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Longtime Companions: Autobiographies of Gay Male Fidelity
by Alfred Lees Ronald NelsonLongtime Companions: Autobiographies of Gay Male Fidelity provides a sophisticated alternative to “anything goes” gay literature. Challenging the stereotype that gay men are incapable of lasting and successful relationships, 15 long-term gay couples share slices of their own lives to give you insight into their present relationships, while some discuss life after their mates have passed on. You will find that their stories offer an inspirational and richly fulfilling alternative to an empty life of promiscuity that lacks true love.Through a treasury of autobiographical essays, Longtime Companions documents how committed gay male unions can be as enduring, nurturing, and diverse as heterosexual marriages and proves that loving commitments and life-sharing are not exclusive to heterosexual unions. A celebration of gay diversity, this book offers you insights from contributors of different ages, professions, geographic locations, and attitudes. You will learn the intimate details of the couples’lives, including: how they met their partners how soon they committed to each other how long the couples have been together--from 14 years to over 50 years their keys to leading successful, happy lives the ways in which their relationships fulfill their personal needs and contribute to community lifeYou will come to realize the true strength of these men’s relationships as you share in their struggles within a society that offers them little recognition or support for their successful relationships. Co-editor Alfred Lees explains in the introduction to Longtime Companions, “We’ve all worked diligently to make our partnerships sound, nurturing, and enduring. We’ve done this without any social motivation, largely without role models, in the face of ‘official’disapproval or contempt. We’ve told our stories here to refute--by the simple facts of our experience--the grotesque misrepresentation of gays as being incapable of stable, committed relationships.” Will add more. . . Through a treasury of autobiographical essays, Longtime Companions documents how committed gay-male unions can be as enduring, nurturing, and diverse as heterosexual marriages and proves that loving commitment and life-sharing are not exclusive to heterosexual unions. A celebration of gay diversity, contributors vary in age, profession, geographic location, and attitudes. You will learn the intimate details of the couples’lives, including: how they met their partners how soon they committed to each other how they managed to collaborate on successful, fulfilling lives how some have maintained their commitment as part of an open relationshipYou will come to realize the true strength of these men’s relationships as you share in their struggles within a society that offers them little recognition or support for their successful relationships. Co-Author Alfred Lees explains in the Introduction to Longtime Companions, “We’ve all worked diligently to make our partnerships sound, nurturing, and enduring. We&’ve done this without any social innovation, largely without role models, in the face of ‘official” disapproval or contempt. We’ve told our stories here to refute--by the simple facts of our experience--the grotesque misrepresentation of gays as being incapable of stable, committed relationships.”
Lonnie Johnson: NASA Scientist and Inventor of the Super Soaker (Little Inventor)
by Lucia RaatmaWhy is Lonnie Johnson important? He invented the Super Soaker! Readers follow his journey from a NASA engineer working on missions to Jupiter and Saturn to becoming the inventor of one of the most popular toys in the United States. This story of hard work is filled with engaging text and colorful images, all reviewed by Smithsonian experts.
Look Alive Out There: Essays
by Sloane Crosley"Sloane Crosley does the impossible. She stays consistently funny and delivers a book that is alive and jumping." ― Steve MartinOne of Esquire's best books of 2018 so farFrom New York Times–bestselling author Sloane Crosley comes Look Alive Out There—a brand-new collection of essays filled with her trademark hilarity, wit, and charm. The characteristic heart and punch-packing observations are back, but with a newfound coat of maturity. A thin coat. More of a blazer, really.Fans of I Was Told There’d Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number know Sloane Crosley’s life as a series of relatable but wry misadventures. In Look Alive Out There, whether it’s scaling active volcanoes, crashing shivas, playing herself on Gossip Girl, befriending swingers, or staring down the barrel of the fertility gun, Crosley continues to rise to the occasion with unmatchable nerve and electric one-liners. And as her subjects become more serious, her essays deliver not just laughs but lasting emotional heft and insight. Crosley has taken up the gauntlets thrown by her predecessors—Dorothy Parker, Nora Ephron, David Sedaris—and crafted something rare, affecting, and true.
