- Table View
- List View
Mickey Mantle: The Commerce Comet
by Jonah WinterThe ONLY nonfiction picture book about New York Yankee Mickey Mantle, one of the greatest baseball players of all time. From award-winning author Jonah Winter and #1 New York Times bestselling artist C. F. Payne comes this extraordinary picture-book biography that traces Mickey Mantle&’s unparalleled baseball career. He could run from home plate to first base in 2.9 seconds. He could hit a ball 540 feet—the longest home run in major league history. He was the greatest switch hitter ever to play the game. And he did it all despite broken bones, pulled muscles, strains, and sprains, from his shoulders to his feet. How did a poor country boy from Commerce, Oklahoma, become one of the greatest and most beloved baseball players of all time? This is the story.
Mickey and Willie
by Allen BarraAcclaimed sportswriter Allen Barra exposes the uncanny parallels--and lifelong friendship--between two of the greatest baseball players ever to take the field. Culturally, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were light-years apart. Yet they were nearly the same age and almost the same size, and they came to New York at the same time. They possessed virtually the same talents and played the same position. They were both products of generations of baseball-playing families, for whom the game was the only escape from a lifetime of brutal manual labor. Both were nearly crushed by the weight of the outsized expectations placed on them, first by their families and later by America. Both lived secret lives far different from those their fans knew. What their fans also didn't know was that the two men shared a close personal friendship--and that each was the only man who could truly understand the other's experience.
Mickey: The Cat Who Raised Me
by Helen BrownBestselling pet memoirist Helen Brown has enthralled readers with tales of the cats in her life. Readers all over the globe have fallen in love with Cleo, Jonah, and Bono alike. But now, Helen is taking her readers back to where it all began: her childhood pet, Mickey. This is a memoir about growing up, with the help of a very special cat. The youngest daughter of an eccentric engineer and a musical theater fanatic, Helen Brown grew up in the New Zealand coastal town of New Plymouth in a crumbling castle overrun by nature, and overshadowed by nearby, beautiful Mount Taranaki. It&’s 1966, the Pacific islands are being used for atomic bomb testing, and her parents and siblings are swept up in their own lives. Twelve years old, struggling in school, and facing eye surgery—for the second time—Helen feels lonely and lost. . . . Until her father gives her a three-month-old, gray-and-brown tiger-striped tabby with extra toes on each paw. Noticing an M design on the cat&’s forehead, Helen names her new companion Mickey. Inquisitive, rambunctious, clever, and skittish, Mickey disrupts the already quirky household with his mischief. But Helen finds love, joy—and herself—in learning what it means to care for a living creature who needs her as much as she needs him. Praise for Helen Brown&’s Books&“The next Marley & Me.&” —Good Housekeeping&“An absolute must.&” —Cat World
Mickey: The Giveaway Boy
by Robert Shafer Barbara LockwoodFor nine-year-old Mickey, the early fifties were not the Ozzie and Harriet fantasy of love and security. Instead, they were years of abandonment, unimaginable cruelty, and virtual slavery. This memoir reveals Mickey's devastating experiences of being handed off from one abusive person to another ... all in the name of survival.
Micky. Un tributo diferente
by Martha FigueroaUn libro memorable, único, incondicional para cualquier fan de la carrera, la personalidad, la música o el físico de quien roba miles de respiros con una sonrisa y un bolero. Martha Figueroa, la periodista de espectáculos por excelencia y seguidora -literalmente- de Luis Miguel nos cuenta la vida detrás de las cámaras, los escenarios y los paparazzi de El Sol. Martha repasa los treinta años de carrera de Luis Miguel con episodios nunca antes publicados de su vida personal, amorosa, la fiesta, sus mujeres, sus amistades, ¡hasta su guardaespaldas! Con un respeto total por la persona y la carrera de Luis Miguel, Martha Figueroa repasa cómo se han encontrado su camino y el de El Sol desde 1987, que Martha fue asignada a cubrir todos y cada uno de sus pasos, hasta la fecha. Cada gira, cada concierto, cada fiesta. Miami, México, Nueva York... la vida de Luis Miguel ha estado siempre estrechamente vigilada por una mirada genial y una pluma única: la de Martha. Su tono divertido, ameno e irreverente la delata: el lector se topa con un aire de nostalgia desde la primera página, y acompaña el resto del libro de risas y carcajadas. El carácter único de sus relatos hace casi imposible de creer las aventuras por las que la autora ha pasado tras los pasos del mayor intérprete pop en español. Y claro, treinta años de carrera llevan de por medio incontables anécdotas, encuentros, conciertos, fans y recuerdos con los que Martha y las fans de Luis Miguel han creado un archivo gráfico nunca antes visto: más de 30 páginas de imágenes de Luismi.
