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White House Confidential: The Little Book of Weird Presidential History
by Will Durst Gregg Stebben Austin HillAn irreverent look at Presidential foibles, follies, fibs, and moral failuresWere past presidents smarter, more honest, and better behaved that those we elect today? Don’t bet on it! White House Confidential shows that commanders-in-chief have been lying, cheating, stealing, and womanizing from the days of the Founding Fathers. Focusing on the qualities that never made it into White House press releases, the authors look at their sexual misdeeds and strange family relationships, scandals that engulfed administrations, fights with enemies, and questionable money matters. Dip into these pages to find out: Which president was famous for being the richest man alive because of all his brilliant real estate deals? Which president was born in Canada, and was ineligible to hold the office of president? Which president caused some problems by trying to grow "strange herbs” in the White House garden? Which president often ordered White House staff to rub Vaseline into his scalp while he ate breakfast in bed? Which president often called his deputy chief of staff "Turd Blossom”?Updated with new material about many presidents including George W. Bush and Barack Obama, White House Confidential will have you laughing (and sometimes cursing!) as you take a second look at the next occupant of the Oval Office.
Revolution's End: The Patty Hearst Kidnapping, Mind Control, and the Secret History of Donald DeFreeze and the SLA
by Brad SchreiberForty years after the Patty Hearst "trial of the century," people still don't know the true story of the events.Revolution's End fully explains the most famous kidnapping in US history, detailing Patty Hearst's relationship with Donald DeFreeze, known as Cinque, head of the Symbionese Liberation Army. Not only did the heiress have a sexual relationship with DeFreeze while he was imprisoned; she didn't know he was an informant and a victim of prison behavior modification.Neither Hearst nor the white radicals who followed DeFreeze realized that he was molded by a CIA officer and allowed to escape, thanks to collusion with the California Department of Corrections. DeFreeze's secret mission: infiltrate and discredit Bay Area anti-war radicals and the Black Panther Party, the nexus of seventies activism. When the murder of the first black Oakland schools superintendent failed to create an insurrection, DeFreeze was alienated from his controllers and decided to become a revolutionary, since his life was in jeopardy.Revolution's End finally elucidates the complex relationship of Hearst and DeFreeze and proves that one of the largest shootouts in US history, which killed six members of the SLA in South Central Los Angeles, ended when the LAPD set fire to the house and incinerated those six radicals on live television, nationwide, as a warning to American leftists.
Finn McCool's Football Club: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of a Pub Soccer Team in the City of the Dead
by Stephen ReaIn 2004, Belfast-born Stephen Rea moved to New Orleans, a city where "football" means something entirely different than what it does back home. After struggling to find a place to watch European soccer games, Rea discovered Finn McCool's pub and its mixed clientele of good-humored European ex-pats, charismatic New Orleanians, and assorted matchless personalities. Before long he was playing on the pub's motley over-thirty-five fledgling soccer team. Gathered at the bar on August 27, 2005, members of the team were discussing their upcoming match, untroubled by the impending storm and unknowing that their city and team would nearly be obliterated by Hurricane Katrina in a matter of hours. Days later, the lucky among them were scattered across the country; the others struggled to survive as they awaited rescue in New Orleans. With clarity and compassion, Rea examines the disaster as he profiles the experiences of his teammates and their efforts to resurrect the team and pub that had become so central in all of their lives. A gripping and moving memoir about an unusual pub team and a devastating natural disaster, Finn McCool’s Football Club is a celebration of ex-pats and pubs, soccer and sportsmanship, and the strength it takes to rebuild a team, a city, and a life.
Hazard: A Sister's Flight from Family and a Broken Boy
by Margaret CombsHazard is a poignant, unflinching memoir of the emotional intricacies of growing up with a severely disabled sibling. Margaret Combs shows how her Southern Baptist family coped with lived reality of autism in an era of ignorance and shame, the 1950s through the 1970s, and shares her own tragedy and anguish of being torn between helping her brother and yearning for her own life. Like many siblings of disabled children, young Margaret drives herself to excel in order to make up for her family’s sorrow and ultimately flees her family for what she hopes is a ?normal” life.Hazard is also a story of indelible bonds between siblings: the one between Combs and her sister, and the deep and rueful one she has with her disabled brother; how he and she were buddies; and how fervently she wanted to make him whole. Initially fueled by a wish that her brother had never been born, the author eventually arrives in a deeper place of gratitude for this same brother, whom she loves and who loves her in return.
Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog: Sniffing Out the Perfect Plot in Provence
by Jamie IveyThere is a moment every morning when the countryside takes a pause. The birds stop singing, the dogs choke back their barks, and cats pause mid-stride. Everything waits. It's in this vacuum that a man working alone has the best chance of finding truffles...The plot of land was perfect, just what they'd been looking for, offering expansive views across the valley and within walking distance of the local village. There was only one small problem, there was no house. And yet the land was affordable and came, the agent promised, with a possible income from a copse of truffle oaks. Just after the birth of their first daughter, after leaving the London rat race behind, here was a chance for Jamie and his wife to finally realize their dream of owning a property.With one final salivating glance at the oak trees the decision was made. All they needed now was a dog. And their quest to find and train a truffle dog turns out to be as full of hidden discoveries as a truffle hunt itself.With delicious humor and superb storytelling, Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog is sure to delight anyone who loves dogs, food, and rural France.
Overcoming Cancer: The 5 Most Powerful Tools for Fighting Cancer
by Gary NullOne word strikes more fear into a person’s mind than any other: cancer. The physical, mental, emotional, and financial toll that comes with a cancer diagnosis is immense and affects not only cancer patients but also families and entire communities. The vast majority of individuals who lose the battle against cancer are treated with the standard orthodox therapy. These people may never have questioned their oncologists, believing that they were in the best possible hands with their physicians’ advanced education, their knowledge of the latest treatments, and all the tools of modern research at their disposals.In Overcoming Cancer, Gary Null explores the alternative treatments that most mainstream doctors will never discuss with their patients. Did you know that eating melons balances your body’s pH, which can help slow the growth of cancer? You were aware that fiber is an important part of a healthy diet, but did you know that it lowers the risk of breast, colorectal, uterine, and prostate cancers? Find health and vitality with Dr. Null’s five most powerful tools for fighting cancer.
With Lawrence in Arabia (Explorers Club Classics)
by Lowell Thomas Mitchell StephensIn 1918, as the First World War ravaged the European continent, young American journalist Lowell Thomas traveled to the Ottoman Empire to report on the revolts breaking out as an indirect result of the savage European conflict. While in Jerusalem, he met and struck up a friendship with the infamous young British captain, T.E. Lawrence. Based on his travels and interviews with Lawrence, Thomas wrote the now classic With Lawrence in Arabia, the book that spawned the Lawrence of Arabia legend and served as the basis for the award-winning 1961 film of the same name.Fantastically paced with equal measures of fact and adventure, Thomas narrates the exploits of the infamous British agent who against all odds managed to join several factious Arabian tribes into a single combat unit. With Lawrence in command, this guerilla force would go on to defeat the great Turkish Army and ensure the eventual demise of the previously impenetrable Ottoman Empire.On the sweeping and the exotic Arabian desert that serves as the setting for this epic account, Thomas brings to life dozens of great historical figures including Emir Feisel, King Hussein I of Hedjaz, British General Edmund Alleby, and Lawrence, the enigmatic, "modern knight of Arabia.” With new forewords by modern explorers, this Explorer’s Club Classic edition of With Lawrence in Arabia is a must-have for every history buff and arm-chair adventurer.
The Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex: The True Narrative that Inspired Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (Lyons Press Ser.)
by Owen Chase Kenneth KamlerThe Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex is the harrowing narrative of an unfortunate vessel’s calamitous encounter with a great white whale, and the crew’s perilous fight for survival on the open sea. This Explorer’s Club edition faithfully reproduces Owen Chase’s original 1821 narrative, in which he chronicles the great whale’s attack on the ship, the Essex’s subsequent sinking, and the more than exhausting months at sea that followed, in which the fraction of the crew that survived desperately clung to life. Struggling against a relentless sea, the insufferable climate, and ever-increasing hunger, Chase was one of only eight crew members who survived the ordeal.Evocating all of the passion and terror of the greatest adventure stories, The Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex is a thrilling tale that captures both man and beast’s most shocking and raw natural impulses. Filled with terror and suspense, it is no wonder that the great American novelist, Herman Melville, chose it as his inspiration for one of the most iconic works of literature in American history.
