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Undisputed: A Champion's Life
Par Donovan Bailey. 2023
A memoir of Olympic glory, the value of mentorship and the courage to champion your own excellence, from the long-reigning…
world's fastest man, Canadian sprinting legend Donovan Bailey.From the lush fields of his boyhood in Jamaica, to the basketball courts of Oakville, where he came of age in one of Canada’s most thriving cultural mosaics, to his sprint toward double Olympic gold for Canada in Atlanta in 1996, Donovan Bailey got a long way on natural talent. But he also learned that in the bureaucratic world of Canadian sports, an athlete who didn't come up in the system needed to take charge of his fate if he was going to become the world’s best. As he ascended from outsider to dominant athlete, others didn’t always understand the rigour at work behind Bailey’s confident demeanour. He’d learned from watching Muhammad Ali that a champion needed to act like a champion. But media grew fixated on the sprinter’s immodesty, the likes of which they never saw from Canadian athletes, especially track athletes in the wake of the Ben Johnson doping scandal at Seoul in 1988. Bailey was having none of it, and when he called out Canada's subtle racism and contradicted the prevailing idea most Canadians had of their country, he left in his wake a media uproar and cracked wide open the nation’s moral complacency. In addition to his unforgettable 100-metre and 4x100 relay gold-medal sprints in Atlanta, Bailey's track career was a litany of records and rare accomplishments, including his audacious 1997 race in Toronto's SkyDome against American 200-metre Olympic champion Michael Johnson to determine who was really the world’s fastest man. There was no disputing the result. Bailey had been coached in success before he was seriously coached in athletics. Following the lead of his father, a machinist-turned-real estate investor, Bailey became a millionaire by the age of 21, an experience he continues to draw on as an entrepreneur and philanthropist. Frank about his dominance on the track and unapologetic for expecting as much of those around him as he expects of himself, Undisputed is an athlete's story that refuses to settle for second best.The Utility of Boredom: Baseball Essays
Par Andrew Forbes. 2016
Spitball literary essays on the off-kilter joys, sorrows and wonder of North America’s national pastime. A collection of essays for…
ardent seamheads and casual baseball fans alike, The Utility of Boredom is a book about finding respite and comfort in the order, traditions, and rituals of baseball. It’s a sport that shows us what a human being might be capable of, with extreme dedication—whether we’re eating hot dogs in the stands, waiting out a rain delay in our living rooms, or practising the lost art of catching a stray radio signal from an out-of-market broadcast. From learning about America through ball-diamond visits to the most famous triple play that never happened on Canadian soil, Forbes invites us to witness the adult conversing with the O-Pee-Chee baseball cards of his youth. Tender, insightful, and with the slow heartbreak familiar to anyone who’s cheered on a losing team, The Utility of Boredom tells us a thing or two about the sport, and how a seemingly trivial game might help us make sense of our messy lives.The Road Years: A Memoir, Continued . . .
Par Rick Mercer. 2023
THE INSTANT #1 BESTSELLERRick Mercer is back—again!—with the eagerly awaited sequel to his bestselling memoirAt the end of his memoir…
Talking to Canadians, Rick Mercer was poised to make the biggest leap yet in his extraordinary career. Having overcome a serious lack of promise as a schoolboy and risen through the showbiz ranks—as an aspiring actor, star of a surprisingly successful one-man show about the Meech Lake Accord, co-founder of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, creator and star of the dark-comedy sitcom Made in Canada—he was about to tackle his biggest opportunity yet. The Road Years picks up the story at that exciting point, with the greenlighting of what would become Rick Mercer Report. Plans for the show, of course, included political satire and Rick’s patented rants. But Rick and his partner, Gerald Lunz, were also determined to do something that comedy tends to avoid as too challenging: they would emphasize the positive. Rick would travel from coast to coast to coast in search of everything that’s best about Canada, especially its people. He found a lot to celebrate, naturally, and was rewarded with a huge audience and a run of 15 seasons. The Road Years tells the inside story of that stupendous success. A time when Rick was heading to another town—or military base, sports centre, national park—to try dogsledding, chainsaw carving, and bear tagging; hang from a harness (a lot); ride the “Train of Death;” plus countless other joyous and/or reckless assignments. Added to the mix were encounters with the country’s great. Every living prime minister. Rock and roll royalty from Rush to Randy Bachman. Olympians and Paralympians. A skinny-dipping Bob Rae. And Jann Arden, of course, who gets a chapter to herself. Along the way he even found the time to visit several countries in Africa and co-found and champion the charity Spread the Net, which has gone on to protect the lives of millions. Join the celebration, and revive a wealth of happy memories, with what is Rick Mercer’s funniest, most fascinating book yet.Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream
Par Adam W. Shepard. 2008
“DON’T believe the naysayers. The American Dream—the fable that says if you work hard and follow the rules, you’ll make…
it—is alive and well.”—New York PostAdam W. Shepard’s Scratch Beginnings is the fascinating and eye-opening account of the grand social experiment the author undertook in response to Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed. Subtitled “Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream,” Scratch Beginnings chronicles Shepard’s successful efforts to raise himself up from self-imposed rock bottom in one year’s time—a personal odyssey that is sure to inspire anyone who reads about it, instilling new faith in the solid principles on which our democracy was built.The Lightless Sky: A Twelve-Year-Old Refugee's Harrowing Escape from Afghanistan and His Extraordinary Journey Across Half the World
Par Gulwali Passarlay, Nadene Ghouri. 2016
An Afghan child refugee chronicles his harrowing journey across the world in this “gripping account of a life-threatening journey to…
freedom” (Independent, UK).After his father was killed in 2006, Gulwali Passarlay was caught between the Taliban who wanted to recruit him, and the Americans who wanted to use him. To protect her son, Gulwali’s mother sent him away. The search for safety would lead the twelve-year-old across eight countries, from the mountains of eastern Afghanistan through Iran and Europe to Britain. On his yearlong trek, Gulwali endured imprisonment, hunger, cruelty, brutality, loneliness, and terror—and nearly drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Eventually granted asylum in England, Gulwali was sent to a good school, learned English, won a place at a top university, and was chosen to help carry the Olympic Torch in the 2012 London Games. In The Lightless Sky, Gulwali recalls his remarkable experience and offers a firsthand look at the modern refugee crisis.Gambatte: A Memoir
Par David Tsubouchi. 2013
”Gambatte” means do your best and never give up, and that spirit is at the heart of David Tsubouchi’s life…
story. This memoir of the former Ontario cabinet minister begins as his family strives for acceptance amid the imprisonment of Canadians of Japanese descent and the confiscation of their property, possessions, and businesses by the Mackenzie King Liberal government in 1941. Despite growing up on the outside looking in, Tsubouchi never felt disadvantaged because he had a good family and was taught to persevere. Gambatte outlines his unusual career path from actor to dedicated law school student/lumber yard worker to politician. Tsubouchi was the first person of Japanese descent elected in Canada as a municipal politician and, as an MPP, to serve as a cabinet minister. His story also reveals an insider’s perspective of Mike Harris’s “Common Sense Revolution.”Papillon
Par Henri Charrière. 1969
Un clásico autobiográfico que relata la increíble evasión de un hombre que vivió una auténtica odisea por perseguir aquello que…
nunca debió perder: la libertad. En 1931, Henri Charrière, apodado Papillon por el tatuaje en forma de mariposa de su pecho, fue condenado a prisión por un asesinato que no había cometido. Sentenciado a cadena perpetua en una colonia penal de la Guayana Francesa, en su mente solo cabía una meta: escapar. Tras varios intentos fallidos de fuga a lo largo de los años, fue enviado a la llamada Isla del Diablo, de donde ningún recluso se había evadido jamás... hasta su llegada. La lucha por la libertad de Papillon sigue siendo una de las más increíbles hazañas que el ingenio, el tesón y la valentía humanos hayan demostrado jamás. Su relato dio lugar a esta extraordinaria autobiografía, la odisea de un hombre inocente para perseguir lo que nunca debió perder: la libertad. Reseñas:«La mayor hazaña de todos los tiempos.»Auguste Le Breton «Un clásico moderno de coraje.»The New Yorker «Una extraordinaria historia de aventuras.»The New York Review of BooksAnimal, Vegetable, Miracle - 10th anniversary edition: A Year of Food Life
Par Barbara Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp, Camille Kingsolver, Lily Hopp Kingsolver. 2007
“A profound, graceful, and literary work of philosophy and economics, well tempered for our times, and yet timeless. . .…
