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True Reconciliation: How to Be a Force for Change
by Jody Wilson-RaybouldFrom the #1 bestselling author of 'Indian' in the Cabinet, a groundbreaking and accessible roadmap to advancing true reconciliation across Canada.There is one question Canadians have asked Jody Wilson-Raybould more than any other: What can I do to help advance reconciliation? It is clear that people from all over the country want to take concrete and tangible action that will make real change. We just need to know how to get started. This book provides that next step. For Wilson-Raybould, what individuals and organizations need to do to advance true reconciliation is self-evident, accessible, and achievable. True Reconciliation is broken down into three core practices—Learn, Understand, and Act—that can be applied by individuals, communities, organizations, and governments. The practices are based not only on the historical and contemporary experience of Indigenous peoples in their relentless efforts to effect transformative change and decolonization, but also on the deep understanding and expertise about what has been effective in the past, what we are doing right, and wrong, today, and what our collective future requires. Fundamental to a shared way of thinking is an understanding of the Indigenous experience throughout the story of Canada. In a manner that reflects how work is done in the Big House, True Reconciliation features an &“oral&” history of these lands, told through Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices from our past and present. The ultimate and attainable goal of True Reconciliation is to break down the silos we&’ve created that prevent meaningful change, to be empowered to increasingly act as &“inbetweeners,&” and to take full advantage of this moment in our history to positively transform the country into a place we can all be proud of.
The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas
by William J. BennettIf you've ever been asked, "Who is Saint Nicholas?". . . If you've ever wondered if he is just a commercial invention. . . If you've ever thought there is no such person. . . You may be surprised to know the true Saint Nicholas. You'll never again think of Santa Claus in quite the same way. An instant classic by one of America's most respected thinkers, The True Saint Nicholas is a book to be shared with family and friends every year to evoke the true spirit of Christmas.
The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas
by William J. BennettFormer secretary of education and New York Times bestselling author William Bennett blends his historical expertise with his gift for storytelling into a heartwarming book about the man who ultimately became known as Santa Claus.Beloved writer and speaker William Bennett brings the legendary Saint Nicholas to life in this fascinating and faith-affirming book that will change the way you think about Santa Claus and the meaning of Christmas. Bennett reflects on Saint Nicholas&’s storied life, which has spanned seventeen centuries across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and reveals an inspiring tale of devotion to God and an example of eternal goodness.The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas focuses on three aspects of Saint Nicholas—historical facts from his life, his legacy in the centuries following his death, and the legendary status that transformed his likeness into the present-day jolly, toy-bearing Santa Claus. The book vividly captures the heart and life of someone who lived long ago—and yet whose life remains an inspiration for everyone to aspire to a higher order of generosity, giving, and devotion to others.An instant classic by one of America&’s most respected thinkers, The True Saint Nicholas is a memorable keepsake to be shared with family and friends every year to evoke the true spirit of Christmas.
True Spirit
by Jessica WatsonTrue Spirit is Jessica Watson's own account of becoming, at just sixteen, the youngest person to ever sail solo, unassisted and non-stop around the globe. Now back in Australia after two hundred and ten harrowing days at sea in a 10 meter boat, teenage sailor and adventurer Jessica Watson takes readers beyond what has been revealed in the media and on her blog. She shares her preparation, how her parents came to terms with her decision, and a journey that included sleep deprivation, technical problems, gale-force winds, mountainous seas, and hazardous icebergs. She will also share how she managed to maintain composure against solitude that most of us can only imagine dealing with alone on a vast sea, with no land in sight and no help close at hand. This is a compelling, inspiring story of risk, guts, determination and achievement that will capture the hearts and mind of all those who admire an adventurous spirit. This eBook contains 19 embedded videos of the amazing journey that Jessica filmed as she sailed around the world. Note: Download time is 4-6 minutes.
True Stories About Abraham Lincoln
by Ruth Belov Gross"Dennis could hardly wait to see his new little cousin. When he got there he took a long look at the baby. It was all red and wrinkled. Dennis thought the baby's skin looked like squeezed cherries. After a while, Dennis asked if he could hold the baby. "Be careful, Dennis," Nancy Lincoln said. "You are the first boy he's ever seen." Then she gave him the baby to hold. Dennis took the baby in his arms. Little Abe began to cry, and he wouldn't stop. Dennis handed the yowling baby back. "Aunt, take him !" he said. "He'll never come to much!" Abraham Lincoln's cousin was wrong! Here are 22 true stories about our 16th President. They tell about him from the time he was born until the day he died."
