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Going Somewhere
by Brian BensonBrian has a million vague life plans but zero sense of direction. So when he meets Rachel, a self-possessed woman who daydreams of bicycling across the States, he decides to follow her wherever she'll take him. Brian and Rachel soon embark on a ride from northern Wisconsin to Somewhere West, infatuated with the promise of adventure and each other. But as the pair progress from the Northwoods into the bleak western plains, they begin to discover the messy realities of life on the road. Mile by mile, they contend with merciless winds and brutal heat, broken bikes and bodies, each other and themselves--and the looming question of what comes next. Told in a voice "as hilarious as it is wise" (Cheryl Strayed), Going Somewhere is a candid tale of the struggle to move forward.
Going There
by Katie CouricHeartbreaking, hilarious, and brutally honest, Going There is the deeply personal life story of a girl next door turned household name. <P><P>For more than forty years, Katie Couric has been an iconic presence in the media world. In her brutally honest, hilarious, heartbreaking memoir, she reveals what was going on behind the scenes of her sometimes tumultuous personal and professional life - a story she’s never shared, until now. Of the medium she loves, the one that made her a household name, she says, “Television can put you in a box; the flat-screen can flatten. On TV, you are larger than life but smaller, too. It is not the whole story, and it is not the whole me. This book is. <P><P>”Beginning in early childhood, Couric was inspired by her journalist father to pursue the career he loved but couldn’t afford to stay in. Balancing her vivacious, outgoing personality with her desire to be taken seriously, she overcame every obstacle in her way: insecurity, an eating disorder, being typecast, sexism . . . challenges, and how she dealt with them, setting the tone for the rest of her career. Couric talks candidly about adjusting to sudden fame after her astonishing rise to co-anchor of the TODAY show, and guides us through the most momentous events and news stories of the era, to which she had a front-row seat: Rodney King, Anita Hill, Columbine, the death of Princess Diana, 9/11, the Iraq War . . . In every instance, she relentlessly pursued the facts, ruffling more than a few feathers along the way. She also recalls in vivid and sometimes lurid detail the intense pressure on female anchors to snag the latest “get”—often sensational tabloid stories like Jon Benet Ramsey, Tonya Harding, and OJ Simpson. <P><P>Couric’s position as one of the leading lights of her profession was shadowed by the shock and trauma of losing her husband to stage 4 colon cancer when he was just 42, leaving her a widow and single mom to two daughters, 6 and 2. The death of her sister Emily, just three years later, brought yet more trauma—and an unwavering commitment to cancer awareness and research, one of her proudest accomplishments. Couric is unsparing in the details of her historic move to the anchor chair at the CBS Evening News—a world rife with sexism and misogyny. Her “welcome” was even more hostile at 60 Minutes, an unrepentant boys club that engaged in outright hazing of even the most established women. In the wake of the MeToo movement, Couric shares her clear-eyed reckoning with gender inequality and predatory behavior in the workplace, and downfall of Matt Lauer—a colleague she had trusted and respected for more than a decade. <P><P>Couric also talks about the challenge of finding love again, with all the hilarity, false-starts, and drama that search entailed, before finding her midlife Mr. Right. Something she has never discussed publicly—why her second marriage almost didn’t happen. If you thought you knew Katie Couric, think again. Going There is the fast-paced, emotional, riveting story of a thoroughly modern woman, whose journey took her from humble origins to superstardom. In these pages, you will find a friend, a confidante, a role model, a survivor whose lessons about life will enrich your own. <P><P><b>A New York Times Best Seller</b>
Going To The Dogs: Confessions Of A Mobile Pet Groomer
by Jan NiemanWhen Jan Nieman decided to become a mobile pet groomer, little did she know what a wild ride she was in for. Over the next 21 years, she tussled with feisty pets, wrestled with stubborn vans, chased down AWOL dogs, and learned to cope with wayward employees. Grooming more than her share of dogs and cats, not to mention the occasional wolf, she encountered a host of memorable animals and owners, that often matched their pets in style, temperament and unconventionality. In her no-holds-barred, hilarious account, Nieman not only shares the high points of her adventures, as well as the occasional horror 'tails' that are an inevitable part of a groomer's career. Through it all, her love and passion for animals shines forth from every page. By the end, after plenty of laughs, you'll know a good deal more about orphan pets, what goes on in the inner sanctum of mobile and brick-and-mortar grooming salons, and the joys and tribulations of owning a business that keeps you "going to the dogs. "
Going Too Far: The Personal Chronicle of a Feminist
by Robin MorganThe personal papers of one of feminism&’s most passionate leaders, with a new preface by the author As an activist for social justice, Robin Morgan has acquired a reputation for strong convictions and a life-affirming way of expressing them through writing. Nowhere is this more evident than in Going Too Far, which takes us behind the scenes in Morgan&’s life and in the women&’s movement until 1977. We watch the development of an organizer who is a complex thinker while Morgan evolves as a mother, leader, writer, and activist. Morgan&’s keen eye is trained on all aspects of modern feminism, and this is reflected in the juxtaposition of the journal entries and letters of her personal life with the essays and polemics that shape her public persona. Her opinions on marriage, love, religion, pornography, and art are as utterly fresh and timely today as they were decades ago. Her growing wisdom and depth of perception are apparent in the book&’s progression, and her last chapters, focused on what she terms the &“metaphysics of feminism,&” will change a reader&’s world view for the better—and forever.
