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The Breakaway
by Nicole CookeA retirement statement from a sports star rarely causes a flicker, but Nicole Cooke went out as she rode her bike: giving it her all. The contrast could not have been greater - as Lance Armstrong, a fraudster backed by many corporate sponsors and feted by presidents, was about to deliver a stage-managed confession to Oprah, so a young woman from a small village in Wales took aim. She too had been a cyclist, the only rider ever to have become World and Olympic champion in the same year, and the first British cyclist to have been ranked World No.1, but as a woman in a man's sport, her exploits gained little recognition and brought no riches. She too had ridden through this dark period for the sport when drug-taking was everywhere. Nicole Cooke spoke up for those who had taken a very different path to Lance and his team-mates. In her frank and outspoken autobiography, Cooke reveals the real story behind British cycling's rise to global dominance. With a child's dreams of success, she left home at 18 to pursue her goals in Italy. Broken contracts, unpaid wages, a horrendous injury and drugs cheats were just some of the challenges she faced, even before she lined up to take on her opponents. The Breakaway is a book that will not only inspire all those who read it, but which also asks some serious questions about the way society regards women's sport.
The Breakaway
by Nicole CookeA retirement statement from a sports star rarely causes a flicker, but Nicole Cooke went out as she rode her bike: giving it her all. The contrast could not have been greater - as Lance Armstrong, a fraudster backed by many corporate sponsors and feted by presidents, was about to deliver a stage-managed confession to Oprah, so a young woman from a small village in Wales took aim. She too had been a cyclist, the only rider ever to have become World and Olympic champion in the same year, and the first British cyclist to have been ranked World No.1, but as a woman in a man's sport, her exploits gained little recognition and brought no riches. She too had ridden through this dark period for the sport when drug-taking was everywhere. Nicole Cooke spoke up for those who had taken a very different path to Lance and his team-mates. In her frank and outspoken autobiography, Cooke reveals the real story behind British cycling's rise to global dominance. With a child's dreams of success, she left home at 18 to pursue her goals in Italy. Broken contracts, unpaid wages, a horrendous injury and drugs cheats were just some of the challenges she faced, even before she lined up to take on her opponents. The Breakawayis a book that will not only inspire all those who read it, but which also asks some serious questions about the way society regards women's sport.
The Breakaway
by Nicole CookeA retirement statement from a sports star rarely causes a flicker, but Nicole Cooke went out as she rode her bike: giving it her all. The contrast could not have been greater - as Lance Armstrong, a fraudster backed by many corporate sponsors and feted by presidents, was about to deliver a stage-managed confession to Oprah, so a young woman from a small village in Wales took aim. She too had been a cyclist, the only rider ever to have become World and Olympic champion in the same year, and the first British cyclist to have been ranked World No.1, but as a woman in a man's sport, her exploits gained little recognition and brought no riches. She too had ridden through this dark period for the sport when drug-taking was everywhere. Nicole Cooke spoke up for those who had taken a very different path to Lance and his team-mates. In her frank and outspoken autobiography, Cooke reveals the real story behind British cycling's rise to global dominance. With a child's dreams of success, she left home at 18 to pursue her goals in Italy. Broken contracts, unpaid wages, a horrendous injury and drugs cheats were just some of the challenges she faced, even before she lined up to take on her opponents. The Breakawayis a book that will not only inspire all those who read it, but which also asks some serious questions about the way society regards women's sport.
The Bremer Detail: Protecting the Most Threatened Man in the World
by John M. Del Vecchio Frank GallagherBaghdad, 2003: An elite group of private security contractors is charged with protecting the American who rules Iraq In May 2003 President George W. Bush appointed Paul Bremer as presidential envoy to Iraq. Bremer banned the Ba'ath party and dismantled the Iraqi army, which made him the prime target for dozens of insurgent and terrorist groups. Assigned to protect him during his grueling sixteen-hour days were Blackwater security expert Frank Gallagher and a team of former Marines, SEALs, and other defense professionals. When they arrived, Baghdad was set to explode. As the insurgency gathered strength Bremer and the men who guarded him faced death daily. They were not in the military, but Gallagher and his team were on the front lines of the Iraq War. This fascinating memoir takes the reader deep behind the scenes of a highly dangerous profession.This ebook includes ten pages of action photos from the author's time in Baghdad.
