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The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle
Par Rob Kenner. 2020
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThis &“beautiful tribute to a legendary artist&” (Quincy Jones) is the first in-depth biography of Nipsey…
Hussle, the hip-hop mogul, artist, and activist whose transformative legacy inspired a generation with his motivational lyrics and visionary business savvy—before he was tragically shot down in the very neighborhood he was dedicated to building up. For Nipsey Hussle, &“The Marathon&” was more than a mixtape title or the name of a clothing store; it was a way of life, a metaphor for the relentless pursuit of excellence and the willpower required to overcome adversity day after day. Hussle was determined to win the race to success on his own terms, and he wanted to see his whole community in the winner&’s circle with him. A moving and powerful exploration of an extraordinary artist, The Marathon Don&’t Stop places Hussle in historical context and unpacks his complex legacy. Combining on-the-ground reporting and candid interviews, &“Rob Kenner has given us the book the world—and hip-hop and pop culture—has been waiting for…one that should be celebrated alongside the best biographies ever about iconic figures we have loved—and lost&” (Kevin Powell, author of When We Free the World).Gandhi: A Memoir
Par William L. Shirer. 1979
Recalling his friendship and conversations with the late Indian leader, William Shirer presents a portrait of Gandhi that spotlights his…
frailties as well as his accomplishments.As a young foreign correspondent, William Shirer reported briefly on Gandhi—but the year was 1931, when India's struggle for independence peaked and Gandhi scored perhaps his greatest political success. The year before, he had led a 200-mile march to the sea to pick up a lump of salt—a violation of the British salt tax; and this symbolic act (like—he reminds Shirer—the Boston Tea Party) had propelled the Indian masses into nonviolent civil disobedience on a large scale. To check its spread, Gandhi had been arbitrarily imprisoned. Now he was out of prison and negotiating with the British viceroy: if Gandhi would call off the civil-disobedience campaign and attend an upcoming London conference, the British would make concessions too.These, however, were so limited and vague that many Indian nationalists regarded Gandhi's agreement as a sell-out; but Shirer underlines history's judgment of its wisdom with Gandhi's own words. More importantly, he notes, the British had finally been forced "to deal with an Indian leader as an equal." Along these lines, Shirer also witnessed British discomfiture at Gandhi's arrival—complete with loin cloth, spinning wheel, and goat’s milk; he saw the sensation Gandhi caused in London—and heard him address Lancashire millhands thrown out of work by the Indian boycott of British cotton. And he saw him at home, subsisting on four-hours' sleep and "frenzied acclaim." This book is sure to press upon readers the worldwide force of Gandhi's example.—Kirkus ReviewsDear Leader: My Escape from North Korea
Par Jang Jin-Sung. 2014
A North Korean poet recounts life among the political elite and his daring escape to freedom in this “powerful, heart-rending”…
memoir (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).As North Korea’s State Poet Laureate, Jang Jin-sung led a charmed life. With food provisions (even as the country suffered through its great famine), a travel pass, access to strictly censored information, and audiences with Kim Jong-il himself, his life in Pyongyang seemed safe and secure. But this privileged existence was about to be shattered. When a strictly forbidden magazine he lent to a friend goes missing, Jang Jin-sung must flee for his life.Never before has a member of the elite described the inner workings of this totalitarian state and its propaganda machine. An astonishing exposé told through the heart-stopping story of Jang Jin-sung’s escape to South Korea, Dear Leader is an “impossibly dramatic story . . . one of the best depictions yet of North Korea’s nightmare” (Publishers Weekly).More, Now, Again: A Memoir of Addiction
Par Elizabeth Wurtzel. 2002
Elizabeth Wurtzel published her memoir of depression, Prozac Nation, to astonishing literary acclaim. A cultural phenomenon by age twenty-six, she…