Going Under: A memoir of family secrets, addiction and escape
by Seana SmithFrom the outside, Seana Smith lived an enviable life. An Oxford graduate, a successful career with the BBC and Sydney&’s Channel 9, a bestselling author, happily married. But behind this perfect life she had a secret: Seana was a drinker, and alcohol was slowly taking away her life, destroying her health, her emotional well-being, her world. With engaging style and wit, Going Under reveals the true story behind Seana&’s lifelong battle with drink. It lays bare a confusing childhood of Scottish sailing adventures and also brutal violence from her bullying, alcoholic father; where punches were thrown, broken bones hidden and her family lived in fear. Learning from the best, Seana drank her way through tutorials at Oxford University (which were held in the pub), through the sexual misadventures of her twenties and through the intensity and mundanity of motherhood. It took the death of her parents and a tree-change to Orange in regional NSW for Seana to find the courage to break free; a new life in a new world. She had finally left the past behind. Growing up with an abusive alcoholic father and finding the courage to escape. Crosses between Edinburgh, Oxford University, Sydney and Orange, NSW. Compelling combination of women&’s quit lit and memoir. The intensity and loneliness of motherhood laid bare. Explores the pain of emigration and finding belonging in a new world. This is a memoir long in the making and is a powerful testament to resilience, acceptance and ultimately love. A story of recovery and sobriety for fans of The Sober Diaries, Beyond Booze and A Thousand Wasted Sundays. LARGE SCALE PR CAMPAIGN BY PITCH PROJECTS "Going Under is funny, insightful and inspiring. This is like hanging out with a really brilliant friend who, you know, will make you a better person. Seana Smith is the real deal - a truth-teller and a writer of immense integrity."Kathryn Heyman Author of Fury "With a tender touch, Smith contemplates the two truths of her childhood: the wild island adventures and the brutal eruptions behind closed doors. Standing on the precipice of her own alcoholism, she realizes that reckoning with the past is the only way to shape the future."Jenny Valentish Author of Woman of Substances "With sparkling, musical prose and unflinching generosity of spirit, Seana Smith lays bare the facts of a life stalked by alcohol. A life that ricochets &‘between privilege and terror, between adventure and fear. So much more than a book about the booze, Going Under is an intricate, often beautiful mosaic of family, the individuals caught inside its sharp-edged cracks, and the self-yearning to make sense of all it all. The story of a woman emerging from the brokenness of the past and the never-ending pressures of the present to reclaim joy. Honest. Tender. Laugh-cry funny. Walking with Seana through her year of Going Under is to make a new and wise friend."Kim Kelly, author of Ladies&’ Rest and Writing Room
Going Under: Kidnapping, Murder, and a Life Undercover
by John Madinger&“I just want to make sure I&’ve got this right. You hanged all three of them? ...&” That&’s how it began, a case where the cops are crooks and the crooks are cops, a kidnapping where the victim is the bad guy, and the good guys must cross some lines to get him back. Welcome to the upside down and backward world of the undercover agent, where nothing is as it seems, and people – including the undercover – may not be what they appear.?GOING UNDER: Kidnapping, Murder, and A Life Undercover by former undercover agent John Madinger takes you into that world, and closer to the truth of the undercover experience than any other law enforcement memoir has ever gone. ""What is it like to work undercover?"" You&’re a sheepdog in wolf&’s clothing, running with the pack, and Madinger ran with the wolves for almost two decades. Now he shares his story to give you a unique look at American crime and the ""War on Drugs"" from the perspective of both cops and criminals. You&’ll go with the undercover cops to meetings with street-corner hustlers and rip-off artists and into the lives of the America&’s biggest rock stars, the world&’s richest man, an Academy Award-winning actor, the marijuana traffickers conspiring to assassinate a federal judge, and the President of the United States. It&’s an amazing ride, and there has never been another story like it.
