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Bamberger's: New Jersey's Greatest Store (Landmarks)
by Michael J. LisickyFor almost one hundred years, generations of New Jersey customers flocked to Bamberger's. From its grand Newark flagship to numerous suburban locations, the store was hailed for its myriad quality merchandise and its dedicated staff. Its promotional events were the highlight of every season, from the Thanksgiving Parade to elaborate Christmas festivals featuring celebrities such as Bob Hope, Carol Channing and Jerry Lewis. Though the once mighty flagship closed in 1992, Bamberger's is still fondly remembered as a retail haven. With vintage photographs, interviews with store insiders and favorite recipes, nationally renowned department store historian and New Jersey native Michael J. Lisicky brings the story of New Jersey's Greatest Store back to life.
Banbhatt Ki Aatmakatha: बाणभट्ट की आत्मकथा
by Hazari Prasad Dwivediआचार्य हजारीप्रसाद द्विवेदी की विपुल रचना-सामर्थ्य का रहस्य उनके विशद शास्त्रीय ज्ञान में नहीं, बल्कि उस पारदर्शी जीवन-दृष्टि में निहित है, जो युग का नहीं युग-युग का सत्य देखती है। उनकी प्रतिभा ने इतिहास का उपयोग ‘तीसरी आँख’ के रूप में किया है और अतीत-कालीन चेतना-प्रवाह को वर्तमान जीवनधारा से जोड़ पाने में वह आश्चर्यजनक रूप से सफल हुई है। बाणभट्ट की आत्मकथा अपनी समस्त औपन्यासिक संरचना और भंगिमा में कथा-कृति होते हुए भी महाकाव्यत्व की गरिमा से पूर्ण है। इसमें द्विवेदी जी ने प्राचीन कवि बाण के बिखरे जीवन-सूत्रों को बड़ी कलात्मकता से गूँथकर एक ऐसी कथाभूमि निर्मित की है जो जीवन-सत्यों से रसमय साक्षात्कार कराती है। इसमें वह वाणी मुखरित है जो सामगान के समान पवित्रा और अर्थपूर्ण है-‘सत्य के लिए किसी से न डरना, गुरु से भी नहीं, मंत्रा से भी नहीं; लोक से भी नहीं, वेद से भी नहीं।’ बाणभट्ट की आत्मकथा का कथानायक कोरा भावुक कवि नहीं वरन कर्मनिरत और संघर्षशील जीवन-योद्धा है। उसके लिए ‘शरीर केवल भार नहीं, मिट्टी का ढेला नहीं’, बल्कि ‘उससे बड़ा’ है और उसके मन में आर्यावर्त्त के उद्धार का निमित्त बनने की तीव्र बेचैनी है। ‘अपने को निःशेष भाव से दे देने’ में जीवन की सार्थकता देखने वाली निउनिया और ‘सबकुछ भूल जाने की साधना’ में लीन महादेवी भट्टिनी के प्रति उसका प्रेम जब उच्चता का वरण कर लेता है तो यही गूँज अंत में रह जाती हैद-‘‘वैराग्य क्या इतनी बड़ी चीज है कि प्रेम देवता को उसकी नयनाग्नि में भस्म कराके ही कवि गौरव का अनुभव करे?’’
Bandit: A Daughter's Memoir
by Molly BrodakRaw, poetic and compulsively readable. In Molly Brodak’s dazzling memoir, Bandit, her eye is so honest, I found myself nodding like I was agreeing with her, sometimes cringing at what she sustained, and laughing often. I can’t wait to buy a copy for everyone I know.” Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help In the summer of 1994, when Molly Brodak was thirteen years old, her father robbed eleven banks, until the police finally caught up with him while he was sitting at a bar drinking beer, a bag of stolen money plainly visible in the backseat of his parked car. Dubbed the Mario Brothers Bandit” by the FBI, he served seven years in prison and was released, only to rob another bank several years later and end up back behind bars. In her powerful, provocative debut memoir, Bandit, Molly Brodak recounts her childhood and attempts to make sense of her complicated relationship with her father, a man she only half knew. At some angles he was a normal father: there was a job at the GM factory, a house with a yard, birthday treats for Molly and her sister. But there were darker glimmers, too another wife he never mentioned to her mother, late-night rages directed at the TV, the red Corvette that suddenly appeared in the driveway, a gift for her sister. Growing up with this larger-than-life, mercurial man, Brodak’s strategy was to get small” and stay out of the way. In Bandit, she unearths and reckons with her childhood memories and the fracturing impact her father had on their family and in the process attempts to make peace with the parts of herself that she inherited from this bewildering, beguiling man. Written in precise, spellbinding prose, Bandit is a stunning, gut-punching story of family and memory, of the tragic fallibility of the stories we tell ourselves, and of the contours of a father’s responsibility for his children.
