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The Autobiography: The Kindness of Strangers
by Kate AdieKate Adie's story is an unusual one. Raised in post-war Sunderland, where life was 'a sunny experience, full of meat-paste sandwiches and Sunday school', she has reported memorably and courageously from many of the world's trouble spots since she joined the BBC in 1969. THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS encompasses Adie's reporting from, inter alia, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Tiananmen Square and, of course, the Gulf War of 1991. It offers a compelling combination of vivid frontline reporting and evocative writing and reveals the extraordinarily demanding life of the woman who is always at the heart of the action. Although an intensely private person, Kate Adie also divulges what it's like to be a woman in a man's world - an inspiration to many working women.
The Autobiography: The Kindness of Strangers
by Kate AdieKate Adie's story is an unusual one. Raised in post-war Sunderland, where life was 'a sunny experience, full of meat-paste sandwiches and Sunday school', she has reported memorably and courageously from many of the world's trouble spots since she joined the BBC in 1969. THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS encompasses Adie's reporting from, inter alia, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Tiananmen Square and, of course, the Gulf War of 1991. It offers a compelling combination of vivid frontline reporting and evocative writing and reveals the extraordinarily demanding life of the woman who is always at the heart of the action. Although an intensely private person, Kate Adie also divulges what it's like to be a woman in a man's world - an inspiration to many working women.
The Autobiography: The Sunday Times Bestseller
by Sir Alastair CookGet to know England legend Alastair Cook in his fascinating and remarkably honest autobiography'He is England's greatest ever batsman . . . a hugely enjoyable book' Daily Mail_________Watch. The. Ball.It's just you. Standing at the crease. Waiting. The bowler is running. His arm swinging. The ball - 155 grams of cork, string and leather - is hurled at you. At 90 mph it travels 22 yards in under half a second. You can barely see it and you've got to be swinging your bat before it's halfway towards you. Because you are in its path . . . Alastair Cook, one of England's most decorated players and highest test run scorer, knows what it is like to be your best under pressure. Yet at 33 he called time on his England career.Come with him as he relives the fraught hours on the pitch, the desperate lows and astonishing highs, the paralysing anxiety that can send the best back home and the extraordinary battle of wills with yourself, the opposing players and even those supposedly on your own side.This is cricket as you've never seen it. The view from the inside . . ._________'Fascinating, timely. Delves into the psychological challenges of the game' Guardian'Bracingly honest' Times
The Autobiography: Together With Her Letters And Those Of Kings James Ii. And William Iii. To The Electress, Sophia Of Hanover, Ed. By Dr. R. Doebner
by Mary KingA no-holds-barred story of what it takes to reach the top, and stay there, in the world's most dangerous sport - three day eventing.At the age of forty-seven Mary King won a Team Bronze at the Beijing Olympics. In the two 'Cavaliers' - 'Call Again Cavalier' and 'Imperial Cavalier' - she has two of the very best event horses in the world. Mary King's success in the world of eventing (now officially classed as the most dangerous sport in the world) has been hard won. She does not come from a privileged background - her father a verger and a long-term invalid so money was very tight. Her first pony was the ancient 'cast off' from the local vicar's children - and success with this pony gave her an iron will to succeed. And succeeded she has. To support herself in the early days she had a variety of unglamorous jobs (this included butcher delivery rounds and cleaning out toilets in the local campsite). Her talent was apparent from very early on and she first competed at Badminton in 1985, had her first win there on King William in 1992 and her second on Star Appeal in 2000. Just when everything seemed to be going well she suffered a terrible fall in 2001 and broke her neck but she was back competing at the very top level the following year.Fully updated for the paperback with the 2010 season, including Team GB's gold medal-winning performance at the World Equestrian Games, this is a fascinating account from inside the world's most dangerous sport.