Micky: Edición actualizada
by Martha FigueroaEl libro que ha recorrido el mundo con más de 30,000 ejemplares vendidos. Martha Figueroa, la periodista de espectáculos por excelencia, seguidora de Luis Miguel (y fan #1), nos cuenta la vida del Sol detrás de las cámaras y los escenarios. En esta edición actualizada, repasa los treinta y cinco años de carrera del cantante con episodios de su vida nunca antes publicados. Con un respeto total por el personaje y su trayectoria, Martha narra cómo se ha encontrado en el camino a Luis Miguel desde 1987 -cuando fue asignada a cubrir todos sus pasos- hasta la fecha. Cada gira, cada concierto, cada fiesta. Buenos Aires, México, Nueva York, Madrid... la vida de Luis Miguel ha estado siempre estrechamente vigilada por una mirada genial y una pluma única y divertida: la de Martha.
Microbia: A Journey into the Unseen World Around You
by Eugenia BoneFrom Eugenia Bone, the critically acclaimed author of Mycophilia, comes an approachable, highly personal look at our complex relationship with the microbial world. While researching her book about mushrooms, Eugenia Bone became fascinated with microbes—those life forms that are too small to see without a microscope. Specifically, she wanted to understand the microbes that lived inside other organisms like plants and people. But as she began reading books, scholarly articles, blogs, and even attending an online course in an attempt to grasp the microbiology, she quickly realized she couldn’t do it alone. That’s why she enrolled at Columbia University to study Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology. Her stories about being a middle-aged mom embedded in undergrad college life are spot-on and hilarious. But more profoundly, when Bone went back to school she learned that biology is a vast conspiracy of microbes. Microbes invented living and as a result they are part of every aspect of every living thing. This popular science book takes the layman on a broad survey of the role of microbes in nature and illustrates their importance to the existence of everything: atmosphere, soil, plants, and us.
Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay
by Cyndie SpiegelBighearted and hopeful. Unflinchingly honest and healing. A profound compendium of intimate, inspiring essays and thoughtful prompts that will keep you afloat in difficult times and sustain you in the everyday. Microjoys are a practice of uncovering joy and finding hope at any moment. They are accessible to everyone, despite all else. When we hone the ability to look for them, they are always available. Microjoys are the hidden wisdom, long-ago memories, subtle treasures, and ordinary delights that surround us: A polka-dot glass on a thrift store shelf. A dear friend&’s kindness at just the right time. The neighborhood spice shop. A beloved family tradition. The simple quietude of being in love. A cherished chai recipe. Cyndie Spiegel first began taking note of microjoys during the most difficult year of her life—when she experienced back-to-back unprecedented and devastating losses—and she found that these fleeting moments of hope helped her move through each day with a semblance of comfort and a lot more joy. Through beautifully written narrative essays and prompts, Cyndie shares the microjoys that have kept her going through tough times and shows us how we can learn to see the microjoys in our own lives. Microjoys don&’t change the truth of loss or make grief any more convenient, but they allow us to temporarily touch joy, keeping us buoyed and moving forward, one moment at a time.
Microthrills
by Wendy SperoRaised in Manhattan by her overprotective sex-therapist mother (who wore "nine inches of shoulder pads"), Wendy Spero has always sought excitement in microthrills, the small, strange highs that give her life meaning--from finding a strip tease video of her grandmother to selling knives door-to-door. As a little girl, Spero passed the time sniffing fruit-scented markers and breaking up arguments between her imaginary friends. As an adult, in her first office job, she formed an unusual relationship with her boss that involved as much marijuana-smoking as it did mentoring. Called "a profoundly funny human being" by Time Out New York, Spero is now a comedian living in L.A., grappling with such grown-up issues as trying to kick her addiction to eating candy in bed and learning how to drive.