The Bridal Chair: A Novel
by Gloria Goldreich"In prose as painterly and evocative as Chagall's own dazzling brushstrokes, Gloria Goldreich finely evokes one of the most significant masters of modern art through the discerning eyes of [his] loyally protective daughter."—Cynthia Ozick, award-winning author of Foreign BodiesAn exquisite, haunting exploration of the complex mind of Marc Chagall, and the artist's famous chair, through the eyes of his daughter during World War II—perfect for fans of Mrs. Poe and The Paris WifeBeautiful Ida Chagall, the only daughter of Marc Chagall, is blossoming in the Paris art world beyond her father's controlling gaze. But, her newfound independence is cut short by the chaos of World War II. In Nazi-occupied Paris, her father's status as a Jewish artist has made them all targets, but his devotion to his art blinds him to their danger.When Ida falls in love and Chagall angrily paints an empty wedding chair in response, she faces an impossible choice: Does she fight to escape her father's shadow entirely, or abandon her ambitions to save Chagall from the peril in Paris, his enemies, and himself?Brimming with historic personalities from WWII Europe, America and Israel, The Bridal Chair is a stunning portrait of love, fortitude, and the sharp divide between art and real life."Only Gloria Goldreich could write a novel so grounded in historical truths yet so exuberantly imaginative. The Bridal Chair is Goldreich at her best, with a mesmerizing plot, elegant images, and a remarkable heroine who...will remain with you long after the last page."—Francine Klagsburn, Jewish Week columnist and acclaimed author of Voices of Wisdom"Filled with fascinating details about the art world and colorful real-life characters, this novel may appeal to historical fiction fans who enjoyed Natasha Solomons's The House at Tyneford and Tatiana de Rosnay's Sarah's Key."—Library Journal
The Bride Price
by Mai Neng MouaWhen Mai Neng Moua decides to get married, her mother, a widow, wants the groom to follow Hmong custom and pay a bride price, which both honors the work the bride's family has done in raising a daughter and offers a promise of love and security from the groom's family. Mai Neng, who knows the pain this tradition has caused, says no. Her husband-to-be supports her choice.
The Bridesmaid's Daughter: From Grace Kelly's Wedding to a Women's Shelter—Searching for the Truth About My Mother
by Eve Claxton Nyna GilesA daughter’s moving search to understand her mother, Carolyn Scott—once a bridesmaid to Princess Grace and one of the first Ford models—who later in life spent years living in a homeless shelter.Nyna Giles was picking up groceries at the supermarket one day when she looked down and saw the headline on the cover of a tabloid: “Former Bridesmaid of Princess Grace Lives in Homeless Shelter.” Nyna was stunned, shocked to see her family’s private ordeal made so public—the woman mentioned on that cover, Carolyn Scott Reybold, was her mother. Nyna’s childhood had been spent in doctor’s offices. Too ill, she was told, to go to school like other children, she spent nearly every waking moment at her mother’s side at their isolated Long Island estate or on trips into the city to see the ballet. The doctors couldn’t tell her what was wrong, but as Nyna grew up, her mother, who’d always seemed fragile, became more and more distant. Now Nyna was forced to confront an agonizing realization: she barely knew the woman on the magazine in front of her. She knew that her mother had been a model after arriving in New York in 1947, living at the Barbizon Hotel, where she’d met the young Grace Kelly and that the two had become fast friends. Nyna had seen the photos of Carolyn at Grace’s wedding, wearing the yellow bridesmaid gown that had hung in her closet for years. But how had the seemingly confident, glamorous woman in those pictures become the mother she knew growing up—the mother who was now living in a shelter? In this powerful memoir of friendship and motherhood, Nyna Giles uncovers her mother’s past to answer the questions she never knew to ask.
The Bridge Builder: The Life and Continuing Legacy of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
by Zev ChafetsThe amazing story of Yechiel Eckstein, a Chicago-based orthodox rabbi who founded the world’s largest philanthropic organization of Evangelical Christians in support of Israel.When the Anti-Defamation League sent a young Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein to Chicago to foster interfaith relations in the late 1970’s, he was surprised to see how responsive Christian evangelicals were to the cause of supporting and defending Israel.Eckstein founded The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in 1983 to promote cross-cultural understanding and build broad support for Israel, Soviet Jewry, and other shared concerns. The Fellowship has grown and thrived over the last three decades, raising more than $1.1 billion, and is one of the largest 50 NGOs in America today. American Christians have become one of Israel’s most reliable sources of financial and moral support.Few people realize that Eckstein and The Fellowship have done an unprecedented good deed in bridging an ancient cultural gap. Renowned journalist Zev Chafets explores Eckstein’s role in this important interfaith evolution, showing how an American rabbi made major progress in promoting dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect in the face of harsh and unrelenting opposition.