The Autumn Balloon
by Kenny Porpora<P>Every autumn, Kenny Porpora would watch his heartbroken mother scribble messages on balloons and release them into the sky above Long Island, one for each family member they'd lost to addiction. <P> As the number of balloons grew, his mother fell deeper into alcoholism, drinking away her sorrows every night in front of the television, where her love of Regis Philbin provided a respite from the sadness around her. <P> When their house was foreclosed upon, Kenny's mother absconded with him and his beloved dog and fled for the Arizona desert, joining her heroin-addicted brother on a quixotic search for a better life. <P>What followed was an outlaw adolescence spent in constant upheaval surrounded by bizarre characters and drug-addicted souls. <P>In the wake of unspeakable loss, Kenny convinced a college to take a chance on him, and turned to the mentors, writers, and poets he found to rebuild the family he lost, and eventually graduated from the Ivy League with a new life. <P>Porpora's memoir is the story of a deeply dysfunctional but loving family, and follows his life from the chaos of his youth to his triumphs in the Ivy League. <P>At times darkly comic, at times elegiac, The Autumn Balloon is a beautifully written testament to the irreplaceable bonds of family, even under the most trying circumstances, and one that marks the debut of an exciting new writer. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Autumn Throne: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine (Eleanor of Aquitaine #3)
by Elizabeth ChadwickThe Son She Loved. The Betrayal She Faced. The Legend She Became. The stunning conclusion to the Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy by New York Times bestselling author, Elizabeth Chadwick.Imprisoned by her husband. Separated from her children. If King Henry II thought these things would push his queen into submission, he was wrong. Emboldened by her experiences as the young Queen of France and determined Queen of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine refuses to give into his tyranny.Freed by his death, she becomes dowager Queen of England. But the competition for land and power that Henry bred among his sons has grown into a dangerous rivalry that Queen Eleanor must contain. Her indomitable spirit will be tested to its limits as she attempts to keep the peace between her warring sons, fend off enemies, and negotiate a magnificent future.Long before Queen Elizabeth, Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful women in the medieval world. Elizabeth Chadwick brings her to vivid life in the conclusion to this powerful trilogy of historical fiction.The Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy: The Summer Queen (Book 1) The Winter Crown (Book 2) The Autumn Throne (Book 3)
The Available Man: The Life behind the Masks of Warren Gamaliel Harding
by Andrew SinclairThis is a full-length biography of President Warren G. Harding, who served from 1921 to 1923. While the author presents an unvarnished account of Harding's flaws and weaknesses, he also presents a sympathetic side and shows him as a weak man caught up by circumstances that swept beyond his control.
The Avant-garde And The Popular In Modern China: Tian Han And The Intersection Of Performance And Politics
by Liang LuoThe Avant-Garde and the Popular in Modern China explores how an important group of Chinese performing artists invested in politics and the pursuit of the avant-garde came to terms with different ways of being "popular" in modern times. In particular, playwright and activist Tian Han (1898-1968) exemplified the instability of conventional delineations between the avant-garde, popular culture, and political propaganda. Liang Luo traces Tian's trajectory through key moments in the evolution of twentieth-century Chinese national culture, from the Christian socialist cosmopolitanism of post-WWI Tokyo to the urban modernism of Shanghai in 1920s and 30s, then into the Chinese hinterland during the late 1930s and 40s, and finally to the Communist Beijing of the 1950s, revealing the dynamic interplay of art and politics throughout this period. Understanding Tian in his time sheds light upon a new generation of contemporary Chinese avant-gardists (Ai Wei Wei being the best known), who, half a century later, are similarly engaging national politics and popular culture.
The Avenue: A Newcastle Backstreet Boyhood
by Samuel W HerbertThe Avenue stretched from Elswick Road to Scotswood Road, and almost every house in it was tenemented. There were four courtyards and a conglomeration of passages. Situated at one end of each of these courtyards was a row of toilets, and we watched as queues formed outside each of them. We were soon to become accustomed to this distressing necessity. It would be almost impossible to describe every aspect of this dirty lane, but this much can be said - even in those days of housing shortages and woeful sanitary facilities, the conditions that prevailed in The Avenue were almost beyond belief.' This is a hard-hitting account of growing up in Newcastle's West End during the uncertain years of the First World War and the Depression. Samuel Herbert had to grow up fast when his mother moved the family to a cockroach-infested tenement in Elswick while his Dad - a miner - was away fighting on the front line. Along with the shared 'netties' and the terrible living conditions, Samuel learned how to deal with the bullies and the gangs until he grew as tough as they were. His fight to get out of this poverty-stricken existence was always hindered by something and he continuously ended up back in that same sorrowful place called The Avenue. Along with the tragedy, however, came lots of laughs, and Samuel's unique account demonstrates the humour, courage and indomitable spirit of the local population. Prepare to be amused and entertained, surpirsed and moved by these stories, which vividly capture the heart and heritage of this former mining community.