had fame, money, respect—everything she had always wanted except that one, true thing: happiness.For all of her professional success, Wurtzel felt like a failure. She had lost friends and lovers, every magazine job she'd held, and way too much weight. She couldn't write, and her second book was past due. But when her doctor prescribed Ritalin to help her focus-and boost the effects of her antidepressants—Wurtzel was spared. The Ritalin worked. And worked. The pills became her sugar...the sweetness in the days that have none. Soon she began grinding up the Ritalin and snorting it. Then came the cocaine, then more Ritalin, then more cocaine. Then I need more. I always need more. For all of my life I have needed more...More, Now, Again is the brutally honest, often painful account of Wurtzel's descent into drug addiction. It is also a survival story: How Wurtzel managed to break free of her relationship with Ritalin and learned to love life, and herself, is at the heart of this ultimately uplifting memoir that no reader will soon forget.Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut
Par Mike Mullane. 2006
On February 1, 1978, the first group of space shuttle astronauts, twenty-nine men and six women, were introduced to the…
world. Among them would be history makers, including the first American woman and the first African American in space. This assembly of astronauts would carry NASA through the most tumultuous years of the space shuttle program. Four would die on Challenger. USAF Colonel Mike Mullane was a member of this astronaut class, and Riding Rockets is his story -- told with a candor never before seen in an astronaut's memoir. Mullane strips the heroic veneer from the astronaut corps and paints them as they are -- human. His tales of arrested development among military flyboys working with feminist pioneers and post-doc scientists are sometimes bawdy, often hilarious, and always entertaining. Mullane vividly portrays every aspect of the astronaut experience -- from telling a female technician which urine-collection condom size is a fit; to walking along a Florida beach in a last, tearful goodbye with a spouse; to a wild, intoxicating, terrifying ride into space; to hearing "Taps" played over a friend's grave. Mullane is brutally honest in his criticism of a NASA leadership whose bungling would precipitate the Challenger disaster. Riding Rockets is a story of life in all its fateful uncertainty, of the impact of a family tragedy on a nine-year-old boy, of the revelatory effect of a machine called Sputnik, and of the life-steering powers of lust, love, and marriage. It is a story of the human experience that will resonate long after the call of "Wheel stop."Nobu: A Memoir
Par Nobu Matsuhisa. 2007
&“In this outstanding memoir, chef and restaurateur Matsuhisa...shares lessons in humility, gratitude, and empathy that will stick with readers long…
after they&’ve finished the final chapter.&” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)A fascinating and unique memoir by the acclaimed celebrity chef and international restaurateur, Nobu, as he divulges both his dramatic life story and reflects on the philosophy and passion that has made him one of the world&’s most widely respected Japanese fusion culinary artists.Nobu needs no introduction. One of the world&’s most widely acclaimed restaurateurs, his influence on food and hospitality can be found at the highest levels of haute-cuisine to the food trucks you frequent during the work week—this is the Nobu that the public knows. But now, we are finally introduced to the private Nobu: the man who failed three times before starting the restaurant that would grow into an empire; the man who credits the love and support of his wife and children as the only thing keeping him from committing suicide when his first restaurant burned down; and the man who values the busboy who makes sure each glass is crystal clear as highly as the chef who slices the fish for Omakase perfectly. What makes Nobu special, and what made him famous, is the spirit of what exists on these pages. He has the traditional Japanese perspective that there is great pride to be found in every element of doing a job well—no matter how humble that job is. Furthermore, he shows us repeatedly that success is as much about perseverance in the face of adversity as it is about innate talent. Not just for serious foodies, this inspiring memoir is perfect for fans of Marie Kondo&’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Danny Meyer&’s Setting the Table. Nobu&’s writing does what he does best—it marries the philosophies of East and West to create something entirely new and remarkable.The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III: The Memoir of Jens Müller
Par Jens Müller. 2019
The true story behind the real &“Great Escape&” from a World War II Nazi POW camp by the veteran Norwegian…