With Hitler and Mussolini: Memoirs of a Nazi Interpreter
by Gerhard L. Weinberg Eugen DollmannAn insider’s view of Hitler, Himmler, Heydrich, and Mussolini.In the years before World War II, Eugen Dollmann arrived in Rome on a scholarship, intending to write a history of the Catholic Church. Instead he joined the Nazi Party and became an interpreter to various members of the German and Italian Fascist hierarchy.In this capacity Dollmann attended the Munich Conference of 1938 and was present at most of the important meetings between Hitler and Mussolini, also witnessing many of the endless squabbles between Mussolini’s son-in-law Galeazzo Ciano and Hitler’s foreign secretary, Joachim von Ribbentrop. He interpreted for Heinrich Himmler during his visits to Rome and was, curiously for one of his temperament, appointed Obersturmführer in the Allgemeine SS. He played a considerable role in the surrender of the German Army in Italy, helping to prevent the execution of Hitler’s scorched-earth orders.The book is full of piquant anecdotes-Himmler’s excavations for the legendary treasure of King Alaric; the visit of Reinhard Heydrich to the House of the Provinces, a brothel frequented by officers and men of means; Hitler’s dread and annoyance at being piloted into his newly conquered Ukraine by Mussolini-to mention only a few.Throughout, Dollmann makes no attempt to conceal or exonerate his association with the Nazis. With Hitler and Mussolini is a fascinating memoir filled with political intrigue, undercover activity, and insights into the biggest personalities connected to the Second World War.
Nazi Fugitive: The True Story of a German on the Run
by David Talbot Eugen DollmannAn SS colonel goes underground at the end of WWII Eugen Dollmann was a scholar and member of the SS whose connections among Italian society led to a posting as a liaison officer attached to Mussolini during World War II. In his work as a diplomat and interpreter, he associated with Heydrich, Himmler, and Hitler. This memoir begins with the surrender of the Germans in 1945 and relates how after Dollmann escaped from the British, a Roman Catholic cardinal helped him by allowing him to hide in a home for drug addicts. Later, Dollmann was provided with false papers by the CIA who enlisted him for the fight against communism. After he was arrested by the Italian police, the Americans had no alternative but to jail him, and after some months he was transferred to a camp near Frankfurt for ?outstanding cases,” where some of the prominent Nazis were held. Dollmann was released, but he decided to get back to Italy across the frontiers, which he succeeded in doing only after a series of varied escapades.Nazi Fugitive is a remarkable story of a former enemy turned ally during the early years of the Cold War.
The Attica Turkey Shoot: Carnage, Cover-Up, and the Pursuit of Justice
by Heather Ann Thompson Malcolm Bell“Malcolm Bell’s powerful story of the Attica prison uprising . . . has the ring of truth” (Studs Terkel, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and historian). The Attica Turkey Shoot tells a story that New York State did not want you to know. In 1971, following a prison riot at the Attica Correctional Facility, state police and prison guards slaughtered thirty-nine hostages and inmates, and tortured more than one thousand men after they had surrendered. State officials pretended they could not successfully prosecute the law officers who perpetrated this carnage, and then those same officials scurried for shelter when a prosecutor named Malcolm Bell exposed the cover-up. Bell traveled a rocky road to a justice of sorts as he sought to prosecute without fear or favor—in spite of the deck officials had stacked to keep police from facing the same justice that had filled the Attica prison in the first place. His insider’s account illuminates the all-too-common contrast between the justice of the privileged and the justice of the rest. Also included in this book is evidence from recently uncovered tapes that Gov. Nelson Rockefeller knew his order for troopers to attack could cost the lives of hundreds of inmates and all of those hostages. The Attica Turkey Shoot highlights the hypocrisy of a criminal justice system that decides who goes to prison and who enjoys impunity in a nation where no one is said to be above the law.
