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Who Was Elvis Presley? (Who Was?)
by John O'Brien Geoff EdgersPut on your blue suede shoes and get ready for another addition to the Who Was…? series! The King could not have come from humbler origins: Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, during the Depression, he grew up with the blues music of the rural South, the gospel music of local churches, and the country-western classics. But he forged a sound all his own—and a look that was all his own, too. With curled lip, swiveling hips, and greased pompadour, Elvis changed popular music forever, ushering in the age of rock and roll. Geoff Edgers’s fascinating biography of this icon of American pop culture includes black and- white illustrations on nearly every spread.
Who Was Thomas Alva Edison? (Who was?)
by John O'Brien Margaret Frith Nancy HarrisonOne day in 1882, Thomas Edison flipped a switch that lit up lower Manhattan with incandescent light and changed the way people live ever after. The electric light bulb was only one of thousands of Edison's inventions, which include the phonograph and the kinetoscope, an early precursor to the movie camera. As a boy, observing a robin catch a worm and then take flight, he fed a playmate a mixture of worms and water to see if she could fly! Here's an accessible, appealing biography with 100 black-and-white illustrations.
Who Was Thomas Jefferson? (Who was?)
by John O'Brien Nancy Harrison Dennis Brindell FradinDid you know that John Adams had to coax Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence? It's true. The shy Virginia statesman refused at first, but then went on to author one of our nation's most important and inspiring documents. The third U.S. president, Jefferson was also an architect, inventor, musician, farmer, and-what is certainly the most troubling aspect of his life-a slave owner. Finally, here's a biography for kids that unveils the many facets of this founding father's remarkable and complicated life.
Who Is Bob Dylan? (Who was?)
by John O'Brien Nancy Harrison Jim O'ConnorA singer-songwriter, musician, and artist, Bob Dylan is an American icon. In the past five decades, Dylan's work has influenced everyone from John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and David Bowie to rapper Eminem. Young music lovers will be fascinated by this great artist's life!
Who Is Michelle Obama? (Who Was?)
by John O'Brien Nancy Harrison Megan StineBorn into a close knit family in Chicago, Michelle Robinson was a star student who graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law. Then in 1992, she married another promising young lawyer and the rest, as they say, is history. It is undeniable that President Barack Obama has changed the United States but so has Michelle Obama, the self proclaimed "Mom in Chief." This compelling, easy-to-read biography is illustrated by New Yorker artist John O'Brien.
Who Was Abigail Adams? (Who was?)
by John O'Brien True KelleyAbigail Adams was a strong woman far ahead of her time. She urged her husband, President John Adams, to "remember the ladies" and despite having no formal education herself, she later advocated for equal education in public schools for both boys and girls. She was also the first First Lady to live in the White House! This biography tells the story of Abigail Adams and her role in America's Revolutionary War period.
Who Was Marie Antoinette? (Who was?)
by John O'Brien Dana Meachen RauFrom the palaces of Austria to the mirrored halls of Versailles, Marie Antoinette led a charmed life. She was born into royalty in 1755 and married the future king of France at age 15. By 21 she ascended to the throne and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle of masquerade balls, sky-high wigs, and extravagant food. But her taste for excess ruffled many feathers. The poor people of France blamed Marie Antoinette for their poverty. Her spending helped incite the French Revolution. And after much public outcry, in 1793 she quite literally lost her head because of it. Whether she was blameless or guilty is debatable, but Marie Antoinette remains woven into the fabric of history and popular culture.