Look Back in Hunger
by Jo BrandJo Brand is one of Britain's funniest and best-loved comedians. With a sharp eye for the absurd and in her own unique voice she tells her story for the first time. What possessed her to become a professional comedian in the cut-throat world of stand-up comedy after ten years as a psychiatric nurse? How did she deal with late night drunken audiences? Raised in middle class comfort, she left home in her teens to live with someone entirely inappropriate. Her parents were aghast at her behaviour and attempted to rein in her excesses, finally giving up when she demonstrated that she was not headed for the life of a nun. From her early years growing up in a small south coast town with two brothers who toughened her up, to emerging on stage as 'The Sea Monster', Jo Brand tells it like it is with wit, candour and a wonderful sense that life can be ridiculous but there's always a funny side.Jo Brand is one of Britain's funniest and best-loved comedians. With a sharp eye for the absurd and in her own unique voice she tells her story for the first time.
Look Back in Hunger
by Jo BrandJo Brand is one of Britain's funniest and best-loved comedians. With a sharp eye for the absurd and in her own unique voice she tells her story for the first time. What possessed her to become a professional comedian in the cut-throat world of stand-up comedy after ten years as a psychiatric nurse? How did she deal with late night drunken audiences? Raised in middle class comfort, she left home in her teens to live with someone entirely inappropriate. Her parents were aghast at her behaviour and attempted to rein in her excesses, finally giving up when she demonstrated that she was not headed for the life of a nun. From her early years growing up in a small south coast town with two brothers who toughened her up, to emerging on stage as 'The Sea Monster', Jo Brand tells it like it is with wit, candour and a wonderful sense that life can be ridiculous but there's always a funny side.Jo Brand is one of Britain's funniest and best-loved comedians. With a sharp eye for the absurd and in her own unique voice she tells her story for the first time.
Look Back in Hunger
by Jo BrandJo Brand is one of Britain's funniest and best-loved comedians. With a sharp eye for the absurd and in her own unique voice, she tells her story for the first time. What possessed her to become a professional comedian in the cut-throat world of stand-up comedy after ten years as a psychiatric nurse? How did she deal with late night drunken audiences? From her early years growing up in a small south coast town with two brothers who toughened her up, to emerging on stage as 'The Sea Monster', Jo Brand tells it like it is with wit and candour.(P)2009 Headline Digital
Look Both Ways
by Brooke EllisonWritten nearly two decades since Ellison's film-adapted book, Miracles Happen: One Mother, One Daughter, One Journey, LOOK BOTH WAYS offers a more mature, more contemplative look at life after the accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down at age eleven. Using personal and, at times, emotionally challenging events in her life as a platform, Ellison compels readers to reflect upon experiences in their own lives and thrive as a result of them. Exploring topics such as identity, ethics, inclusion, hope, and love as part autobiography and part sociological analysis, Ellison imparts universal truths fueled by the unrelenting spirit of one who refuses to be defined by a single event in her life, but rather chooses to be defined by all of them.
Look Ma, No Hands: A Chronic Pain Memoir
by Gabrielle DroletA humorous, profound debut memoir about chronic pain, accessibility, and young adulthood, by an acclaimed essayist and cartoonist.In 2021, Gabrielle Drolet developed a condition that made her unable to use her hands. It only worsened over time, and as a writer and artist, she had to learn new ways of creating and expressing herself. The experience completely changed her life and her outlook. Look Ma, No Hands explores both the difficulty and the humour of developing chronic and life-altering pain in her twenties. Each chapter looks at a different aspect of her life touched by her disability: how she learned to write when she couldn&’t type; how she learned to manage the most mundane daily tasks. She moves cities and as her work as a writer and cartoonist builds has to navigate different byzantine health systems without the privilege or security of having a family doctor, even as she moves into her new apartment and embarks on first dates. And she does all of this with the most wonderful sense of the absurd. Look Ma, No Hands is utterly charming and shares profound reflections on life&’s curveballs, and explores how, in Drolet&’s words, &“you can live a full—even funny—life in a disabled body.&”
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's (Thorndike Biography Ser.)
by John Elder RobisonEver since he was young, John Robison longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother, Augusten Burroughs, in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” It was not until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way he saw himself—and the world. A born storyteller, Robison has written a moving, darkly funny memoir about a life that has taken him from developing exploding guitars for KISS to building a family of his own. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account—sometimes alien yet always deeply human.
Look Mom, I'm The Dumest One In My Clas!: One Boy's Dyslexic Journey
by Sky RotaLook Mom, I'm the Dumest One in My Clas is the true story of nine-year-old Sky Rota, who during the fourth grade discovers he is severely dyslexic, a disorder Sky and his parents aren't familiar with. Sky and his parents quickly learn dyslexia comes with as many gifts as it does challenges. Hopeful that his school would be understanding and help him embrace and develop his unique methods of learning, they soon realized that they would have to fight for him. Instead of encouraging Sky, his teachers punish him for his "weaknesses. " His school saw his dyslexia as a disability as well, labeling him as different and an outsider. Join Sky as he and his family learn just how reluctant the education system is to accommodate the many different types of learners it's supposed to teach. His bittersweet but ultimately uplifting journey of acceptance will prove that dyslexia is not a hindrance or disability - it's a gift.