Navy SEALs: The Combat History of the Deadliest Warriors on the Planet
by Don Mann Lance BurtonIn a world where acts of terror have become all too commonplace, America has turned to the elite warriors of special operations to lead the fight and hunt down those whose very ideology is one of hate for everything our nation stands for. Among those units one stands apart from the rest, carrying out the most dangerous missions with precision and now legendary lethality: the US Navy SEALs. What led these warriors to become one of the most feared and respected units in history? From their birth in World War II as combat swimmers clearing the beaches of Normandy to their evolution into fighting men who could operate anywhere in the world by sea, air, or land, the intrepid story of the US Navy SEALs is one of courage, sacrifice, and world-renowned toughness that echoes of other great military units of history—the Spartans, the Roman legions, or the samurai. Take a look inside to find out what makes the SEALs America’s deadliest warriors. Mann and Burton take the reader through the inception of the Naval Combat Demolition Teams (NCDU) and Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) during World War II, their testing and development in Korea and into the Vietnam War, where the SEALs truly laid the groundwork for their legendary status, and on into the present day. The authors highlight the major steps and operations along the way, discuss the training and what it takes, and explore some of the most important moments in SEAL history.
Artifacts of a '90s Kid: Humorous Musings and Observations for Every Millennial
by Alana HitchellShe reminds you what it was like to grow up during an era that consisted of playing countless hours of Nintendo, reading Lurlene McDaniel books, and wearing Esprit T-shirts and Yoyo jeans. With no real responsibilities to worry about, a typical day involved playing board games, eating junk food, and obsessing over the latest Lisa Frank stickers.Artifacts of a ’90s Kid is a candid, coming-of-age, humorous account of Alana’s experiences as a millennial growing up in Central Illinois. It focuses on her elementary and junior high school years (1992–1999) and includes present-day commentary. Alana offers up a hilarious compilation of diary entries, homework fails, notes, artwork, poetry, and awkward photos from her childhood—all that and a bag of chips!Although the handwriting and spelling can be atrocious at times, millennials will relate to Alana’s diary entries describing a very innocent, honest, and naive time when life was simple and carefree. Featuring many milestones of growing up—from making friends, to crushes, to being overly dramatic—along with some totally dope nineties references that every millennial is sure to enjoy.
Gary Player's Black Book: 60 Tips on Golf, Business, and Life from the Black Knight
by Gary Player Lee TrevinoGary Player's Black Book contains fifty questions and detailed responses from eighteen-time major winner Gary Player. The book, divided into three parts, focuses on specific scenarios and problems that arise in golf, life, and business.In the first section on golf, topics include putting, scoring, etiquette, the mental side of the game, and fitness and nutrition. In the section on life, Player, the father of six and grandfather to twenty-two, addresses issues such as parenting, who to turn to when in need of advice, and more. Finally, in the section on business, he details how to deal with competition, among other topics. Player responds to questions such as: Golf: How do I play a bunker shot from a plugged lie? Life: I feel like I’ve lost the passion for what I do. How do I get that back? Business: When people criticize my work I take it very personally. How do you handle criticism?The 2012 recipient of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award, Player draws from both on and off the course experiences dealing with competitors, businesspeople, and family. In doing so, he offers a unique glimpse into handling adversity with regard to these relationships. The advice that he offers is invaluable to fans of all ages.
Under My Helmet: A Football Player’s Lifelong Battle with Bipolar Disorder
by Tony Dungy Keith O'NeilEver since he was a child, Keith O’Neil wanted to play football. Born on the same day that his father, Ed O’Neil, was cut from the New England Patriots, football was all Keith could think about . . .aside from his anxiety. Offered a scholarship to Northern Arizona University, O’Neil jumped at the chance to prove himself. Though it wasn’t a Division I-A school, he brought his all and was a natural on the field, achieving first-team All-Big Sky choice as a junior and senior, as well as earning All-American honors. Going undrafted, luck came from the Dallas Cowboys, who offered O’Neil an invite to rookie mini-camp. But while trying to learn the playbook, his anxiety and insomnia returned. Even so, he made the team as an undrafted free agent. His dream had come true. While proving himself as a hard-nosed special teamer, sleepless nights, constant anxiety, and suicidal thoughts clouded his mind. O’Neil considered stepping away from the game multiple times, even speaking to his coach, Bill Parcells. Parcells gave him the wisdom that ?Everyone has a demon in their head, and we have to beat that demon. Beat the demon!” After being released from the Cowboys, O’Neil spent time with the Colts and Giants, but still could not escape his inner demons. He asked for help but never received the attention he needed. In fact, for suicidal thoughts was given a CD to help him relax?Enya. It finally became too much for him to handle, and the final decision was made to walk away from the game. It wasn’t until sometime later that was finally diagnosed: Bipolar I disorder. Finally, everything made sense.Under My Helmet is the personal story of a man working every day to prove his worth while struggling with a debilitating?and undiagnosed?mental illness. O’Neil’s voice is honest and open as he shares his battles and the steps he’s taken to overcome adversity.
