most notorious celebrity deaths of our time. On the night of November 29, 1981, Natalie Wood disappeared from her yacht, the Splendour, while visiting Catalina Island with her husband, Robert “R.J.” Wagner and their friend, Christopher Walken. The beloved movie star’s tragic drowning shook America, inspiring troves of magazine covers and media pieces. What was originally believed to be an open-and-shut case of accidental drowning has been called into question over the years, and in 2011 the investigation was reopened. In 2018, at the urging of the public, it was reclassified as “suspicious.”Ever since, the question has remained: What really happened to Natalie Wood?Lana Wood, Natalie’s younger sister, long suspected nefarious circumstances surrounding her sister’s death. Her closest confidante from childhood, Lana stood witness to Natalie’s life: the successes, the heartache, and her deepest pain. But there was tremendous fear about investigating the case. Uncertain of what her own search would unravel, and frightened of the possibilities, Lana stayed silent for years, until she no longer could. She realized she was ignoring what was in front of her, and that the best way to honor her sister's legacy would be uncovering the secrets behind the very end of Natalie’s life.By elucidating previously unknown complications of Natalie’s life, and offering new evidence from key parties involved in the investigation—including the boat’s captain and other witnesses—Little Sister recounts Lana’s search for the truth and brings to light explosive details that have been suppressed for decades. Ranging from the bonds that hold family together, to inconsistencies in interviews with detectives to complications with evidence, this story of sisterhood and mystery presents a fresh perspective on a night that has long been fodder for Hollywood lore.
Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve
by Lenora ChuNew York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice; Real Simple Best of the Month; Library Journal Editors’ PickIn the spirit of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Bringing up Bébé, and The Smartest Kids in the World, a hard-hitting exploration of China’s widely acclaimed yet insular education system that raises important questions for the future of American parenting and educationWhen students in Shanghai rose to the top of international rankings in 2009, Americans feared that they were being "out-educated" by the rising super power. An American journalist of Chinese descent raising a young family in Shanghai, Lenora Chu noticed how well-behaved Chinese children were compared to her boisterous toddler. How did the Chinese create their academic super-achievers? Would their little boy benefit from Chinese school? Chu and her husband decided to enroll three-year-old Rainer in China’s state-run public school system. The results were positive—her son quickly settled down, became fluent in Mandarin, and enjoyed his friends—but she also began to notice troubling new behaviors. Wondering what was happening behind closed classroom doors, she embarked on an exploratory journey, interviewing Chinese parents, teachers, and education professors, and following students at all stages of their education. What she discovered is a military-like education system driven by high-stakes testing, with teachers posting rankings in public, using bribes to reward students who comply, and shaming to isolate those who do not. At the same time, she uncovered a years-long desire by government to alleviate its students’ crushing academic burden and make education friendlier for all. The more she learns, the more she wonders: Are Chinese children—and her son—paying too high a price for their obedience and the promise of future academic prowess? Is there a way to appropriate the excellence of the system but dispense with the bad? What, if anything, could Westerners learn from China’s education journey? Chu’s eye-opening investigation challenges our assumptions and asks us to consider the true value and purpose of education.
Little Vic and the Great Mafia War
by Larry McShaneFrom award-winning New York Daily News reporter Larry McShane, the gritty, bloody, first definite biography of one of the Mafia's deadliest contenders for boss, "Little Vic" Orena, who battled it out in the streets with Carmine "The Snake" Persico for control of the Colombo Family and triggered the bloodiest Mafia war of our times . . . June 20, 1991. A five-man hit team waited in a car outside the Long Island home of Victor Orena, the acting crime boss of the Colombo crime family. Orena recognized the vehicle—and managed to escape with his life. But it was just the beginning. Over the next year, more shots would be fired in what would become the last major mob war in New York&’s crime-soaked history—and one of the bloodiest. The war ended with Orena&’s 1992 arrest and conviction for racketeering. But the full story of &“Little Vic&’s&” astonishing rise and fall has never been told. Until now . . . With shocking new revelations from Orena&’s son Andrew, this eye-opening account takes readers inside the criminal underworld of New York&’s infamous &“Five Families&” from the point of view of one of its rising stars. The grandson of Sicilian immigrants, Victor Orena ingratiated himself with the local Mafiosi during his teens, ultimately aligning himself with the Colombos. Ascending the ranks, he eventually became acting boss of the family when its don Carmine &“The Snake&” Persico was sentenced to prison. But as Persico struggled to maintain control from behind bars, Orena decided to seize that power for himself—launching a ruthless mob war the city would never forget. It's all here: the Mafia hits, the FBI stings, the bullets and the backstabbings. Featuring a rogues gallery of legendary mobsters—from the Gallo brothers to the Gambinos and John Gotti—this riveting account sheds new light on one of the most fascinating chapters in American crime.
Little Victim: The real story of Britain’s vulnerable children and the people who rescue them
by Harry Keeble Kris HollingtonIn Baby Xwe learned how super-tough cop Harry Keeble and his colleagues in Hackney's Child Protection Unit rescued dozens of kids, faced lynch mobs and undertook the impossible job of interviewing paedophiles. Now, in Little Victim, Harry takes us through an extraordinary year in the life of the unit, as the team investigates some of the worst cases of child abuse they've ever encountered.These include a middle-class mother who shook her baby to death, the children kept in a cage, the rape of a three-year-old boy and an innocent grandfather falsely accused of paedophila. Little Victim provides a unique insight into the complex issue of child abuse in the UK. Continuing his battle to bring Britain's child abusers to justice, Harry is pushed right to the edge as he confronts horrors past and present.
Little Weirds
by Jenny SlateHello! <P><P>I looked into my brain and found a book. Here it is. Inside you will find: <br>The smell of honeysuckle <br>Depression <br>A French-kissing rabbit <br>A haunted house <br>Death <br>A vagina singing sad old songs <br>Young geraniums in an ancient castle <br>Birth <br>A dog who appears in dreams as a spiritual guide <br>Divorce <br>Emotional horniness <br>The ghost of a sea captain <br>And more I hope you enjoy these little weirds. <P><P>Love,Jenny Slate <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>