The Bridge Ladies: A Memoir
by Betsy LernerA fifty-year-old Bridge game provides an unexpected way to cross the generational divide between a daughter and her mother. Betsy Lerner takes us on a powerfully personal literary journey, where we learn a little about Bridge and a lot about life.After a lifetime defining herself in contrast to her mother’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” generation, Lerner finds herself back in her childhood home, not five miles from the mother she spent decades avoiding. When Roz needs help after surgery, it falls to Betsy to take care of her. She expected a week of tense civility; what she got instead were the Bridge Ladies. Impressed by their loyalty, she saw something her generation lacked. Facebook was great, but it wouldn’t deliver a pot roast.Tentatively at first, Betsy becomes a regular at her mother’s Monday Bridge club. Through her friendships with the ladies, she is finally able to face years of misunderstandings and family tragedy, the Bridge table becoming the common ground she and Roz never had.By turns darkly funny and deeply moving, The Bridge Ladies is the unforgettable story of a hard-won—but never-too-late—bond between mother and daughter.
The Bridge at Andau: The Compelling True Story of a Brave, Embattled People
by James A. Michener Steve BerryThe Bridge at Andau is James A. Michener at his most gripping. His classic nonfiction account of a doomed uprising is as searing and unforgettable as any of his bestselling novels. For five brief, glorious days in the autumn of 1956, the Hungarian revolution gave its people a glimpse at a different kind of future--until, at four o'clock in the morning on a Sunday in November, the citizens of Budapest awoke to the shattering sound of Russian tanks ravaging their streets. The revolution was over. But freedom beckoned in the form of a small footbridge at Andau, on the Austrian border. By an accident of history it became, for a few harrowing weeks, one of the most important crossings in the world, as the soul of a nation fled across its unsteady planks. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Poland. Praise for The Bridge at Andau "Precise, vivid . . . immeasurably stirring."--The Atlantic Monthly "Dramatic, chilling, enraging."--San Francisco Chronicle "Superb."--Kirkus Reviews "Highly recommended reading."--Library Journal
The Bridge at Remagen: A Story of World War II (Presidio War Classic Ser.)
by Ken HechlerIt was a stunning strategic victory of World War II–and one of the most fantastic breaks for the Allies. On March 7, 1945, a small group of American infantrymen, engineers, and tank crews secured the Ludendorff Bridge that crossed the Rhine. The successful mission saved thousands of American lives and spearheaded the invasion of Nazi Germany. The Bridge at Remagen is the detailed narrative of this surprising but crucial military action, one that stunned the German army. It is also the moving story of men who did not consider themselves heroes, but who performed magnificently under fire. In this amazing true story, Ken Hechler gives you the hour-by-hour account of brilliant military daring, human courage, and almost incredible luck that profoundly changed the course of the war. From the Paperback edition.
