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Unstoppable: My Life So Far
by Maria Sharapova<P>From Maria Sharapova, one of our fiercest female athletes, the captivating—and candid—story of her rise from nowhere to tennis stardom, and the unending fight to stay on top. <P>In 2004, in a stunning upset against the two-time defending champion Serena Williams, seventeen-year-old Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon, becoming an overnight sensation. Out of virtual anonymity, she launched herself onto the international stage. “Maria Mania” was born. <P>Sharapova became a name and face recognizable worldwide. Her success would last: she went on to hold the number-one WTA ranking multiple times, to win four more Grand Slam tournaments, and to become one of the highest-grossing female athletes in the world. <P>And then—at perhaps the peak of her career—Sharapova came up against the toughest challenge yet: during the 2016 Australian Open, she was charged by the ITF with taking the banned substance meldonium, only recently added to the ITF’s list. The resulting suspension would keep her off the professional courts for fifteen months—a frighteningly long time for any athlete. The media suggested it might be fateful.But Sharapova’s career has always been driven by her determination and by her dedication to hard work. <P> Her story doesn’t begin with the 2004 Wimbledon championship, but years before, in a small Russian town, where as a five-year-old she played on drab neighborhood courts with precocious concentration. It begins when her father, convinced his daughter could be a star, risked everything to get them to Florida, that sacred land of tennis academies. It begins when the two arrived with only seven hundred dollars and knowing only a few words of English. <P>From that, Sharapova scraped together one of the most influential sports careers in history.Here, for the first time, is the whole story, and in her own words. Sharapova’s is an unforgettable saga of dedication and fortune. She brings us inside her pivotal matches and illuminates the relationships that have shaped her—with coaches, best friends, boyfriends, and Yuri, her coach, manager, father, and most dedicated fan, describing with honesty and affection their oft-scrutinized relationship. She writes frankly about the suspension. <P>As Sharapova returns to the professional circuit, one thing is clear: the ambition to win that drove her from the public courts of Russia to the manicured lawns of Wimbledon has not diminished. Sharapova’s Unstoppable is a powerful memoir, resonant in its depiction of the will to win—whatever the odds. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan: Inventor, Entrepreneur, Hero
by Joan DiCiccoGarrett Morgan, a prolific African American inventor and entrepreneur, must test his latest invention in a daring rescue after an explosion at the Cleveland Waterworks."If a man puts something to block your way,the first time you go around it,the second time you go over it,and the third time you go through it." Living by these words made inventor and entrepreneur Garrett Morgan unstoppable! Growing up in Claysville, Kentucky, the son of freed slaves, young and curious Garrett was eager for life beyond his family's farm. At age fourteen, he moved north to Cleveland, where his creative mind took flight amidst the city's booming clothing-manufacturing industry. Using his ingenuity and tenacity, Garrett overcame racial barriers and forged a career as a successful businessman and inventor. But when a tunnel collapsed, trapping twenty men, the rescue would test both Garrett's invention -- and his courage. Told in compelling prose by debut picture-book author Joan DiCicco and dynamic illustrations from artist Ebony Glenn, The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan is a powerful biography of an extraordinary man who dedicated his life to improving the lives of others.
Unstoppable John: How John Lewis Got His Library Card--and Helped Change History
by Pat Zietlow MillerA poignant picture book biography on how John Lewis got his library card and helped change history.All John Lewis wanted was a library card, but in 1956, libraries were only for white people.That didn't seem fair to John, and so he spent a lifetime advocating for change and fighting against unfair laws until the laws changed. Finally, black people could eat at restaurants, see movies, vote in elections, and even get library cards. With an in-depth author's note, a timeline of John Lewis's life, and a lengthy list of resources, Unstoppable John, illustrated by Jerry Jordan and written by New York Times bestselling author Pat Zietlow Miller, explores the profound impact John had on the world and that books had on him.