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball
by Keith O'BrienNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A captivating chronicle of the incredible story of one of America&’s most iconic, charismatic, and still polarizing figures—baseball immortal Pete Rose—and an exquisite cultural history of baseball and America in the second half of the twentieth century • "Comprehensive, compulsively readable and wholly terrific."—The Wall Street Journal"Long before the inquiry into Ohtani's ties to betting, there was Pete Rose....Charlie Hustle chronicles one of the most polarizing figures in sports."—NPR, All Things Considered&“Baseball biography at its best. With Charlie Hustle, Pete Rose finally gets the book he deserves, and baseball fans get the book we&’ve been craving, a hard-hitting, beautifully-written tale that will stand for years to come as the definitive account of one of the most fascinating figures in American sports history.&”—Jonathan Eig, New York Times bestselling author of King: A LifePete Rose is a legend. A baseball god. He compiled more hits than anyone in the history of baseball, a record he set decades ago that still stands today. He was a working-class white guy from Cincinnati who made it; less talented than tough, and rough around the edges. He was everything that America wanted and needed him to be, the American dream personified, until he wasn&’t.In the 1980s, Pete Rose came to be at the center of one of the biggest scandals in baseball history. He kept secrets, ran with bookies, took on massive gambling debts, and he was magnificently, publicly cast out for betting on baseball and lying about it. The revelations that followed ruined him, changed life in Cincinnati, and forever altered the game.Charlie Hustle tells the full story of one of America&’s most epic tragedies—the rise and fall of Pete Rose. Drawing on firsthand interviews with Rose himself and with his associates, as well as on investigators' reports, FBI and court records, archives, a mountain of press coverage, Keith O&’Brien chronicles how Rose fell so far from being America&’s &“great white hope.&” It is Pete Rose as we've never seen him before.This is no ordinary sport biography, but cultural history at its finest. What O&’Brien shows is that while Pete Rose didn&’t change, America and baseball did. This is the story of that change.
Fly Girls Young Readers’ Edition: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
by Keith O'BrienFrom NPR correspondent Keith O’ Brien comes this thrilling Young Readers' edition of the untold story about pioneering women, including Amelia Earhart, who fought to compete against men in the high-stakes national air races of the 1920s and 1930s—and won. In the years between World War I and World War II, airplane racing was one of the most popular sports in America. Thousands of fans flocked to multiday events, and the pilots who competed in these races were hailed as heroes. Well, the male pilots were hailed. Women who flew planes were often ridiculed by the press, and initially they weren’t invited to race. Yet a group of women were determined to take to the sky—no matter what. With guts and grit, they overcame incredible odds both on the ground and in the air to pursue their dreams of flying and racing planes.Fly Girls follows the stories of five remarkable women: Florence Klingensmith, a high‑school dropout from North Dakota; Ruth Elder, an Alabama housewife; Amelia Earhart, the most famous, but not necessarily the most skilled; Ruth Nichols, a daughter of Wall Street wealth who longed to live a life of her own; and Louise Thaden, who got her start selling coal in Wichita. Together, they fought for the chance to race against the men—and in 1936 one of them would triumph in the toughest race of all. Complete with photographs and a glossary, Fly Girls celebrates a little-known slice of history wherein tenacious, trail-blazing women braved all obstacles to achieve greatness.
Paradise Falls: The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe
by Keith O'BrienThe staggering story of an unlikely band of mothers in the 1970s who discovered Hooker Chemical's deadly secret of Love Canal—exposing one of America&’s most devastating toxic waste disasters and sparking the modern environmental movement as we know it today.&“Propulsive...A mighty work of historical journalism...A glorious quotidian thriller about people forced to find and use their inner strength.&” —The Boston Globe Lois Gibbs, Luella Kenny, and other mothers loved their neighborhood on the east side of Niagara Falls. It had an elementary school, a playground, and rows of affordable homes. But in the spring of 1977, pungent odors began to seep into these little houses, and it didn&’t take long for worried mothers to identify the curious scent. It was the sickly sweet smell of chemicals. In this propulsive work of narrative storytelling, NYT journalist Keith O&’Brien uncovers how Gibbs and Kenny exposed the poisonous secrets buried in their neighborhood. The school and playground had been built atop an old canal—Love Canal, it was called—that Hooker Chemical, the city&’s largest employer, had quietly filled with twenty thousand tons of toxic waste in the 1940s and 1950s. This waste was now leaching to the surface, causing a public health crisis the likes of which America had never seen before and sparking new and specific fears. Luella Kenny believed the chemicals were making her son sick. O&’Brien braids together previously unknown stories of Hooker Chemical&’s deeds; the local newspaperman, scientist, and congressional staffer who tried to help; the city and state officials who didn&’t; and the heroic women who stood up to corporate and governmental indifference to save their families and their children. They would take their fight all the way to the top, winning support from the EPA, the White House, and even President Jimmy Carter. By the time it was over, they would capture America&’s imagination. Sweeping and electrifying, Paradise Falls brings to life a defining story from our past, laying bare the dauntless efforts of a few women who—years before Erin Brockovich took up the mantle— fought to rescue their community and their lives from the effects of corporate pollution and laid foundation for the modern environmental movement as we know it today.