The Bridge to Brilliance: How One Principal in a Tough Community Is Inspiring the World
by Rebecca Paley Nadia Lopez"The story of Mott Hall Bridges Academy is the story of American education. Nadia Lopez . . . must be a principal, a mentor, and sometimes a mother. I hope that you're as impressed by her dedication to these kids as I've been." --Brandon Stanton, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Humans of New York The inspirational account of the creation of a pathbreaking inner-city middle school in Brooklyn, New York, by the magnetic young principal who rocketed to national fame via Humans of New York. "Essential reading"(Essence) When thirteen-year-old Vidal Chastanet told photographer Brandon Stanton that his principal ,"Ms. Lopez," was the person who most influenced his life, it was the pebble that started a whirlwind for Nadia Lopez and her small, new public school in one of Brooklyn's most wretched communities. The posting on Stanton's wildly popular site Humans of New York (HONY) went mega-viral. Lopez--not long before on the verge of quitting--found herself in the national spotlight and headed for a meeting with Obama, as well as the beneficiary of a million-dollar IndieGoGo campaign for the school. Here is her first-person account of what it took to get to that moment.Mott Hall Bridges Academy isn't just a hallway inside a typically underserved public school in one of New York City's most underprivileged communities--it is a school that glows with energy and excitement. Lopez tells the kids every day that they're extraordinary and that she loves them. When trouble stirs, she asks: "Would I have been proud to see what happened in that classroom? No? Then why did it happen?" She tells her teachers: "Don't tell me our scholars can't learn; because if you can't teach them, then I'll come teach your class for a couple of weeks."Everything was an uphill battle--to get the school launched, to recruit faculty and students, to solve a million new problems every day, from violent crime to vanishing supplies, but Lopez illustrates how leadership often means just picking the right people to support you. In middle school, one year lost with an unengaged teacher is a year that can send a kid down a terrible path. And then, of course, there is the educational system itself, how "teaching to the test" is an enormous problem, particularly in schools with kids who are already disadvantaged and underprepared. The Bridge to Brilliance is a book filled with common sense and caring that will carry her message to classrooms far from Brooklyn. As she says, modestly, "There are hundreds of Ms. Lopezes around this country doing good work for kids. This honors all of them."From the Hardcover edition.
The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York
by Peter J. TomasiA graphic novel depicting the history of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and the family that made it happen.In this extraordinary graphic novel, author Peter J. Tomasi and illustrator Sara DuVall bring to life the construction of one of the most iconic landmarks in the world and shine a light on the incredible triumphs and tragedies that went into building the Brooklyn Bridge. After the accidental death of John Augustus Roebling in 1869, it was up to Roebling’s son Washington to complete the massive project. Unfortunately, there was more pain to follow, as Washington developed caisson disease, leaving him bedridden. Washington’s wife, Emily, deftly assumed a key role in the bridge’s construction by becoming her husband’s eyes and ears at the work site. As Washington’s wisest council, Emily skillfully navigated work crews who now had to answer to a woman, contractors, a hostile press, and a greedy city politician—all looking to take credit for the magnificent bridge slowly making its way across the East River. Through it all, the Roeblings persisted, rising above every obstacle to build the great bridge that connects Brooklyn and New York. “Told by prolific superhero scribe Tomasi . . . with charmingly understated art by the Eisner-nominated Duvall . . . this historical graphic narrative presents dramatic events in a matter-of-fact, realistic way. . . . Rather than being a story of a singular genius overcoming adversity, the book is a paean to collaboration. Iconic structures often have fascinating stories behind them, but rarely do the tellings emphasize the human as this one does,” —Publishers Weekly“[Tomasi] does a magnificent job of depicting the politics, the danger, and the tenacity of the Roebling family and the hundreds of workers who built the bridge,” —Good Comics for Kids
The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
by David RemnickThe rise of Barack Obama is one of the great stories of this century: a defining moment for America, and one with truly global resonance. This is the book of his phenomenal journey to election. Through extensive on-the-record interviews with friends and teachers, mentors and disparagers, family members and Obama himself, David Remnick has put together a nuanced, unexpected and masterly portrait of the man who was determined to become the first African-American President. Most importantly, The Bridgeargues that Obama imagined and fashioned an identity for himself against the epic drama of race in America. In a way that Obama's own memoirs cannot, it examines both the personal and political elements of the story, and gives shape not only to a decisive period of history, but also to the way it crucially influenced, animated and motivated a gifted and complex man. 'Speaking to hundreds of friends and colleagues, Remmick investigates and corrects Obama’s own accout of his life with an assured and elegant tone that clarifies rather than accuses or unmasks . . . 600 masterly pages. *****Daily Telegraph 'The publishing event of the year' Observer
The Bridge: Writing Across the Binary
by Keith MaillardOne writer's deeply compelling story of growing up nonbinary in the 1940s and '50sAs a child, Keith Maillard asked his mother and grandmother, over and over again, "Am I a boy, or am I a girl?" Neither "boy" nor "girl" quite fit. But there were no other options. In this stunning memoir, Maillard creates an intricate collage of childhood memories, exploring the contradictory and destructive forces at work that put his very life at risk. For young Keith, writing proved to be a way to fight against what the world was telling him. In his scribbled stories, he began to spot the faintest glimmer that things could be different. And he kept fighting for years -- decades -- until he found a new understanding of his own nonbinary identity. The Bridge reveals the dangers of the gender binary, both for those who are outside it and for those who aren't. And it offers hope for a kinder future for all who dare to say "no" to the way that we do gender.