Look Out, Doctor!
by Robert CliffordDoctor Bob lives in Tadchester on the Somerset coast. It's a good little town, but like all English country towns it has its fair share of interesting cases . . . To start with, there's young Mr Haggard who has a thing about doctors. Then there's Mr Wood, the amorous but underdeveloped photographer with a crush on Amazing Grace the receptionist . . . not forgetting Mrs Short with her secret addiction; Charlie Sloper, the local poacher and supermarket shoplifter; the accident-prone Aubrey Cattermole; and last but not least, the rugby team from Drake's College who develop a mysterious and embarrassing ailment after an away match at a London night club.And the strangest thing about these cases is, they're all true!
Look Out, Doctor! (The Dr Clifford Chronicles)
by Dr Robert CliffordDoctor Bob lives in Tadchester on the Somerset coast. It's a good little town, but like all English country towns it has its fair share of interesting cases . . . To start with, there's young Mr Haggard who has a thing about doctors. Then there's Mr Wood, the amorous but underdeveloped photographer with a crush on Amazing Grace the receptionist . . . not forgetting Mrs Short with her secret addiction; Charlie Sloper, the local poacher and supermarket shoplifter; the accident-prone Aubrey Cattermole; and last but not least, the rugby team from Drake's College who develop a mysterious and embarrassing ailment after an away match at a London night club.And the strangest thing about these cases is, they're all true!
Look Up for Yes
by Julia Tavalaro Richard TaysonA paralyzed stroke victim and poet tells her story of decades of being treated as a vegetable in a public hospital and her release from isolation when a speech therapist taught her to communicate. Julia Tavalaro had it all, a beautiful young daughter, and a loving husband, until two strokes left her in a coma for three years. When she finally emerged, she couldn't move her arms or legs, and couldn't speak except to groan. She had a tube that helped her breathe, and was being fed liquids to survive. For six years she was treated like a vegetable, until a speech therapist discovered she was cognizant, and so began her journey of learning to communicate.
Look Up, Move Forward
by Becky Andrews Amy HackworthWhen 18 year old Becky Andrews is diagnosed with the degenerative eye condition Retinitis Pigmentosa, she understands her childhood of softball strikeouts, notorious clumsiness, and why she's never been able to see the stars. This is Becky's remarkable story of living life to the fullest is a journey of courage and determination. Part memoir and part resilience manifestor, Look up, move forward will inspire readers to face their own lives with more creativity, grit, determination and joy.
Look What You Made Me Do: The ultimate guide for Taylor Swift fans!
by Kat McKennaTHE MUST-HAVE HANDBOOK FOR TAYLOR SWIFT FANS, AND THE ONLY COMPANION YOU NEED FOR THE ERAS TOUR! What does it mean to be a FAN? If you're a Swiftie, you know that it takes commitment and dedication to be in a fandom. And there's nothing more rewarding than sourcing Taylor Swift news and updates, anticipating new music and meeting fellow fans. But fan culture today is more intense than ever, from trolling to stalkers to online warfare.So how did we get here? Discover the history of the first fandoms, the many Eras of Taylor Swift, the politics of celebrity and cancel culture, and above all: why being a fan is so special. Featuring interview with key Taylor Swift fans and celebrity culture icon DeuxMoi and the founder of Swiftogeddon, this book is the ultimate guide on how to be a fan.