Launching LBJ: How a Kennedy Insider Helped Define Johnson's Presidency
by O'Donnell HelenKenneth O'Donnell was JFK's Chief of Staff, among the group known as Kennedy's "Irish Mafia." O’Donnell was with Jack Kennedy through his entire time in office… and he was on Air Force One in Dallas, at Jacqueline Kennedy’s side, as Lyndon Johnson got sworn in. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, LBJ asked Ken O’Donnell to stay on and work with him through the first nine months of his administration, to help the country transition and heal, and to help Johnson set his own agenda for his presidency. Although they were political adversaries, they developed a mutually respectful rapport, and Ken helped LBJ find his voice, starting with his work in voting rights and developing the civil rights agenda. Ken O’Donnell was a prolific diarist and note taker, and in Launching LBJ, his daughter Helen, a respected historian and journalist in her own right, takes her father's journals and fills in the gaps to create an unprecedented, inside look at the early days of President Lyndon Johnson's regime.
It's On the Meter: Traveling the World by London Taxi
by Paul Archer Johno Ellison Leigh PurnellWhen three friends, fueled by an alcohol-induced dream to travel the world, clicked ?buy” on an iconic London cab they name Hannah, little did they know what they were getting themselves into. Leaving the Big Smoke in their vintage taxi, Paul, Johno, and Leigh began a 43,000-mile trip that would take them off the beaten track to some of the most dangerous and deadly places on earth. By the time they arrived home, they would manage, against all the odds, to circumnavigate the globe, and in doing so, break two World Records.It’s On the Meter is an honest account of what it’s like to drive a Black Cab around the world. From altercations with the Iranian Secret Police to narrowly escaping the Taliban, the trio’s adventure is filled with hair-raising escapades. The traveling trio will give an impression of each country the taxi passed through and its people and will help readers understand how to survive fifteen months on the road. Feel the fear, frolic in the fun, and meet the hundred passengers the taxi picked up along the way, as the authors take you on their action-packed journey.
Becoming Abraham Lincoln: The Coming of Age of Our Greatest President
by Richard KigelBecoming Abraham Lincoln: The Coming of Age of Our Greatest President tells the true story of how this great American hero grew up and became a man. The story begins with Lincoln’s cousin describing the murder of Abe’s grandfather in 1782 by the Wabash Indians in the Kentucky wilderness. It ends as Lincoln turns twenty-five, downcast and debt-ridden after the failure of his first business venture, as he earns his first election victory to take his seat in the Illinois State Legislature. This vivid, authentic account of Abraham Lincoln in his formative years is told by those who were there—his friends and family. Supported by rigorous research, Becoming Abraham Lincoln is an authentic account of Lincoln’s childhood and adolescence in the actual words of those who knew him best. We see Lincoln as he was, according to law partner Billy Herndon, “just as he lived, breathed, ate and laughed in this world.” The historic eyewitness testimony in these pages forms a rich, detailed narrative unmatched in all Lincoln literature.
Off the Grid: My Ride from Louisiana to the Panama Canal in an Electric Car
by Randy Denmon Jim MotavalliThe rollicking tale of a first-of-its-kind adventure-driving a Tesla through Central America.Only a week after the nation’s newspapers were filled with headlines of the first cross-country trip in an electric car, two Louisianans slip quietly across the Rio Grande in south Texas in an attempt to do the unthinkable-drive a factory electric car across seven Third World countries to the "end of the road,” Panama City, Panama.Without support and armed only with a toolbox, a bag of electrical adapters, and their wits, author Randy Denmon and his friend Dean trudge on through jungles, deserts, volcanoes, rivers, and crater-sized potholes, all the while trying to avoid the drug cartels and corrupt border guards that could mean a quick end to their adventure . . . and their lives. Through it all, the same enormous problem loomed daily: how to charge the car in such a primitive and desolate setting?Despite the numerous setbacks, Randy never lost his sense of humor. Off the Grid is as much a spiritual journey as a physical one about two guys who dropped everything for one grand twenty-first-century adventure-traveling back in time in a car that seemed to come from the future.