Mid-Life Ex-Wife: A Diary of Divorce, Online Dating, and Second Chances
by Stella Grey“The literary equivalent of the When Harry Met Sally line, ‘tell me I’ll never be out there again’.” —JoJo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before YouNora Ephron meets Bridget Jones's Diary in Guardian columnist Stella Grey’s heartrendingly honest, witty memoir about her online odyssey to find real love in a virtual world.Singers may croon about love being lovelier the second time around, but it can also be far more complicated. When Stella Grey’s husband leaves her for another woman, she fears she'll be unhappy and alone for the rest of her life. But daytime vodka-drinking and ice-cream are only short-term consolations. Realizing that she needs to take her future into her own hands, Stella dives into the world of online dating. What follow are 693 days of hilarious, depressing, and baffling encounters that unfold both in person and online. Stella quickly discovers that the more perfect a man appears on her screen, the warier she should be. It's a game of chance, with some players perfectly willing to lie to get what they want, whether that’s a lifetime of love or a very brief encounter.Amid flirty emails, Skype chats, and awkward small talk over glasses of bad wine (which may or may not lead to awkward sex), Stella struggles to remain optimistic. To succeed, does she have to redefine the kind of man she’s looking for—or change the kind of woman she is? Funny, raw, and heartwarming, this book is a brutally honest account of the world of online dating—a world which so many of us are a part of, no matter our age—drawn from Stella’s hugely popular Guardian column, “Mid-life Ex-Wife” (and expanded with new material) about her search for a second chance at love.
Mid-Term Report
by Phil RedmondA masterclass in media studies from the creator of Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks. Described in Parliament as 'excellent' by Ed Vaizey, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport GRANGE HILLSwimming pool disasters. Drugs, and just say ‘no’. Flying sausages. School like you’d never seen it before.BROOKSIDELesbian kisses. Bodies under patios. Exploding shops. Suburban life like you’d never seen it before.HOLLYOAKSBad boys on bikes. Loveable geeks. Leggy blondes. Students like you’d never seen them before.PHIL REDMONDThree classic TV programmes. One TV genius. This is the behind-the-scenes story of how a working-class lad from the Liverpool suburbs went from living on a housing estate to buying one, and from comprehensive school dinners to lunch with the Queen. Along the way he learned a lot of lessons, broke all the rules, and changed television for ever.
Middling Folk: Three Seas, Three Centuries, One Scots-Irish Family
by Linda MatthewsTelling the stories of those who quietly conducted the business and built the livelihoods that made their societies prosper or fail, this account shows how one Scots-Irish American family, the Hammills--millers, wagon makers, and blacksmiths--lived out their lives against the backdrop of the American Revolution, the Civil War, and westward expansion. Spanning three centuries from the shores of Ireland to the Chesapeake Bay Area to the Pacific Northwest, this saga brings to life the early days of the founding of this country through the lens of the middle class. From revolutions, uprisings, and economic booms and busts to owning slaves in the colonial South, these personal encounters through dramatic historical events depict the private dramas--tragic deaths, business successes and failures, love and loss--of the ordinary families who helped shape this country and managed to hold their own through turbulent times.
Midget Submarine Commander: The Life of Godfrey Place VC
by Paul WatkinsOf all the acts of gallantry in World War II few were as audacious as the attack by midget submarines on the pride of the German fleet, the battleship Tirpitz, lying in her fortified mooring in a Norwegian fjord. Lieutenant Godfrey Place was in command of submarine X7 in September 1943 and traveled over 1000 miles, negotiating minefields and antisubmarine nets to accurately place four tons of high explosive under the hull of the Tirpitz. He was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1944, at the age of 22. Taken prisoner he was repatriated to England at the end of the war, and continued to serve in the Royal Navy for 25 years, flying with 801st squadron in the Korean War, and served on aircraft carriers at Suez, Nigeria and the withdrawal from Aden. On his retirement in 1970, he had the distinction of being the last serving naval officer to hold the Victoria Cross.Using many first-hand accounts, the book details his life, from a childhood spent partly in East Africa to being Chairman of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association for over 20 years. It draws on previously unpublished material, including his own recollections on the attack on the Tirpitz and his time as a prisoner of war.