My Life in the Irish Brigade: The Civil War Memoirs of Private William Mccarter, 116th Pennsylvania Infantry
by Kevin E. O'Brien William McCarter Geoffrey O'BrienThe Civil War Memoirs of Private William McCarter, 116 Pennsylvania Infantry William McCarter, a 21-year-old Irish immigrant, was present at the storming of Marye's Heights at the battle of Fredericksburg and left behind observations of several prominent Union personalities as well as daily life in the Army of the Potomac.
Bandit Mentality: Hunting Insurgents in the Rhodesian Bush War, A Memoir
by Lindsay O’BrienA former officer of British South Africa&’s anti-terrorist unit recounts his experiences on the frontlines of the Rhodesian Bush war from 1976–1980. A native of New Zealand, Lindsay &‘Kiwi&’ O&’Brien served in the British South Africa Police Support Unit&’s anti-terrorist battalion. He traveled across the country as a section leader and a troop commander before joining the UANC political armies as trainer and advisor. The BSA Support Unit started poorly supplied and equipped, but the caliber of the men, mostly African, was second-to-none. Support Unit specialized in the &“grunt&” work inside Rhodesia with none of the flamboyant helicopter or cross-border raids carried out by the army. O&’Brien&’s war was primarily within selected tribal lands, seeking out and destroying Communist guerilla units in brisk close-range battles with little to no support. O&’Brien moved from the police to working with the initial UANC deployment in the Zambezi Valley where the poorly trained recruits had to learn fast or die. O&’Brien&’s account is a foreign-born perspective from a junior commander uninterested in promotion and the wrangling of upper command. He was decorated and wounded three times.
Madonna: Like an Icon
by Lucy O'BrienMaterial Girl . . . Immaculate sexpot . . . Superstar . . . Mother . . . Kabbalah enthusiast . . . For three decades she has defied categorization. . . . She remains one of our greatest living pop icons. Here is the groundbreaking biography that finally solves the mystery at the heart of Madonna's chameleonlike existence. Drawing upon scores of candid interviews with producers, musicians, collaborators, lovers, and friends, Lucy O'Brien's Madonna: Like an Icon explores the complex personality and legendary drive that have made Madonna the most famous female pop artist of our time. From her mother's premature death to Madonna's dynamic arrival on the New York club scene, from "Like a Virgin" to Evita and beyond, every stage of this dazzling star's life and career is brilliantly illuminated--the stereotypes deconstructed, the lies exposed, the artist examined, the legend celebrated.
Madonna: Like an Icon
by Lucy O'BrienMaterial Girl . . . Immaculate sexpot . . . Superstar . . . Mother . . . Kabbalah enthusiast . . . For three decades she has defied categorization. . . . She remains one of our greatest living pop icons.Here is the groundbreaking biography that finally solves the mystery at the heart of Madonna's chameleonlike existence. Drawing upon scores of candid interviews with producers, musicians, collaborators, lovers, and friends, Lucy O'Brien's Madonna: Like an Icon explores the complex personality and legendary drive that have made Madonna the most famous female pop artist of our time. From her mother's premature death to Madonna's dynamic arrival on the New York club scene, from "Like a Virgin" to Evita and beyond, every stage of this dazzling star's life and career is brilliantly illuminated—the stereotypes deconstructed, the lies exposed, the artist examined, the legend celebrated.
