- Table View
- List View
SAS: My Trial By Fire: True Stories and Life Lessons from SAS Selection
by Des PowellDes Powell left school with no qualifications and little in the way of formal education. At nineteen he signed up to join the Parachute Regiment.Famously, the Paras is home to the UK military's second-toughest training regime after the SAS. Des Powell knows all about both. In fact, Des knows SAS selection better than anyone because he's done it twice. In SAS: Trial by Fire he tells the story of those gruelling tests: how Para training turned him into a soldier but, more crucially, how the SAS process turned him into a member of the elite.Des describes exactly what it takes to be an elite special forces operator. From raw recruit to trained fighting machine - including the heart-breaking moment he was forced to withdraw, only to begin the process again - Des shares the details of his personal journey, itself a tale of prevailing against almost overwhelming odd. He teaches us valuable life skills by taking us deep into the training regime itself: fitness, navigation, endurance, weapons and combat training, survival techniques in hostile climates, the terrifying jungle phase, the dark arts of escape and evasion, the secret of surviving interrogation.No one's lifted the lid on what it takes to join the SAS and become the best of the best. Until now.Praise for Bravo Three Zero'A must read. Honesty, integrity and real experience that puts you in the thick of the action.' Billy Billingham'The story that needed to be told' Jason Fox'The attention to detail is unbelievable' Tim Lovejoy'Thrilling' Express
SAS: Sea King Down
by Stuart Tootal Mark AstonThe thrilling, edge-of-your-seat true story of one soldier's Special Forces operations in the Falklands War'BRILLIANT. A ROLLERCOASTER OF BLISTERING ACTION, SURVIVAL AND BEHIND-THE-LINES DARING' DAMIEN LEWIS________THE BIGGEST SINGLE LOSS OF LIFE FOR THE SAS SINCE WORLD WAR TWO . . .1982, the British task force sails to liberate the Falkland Islands. Aboard: SAS D Squadron, determined to make their mark.No one more so than Mark 'Splash' Aston.But they have barely seen action when their Sea King helicopter crashes in freezing South Atlantic waters, killing 22 of Mark's comrades.The last out of the sinking wreck, he suffers a broken neck. But defying medical evacuation orders, Mark sneaks off ship, re-joins his SAS comrades to land on a mountain near Port Stanley - to defend it against days of attacks by Argentine special forces . . .SAS Sea King Down is a pulse-pounding account of D-Squadron's tragic loss and subsequent heroic stand in one of the most hostile places on Earth.A story told by a man who barely survived to tell it.________'A gripping untold story of heroism, hardship and sacrifice within the SAS' BEAR GRYLLS 'Gripping, fast moving and completely authentic. A brilliant piece of work. Better than Bravo Two Zero' - Mike Rose, former Commanding Officer of the SAS
SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper
by Howard E. Wasdin Stephen TemplinA book that takes you inside SEAL Team Six, the covert squad that killed Osama Bin Laden. SEAL Team Six is a secret unit tasked with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency. In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard Wasdin takes readers deep inside the world of Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) the toughest and longest military training in the world. After graduating, Wasdin faced new challenges. First there was combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. Then the Green Course: the selection process to join the legendary SEAL Team Six, with a curriculum that included practiced land warfare to unarmed combat. More than learning how to pick a lock, they learned how to blow the door off its hinges. Finally as a member of SEAL Team Six he graduated from the most storied and challenging sniper program in the country: The Marine's Scout Sniper School. Eventually, of the 18 snipers in SEAL Team Six, Wasdin became the best; which meant one of the best snipers on the planet. Less than half a year after sniper school, he was fighting for his life. The mission: capture or kill Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. From rooftops, helicopters and alleys, Wasdin hunted Aidid and killed his men whenever possible. But everything went quickly to hell when his small band of soldiers found themselves fighting for their lives, cut off from help, and desperately trying to rescue downed comrades during a routine mission. The Battle of Mogadishu, as it became known, left 18 American soldiers dead and 73 wounded. Howard Wasdin had both of his legs nearly blown off while engaging the enemy. His dramatic combat tales combined with inside details of becoming one of the world's deadliest snipers make this one of the most explosive military memoirs in years.