Midlands & Southern England (Regional Tramways)
by Peter WallerThis volume is the latest in a series of tramway books covering Britains post war tram networks. The book covers the systems that survived the Second World War, in the Midlands and Southern England, except London which will have a separate book.This extensive volume covers all the post war systems from their inception through to closure, with a superb range of images - many of which are previously unpublished - depicting each operation, from horse tram days through to the end. In addition, the comprehensive introduction provides an overview of the myriad other systems that once operated in the region but which did not survive after 1945, featuring such notable towns and cities as Bristol, Coventry and Norwich. Also included in the volume are accounts of the two second-generation systems to operate in the area: Midland Metro and Nottingham Express Transit.
Midlife Clarity: Epiphanies for Grown-up Girls
by Laura Carlsmith Cynthia Black Jane FoleyA Woman's wisdom is one of the earth's greatest natural resources. With a perspective that only a certain number of years on earth can bring, the thirty-two women in Midlife Clarity show that midlife can be a release of our true self, a chance to be free of others' expectations, and a time to inventory our blessings. With personal anecdotes, essays, short poetry, and plenty of humor, Midlife Clarity focuses on issues common to every woman. Whether the topic is men, self-discovery, death, or struggle, each woman finds those small moments of satisfaction and joy that, after all, are what life is all about. Their midlife musings are at once basic and sublime, obvious and profound, individual and global. They inspire us to welcome change in our own lives with the same humor, grit, and strength.
Midlife Happy Hour: Our Reward for Surviving Careers, Kids, and Chaos
by Elaine AmbroseFrom the author of Midlife Cabernet and Frozen Dinners, a guide to life after fifty full of personal anecdotes and laugh-out-loud humor. More than forty million middle-aged women are tumbling over the hill, laughing all the way because the kids are grown, their menstrual periods stopped, and they survived at least four decades of arbitrary rules dictated by a crabby universe. They went to work with varying degrees of success and brought home the bacon but threw it in the freezer and ordered pizza. Now they&’re ready to celebrate the freedom of pending retirement because they know it&’s more fun to laugh hysterically than to stab someone with a fork and deal with the messy court case and inconvenient jail time. With her irreverent kiss-my-attitude, Elaine Ambrose shares her life experiences through a series of amusing anecdotes created to show women over age fifty that life is worth living out loud. Readers will learn how to remain relevant when the world ignores them, why their children are cute but should grow up and move out, how to cope when their aging parents forget their names, and why it&’s never too late to get serious about a passionate love life. She even throws in a few hints for fabulous fashion and decorating ideas for lazy people. This creative collection of humorous, gluten-free, and non-fattening stories will encourage midlife friends to grab an adult beverage and order two laughs for the price of one as the appropriate reward for surviving careers, kids, and chaos. It&’s time for Midlife Happy Hour!
Midlife Queer: Autobiography Of A Decade, 1971-1981
by Martin DubermanWith searing self-appraisal and a deeply intelligent, informed sense of the world around him, Martin Duberman has produced a revelatory book that has been described even before publication as "the virtuoso memoir of a decade." Spanning the years 1971 to 1981--years that were crucial both to the evolution of the gay rights movement and to the author's own life--Midlife Queer examines a wide range of pivotal events in the decade. Duberman moves from the internecine battles in the academic world and within the budding gay rights movement to his own heart attack, sexual and romantic adventures, and search for fulfillment via a variety of unconventional venues and alternate therapies. Peppered with gossip, wit, and tart observations of the New York theater and literary worlds, Midlife Queer stands as both an intensely personal story and the record of an era. Called by Barney Frank "one of the great teachers of our time," Martin Duberman has unparalleled credentials as an historian and biographer. He has won praise and prizes for such earlier books as Stonewall, Black Mountain, In White America, Cures, and the best-selling Paul Robeson. He is also the general editor of two series for young adults: Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians and Issues in Lesbian and Gay Life. MARTIN DUBERMAN is Distinguished Professor of History at CUNY's Lehman College and Graduate School. The author of sixteen books, he is the founder of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS), the country's first such research center.