Unstoppable Passion: The Captivating Story of Alberto Mottesi
by Alberto MottesiIn this book Dr. Alberto Mottesi demonstrates in a special way the generosity and mercy of God who sent his only Son as an immensely valuable instrument for touching lives and calling sinners to a person relationship with God. Pastor Mottesi lives a life that is filled with a passion for souls, and in this volume he teaches that the purpose of his life is to encourage the downtrodden. To inject passion into the youth. To provide a vision. To promote spiritual fire. To awaken consciences and to raise up a generation that will transform history. Only in this way, with this passion for the Word, can a child of God surrender himself entirely to preaching and proclaiming: “Because the word of God is living and active. Sharper that any two-edged sword…”
The Unstoppable Ruth Bader Ginsburg: American Icon
by Antonia Felix&“This is an adoring photo history that wonderfully shows Ginsburg in her private life as well as public.&”—Publishers WeeklyThis unofficial pictorial retrospective celebrates and honors the barrier-breaking achievements of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020), and is the first comprehensive, fully illustrated bio-pic book on her life and work.Not only did Ruth Bader Ginsburg—the second woman appointed to the Supreme Court—possess one of the greatest legal minds of our time, she was an admired cultural icon whose work on behalf of gender equality, and whose unprecedented career itself, indelibly changed American society. This gorgeously illustrated book, published in 2018 on her 25th anniversary as a justice of the Supreme Court, celebrates Ginsburg&’s legacy with 130 photographs, inspiring quotes, highlights from notable speeches and judicial opinions, and insightful commentary.Features a foreword by Mimi Leder, award-winning filmmaker and director of the 2018 major motion picture about RBG, On the Basis of Sex.
The Unstoppable Warrior Woman: Inspirational Stories of Women who Overcame the Odds and Chose to Thrive
by Bershan ShawThe Real Housewives of New York City star and life coach shares stories from forty survivors of racism, abuse, illness, relationship problems, and more.Unstoppable Warrior Women inspires readers as they read forty short stories of different women who have struggled with horrendous family issues, race issues, health issues, education issues, and romance issues—only to rise above these obstacles and challenges to make something meaningful of their lives. The honesty in these stories is rare and raw which makes the reader sit up and listen. There has never been a compendium of stories like this—and the powerfully positive messages encourage women of all types and in different situations. It shows honesty is the best policy, and that facing problems head-on is a recipe for success. Women are more and more in the spotlight now and these stories act as a guide for anyone who is feeling alone, is not sure where to go, or who think they might not have what it takes.“Includes stories from women all over the world who have decided to un-mute their voices and share their journeys to heal and help other women. From women’s health to domestic violence to sexual harassment to dealing with infertility or the loss of a child, the stories span a lifetime of all of these issues that women deal with and most of the time silently.” —Sheen
Unstrung Heroes: Fifty Guitar Greats You Should Know
by Pete BraidisInterviews with 50 guitar players you've no doubt heard but may not know by nameGuitar players from pop to jazz to heavy metal and folk, from the 1960s to the present dayAn insider's look behind the scenes of some of the greatest music ever recorded
UnStuck: Rebirth of an American Icon
by Stephanie StuckeyDiscover the inspiring firsthand account of Stephanie Stuckey&’s rise to CEO upon suddenly acquiring her family&’s beloved yet struggling brand, which had become a &“whatever happened to . . . ?&” fading memory for most Americans. Stephanie Stuckey&’s remarkable journey unfolds in UnStuck, a memoir that will inspire and captivate. When she unexpectedly becomes CEO of her family&’s company, Stephanie embarks on a mission to revive both the business and her family&’s legacy. Armed with her grandfather&’s wisdom and fueled by an unbreakable emotional connection, she sets out to turn the company&’s fortunes around. Stuckey&’s, a roadside oasis for generations of travelers along America&’s highways, fell into disrepair after decades of outside ownership. When Stephanie Stuckey, granddaughter of Stuckey&’s founder, is offered the chance to buy the business, she takes it, seeing something that isn&’t apparent in the bleak financial statements: an emotional connection that she and generations of road trippers had with the brand. UnStuck weaves Stephanie&’s compelling narrative with her grandfather&’s rich history. Finding inspiration and insight into both business and life in her grandfather&’s archives, Stephanie leans on her past to craft a strategy for the future, determined to rebuild the struggling company and leave a legacy for generations to come. This story is a celebration of resilience and overcoming seemingly impossible odds—and, ultimately, coming out on top. For female entrepreneurs, unconventional CEOs, family businesses, and road trip enthusiasts, UnStuck offers hope, practical tips on managing tough situations with grit, and an irresistible comeback story promising that second chances are indeed possible.
Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut's Life and Novels
by Gregory D. SumnerIn Unstuck in Time, Gregory Sumner guides us, with insight and passion, through a biography of fifteen of Kurt Vonnegut's best known works, his fourteen novels starting with Player Piano (1952) all the way to an epilogue on his last book, A Man Without a Country (2005), to illustrate the quintessential American writer's profound engagement with the "American Dream" in its various forms. Sumner gives us a poignant portrait of Vonnegut and his resistance to celebrating the traditional values associated with the American Dream: grandiose ambition, unbridled material success, rugged individualism, and "winners" over "losers." Instead of a celebration of these values, we read and share Vonnegut's outrage, his brokenhearted empathy for those who struggle under the ethos of survival-of-the-fittest in the frontier mentality--something he once memorably described as "an impossibly tough-minded experiment in loneliness." Heroic and tragic, Vonnegut's novels reflect the pain of his own life's experiences, relieved by small acts of kindness, friendship, and love that exemplify another way of living, another sort of human utopia, an alternative American Dream, and the reason we always return to his books.
The Unsubstantial Air: American Fliers in the First World War
by Samuel HynesThe vivid account of the young Americans who fought and died in the aerial battles of World War I, told in their own words.The Unsubstantial Air is the gripping story of the Americans who fought and died in the aerial battles of World War I. Much more than a traditional military history, it is an account of the excitement of becoming a pilot and flying in combat over the Western Front, told through the voices and words of the aviators themselves.A World War II pilot himself, the memoirist and critic Samuel Hynes revives the adventurous young men who inspired his own generation to take to the sky. By drawing on the letters sent home, diaries kept, and memoirs published in the years that followed, he brings to life their emotions, anxieties, and triumphs. They gasp in wonder at the world seen from a plane, struggle to keep their hands from freezing in open-air cockpits, party with actresses and aristocrats, rest of Voltaire’s castle, and search for their friends’ bodies on the battlefield. The young pilots’ romantic war becomes more than that—a harsh but often thrilling reality. Weaving together their testimonies, The Unsubstantial Air is a moving portrait of a generation coming of age under new and extreme circumstances.Praise for The Unsubstantial Air“Samuel Hynes is simultaneously a great gift to his complicated country and to our English language. He vividly brings to life our earliest air warriors and does so with a seemingly effortless but exhilarating prose that soars in much the same way his aviators do. Masterful.” —Ken Burns“A beautifully written evocation of the Ivy Leaguers, farm boys, and wild men who flew avions de chasse from (mainly) French airfields, based on their letters, flight diaries and memories.” —Roy Foster, The Times Literary Supplement Books of the Year (2014)
Unsuccessful Thug: One Comedian's Journey from Naptown to Tinseltown
by Mike EppsFrom Naptown to Tinseltown—legendary stand-up comedian and actor Mike Epps finally tells all in this outrageous, hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir.Before starring in Def Comedy Jam and Showtime at the Apollo—before the sold-out comedy shows, Uncle Buck, and becoming his hero Richard Pryor in a biopic—there was Indianapolis. And not the good part. Mike Epps is one of America’s favorite and funniest people, but the path to fame was paved with opportunities to mess it up. And mess it up he did. Growing up in “Naptown”—what people who live there really call rough-around-the-edges Indianapolis—Epps found himself forced to hustle from an early age. Despite his mother’s best efforts, and the love of his well-behaved brother, “Chaney,” and his beloved sister, Julie, Epps was drawn to a life of crime, but as he quickly discovered, stealing and dealing didn’t really fit his sweet sensibilities. Not to mention he wasn’t very good at it—take, for example, the day he had to call the cops on himself when a dog wouldn’t let him leave a house he was burgling. After several arrests and more than a few months in jail, Epps finally realized that he was an unsuccessful thug, and instead turned to the next most obvious career path: stand-up comedy. Heading first to New York, then all over the country, and finally to Hollywood, Mike Epps carved out a unique place in American comedy, combining hysterical tales of his family and friends with a mordant take on life in the Naptowns of America. Comedy saved Mike Epps, and here he reveals exactly how he finally grew up and got out, barely. And when describing how he survived when so many of his friends didn’t, Epps makes clear what he’s thankful for and sorry about. Unsuccessful Thug is about growing up black in America, facing down racism in Hollywood, and ultimately how it feels to fail at thugdom, pull yourself up by the bootstraps, and end up selling out arenas and starring in movies across the country.