How I Became a Human Being
by Mark O'BrienIn September 1955 six-year-old Mark O’Brien moved his arms and legs for the last time. He came out of a coma to find himself enclosed from the neck down in an iron lung, the machine in which he would live for much of the rest of his life. For the first time in paperback, How I Became a Human Being is O’Brien’s account of his struggles to lead an independent life despite a lifelong disability. In 1955 he contracted polio and became permanently paralyzed from the neck down. O’Brien describes growing up without the use of his limbs, his adolescence struggling with physical rehabilitation and suffering the bureaucracy of hospitals and institutions, and his adult life as an independent student and writer. Despite his physical limitations, O’Brien crafts a narrative that is as rich and vivid as the life he led.
Into The Western Winds: Pioneer Boys Traveling The Overland Trails
by Mary Barmeyer O'BrienThis book chronicles the overland journeys of nine pioneer boys who went west by covered wagon in the mid-1800s. Taken from their letters, diaries, and later memoirs, these remarkable stories describe what it was like to be hungry enough to eat woodpeckers, brave enough to winter alone in the snowbound Sierra Nevada, cold enough to huddle beneath a sister's petticoat at night, and tough enough to push onward despite astounding odds. Trudging barefoot across hundreds of miles of harsh land, each of the boys selected for this collection found the resourcefulness to rise above the unusual circumstances of his overland journey. Whether traveling alone through the vast wilderness to bring food to his starving family like fourteen-year-old Octavius Pringle, struggling for days across Death Valley like six-year-old John Wells Brier, or boating the treacherous rapids of the Columbia River like young Jesse Applegate, each summoned the courage to help his family complete a remarkable trip west.
Jeannette Rankin: Bright Star in the Big Sky
by Mary Barmeyer O'BrienThis book chronicles the extraordinary life of Jeanette Rankin. The first woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress, Jeannette represented Montana for two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was a leading advocate for both woman suffrage and world peace and was instrumented in securing the right for Montana women to vote. As the sole female member of the U.S. Congress in 1919, Jeanette was the only woman who voted to give all women in the United States the right to vote. After readers witness the vote that made Ms. Rankin most famous-her lone vote against U.S. entry into World War II-they turn to her youngest years in Missoula, Montana. The book continues to follow Jeannette's life from beginning to end, exposing her many courageous and remarkable accomplishments. Jeannette once said: "Wouldn't it be too bad if we left this world and hadn't done all we could for peace?" She herself had nothing to regret. Readers will be inspired by this magnificent portrait of her life.
Conversations with JFK: A Fictional Dialogue Based on Biographical Facts (Conversations With #1)
by Michael O'BrienImagined by one of the world's foremost JFK scholars, this fictionalised conversation presents the essential biography of America's most glamorous and mythologised president.For many, the presidency of John F. Kennedy was a magic interlude in American history. His admirers saw him as a leader of intelligence and imagination, who wielded power with grace, courage and verve - although detractors have questioned the depth of his convictions and drawn attention to his serial philandering. Kennedy's rise also marked the beginning of modern "celebrity" politics - a politician with film star charisma who proved ideally suited to the new age of television. Meet the man himself and he'll tell you how it felt to have his finger on the red button when the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war. The book is divided into two parts: a biographical essay that provides a concise overview of JFK's life, achievements, scandals and controversies; and a Q&A dialogue based on rigorous research and incorporating JFK's actual spoken or written words whenever possible, along with rigorously researched biographical interpretations of his various views and positions.Here you will find all the key moments in JFK's life and career: his early days at Harvard and the US Navy; his family background and the importance of his Catholic faith; running for office against Richard Nixon; his clashes with communist power in Berlin and Cuba; the Civil Rights movement; Vietnam; and the president's often scandalous personal life that was carefully concealed from an adoring public. Kennedy's assassination on 22 November 1963 marked the beginning of a tumultuous and bitterly divided decade, and birthed countless conspiracy theories that thrive to this day. These legacies of polarisation and suspicion of established authority have assumed particular salience in the 21st century.