The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing
by Thomas Mckelvey Cleaver"He had decided to live forever, or die in the attempt." - Catch-22 <P><P>The men of the 57th Bomb Wing flew out of Corsica during World War II and bombed vital bridges throughout Italy to sabotage German supply routes. Their missions were dangerous and never-ending. <P><P>One bombardier in the wing was a young New Yorker named Joseph Heller, who would later turn his experience into the classic 1961 war novel Catch-22. <P><P>Now aviation historian Thomas McKelvey Cleaver takes a closer look at the real-life men of the 57th, whose camaraderie in the face of death inspired the raucous cast of heroes and antiheros in Catch-22.
The Bridgetower Sonata: Sonata Mulattica
by Emmanuel DongalaIn this vividly imagined, richly detailed historical novel, acclaimed Congolese author Emmanuel Dongala has focused his laser-sharp wit and wry satirical perspective on the life and times of George Bridgetower, a young violin prodigy, who, at the age of nine, took the courtly world of 18th century Europe by storm—and surprise, given the youth's unusual origins: for young George was of mixed- race parentage, known in the parlance of the day as a mulatto. Though his father Augustus was from Barbados and dark-skinned while his mother was a German handmaiden in the Viennese court, this young virtuoso, proclaimed as the "Black Mozart" was welcomed into the high society of Tout-Paris on the eve of the French Revolution, and later, after he and his opportunistic father fled to England, became a court favorite of the Prince of Wales where his fame spread widely across Europe where he eventually arrived in Vienna and became close friends with Ludwig Van Beethoven himself. Despite their fraternal bonding and the fact that they composed and performed the titular sonata together that Beethoven dedicated to his "little Moor", the two had an irreconcilable falling-out due to an unfortunate slight that Bridgetower made about Beethoven's beloved soon-to-be fiancée Josephine—a schism that resulted in Bridgetower's banishment from Ludwig's circle and the removal of his name from the composition's title that the tempestuous composer changed to the "Kreutzer Sonata", to become one of Beethoven's most famous and enduring pieces. Brimming with lively detail and dialogue and with cameo appearances from historical figures such as writer Alexandre Dumas, the early feminist activist Camille Desmoulins, and the early abolitionist author, Nicolas de Condorcet, The Bridgetower Sonata brings to light the issues of race, class, privilege, and with gentle humor reveals the rampant hypocrisy of that era that uncannily mirrors our own.
The Brigade
by Howard Blum Inc. Hardscrabble EntertainmentNovember 1944. The British government finally agrees to send a brigade of 5,000 Jewish volunteers from Palestine to Europe to fight the German army. But when the war ends and the soldiers witness firsthand the horrors their people have suffered in the concentration camps, the men launch a brutal and calculating campaign of vengeance, forming secret squads to identify, locate, and kill Nazi officers in hiding. Their own ferocity threatens to overwhelm them until a fortuitous encounter with an orphaned girl sets the men on a course of action--rescuing Jewish war orphans and transporting them to Palestine--that will not only change their lives but also help create a nation and forever alter the course of world history.
The Brigade: A True Story of War and Salvation
by Howard BlumNovember 1944. The British government finally agrees to send a brigade of 5,000 Jewish volunteers from Palestine to Europe to fight the German army. But when the war ends and the soldiers witness firsthand the horrors their people have suffered in the concentration camps, the men launch a brutal and calculating campaign of vengeance, forming secret squads to identify, locate, and kill Nazi officers in hiding. Their own ferocity threatens to overwhelm them until a fortuitous encounter with an orphaned girl sets the men on a course of action--rescuing Jewish war orphans and transporting them to Palestine--that will not only change their lives but also help create a nation and forever alter the course of world history.