Going Up!: Elisha Otis's Trip to the Top (Great Idea Series #4)
by Monica KullingThis is the fourth book in Tundra's Great Idea Series of biographies for young readers. The story behind the invention of the elevator is one that all young children can relate to! The previous books in the series have been well reviewed, and this new book will be equally compelling. A short, fully illustrated biography in the award-winning GREAT IDEA SERIES, about the man who invented the elevator - Elijah Otis. The man who enabled the hi-rise, and other feats of modern architecture.
Going Vertical
by Pam Withers Tao BermanRunning wild in the mountains of eastern Washington as a child, extreme kayaker and entrepreneur Tao Berman continues to run wild through the record books and life. A world-record waterfall-drop holder since his 98.4-foot kayak flight off of Upper Johnston Falls in Banff National Forest, Berman exemplifies his philosophy of "I'd rather die than lose" in both his experiences as a super athlete and his work as a successful businessman. Going Vertical is a parallel narrative of triumph in both areas, bringing readers along for the ride as the author pushes the limits of possibility. In chapters such as "The Tao of Marketing" and "The Tao of Risk," he translates the wisdom he's gained performing extreme sports to the dialect of the business world. Going Vertical guides readers into rarely glimpsed realms of achievement and shows by example how to attain the mindset to master them.
Going Within
by Shirley MaclaineAt last Shirley MacLaine reveals the secrets of her intimate journey of transformation. In three international bestsellers, Out on a Limb, Dancing in the Light, and It's All in the Playing, multi-talented Shirley MacLaine described her own ongoing spiritual journey in search of inner harmony and self-transcendence. Now this celebrated actress, social activist, and outspoken thinker shares an enlightened program of spiritual techniques and mental exercises to become healthier, happier, and more attuned to the natural harmony of the world around-and within-ourselves. In Going Within Shirley MacLaine answers many of the most challenging and important questions she has been asked about her experiences in seminars and interviews she has conducted from coast to coast. Transformation is at heart of her profound and inspiring message-the power to shape our lives, to find inner peace and awareness, and to reach highest potential in relationships, at work, and at home. Candid, often controversial, and always courageous, Shirley MacLaine opens the doors to an irresistible journey of discovery and revelation. By going within, she shows us how to reach a new level of love and harmony, reduce stress, release fear, and discover the joys of a new-and better-way of living. Use light, sound, crystals, and visualizations to increase your personal energy. Explore the power of meditation to align body, mind, and spirit. Understand and communicate with your hidden self. Learn the secrets of sexual fulfillment in a new age of commitment. Experience the stunning mysteries of psychic surgery and much more!From the Paperback edition.
Going for the Gold: Apolo Anton Ohno
by Thomas LangOhno was born to an American mother, Jerrie Lee, and Japanese-born father, Yuki Ohno. The story of Ohno's family and his quest for Olympic gold.
Going for the Gold: Sarah Hughes
by R. S. AshbyIce Princess Sarah Hughes was born to skate, and she proved to the world with her dramatic gold medal victory at the 2002 Winter Olympics. But the road to Olympic glory was not always easy for this Long Island teen. Going for the Gold: Sarah Hughes is the amazing true story of a brilliant skater's Olympic quest. Here's what you'll find out about America's newest sweetheart: Sarah's first time on the ice How her family's support helped her through difficult times How Sarah braved the rocky road to the Olympics Sarah's hopes for the future
Going for the Gold: Sarah Hughes
by Ruth AshbyThis book is about American superstar Sarah Hughes, who skated in the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Going into the City
by Robert ChristgauOne of our great essayists and music journalists, the Dean of American Rock Critics, leads a heady tour through his life and times in this atmospheric, visceral memoir--both a love letter to a New York long past and a tribute to the transformative power of artLifelong New Yorker Robert Christgau has been writing about pop culture since he was twelve and getting paid for it since he was twenty-two, covering rock for Esquire in its heyday and personifying the music beat at The Village Voice for over three decades. Christgau listened to Alan Freed howl about rock and roll before Elvis, settled east of Manhattan's Avenue B forty years before it was cool, wit-nessed Monterey and Woodstock and Chicago 1968 and the first abortion speakout. He caught Coltrane in the East Village, Muddy Waters in Chicago, Otis Redding at the Apollo, the Dead in the Haight, Janis Joplin at the Fillmore, the Clash in Leeds, Grandmaster Flash in Times Square, and every punk band you can think of at CBGB.Christgau chronicled many of the key cultural shifts of the last half century and revolutionized the cultural status of the music critic in the process. Going into the City is a look back at the upbringing that grounded him, the history that transformed him, and the music, books, and films that showed him the way. Like Alfred Kazin's A Walker in the City, E. B. White's Here Is New York, Joseph Mitchell's Up in the Old Hotel, and Patti Smith's Just Kids, it is a loving portrait of a lost New York. It's an homage to the city of Christgau's youth from Queens to the Lower East Side--a city that exists mostly in memory today. And it's a love story about the Greenwich Village girl who roamed this realm of possibility with him.