No Ordinary Joe: The Biography of Joe Paterno
by Michael O'BrienAuthor Michael O'Brien authoritatively paints the consummate Paterno portrait, the result of more than ten years of work that included 137 interviews and study of 150 previously published works. Paperback includes an epilogue that reviews the 1998 season in which Paterno won his landmark 300th career victory.
A morte da justiça
by Michael Obrien ElisangelaMichael O’Brien foi preso por onze anos por um crime que não cometeu – o caso do assassinato do jornaleiro de Cardiff. Nesse livro, ele revela tudo sobre os bodes expiatórios e a incompetência da polícia, que o transformaram em um homem inocente na prisão. Também é revelada sua luta, de unhas-e-dentes, até nas Cortes Supremas, não somente para conseguir sua liberdade de volta, mas, também, para conseguir a maior indenização já paga deste tipo. Enquanto esteve na prisão, Michael perdeu, além de sua liberdade, tudo que poderia ter, inclusive sua esposa, sua filha, e até mesmo a saúde. Muito tempo será necessário para que ele possa reconstruir sua vida. Mas há algo que ele ganhou nestes anos de prisão; tornou-se um autodidata em Leis, e um desejo incessante de ajudar pessoas que buscam a justiça. Recebeu o prêmio Internacional da Amazon “Pessoa”, em 2014.
Will Rogers: A Biography of Good Will Prince of Wit and Wisdom
by P. J. O’BrienWill Rogers: Ambassador of Good Will, Prince of Wit and Wisdom, first published in 1935, is an affectionate look at the great humorist, philanthropist, cowboy, newspaper columnist, movie- and vaudeville-star. Rogers, noted for his kindness to all he met, wrote his epitaph: “'I joked about every prominent man of my time, but I never met a man I didn't like.' I am so proud of that, I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved.” Rogers and aviator Wiley Post died in a plane crash near Point Barrow, Alaska, on August 15, 1935. Rogers was 55 at the time of his death. Included are numerous quotes of Will Rogers and 24 pages of photographs.
I'll Be Back Right After This: My Memoir
by Pat O'BrienA New York Times Best seller!Pat O'Brien was a skinny South Dakota kid with long hair, a rock and roll band, divorced parents and an alcoholic father. In all the familiar ways, he was on the road to nowhere until a professor, who envisioned his future as the household name he would soon become, dramatically changed his life.From that day forward Pat's life took turns that were both spectacular and destructive: from the Huntley-Brinkley Report and afternoons at Bobby Kennedy's living room with Muhammad Ali to conversations with six Presidents. He did acid with Timothy Leary, drank with Mickey Mantle, and over the course of a remarkable career up close and personal with the Beatles, The Stones, The Kennedy's, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and virtually every star in Hollywood. In I'LL BE BACK RIGHT AFTER THIS, Pat reveals the highs and lows of the life of a radio and TV broadcaster, spent sharing the mic with the world's rich and famous while battling an infamous public scandal and demons that nearly killed him. With laughter, tears and miracles he reveals how he learned to accept his mistakes, find redemption and become the father he never had, proving there really are second and even third acts in life.
Under the Black Hat: My Life in the WWE and Beyond
by Paul O'Brien Jim RossFrom legendary wrestling announcer Jim Ross comes a candid, colorful memoir about the inner workings of the WWE and the personal crises he weathered at the height of his career.If you&’ve caught a televised wrestling match anytime in the past THIRTY years, you&’ve probably heard Jim Ross&’s throaty Oklahoma twang. The beloved longtime announcer of WWE is already an icon to generations of wrestling fans, and he&’s not slowing down, having just signed on as the announcer of the starry new wrestling venture All Elite Wrestling. In this follow-up to his bestselling memoir Slobberknocker, he dishes about not only his long career, which includes nurturing global stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and John Cena, but also about the challenges of aging and disability, his split from collaborator Vince McMahon, and the sudden death of his beloved wife, Jan. The result is a gruff, endearing, and remarkably human-scale portrait, set against the larger-than-life backdrop of professional wrestling. Ross&’s ascent in WWE mirrors the rise of professional wrestling itself from a DIY sideshow to a billion-dollar business. Under the Black Hat traces all the highs and lows of that wild ride, in which Jim served not only as on-air commentator, but talent manager, payroll master, and even occasional in-ring foil to threats like Paul &“Triple H&” Levesque and Undertaker. While his role brought him riches and exposure Jim never dreamed of growing up in a small town in Oklahoma, he chafed against the strictures of a fickle corporate culture and what he saw as a narrow vision of what makes great wrestlers—and great story lines. When suddenly stricken with Bell&’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis that makes it impossible to smile, he stared down his greatest fear—being cast out of the announcing booth for good. Picking up where Slobberknocker left off and ending on the cusp of a new career in a reimagined industry, Under the Black Hat is the triumphant tale of a country boy who made it to the top, took a few knocks, and stuck around—just where his fans like him.