. It will change the way you look at the food you put into your body. Which is to say, it can change who you are.” — Boston GlobeA 10th anniversary edition of Barbara Kingsolver's New York Times bestseller that describes her family's adventure as they move to a farm in southern Appalachia and realign their lives with the local food chainSince its publication in 2007, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle has captivated readers with its blend of memoir and journalistic investigation. Updated with original pieces from the entire Kingsolver clan, this commemorative edition explores how the family's original project has been carried forward through the years.When Barbara Kingsolver and her family moved from suburban Arizona to rural Appalachia, they took on a new challenge: to spend a year on a locally-produced diet, paying close attention to the provenance of all they consume. Concerned about the environmental, social, and physical costs of American food culture, they hoped to recover what Barbara considers our nation's lost appreciation for farms and the natural processes of food production. Since 2007, their scheme has evolved enormously. In this anniversary edition, featuring an afterword by the entire Kingsolver family, Barbara's husband, Steven, discusses how the project grew into a farm-to-table restaurant and community development project training young farmers in their area to move into sustainable food production. Camille writes about her decision to move back to a rural area after college, and how she and her husband incorporate their food values in their lives as they begin their new family. Lily, Barbara's youngest daughter, writes about how growing up on a farm, in touch with natural processes and food chains, has shaped her life as a future environmental scientist. And Barbara writes about their sheep, and how they grew into her second vocation as a fiber artist, and reports on the enormous response they've received from other home-growers and local-food devotees.With Americans' ever-growing concern over an agricultural establishment that negatively affects our health and environment, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a modern classic that will endure for years to come.Hijo de Hamás: Un apasionante relato de terror, traición, intriga política y dilemas inconcebibles
Par Mosab Hassan Yousef. 1988
Hijo de Hamás es la conmovedora historia verdadera de un miembro del movimiento Hamás que rechazó su violento destino y…
ahora lo arriesga todo al exponer los secretos de la organización extremista islámica para mostrarle al mundo un camino hacia la paz. Mosab Hassan Yousef conoce este devastador grupo terrorista internamente desde que era un niño pequeño. Como hijo mayor de Sheikh Hassan Yousef, miembro fundador y el más famoso líder de Hamás, el joven Mosab ayudó a su padre por años en sus actividades políticas mientras era preparado para asumir su legado, ideología, estatus y poder. Pero todo cambió cuando Mosab dio la espalda al terror y a la violencia, y acogió en su lugar las enseñanzas de otro famoso líder del Medio Oriente. En Hijo de Hamás, Mosab Hassan Yousef, ahora con el nombre de "Joseph", da a conocer nueva información sobre la organización terrorista más peligrosa del mundo y revela la verdad sobre su propio papel, la dolorosa separación de su familia y de su tierra natal, la peligrosa decisión de hacer pública su nueva fe, y su creencia de que el mandato cristiano de "amar a tus enemigos" es el único camino hacia la paz en el Medio Oriente.27 Summers: My Journey to Freedom, Forgiveness, and Redemption During My Time in Angola Prison
Par Ronald Olivier. 2023
In one of America's most notorious prisons, a young man sentenced to life without parole miraculously found faith, forgiveness, redemption,…
and restoration. In 27 Summers Ronald Olivier shares his dramatic and powerful story and offers proof that God can bring healing and hope to even the darkest circumstances. As a teenager Ronald Olivier ran wild in the streets of New Orleans, selling drugs, stealing cars, and finally killing someone on what was supposed to be the happiest day of the year--Christmas Day. Facing the consequences of his crime, he remembered what his mother once said. "Baby, if you ever have real trouble, the kind that I can't get you out of, you can always call on Jesus." So he did.Ron was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Through the agony of solitary confinement and multiple transfers into increasingly dangerous prison environments, Ron kept seeking God for healing and hope. Finally, after being locked up for twenty-seven summers at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary--known as Angola--Ron was miraculously released. Remarkably, he became the director of chaplains at Mississippi State Penitentiary. Today, Ron loves to combat hopelessness, wherever he finds it, by saying, "Don't tell me what God can't do!&”Readers will learn new insights about faith and patience from a man who spent almost three decades in a cruel and violent environment; be encouraged, like Ron, to find grace and forgiveness to overcome the pain of their past; and find hope that God can redeem and restore anyone. Ron's fascinating story brilliantly displays God's power to transform individuals, families, and communities, reminding us that there truly is nothing God can't do.Dreams Don't Die: The Story of a Man on a Mission to Inspire a Generation of Dreamers
Par Izek Shomof. 2023
Immigrant. Dropout. Entrepreneur. Restauranter. Real estate developer. Movie producer. Philanthropist. These are only a few titles Izek Shomof, the so-called…