pilot who lived it. Jens Müller was one of only three men who successfully escaped from Stalag Luft III (now in Poland) in March, 1944—the break that later became the basis for the famous film The Great Escape. Together with Per Bergsland, another Norwegian POW, he stowed away on a ship to Gothenburg, Sweden. The escapees sought out the British consulate and were flown from Stockholm to Scotland. From there they were sent by train to London and shortly afterwards to &“Little Norway&” in Canada. Müller&’s book about his wartime experiences was first published in Norwegian in 1946 titled Tre kom Tilbake (Three Came Back). This new edition is the first English translation and will correct the impression—set by the film—that the men who escaped successfully were American and Australian. In a vivid informative memoir, Müller details what life in the camp was like and how the escapes were planned and executed, and tells the story of his personal breakout and success reaching RAF Leuchars in Scotland. &“The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III offers a fascinating look at the 1940s, recapturing the feel of both the war and postwar era.&” —The Daily NewsOne from the Hart: A Memoir
Par Stefanie Powers. 2010
The career of Stefanie Powers is one of so many stage, screen, and television credits that her name alone recalls…
memories as varied as her roles—on screen and off. From movie roles including John Wayne’s daughter in McLintock! and Lana Turner’s rival in Love Has Many Faces, to being terrorized by Tallulah Bankhead in Die, Die My Darling and befriending a Volkswagen in Herbie Rides Again, she stepped onto the television screen as the sexy secret agent April Dancer in The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. and the jet-setting, crime-solving wife of Robert Wagner in Hart to Hart. She is also an award-winning stage actress, fitness advocate, and an internationally recognized animal conservationist. A natural beauty groomed for show business at an early age, Stefanie Powers began her career at the tail end of the Studio System, a dynamic education in star quality and Hollywood history she happily admits was “one hell of a ride.” Privileged to have worked with some of the greatest names in the Hollywood firmament, Stefanie tells of the time she broke down in tears at a party over her divorce from actor Gary Lockwood, only to be comforted with a cocktail and the hard-won, been-there advice from two guests she had never met: Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner. Costarring with Robert Wagner in Hart to Hart not only brought her five Emmy Award nominations but it created a working relationship that endured more than fifteen years. Through it all, Stefanie treasured the camaraderie of her close-knit community, and here she shares the priceless lessons she learned. But in a lifetime of dear friends and associates, no other had such a significant effect on Stefanie than one man: Oscar-winning actor William Holden. In One from the Hart, Stefanie reveals for the first time the extraordinary nine-year relationship they shared, a transcendent love story that ended with his tragic death as a result of lifelong struggles with alcoholism and depression. It was Holden, “a man of great fun, depth, and adventure,” who introduced to Stefanie a distinctive and enriching personal obsession in East Africa: the Mount Kenya Game Ranch. His work in the conservation and preservation of endangered species in East Africa began long before the issue became popular, and he pioneered the concept of a game ranch in Kenya. After his death, Powers established the William Holden Wildlife Foundation to carry on with his passion and his legacy to her. She built her own oasis on the foothills of Mount Kenya and lives part time in one of the most magnificent landscapes on Earth. This is One from the Hart, Stefanie Powers’s story of a resourceful, empowered, and atypical celebrity life, told with all the candor, wit, and wisdom that have come to embody the woman herself.Wendy's Got the Heat
Par Wendy Williams, Karen Hunter. 2004
Known as a "shock jock diva," Wendy Williams has had a following in the nation's number one media market, New…
York City, and across the nation from the time she became a top-rated radio personality and "It Girl" in the mid-1990s—whether she's hosting her nationally syndicated television talk show The Wendy Williams Show or doing commentary for the VH1 Fashion Awards, her fans know that Wendy's Got the Heat.Wendy Williams is the kind of media personality that artists love because she builds them up—and fear because she can bring them down. She's interviewed many of the biggest names in entertainment—Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston, and Queen Latifah among them—and is known for her ability to disarm and get them to reveal their secrets.Known as both a "shock jock diva" and "the biggest mouth in New York," Wendy Williams is always at the top of her game, whether she's doing commentary for the VH1 Fashion Awards or giving romantic advice. But there's more to the Queen of Urban Radio than meets the mike. Wendy's Got the Heat is her story—about growing up in a predominately white suburb, recovering from drug addiction, struggling to launch a successful career in one of the most male-dominated media industries—and it's by turns painful, hilarious, triumphant, and totally true.Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man (Wwe Ser.)