SEAL Warrior: Death In The Dark: Vietnam 1968--1972
by Thomas H. Keith J. Terry RieblingSEAL Warrior is a vivid, action-packed account of Thomas H. Keith's Vietnam tour of duty--a highly decorated Navy SEAL.During the Vietnam era, many of the U.S. Navy SEALs (SEa, Air, Land commandos) never filed for a Purple Heart unless they were severely wounded. Thomas H. Keith, Master Chief, SEAL Team 2, is living proof. He carries a piece of shrapnel behind one lung, a reminder of the day he called in 40 mm mortar fire on the enemy that was trying to catch up to his crew as the crew hauled ass out of the bush. Not only did he never report it, it was never removed---it just wasn't serious enough.SEAL Warrior is the vivid, gritty, transporting memoir of a man destined for combat, a third-generation soldier for whom serving his country was not only an honor, it was tradition. While his grandfathers fought in France, and his father's position as a U.S. Navy Chief took him all around the world, Tom Keith fought his first war in the jungles of Vietnam.Fighting a guerilla war on foreign soil for the first time in American history, the SEALS found that there were no front lines; the enemy was an integral part of the entire society. This atypical form of warfare demanded that new tactics, new strategic applications of force, and a new understanding of a complex social and cultural enmity be found.SEAL Warrior goes beyond the horror and bravado of battle to offer a deeper insight into the ways in which the SEALs fought, learned, reacted, and expanded their understanding of guerilla warfare during the Vietnam War. It's also a personal, riveting account of how one young American survived, and, over time, grew to trust and revere many of those who once had been his enemy.With America again deeply involved in guerilla warfare, there is no better time to honor the unique abilities, understanding, and courage of these warriors who sacrificed it all to fight for nothing less than peace.
SEALS, UDT, FROGMEN
by Darryl YoungSixty-one true stories from men who have served in the U.S. Navy's toughest combat and reconnaissance units.
SECRETOS DE FAMILIA (EBOOK)
by M. Ruiz GuiñazuLas Ocampo, los Quiroga, los Lugones, los Santucho, los Alsogaray, los Barón Biza, los Oesterheld, los Alvear, los Cantoni Bravo y los Botana. Diez familias emblemáticas de la Argentina. Diez historias atravesadas por la tragedia y la pasión que todavía tienen muchos misterios por develar. Narradas con la calidez de Magdalena Ruiz Guiñazú y con increíbles entrevistas a los familiares vivos de estos nombres que marcaron la historia nacional. Las sagas de los Alvear y los Barón Biza; la épica de los Cantoni y los Bravo en San Juan; la literatura, la política y los suicidios en manos de los Lugones; el aporte cultural de las Ocampo; la conmovedora y dolorosa vida de Horacio Quiroga; el periodismo moderno que instauraron los Botana; militares y montoneros en la familia Alsogaray; la violencia que signó a los Santucho y a los Oesterheld. En todos los casos, la realidad superó ampliamente a la ficción.