Midnight Diaries
by Catherine A. Fitzpatrick Boris Yeltsin<P>Midnight Diaries is Boris Yeltsin's pithy, personal, and revealing account of the struggles and upheavals in Russia over the last several years, seen from the perspective of the man whose job it was to pull all the strings together. <P>Growing out of a series of late-night conversations between Mr. Yeltsin and his chief of staff, the book addresses with astounding candor subjects including: the real impact of the coup of 1991; the process of decision-making about Chechnya; Yeltsin's relationships with world leaders including Bill Clinton, Helmut Kohl, Jacques Chirac, Zhao Zemin, and Tony Blair; the real story behind the string of prime ministers he hired and then dismissed; the Russian economy and allegations of corruption; his own health; and his decision to retire from the presidency. <P>Vivid and direct in the style of Yeltsin himself, Midnight Diaries is an unprecedented look inside the tumultuous politics of a changing Russia. Its publication is an international publishing event.
Midnight Express
by Billy HayesThis is the autobiography of Billy Hayes in which he describes the torture he underwent in jail when he caught smuggling drugs.
Midnight Flight to Nuremberg: The Capture of the Nazi who put Adolf Hitler into Power
by Marcus NanniniThe autobiography of C-47 pilot and instructor, First Lieutenant Harry E. Watson, Jr, USAAF.2022 IAN Book of the Year Awards, Third Place: Non-Fiction 2022 PenCraft Book Awards, Nonfiction - Biography 1st Place Winner 2021-2022 Overall Grand Prize Winner, Nonfiction, Readers Views Silver Medalist, 2022 IPPY Book Awards Finalist, 2022 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Finalist, American BookFest Awards This is the story of an American C-47 ‘Dakota’ pilot who earned three Air Medals, seven Battle Stars and flew twenty-seven combat missions during the Second World War. As a young U.S. pilot, Harry Watson, arrived in Britain as the Battle of Normandy was reaching its crescendo. Thrown immediately into the fray, Harry, along with more than 200 aircraft, set off to carry supplies to the troops fighting in France. But with visibility reduced to zero, the aircraft were ordered to turn back – all did except Harry, who successfully delivered his life-saving cargo of blood and US Army nurses. Harry continued to take risks, which resulted in many hair-raising episodes. This included almost being caught on the ground, while on an urgent fuel resupply mission for a platoon of General Patton’s tanks, by a German Mk.IV panzer and a battalion of supporting infantry. He flew throughout Operation Market Garden, losing a close friend to German anti-aircraft fire while taking some hits to his own plane. Thereafter he led a flight of five transports on a desperate mission to evacuate a mobile field hospital that was about to be over-run by the SS. Only four of the planes made it back as they came under direct fire just before they could take-off with scores of casualties and medical personnel crammed aboard each Dakota. Around midnight, in early April 1945, he was sent on a secret mission to fly to a point near Nuremberg, which was behind enemy lines at the time. It was necessary for him to locate an empty meadow in the dark, land, load a party of US soldiers and their captives, and then take-off again. He pulled it off. Among those prisoners was Franz von Pappen, the man who had persuaded President Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Von Papen had been seized at his own home by First Lieutenant Thomas McKinley and his men from the US 194th Glider Infantry Regiment. Based on his own recollections, as told to the author Marcus Nanni, this is Harry Watson’s exciting account of the air war told, unusually, through the words of a transport pilot.