True Stories from an Unreliable Eyewitness: A Feminist Coming of Age
by Christine Lahti“This collection captures, in writing, the same array of emotions that Christine brings to the stage and screen with her acting. Funny with heart. Tears with a hint of hope. A fantastic mosaic that, when cobbled together, offers a stirring range of humanity.” — Alan Zweibel, original SNL writer and Thurber Prize winning author of The Other Shulman“Christine Lahti’s autobiographical essays are a beautiful, painful, funny, fiercely honest walk through the streets of her life. Gorgeous landscape, dangerous potholes and all. The whole unedited she-bang. It’s Oz with the curtain pulled back. At once soul-baring, hilarious, moving and smart. I’m a fan.” — Kathy Najimy, actress and comedienne“Lahti launches into the literary world with the same dynamism that has enlivened her acting roles. With brazen honesty, she recounts the many surprising, heartbreaking, and identity-building events that have punctuated her life. True Stories of an Unreliable Eyewitness oozes modesty, humor, and complete levelheadedness.” — Kirkus Reviews“Christine Lahti has lived a full, ferocious life and her stories will break, beat and blister your heart.” — Amber Tamblyn, author, actress, and director “Engrossing, hilarious, tragic—this amazing book of essays by a wonderful actor whom we now know is also a great American storyteller, takes us from the Midwest to Hollywood to the moment of women’s rebellion we are currently in. Couldn’t put it down!” — Michael Moore, Academy Award winning filmmaker and bestselling author“An intimate, conversational collection. Lahti writes with ease and authenticity... her timely chronicle of aging wisely, gracefully, and with self-respect will resonate with many readers” — Publishers Weekly“Lahti’s style is irreverent, bawdy, and laugh-out-loud funny, but she doesn’t shirk from painful subjects, including family mental illness. Lahti is one of those rare celebrities who not only has a fascinating life but who can also tell a relatable story with humility and humor.” — Booklist
True Stories Of The Commandos: The British Army's Legendary Front line Fighting Force
by Robin HunterRaised in the dark, post-Dunkirk days of 1940 to carry the war to the enemy, in five short and violent years the British Army Commandos established a reputation that has made the name ‘Commando’ the mark of the fighting man.The Commandos began as small-scale raiders but their operations grew in size and destruction as the war progressed until, in the end, there were four full Commando Brigades; superb units which fought in every theatre of war, from Norway to Burma, from the coast of France to the islands of Yugoslavia. The Commandos were disbanded in 1945-46 but reformed in the 1970s, and in 1982, about 1000 army Commandos set sail to fight in the Falklands War.The long and proud history of the army contains accounts of many fine and distinguished units but few can equal – and none exceed – the story of the British Army Commandos.
True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa
by Michael FinkelIn the haunting tradition of Joe McGinniss's Fatal Vision and Mikal Gilmore's Shot in the Heart, True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa weaves a spellbinding tale of murder, love, and deceit with a deeply personal inquiry into the slippery nature of truth.The story begins in February of 2002, when a reporter in Oregon contacts New York Times Magazine writer Michael Finkel with a startling piece of news. A young, highly intelligent man named Christian Longo, on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list for killing his entire family, has recently been captured in Mexico, where he'd taken on a new identity--Michael Finkel of the New York Times.The next day, on page A-3 of the Times, comes another bit of troubling news: a note, written by the paper's editors, explaining that Finkel has falsified parts of an investigative article and has been fired. This unlikely confluence sets the stage for a bizarre and intense relationship. After Longo's arrest, the only journalist the accused murderer will speak with is the real Michael Finkel. And as the months until Longo's trial tick away, the two men talk for dozens of hours on the telephone, meet in the jailhouse visiting room, and exchange nearly a thousand pages of handwritten letters.With Longo insisting he can prove his innocence, Finkel strives to uncover what really happened to Longo's family, and his quest becomes less a reporting job than a psychological cat-and-mouse game--sometimes redemptively honest, other times slyly manipulative. Finkel's pursuit pays off only at the end, when Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally says what he wouldn't even admit in court--the whole, true story. Or so it seems.