SELF-ish: A Transgender Awakening
by Chloe Schwenke“An intelligent, thoughtful look at the complex journey that is gender transition” from an openly transgender Quaker woman and human rights activist (Joy Ladin, author of Through the Door of Life).SELF-ish is a narrative drawn from an international life, beginning with some early glimpses out at the world by a girl in a boy’s body. Chloe Schwenke was raised as Stephen in a Marine Corps family, and was sent off at age fourteen to “man-up” at a military academy. Later—and still embodied as a man—she ventured abroad to work in some of the roughest regions of Africa, the Gaza Strip, Turkey, and many other locales. Her far-flung global journey was matched in intensity by an inner identity and spiritual struggle and the associated ravages of depression, before she came to the revelation of being a transgender woman.At a time when many Americans are just waking up to the reality of the transgender phenomenon, this portrayal of Chloe’s life, her challenging gender transition, and her many accomplishments and adventures along the way (including being among the first three transgender political appointees in U.S. history, under President Obama), creates a poignant story of authenticity, self-discovery, and the meaning of gender set against a fascinating international backdrop.“Takes the reader through a powerful, heart-wrenching journey of the innumerable, daunting challenges of gender transition confronted by a transgender woman. It is ultimately also a story of extraordinary courage in persevering through formidable odds to be true to oneself. Schwenke underscores the moral, human and societal imperative to confront and ameliorate the challenges faced by transgender people, and others marginalized by mainstream society.” —Sanjay Pradhan, CEO, Open Government Partnership
SEX/LIFE: Now a series on Netflix
by BB EastonOne woman's secret journal completely changes her marriage in this hilarious and biting memoir - the inspiration for the Netflix Original Series.School psychologists aren't supposed to write books about sex. Doing so would be considered 'unethical' and 'a fireable offense'. Lucky for you, ethics was never my strong suit.Sex/Life: 44 Chapters About 4 Men is a laugh-out-loud funny and brutally honest look at female sexuality, as told through the razor-sharp lens of domesticated bad girl BB Easton. No one and nothing is off limits as BB revisits the ex-boyfriends - a sadistic tattoo artist, a punk rock parolee, and a heavy metal bass player - that led her to finally find true love with a straight-laced, drop-dead-gorgeous . . . accountant.After settling down and starting a family with her perfectly vanilla 'husbot', Ken, BB finds herself longing for the reckless passion she had in her youth. She begins to write about these escapades in a secret journal, just for fun, but when Ken starts to act out the words on the pages, BB realizes that she might have stumbled upon the holy grail of behaviour modification techniques.The psychological dance that ensues is nothing short of hilarious as BB wields her journal like a blowtorch, trying to light a fire under her cold, distant partner. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but in the end, BB learns that the man she was trying so hard to change was perfect for her all along.
SEX/LIFE: Now a series on Netflix
by BB EastonThe inspiration for the hit Netflix series Sex/LifeOne woman's secret journal completely changes her marriage in this hilarious and biting memoir. School psychologists aren't supposed to write books about sex. Doing so would be considered 'unethical' and 'a fireable offense'. Lucky for you, ethics was never my strong suit.Sex/Life: 44 Chapters About 4 Men is a laugh-out-loud funny and brutally honest look at female sexuality, as told through the razor-sharp lens of domesticated bad girl BB Easton. No one and nothing is off limits as BB revisits the ex-boyfriends - a sadistic tattoo artist, a punk rock parolee, and a heavy metal bass player - that led her to finally find true love with a straight-laced, drop-dead-gorgeous . . . accountant.After settling down and starting a family with her perfectly vanilla 'husbot', Ken, BB finds herself longing for the reckless passion she had in her youth. She begins to write about these escapades in a secret journal, just for fun, but when Ken starts to act out the words on the pages, BB realizes that she might have stumbled upon the holy grail of behaviour modification techniques.The psychological dance that ensues is nothing short of hilarious as BB wields her journal like a blowtorch, trying to light a fire under her cold, distant partner. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but in the end, BB learns that the man she was trying so hard to change was perfect for her all along.
SHOT! by Rock: The Photography of Mick Rock
by Mick RockBorn in 1948 in Hammersmith, London, Michael Rock became a photographer after graduating from college, and developed his visual style with photos of the local rock music scene in England. Soon thereafter his photography career took off, going higher and higher with each new musician he shot for. His work is embodied in this text, full of luscious, color-saturated photography of some of the most dynamic and enthralling musical acts and stars in rock history—and likewise filled with amazing and amusing behind-the-scenes stories of musicians from Mick Jagger to Miley Cyrus and beyond. A sure-fire hit with rock and musical history fans!
SMS Ranch, The (Images of America)
by Dawn Youngblood Eric Swenson Jr.Few images captivate the Western imagination more than the Texas cowboy at home on the range, herding, corralling, throwing and branding cattle, bronc busting, dining from chuck wagons, and sleeping under the stars. The SMS Ranch in the early 1900s was exactly such a place. Spanning hundreds of thousands of acres and holding land in 12 Northwest Texas counties, the SMS was formed by early Swedish immigrant to the Republic of Texas Swante Magnus Swenson. Swenson, a good friend of Sam Houston, had a penchant for wise financial decisions and, by the late 1800s, lived in New York with offices on Wall Street. Swenson sent his two sons to manage his vast Texas landholdings. In 1902, they hired legendary cattleman Frank Hastings to manage the SMS Ranch, headquartered in Stamford, Texas, north of Abilene and west of Fort Worth. Hastings�s wife, Laura, and daughter Ruth photographed life on the ranch, and many professional photographers visited the SMS as well, leaving a rich visual legacy.