Par Ted DiBiase, Tom Calazzo. 2008
Everyone's got a price. Everyone's got to pay. 'Cause the Million Dollar Man always gets his way. After proving his…
point, Ted DiBiase would laugh and fan out his large roll of hundreds, worsening the degradation of whoever had been foolish enough to accept his challenge or get in his way. Defeated opponents -- put to sleep with his Million Dollar Dream -- would have the added humiliation of awakening to discover that the Million Dollar Man had been stuffing bills down their throats. Winning match after match, yet no closer to the championship, DiBiase wanted the title, but he couldn't seem to win it. His solution: pay Andre the Giant to win the title, make sure the referee was also "taken care of," and then have Andre hand the championship title over to him. True to his taunt, the Million Dollar Man had gotten his way, and Ted DiBiase became the most hated person in sports entertainment. Making his way to the top of the profession that he had loved since he was a child, Ted DiBiase never did anything by half measures. He couldn't, because the men he respected and worked side by side with expected that "Iron" Mike's kid would give his all. And each day while on the road learning what it was to be a wrestler, Ted remembered how his father had taught him to give his all every time. It was how his father lived -- and how he lost his life, dying during a wrestling match while Ted was still a boy. From the dusty roads of Texas to the bayous of Louisiana, Ted moved from one wrestling promotion to another -- sometimes a babyface, other times a heel. He learned how to tell a story and how to draw the fans in, both inside and outside the ring. In 1987, Vince McMahon had an idea for a new character, the Million Dollar Man, and one person came to mind: Ted DiBiase. For nearly a decade, fans waited to see just how Ted could prove his adage that "Everyone's got a price." When he was sidelined by a neck injury, DiBiase started a second wrestling career, as a manager. He managed some of the biggest stars: Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, and a very green wrestler, the Ringmaster (who would later be known as Stone Cold Steve Austin). Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, is fondly remembered by wrestling fans for his style and his command of the ring. This is the inside glimpse of three decades inside and outside the squared circle.Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir
Par Lorna Luft. 1999
The question follows Lorna Luft to this day: "What's it like to be Dorothy's daughter?" Although by appearances glamorous and…
truly thrilling, growing up as the daughter of Judy Garland was anything but a journey over the rainbow.With unsparing candor, Lorna Luft offers the first-ever insider portrait of one of Hollywood's most celebrated families: a rare story of a little girl, her half-sister Liza, and her baby brother trying desperately to hang on to the mother whose life seemed destined to burn brightly but briefly. Lorna makes an extraordinary journey back into the spiral of love, addiction, pain, and loss that lurked behind a charmed facade.Filled with behind-the-scenes dramas, hilarious untold stories, and little-known details of Garland family life, Me and My Shadows is a tribute to Lorna's victory over her own past, a story of hope, of love and its limitations, and a deeply moving testament to the healing powers of embracing one's past and charting a course of self-love and discovery.Finding It: And Finally Satisfying My Hunger for Life
Par Valerie Bertinelli. 2009
Welcome back to chez Bertinelli, where life is as crazy and comical as ever. In revealing talks with her longtime…
boyfriend, Tom, Valerie gets even more personal about her inner worries: her maternal anxieties about her son, Wolfie (he's fallen in love and, as she writes, "getting your sex talk from Eddie Van Halen wasn't recommended in any of the parenting books I read"); the challenges of dealing with a blended family; her mother's own new diet adventure; and a craving for a deeper relationship with a Higher Power ("I have experienced days of inner peace and connectedness with a larger spirit -- twice," she writes. "Why not more often?"). And as if these everyday challenges weren't enough, Valerie is work-ing to maintain her own very public weight loss. She even gets to thinking she might kick it up a notch, shed more weight and get so buff she can wear a bikini -- in public. In this new, inspiring memoir from the beloved actress and author of the bestseller Losing It, Valerie tells the story of what happens after you change your life. It's not all peaches and cream, or even non-fat yogurt. In Finding It, Valerie comes face-to-face with hard questions of family, faith, and beachwear, and realizes that she's hungering for another transfor-mation -- to become better, not just thinner. Forget the scale; the real change is happening inside, and Valerie realizes that this is the part of