Unsung: A Compendium of Creativity
by Kate CeberanoA beautiful illustrated memoir from beloved Australian musician Kate Ceberano, featuring her inspirational song lyrics, stories, paintings and embroidery, and celebrating four decades of songwriting and recording on the release of her 30th album. Kate Ceberano is used to a hush descending as she draws breath to release that magnificent voice but when the whole world quietened in 2020, she found the silence disorientating. Without an audience or long hours of travel with her tribe of musicians, there was time to think. But what does an artist do when they can&’t make art? They find a way. With characteristic passion, abundance and joy, Kate liberated her unsung songs. They flowed through her paintbrush as she embellished guitars, her needle as she stitched quilts to envelop her beloveds and her pen as she unfurled stories, poems and songs. In Unsung Kate muses on the people and experiences that have inspired her, on what has humbled her, what hurts and what sustains. This is the story of a powerful woman in her prime, but also of a reflective, romantic and vulnerable artist making sense of the universe. It&’s proof of a lifetime lived in music. It&’s a tribute to songs, wherever they come from and wherever they go.
Unsung America: Immigrant Trailblazers and Our Fight for Freedom
by Prerna LalReal immigrant perspectives of America&’s immigration system, perfect for fans of The Book of Awesome Women, Dear America, or American Like Me. Positive and heroic stories. Far too often, immigrants are demonized and scapegoated, when they should be celebrated as heroes and revolutionaries. This book strings together both triumphant and painful tales of immigrants who blazed trails and broke barriers in the fight for fundamental human rights.Unsung Heroes. These are ordinary people who have used their own stories on the fight for citizenship to illustrate their triumphs and trials as immigrants in a new land. Each uses a different strategy and tactics; what works for one does not work for another. They all have one thing in common, however―a desire for racial and social justice.Unsung America will transform how you view immigrants and refugees. In this celebratory book, you will discover:· Powerful theories of social change, and how what seems radical in one era can be normalized in the next· How the fight for citizenship is interconnected and interrelated to other struggles such as the civil rights movement and the LGBTQ movement· Stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things and how you, too, can be a force for good in the worldPraise for Unsung America &“Unsung America...pushes us to interrogate our violent immigration system and also uplifts the people whose contributions are too often erased.&”—Tina Vasquez, senior immigration reporter at Rewire News &“Lal lays out a timeline…that vividly chronicles the birth and impact of certain policies, views, and opinions within the realm of immigration policy.&”—Juan Escalante, Digital Campaigns Manager at FWD.us
Unsung Hero of Gettysburg: The Story of Union General David McMurtrie Gregg
by Edward G. LongacreGen. David McMurtrie Gregg (1833–1917) was one of the ablest and most successful commanders of cavalry in any Civil War army. Pennsylvania-born, West Point–educated, and deeply experienced in cavalry operations prior to the conflict, his career personified that of the typical cavalry officer in the mid-nineteenth-century American army. Gregg achieved distinction on many battlefields, including those during the Peninsula, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Bristoe, Overland, and Petersburg campaigns, ultimately gaining the rank of brevet major general as leader of the Second Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac. The highlight of his service occurred on July 3, 1863, the climactic third day at Gettysburg, when he led his own command as well as the brigade of Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer in repulsing an attempt by thousands of Confederate cavalry under the legendary J. E. B. Stuart in attacking the right flank and rear of the Union Army while Pickett&’s charge struck its front and center. Historians credit Gregg with helping preserve the security of his army at a critical point, making Union victory inevitable. Unlike glory-hunters such as Custer and Stuart, Gregg was a quietly competent veteran who never promoted himself or sought personal recognition for his service. Rarely has a military commander of such distinction been denied a biographer&’s tribute. Gregg&’s time is long overdue.
Unsung Ordinary Men: A Generation Like No Other
by Sally DingoAfter spending over three years in the horrific prisoner-of-war camps, including those along the Thai-Burma Railway, Sally Dingo's father Max was one of the fortunate ones: he came home. And yet, like most of the 22,000 Australian POWs of the Japanese, he would not, or could not, talk about what happened with those closest to him. It is also the story of Max's father Mort, who had served in World War I, the story of Max's cobbers - the perhaps unique community of ex-POWs who kept each other going - and the story of the mothers, wives and children who tried to understand what their men were still going through, decades later. This is the story of men, unsung and ordinary, who defended their country and were reluctant to tell the tale.