SNOWMOBILE: Bombardier's Dream Machine
by Jules OlderIn 1922, when Joseph-Armand Bombardier was fifteen years old he built his first snow vehicle. He had always loved to tinker with motors and make things go, and he dreamed of building a vehicle that could go over snow. His first attempt, using a Model T Ford engine and a wooden propeller, worked well. To Joseph-Armand’s mind, anyhow. Not so much his father, who made him take the contraption apart. Over the years, Joseph-Armand dreamed of becoming a great mechanic and inventing machines. But when his young son died of a fever because it was impossible to get to the hospital over the snow-covered roads, Joseph-Armand applied his single-minded determination to building a vehicle that could go over snow. It took years, but he accomplished his goal. His invention changed the way people in snow country lived. Inaccessible roads could now be travelled, taking patients to hospitals, doctors and priests to the needy, children to school, and even mail to residents.
SOE's Mastermind: The Authorised Biography of Major General Sir Colin Gubbins KCMG, DSO, MC
by Brian LettThe first complete biography of Britain&’s WWII spymaster presents an intimate look at his life and career, as well as an insider&’s look at the SOE. Major General Sir Colin Gubbins was the driving force behind Britain&’s Special Operations Executive, the secret military organization established by Winston Churchill in 1940. First as its Operations and Training Director, and then its Commander, Gubbins orchestrated every aspect of the SOE&’s worldwide covert operations. Though Gubbins made enormous contributions to Allied victory, his life and work have remained shrouded in secrecy until now. With copious research and unprecedented access to family archives, biographer Brian Lett reveals the war hero&’s early experiences in the Great War, as well as in Russia, Ireland, Poland, and as Head of British Resistance. The result is a fascinating biography that reveals as much about SOEs extraordinary activities as it does about the man who inspired and commanded them.
SOG Medic: Stories from Vietnam and Over the Fence
by Robert Dumont Joe ParnarThe “hair-raising details of the second-by-second events” of a Special Forces medic’s covert operations during the Vietnam War (On Point: The Journal of Army History Online).In the years since the Vietnam War, the elite unit known as the Studies and Observations Group (SOG) has spawned many myths, legends, and war stories. Special Forces medic Joe Parnar served with SOG during 1968 in FOB2/CCC near the tri-border region that gave them access to the forbidden areas of Laos and Cambodia. Parnar recounts his time with the recon men of this highly classified unit, as his job involved a unique combination of soldiering and lifesaving. His stories capture the extraordinary commitment made by all the men of SOG and reveal the special dedication of the medics, who put their own lives at risk to save the lives of their teammates. Parnar also discusses his medical training with the Special Forces.“A well-written, interesting account of Parnar’s three-year term of enlistment in the US Army, culminating as a Special Forces medic in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 . . . Parnar takes the time to provide context, circumstance and motivation for heroism and tragedy—for US soldiers and the indigenous Vietnamese soldiers and civilians with whom he worked . . . The service, sacrifice and valor of a generation are vividly documented in the pages of SOG Medic.” —ARMY Magazine
SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam
by John L. PlasterJohn Plaster’s riveting account of his covert activities as a member of a special operations team during the Vietnam War is “a true insider’s account, this eye-opening report will leave readers feeling as if they’ve been given a hot scoop on a highly classified project” (Publishers Weekly).Code-named the Studies and Observations Group, SOG was the most secret elite US military unit to serve in the Vietnam War—so secret its very existence was denied by the government. Composed entirely of volunteers from such ace fighting units as the Army Green Berets, Air Force Air Commandos, and Navy SEALs, SOG took on the most dangerous covert assignments, in the deadliest and most forbidding theaters of operation. In SOG, Major John L. Plaster, a three-tour SOG veteran, shares the gripping exploits of these true American warriors in a minute-by-minute, heartbeat-by-heartbeat account of the group’s stunning operations behind enemy lines—penetrating heavily defended North Vietnamese military facilities, holding off mass enemy attacks, launching daring missions to rescue downed US pilots. Some of the most extraordinary true stories of honor and heroism in the history of the US military, from sabotage to espionage to hand-to-hand combat, Plaster’s account is “a detailed history of this little-known aspect of the Vietnam War…a worthy act of historical rescue from an unjustified, willed oblivion” (The New York Times).