dieting that no one ever talks about -- the reality of keeping the pounds off. Dieting fixes one problem, she discovers, but to maintain that weight loss, she has to work on everything else -- all the reasons she got fat in the first place.Warm and friendly, honest and self-aware -- like a talk with your BFF -- Finding It tells of the common worries and frustrations, the funny and fabulous moments in Valerie's publicly private life. Humorous and humble, it is also the emotional story of family and the deep bonds and patterns that persist through generations: for as Valerie transitions to her latest role of motherhood with an increasingly independent son, she connects with her own mother in a profound new way. With the same winning wit and candor that touched several generations of fans in Losing It, Finding It is an optimistic story for trying times. It's about believing in love and happiness, having faith that both are possible, and finding out that God does want you to enjoy life's desserts -- even when you're on a diet.Beloved stage and screen actor Danny Aiello’s big-hearted memoir reveals a man of passion, integrity, and guts—and lays bare one…
of the most unlikely success stories ever told.Danny Aiello admits that he backed into his acting career by mistake. That’s easy to see when you begin at the beginning: raised by his loving and fiercely resilient mother in the tenements of Manhattan and the South Bronx, and forever haunted by the death of his infant brother, Danny struggled early on to define who he was and who he could be. It wasn’t until he took to the stage in the wee hours to belt out standards that Danny Aiello found his voice and his purpose: he was born to act. Performing in converted churches and touring companies led to supporting roles in such films as The Godfather: Part II and Moonstruck, and an Oscar nomination for his role as the embattled Salvatore in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. For a guy who had never set foot in an acting class, this was supreme validation for being an outsider who followed his heart.In a raw and real chronicle of his gritty urban past, Danny Aiello looks back with appreciation, amusement, and frank disbelief at his unconventional road to success. He offers candid observations on working with luminary directors Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, and Robert Altman, among others, and a vast roster of actors, including Robert De Niro, Paul Newman, Madonna, Cher, and Lauren Bacall. He opens up about friends he loved, friends he lost, and the professional relationships that weren’t meant to be. Above all, Danny Aiello imparts a life lesson straight out of his own experience to anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider: It’s never too late to become who you want to be, to find happiness and fulfillment, and to embrace the winding road to get there.Hiding from Reality: My Story of Love, Loss, and Finding the Courage Within
Par Taylor Armstrong. 2012
Taylor Armstrong, star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Bravo, pulls back the curtain on the years she…
suffered in silence through domestic violence in this searingly honest account of her troubled marriage to the late Russell Armstrong.The terrible truth is that I felt lost without the control that Russell had imposed on me for the nearly six years that we were married. Disturbingly, I missed that control. I didn’t know what to do once I had no one there to tell me how to dress, act, and behave; what to want; and who, even, to be. In some ways, I missed the abuse. I missed the pain. I missed being scared. Not because I liked feeling any of that. But because it was the life I had become accustomed to, and without anyone to be afraid of, to apologize to, and to cover for, I felt completely lost.Reality hit Taylor Armstrong hard one tragic evening last August when she found the body of her estranged husband, Russell, hanging in his California home. Fans across the country were shocked at the horrific news of his death and even more shocked to discover that behind the glittering “reality” of Taylor’s life on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills lurked a painful story of emotional and physical abuse that she had been terrified to tell. To the outside world, the Armstrongs lived like royalty, throwing lavish parties—including a memorable tea party for their daughter’s fourth birthday—and mingling with their privileged Housewives co-stars. It was impossible to hide the cracks in their marriage from the cameras forever, though, and their darkest secrets slowly began to seep through the gilded façade.With searing honesty, Taylor candidly examines her difficult journey from the abusive home in which she was born to the low self-esteem that kept her constantly on the run from herself, to the tumultuous marriage that ended in suicide, and ultimately to her realization that only by sharing her moving story could she help other women.Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster
Par Kristen Johnston. 2012
The New York Times bestseller—a harrowing and hysterical memoir by the two-time Emmy Award-winning actress from the hit television show…
3rd Rock from the Sun.“It felt like I was speeding on the Autobahn toward hell, trapped inside a DeLorean with no brakes. And even if I couldsomehow stop, I’d still be screwed, because there’s no way I’d ever be able to figure out how to open those insane, cocaine-designed doors.”Actress Kristen Johnston has written her first book, a surprisingly raw and triumphant memoir that is outrageous, moving, sweet, tragic, and heartbreakingly honest. Guts is a true achievement—a memoir that manages to be as frank and revealing as Augusten Burroughs, yet as hilarious and witty as David Sedaris. Johnston takes us on a journey so truthful and relatable, so remarkably fresh, it promises to stay with you for a long, long time.I'll Scream Later
Par Marlee Matlin, Betsy Sharkey. 2009
Critically acclaimed and award-winning actress Marlee Matlin reveals the illuminating, moving, and often surprising story of how she defied all…
expectations to become one of the most prolific and beloved actresses of our time. Marlee Matlin entered our lives as the deaf pupil turned custodian audiences fell in love with in Children of a Lesser God, a role for which she became the youngest woman ever to win a Best Actress Oscar. More than twenty years after her stunning big screen debut, the Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated actress is an inspirational force of nature -- a mother, an activist, and a role model for millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing people around the world. In I'll Scream Later, Marlee takes readers on the frank and touching journey of her life, from the frightening loss of her hearing at eighteen months old to the highs and lows of Hollywood, her battles with addiction, and the unexpected challenges of being thrust into the spotlight as an emissary for the deaf community. She speaks candidly for the first time about the troubles of her youth, the passionate and tumultuous two-year relationship with Oscar winner William Hurt that dovetailed with a stint in rehab, and her subsequent romances with heartthrobs like Rob Lowe, Richard Dean Anderson, and David E. Kelley. Though she became famous at the age of twenty-one, Marlee struggled all her life to connect with people, fighting against anyone who tried to hold her back. Her own mother often hid behind their communication barrier, and Marlee turned to drugs before she even started high school. However, she found in acting -- with the encouragement of her mentor, Henry Winkler -- a discipline, a drive, and a talent for understanding the human condition that belied her age and her inability to hear. By the time Hollywood embraced her, she had almost no formal training, a fact that caused many other deaf actors to give her the cold shoulder, even as she was looked upon as a spokesperson for their community. She has played memorable roles on wildly popular television shows such as Seinfeld, The West Wing, and The L Word, danced a show-stopping cha-cha-cha on Dancing with the Stars, and now, with uncompromising honesty and humor, Marlee shares the story of her life -- an enduring tale that is an unforgettable lesson in following your dreams.Shirley Jones: A Memoir
Par Shirley Jones, Wendy Leigh. 2013
From golden-voiced ingénue to bus-driving mother of a pop band, Shirley Jones sets aside her wholesome, squeaky clean image in…
a memoir as shockingly candid, deliciously juicy, and delightfully frank as the star herself.“You are going to meet the real flesh-and-blood Shirley Jones, not just the movie star or Mrs. Partridge,” says the beloved film, television, and stage actress and singer of her long-awaited memoir, an account as shockingly direct, deliciously juicy, and delightfully frank as the performer herself.Sharing the “candid” (Los Angeles Times) and “revealing” (Associated Press) details of her life in Hollywood’s inner circle and beyond, Shirley Jones blows past the wholesome, squeaky-clean image that first brought fame, and gives us a woman who only gets hotter with time.If the story of a rebellious, gifted small-town girl being discovered by Rodgers and Hammerstein isn’t thrilling enough, go deeper behind the scenes, where Shirley Jones portrays her tumultuous marriage to Jack Cassidy, the dashing and charismatic but deeply troubled actor who unlocked her highly charged sexuality and captured her heart forever. She talks openly about their passion-fueled relationship; the infidelities, the costar crushes, and sexual experimentation. She reflects on her relationship with stepson David Cassidy; her cult status as coolest-ever TV mom Shirley Partridge; her second marriage to wacky TV comedian and producer Marty Ingels; and much more in this “saucy” (Entertainment Weekly) self-portrait.Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva!