Look Who's Back
by Timur VermesTHE SMASH-HIT HITLER SATIRE - MORE THAN 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD"A brilliant book" RUSSELL KANE "Brilliant and hilarious" KEN FOLLETTA box-office-hit film now available on NETFLIXA two-part BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation directed by and starring David Threlfall (Shameless)Berlin, Summer 2011. Adolf Hitler wakes up on a patch of open ground, alive and well. Things have changed - no Eva Braun, no Nazi party, no war. Hitler barely recognises his beloved Fatherland, filled with immigrants and run by a woman. People certainly recognise him, albeit as a flawless impersonator who refuses to break character. The unthinkable, the inevitable happens, and the ranting Hitler goes viral, becomes a YouTube star, gets his own T.V. show, and people begin to listen. But the Führer has another programme with even greater ambition - to set the country he finds a shambles back to rights. Look Who's Back stunned and then thrilled 1.5 million German readers with its fearless approach to the most taboo of subjects. Naive yet insightful, repellent yet strangely sympathetic, the revived Hitler unquestionably has a spring in his step.Translated from German by Jamie Bulloch
Look Who's Back
by Timur VermesTHE SMASH-HIT HITLER SATIRE - MORE THAN 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD"A brilliant book" RUSSELL KANE "Brilliant and hilarious" KEN FOLLETTA box-office-hit film now available on NETFLIXA two-part BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation directed by and starring David Threlfall (Shameless)Berlin, Summer 2011. Adolf Hitler wakes up on a patch of open ground, alive and well. Things have changed - no Eva Braun, no Nazi party, no war. Hitler barely recognises his beloved Fatherland, filled with immigrants and run by a woman. People certainly recognise him, albeit as a flawless impersonator who refuses to break character. The unthinkable, the inevitable happens, and the ranting Hitler goes viral, becomes a YouTube star, gets his own T.V. show, and people begin to listen. But the Führer has another programme with even greater ambition - to set the country he finds a shambles back to rights. Look Who's Back stunned and then thrilled 1.5 million German readers with its fearless approach to the most taboo of subjects. Naive yet insightful, repellent yet strangely sympathetic, the revived Hitler unquestionably has a spring in his step.Translated from German by Jamie Bulloch
Look Who's Back
by Timur VermesBerlin, Summer 2011. Adolf Hitler wakes up on a patch of open ground, alive and well. Things have changed - no Eva Braun, no Nazi party, no war. Hitler barely recognises his beloved Fatherland, filled with immigrants and run by a woman. People certainly recognise him, albeit as a flawless impersonator who refuses to break character. The unthinkable, the inevitable happens, and the ranting Hitler goes viral, becomes a YouTube star, gets his own T.V. show, and people begin to listen. But the Führer has another programme with even greater ambition - to set the country he finds a shambles back to rights. Look Who's Back stunned and then thrilled 1.5 million German readers with its fearless approach to the most taboo of subjects. Naive yet insightful, repellent yet strangely sympathetic, the revived Hitler unquestionably has a spring in his step.(P)2014 Quercus Publishing Ltd
Look at Me!: The XXXTENTACION Story
by Jonathan ReissA compelling biography of SoundCloud sensation and rising star XXXTENTACION -- from his candid songwriting and connection with fans to his tragic death.At the age of twenty, rapper Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy -- aka XXXTENTACION -- was gunned down during an attempted robbery on the streets of Deerfield Beach, FL, mere months after signing a $10 million record deal with Empire Music. A rising star in the world of SoundCloud rap, XXXTENTACION achieved stellar levels of success without the benefit of a major label or radio airtime, and flourished via his passionate and unfettered connection to his fans.In Look at Me!, journalist Jonathan Reiss charts the tumultuous life and unguarded songwriting of the SoundCloud sensation. Unlike most rap on the platform, XXXTENTACION's music didn't dwell on money, partying, and getting high. He wrote about depression, suicide, and other mental health issues, topics that led to an outpouring of posthumous appreciation from his devoted fanbase. It was XXXTENTACION's vulnerability that helped him stand apart from artists obsessed with being successful and "cool." Yet these insecurities also stemmed from -- and contributed to -- his fair share of troubles, including repeated run-ins with the law during in his teen years, a disturbing proclivity towards violence, and a prison sentence that overlapped with the release of his first single.Through the memories of the people who knew him best, Look at Me! maps out the true story of an unlikely cultural icon and elucidates what it was about him that touched the post-millennial generation so deeply.
Look at You Now: How Keeping a Teenage Secret Changed My Life Forever
by Liz PryorFor readers of Orange Is the New Black and The Glass Castle, a riveting memoir about a lifelong secret and a girl finding strength in the most unlikely place In 1979, Liz Pryor is a seventeen-year-old girl from a good family in the wealthy Chicago suburbs. Halfway through her senior year of high school, she discovers that she is pregnant--a fact her parents are determined to keep a secret from her friends, siblings, and community forever. One snowy January day, after driving across three states, her mother drops her off at what Liz thinks is a Catholic home for unwed mothers--but which is, in truth, a locked government-run facility for delinquent and impoverished pregnant teenage girls.In the cement-block residence, Liz is alone and terrified, a fish out of water--a girl from a privileged, sheltered background living amid tough, street-savvy girls who come from the foster care system or juvenile detention. But over the next six months, isolated and in involuntary hiding from everyone she knows, Liz develops a surprising bond with the other girls and begins to question everything she once held true. Told with tenderness, humor, and an open heart, Look at You Now is a deeply moving story about the most vulnerable moments in our lives--and how a willingness to trust ourselves can permanently change who we are and how we see the world.Advance praise for Look at You Now "Engrossing . . . Readers will swiftly be drawn into the author's compassionate retelling of her teen pregnancy--her fear, shame, regret, joy, and even her forgiveness of her parents for sending her away. This coming-of-age memoir is authentic and unforgettable."--Publishers Weekly "Pryor's refusal to bury the truth of her experiences is the greatest strength of her book. Her honesty about a youthful error and desire to let that honesty define the rest of her life are both uplifting and inspiring. An unsentimental yet moving coming-of-age memoir."--Kirkus Reviews"I started reading this book thinking it was a compelling, honest, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant look at the world of teenage pregnancy, and knowing it would offer an inside look at the places where girls used to be hidden away until their babies came. I finished it damp-eyed and understanding that Look at You Now is much more than that. It is a story about how family dynamics work. It is about how wrenching it is to give away something born of your flesh, even if you know it's the right decision. It's about how much we can learn from people very much different from us. Most of all, it is a subtle, graceful story about how sometimes the worst things in our lives work best to shape our characters into something shining and true, something that will serve us for the rest of our lives. Liz Pryor says she will never forget the girls she shared that time of her life with. I will never forget this book. I really, really loved it."--Elizabeth Berg, author of The Dream Lover "Liz Pryor's story is shocking, moving, riveting, and, ultimately, inspiring. She writes like a natural, can balance humor and sorrow perfectly, and in Look at You Now, has written a pitch-perfect memoir."--Darin Strauss, author of Half a LifeFrom the Hardcover edition.
Look at the Lights, My Love (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)
by Annie ErnauxA revelatory meditation on class and consumer culture, from 2022 Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux &“A dryly charming look at the way the French live now, through the sharp eyes of its most acclaimed chronicler.&”—Kirkus Reviews For half a century, the French writer Annie Ernaux has transgressed the boundaries of what stories are considered worth telling, what subjects worth exploring. In this probing meditation, Ernaux turns her attention to the phenomenon of the big-box superstore, a ubiquitous feature of modern life that has received scant attention in literature. Recording her visits to a store near Paris for over a year, she captures the world that exists within its massive walls. Through Ernaux&’s eyes, the superstore emerges as &“a great human meeting place, a spectacle&”—a flashy, technologically advanced incarnation of the ancient marketplace where capitalism, cultural production, and class converge, dictating our rhythms of desire. With her relentless powers of observation, Ernaux takes the measure of a place we thought we knew, calling us to question the experiences we overlook and to gaze more deeply into ordinary life.
Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself
by Luke RussertINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn Look for Me There, Luke Russert traverses terrain both physical and deeply personal. On his journey to some of the world&’s most stunning destinations, he visits the internal places of grief, family, faith, ambition, and purpose—with intense self-reflection, honesty, and courage."—Savannah Guthrie, coanchor of Today&“Look for me there,&” news legend Tim Russert would tell his son, Luke, when confirming a pickup spot at an airport, sporting event, or rock concert. After Tim died unexpectedly, Luke kept looking for his father, following in Tim&’s footsteps and carving out a highly successful career at NBC News. After eight years covering politics on television, Luke realized he had no good answer as to why he was chasing his father&’s legacy. As the son of two accomplished parents—his mother is journalist Maureen Orth of Vanity Fair—Luke felt the pressure of high expectations but suddenly decided to leave the familiar path behind.Instead, Luke set out on his own to find answers. What began as several open-ended months of travel to decompress and reassess morphed into a three-plus-year odyssey across six continents to discover the world and, ultimately, to find himself.Chronicling the important lessons and historical understandings Luke discovered from his travels, Look for Me There is both the vivid narrative of that journey and the emotional story of a young man taking charge of his life, reexamining his relationship with his parents, and finally grieving his larger-than-life father, who died too young. For anyone uncertain about the direction of their life or unsure of how to move forward after a loss, Look for Me There is a poignant reflection that offers encouragement to examine our choices, take risks, and discover our truest selves.