SOLDADOS DE PERON (ACTUALIZADO) (EBOOK)
by Richard GillespieLa obra explica cómo fue posible que un pequeño grupo de católicos radicalizados desarrollaran en la Argentina y en América Latina una de las guerrillas urbanas más influyentes y eficaces, y cómo finalmente fue silenciada. El autor analiza con todo detalle por qué, pese a contar con un apoyo popular considerable, los Montoneros tuvieron que recurrir a una estrategia cada vez más militarizada, que fatalmente acabó por aislarlos de la sociedad argentina. Es es, sin duda, el estudio más sólido que hasta la fecha se ha publicado sobre la guerrilla argentina. El autor se sirve de entrevistas personales realizadas con montoneros en Buenos Aires, La Habana y Londres, y sus fuentes de información material llegan a incluir documentos internos de la organización. Por lo demás, si bien esta obra examina un movimiento específico, su crítica de la guerra de guerrillas cobra un importancia que va mucho más allá de las fronteras de la Argentina.
SOLO: What running across mountains taught me about life
by Jenny Tough'Jenny Tough writes with the same talent, imagination, and sheer courage that she displays in her athletic endeavours. This book will broaden the horizons of all who venture between its covers.' - Emily Chappell, author of Where There's a Will'I love that SOLO is part-self help and part adventure story. Jenny shows us all that the journey to self-belief comes with just as many ups and downs as the mountains she traverses and that, with a little trust in ourselves (and a few good cups of coffee) the next seemingly insurmountable pass is never beyond our reach.' - Anna McNuff, author of Bedtime Adventure Stories for Grown UpsJenny Tough is an endurance athlete who's best known for running and cycling in some of world's most challenging events - achieving accolades that are an inspiration to outdoor adventurers everywhere. But SOLO tells the story of a much more personal project: Jenny's quest to come to terms with feelings and emotions that were holding her back. Like runners at any level, she knew already that running made her feel better, and like so many of us, she knew that completing goals independently was empowering, too. So she set herself an audacious objective: to run - solo, unsupported, on her own - across mountain ranges on six continents, starting with one of the most remote locations on Earth in Kyrgystan.SOLO chronicles Jenny's journey every step of the way across the Tien Shan (Asia), the High Atlas (Africa), the Bolivian Andes (South America), the Southern Alps (Oceania), the Canadian Rockies (North America) and the Transylvanian Alps (Europe), as she learns lessons in self-esteem, resilience, bravery and so much more. What Jenny's story tells us most of all is that setting out to do things solo - whether the ambitious or the everyday - can be invigorating, encouraging and joyful. And her call to action to find strength, confidence and self-belief in everything we do will inspire and motivate.(P) Octopus Publishing Group 2022
SOLO: What running across mountains taught me about life
by Jenny Tough'Jenny Tough writes with the same talent, imagination, and sheer courage that she displays in her athletic endeavours. This book will broaden the horizons of all who venture between its covers.' - Emily Chappell, author of Where There's a Will'I love that SOLO is part-self help and part adventure story. Jenny shows us all that the journey to self-belief comes with just as many ups and downs as the mountains she traverses and that, with a little trust in ourselves (and a few good cups of coffee) the next seemingly insurmountable pass is never beyond our reach.' - Anna McNuff, author of Bedtime Adventure Stories for Grown UpsJenny Tough is an endurance athlete who's best known for running and cycling in some of world's most challenging events - achieving accolades that are an inspiration to outdoor adventurers everywhere. But SOLO tells the story of a much more personal project: Jenny's quest to come to terms with feelings and emotions that were holding her back. Like runners at any level, she knew already that running made her feel better, and like so many of us, she knew that completing goals independently was empowering, too. So she set herself an audacious objective: to run - solo, unsupported, on her own - across mountain ranges on six continents, starting with one of the most remote locations on Earth in Kyrgystan. SOLO chronicles Jenny's journey every step of the way across the Tien Shan (Asia), the High Atlas (Africa), the Bolivian Andes (South America), the Southern Alps (Oceania), the Canadian Rockies (North America) and the Transylvanian Alps (Europe), as she learns lessons in self-esteem, resilience, bravery and so much more. What Jenny's story tells us most of all is that setting out to do things solo - whether the ambitious or the everyday - can be invigorating, encouraging and joyful. And her call to action to find strength, confidence and self-belief in everything we do will inspire and motivate.