King of Spring Street, has carried throughout his fascinating life. Each of these monikers tells a part of Izek&’s unbelievable tale, but the whole story has never been told—until now. Dreams Don&’t Die is not your typical, run-of-the-mill immigrant story. It is the memoir of a man who had every opportunity to take unethical and often-illegal shortcuts but who instead chose the lesser-trod path of honesty and integrity. It&’s the story of a young man who poured his blood, sweat, and tears into the city he loved, transforming not only buildings but lives in the process—starting with his own. From serving drinks in backroom Israeli casinos to buying an entire city block of downtown Los Angeles, Izek&’s life has been anything but traditional. Between flipping burger joints, building tract homes, and renovating historic California high-rises, Izek has come face-to-face with some particularly problematic elements of his family tree—including organized crime, Mob enforcers, hit men, drug cartels, bank robbers, and history-making embezzlement schemes. The sordid adventures of Izek&’s family have even become the subject of not one but two film productions—a major Hollywood motion picture starring James Caan and a blockbuster Israeli documentary series. Izek&’s life proves that even in the face of dream-killing obstacles, with hard work, steadfastness, and tenacity, dreams don&’t have to die.The Claims of Life: A Memoir
Par Diana Chapman Walsh. 2023
The engaging memoir of a legendary president of Wellesley College known for authentic and open-hearted leadership, who drove innovation with…
power and love.The Claims of Life traces the emergence of a young woman who set out believing she wasn&’t particularly smart but went on to meet multiple tests of leadership in the American academy—a place where everyone wants to be heard and no one wants a boss. In college, Diana Chapman met Chris Walsh, who became a towering figure in academic science. Their marriage of fifty-seven years brought them to the forefront of revolutions in higher education, gender expectations, health-care delivery, and biomedical research.The Claims of Life offers readers an unusually intimate view of trustworthy leadership that begins and ends in self-knowledge. During a transformative fourteen-year Wellesley presidency, Walsh advanced women&’s authority, compassionate governance, and self-reinvention. After Wellesley, Walsh&’s interests took her to the boards of five national nonprofits galvanizing change. She kept counsel with Nobel laureates, feminist icons, and even the Dalai Lama, seeking solutions to the world&’s climate crisis.With an ear tuned to social issues, The Claims of Life is an inspiring account of a life lived with humor, insight, and meaning that will surely leave a lasting impression on its readers.More Than We Expected: Five Years With a Remarkable Child
Par James G. Robinson. 2023
&“No matter how much I enjoyed parenthood, I found myself having to accept its fundamental truth: that nothing ever turns…
out quite as you&’d expect.&”It was a journey that most parents would hope to avoid: a son born with a congenital heart defect, a fateful decision to take a family trip abroad, and an emergency hospitalization that left them stranded on the other side of the world with no obvious way home. Despite these difficult circumstances, More Than We Expected is not a tragedy. Instead, this memoir offers valuable lessons about the privilege of parenthood and the practice of medicine: the mysterious ways in which the body forms and grows, giving life; how we find the faith to live with our decisions, even if the consequences are beyond our control; and a family&’s extraordinary capacity—when something goes wrong—to compensate and heal. More Than We Expected is a story of finding strength in the most unexpected places. Our children have a special ability to reveal the goodness in the world—their eyes a window to a life full of wonder. Like them, this book is a vivid reminder of what it means to be human—a miraculous, inexplicable gift, however fleeting.Clanlands in New Zealand: Kiwis, Kilts, and an Adventure Down Under
Par Sam Heughan, Graham McTavish. 2023
*With a foreword by Sir Peter Jackson*Buckle up, grab a dram, and get ready for another unforgettable wild ride.They're back!…
Stars of Outlander, Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish are no strangers to the rugged beauty of Scotland. But this time they're setting their sights on a new horizon: New Zealand.Join our intrepid Scotsmen on their latest epic adventure across The Land of the Long White Cloud in this thrilling follow-up to Clanlands. Setting out to explore a country that Graham calls home, and that Sam has longed to visit, these sturdy friends immerse themselves in all that New Zealand has to offer: stunning landscapes, rich history, world-class food and drink, and - much to Graham's mounting anxiety and Sam's deep satisfaction - famously adrenaline-fuelled activities! As ever there's not nearly enough space in their trusty camper van and with plenty of good-natured competition and tormenting to go around, Sam and Graham's friendship is put to the test once again. Along the way we learn about the length and breadth of this jewel of the Southern Seas, exploring the fascinating story of its people while testing the very limits of Graham's sanity.Like the very best buddy movie sequel, this latest instalment is full of unforgettable experiences and loveable characters and promises to be an even more memorable ride with two of the most entertaining travel companions around.So, say goodbye to your inhibitions and kia ora to New Zealand like you've never seen it before.Mother, Nature: A 5,000-Mile Journey to Discover if a Mother and Son Can Survive Their Differences