Par Big Freedia, Nicole Balin. 2015
From the eponymous star of one of the most popular reality shows in Fuse&’s history, this no-holds-barred memoir and &“snappily…
dictated story of inverted cultural norms in the wards of New Orleans&” (East Bay Express) reveals the fascinating truth about a gay, self-proclaimed mama&’s boy who exploded onto the formerly underground Bounce music scene and found acceptance, healing, self-expression, and stardom. As the &“undisputed ambassador&” of the energetic, New Orleans-based Bounce movement, Big Freedia isn&’t afraid to twerk, wiggle, and shake her way to self-confidence, and is encouraging her fans to do the same. In her engrossing memoir, Big Freedia tells the inside story of her path to fame, the peaks and valleys of her personal life, and the liberation that Bounce music brings to herself and every one of her fans who is searching for freedom.Big Freedia immediately pulls us into the relationship between her personal life and her career as an artist; being a &“twerking sissy&” is not just a job, she says, but a salvation. A place to find solace and escape from the battles she faced growing up in the worst neighborhood in New Orleans. To deal with losing loved ones to the violence on the streets, drug overdoses, and jail. To survive hurricane Katrina by living on her roof for two days with three adults and a child. To grapple with the difficulties and celebrate the joys of living. In this eye-opening memoir that bursts with energy, you&’ll learn the history of the Bounce movement and meet all the colorful characters that pepper its music scene. &“Whether detailing the highs or the lows, Freedia&’s tales pop as much as the booty that made her famous&” (Out Magazine).By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There: A Memoir
Par Tom Sizemore, Anna David. 2013
Tom Sizemore has been called many things. Brilliant. Brutal. Fiercely talented. Angry. Drug addicted. In reality, he’s all of them.…
He’s a survivor of the Detroit ghetto, the fifty-year-old father of twin boys, and a veteran of dozens of movies. He’s also now sober, after his addiction took his life just about as far down as any human being could go. Through screen-stealing performances in the 1990s movies True Romance, Heat, and Natural Born Killers, Sizemore was so in demand that even when it was widely known that he had a drug problem, directors like Steven Spielberg were offering him roles and begging him to stay sober for them. Robert De Niro personally recruited him for the role of Michael Cheritto in Heat after asking him to dinner and expressing his admiration. Jack Nicholson, Robert Downey, Jr., and Johnny Depp each went out of their way to befriend him. But this same man went from romancing Elizabeth Hurley and Juliette Lewis to being accused of domestic violence by the world’s most famous madam, and moved from a Beverly Hills mansion to a solitary-confinement cell at Chino State Prison and later a desolate, abandoned cabin in a town best known for being where Charles Manson hid Rosemary LaBianca’s wallet. For years, Sizemore’s days were filled with overdoses, suicide attempts, and homelessness. The simple fact is that people don’t come back from where Tom Sizemore landed—yet miraculously, he did. By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There is a harrowing journey into the heart of addiction, told in riveting and often shocking detail—a terrifying cautionary tale for anyone who’s peered over the abyss of drug abuse. By turns gritty and heartbreaking, it is also one man’s look at a particular moment in entertainment history—a window into the drug-fueled spotlight that sent Robert Downey, Jr., to jail and killed River Phoenix, Heath Ledger, and Chris Farley and many others far before their time. *** “I CAN’T TELL YOU WHAT I’D GIVE TO BE THE GUY YOU DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT. . . . I’VE DONE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WOULD MAKE THAT IMPOSSIBLE, AND I KNOW THAT TELLING YOU ALL ABOUT THEM WON’T HELP ME TO BECOME AMERICA’S FAVORITE SON. BUT IT MAY HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW EVERYTHING HAPPENED THE WAY IT DID. . . .” —TOM SIZEMOREWhen the Center Held: Gerald Ford and the Rescue of the American Presidency
Par Donald Rumsfeld. 1974
&“A personal look behind the scenes&” (Publishers Weekly) of the presidency of Gerald Ford as seen through the eyes of…
Donald Rumsfeld—New York Times bestselling author and Ford&’s former Secretary of Defense, Chief of Staff, and longtime personal confidant.In the wake of Richard Nixon&’s Watergate scandal, it seemed the United States was coming apart. America had experienced a decade of horrifying assassinations; the unprecedented resignation of first a vice president and then a president of the United States; intense cultural and social change; and a new mood of cynicism sweeping the country—a mood that, in some ways, lingers today.Into that divided atmosphere stepped an unexpected, unelected, and largely unknown American—Gerald R. Ford. In contrast to every other individual who had ever occupied the Oval Office, he had never appeared on any ballot either for the presidency or the vice presidency. Ford simply and humbly performed his duty to the best of his considerable ability. By the end of his 895 days as president, he would in fact have restored balance to our country, steadied the ship of state, and led his fellow Americans out of the national trauma of Watergate. And yet, Gerald Ford remains one of the least studied and least understood individuals to have held the office of the President of the United States. In turn, his legacy also remains severely underappreciated.In When the Center Held, Ford&’s Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld candidly shares his personal observations of the man himself, providing a sweeping examination of his crucial years in office. It is a rare and fascinating look behind the closed doors of the Oval Office, including never-before-seen photos, memos, and anecdotes, from a unique insider&’s perspective—&“engrossing and informative&” (Kirkus Reviews) reading for any fan of presidential history.