The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying
by Nina Riggs* INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * &“Stunning…heartrending…this year&’s When Breath Becomes Air.&” —Nora Krug, The Washington Post &“Beautiful and haunting.&” —Matt McCarthy, MD, USA TODAY &“Deeply affecting…simultaneously heartbreaking and funny.&” —People (Book of the Week) &“Vivid, immediate.&” —Laura Collins-Hughes, The Boston Globe Starred reviews from * Kirkus Reviews * Publishers Weekly * Library Journal * Best Books of 2017 Selection by * The Washington Post * Most Anticipated Summer Reading Selection by * The Washington Post * Entertainment Weekly * Glamour * The Seattle Times * Vulture * InStyle * Bookpage * Bookriot * Real Simple * The Atlanta Journal-Constitution * The New York Times bestseller by poet Nina Riggs, mother of two young sons and the direct descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson, is &“a stunning…heart-rending meditation on life…It is this year&’s When Breath Becomes Air&” (The Washington Post).We are breathless but we love the days. They are promises. They are the only way to walk from one night to the other. Poet and essayist Nina Riggs was just thirty-seven years old when initially diagnosed with breast cancer—one small spot. Within a year, she received the devastating news that her cancer was terminal. How does a dying person learn to live each day &“unattached to outcome&”? How does one approach the moments, big and small, with both love and honesty? How does a young mother and wife prepare her two young children and adored husband for a loss that will shape the rest of their lives? How do we want to be remembered? Exploring motherhood, marriage, friendship, and memory, Nina asks: What makes a meaningful life when one has limited time? &“Profound and poignant&” (O, The Oprah Magazine), The Bright Hour is about how to make the most of all the days, even the painful ones. It&’s about the way literature, especially Nina&’s direct ancestor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and her other muse, Montaigne, can be a balm and a form of prayer. Brilliantly written and exceptionally moving, it&’s a &“deeply affecting memoir, a simultaneously heartbreaking and funny account of living with loss and the specter of death. As Riggs lyrically, unflinchingly details her reality, she finds beauty and truth that comfort even amid the crushing sadness&” (People, Book of the Week). Tender and heartwarming, The Bright Hour &“is a gentle reminder to cherish each day&” (Entertainment Weekly, Best New Books) and offers us this important perspective: &“You can read a multitude books about how to die, but Riggs, a dying woman, will show you how to live&” (The New York Times Book Review, Editor&’s Choice).
The Bright Side: An AFL champion's story of redemption, fortitude, and positivity
by Jack RiewoldtIn his gritty and inspirational memoir, Jack Riewoldt reveals all about his remarkable AFL career and his personal journey of growth off the field. Jack grew up in picturesque Tasmania, playing sport with his family and admiring his older cousin Nick. When Nick was drafted in the AFL, Jack&’s focus shifted to footy, and that competitive drive helped Jack become one of Richmond&’s most beloved and prolific players.The Bright Side dives into every important win, including Richmond&’s recent premierships, as well as the losses that helped Jack learn and build resilience. Jack&’s positive attitude has helped him overcome a brush with cancer, the loss of his much-loved cousin Maddie – sister of Nick Riewoldt, with whom Jack remains a spokesman for the charity in her name – and the misunderstanding that has dogged much of his career. In The Bright Side, Jack finally corrects some of the misperceptions. From mischievous youngster to revered leader of the game, it&’s family and community that has pulled Jack through, and allowed him to become an AFL legend.The book includes a foreword by Gerard Whateley.
The Bright Side: Twelve Months, Three Heartbreaks, and One (Maybe) Miracle
by Cathrin Bradbury"Anyone who has had their life completely gutted and rewired will adore this family story. Bradbury's dark humour and gloriously upbeat voice makes it the perfect antidote to a tough year. I loved it!"--Plum Johnson, author of They Left Us EverythingThe hilarious and moving story of how a modern woman's life can change utterly in a single year--and how, even when life whacks you in the head, you can find yourself rewarded with grace.Cathrin Bradbury's life imploded in the space of a few months. Her beloved parents died, her marriage limped to an end after twenty-five years, her heavily mortgaged house turned against her, and a promising new romance ended in crushing disappointment. But somewhere in that year, a new path, or three or four, began to open up. As Bradbury navigates the setbacks, her troubled brother makes an astounding recovery to health and sobriety. She is reunited with her closest childhood friend after a long absence, with deeply satisfying results. She and her four siblings feel their way to becoming a new kind of family without their parents. And her adult children emerge into sharper focus, each gloriously and uniquely themselves. Slowly, she discovers that the path is steep, the view obscured, but there's light ahead. Cathartic, hilarious, and profoundly moving, The Bright Side broadens the way we think and talk to each other about the ordinary experiences we all share. A master of the uncomplaining voice, Bradbury combines grace and humanity to look at the world unflinchingly and see what makes it wonderful and absurd at the same time, and to let us all in on the secret.