Midnight Light: A Personal Journey to the North
by Dave BidiniBestselling and beloved author of On A Cold Road, Dave Bidini uses his stint as guest columnist at the Yellowknifer newspaper to explore the "Gateway to the North," the meaning of community, and the issues facing residents and their daily lives.As a journalist, author and founding member of the trail-blazing band Rheostatics, Dave Bidini has had the privilege to explore Canada's immense geography. Yet, in all his many travels, he'd never visited the Northwest Territories. After an all-too-brief visit to a literary festival in Yellowknife, Bidini was hooked on the place and its people. When he returned home, all he could do was think about going back to the North. Facing a career crossroads and with memories of his recent visit to the Northwest Territories still fresh, Bidini, in a bold move, contacts the Yellowknifer, one of the last truly loval and independent newspapers, and signs on as a guest columnist for an unforgettable summer. The Yellowknifer, like the city it serves, bucks all trends as a completely community-focused newspaper. Bidini's new position gives him access to a region that is on the one hand lost in time, and on the other faced with the stark realities of poverty, racism and addiction. Along the way, Midnight Light introduces readers to an extraordinary cast of Dene elders, entrepreneurs, artists, politicians and law enforcement officers as well as an assortment of complicated souls from the South who are looking for a chance to rebuild their lives and who face the same harsh economic realities as their new neighbours. Woven throughout the narrative is the story of the irascible John McFadden, a veteran Toronto crime reporter who "escaped" to Yellowknife. McFadden is the key figure in the newspaper's ongoing fight with local authorities who do not take kindly to journalistic doggedness. During Bidini's tenure with the paper, McFadden makes headlines across the country when the RCMP charge him with obstruction while he is working on a story, culminating in a trial in which nothing less than journalistic freedom is at stake. A fast-paced, funny and at times powerfully poignant chronicle of a city and its environs, and a reminder of the vital importance of a local and independent press, Midnight Light brings the Northwest Territories and its remarkable and proud people to vivid life.
Midnight Ride Industrial Dawn: Paul Revere and the Growth of American Enterprise (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology)
by Robert MartelloAn in-depth look at Revere’s great contribution to American history: his work in helping the nation develop from a craft to an industrial economy.Paul Revere’s ride to warn the colonial militia of the British march on Lexington and Concord is a legendary contribution to the American Revolution. Midnight Ride, Industrial Dawn reveals another side of this American hero’s life: that of a transformational entrepreneur instrumental in the industrial revolution.Robert Martello combines a biographical examination of Revere with a probing study of the new nation’s business and technological climate. A silversmith prior to the Revolution and heralded for his patriotism during the war, Revere aspired to higher social status within the fledgling United States. To that end, he shifted away from artisan silversmithing toward larger, more involved manufacturing ventures such as ironworking, bronze casting, and copper sheet rolling. Drawing extensively on the Revere Family Papers, Martello explores Revere’s vibrant career successes and failures, social networks, business practices, and the groundbreaking metallurgical technologies he developed and employed. Revere’s commercial ventures epitomized what Martello terms proto-industrialization, a transitional state between craft work and mass manufacture that characterizes the broader, fast-changing landscape of the American economy. Martello uses Revere as a lens to view the social, economic, and technological milieu of early America while demonstrating Revere’s pivotal role in both the American Revolution and the rise of industrial America.“Martello succeeds superbly in using Paul Revere as a lens to view the social, economic, and technological landscape of early America . . . Revere’s adept transitions are matched only by Martello’s adept retelling of them. Highly recommended.” —Choice
Midnight Ride, Industrial Dawn: Paul Revere and the Growth of American Enterprise (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology)
by Robert MartelloPaul Revere's ride to warn the colonial militia of the British march on Lexington and Concord is a legendary contribution to the American Revolution. Midnight Ride, Industrial Dawn reveals another side of this American hero's life, that of a transformational entrepreneur instrumental in the industrial revolution.Robert Martello combines a biographical examination of Revere with a probing study of the new nation’s business and technological climate. A silversmith prior to the Revolution and heralded for his patriotism during the war, Revere aspired to higher social status within the fledgling United States. To that end, he shifted away from artisan silversmithing toward larger, more involved manufacturing ventures such as ironworking, bronze casting, and copper sheet rolling. Drawing extensively on the Revere Family Papers, Martello explores Revere’s vibrant career successes and failures, social networks, business practices, and the groundbreaking metallurgical technologies he developed and employed. Revere’s commercial ventures epitomized what Martello terms proto-industrialization, a transitional state between craft work and mass manufacture that characterizes the broader, fast-changing landscape of the American economy. Martello uses Revere as a lens to view the social, economic, and technological milieu of early America while demonstrating Revere’s pivotal role in both the American Revolution and the rise of industrial America.Original and well told, this account argues that the greatest patriotic contribution of America's Midnight Rider was his work in helping the nation develop from a craft to an industrial economy.