The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon
by Laurie Gwen ShapiroCBS Sunday Morning Summer Book Report Pick • New York Times &“Books to Read in July&” • A Town and Country Best Book of July • An Amazon Best Book of July • A Barnes & Noble Best Book of July • A BookBub Beach Read Pick&“Laurie Gwen Shapiro has dug deep into the archives, and emerged with an exhilarating tale of the adventurous life of Amelia Earhart and the remarkable relationship that helped to forge her legend. Yet Shapiro goes even further—stripping away the myths and revealing something far more profound and intricate and true. The Aviator and the Showman is one terrific book.&”—David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of The Wager and Killers of the Flower MoonThe riveting and cinematic story of a partnership that would change the world foreverIn 1928, a young social worker and hobby pilot named Amelia Earhart arrived in the office of George Putnam, heir to the Putnam & Sons throne and hitmaker, on the hunt for the right woman for a secret flying mission across the Atlantic. A partnership—professional and soon otherwise—was born.The Aviator and the Showman unveils the untold story of Amelia's decade-long marriage to George Putnam, offering an intimate exploration of their relationship and the pivotal role it played in her enduring legacy. Despite her outwardly modest and humble image, Amelia was fiercely driven and impossibly brave, a lifelong feminist and trailblazer in her personal and professional life. Putnam, the so-called &“PT Barnum of publishing&” was a bookselling visionary—but often pushed his authors to extreme lengths in the name of publicity, and no one bore that weight more than Amelia. Their ahead-of-its time partnership supported her grand ambitions—but also pressed her into more and more treacherous stunts to promote her books, influencing a certain recklessness up to and including her final flight. Earhart is a captivating figure to many, but the truth about her life is often overshadowed by myth and legend. In this cinematic new account, Laurie Gwen Shapiro emphasizes Earhart&’s multifaceted human side, her struggles, and her authentic aspirations, the truths behind her brave pursuits and the compromises she made to fit into societal expectations. Drawing from a trove of new sources including undiscovered audio interviews, The Aviator and the Showman is a gripping and passionate tale of adventure, colorful characters, hubris, and a complex and a vivid portrait of a marriage that shaped the trajectory of an iconic life.
The Avocado Drive Zoo: At Home with My Family and the Creatures We've Loved
by Earl HamnerThe Avocado Drive Zoo is a warm and personal, yet humorous, recounting of how Earl Hamner, his wife, Jane, and their two children have lived with and loved the animals in their lives. From the beginning, Hamner and his wife shared an uncommon love and respect for animals, and as their family grew, so did the number of their pets. By the time they moved to Hollywood and settled into a lovely residence on Avocado Drive, their home was much like a "zoo." Among the colorful cast of animals who have lived with the Harmers have been Jane's possessive cocker spaniel pup, Clementine, who bit Earl as he proposed marriage; twelve box turtles from Virginia; bantam hens and roosters and a baby chick named 'Mackie; and Talmadge the mouse whose gluttony ended an unusual relationship with the family. And then there was Gus the horny dog whose amorous inclinations brought on his early demise; Willie the family rat; Yarrow the white labrador; a family of coyotes; Surprise the cat who nearly decimated their family of pet rats; Raymond the rabbit and George the guinea pig who were soul and crate mates; the alligator who lived in their bathtub; and a host of other unnamed pets and critters. The Avocado Drive Zoo is filled with the warmth, love, and respect the Hammers have for the animals they have known. By the last page of this wonderful, charming book it is obvious that not only have animals enriched the Hammers' lives, but they are a resource for all families, providing parents and children with opportunities to grow in love, understanding, and respect for one another--and for the creatures who share our world.
The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life
by Lisa MillerA groundbreaking exploration of the neuroscience of spirituality and a bold new paradigm for health, healing, and resilience—from a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning researcher &“A new revolution of health and well-being and a testament to, and celebration of, the power within.&”—Deepak Chopra, MDWhether it&’s meditation or a walk in nature, reading a sacred text or saying a prayer, there are many ways to tap into a heightened awareness of the world around you and your place in it. In The Awakened Brain, psychologist Dr. Lisa Miller shows you how. Weaving her own deeply personal journey of awakening with her groundbreaking research, Dr. Miller&’s book reveals that humans are universally equipped with a capacity for spirituality, and that our brains become more resilient and robust as a result of it. For leaders in business and government, truth-seekers, parents, healers, educators, and any person confronting life&’s biggest questions, The Awakened Brain combines cutting-edge science (from MRI studies to genetic research, epidemiology, and more) with on-the-ground application for people of all ages and from all walks of life, illuminating the surprising science of spirituality and how to engage it in our lives: • The awakened decision is the better decision. With an awakened perception, we are more creative, collaborative, ethical, and innovative. • The awakened brain is the healthier brain. An engaged spiritual life enhances grit, optimism, and resilience while providing insulation against addiction, trauma, and depression. • The awakened life is the inspired life. Loss, uncertainty, and even trauma are the gateways by which we are invited to move beyond merely coping with hardship to transcend into a life of renewal, healing, joy, and fulfillment. Absorbing, uplifting, and ultimately enlightening, The Awakened Brain is a conversation-starting saga of scientific discovery packed with counterintuitive findings and practical advice on concrete ways to access your innate spirituality and build a life of meaning and contribution.