The Banker and the Blackfoot: A Memoir of My Grandfather in Chinook Country
by J. Edward ChamberlinIn his remarkable and entertaining memoir of his beloved grandfather, Ted Chamberlin conjures up vividly the never-before-told story of a particular time and place not long after Canada was founded. And shows us not only what Canada once--briefly--was, but what it still could be.This is the story of when "Sorreltop Jack" was friends with Crop Eared Wolf; of two decades, 1885 to 1905, when the people in the foothills of modern-day Alberta--First Nation and Métis, rancher and settler--respectfully set out to accommodate Blackfoot sovereignty and new settlement, before Canada broke its Treaty promises to the first peoples.It was a colourful, unpredictable time. Fort Macleod was a small ramshackle town nestled in the heart of Blackfoot territory when young Jack Cowdry arrived and met Crop Eared Wolf--the legendary Káínai (Blood) warrior, brilliant horseman and sophisticated strategist, who would soon succeed his father, the great statesman Red Crow, as head chief of the Bloods. Friendship and trust became a bond. Here Jack opened his first bank and fell in love with the author's grandmother, Gussie Thompson, who travelled across the country to work as a teacher, her heart open to whatever adventures life could offer her. The new town embraced it all--Sun Dances and social dances, bibles and medicine bundles, horse races and polo matches, and a wild variety of great characters. Here we meet Madame Kanouse (Natawista), admired for both her influential intelligence and her stunning fashion sense; Kamoose Taylor, hospitable patron of the Macleod Hotel--where Francis Dickens, son of the great novelist Charles, or the Sundance Kid himself might be found at the bar; the taciturn Jerry Potts, unequaled Métis guide and interpreter; John Ware, successful Black rancher;and Peigan chief Big Swan, irreverent co-conspirator with Jack Cowdry on the satirical newspaper The Outlaw.Resonant with the power of storytelling, this compelling memoir illuminates the challenges we face now, and the opportunity we still have to uphold the promise made when Canada was founded.From the Hardcover edition.
Bare Bones: I'm Not Lonely If You're Reading This Book
by Bobby Bones#1 New York Times BestsellerA touching, funny, heart-wrenching, and triumphant memoir from one of the biggest names in radio, the host of The Bobby Bones Show, one of the most listened-to drive time morning radio shows in the nation.Growing up poor in Mountain Pine, Arkansas, with a young, addicted mom, Bobby Estell fell in love with country music. Abandoned by his father at the age of five, Bobby saw the radio as his way out—a dream that came true in college when he went on air at the Henderson State University campus station broadcasting as Bobby Bones, while simultaneously starting The Bobby Bones Show at 105.9 KLAZ. Bobby’s passions were pop, country music, and comedy, and he blended the three to become a tastemaker in the country music industry, heard by millions daily. Bobby broke the format of standard country radio, mixing country and pop with entertainment news and information, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the business, including Luke Bryan, Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, and Jason Aldean.Yet despite the glamour, fame, and money, Bobby has never forgotten his roots, the mom and grandmother who raised him, the work ethic he embraced which saved him and encouraged him to explore the world, and the good values that shaped him. In this funny, poignant memoir told in Bobby’s distinctive patter, he takes fans on a tour of his road to radio. Bobby doesn’t shy away from the curves he continues to navigate—including his obsessive-compulsive disorder—on his journey to find the happiness of a healthy family.Funny and tender, raw and honest, Bare Bones is pure Bobby Bones—surprising, entertaining, inspiring, and authentic.