Par Jedidiah Jenkins. 2023
From New York Times bestselling author of To Shake the Sleeping Self. &“Exquisitely written and completely compelling . . .…
As Jedidiah Jenkins traces a 5,000-mile route with his wildly entertaining mother, Barb, he begins to untangle the live wires of a parent-child bond and to wrestle with a love that hurts.&”—Suleika Jaouad, author of Between Two Kingdoms When his mother, Barbara, turns seventy, Jedidiah Jenkins is reminded of a sobering truth: Our parents won&’t live forever. For years, he and Barbara have talked about taking a trip together, just the two of them. They disagree about politics, about God, about the project of society—disagreements that hurt. But they love thrift stores, they love eating at diners, they love true crime, and they love each other. Jedidiah wants to step into Barbara&’s world and get to know her in a way that occasional visits haven&’t allowed. They land on an idea: to retrace the thousands of miles Barbara trekked with Jedidiah&’s father, travel writer Peter Jenkins, as part of the Walk Across America book trilogy that became a sensation in the 1970s. Beginning in New Orleans, they set off for the Oregon coast, listening to podcasts about outlaws and cult leaders—the only media they can agree on—while reliving the journey that changed Barbara&’s life. Jedidiah discovers who Barbara was as a thirty-year-old writer walking across America and who she is now, as a parent who loves her son yet holds on to a version of faith that sees his sexuality as a sin. Along the way, he peels back the layers of questions millions are asking today: How do we stay in relationship when it hurts? When do boundaries turn into separation? When do we stand up for ourselves, and when do we let it go? Tender, smart, and profound, Mother, Nature is a story of a remarkable mother-son bond and a moving meditation on the complexities of love.&“The most bracingly honest, refreshing account of the Afghan war&” (Sebastian Junger, New York Times bestselling author) from a Marine…
Corps Combat Cameraman and director of the acclaimed documentary Combat Obscura.At just eighteen years old, Miles Lagoze joined the Marine Corps a decade after the war began and found himself surrounded by people not unlike those he&’d left behind at home—aimless youth searching for stability, community, and economic security. Deployed to Afghanistan as a Combat Cameraman—an active-duty videographer and photographer—Lagoze produced slick images of glory and heroism for public consumption. But his government-approved footage concealed a grim reality. Here, Lagoze pulls back the curtain and illustrates the grisly truth of the longest war in American history. As these young men and women were deployed to an unfamiliar country half a world away—history&’s &“graveyard of empires&”—they carried the scars of the fractured homeland that sent them. Lagoze shows us Marines straddling the edge of chaos. We see forces desensitized to gore and suffering by the darkest reaches of the internet, unsure of their places in an unraveling world and set further adrift by the uncertain mission to which they had been assigned abroad. Whistles from the Graveyard shows the parts of the Afghanistan War we were never meant to see—Afghan locals and American infantry drawn together by their fears of the ghostly, ever-present terror of the Taliban; moments of dark resignation as the devastating toll of years in war&’s crossfire reveals itself between bouts of adrenaline-laced violence; and nights of reckless, drug-fueled abandon to dull the pain. In full, vivid color, Miles Lagoze shows us an oft-overlooked generation of young Americans we cast out into the desert, steeped in nihilism, and shipped back home with firsthand training in extremism, misanthropy, and insurrection.Call You When I Land: A Memoir
Par Nikki Vargas. 2023
"Colorful, vivid storytelling.... for anyone looking for a road to reinvention." —Kristin NewmanA RECOMMENDED READ FROM: Shondaland, Country Living, PureWow,…