The Awakened Family: How to Raise Empowered, Resilient, and Conscious Children.
by Dr Shefali TsabaryDr Shefali teaches us how to control our expectations, embrace the present moment, and let go of the anxiety surrounding how best to parent our children.Become the awakened parent you've always wanted to be and watch your children thrive.All parents have aspirations for their children but for some these hopes turn into unrealistic expectations. In many cases, this puts huge amounts of pressure on children and has the potential to cause real harm, hindering your child's development. Challenging modern myths on how kids should be, Dr Shefali helps parents recognise children for who they truly are instead of holding onto society's impossible ideals.Drawing on Eastern philosophy as well as Western psychology, Dr Shefali offers enlightened, practical advice and explains her radically transformative plan which guarantees that you have confident children and a calm and emotionally connected family.(P)2017 Penguin Random House Audio
The Awakener
by Helen Weaver". . . [Weaver] paints a romantic picture of Greenwich Village in the 1950s and '60s, when she worked in publishing and hung out with Allen Ginsberg and the poet Richard Howard and was wild and loose, getting high and falling into bed almost immediately with her crushes, including Lenny Bruce. . . . Her descriptions of the Village are evocative, recalling a time when she wore long skirts, Capezio ballet shoes and black stockings,' and used to sit in the Bagatelle and have sweet vermouth on the rocks with a twist of lemon.' Early on, she quotes Pasternak: You in others: this is your soul.' Kerouac's soul lives on through many people -- Joyce Johnson, for one -- but few have been as adept as Weaver at capturing both him and the New York bohemia of the time. He was lucky to have met her." --Tara McKelvey, The New York Times Book Review"There is a tendency for memoirs written by women about The Great Man to be self-abnegating exercises in a kind of inverted narcissism-the author seeking to prove her worth as muse, as consort, as chosen one. Not so with Helen Weaver's beautiful, plainspoken elegy for her time spent with Jack Kerouac, who suddenly appeared at her door in the West Village one white, frosty morning with Allen Ginsberg, who knew Weaver's roommate, in tow."-New York Post"Helen Weaver's book was a revelation to me! . . . This is the most graphic, honest, shameless, and moving documentary of what the newly liberated women in cities got up to-how they lived, loved, and created. Who knew? It is time they did! And here's how."-Carolyn Cassady"The book recounts her affair with Kerouac in 1956 during the period when he signed his literary contract for On the Road, but
The Awakening Heart: My Continuing Journey to Love
by Betty J. EadieAddressing daily concerns, Betty J. Eadie gives readers the keys to an elemental, healing life force. She examines the course of her life source, and reveals the profound power that unites us all.
The Awakening of HK Derryberry: My Unlikely Friendship with the Boy Who Remembers Everything
by Andy Hardin Jim BradfordThe Awakening of HK Derryberry is the inspiring story of how one man was willing to step out of his upper middle-class world into the life of a young, disabled boy with a dismal future. Little did Jim Bradford know the transformational potential of that friendship--for HK and himself. HK Derryberry came into the world with the odds stacked heavily against him. He was taken from his unmarried mother's womb three months prematurely when she was killed in a car wreck. After ninety-six days of seesawing between life and death, HK's grandmother took him home. One Saturday morning Jim Bradford, a successful businessman in his mid-fifties, happens into Mrs. Winner's Chicken and Biscuits and sees a nine-year-old's head pressed down against a black plastic boom box with a crooked antenna and three strips of silver duct tape stretched across the battery cover. He can't help but notice the long, white plastic braces on each of the child's legs. Mr. Bradford learns that HK's grandmother is forced to bring him to the fast-food restaurant where she works, leaving him to sit alone all day at a small table, with only his boom box for company. On subsequent Saturdays Jim feels drawn back to the restaurant to meet with HK and begins spending every weekend with him. Eventually it becomes apparent that buried beneath HK's severe disabilities is one spectacular ability. He is diagnosed with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM), which involves superlative powers of recollection that enable him to remember everything that has happened to him since the age of three. Less than one hundred people have been diagnosed with HSAM, but none of them have the physical disabilities of HK Derryberry.