Bare Knuckles & Saratoga Racing: The Remarkable Life of John Morrissey (Sports)
by Brien BouyeaOne of the more dynamic characters of his time, John "Old Smoke" Morrissey made his way from undefeated bare-knuckle boxer to found the Saratoga Race Course and win elections to Congress and the New York State Senate. A poor, uneducated Irish immigrant, Morrissey became a leader in the Dead Rabbits street gang. He won fame as a fighter and fortune as the operator of a string of successful gambling houses. He then took Saratoga Springs by storm. He improbably resurrected thoroughbred racing during the Civil War and opened his famous Club House, the most glamorous casino the country had ever seen. Author Brien Bouyea chronicles the incomparable life of a true American legend.
Baring Witness: 36 Mormon Women Talk Candidly about Love, Sex, and Marriage
by Holly WelkerIn Baring Witness , Welker and thirty-six Mormon women write about devotion and love and luck, about the wonder of discovery, and about the journeys, both thorny and magical, to humor, grace, and contentment. They speak to a diversity of life experiences: what happens when one partner rejects Church teachings; marrying outside one's faith; the pain of divorce and widowhood; the horrors of spousal abuse; the hard journey from visions of an idealized marriage to the everyday truth; sexuality within Mormon marriage; how the pressure to find a husband shapes young women's actions and sense of self; and the ways Mormon belief and culture can influence second marriages and same-sex unions. The result is an unflinching look at the earthly realities of an institution central to Mormon life.
Bars, Blues, and Booze: Stories from the Drink House (American Made Music Series)
by Emily D. EdwardsBars, Blues, and Booze collects lively bar tales from the intersection of black and white musical cultures in the South. Many of these stories do not seem dignified, decent, or filled with uplifting euphoria, but they are real narratives of people who worked hard with their hands during the week to celebrate the weekend with music and mind-altering substances. These are stories of musicians who may not be famous celebrities but are men and women deeply occupied with their craft--professional musicians stuck with a day job. The collection also includes stories from fans and bar owners, people vital to shaping a local music scene. The stories explore the "crossroads," that intoxicated intersection of spirituality, race, and music that forms a rich, southern vernacular. In personal narratives, musicians and partygoers relate tales of narrow escape (almost getting busted by the law while transporting moonshine), of desperate poverty (rat-infested kitchens and repossessed cars), of magic (hiring a root doctor to make a charm), and loss (death or incarceration). Here are stories of defiant miscegenation, of forgetting race and going out to eat together after a jam, and then not being served. Assorted boasts of improbable hijinks give the "blue collar" musician a wild, gritty glamour and emphasize the riotous freedom of their fans, who sometimes risk the strong arm of southern liquor laws in order to chase the good times.
Based on a True Story: A Memoir
by Norm Macdonald<P>Wild, dangerous, and flat-out unbelievable, here is the incredible memoir of the actor, gambler, raconteur, SNL veteran, and one of the best stand-up comedians of all time. <P>As this book's title suggests, Norm Macdonald tells the story of his life--more or less--from his origins on a farm in the-back-of-beyond Canada and an epically disastrous appearance on Star Search to his account of auditioning for Lorne Michaels and his memorable run as the anchor of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live--until he was fired because a corporate executive didn't think he was funny. But Based on a True Story is much more than a memoir; it's the hilarious, inspired epic of Norm's life. <P>In dispatches from a road trip to Las Vegas (part of a plan hatched to regain the fortune he'd lost to sports betting and other vices) with his sidekick and enabler, Adam Eget, Norm recounts the milestone moments, the regrets, the love affairs, the times fortune smiled on his life, and the times it refused to smile. As the clock ticks down, Norm's debt reaches record heights, and he must find a way to evade the hefty price that's been placed on his head by one of the most dangerous loan sharks in the country. <P>As a comedy legend should, Norm peppers these pages with classic jokes and fondly mythologized Hollywood stories. This wildly adventurous, totally original, and absurdly funny saga turns the conventional "comic's memoir" on its head and gives the reader an exclusive pass into the mad, glorious mind of Norm Macdonald. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Batman: Gotham City's Guardian
by Matthew ManningWhat was Bruce Wayne's childhood like? Why does he dress up like a bat? What compels him to protect Gotham City? How did he become the world's greatest detective? Who are his most trusted allies and fearsome foes? In this biography--complete with black-and-white illustrations, timelines, and fact boxes--young readers will delight in learning the complete history of Gotham's fearless protector.