The Skeptical Vegan: My Journey from Notorious Meat Eater to Tofu-Munching Vegan—A Survival Guide
by Victoria Moran Eric C. LindstromPETA's 2017 Vegan Cookbooks We Can’t Cook WithoutVegan Confessions of an Ex-Omnivore and His Survival Guide to Living Fully (Literally and Metaphorically).Growing up in an all-women household and coddled endlessly by his Italian mother and grandmother, Eric Lindstrom was nourished to obesity on meaty sauces, fried eggs, and butter-laden cookies. After spending the first half of his life as an adamant omnivore, Lindstrom went 100% vegan. Reluctantly. Overnight. From burgers to beets, from pork to parsnips.It’s time for a down-to-earth book that proves anyone can go vegan (even someone who once ate sixty-eight chicken wings in a sitting). How can a man adopt a vegan approach? Won’t he die of protein deficiency? What if he is married to a vegan woman? How would he order a salad at a Minnesota steakhouse? What should he bring to a gluten-free, nut-free, macrobiotic, nightshade-free, oil-free, vegan potluck (true story)?Part confession and part survival guide, The Skeptical Vegan explains how simple it really is to be vegan, covering topics from food and nutrition to social challenges and lifestyle. Snarky, witty, and opinionated to a fault, Lindstrom speaks as a male vegan, contesting the notion that "real men” should only eat meat. With twenty original "veganized” recipes including portobello steaks, carrot hot dogs, tofu wings, "meaty” chili, and cauliflower bites (which helped him shed thirty pounds), Lindstrom demonstrates how to take control of your diet while still eating "meatily” and taking into account the ethical considerations of living a better life for the animals, the environment, and yourself.
A Family Place: A Man Returns to the Center of His Life
by Charles Gaines Dave DiBenedettoIn the summer of 1990, writer Charles Gaines and his artist wife, Patricia, bought 160 acres of wild land on the northeast coast of Nova Scotia. They believed they were simply buying a remote getaway spot, but within a few months a more complex dream for the property developed. By midwinter, they had begun to see the land as a place where family intimacy might be reclaimed, as a home that might heal their recently battered marriage, and as an opportunity to take on a big, risky, long-term project instead of settling into the caution and gradual losses of middle-class middle age. Enlisting their children and their daughter’s carpenter boyfriend, they decided to build a cabin on the land the following summer, to build it with their own hands, as a family venture.A Family Place gracefully mixes a narrative of that summer’s sometimes harrowing, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking events with passages of the family’s history that show its members as real people and dramatize what is at stake for each of them in Nova Scotia. Gaines describes the process of building a cabin while living in tents without electricity or running water, and the pleasures and limitations of a life so simplified that a week’s biggest social event is a bonfire. He draws a deft portrait of the small, generous, hearth-centered Acadian community of farmers and lobster fishermen surrounding their land, and traces the history of that land to its original French-Acadian owner. And he tracks the mood of his family through the long, difficult summer, from initial enthusiasm to near mutiny, and finally to exhilaration and deep satisfaction at having built something that will last, having rebuilt a family in the process.
Rise of the Cajun Mariners: The Race for Big Oil
by Woody FalgouxThe story of four families of Cajun boatmen and their rise from trappers and shrimpers to mega-millionaires.Rise of the Cajun Mariners documents an untold piece of American history?the beginnings of what is now the global, multibillion-dollar marine oil and gas industry. In addition, it gives an insightful insider account of one of America’s only truly distinctive cultures?the Cajuns. The book tells the story through the Cajun boatmen who drive the boats that supply and move the men who work the offshore platforms. The book follows four of these French-speaking trailblazers as they scrape to buy and build their first boats and struggle toward success. Their success stories will appeal to any believer in the American dream. But it is also a candid account of a wild time in a rough, vital business. Most of the characters are as flawed as they are dynamic. While they are master seamen, they lead a lifestyle that, for many of them, is as much about drinking and whoring as it is about seamanship and deal-making. The seedy side of their business adds complexity to their story and makes the tale especially human.Rise of the Cajun Mariners is a fast-paced tale about the rapid evolution of a worldwide industry, the modernization of a culture, and the deliverance of four fascinating families.