Going on Being
by Mark EpsteinBefore he began training as a psychiatrist, Mark Epstein immersed himself in Buddhism through influential teachers such as Ram Dass, Joseph Goldstein, and Jack Kornfield. Buddhism's positive outlook and the meditative principle of living in the moment profoundly influenced his study and practice of psychotherapy. Going on Being is an intimate chronicle of Epstein's formative years as well as a practical guide to how a Buddhist understanding of psychological problems can help anyone change for the better. Epstein gives readers a deeply personal look into his life, thoughts, fears, and hopes, while detailing the influences that have shaped his worldview. Inspiring in its honesty and humility, Going on Being is a compassionate, brilliant look at how uniting the worlds of psyche and spirit can lead to a new way of seeing reality.
Going on the Turn
by Danny BakerIn this book my father dies. I almost die.*** My showbiz career winds down. And yet everyone keeps telling me it's the funniest book I've ever written. If I'd known that's what the public wanted, I'd have cancelled Pets Win Prizes and just got sick sooner. Along the way this time we encounter, among others, David Bowie, Kanye West (I think), John Cleese, Peter O'Toole, and have several adventures in the Fourth Dimension. Oh, and I can reveal the Man With The Foulest Mouth In All Show Business. Plus assorted high-kicking hoopla and a whole lot of rather stark stuff about what it's like to be told you could be On The Way Out. *** (SPOILER ALERT: I don't actually die.)
Going on the Turn: Being the Extraordinary Stories of My Life and Dodging Death's Door
by Danny BakerDanny Baker's third volume of memoirs barrels along at the same cracking pace as its predecessors, the bestselling Going to Sea in a Sieve (the inspiration for the major TV series Cradle to Grave and subsequent nationwide tour) and Going off Alarming. With his trademark exuberance, he recalls the years which included six years' involvement in the massive TV hit TFI Friday ('piling it up with hellzapoppin' ideas') - during which time he stalked John Cleese in New York, entertained David Bowie and Paul McCartney, bizarrely reunites with Sir Michael Caine, gets befriended by Peter O'Toole and becomes a member of Led Zeppelin for 35 minutes. However, the tales are not reliant on celebrity alone, and the book comes packed with the usual quota of Baker family jewels, including Spud's attitude to doctors, Danny's trip to Amsterdam to get stoned for the first time (he fails), getting caught up in football rioting, and the now infamous 'kaboom' of an outburst following his despatch from BBC London. And then there's the cancer. Spoiler alert: this is the one in which he almost dies. Further spoiler alert: he doesn't.Going on the Turn is a rollicking read that fizzes with wit, warmth and enviable joie de vivre.Written and Read by Danny Baker (p) Orion Publishing Group 2017
Going on the Turn: Being the Extraordinary Stories of My Life and Dodging Deaths Door
by Danny BakerDanny Baker's third volume of memoirs barrels along at the same cracking pace as its predecessors, the bestselling Going to Sea in a Sieve (the inspiration for the major TV series Cradle to Grave and subsequent nationwide tour) and Going off Alarming. With his trademark exuberance, he recalls the years which included six years' involvement in the massive TV hit TFI Friday ('piling it up with hellzapoppin' ideas') - during which time he stalked John Cleese in New York, entertained David Bowie and Paul McCartney, bizarrely reunites with Sir Michael Caine, gets befriended by Peter O'Toole and becomes a member of Led Zeppelin for 35 minutes. However, the tales are not reliant on celebrity alone, and the book comes packed with the usual quota of Baker family jewels, including Spud's attitude to doctors, Danny's trip to Amsterdam to get stoned for the first time (he fails), getting caught up in football rioting, and the now infamous 'kaboom' of an outburst following his despatch from BBC London. And then there's the cancer. Spoiler alert: this is the one in which he almost dies. Further spoiler alert: he doesn't.Going on the Turn is a rollicking read that fizzes with wit, warmth and enviable joie de vivre.