The Battle
by Paul O'ConnellWINNER OF THE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEARThe revelatory autobiography of a rugby colossus: Paul O'Connell. There has never been a rugby player quite like Paul O'Connell. He is synonymous with passion, heart and determination; but he is also the thinking man's rugby player, a legendary student of the game. As the heartbeat of Munster, British and Irish Lions captain in 2009, and captain of the first Ireland team to defend a Six Nations championship, O'Connell has emerged as perhaps the most beloved of the golden generation of Irish rugby players. In an autobiography as intense as its author, he tells the story of his remarkable career.'O'Connell's book tells you how it all happened' David Walsh, Sunday Times'O'Connell has emptied the tank here' Hilary A. White, Irish Independent'The intense physicality of his rugby upbringing is an abiding theme . . . along with humour, the craic and an extensive knowledge of how teams work' Paul Hayward, Daily Telegraph'I found The Battle entrancing' Stephen Jones, Sunday Times'Revelatory . . . Unflinchingly charts his personal evolution' Keith Duggan, Irish Times
The Battle for Home: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria
by Roger Scruton Marwa Al-SabouniAn architect's gripping account of living and working in war-torn Syria, and the role architecture plays in whether a community crumbles or comes together Drawing on the author's personal experience of living and working as an architect in Syria, this timely and fascinating account offers an eyewitness perspective on the country's bitter conflict through the lens of architecture, showing how the built environment and its destruction hold up a mirror to the communities that inhabit it. From Syria's tolerant past, with churches and mosques built alongside one another in Old Homs and members of different religions living harmoniously together, the book chronicles the recent breakdown of social cohesion in Syria's cities. With the lack of shared public spaces intensifying divisions within the community, and corrupt officials interfering in town planning for their own gain, these actions are symptomatic of wider abuses of power. With firsthand accounts of mortar attacks and stories of refugees struggling to find a home, The Battle for Home is a compelling explanation of the personal impact of the conflict and offers hope for how architecture can play a role in rebuilding a sense of identity within a damaged society.
The Battle for Room 314: My Year of Hope and Despair in a New York City High School
by Ed BolandTHE BATTLE FOR ROOM 314In a fit of idealism, Ed Boland left a twenty-year career as a non-profit executive to teach in a tough New York City public high school. But his hopes quickly collided headlong with the appalling reality of his students' lives and a hobbled education system unable to help them: Freddy runs a drug ring for his incarcerated brother; Nee-cole is homeschooled on the subway by her brilliant homeless mother; and Byron's Ivy League dream is dashed because he is undocumented. In the end, Boland isn't hoisted on his students' shoulders and no one passes AP anything. This is no urban fairy tale of at-risk kids saved by a Hollywood hero, but a searing indictment of schools that claim to be progressive but still fail their students. Told with compassion, humor, and a keen eye, Boland's story is sure to ignite debate about the future of American education and attempts to reform it.
Battle Hymn: The Best and Worst Civil War Generals
by Richard M. WalshThis entertaining work analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the Civil War&’s top Union and Confederate generals using extensive primary documents and original research. Included are the surprising answers to intriguing questions: How did Union general Ulysses S. Grant attain such a high rank after numerous failures in civilian life? What made the dour, almost fanatically religious Stonewall Jackson perhaps the best combat leader in the Confederacy? History professor Richard M. Walsh explains why Ambrose Burnside was demoted, who gave George McClellan the nickname &“Little Napoleon,&” and why men of both sides respected Robert E. Lee. Walsh even includes outstanding citizen soldiers who quickly advanced in rank on both sides in his remarkable chronicle. Fascinating facts are gathered in chapters that group the generals from the worst to the not so bad to the best, all punctuated by satirical portraits drawn by Charles H. Hayes. Walsh&’s record is a must read for history buffs from both sides of the Mason-Dixon!
Bear: The Life and Times of Augustus Owsley Stanley III
by Robert GreenfieldThe creator of the dancing bear logo and designer of the Wall of Sound for the Grateful Dead, Augustus Owsley Stanley III, better known by his nickname, Bear, was one of the most iconic figures in the cultural revolution that changed both America and the world during the 1960s.Owsley's high octane rocket fuel enabled Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters to put on the Acid Tests. It also powered much of what happened on stage at Monterey Pop. Owsley turned on Pete Townshend of The Who and Jimi Hendrix. The shipment of LSD that Owsley sent John Lennon resulted in The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour album and film. Convinced that the Grateful Dead were destined to become the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band, Owsley provided the money that kept them going during their early days. As their longtime soundman, he then faithfully recorded many of the Dead's greatest live performances and designed the massive space age system that came to be known as the Wall of Sound.Award-winning author and biographer Robert Greenfield's definitive biography of this Grateful Dead legend masterfully takes us through Owsley's incredible life and times to bring us a full picture of this fascinating man for the first time.