True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa
by Michael FinkelIn the haunting tradition of Joe McGinniss's Fatal Vision and Mikal Gilmore's Shot in the Heart, True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa weaves a spellbinding tale of murder, love, and deceit with a deeply personal inquiry into the slippery nature of truth.The story begins in February of 2002, when a reporter in Oregon contacts New York Times Magazine writer Michael Finkel with a startling piece of news. A young, highly intelligent man named Christian Longo, on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list for killing his entire family, has recently been captured in Mexico, where he'd taken on a new identity--Michael Finkel of the New York Times.The next day, on page A-3 of the Times, comes another bit of troubling news: a note, written by the paper's editors, explaining that Finkel has falsified parts of an investigative article and has been fired. This unlikely confluence sets the stage for a bizarre and intense relationship. After Longo's arrest, the only journalist the accused murderer will speak with is the real Michael Finkel. And as the months until Longo's trial tick away, the two men talk for dozens of hours on the telephone, meet in the jailhouse visiting room, and exchange nearly a thousand pages of handwritten letters.With Longo insisting he can prove his innocence, Finkel strives to uncover what really happened to Longo's family, and his quest becomes less a reporting job than a psychological cat-and-mouse game--sometimes redemptively honest, other times slyly manipulative. Finkel's pursuit pays off only at the end, when Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally says what he wouldn't even admit in court--the whole, true story. Or so it seems.
True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa
by Michael FinkelIn the haunting tradition of Joe McGinniss's Fatal Vision and Mikal Gilmore's Shot in the Heart, True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa weaves a spellbinding tale of murder, love, and deceit with a deeply personal inquiry into the slippery nature of truth. The story begins in February of 2002, when a reporter in Oregon contacts New York Times Magazine writer Michael Finkel with a startling piece of news. A young, highly intelligent man named Christian Longo, on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list for killing his entire family, has recently been captured in Mexico, where he'd taken on a new identity-Michael Finkel of the New York Times. The next day, on page A-3 of the Times, comes another bit of troubling news: a note, written by the paper's editors, explaining that Finkel has falsified parts of an investigative article and has been fired. This unlikely confluence sets the stage for a bizarre and intense relationship. After Longo's arrest, the only journalist the accused murderer will speak with is the real Michael Finkel. And as the months until Longo's trial tick away, the two men talk for dozens of hours on the telephone, meet in the jailhouse visiting room, and exchange nearly a thousand pages of handwritten letters. With Longo insisting he can prove his innocence, Finkel strives to uncover what really happened to Longo's family, and his quest becomes less a reporting job than a psychological cat-and-mouse game-sometimes redemptively honest, other times slyly manipulative. Finkel's pursuit pays off only at the end, when Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally says what he wouldn't even admit in court-the whole, true story. Or so it seems.
True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa
by Michael FinkelThe improbable but true story of a man accused of murdering his entire family and the journalist he impersonated while on the runIn 2001, Mike Finkel was on top of the world: young, talented, and recently promoted to a plum job at the New York Times Magazine. Then he made an irremediable slip: Under extraordinary pressure to keep producing blockbuster stories, he fabricated parts of an article. Caught and excommunicated from the Times, he retreated to his home in Montana, swearing off any contact with the media. When the phone rang, though, he couldn’t resist. At the other end was a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle, whom Finkel congratulated on being the first in what was sure to be a long and bloodthirsty line of media watchdogs. The reporter was puzzled. In Waldport, Oregon, Christian Longo had killed his young wife and three children and dumped their bodies into the bay. With a stolen credit card, he fled south, making his way to Cancun, where he lived for several weeks under an assumed identity: Michael Finkel, journalist for the New York Times. True Story is the tale of a bizarre and convoluted collision between fact and fiction, and a meditation on the slippery nature of truth. When Finkel contacts Longo in jail, the two men begin a close and complex relationship. Over the course of a year, they exchange long letters and weekly phone calls, playing out a cat-and-mouse game in which it’s never quite clear if the pursuer is Finkel or Longo—or both. Finkel’s dogged pursuit of the true story pays off only at the end, in the gripping trial scenes in which Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally tells the whole truth. Or so he says.
The True Story of J.Edgar Hoover and the FBI
by Barry DenenbergA biography of the former chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, focusing on the FBI's impact on the major law enforcement issues of the 1920s through the early 1970s.
The True Story of Noah's Ark
by Tom DooleyBased on the account of Noah's ark recorded in Genesis 6-9, tells the story of how God asked Noah to build an ark to save Noah's family and representative animals from the flood.