Going to Blazes: Further Tales of a Country Fireman
by Malcolm CastleThe third volume of tales about a country fireman from Shropshire, by the author of ALL FIRED UP and GREAT BALES OF FIRE.
Going to Extremes: The Adventurous Life of Harry de Windt
by Stephen WadeHarry de Windt (1856–1933) was a man who, by any standards, was a personality, a marked presence in the world of Victorian and Edwardian literature and social life. He was a member of the literary circle around Oscar Wilde and his friend and lover, Bosie (Lord Alfred Douglas); he was active in the world of the turf; and he travelled he took on dangerous journeys with relish, crossing vast tracts of the British and Russian empires for the sheer thrill of it. This book traces his life and adventures, at home and abroad, and also gives an account of his early work on military service in Sarawak, Malaysia, his expert knowledge of the Russian prison system, and his later Great War role running a POW camp. Many of his books reflect epic journeys against the odds: From Paris to New York by Land, Savage Europe, Siberia As It Is and others. His autobiographical work, My Restless Life, perhaps sums up his nature.Interesting facts: * Harry de Windt was brother to the Ranee of Sarawak and fought against rebels there in his early career * He visited the penal colony on the Russian island of Sakhalin close to the same time that Anton Chekhov went there * He appeared as a witness in the trial for libel of Lord Alfred Douglas, as he blamed Winston Churchill for the heavy losses in the Battle of Jutland * On his travels he met a host of interesting people from murderers to statesmen
Going to Maine: All the Ways to Fall on the Appalachian Trail
by Sally Chaffin BrooksFrom comedian Sally Chaffin Brooks comes a memoir about the thing she can't seem to shut up about— her life changing thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. 25-year-old Sally has no reason to upend her comfortable, conventional life to spend 5 months hiking the Appalachian Trail; no reason except that her charismatic best friend, Erin, asked her to come along. A woefully out-of-shape Sally quickly realizes she may not actually be prepared for the realities of thru-hiking— brutal weather, wrong turns, and painful blisters have her wanting to quit almost as soon as she starts. But out of loyalty to Erin, or maybe the sinking realization that her life needed upending, Sally sticks it out. As she and Erin trek from Georgia to Maine, they collect a ragtag band of hikers and together stumble from one hilarious (and sometimes scary) predicament to another. By the time she reaches Maine— accompanied by Erin, their crew, and a guy she's maybe (definitely) falling in love with— readers will cheer for the stronger, more self-assured Sally that has emerged and wish they could start the laugh-out-loud, life-affirming adventure all over again.
Going to My Father's House: A History of My Times
by Patrick JoyceA historian's personal journey into the complex questions of immigration, home and nationFrom Ireland to London in the 1950s, Derry in the Troubles to contemporary, de-industrialised Manchester, Joyce finds the ties of place, family and the past are difficult to break. Why do certain places continue to haunt us? What does it mean to be British after the suffering of Empire and of war? How do we make our home in a hypermobile world without remembering our pasts?Patrick Joyce's parents moved from Ireland in the 1930s and made their home in west London. But they never really left the homeland. And so as he grew up among the streets of Paddington and Notting Hill and when he visited his family in Ireland he felt a tension between the notions of home, nation and belonging. Going to My Father's House charts the historian's attempt to make sense of these ties and to see how they manifest in a globalised world. He explores the places - the house, the street, the walls and the graves - that formed his own identity. He ask what place the ideas of history, heritage and nostalgia have in creating a sense of our selves. He concludes with a plea for a history that holds the past to account but also allows for dynamic, inclusive change.