SOLO: What running across mountains taught me about life
by Jenny Tough'Jenny Tough writes with the same talent, imagination, and sheer courage that she displays in her athletic endeavours. This book will broaden the horizons of all who venture between its covers.' - Emily Chappell, author of Where There's a Will'I love that SOLO is part-self help and part adventure story. Jenny shows us all that the journey to self-belief comes with just as many ups and downs as the mountains she traverses and that, with a little trust in ourselves (and a few good cups of coffee) the next seemingly insurmountable pass is never beyond our reach.' - Anna McNuff, author of Bedtime Adventure Stories for Grown UpsJenny Tough is an endurance athlete who's best known for running and cycling in some of world's most challenging events - achieving accolades that are an inspiration to outdoor adventurers everywhere. But SOLO tells the story of a much more personal project: Jenny's quest to come to terms with feelings and emotions that were holding her back. Like runners at any level, she knew already that running made her feel better, and like so many of us, she knew that completing goals independently was empowering, too. So she set herself an audacious objective: to run - solo, unsupported, on her own - across mountain ranges on six continents, starting with one of the most remote locations on Earth in Kyrgystan. SOLO chronicles Jenny's journey every step of the way across the Tien Shan (Asia), the High Atlas (Africa), the Bolivian Andes (South America), the Southern Alps (Oceania), the Canadian Rockies (North America) and the Transylvanian Alps (Europe), as she learns lessons in self-esteem, resilience, bravery and so much more. What Jenny's story tells us most of all is that setting out to do things solo - whether the ambitious or the everyday - can be invigorating, encouraging and joyful. And her call to action to find strength, confidence and self-belief in everything we do will inspire and motivate.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED Arnold Palmer Tribute: The King, 1929-2016
by The Editors of Sports IllustratedIn a singular career that spanned six decades, Arnold Palmer-The King-defined himself not only by his brilliance on the golf course but also by a demeanor full of both charm and swagger. A trailblazer for the game, Palmer popularized golf for the masses and with his stunning comeback victories and became the first superstar of the golf's television age.Now, in a beautiful, unique tribute edition, Sports Illustrated honors the golf great with 80 pages of gorgeous photographs and unmatched reporting that celebrates Palmer and the indelible impact he left on the game. Highlights include the story of his four-decade relationship with Jack Nicklaus and their fierce-yet-friendly rivalry, the story of Palmer's stirring 1960 U.S. Open and his incomparable majesty in the Masters, which cemented his popularity both in the United States and abroad. Plus: an intimate batch of rarely seen images of Palmer at home, as well as a look at Arnold Palmer: The Brand which explores his enormous off-the-links businesses, including, of course, his signature drink.This one of a kind keepsake edition, Arnold Palmer: The King, honors a great American life, a life well-lived on and off of the course.
SRA Imagine It! Edward Lear: The Gift of Nonsense
by Sra Mcgraw-HillImagine It! is a comprehensive Reading and Language Arts program that will teach your children to read, write, and think independently!