The Awakening of Latin America
by Ernesto Che Guevara María del Ariet GarcíaThe name Che Guevara is synonymous with Latin America. This classic anthology on Latin America shows the Argentine-born revolutionary's cultural depth, rigorous intellect and intense emotional engagement with a continent and its people.Selected from his family's personal archives, this book offers the best of Che's writing: examples of his journalism, essays, speeches, letters and even his poetry, revealing the evolution of an extraordinary mind from that of an impressionable young medical student to the "heroic guerrilla," brutally assassinated in Bolivia. This anthology of Che Guevara's writing on Latin America is destined to become an instant classic comparable to Eduardo Galeano's Open Veins of Latin America."I consider my country to be not only Argentina but the entire Americas."-Ernesto Che Guevara
The Awesome Game: One Man's Incredible, Globe-Crushing Hockey Odyssey
by Dave HillOne man's search to answer the ultimate question in sports: Why is hockey so incredibly awesome?Dave Hill--author, actor, rock musician and stand-up comedian--is a truly outstanding American. For one thing, he's part Canadian (an advantage he explored in his previous book Parking the Moose). For another, and maybe this has something to do with his Canadian heritage, he's a totally obsessive fan of hockey. That makes him a minority within a minority: apparently only five percent of the US population admit to liking hockey more than any other sport.In his latest opus, Dave--who's from Cleveland, which hasn't had an NHL team since 1978--tackles this hockey conundrum with full force, drilling down into what makes hockey so damn important in so many parts of the world, despite the average American not recognizing the sport's preeminent greatness. His search for the very soul of hockey has taken him across the globe, from Poland to LA to Kenya, and brought him into contact with many of the sport's great and good. Humorous but heartfelt, Bill Bryson-like but hipper, this is arguably the greatest book ever written about hockey and definitely the one to be asking for at Christmas.
The Awesome Guide to Life: Get Fit, Get Laid, Get Your Sh*t Together
by Jason Ellis Mike TullyIn the same inimitable, uncensored, and hilarious style that has made him one of the most popular voices on satellite radio, Jason Ellis unleashes his no-holds-barred words of advice on diet and exercise, cultivating your signature look, partying, getting laid, maintaining a relationship—and more!Maybe—like Jason Ellis—you want to have sex with multiple partners and then talk about it on the radio while wearing cheetah pants . . .Or maybe you have some goals of your own. Whatever the case may be, Jason believes it's all about getting off your ass and maximizing the opportunities that life has to offer. It's about remembering that you are alive, right now, and that won't always be the case. So do something. Anything. Enjoy the ride. Go outside and get naked.Jason can tell you how to handle every situation life throws at you and play it like a champ: how to look, how to act, how to pick up a stripper—you name it.But that's just for starters. Jason believes that to get what you really want out of life, you have to have confidence. And true confidence is something you have to earn, by deciding what you want from life and then pursuing your passion until you make your dreams a reality.This book will show you how to develop the positive attitude that will allow you to truly make things happen.
The Awesome Minds: The Creators of the iPhone® (Awesome Minds)
by Marne Ventura Drew FeynmanThe iPod, iPhone, and iPad changed the way we communicate, play, learn, and work. This wouldn't have been possible without the amazing minds of Steve Jobs and his inventive team. With full-color illustrations and lively text, and chock-full of interesting facts, Awesome Minds: The Creators of the iPhone® tells the true story of these life-changing devices. It is the perfect read for those with creative spirits and curious minds. Lexile Level 850L This book is an independently authored and published biography of the inventors of the iPhone® mobile device and is not sponsored or endorsed by or affiliated in any way with these individuals, their families, and/or Apple Inc.
The Awful Truth: My adventures with Australia's most notorious tabloid
by Adrian TameBefore Fake News, there was the real Fake News. There was Truth. Hailed as &‘a fearless exposer of folly, vice and crime&’ when it first hit the streets in the 1890s, Truth was later condemned by a High Court Judge as &‘a wretched little paper, reeking of filth, injurious to the health of house servants and young girls&’. Much later it earned the nickname &‘The Old Whore of La Trobe Street&’. Truth was called many things but it was never boring. Adrian Tame knows that better than anyone as he worked for Truth for more than a decade as a reporter and news editor. In the years it was owned by the Murdoch family he worked alongside young Rupert as he cut his teeth on the shock horror scandals that graced the pages of Truth when it was selling a whopping 400,000 copies a week. Funny, often outrageous and always thoroughly entertaining, The Awful Truth is a rollercoaster ride through an colourful era of newspapers and larger-than-life reporters that we will never see the like of again.