Unsung Valor: A GI's Story of World War II
by A. Cleveland HarrisonWinner of the 2001 Forrest C. Pogue Prize from the Eisenhower Center for American StudiesWhen drafted into the army in 1943, A. Cleveland Harrison was a reluctant eighteen-year-old Arkansas student sure that he would not make a good soldier. But inside thirty months he manfully bore arms and more. This book is his memoir about becoming a soldier, a common infantryman among the ranks of those who truly won the war. After the Allied victory in 1945, books by and about the major statesmen, generals, and heroes of World War II appeared regularly. Yet millions of American soldiers who helped achieve and secure victory slipped silently into civilian life, trying to forget the war and what they had done. Most remain unsung, for virtually none thought of themselves as exceptional. During the war ordinary soldiers had only done what they believed their country expected. Harrison's firsthand account is the full history of what happened to him in three units from 1943 to 1946, disclosing the sensibilities, the conflicting emotions, and the humor that coalesced within the naive draftee. He details the induction and basic training procedures, his student experiences in Army pre-engineering school, his infantry training and overseas combat, battle wounds and the complete medical pipeline of hospitalization and recovery, the waits in replacement depots, life in the Army of Occupation, and his discharge. Wrenched from college and denied the Army Specialized Training Program's promise of individual choice in assignment, students were thrust into the infantry. Harrison's memoir describes training in the Ninety-fourth Infantry Division in the U.S., their first combat holding action at Lorient, France, and the division's race to join Patton's Third Army, where Harrison's company was decimated, and he was wounded while attacking the Siegfried Line. Reassigned to the U.S. Group Control Council, he had a unique opportunity to observe both the highest echelons in military government and the ordinary soldiers as Allied troops occupied Berlin. This veteran's memoir reveals all aspects of military life and sings of those valorous but ordinary soldiers who achieved the victory.
The Unsustainable Presidency
by William F. Grover Joseph G. PeschekThe Unsustainable Presidency develops a structural theory of the office by challenging and redefining the twin imperatives upon which the modern chief executive was constructed and by applying the theory to the three most recent presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
UnSweetined: A Memoir
by Jodie Sweetin Jon WarechBeloved Full House star Jodie Sweetin recounts her journey from being one of America's sweethearts to a life of drug abuse and finally recovery.
Untamed: The Journal (how To Quit Pleasing And Start Living)
by Glennon DoyleIn her most revealing and powerful memoir yet, the beloved activist, speaker, and bestselling author of Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet the expectations of the world, and start trusting the voice deep within us. <P><P> This is how you find yourself.There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn’t it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? <P><P>We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent—even from ourselves. For many years, Glennon Doyle denied her own discontent. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room and fell instantly in love. Three words flooded her mind: There She Is. <P><P> At first, Glennon assumed these words came to her from on high. But she soon realized they had come to her from within. This was her own voice—the one she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions, cultural conditioning, and institutional allegiances. This was the voice of the girl she had been before the world told her who to be. Glennon decided to quit abandoning herself and to instead abandon the world’s expectations of her. She quit being good so she could be free. She quit pleasing and started living. <P><P>Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. <P><P>And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is. Untamed shows us how to be brave. As Glennon insists: The braver we are, the luckier we get. <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Untamed: The Wildest Woman in America and the Fight for Cumberland Island
by Will HarlanCarol Ruckdeschel is the wildest woman in America. She wrestles alligators, eats roadkill, rides horses bareback, and lives in a ramshackle cabin that she built by hand in an island wilderness. A combination of Henry David Thoreau and Jane Goodall, Carol is a self-taught scientist who has become a tireless defender of sea turtles on Cumberland Island, a national park off the coast of Georgia.Cumberland, the country’s largest and most biologically diverse barrier island, is celebrated for its windswept dunes and feral horses. Steel magnate Thomas Carnegie once owned much of the island, and in recent years, Carnegie heirs and the National Park Service have clashed with Carol over the island’s future. What happens when a dirt-poor naturalist with only a high school diploma becomes an outspoken advocate on a celebrated but divisive island? Untamed is the story of an American original standing her ground and fighting for what she believes in, no matter the cost.
Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall
by Anita SilveyJane Goodall, one of the most recognized scientists in the Western world, became internationally famous because of her ability to observe and connect with another species. A girl of humble beginnings and training, she made scientific breakthroughs thought impossible by more experienced field observers when she was only in her twenties. Then these animals shaped Jane's life. She began tirelessly fighting to protect the environment so that chimpanzees and other animals will continue have a place and a future on our planet. Jane Goodall continues to leave the modern world with an extraordinary legacy and has changed the scientific community forever.
Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight from America's Cities
by Jack CashillLong accused of racism and &“white flight,&” the ethnic Americans driven from their homes and neighborhoods—the author included—finally get the chance to tell their side of the story.&“A startlingly honest and poignant look at &‘white flight&’ from the white perspective. A necessary and overdue corrective.&” —Brent Bozell III, founder and president of the Media Research Center I asked one lifelong friend, a rare Democrat among the displaced, why he and his widowed mother finally left our block in the early 1970s, twenty years after the first African-American families moved in. He searched a minute for the right set of words, and then simply said, &“It became untenable.&” When I asked what he meant by &“untenable,&” he answered, &“When your mother gets mugged for the second time, that&’s untenable. When your home gets broken into for the second time, that&’s untenable.&” In researching this project, I found myself repeatedly stunned by the failure of self-described experts on white flight to ask those accused of fleeing why it was they fled. The reason the experts didn&’t ask, I discovered, is that they were afraid of what they might learn.
Untethered: A Memoir
by Hayley KatzenWhen South African Jewish academic Hayley Katzen moves to a remote Australian cattle property to live with her farmer girlfriend, she hopes, at last, to find home. But this is no happy-ever-after tree change. Lecture halls, law reform and the arts are replaced with castrating calves, shovelling manure, fire-fighting and anti-gas blockades. In a place that attracts people who live by their own rules, Hayley must confront her limitations and preconceptions to forge her own identity. Set in the unpredictable beauty of the Australian landscape, and told with Hayley Katzen&’s compelling candour and rigour, Untethered charts one migrant&’s search for home. Part love story and part off-the-grid adventure, Untethered is a powerful reminder that home can be found in many forms – in love, in family and friends, in ideologies and political movements, in landscapes and communities, and ultimately, in ourselves.
Untethered: Faith, Failure, and Finding Solid Ground
by Laura WhitfieldWhen Laura Whitfield was fourteen, her extraordinary brother, Lawrence, was killed in a mountain climbing accident. That night she had an epiphany: Life is short. Dream big, even if it means taking risks. So, after graduating from high school, she set out on her own, prepared to do just that.Laura spent her first summer after high school on North Carolina&’s Outer Banks, a magical few months filled with friendships, boys, and beer. There she met a handsome DJ who everyone called &“Steve the Dream,&” and risked her heart. When September came, Steve moved to New York City to become a model —prompting Laura to start thinking about modeling, too. After just one semester of college, still seeking to fill the void left by her brother&’s death, she dropped out and moved to New York to become a cover girl. But while juggling the demands of life in the big city—waiting tables, failed relationships, and the cutthroat world of modeling—she lost her way. A stirring memoir about a young woman&’s quest to find hope and stability after devastating loss, Untethered is Laura&’s story of overcoming shame, embracing faith, and learning that taking risks—and failing—can lead to a bigger life than you've ever dared to imagine.
The Unthinkable: A Story of Control, Violence and My Mother
by David Challen'David is one of the most courageous men I know . . . His book is one that everyone should read to understand coercive control, and what it is like to be a child growing up in a house where there is domestic abuse' Melanie Brown MBE, aka Mel B'Beautifully written and deeply moving, I found David's book so compelling I read it in one sitting. It is a powerful call to action as much as a very personal memoir' Samira Ahmed'A devastating portrayal of coercive control as depicted by a son' Irish Independent"When my mum struck, it was with the cumulative rage of thirty years of hurt."David Challen grew up in the perfect home with the model family.He also grew up inside a house which concealed his father's manipulation and control.One Saturday in 2010, David's mother struck more than twenty blows to the back of her husband's head with a hammer after thirty years of abuse. She then washed the dirty dishes from the lunch she had just cooked and left the house. In those few minutes, David's life was changed forever.Over the next decade, he led the fight to overturn her conviction; and in doing so he not only freed his mother and helped change the legal system, but also became a voice for the countless victims of coercive control across the country. This is a powerful story of a son's love for his mother; of an insidious form of abuse that must be better understood if we are to truly tackle it; and fight that reshaped how society understands domestic abuse.