The True Story of Notorious Arizona Outlaw Augustine Chacón (True Crime)
by David GrasséBy the time he was hanged in 1903, Augustine Chacón had become the most notorious Mexican outlaw in the Arizona Territory. His alleged crimes had made him a virtual legend, but the facts show that Chacón wasn't the bloodthirsty fiend he was made out to be. Journalists of the era chased sensationalist stories, pandering to a readership that longed for excitement. Each retelling of Chacón's exploits added outlandish details, painting the escaped prisoner as a brutal gunman responsible for as many as fifty-two murders. In reality, Augustine Chacón may not even have killed the man he was hanged for shooting. Join author David Grassé as he uncovers the true story of Arizona's most enduring criminal legend.
The True Story of the Great Escape: Stalag Luft III, March 1944
by Jonathan F. Vance Simon PearsonThe real history behind the classic war movie and the men who plotted the daring escape from a Nazi POW camp. Between dusk and dawn on the night of March 24th–25th 1944, a small army of Allied soldiers crawled through tunnels in Germany in a covert operation the likes of which the Third Reich had never seen. The prison break from Stalag Luft III in eastern Germany was the largest of its kind in the Second World War. Seventy-nine Allied soldiers and airmen made it outside the wire—but only three made it outside Nazi Germany. Fifty were executed by the Gestapo. In this book Jonathan Vance tells the incredible story that was made famous by the 1963 film The Great Escape. It is a classic tale of prisoners and their wardens in a battle of wits and wills. The brilliantly conceived escape plan is overshadowed only by the colorful, daring (and sometimes very funny) crew who executed it—literally under the noses of German guards. From the men&’s first days in Stalag Luft III and the forming of bonds among them, to the tunnel building, amazing escape, and eventual capture, Vance&’s history is a vivid, compelling look at one of the greatest &“exfiltration&” missions of all time. &“Shows the variety and depth of the men sent into harm&’s way during World War II, something emphasized by the population of Stalag Luft III. Most of the Allied POWs were flyers, with all the technical, tactical and planning skills that profession requires. Such men are independent thinkers, craving open air and wide-open spaces, which meant that an obsession with escape was almost inevitable.&” —John D. Gresham
The True Story of the Great Escape: Stalag Luft III, March 1944
by Jonathan F. Vance Simon PearsonThe real history behind the classic war movie and the men who plotted the daring escape from a Nazi POW camp. Between dusk and dawn on the night of March 24th–25th 1944, a small army of Allied soldiers crawled through tunnels in Germany in a covert operation the likes of which the Third Reich had never seen. The prison break from Stalag Luft III in eastern Germany was the largest of its kind in the Second World War. Seventy-nine Allied soldiers and airmen made it outside the wire—but only three made it outside Nazi Germany. Fifty were executed by the Gestapo. In this book Jonathan Vance tells the incredible story that was made famous by the 1963 film The Great Escape. It is a classic tale of prisoners and their wardens in a battle of wits and wills. The brilliantly conceived escape plan is overshadowed only by the colorful, daring (and sometimes very funny) crew who executed it—literally under the noses of German guards. From the men&’s first days in Stalag Luft III and the forming of bonds among them, to the tunnel building, amazing escape, and eventual capture, Vance&’s history is a vivid, compelling look at one of the greatest &“exfiltration&” missions of all time. &“Shows the variety and depth of the men sent into harm&’s way during World War II, something emphasized by the population of Stalag Luft III. Most of the Allied POWs were flyers, with all the technical, tactical and planning skills that profession requires. Such men are independent thinkers, craving open air and wide-open spaces, which meant that an obsession with escape was almost inevitable.&” —John D. Gresham
True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal -- and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life
by Kevin SorboOn television, as the star of the popularHercules: The Legendary Journeys, Kevin Sorbo portrayed an invincible demi god. He relished living the part—putting in 14-hour days on set, doing his own stunts, and relentlessly working out at the gym. Until one day it all came to an abrupt end. Now, for the first time, Sorbo shares what viewers didn’t know: he suffered three strokes from an aneurysm in his shoulder that had been radiating blood clots throughout his body, likely for months. He was left partially blind and entirely incapacitated at just thirty-eight years old. Appearances are everything in Hollywood, so Sorbo and the production studio hid the full details of his condition from the media. After all, how could the strongest man in the world be…fragile? To continue filmingHercules, the number-one worldwide syndicated TV series at the time, they frantically reworked scripts and revamped production to allow for the star’s severely limited involvement. But as the effects of the strokes persisted—with painful, mysterious, debilitating symptoms—and physicians could offer few answers, Sorbo grew increasingly despondent. What happens when your entire identity vanishes?True Strengthis the story of how one man faced the unimaginable and ultimately found the real measure of success. With tongue-in-cheek humor and an unfailingly candid voice, Sorbo reflects on his childhood in Minnesota, his early modeling and acting days, and his hard-charging charmed life in television. He recounts the onset of his stroke symptoms, the frightening hospitalizations, his battle with depression, and fighting for a recovery that defied medical expectations. And how through it all, love conspired to save him from missing out on what matters. With this refreshingly honest account of celebrity, personal tragedy, and the power of letting go, Sorbo aims to blaze a trail for anyone who may have suffered a serious setback in life and is struggling to find their way forward.