Glamour, Forbes, Scary Mommy, The Daily Beast, Goodreads, The Everygirl, Zibby Mag, and more!A soul-stirring memoir from Colombian immigrant and travel journalist Nikki Vargas, whisking us through the countries that brought her new love, self-discovery, and the inspiration to launch the first international feminist travel magazine, Unearth Women. At twenty-six years old, life looked a certain way for Nikki Vargas. She&’d settled in New York City ready to join the ranks of the Carrie Bradshaws of the world, had landed in a promising advertising career, and was newly engaged to her college sweetheart. But between corporate happy hours and wedding dress fittings, she couldn&’t shake a deep underlying sense of imposter syndrome, a voice telling her that she was rocketing towards a future that didn&’t look like her. And so, she bought a plane ticket: first to Cartagena. Then to Panama. Then to Iguazú. What begins with one freelance travel writing assignment escalates into a whirlwind, globe-spanning journey that would transform Nikki&’s life. Taking her from the street food stalls of Vietnam to the cascading waterfalls of Argentina, Nikki uncovers shocking truths about her family, comes face to face with a new love interest – or two – and ultimately turns a no-name blog into the internationally celebrated venture of Unearth Women, the first major female-focused travel publication. Told in transporting detail and candid reflections, Call You When I Land takes the familiar story of a woman going abroad to find herself and turns it on its head, as the act of traveling becomes, for Nikki, an exhilarating career path – and ultimately a tool to champion women&’s voices across the world.Black Lives, American Love: Essays on Race and Resilience
Par D. B. Maroon. 2024
In this hard-hitting collection of essays, D.B. Maroon presents a personal biography of America, Blackness, and racial politics with unflinching…
style, and delivers a relentless truth-telling on some of the country's fiercest debates and most profound challenges. From the birthplace of the Black Lives Matter movement to the murders of unarmed Black people, this essay collection invites readers to ask questions as much as it asks for accountability. Moving through debates on the 1619 Project to the rippling impact of resurgent white nationalism, the golden thread of each essay is the hopeful continuance of the Black community, as well as a call to greater truth as the first step toward reconcilliation. Intersectional, personal, and ultimately centered on truth, love, and perseverance, Black Lives, American Love details and tends to the fractures in American culture. It is a meditation on how we can all do more to secure America's vastly beautiful possibilities for all its citizens, rather than a few.Blackout to Blessing: How the Perfect Love of Jesus Saved Me from the Highway to Hell
Par Melissa Huray. 2023
The story of one woman's journey out of darkness. Beyond the lights and the camera, Melissa Huray spent her nights…
in darkness. Between seedy bars, lost time, and a painful quest for love, marriage, and a long-term relationship, she was spiraling—and no one ever knew. What started as an escape from her oppressive childhood had become an addiction that plagued and defined her. For fifteen years, she had hidden her dark, shameful secret, and when the cameras started rolling, she was always there, ready to deliver the news. But all along, she knew something was missing, a truth she once knew was calling her back. She had first felt it as a teenager, when she felt invisible and forgotten in the cycle of addiction and superficiality that ruled her household. Melissa was lost in the shuffle of a distracted mother, alcoholic father, and spotless brother. Soon, panic attacks became all-consuming. The only way to feel better was to feel nothing at all, and remember even less. But after fifteen years, the relief was fleeting, and she couldn't stop. After one staggering night, she was faced with the horrifying reality that her time was ticking. She knew something had to change, and fast. But how? Melissa then realized it wasn't "what" could save her, but "Who."Control Freak: My Epic Adventure Making Video Games
Par Cliff Bleszinski. 2022
The designer of Unreal and Gears of War offers an eye-opening personal account of the video game industry as it…
grew from niche hobby to hundred-billion-dollar enterprise.Video games are dominating the planet. In 2020, they brought in $180 billion dollars globally—nearly $34 billion in the United States alone. So who are the brilliant designers who create these stunning virtual worlds? Cliff Bleszinski—or CliffyB as he is known to gamers—is one of the few who&’ve reached mythical, rock star status. In Control Freak, he gives an unvarnished, all-access tour of the business. Toiling away in his bedroom, Bleszinski created and shipped his first game before graduating high school, and at just seventeen joined a fledgling company called Epic Games. He describes the grueling hours, obscene amounts of Mountain Dew and obsessive focus necessary to achieve his singular creative visions. He details Epic&’s rise to industry leader, thanks largely to his work on bestselling franchises Unreal and Gears of War (and, later, his input on a little game called Fortnite), as well as his own awkward ascent from shy, acne-riddled introvert to sports car-driving celebrity rubbing shoulders with Bill Gates. As he writes, &“No one is weirder than a nerd with money.&” While the book is laced with such self-deprecating humor, Bleszinski also bluntly addresses the challenges that have long-faced the gaming community, including sexism and a lack of representation among both designers and the characters they create. Control Freak is a hilarious, thoughtful, and inspiring memoir. Even if you don&’t play games, you&’ll walk away from this book recognizing them as a true art form and appreciating the genius of their creators.