Bearing Witness: Stories of Martyrdom and Costly Discipleship
by Charles E. Moore Timothy KeiderlingWhat does it cost to follow Jesus? For these men and women, the answer was clear. They were ready to give witness to Christ in the face of intense persecution, even if it cost them their lives. From the stoning of Stephen to Nigerian Christians persecuted by Boko Haram today, these stories from around the world and through the ages will inspire greater faithfulness to the way of Jesus, reminding us what costly discipleship looks like in any age. Since the birth of Christianity, the church has commemorated those who suffered for their faith in Christ. In the Anabaptist tradition especially, stories of the boldness and steadfastness of early Christian and Reformation-era martyrs have been handed down from one generation to the next through books such as Thieleman van Braght's Martyrs Mirror (1660). Yet the stories of more recent Christian witnesses are often unknown. Bearing Witness tells the stories of early Christian martyrs Stephen, Polycarp, Justin, Agathonica, Papylus, Carpus, Perpetua, Tharacus, Probus, Andronicus, and Marcellus, followed by radical reformers Jan Hus, Michael and Margaretha Sattler, Weynken Claes, William Tyndale, Jakob and Katharina Hutter, Anna Janz, Dirk Willems. But the bulk of the book focuses on little-known modern witness including Veronika Löhans, Jacob Hochstetler, Gnadenhütten, Joseph and Michael Hofer, Emanuel Swartzendruber, Regina Rosenberg, Eberhard and Emmy Arnold, Johann Kornelius Martens, Ahn Ei Sook, Jakob Rempel, Clarence Jordan, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, Tulio Pedraza, Stanimir Katanic, Samuel Kakesa, Kasai Kapata, Meserete Kristos Church, Sarah Corson, Alexander Men, José Chuquín, Norman Tattersall, Katherine Wu, and Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria. This book is part of the Bearing Witness Stories Project, a collaborative story-gathering project involving Anabaptist believers from many different traditions.
Beatles '66: The Revolutionary Year
by Steve TurnerA riveting look at the transformative year in the lives and careers of the legendary group whose groundbreaking legacy would forever change music and popular culture.They started off as hysteria-inducing pop stars playing to audiences of screaming teenage fans and ended up as musical sages considered responsible for ushering in a new era. The year that changed everything for the Beatles was 1966—the year of their last concert and their first album, Revolver, that was created to be listened to rather than performed. This was the year the Beatles risked their popularity by retiring from live performances, recording songs that explored alternative states of consciousness, experimenting with avant-garde ideas, and speaking their minds on issues of politics, war, and religion. It was the year their records were burned in America after John’s explosive claim that the group was "more popular than Jesus," the year they were hounded out of the Philippines for "snubbing" its First Lady, the year John met Yoko Ono, and the year Paul conceived the idea for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. On the fiftieth anniversary of this seminal year, music journalist and Beatles expert Steve Turner slows down the action to investigate in detail the enormous changes that took place in the Beatles’ lives and work during 1966. He looks at the historical events that had an impact on the group, the music they made that in turn profoundly affected the culture around them, and the vision that allowed four young men from Liverpool to transform popular music and serve as pioneers for artists from Coldplay to David Bowie, Jay-Z to U2. By talking to those close to the group and by drawing on his past interviews with key figures such as George Martin, Timothy Leary, and Ravi Shankar—and the Beatles themselves—Turner gives us the compelling, definitive account of the twelve months that contained everything the Beatles had been and anticipated everything they would still become.
The Beatles Book
by Hunter DaviesHunter Davies, the only ever authorised biographer of the group, has produced the essential Beatles guide. Divided into four sections – People, Songs, Places and Broadcast and Cinema – it covers all elements of the band’s history and vividly brings to live every influence that shaped them.Illustrated with material from Hunter's remarkable private collection of artefacts and memorabilia, this is the definitive Beatles treasure.
Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature
by Linda LearPeter Rabbit, Mr. McGregor, and many other Beatrix Potter characters remain in the hearts of millions. However, though Potter is a household name around the world, few know the woman behind the illustrations. Her personal life, including a romantic relationship with her publisher, Norman Warne, and her significant achievements outside of children's literature remain largely unknown. In Linda Lear's enchanting new biography, we get the life story of this incredible, funny, and independent woman. As one of the first female naturalists in the world, Potter brought the beauty and importance of nature back into the imagination at a time when plunder was more popular than preservation. Through her art she sought to encourage conservation and change the world. With never before seen illustrations and intimate detail, Lear goes beyond our perrenial fascination with Potter as a writer and illustrator of children's books, and delves deeply into the life of a most unusual and gifted woman--one whose art was timeless, and whose generosity left an indelible imprint on the countryside.
Beatrix Potter and the Unfortunate Tale of a Borrowed Guinea Pig
by Deborah Hopkinson Charlotte VoakePublished in time for the 150th anniversary of her birth, this story stars a young Beatrix Potter, creator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and many other classic children's books. Master of the historical fiction picture book, Hopkinson takes readers back to Victorian England and the home of budding young artist and animal lover Beatrix Potter. When Beatrix brings home her neighbor's pet guinea pig so that she can practice painting it, well . . . it dies! Now what? Written in the form of a "picture letter," this charming, hilarious, and mostly true tale is a wonderful introduction to a beloved author/illustrator and perfect for Common Core curriculums.An author's note includes photographs and more information about Beatrix Potter's life and work."A charming, delightful homage." --Kirkus Reviews, StarredFrom the Hardcover edition.
Because We Are Bad: OCD and a Girl Lost in Thought
by Lily BaileyA Washington Post Best Book of the Year“One of the best [books] I have read on the phenomenology of OCD.” —Scott Stossel, the Washington Post Written with the indelible power of Girl, Interrupted, Brain on Fire, and Reasons to Stay Alive, a lyrical, poignant memoir by a young woman about her childhood battle with debilitating obsessive compulsive disorder, and her hard-won journey to recovery.By the age of thirteen, Lily Bailey was convinced she was bad. She had killed someone with a thought, spread untold disease, and ogled the bodies of other children. Only by performing an exhausting series of secret routines could she make up for what she’d done. But no matter how intricate or repetitive, no act of penance was ever enough.Beautifully written and astonishingly intimate, Because We Are Bad recounts a childhood consumed by obsessive compulsive disorder. As a child, Bailey created a second personality inside herself—"I" became "we"—to help manifest compulsions that drove every minute of every day of her young life. Now she writes about the forces beneath her skin, and how they ordered, organized, and urged her forward. Lily charts her journey, from checking on her younger sister dozens of times a night, to "normalizing" herself at school among new friends as she grew older, and finally to her young adult years, learning—indeed, breaking through—to make a way for herself in a big, wide world that refuses to stay in check.Charming and raw, harrowing and redemptive, Because We Are Bad is an illuminating and uplifting look into the mind and soul of an extraordinary young woman, and a startling portrait of OCD that allows us to see and understand this condition as never before.
Becoming: Sex, Second Chances, and Figuring Out Who the Hell I am
by Laura Jane Williams'...a cult hit' - Grazia'LJ's honesty and voice are unique in a crowded market' - Stylist'If you've ever felt a little lost, I hope this book finds its way to you' - Daisy Buchanan 'Everyone is writing about sex. Some are even doing it. Haven't we all been waiting for someone to look at what happens when you opt out, and to do it with not only humour...but also true empowerment? Call off the search. At last, here she is' - The GuylinerWhen the man Laura Jane Williams thought she'd wed dumped her and married her friend, she was devastated. Empty. Drinking too much, sleeping around, and moving from place-to-place in a refusal to put down roots, she tried to fill the void - the gaping hole - that heartbreak had left behind. She wanted control. To grab life by the balls. To live boldly. But, she rapidly learned it wasn't that simple.Resolving that life couldn't go on as it was - that the backlog of men and sadness that haunted her would not define her - Laura declared a year-long vow of celibacy, ultimately finding herself in a Riviera convent as she slowly put pieces of herself back together.An honest exploration of a young woman's soul and a road trip through Italy, America, Paris and...Derby, BECOMING is a book that makes you laugh and makes you cry, but most of all? It makes you realise that even when the going gets tough, no one is really f*cking up like they think they are.