Going to Sea in a Sieve: The Autobiography
by Danny BakerThe first hilarious volume of comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter Danny Baker's memoir, and now the inspiration for the major BBC series CRADLE TO GRAVE, starring Peter Kay.'And what was our life like in this noisy, dangerous and polluted industrial pock-mark wedged into one of the capital's toughest neighbourhoods? It was, of course, utterly magnificent and I'd give anything to climb inside it again for just one day.'In the first volume of his memoirs, Danny Baker brings his early years to life as only he knows how. With his trademark humour and eye for a killer anecdote, he takes us all the way from the council house in south-east London that he shared with his mum Betty and dad 'Spud' (played by Peter Kay) to the music-biz excesses of Los Angeles, where he famously interviewed Michael Jackson for the NME. Laugh-out-loud funny, it is also an affectionate but unsentimental hymn to a bygone era.
Going to Sea in a Sieve: The Autobiography
by Danny BakerThe first hilarious volume of comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter Danny Baker's memoir, and now the inspiration for the major BBC series CRADLE TO GRAVE, starring Peter Kay.'And what was our life like in this noisy, dangerous and polluted industrial pock-mark wedged into one of the capital's toughest neighbourhoods? It was, of course, utterly magnificent and I'd give anything to climb inside it again for just one day.'In the first volume of his memoirs, Danny Baker brings his early years to life as only he knows how. With his trademark humour and eye for a killer anecdote, he takes us all the way from the council house in south-east London that he shared with his mum Betty and dad 'Spud' (played by Peter Kay) to the music-biz excesses of Los Angeles, where he famously interviewed Michael Jackson for the NME. Laugh-out-loud funny, it is also an affectionate but unsentimental hymn to a bygone era.
Going to Sea in a Sieve: The Autobiography
by Danny BakerThe first hilarious volume of comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter Danny Baker's memoir, and now the inspiration for the major BBC series CRADLE TO GRAVE, starring Peter Kay.'And what was our life like in this noisy, dangerous and polluted industrial pock-mark wedged into one of the capital's toughest neighbourhoods? It was, of course, utterly magnificent and I'd give anything to climb inside it again for just one day.'In the first volume of his memoirs, Danny Baker brings his early years to life as only he knows how. With his trademark humour and eye for a killer anecdote, he takes us all the way from the council house in south-east London that he shared with his mum Betty and dad 'Spud' (played by Peter Kay) to the music-biz excesses of Los Angeles, where he famously interviewed Michael Jackson for the NME. Laugh-out-loud funny, it is also an affectionate but unsentimental hymn to a bygone era.Read by Danny Baker(p) 2012 Orion Publishing Group
Going to Seed: A Counterculture Memoir
by Simon FairlieAn unforgettable firsthand account of how the hippie movement flowered in the late 1960s, appeared spent by the Thatcher-consumed 1980s, yet became the seedbed for progressive reform we now take for granted—and continues to inspire generations of rebels and visionaries. "Fairlie has a refreshingly declarative style: he’s analytical, funny and self-aware. . . His memoir has much to offer anyone interested in movement history or in the future of intentional communities."—Elizabeth Royte, Food & Environment Reporting Network At a young age, Simon Fairlie rejected the rat race and embarked on a new trip to find his own path. He dropped out of Cambridge University to hitchhike to Istanbul and bicycle through India. He established a commune in France, was arrested multiple times for squatting and civil disobedience, and became a leading figure in protests against the British government’s road building programs of the 1980s and—later—in legislative battles to help people secure access to land for low impact, sustainable living. Over the course of fifty years, we witness a man’s drive for self-sufficiency, freedom, authenticity, and a deep connection to the land. Fairlie grew up in a middle-class household in leafy middle England. His path had been laid out for him by his father: boarding school, Oxbridge, and a career in journalism. But everything changed when Simon’s life ran headfirst into London’s counterculture in the 1960s. Finding Beat poetry, blues music, cannabis and anti–Vietnam War protests unlocked a powerful lust to be free. Instead of becoming a celebrated Fleet Street journalist like his father, Simon became a laborer, a stonemason, a farmer, a scythesman, and then a magazine editor and a writer of a very different sort. In Going to Seed he shares the highs of his experience, alongside the painful costs of his ongoing search for freedom—estrangement from his family, financial insecurity, and the loss of friends and lovers to the excesses and turbulence that continued through the 70s and 80s. Part moving, free-wheeling memoir, part social critique, Going to Seed questions the current trajectory of Western “progress”—and the explosive consumerism, growing inequality, and environmental devastation laid bare in our daily newsfeeds—and will resonate with anyone who wonders how we got to such a place. Simon’s story is for anyone who wonders what the world might look like if we began to chart a radically different course.