The Brightest Star: A Novel
by Gail TsukiyamaA LIBRARYREADS PICK AND BEST BOOK CLUB PICK OF 2023. The beloved bestselling author of The Color of Air, Women of the Silk, and The Samurai's Garden returns with this magnificent historical novel based on the life of the luminous, groundbreaking actress Anna May Wong—the first and only Asian American woman to gain movie stardom in the early days of Hollywood.At the dawn of a new century, America is falling in love with silent movies, including young Wong Liu Tsong. The daughter of Chinese immigrants who own a laundry, Wong Liu and her older sister Lew Ying (Lulu) are taunted and bullied for their Chinese heritage. But while Lulu diligently obeys her parents and learns to speak Chinese, Wong Liu sneaks away to the local nickelodeons, buying a ticket with her lunch money and tips saved from laundry deliveries. By eleven Wong Liu is determined to become an actress and has already chosen a stage name: Anna May Wong. At sixteen, Anna May leaves high school to pursue her Hollywood dreams, defying her disapproving father and her Chinese traditional upbringing—a choice that will hold emotional and physical consequences.After a series of nothing parts, nineteen-year-old Anna May gets her big break—and her first taste of Hollywood fame—starring opposite Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad. Yet her beauty and talent isn’t enough to overcome the racism that relegates her to supporting roles as a helpless, exotic butterfly or a vicious, murderous dragon lady while Caucasian actresses in yellowface” are given starring roles portraying Asian women. Though she suffers professionally and personally, Anna May fights to win lead roles, accept risqué parts, financially support her family, and keep her illicit love affairs hidden—even as she finds freedom and glittering stardom abroad, and receives glowing reviews across the globe.Powerful, poignant, and imbued with Gail Tsukiyama's warmth and empathy, The Brightest Star reimagines the life of the first Asian American screen star whose legacy endures—a remarkable and inspiring woman who broke barriers and became a shining light in Hollywood history.
The Brilliant Boy: Doc Evatt and the Great Australian Dissent
by Gideon HaighIn a quiet Sydney street in 1937, a seven year-old immigrant boy drowned in a ditch that had filled with rain after being left unfenced by council workers. How the law should deal with the trauma of the family&’s loss was one of the most complex and controversial cases to reach Australia&’s High Court, where it seized the imagination of its youngest and cleverest member. These days, &‘Doc&’ Evatt is remembered mainly as the hapless and divisive opposition leader during the long ascendancy of his great rival Sir Robert Menzies. Yet long before we spoke of &‘public intellectuals&’, Evatt was one: a dashing advocate, an inspired jurist, an outspoken opinion maker, one of our first popular historians and the nation&’s foremost champion of modern art. Through Evatt&’s innovative and empathic decision in Chester v the Council of Waverley Municipality, which argued for the law to acknowledge inner suffering as it did physical injury, Gideon Haigh rediscovers the most brilliant Australian of his day, a patriot with a vision of his country charting its own path and being its own example – the same attitude he brought to being the only Australian president of the UN General Assembly, and instrumental in the foundation of Israel. A feat of remarkable historical perception, deep research and masterful storytelling, The Brilliant Boy confirms Gideon Haigh as one of our finest writers of non-fiction. It shows Australia in a rare light, as a genuinely clever country prepared to contest big ideas and face the future confidently. 'Here is a master craftsman delivering one of his most finely honed works. Meticulous in its research, humane in its storytelling, The Brilliant Boy is Gideon Haigh at his lush, luminous best. Haigh shines a light on person, place and era with the sheer force of his intellect and the generosity of his words. The Brilliant Boy is simply a brilliant book.' Clare Wright, Stella-Prize winning author of The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka 'Gideon Haigh is one of Australia&’s most versatile and skilled historians.' Geoffrey Blainey 'This new biography of HV Evatt lifts the lid on his early life as a brilliant barrister and creative Justice of the High Court of Australia. It reveals the wellsprings that gave birth to his humanitarian and internationalist values that later helped in the creation of the United Nations. It helps to explain Evatt's valiant defence of liberty in fighting off the attempt to ban the communists in Australia. We need to constantly renew our acquaintance with such values. This book reminds us of Evatt's flawed genius but deep motivations, lest we ever forget.' The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG