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Prayers That Changed History: From Christopher Columbus to Helen Keller, How God Used 25 People to Change the World
by Tricia GoyerOne prayer can change everything. Martin Luther. Sojourner Truth. Helen Keller. St. Patrick. We read their stories, and of other people like them, in history books, and hear about the amazing things they did to change the world. But one part of the story is often left out: Each one of them wouldn’t have accomplished what they did without prayer. In this book from bestselling author Tricia Goyer, the stories of twenty-five notable people are presented along with the major prayer that changed their lives, and changed history. Following each historical example is a biblical story that ties to that person’s life and actions, as well as ways you can use the power of prayer in your life as well. Because God isn’t done changing the world yet, and he would love to use you to make history. Includes images of each historical figure.
Prayers and Devotions
by John Paul Peter Canisius Johannes van LiThis treasury of selected passages from the writings and addresses of perhaps the most impressive leader of the Catholic Church the world has ever known offers, as its editor suggests, "a harvest from the mind and heart of Pope Wojtyla." And so here is a chance for the modern reader, engaged in various daily tasks, to spend a few moments with the Pope each day of the liturgical year, contemplating his reflections on the mystery and the example of Christ; and on the church, man, the family, the lives of the saints, the meaning of holidays, and the place of faith in daily life. His personal concerns as expressed in these passages include such topics as "Sharing with Others," "To Be in Peace," "Consumer Society," "Family Prayer," and "The Great Divine Trial," about the meaning of his near-assassination. Through these pages of calm reflection each day of the year, all will find a moment of peaceful repose from the occupations of life.
Prayers for Bobby
by Leroy AaronsBobby Griffith was an all-American boy ...and he was gay. Faced with an irresolvable conflict-for both his family and his religion taught him that being gay was "wrong"-Bobby chose to take his own life. <p> Prayers for Bobby, nominated for a 1996 Lambda Literary Award, is the story of the emotional journey that led Bobby to this tragic conclusion. But it is also the story of Bobby's mother, a fearful churchgoer who first prayed that her son would be "healed," then anguished over his suicide, and ultimately transformed herself into a national crusader for gay and lesbian youth. <P> As told through Bobby's poignant journal entries and his mother's reminiscences, Prayers for Bobby is at once a moving personal story, a true profile in courage, and a call to arms to parents everywhere.
Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son
by Leroy AaronsBobby Griffith was an all-American boy ...and he was gay. Faced with an irresolvable conflict--for both his family and his religion taught him that being gay was "wrong"--Bobby chose to take his own life. Prayers for Bobby, nominated for a 1996 Lambda Literary Award, is the story of the emotional journey that led Bobby to this tragic conclusion. But it is also the story of Bobby's mother, a fearful church goer who first prayed that her son would be "healed," then anguished over his suicide, and ultimately transformed herself into a national crusader for gay and lesbian youth. As told through Bobby's poignant journal entries and his mother's reminiscences, Prayers for Bobby is at once a moving personal story, a true profile in courage, and a call to arms to parents everywhere.
Praying Drunk: Stories
by Kyle MinorThe characters in Praying Drunk speak in tongues, torture classmates, fall in love, abandon their children, keep machetes beneath passenger seats, and collect porcelain figurines. From Kentucky to Florida to Haiti, these stories enact the struggle to remain physically and spiritually alive throughout an untamable, turbulent world. Kyle Minor proves he's one of the most talented younger writers in America.
Praying For Money
by Russell H. ConwellIn "Praying for Money," Russell H. Conwell, the esteemed Baptist minister, lawyer, and founder of Temple University, explores the transformative power of prayer in achieving financial prosperity. This insightful book delves into the spiritual principles and ethical considerations of seeking wealth through prayer, offering readers a balanced perspective on integrating faith with financial success.Conwell argues that praying for money is not inherently materialistic when approached with the right intentions. Instead, it can be a powerful tool for aligning one's financial goals with a higher purpose, fostering both personal growth and the ability to contribute positively to the world.Key themes include:The Power of Positive Prayer: Conwell explains how sincere, focused prayer can align one’s intentions with divine will, opening doors to opportunities and financial blessings. He offers practical tips on cultivating a prayerful mindset and approaching financial goals with faith and confidence.Aligning Wealth with Purpose: Emphasizing the importance of ethical wealth creation, Conwell encourages readers to seek financial success not for selfish reasons but to fulfill their potential and help others. He argues that wealth gained through integrity and hard work is more fulfilling and sustainable.Overcoming Limiting Beliefs: The book addresses common misconceptions about money and spirituality, urging readers to overcome mental barriers and embrace the idea that financial success and spiritual growth can coexist harmoniously.Whether you are a person of faith looking to enhance your financial situation, a seeker of spiritual growth, or simply interested in the intersection of wealth and spirituality, "Praying for Money" provides practical wisdom and inspiration. Conwell’s timeless teachings encourage readers to view financial success as a means to achieve greater good and fulfill their divine purpose.
Praying For Sheetrock: A Work Of Nonfiction
by Melissa Fay GreeneFinalist for the 1991 National Book Award and a New York Times Notable book, Praying for Sheetrock is the story of McIntosh County, a small, isolated, and lovely place on the flowery coast of Georgia--and a county where, in the 1970s, the white sheriff still wielded all the power, controlling everything and everybody. Somehow the sweeping changes of the civil rights movement managed to bypass McIntosh entirely. It took one uneducated, unemployed black man, Thurnell Alston, to challenge the sheriff and his courthouse gang--and to change the way of life in this community forever.
Praying for Gil Hodges
by Thomas OliphantFrom the BOOK JACKET -- PRAYING FOR GIL HODGES is built around a detailed reconstruction of the seventh game of the 1955 World Series, which has always been on the short list of great moments in baseball history. On a sunny, breezy October afternoon, something happened in New York City that had never happened before and never would again: the Brooklyn Dodgers won the world championship of baseball. For one hour and forty-four minutes, behind a gutsy, twenty-three-year-old kid named Johnny Podres, a left-hander from the iron-mining region of upstate New York, everything that had gone wrong before went gloriously right for a change. Until that afternoon, leaving out the war years, the Dodgers and their legions of fans had endured ten seasons during which they lost the World Series to the New York Yankees five times lost the National League pennant on the final day of the season three times-facts of history that give the famous cry of "Wait Till Next Year!" its defiant meaning. Pitch by pitch and inning by inning, Thomas Oliphant re-creates a relentless melodrama that shows this final game in its true glory. As we move through the game, he builds a remarkable history of the hapless "Burns," exploring the Dodgers' status as a national team, based on their fabled history of near-triumphs and disasters that made them classic underdogs. He weaves into this brilliant recounting a winning memoir of his own family's story and their time together on that fateful day that the final game was played. And it also thrilled a nine-year-old boy on the Lower East Side of Manhattan who was raised in a loving, struggling family for whom the Dodgers were a rare source of the joys and symbols that bring families together through tough times. Every once in a while a book provides a certain view of America, and whether it is The Greatest Generation, Big Russ & Me, or Wait Till Next Year, these works strike a chord with readers everywhere. Praying for Gil Hodges is such a book. Written with power and clarity, this is a brilliant work capturing the majesty of baseball, the issue of race in America, and the love that one young boy, his parents, and the borough of Brooklyn had for their team.
Praying for Gil Hodges: A Memoir of the 1955 World Series and One Family's Love of the Brooklyn Dodgers
by Thomas OliphantThomas Oliphant's Praying for Gil Hodges is a brilliant work capturing the majesty of baseball, the issue of race in America, and the love that one young boy, his parents, and the borough of Brooklyn had for their team. On a steamy hot Sunday, the Reverend Herbert Redmond was celebrating Mass at a church in Brooklyn, when he startled his congregation thus: "It's far too hot for a sermon. Keep the Commandments and say a prayer for Gil Hodges."Praying for Gil Hodges is built around a detailed reconstruction of the seventh game of the 1955 World Series, which has always been on the short list of great moments in baseball history. On a sunny, breezy October afternoon, something happened in New York City that had never happened before and never would again: the Brooklyn Dodgers won the world championship of baseball. For one hour and forty-four minutes, behind a gutsy, twenty-three-year-old kid left-hander from the iron-mining region of upstate New York named Johnny Podres, everything that had gone wrong before went gloriously right for a change. Until that afternoon, leaving out the war years, the Dodgers and their legions of fans had endured ten seasons during which they lost the World Series to the New York Yankees five times and lost the National League pennant on the final day of the season three times--facts of history that give the famous cry of "Wait Till Next Year!" its defiant meaning. Pitch by pitch and inning by inning, Thomas Oliphant re-creates a relentless melodrama that shows this final game in its true glory. As we move through the game, he builds a remarkable history of the hapless "Bums," exploring the Dodgers' status as a national team, based on their fabled history of near-triumphs and disasters that made them classic underdogs. He weaves into this brilliant recounting a winning memoir of his own family's story and their time together on that fateful day that the final game was played.This victory thrilled the national African-American community, still mired in the evils of segregation, who had erupted in joy at the arrival of Jackie Robinson eight years earlier and rooted unabashedly for this integrated team at a time when the country was thoroughly segregated.And it also thrilled a nine-year-old boy on the East Side of Manhattan in a loving, struggling family for whom the Dodgers were a rare source of the joys and symbols that bring families together through tough times.
Praying in Rome: Reflections on the Conclave and Electing Pope Francis
by Timothy M. DolanThe Archbishop of New York offers his insight on his time in Rome, the Conclave and the election of a new Holy Father, Pope Francis.Since February 2013, many have asked Cardinal Timothy Dolan to comment about Pope Benedict XVI's resignation, his final days in the Vatican, the Conclave, and the excitement and joy of the election of Pope Francis. Those two months--between the time Pope Benedict announced his retirement up until the election of Pope Francis--were a deeply spiritual and important period for the Cardinal. In this eBook original, he reflects on that most exciting of times. By turns, witty, provocative, and inspiring Cardinal Dolan gives a first hand account of what happened during those days and what it means for the future of the Church.
Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas
by Omar MouallemJournalist Omar Mouallem travels to thirteen remarkable mosques and discovers the surprising history of their communities. But what he finds also challenges his own long-held personal beliefs, and even his sense of identity.&“Until recently, Muslim identity was imposed on me. But I feel different about my religious heritage in the era of ISIS and Trumpism, Rohingya and Uyghur genocides, ethnonationalism and misinformation. I&’m compelled to reclaim the thing that makes me a target. I&’ve begun to examine Islam closely with an eye for how it has shaped my values, politics, and connection to my roots. No doubt, Islam has a place within me. But do I have a place within it?&” Omar Mouallem grew up in a Muslim household, but always questioned the role of Islam in his life. As an adult, he used his voice to criticize what he saw as the harms of organized religion. But none of that changed the way others saw him. Now, as a father, he fears the challenges his children will no doubt face as Western nations become increasingly nativist and hostile toward their heritage. In Praying to the West, Mouallem explores the unknown history of Islam across the Americas, traveling to thirteen unique mosques in search of an answer to how this religion has survived and thrived so far from the place of its origin. From California to Quebec, and from Brazil to Canada&’s icy north, he meets the members of fascinating communities, all of whom provide different perspectives on what it means to be Muslim. Along this journey he comes to understand that Islam has played a fascinating role in how the Americas were shaped—from industrialization to the changing winds of politics. And he also discovers that there may be a place for Islam in his own life, particularly as a father, even if he will never be a true believer. Original, insightful, and beautifully told, Praying to the West reveals a secret history of home and the struggle for belonging taking place in towns and cities across the Americas, and points to a better, more inclusive future for everyone.
Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice
by Vanessa Zoltan&“In these soaring, open-hearted essays, Vanessa Zoltan writes with fierce brilliance about suffering, survival, and the kind of meaning in life that can withstand real scrutiny.&”—John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars and The Anthropocene Reviewed A deeply felt celebration of a classic novel--and a reflection on the ways our favorite books can shape and heal us.Our favorite books keep us company, give us hope, and help us find meaning in a chaotic world. In this fresh and relatable work, atheist chaplain Vanessa Zoltan blends memoir and personal growth as she grapples with the notions of family legacy and identity through the lens of her favorite novel, Jane Eyre. Informed by the reading practices of medieval monks and rabbinic scholars from her training at the Harvard Divinity School and filtered through the pages of Jane Eyre as well as Little Women, Harry Potter, and The Great Gatsby, Zoltan explores topics ranging from the trauma she has inherited as the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors to finding hope, meaning, and even magic in our deeply fractured times. Brimming with a lifelong love of classic literature and the tenderness of self-reflection, the book also reveals simple techniques for reading any work as a sacred text--from Virginia Woolf to Anne of Green Gables to baseball scorecards.Whether you're an avowed "Eyrehead" or simply a curious reader looking for a richer connection with the written word, this deeply felt and inspiring book will light the way to a more intimate appreciation for whatever books you love to read.
Pre-Deployment Stress, Mental Health, and Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Marines
by Jeffrey Garnett Carrie M. Farmer Christine Anne Vaughan Robin M. WeinickAs part of an evaluation of the Marine Corps Operational Stress Control and Readiness (OSCAR) program, this report describes the methods and findings of a large survey of marines who were preparing for a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan in 2010 or 2011. The results are among the first to shed light on the pre-deployment mental health status of marines, as well as the social resources they draw on when coping with stress and their attitudes about seeking help for stress-related problems.
Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine
by Tom JordanThe story of America's greatest running legend.For five years, no American runner could beat him at any distance over a mile. But at the age of 24, with his best years still ahead, long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine finally lost. Driving alone at night after a party, Prefontaine crashed his sports car, putting a tragic, shocking end to the life and career of one of the most influential, accomplished runners of our time.More than 20 years later, Pre continues to influence the running world.From his humble origins in Coos Bay, Oregon, Pre became the first person to win four NCAA titles in one event. Year after year, he was virtually unbeatable. Instead of becoming one of the new breed of professional track athletes, Pre chose to stay amateur and fight for the adequate funding he felt American amateur athletes deserved.A man of incredible desire and energy, Pre trained relentlessly. In his drive to be the best, he spurred others to do their best. As one racer said, "He ran every race as if it were his last."But Pre not only touched runners; his exciting technique as well as his maverick lifestyle made him a favorite of the fans. A race with Prefontaine in it was automatically an event.His brief but brilliant life—documented by author Tom Jordan—is the tale of a true American hero.This is his story."Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative." —Steve Prefontaine*The e-book edition does not include photos
Preacher, Politician, Patriot: A Life of John Dunmore Lang
by Don BakerJohn Dunmore Lang had a finger in most pies in colonial New South Wales. He arrived in 1823, a young Presbyterian minister in search of a pulpit. Fifty years later his funeral befitted a founding father not only of the Presbyterian Church in Australia but of the nation itself. He established the Scots Church and his own secondary school, the Australian College. He was a populist politician whose republican and democrat leanings strengthened during a quarter-century in the Legislative Council. He ran three newspapers. He circled the globe eight times; one of his many missions was to recruit clerics, along with respectable tradesmen and small farmers from the British Isles—anywhere but Papist Ireland. He wrote a book or two during most voyages. And that is not the half of it. Volatile and vindictive, Lang loved a fight, answered only to God and was never still. Towards the end of a life peppered with church rifts, he was locked out of the very church he had built. The financial dealings of this fierce preacher of moral rectitude were labyrinthine and shady. They twice landed him in gaol—as did a willingness to libel opponents. Yet he was a hero to ordinary workers and a perceptive critic of the treatment of Aboriginal people. Lang is a problematic giant from our colonial past. Don Baker, his cool, authoritative, gently ironic biographer, considers him 'almost as large a figure as he claimed to be'.
Preaching in My Yes Dress: Confessions of a Reluctant Pastor (Excelsior Editions)
by Jo PageFinalist for the 2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in the Autobiography & Memoir categoryLonglisted for the 2017 Chautauqua Prize presented by the Chautauqua InstitutionAfter a series of childhood misfortunes—her father's death, her mother's ill-advised love affair, her disabled sister wrecking the family GTO—self-avowed church-geek Jo Page decided it was her job to figure out how to stay on God's good side and maybe spare the family any more tragedy. But she was a girl. And a Lutheran. That ruled out the Roman Catholic sisterhood as so quasi-erotically portrayed by Audrey Hepburn in Page's favorite movie, The Nun's Story. Though women were ordained in the larger branch of the Lutheran church, when Page's own pastor handed her a brochure enumerating all the ways in which she, as a female, was to be silent and submissive, she gave up on the church and went off in search of sex and drugs and rock-and-roll like any rejected adolescent Lutheran girl would.Eventually Page found her way back into the church and ultimately into ordained ministry, spending twenty years in the ecclesiastical trenches, presiding over life's rituals and preaching compulsory weekly words of hope she wasn't sure she even believed.Comical, provocative, and heartbreaking, Preaching in My Yes Dress tells several stories: of a child's need to cleave to the very God who instills mortal terror; of the shape-shifting that a public "pastoral identity" entails; of the power of ritual and the weight involved in presiding over it; and of the rise of the religious right and the patriarchy endemic to both scripture and faith traditions. Page also raises the question of whether or not faith can heal the wounds the life of faith has itself inflicted.
Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis
by Jabari AsimA New York Times Best Illustrated BookCritically acclaimed author Jabari Asim and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator E. B. Lewis give readers a fascinating glimpse into the boyhood of Civil Rights leader John Lewis. John wants to be a preacher when he grows up—a leader whose words stir hearts to change, minds to think, and bodies to take action. But why wait? When John is put in charge of the family farm&’s flock of chickens, he discovers that they make a wonderful congregation! So he preaches to his flock, and they listen, content under his watchful care, riveted by the rhythm of his voice. Celebrating ingenuity and dreaming big, this inspirational story, featuring Jabari Asim&’s stirring prose and E. B. Lewis&’s stunning, light-filled impressionistic watercolor paintings, includes an author&’s note about John Lewis, who grew up to be a member of the Freedom Riders, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and demonstrator on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. John Lewis is now a Georgia congressman, who is still an activist today, recently holding a sit-in on the House floor of the U.S. Capitol to try to force a vote on gun violence. His March: Book Three recently won the National Book Award, as well as the American Library Association's Coretta Scott King Author Award, Printz Award, and Sibert Award.
Precious Bodily Fluids: 1961. A boy. A pub. And the great fluoride debate
by Charles Waterstreet`a funny, evocative memoir that perfectly captures a significant slice of Australian life.? Peter FitzSimonsIt is the end of 1961 and the New South Wales country town of Albury lies flat on its back in the sun, swatting flies, with its feet sticking out over the mighty Murray River into Victoria. Everything is on the cusp of something else.A battle royal rages as Alburnians present a united front against the dreaded prospect of fluoridation of the town?s water supply. This monstrous plot must be stopped in its tracks; the people of Albury insist on their sacred right to let their teeth, and those of their children, rot.Through this furore, local larrikin Charles Waterstreet, aged eleven, and his mate Taillight roam the parks and highways of their home town and discover the real hidden horror of childhood: everything is what it seems. `This is a story for every person who has ever been on the threshold of change ? A story of larrikins, rival pubs, words of wisdom and wistfulness from the inhabitants of a small town by the border.? William McInnes'brilliantly and hilariously captures the humour, tragedy and poignancy of what it was like to be a young boy growing up in rural Australia? Woman's Day
Precious Cargo: My Year of Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077
by Craig DavidsonFor readers of Kristine Barnett's The Spark, Andrew Solomon's Far From the Tree and Ian Brown's The Boy in the Moon, here is a heartfelt, funny and surprising memoir about one year spent driving a bus full of children with special needs.With his last novel, Cataract City, Craig Davidson established himself as one of our most talented novelists. But before writing that novel and before his previous work, Rust and Bone, was made into a Golden Globe-nominated film, Davidson experienced a period of poverty, apparent failure and despair. In this new work of riveting and timely non-fiction, Davidson tells the unvarnished story of one transformative year in his life and of his unlikely relationships with a handful of unique and vibrant children who were, to his initial astonishment and bewilderment, and eventual delight, placed in his care for a couple of hours each day--the kids on school bus 3077. One morning in 2008, desperate and impoverished while trying unsuccessfully to write, Davidson plucked a flyer out of his mailbox that read, "Bus Drivers Wanted." That was the first step towards an unlikely new career: driving a school bus full of special-needs kids for a year. Armed only with a sense of humour akin to that of his charges, a creative approach to the challenge of driving a large, awkward vehicle while corralling a rowdy gang of kids, and unexpected reserves of empathy, Davidson takes us along for the ride. He shows us how his evolving relationship with the kids on that bus, each of them struggling physically as well as emotionally and socially, slowly but surely changed his life along with the lives of the "precious cargo" in his care. This is the extraordinary story of that year and those relationships. It is also a moving, important and universal story about how we see and treat people with special needs in our society.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces
by Albert MudrianThe making of the 25 greatest extreme metal albums of all time, as told via exclusive band-member interviews, drawn and expanded from "Decibel"'s OC Hall of FameOCO"
Precious Moments in Hell
by CharliThe world is full of tragedy. No one is exempt from having times when they feel like giving up on life because of pain and misery, &“hell on earth.&” Author and survivor Charli&’s memoir reminds readers to never give up on themselves for the Lord is in the midst of tumultuous events. He is always present in the form of a Precious Moment.Charli is one of the many people who have lived through soul-crushing pain. Beginning when she was four years old, she witnessed the darker side of humanity firsthand, from a physically abusive father who abandoned the family to a neglectful mother. Living in foster care and enduring seven years of daily torture was no walk in the park for Charli and certainly didn&’t lighten the burden she would have to bear later in life. Like never-ending torrential rain, Charli&’s life threw one storm after another at her, namely the murder of her mother, the sexual victimization and abduction of her daughter, and the abuse from her husbands not unlike what her mother experienced decades prior.&“There are valleys we each will walk through in this life. Some refer to them as hell on earth. Psalm 23 call them &‘valleys of shadows of death.&’&” This book is a testimony that can serve as a lamp onto your feet and a light onto your path.
Precious Objects
by Alicia OltuskiIn the middle of New York City lies a neighborhood where all secrets are valuable, all assets are liquid, and all deals are sealed with a blessing rather than a contract. Welcome to the diamond district. Ninety percent of all diamonds that enter America pass through these few blocks, but the inner workings of this mysterious world are known only to the people who inhabit it. In Precious Objects, twenty-six-year-old journalist Alicia Oltuski, the daughter and granddaughter of diamond dealers, seamlessly blends family narrative with literary reportage to reveal the fascinating secrets of the diamond industry and its madcap characters: an Elvis-impersonating dealer, a duo of diamond-detective brothers, and her own eccentric father. With insight and drama, Oltuski limns her family's diamond-paved move from communist Siberia to a displaced persons camp in post-World War II Germany to New York's diamond district, exploring the connections among Jews and the industry, the gem and its lore, and the exotic citizens of this secluded world. Entertaining and illuminating, Precious Objects offers an insider's look at the history, business, and society behind one of the world's most coveted natural resources, providing an unforgettable backstage pass to an extraordinary and timeless show.
Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life
by Alicia OltuskiIn the middle of New York City lies a neighborhood where all secrets are valuable, all assets are liquid, and all deals are sealed with a blessing rather than a contract. Welcome to the diamond district. Ninety percent of all diamonds that enter America pass through these few blocks, but the inner workings of this mysterious world are known only to the people who inhabit it. In Precious Objects, twenty-six-year-old journalist Alicia Oltuski, the daughter and granddaughter of diamond dealers, seamlessly blends family narrative with literary reportage to reveal the fascinating secrets of the diamond industry and its madcap characters: an Elvis-impersonating dealer, a duo of diamond-detective brothers, and her own eccentric father. With insight and drama, Oltuski limns her family's diamond-paved move from communist Siberia to a displaced persons camp in post-World War II Germany to New York's diamond district, exploring the connections among Jews and the industry, the gem and its lore, and the exotic citizens of this secluded world. Entertaining and illuminating, Precious Objects offers an insider's look at the history, business, and society behind one of the world's most coveted natural resources, providing an unforgettable backstage pass to an extraordinary and timeless show.
Precious Ramotswe: A Mysterious Profile (Mysterious Profiles)
by Alexander McCall SmithIn this profile, the bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series recounts the creation of his popular Botswanan sleuth. In 1998, Mma Precious Ramotswe made her debut in Alexander McCall Smith&’s The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. The Plain Dealer hailed the novel as &“One of the best, most charming, honest, hilarious and life-affirming books to appear in years.&” Decades and many books later, Precious has her own bestselling series, but readers may be wondering how exactly this beloved character came to be. In this profile, the prolific McCall Smith offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at the development of his delightful detective. He recounts his childhood spent in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and working in Botswana in the 1980s. He reveals the inspiration for Precious and discusses the experience of creating the first book and getting it published. Those and other tales are sure to entertain fans of Precious old and new. Praise for Alexander McCall Smith and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series &“The Miss Marple of Botswana.&” —The New York Times Book Review &“Smart and sassy . . . Precious&’ progress is charted in passages that have the power to amuse or shock or touch the heart, sometimes all at once.&” —Los Angeles Times &“The author&’s prose has the merits of simplicity, euphony and precision. His descriptions leave one as if standing in the Botswana landscape. This is art that conceals art. I haven&’t read anything with such alloyed pleasure for a long time.&” —Anthony Daniels, The Sunday Telegraph &“McCall Smith is a master. . . . There&’s beauty and revelation of one kind or another woven expertly into every line.&” —The Christian Science Monitor &“Comfort-food reading, and never more welcome.&” —Kirkus Reviews
Predator King: Peter Nygard's Dark Life of Rape, Drugs, and Blackmail
by Melissa CroninJeffrey Epstein. Harvey Weinstein. Bill Cosby. Peter Nygard. With this book, the infamous hall of fame for billionaire sex predators has inducted another member. Peter Nygard is the most famous and successful fashion designer that you might never have heard of. A Finnish-Canadian crowned the &“polyester phenom&” by Forbes, he built a nearly billion-dollar fortune shilling pants and blouses for the thirty-five and older set. Dillard&’s, Sears, and Wal-Mart all called him one of their top providers, and he boasted a massive flagship store in the heart of Times Square. As he was building his fashion empire, however, Nygard also was allegedly building a dark international web of sexual predation and corruption―one that countless girls and women around the world claim destroyed their lives. Like in so many similar cases, Nygard stands accused of using his power, influence, and the trappings of success to ensnare and victimize vulnerable young women. Dangling the promise of a glamorous international modeling career before them, his victims—some allegedly as young as fourteen—claim that Nygard lured them to his California beach house, Canadian bachelor pad, and massive Caribbean estate, only to subject them to horrors they never could have imagined. Those are just some of the terrible acts that Nygard allegedly perpetrated behind the closed doors of his dens of evil. Meanwhile, Nygard&’s invited guests—such as Britain&’s Prince Andrew, former President George H. W. Bush, Robert De Niro, and Sylvester Stallone—were supposedly none the wiser. Predator King shines a spotlight on how money, power, and political clout can come together to create a monster, one that leaves shattered lives in its wake once unleashed upon the world. How can we find such predators, as they prowl in the darkness? And more importantly, how can a man like Peter Nygard be stopped?