True Tales from the Mad, Mad, Mad World of Opera
by Lotfi Mansouri Mark Hernandez Carol BurnettAn insider’s view of the opera world from one of its greatest figures. Everything about opera is larger than life, but the bigger the art form, the bigger the potential for disaster. When things go wrong at the opera house, they really go wrong. No one has a greater or more intimate knowledge of such moments than Lotfi Mansouri. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, Mansouri has directed nearly 500 productions at major opera houses around the globe. Mansouri has gathered a collection of discrete vignettes that recount unforgettable and revealing moments at the opera as personally experienced or witnessed by him. From unbelievable snafus to unfortunate mishaps to astounding coincidences, these vignettes feature some of the biggest names in opera, as well as prominent figures from politics and more. From the hilarious to the bizarre, this is a reader-friendly look at what is often thought of as an overly serious, even mysterious form of art.
True Tales of Lust and Love
by Anna DavidAnna David's True Tales of Lust and Love began as a one-time-only reading and storytelling show in January of 2012, a venue for writers and comedians to share and laugh at their dating disaster stories. But after selling out the venue and attracting immediate press and buzz-with articles in The LA Weekly, LA Times, Time Out, Flavorpill, and LAist, among others-David agreed to produce the show every month. It has continued not only to sell out but also to attract a growing list of authors, comedians, and Hollywood writers. As Time Out declared, "This is the place to go to see strong female performers."With the show now booked indefinitely, and with audio recordings of each performance available on iTunes, Anna has collected the most popular and entertaining pieces into the first ever True Tales of Lust and Love anthology. The book includes essays organized into three sections-Casual Sex, Dating, and Out of the Ordinary-which collectively offer up funny, raucous, insightful, and surprisingly touching confessions about the quest for lust and love. Everyone has dating disaster stories, everyone needs to share and laugh at them, and this anthology will give readers the opportunity to do just that, with contributions from the funniest writers and comedians around, pulled from the world of books, TV, and film. True Tales of Lust and Love is the perfect complement for a funny or cynical Valentine's Day-and beyond.
True Tales of Prescott (American Chronicles)
by Bradley G. Courtney Drew DesmondA saloon town like no other.Carved out of the wilderness to become the first capital of Arizona Territory, Prescott has been a magnet for colorful characters since 1864. From Isaac Goldberg, proprietor of the first saloon, to musical icon Bruce Springsteen, Prescott has hosted its fair share of legends. Highwayman Brazen Bill Brazelton moseyed through the streets of Prescott, as did Bucky O'Neill and Barry Goldwater. Famous landmarks like the Palace Saloon not only survived prohibition but the Great Fire of 1900 that burned through Whiskey Row.Join historians Bradley G. Courtney and Drew Desmond as they round up tales of Prescott's fascinating past.
True To Both My Selves
by Katrin FitzherbertTRUE TO BOTH MY SELVES is an extraordinary account of a childhood disjointed by country and by war. Curiously mirroring her English grandmother, who married a German hairdresser in London and was then expelled to Germany following the First World War, Katrin Fitzherbert was born in Germany in 1936 and lived under Hitler's regime until, at the age of eleven, she was suddenly 'repatriated' to an England she had never known. There she had to forget her German father and the German language. This is the story of three generations of remarkable women, and their struggle for survival and integrity as individuals in times divided by war.