Becoming: Sex, Second Chances, and Figuring Out Who the Hell I am
by Laura Jane Williams'...a cult hit' - Grazia'LJ's honesty and voice are unique in a crowded market' - Stylist'If you've ever felt a little lost, I hope this book finds its way to you' - Daisy Buchanan 'Everyone is writing about sex. Some are even doing it. Haven't we all been waiting for someone to look at what happens when you opt out, and to do it with not only humour...but also true empowerment? Call off the search. At last, here she is' - The GuylinerSurvive and thrive memoir from blogger and social media influencer Laura Jane Williams.When the man Laura Jane Williams thought she'd wed dumped her and married her friend, she was devastated. Empty. Drinking too much, sleeping around, and moving from place-to-place in a refusal to put down roots, she tried to fill the void - the gaping hole - that heartbreak had left behind. She wanted control. To grab life by the balls. To live boldly. But, she rapidly learned it wasn't that simple.Resolving that life couldn't go on as it was - that the backlog of men and sadness that haunted her would not define her - Laura declared a year-long vow of celibacy, ultimately finding herself in a Riviera convent as she slowly put pieces of herself back together.An honest exploration of a young woman's soul and a road trip through Italy, America, Paris and...Derby, BECOMING is a book that makes you laugh and makes you cry, but most of all? It makes you realise that even when the going gets tough, no one is really f*cking up like they think they are.(P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Becoming Grandma: The Joys and Science of the New Grandparenting
by Lesley Stahl<P>From one of the country's most recognizable journalists: How becoming a grandmother transforms a woman's life. <P>After four decades as a reporter, Lesley Stahl's most vivid and transformative experience of her life was not covering the White House, interviewing heads of state, or researching stories at 60 Minutes. It was becoming a grandmother. She was hit with a jolt of joy so intense and unexpected, she wanted to "investigate" it--as though it were a news flash. <P>And so, using her 60 Minutes skills, she explored how grandmothering changes a woman's life, interviewing friends like Whoopi Goldberg, colleagues like Diane Sawyer (and grandfathers, including Tom Brokaw), as well as the proverbial woman next door. <P>Along with these personal accounts, Stahl speaks with scientists and doctors about physiological changes that occur in women when they have grandchildren; anthropologists about why there are grandmothers, in evolutionary terms; and psychiatrists about the therapeutic effects of grandchildren on both grandmothers and grandfathers. <P>Throughout Becoming Grandma, Stahl shares stories about her own life with granddaughters Jordan and Chloe, about how her relationship with her daughter, Taylor, has changed, and about how being a grandfather has affected her husband, Aaron. <P>In an era when baby boomers are becoming grandparents in droves and when young parents need all the help they can get raising their children, Stahl's book is a timely and affecting read that redefines a cherished relationship. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Becoming Jane Jacobs
by Peter L. LaurenceJane Jacobs is universally recognized as one of the key figures in American urbanism. The author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, she uncovered the complex and intertwined physical and social fabric of the city and excoriated the urban renewal policies of the 1950s. As the legend goes, Jacobs, a housewife, single-handedly stood up to Robert Moses, New York City's powerful master builder, and other city planners who sought first to level her Greenwich Village neighborhood and then to drive a highway through it. Jacobs's most effective weapons in these David-versus-Goliath battles, and in writing her book, were her powers of observation and common sense.What is missing from such discussions and other myths about Jacobs, according to Peter L. Laurence, is a critical examination of how she arrived at her ideas about city life. Laurence shows that although Jacobs had only a high school diploma, she was nevertheless immersed in an elite intellectual community of architects and urbanists. Becoming Jane Jacobs is an intellectual biography that chronicles Jacobs's development, influences, and writing career, and provides a new foundation for understanding Death and Life and her subsequent books. Laurence explains how Jacobs's ideas developed over many decades and how she was influenced by members of the traditions she was critiquing, including Architectural Forum editor Douglas Haskell, shopping mall designer Victor Gruen, housing advocate Catherine Bauer, architect Louis Kahn, Philadelphia city planner Edmund Bacon, urban historian Lewis Mumford, and the British writers at The Architectural Review. Rather than discount the power of Jacobs's critique or contributions, Laurence asserts that Death and Life was not the spontaneous epiphany of an amateur activist but the product of a professional writer and experienced architectural critic with deep knowledge about the renewal and dynamics of American cities.