The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian
by W. Kamau BellYou may know W. Kamau Bell from his new, Emmy-nominated hit show on CNN, United Shades of America. Or maybe you’ve read about him in the New York Times, which called him “the most promising new talent in political comedy in many years.” Or maybe from The New Yorker, fawning over his brand of humor writing: "Bell’s gimmick is intersectional progressivism: he treats racial, gay, and women’s issues as inseparable."After all this love and praise, it’s time for the next step: a book. The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell is a humorous, well-informed take on the world today, tackling a wide range of issues, such as race relations; fatherhood; the state of law enforcement today; comedians and superheroes; right-wing politics; left-wing politics; failure; his interracial marriage; white men; his up-bringing by very strong-willed, race-conscious, yet ideologically opposite parents; his early days struggling to find his comedic voice, then his later days struggling to find his comedic voice; why he never seemed to fit in with the Black comedy scene . . . or the white comedy scene; how he was a Black nerd way before that became a thing; how it took his wife and an East Bay lesbian to teach him that racism and sexism often walk hand in hand; and much, much more.
The Aye-Aye and I: A Rescue Journey To Save One Of The World's Most Intriguing Creatures From Extinction
by Gerald Durrell"First-rate entertainment": The author of the Corfu Trilogy recounts his expedition to Madagascar and search for the elusive, endangered aye-aye (Publishers Weekly). In 1990, Gerald Durrell; his wife, Lee; and a television crew embarked on a rescue mission to one of the most interesting places in the world: the island of Madagascar. It was there that they hoped to record and capture the endangered aye-aye, the world's largest nocturnal primate. Recognizable by its big eyes and long fingers, the strange, rare aye-aye was an animal of incredible fascination for Durrell, one he felt compelled to conserve as its habitat was taken away by deforestation. In this passionate memoir, Durrell's funny, vibrant voice shines as he describes the magical landscape of Madagascar, the exotic animals that inhabit it, and the challenges of his expedition to preserve an important part of our ever-changing world. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author's estate.
The B Side
by Ben YagodaFrom an acclaimed cultural critic, a narrative and social history of the Great American Songwriting era. Everybody knows and loves the American Songbook. But it's a bit less widely understood that in about 1950, this stream of great songs more or less dried up. All of a sudden, what came over the radio wasn't Gershwin, Porter, and Berlin, but "Come on-a My House" and "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?" Elvis and rock and roll arrived a few years later, and at that point the game was truly up. What happened, and why? In The B Side, acclaimed cultural historian Ben Yagoda answers those questions in a fascinating piece of detective work. Drawing on previously untapped archival sources and on scores of interviews--the voices include Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb, Linda Ronstadt, and Herb Alpert--the book illuminates broad musical trends through a series of intertwined stories. Among them are the battle between ASCAP and Broadcast Music, Inc.; the revolution in jazz after World War II; the impact of radio and then television; and the bitter, decades-long feud between Mitch Miller and Frank Sinatra. The B Side is about taste, and the particular economics and culture of songwriting, and the potential of popular art for greatness and beauty. It's destined to become a classic of American musical history.
The BTK Murders: Inside the "Bind, Torture, Kill" Case That Terrified America's Heartland
by Carlton SmithA detailed account of the serial killer who terrorized Wichita, Kansas, for more than thirty years from the New York Times–bestselling author.From 1974 to 1991, someone in the midwestern city of Wichita was leaving behind slain tortured bodies and anonymously proclaiming himself to police and reporters as “BTK” for “Bind, Torture, Kill.” Then, for the next fourteen years, BTK was silent. But when he began sending letters again, investigators would not miss their chance . . .Stunningly, police arrested Dennis Rader, the president of his church board and the father of two. As a shocked community watched, evidence began to pile up. Then Rader coldly described how he went about “his projects” as the families of his victims relived the horrific scenes this supposed pillar of the community had unleashed on their loved ones.From the tricks he used to enter his victims’ homes to the puzzles he sent the media and the key role his own daughter may have played in his arrest, The BTK Murders is the definitive story of the BTK killer. He was, as one victim’s family member called him, “a black hole inside the shell of a human being”—and the worst American serial killer since Ted Bundy.