Looked After: A Childhood in Care
by Ashley John-Baptiste**AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW** 'This is a book that everyone must read. No matter how you grew up it's for you: it'll make you rethink your own childhood and your relationships with everyone you know. It's funny, moving and of course it's often sad. But mainly it's a beautiful and fascinating and enlightening portrait of the care system, a world that is barely understood by many of us. It is also a proper page turner: the twists and turns and set-backs of his childhood are as gripping as they are shocking. I genuinely couldn't put it down.This story is more urgent and relevant now than ever.' - Xand van Tulleken 'Ashley John-Baptiste joins a high class of writing by upstanding respectful and honourable citizens and professionals, professors and actors, lawyers, doctors, artists and authors, all who happen to have had a life in care. We have every right to tell our story as much as anyone else. Welcome, Ashley.' - Lemn Sissay'An inspiring story of triumph over adversity.' - Fatima Whitbread'Ashley has done the country a great service in shining a light on the inhumane - and at times brutal - way that society supports this most vulnerable group of children. Every politician should read this book and commit to fixing the system.' - Sharon WhiteAshley John-Baptiste grew up in the British care system, living with five different families, without ever being truly part of a family.It wasn't easy, or straightforward, and Ashley's ever-changing living situation affected every single part of his life - from his education to his sense of identity to his friendships and his hobbies. And yet, throughout everything his childhood in care threw at him, Ashley remained resilient and found a way to take advantage of the opportunities that came his way.Now Ashley feels able to tell us - vividly and movingly - how, when it felt like the world was turning its back on him, he refused to be an outsider in his own home and set about establishing a new and positive life for himself.Looked After is a memoir written from the heart that pulls no punches but demonstrates that given encouragement and love - and, sometimes, a second chance - a care-experienced boy can become a successful broadcaster, a loving husband and a proud father.
Looked After: A Childhood in Care
by Ashley John-Baptiste**AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW** 'This is a book that everyone must read. No matter how you grew up it's for you: it'll make you rethink your own childhood and your relationships with everyone you know. It's funny, moving and of course it's often sad. But mainly it's a beautiful and fascinating and enlightening portrait of the care system, a world that is barely understood by many of us. It is also a proper page turner: the twists and turns and set-backs of his childhood are as gripping as they are shocking. I genuinely couldn't put it down.This story is more urgent and relevant now than ever.' - Xand van Tulleken 'Ashley John-Baptiste joins a high class of writing by upstanding respectful and honourable citizens and professionals, professors and actors, lawyers, doctors, artists and authors, all who happen to have had a life in care. We have every right to tell our story as much as anyone else. Welcome, Ashley.' - Lemn Sissay'An inspiring story of triumph over adversity.' - Fatima Whitbread'Ashley has done the country a great service in shining a light on the inhumane - and at times brutal - way that society supports this most vulnerable group of children. Every politician should read this book and commit to fixing the system.' - Sharon WhiteAshley John-Baptiste grew up in the British care system, living with five different families, without ever being truly part of a family.It wasn't easy, or straightforward, and Ashley's ever-changing living situation affected every single part of his life - from his education to his sense of identity to his friendships and his hobbies. And yet, throughout everything his childhood in care threw at him, Ashley remained resilient and found a way to take advantage of the opportunities that came his way.Now Ashley feels able to tell us - vividly and movingly - how, when it felt like the world was turning its back on him, he refused to be an outsider in his own home and set about establishing a new and positive life for himself.Looked After is a memoir written from the heart that pulls no punches but demonstrates that given encouragement and love - and, sometimes, a second chance - a care-experienced boy can become a successful broadcaster, a loving husband and a proud father.
Looking After Minidoka: An American Memoir (Break Away Bks.)
by Neil NakadateA &“clear-eyed, carefully researched but nonetheless passionate book&” that is &“rich with the closely observed details of internment camp life&” (Lauren Kessler, author of Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family). During World War II, 110,000 Japanese Americans were removed from their homes and incarcerated by the US government. In Looking After Minidoka, the &“internment camp&” years become a prism for understanding three generations of Japanese-American life, from immigration to the end of the twentieth century. Nakadate blends history, poetry, rescued memory, and family stories in an American narrative of hope and disappointment, language and education, employment and social standing, prejudice and pain, communal values and personal dreams. &“Poetic yet sharply honest, the family story unfolds within the larger context of the national saga. You&’ll wince but read it anyway. Your soul will be better for it.&” —Nuvo &“This book is highly readable and contains fascinating details not usually covered in other books on Japanese-American history.&” —Oregon Historical Quarterly