The Second Most Powerful Man in the World: The Life of Admiral William D. Leahy, Roosevelt's Chief of Staff
by Phillips Payson O'BrienThe life of Franklin Roosevelt's most trusted and powerful advisor, Admiral William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief“Beautifully written... In so many ways, Leahy was FDR’s indispensable strategist. In these pages are magnificent stories about Pearl Harbor, Vichy France, and Winston Churchill.”—Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of American MoonshotAside from FDR, no American did more to shape World War II than Admiral William D. Leahy--not Douglas MacArthur, not Dwight Eisenhower, and not even the legendary George Marshall. No man, including Harry Hopkins, was closer to Roosevelt, nor had earned his blind faith, like Leahy. Through the course of the war, constantly at the president's side and advising him on daily decisions, Leahy became the second most powerful man in the world.In a time of titanic personalities, Leahy regularly downplayed his influence, preferring the substance of power to the style. A stern-faced, salty sailor, his U.S. Navy career had begun as a cadet aboard a sailing ship. Four decades later, Admiral Leahy was a trusted friend and advisor to the president and his ambassador to Vichy France until the attack on Pearl Harbor. Needing one person who could help him grapple with the enormous strategic consequences of the war both at home and abroad, Roosevelt made Leahy the first presidential chief of staff--though Leahy's role embodied far more power than the position of today. Leahy's profound power was recognized by figures like Stalin and Churchill, yet historians have largely overlooked his role. In this important biography, historian Phillips Payson O'Brien illuminates the admiral's influence on the most crucial and transformative decisions of WWII and the early Cold War. From the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and France, to the allocation of resources to fight Japan, O'Brien contends that America's war largely unfolded according to Leahy's vision. Among the author's surprising revelations is that while FDR's health failed, Leahy became almost a de facto president, making decisions while FDR was too ill to work, and that much of his influence carried over to Truman's White House.
Out of Many, One: Obama and the Third American Political Tradition
by Ruth O'BrienFeared by conservatives and embraced by liberals when he entered the White House, Barack Obama has since been battered by criticism from both sides. In "Out of Many, One," Ruth O Brien explains why. We are accustomed to seeing politicians supporting either a minimalist state characterized by unfettered capitalism and individual rights or a relatively strong welfare state and regulatory capitalism. Obama, O Brien argues, represents the values of a lesser-known third tradition in American political thought that defies the usual left-right categorization. Bearing traces of Baruch Spinoza, John Dewey, and Saul Alinsky, Obama s progressivism embraces the ideas of mutual reliance and collective responsibility, and adopts an interconnected view of the individual and the state. So, while Obama might emphasize difference, he rejects identity politics, which can create permanent minorities and diminish individual agency. Analyzing Obama s major legislative victories financial regulation, health care, and the stimulus package O Brien shows how they reflect a stakeholder society that neither regulates in the manner of the New Deal nor deregulates. Instead, Obama focuses on negotiated rule making and allows executive branch agencies to fill in the details when dealing with a deadlocked Congress. Similarly, his commitment to difference and his resistance to universal mandates underlies his reluctance to advocate for human rights as much as many on the Democratic left had hoped. By establishing Obama within the context of a much longer and broader political tradition, this book sheds critical light on both the political and philosophical underpinnings of his presidency and a fundamental shift in American political thought. "