STEWdio: The Naphic Grovel ARTrilogy of Chuck D
by Chuck DChuck D (Public Enemy, Prophets of Rage, etc.) brings his personal insights and social critiques to the page in fierce, passionate, and evocative visual art and prose"The Public Enemy mastermind combines art and hip-hop rhymes to provide his compelling, personal views on the chaotic years between 2020 and 2022. Though they often feel like diary entries, each installment has an overarching storyline and theme . . . In an engaging, distinctly hip-hop style, Chuck D reveal important lessons from the early pandemic years." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred ReviewLegendary hip-hop artist and social activist Chuck D has used every opportunity in his groundbreaking career to stand up for civil rights. His rap group Public Enemy is widely regarded as a revolutionary act both in terms of its impact on hip-hop and its use of music to impart a message of race and class equality. The band emerged from the late 1970s/early '80s coalescence of rap, punk, and street art into hip-hop music culture on the East Coast. At the time, Chuck D had completed his BFA in graphic design, and while his music career exploded, his passion for visual art never left his heart.In February 2020, he turned his gaze once again to the page, and began to fill three 5 x 8 journals with his written and drawn reflections of a world beginning to unravel. STEWdio: The Naphic Grovel ARTrilogy of Chuck D recreates format of his original art, combining three full-color paperback bound books into a beautiful box set. The box set is the inaugural offering from Enemy Books, the new Akashic Books imprinted curated by Chuck D.Spanning the onset of COVID-19 through the first year of the Joe "Bye-Don" administration, Chuck D lends his powerful artistic voice to one of the most tumultuous periods in American history, and puts it in a capsule. Like the neo-expressionist graffiti art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Chuck D's energetic "Naphic Grovels" marry text with drawings, commenting on contemporary events with the same activist instinct that propelled Public Enemy's "music-with-a-message" reputation. His inventive, Amiri Baraka–esque language and accompanying art is also occasionally used as a tool for introspection, providing unparalleled insight into one of the most important cultural figures of our time.Each journal follows a distinct period in Chuck D's (and America's) life; There's a Poison Goin On chronicles the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, from February–April 2020; 45 Daze of REaD Octobot follow the days leading up to and the aftermath of the historic 2020 election; and Datamber Mindpaper, which focuses on the early days of the Biden administration.No song may be more reflective of 1980s America than Public Enemy's "Fight the Power;" no document may come to capture our COVID era like Chuck D's STEWdio.
STRANGER AT THE GATE: To Be Gay and Christian in America
by Mel White&“Compelling…eloquent and compassionate…We learn as much about growing up in the Christian right as we do about gay life in Mel White&’s heartfelt and revealing memoir.&” —San Francisco ExaminerUntil Christmas Eve 1991, Mel White was regarded by the leaders of the religious right as one of their most talented and productive supporters. He penned the speeches of Oliver North. He was a ghostwriter for Jerry Falwell, worked with Jim Bakker, flew in Pat Robertson&’s private jet, walked sandy beaches with Billy Graham. What these men didn&’t know was that Mel White—evangelical minister, committed Christian, family man—was gay. &“An engrossing journey to unite sexuality with faith&” (Dallas Morning News), Stranger at the Gate details Mel White&’s twenty-five years of being counseled, exorcised, electric-shocked, prayed for, and nearly driven to suicide because his church said homosexuality was wrong. But his salvation—to be openly gay and Christian—is more than a unique coming-out story. It is a chilling exposé that goes right into the secret meetings and hidden agendas of the religious right. Told by an eyewitness and sure to anger those Mel White once knew best, Stranger at the Gate is a warning about where the politics of hate may lead America…an important book by a brave man whose words can make us both richer in spirit and much wiser too.
SUBVERSIVE GENEALOGY
by Michael Paul RoginIn this major reconsideration of Herman Melville's life and work, Michael Paul Rogin shows that Melville's novels are connected both to the important issues of his time and to the exploits of his patrician and politically prominent family--which, three generations after its Revolutionary War heroes, produced an alcoholic, a bankrupt, and a suicide. Rogin argues that a history of Melville's fiction, and of the society represented in it, is also a history of the writer's family. He describes how that family first engaged Melville in and then isolated him from American political and social life. Melville's brother and father-in-law are shown to link Moby-Dick to the crisis over expansion and slavery. White-Jacket and Billy Budd, which concern shipboard conflicts between masters and seamen, are related to an execution at sea in which Melville's cousin played a decisive part. The figure of Melville's father haunts The Confidence Man, whose subject is the triumph of the marketplace and the absence of authority. A provocative study of one of our supreme literary artists.