Midnight at the Barrelhouse: The Johnny Otis Story
by George LipsitzConsidered by many to be the godfather of R&B, Johnny Otis—musician, producer, artist, entrepreneur, pastor, disc jockey, writer, and tireless fighter for racial equality—has had a remarkable life by any measure. In this first biography of Otis, George Lipsitz tells the largely unknown story of a towering figure in the history of African American music and culture who was, by his own description, &“black by persuasion.&” Born to Greek immigrant parents in Vallejo, California, in 1921, Otis grew up in an integrated neighborhood and identified deeply with black music and culture from an early age. He moved to Los Angeles as a young man and submerged himself in the city&’s vibrant African American cultural life, centered on Central Avenue and its thriving music scene. Otis began his six-decade career in music playing drums in territory swing bands in the 1930s. He went on to lead his own band in the 1940s and open the Barrelhouse nightclub in Watts. His R&B band had seventeen Top 40 hits between 1950 and 1969, including &“Willie and the Hand Jive.&” As a producer and A&R man, Otis discovered such legends as Etta James, Jackie Wilson, and Big Mama Thornton. Otis also wrote a column for the Sentinel, one of L.A.&’s leading black newspapers, became pastor of his own interracial church, hosted popular radio and television shows that introduced millions to music by African American artists, and was lauded as businessman of the year in a 1951 cover story in Negro Achievements magazine. Throughout his career Otis&’s driving passion has been his fearless and unyielding opposition to racial injustice, whether protesting on the front lines, exposing racism and championing the accomplishments of black Americans, or promoting African American musicians. Midnight at the Barrelhouse is a chronicle of a life rich in both incident and inspiration, as well as an exploration of the complicated nature of race relations in twentieth-century America. Otis&’s total commitment to black culture and transcendence of racial boundaries, Lipsitz shows, teach important lessons about identity, race, and power while encapsulating the contradictions of racism in American society.
Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey Through a Country's Descent into Darkness
by Alfredo CorchadoIn the last six years, more than eighty thousand people have been killed in the Mexican drug war, and drug trafficking there is a multibillion-dollar business. In a country where the powerful are rarely scrutinized, noted Mexican American journalist Alfredo Corchado refuses to shrink from reporting on government corruption, murders in Juarez, or the ruthless drug cartels of Mexico. A paramilitary group spun off from the Gulf cartel, the Zetas, controls key drug routes in the north of the country. In 2007, Corchado received a tip that he could be their next target-and he had twenty four hours to find out if the threat was true. Rather than leave his country, Corchado went out into the Mexican countryside to trace investigate the threat. As he frantically contacted his sources, Corchado suspected the threat was his punishment for returning to Mexico against his mother’s wishes. His parents had fled north after the death of their young daughter, and raised their children in California where they labored as migrant workers. Corchado returned to Mexico as a journalist in 1994, convinced that Mexico would one day foster political accountability and leave behind the pervasive corruption that has plagued its people for decades. But in this land of extremes, the gap of inequality-and injustice-remains wide. Even after the 2000 election that put Mexico’s opposition party in power for the first time, the opportunities of democracy did not materialize. The powerful PRI had worked with the cartels, taking a piece of their profit in exchange for a more peaceful, and more controlled, drug trade. But the party’s long-awaited defeat created a vacuum of power in Mexico City, and in the cartel-controlled states that border the United States. The cartels went to war with one another in the mid-2000s, during the war to regain control of the country instituted by President Felipe Calderón, and only the violence flourished. The work Corchado lives for could have killed him, but he wasn't ready to leave Mexico-not then, maybe never. Midnight in Mexico is the story of one man’s quest to report the truth of his country-as he raced to save his own life. .