The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis That Changed Everything
by Oren LiebermannA travel memoir through thirty countries, a thousand insulin injections, and one man’s journey from despair to confidence. With tips and information from the American Diabetes Association.In the middle of a yearlong backpacking trip around the world with his wife, Oren Liebermann is teaching English to young Buddhist monks in Pokhara, Nepal, when his body begins to fail him. He is constantly thirsty and exhausted, and by the time he steps on a scale, he has lost forty-five pounds. At a local clinic, a doctor gives him a diagnosis that will change his life forever: "I’m sorry to tell you, my friend, that you are a diabetic.”Devastated, Liebermann is trapped in a freezing hospital room, trying to recover enough to fly home. His friends and family urge him to call off the rest of his trip. He had quit his job as a TV news reporter for this dream-come-true journey, but the nightmare diagnosis has thrown his world into disarray. However, Liebermann and his wife, Cassie, make a decision. They have an adventure to finish, and he has the rest of his life to live.Bold, raw, and poignantly candid, The Insulin Express tells the story of what happens when the best-made travel plans are subject to the ever-present chaos of life, and how a major setback can turn into the opportunity of a lifetime. Despite struggling with a chronic disease that almost kills him in the Himalayas, Liebermann hikes along the Great Wall of China, conquers the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and sips cobra whiskey in Laos. What begins as a travel chronicle across thirty countries transforms into a single journey of resilience and self-discovery-going from hopelessly lost and then wonderfully found.
Impact Statement: A Family's Fight for Justice against Whitey Bulger, Stephen Flemmi, and the FBI
by Bob HalloranNo one can deny that mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi are two of the most brutal killers in American history—not even the two gangsters themselves. But a jury denied the Davis family closure for the slaying of Debbie Davis, Flemmi's beautiful young girlfriend, who went missing in 1981 and whose remains were found nearly twenty years later under the Neponset River Bridge in Quincy, Massachusetts.Now serving a life sentence, Stephen Flemmi testified in graphic detail how he lured Debbie to a house in South Boston where Bulger jumped out of the shadows and strangled her to death. Flemmi then extracted her teeth and buried her body by the Neponset River while Bulger watched. Bulger wanted Debbie dead, Flemmi claimed, because she knew that the two men were meeting with an FBI agent named John Connolly. That, and he might have been jealous of the time Flemmi and Debbie were spending together. Throughout his trial, Bulger stubbornly insisted that he never would have committed the dishonorable act of killing a woman. In the end, it was one stone-cold murderer's testimony against another's.In Impact Statement, veteran journalist Bob Halloran looks at the devastating impact Bulger and Flemmi have had on the Davis family, whose longstanding relationship with the two mobsters cost them a father, two sisters, and a brother. Through up-to-the-minute coverage of Bulger's criminal trial and extensive interviews with Debbie's brother Steve Davis, a one-time protégé of Flemmi's and now an outspoken advocate for the victims' families, Halloran has pieced together this unique and compelling story of a family's quest for justice.
Jungle (Movie Tie-In Edition): A Harrowing True Story of Survival in the Amazon
by Yossi Ghinsberg Greg McLeanFour travelers meet in Bolivia and set off into the heart of the Amazon rainforest, but what begins as a dream adventure quickly deteriorates into a dangerous nightmare, and after weeks of wandering in the dense undergrowth, the four backpackers split up into two groups. But when a terrible rafting accident separates him from his partner, Yossi is forced to survive for weeks alone against one of the wildest backdrops on the planet. Stranded without a knife, map, or survival training, he must improvise shelter and forage for wild fruit to survive. As his feet begin to rot during raging storms, as he loses all sense of direction, and as he begins to lose all hope, he wonders whether he will make it out of the jungle alive.The basis of an upcoming motion picture starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jungle is the story of friendship and the teachings of nature, and a terrifying true account that you won’t be able to put down.