True to His Word: The Story of Bible Study Fellowship (BSF)
by Gregg Lewis Deborah Shaw LewisThis gripping story history of Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) begins more like an ending when an unknown, single, middle-aged, British-woman Missionary, was forced to flee China when Communists moved in. Grieving the heart-breaking conclusion of what she'd believed was her life-long calling, Wetherell Johnson's journey home to England collided with a Divine appointment when five California women asked her to teach them more about the Bible. She agreed and that Bible study with five women grew into an organization which exploded into a movement that now ministers to hundreds of thousands of students every week and has impacted the lives of millions of people in countries around the world including the Republic of China. Told through a big family photo album pasted together and held in place with a fascinating narrative thread, God's faithfulness through His plans, will touch your heart and renew your passion for His Word.
True to Life: The Incredible Story of a Young Woman Who Spoke Up for the Unborn and Found Herself in the National Spotlight
by Janet FolgerThe incredible story of a young woman who spoke up for the unborn and found herself in the national spotlight. As this desperate battle continues to rage, God has placed at its epicenter the most unlikely of persons: Janet Folger who used to be afraid to speak, period - let alone to speak out on abortion. But there she was as a young single woman fighting for and winning passage of the nation's first ban on partial-birth abortion. In the midst of making you laugh, Janet energizes you with renewed hope and a creative action plan for success in the human rights movement of our time.From the Trade Paperback edition.
True Virtue: The Autobiography of a Western Buddhist Nun
by John Barnett Sister Annabel LaityThe captivating autobiography of the first Western nun ordained in Thich Nhat Hanh's Vietnamese Zen lineage.In 1988, Sister Annabel Laity became the first Western person to be ordained as a monastic disciple in Thich Nhat Hanh's Vietnamese Zen lineage. She was given the Dharma name Chan Duc, which means True Virtue. Thirty years later, Sister Annabel is a much-loved senior Dharma teacher in the Plum Village community. She teaches and leads retreats worldwide, and is widely recognized as an accomplished and insightful Buddhist scholar. In this autobiography, Sister True Virtue shares the trials and joys of her lifelong search for spiritual community. First inspired by the kind Catholic nuns who ran her primary school, she encounters Buddhism while studying ancient languages at university in England. A few years later, when teaching classics in Greece, she meets a Tibetan Buddhist nun, an encounter that changes the course of her life and eventually leads her to her teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, and to her spiritual home in Plum Village, Thich Nhat Hanh's practice center in France. True Virtue is a timeless testament to the importance of spiritual exploration, and offers a unique perspective on Thich Nhat Hanh's monastic community.
True West: Sam Shepard's Life, Work, and Times
by Robert GreenfieldA revelatory biography of the world-famous playwright and actor Sam Shepard, whose work was matched by his equally dramatic life, including collaborations with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan as well as tumultuous relationships with Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell, and Jessica Lange&“Robert Greenfield&’s vivid, clear-eyed biography captures both the man and the myth—and, perhaps most important, the writer, who sang a new kind of song in American theater.&”—Michael Schulman, author of Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep True West: Sam Shepard&’s Life, Work, and Times is the story of an American icon, a lasting portrait of Sam Shepard as he really was, revealed by those who knew him best. This sweeping biography charts Shepard&’s long and complicated journey from a small town in Southern California to become an internationally known playwright and movie star. The only son of an alcoholic father, Shepard crafted a public persona as an authentic American archetype: the loner, the cowboy, the drifter, the stranger in a strange land. Despite his great critical and financial success, he seemed, like so many of his characters, to remain perpetually dispossessed.Much like Robert Greenfield&’s biographies of Jerry Garcia and Timothy Leary, this book delves deeply into Shepard&’s life as well as the ways in which his work illuminates it. True West takes readers through the world of downtown theater in Lower Manhattan in the early sixties; the jazz scene at New York&’s Village Gate; fringe theater in London in the seventies; Bob Dylan&’s legendary Rolling Thunder tour; the making of classic films like Zabriskie Point, Days of Heaven, and The Right Stuff; and Broadway productions of Buried Child, True West, and Fool for Love.For this definitive biography, Greenfield interviewed dozens of people who knew Shepard well, many of whom had never before spoken on the record about him. While exploring his relationships with Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Jessica Lange across the long arc of his brilliant career, Greenfield makes the case for Shepard as not just a great American writer but a unique figure who first brought the sensibility of rock &’n&’ roll to theater.