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Sundays Will Never Be the Same: Racing, Tragedy, and Redemption--My Life in America's Fastest Sport
by Darrell WaltripFrom the former NASCAR champion and current Fox Sports announcer, an intimate account of one of the most dramatic and tragic days in the history of NASCAR: the 2001 Daytona 500—the day that racing legend Dale Earnhardt, Sr. died.In Sundays Will Never Be the Same, former NASCAR champion and current FOX Sports racing analyst Darrell Waltrip provides an intimate account of one of the most dramatic and tragic days in the history of NASCAR: the 2001 Daytona 500—the day that racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. died. The sudden death of Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 was a traumatic loss for the entire NASCAR family, and few were affected more deeply than Darrell Waltrip. During the course of their tumultuous thirty-year association, Dale and Darrell had been friends, then “frenemies,” and finally friends again. Darrell takes us through the fascinating history of racing in Daytona, offering glimpses of some of the sport’s most colorful characters. He recounts the highs and lows of his relationship with Earnhardt through the twin arcs of their overlapping careers, and concludes with a heart-wrenching insider account of that pivotal weekend in Daytona.
Sundays with Vlad: From Pennsylvania to Transylvania, One Man's Quest to Live in the World of the Undead
by Paul BibeauFrom the moment his bully of an older sister jumped out of a dresser drawer, baring her convincing glow-in-the-dark vampire fangs, Paul Bibeau was sold on monsters. Though he claims to have been scarred for life by this traumatic childhood experience, he developed an uncanny obsession with the undead. Years later, his fixation led him to revise his honeymoon plans with his unsuspecting wife to include a side-trip to Wallachia, Romania to visit the historical Castle Dracula -- the castle of Vlad the Impaler. Clutching his guidebook like a Bible, Bibeau set off on a sometimes disturbing, often hilarious journey through the legend of Dracula and the country from whence he came. From movies to novels to the cereal box, Dracula has become quite the cult figure over the centuries, though locals barely bat an eyelid at the surprising breadth of the subculture devoted to him. As if visiting the home of the legendary Dracula weren't enough, Bibeau digs through Bram Stoker's original manuscript, meets with the president of the Dracula Fan Club, and even marches in the Transylvania Day Parade as a giant garlic bulb, all in the hopes of getting at the stone cold heart of vampire mania. Filled with equal parts humor, irony, and reverence, Sundays with Vlad is an alternative travelogue that will appeal both to vampire fans as well as those fascinated by a segment of society they never see during the light of day.
Sunderland Over Far-Eastern Seas: An RAF Flying Boat Navigator's Story
by Derek K. EmpsonThis is the first book to give a detailed, first-hand account of post-World War II RAF Short Sunderland operations in the Far East. The author was a navigator with 88 Squadron and later 205 Squadron, flying operations during the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency and many other operations. He was based at Seletar in Singapore, Kaitak in Hong Kong, Iwakuni near Hiroshima and various other operational bases throughout his two and a half year tour. The Sunderland flying boat was a unique aircraft in that each crew was allotted an aircraft which became their floating and airborne home. The crew relied upon all-round cooperation to keep the airplane in top condition, plus the addition of personalized luxuries. The task of long distance navigation in the Far East during the early 1950s relied on the conventional methods of astro navigation and dead reckoning, a difficult task when crossing hundreds of miles of open ocean and encountering monsoon and tropical storm conditions.Amongst the noteworthy events included is a return flight from Singapore to Hong Kong across 1,400 miles of ocean with a VIP passenger, his first operational flight as a 21 year old Pilot Officer navigator. He then undertakes an operation involving a return trip to Scotland which took three months. On moving to Kiatak the Sunderlands provided air cover for search and rescue operations, taking off and landing amongst the port's many small and erratically steered shipping craft. He flew sixty-one missions in support of the United Nations forces fighting in and around Korea, enduring the threat of Chinese fighters over the Yellow Sea. In one operation an engine fire caused the crew to ditch in the Tsushima Strait with serious structural failure and they were rescued by the USS De Haven, a US destroyer. This is a worthy record of some of the legendary Short Sunderland's final roles in the RAF.
Sundown Jim
by Ernest HaycoxTHE ONLY WAY DEPUTY JIM MAJORS COULD CLEAN UP RESERVATION WAS TO DRAW FIRST—AND KEEP SHOOTING.The angular man in the middle of the square stirred in his tracks and began to talk. “Listen. You’re lookin’ for Ed Dale. I’m Dale.”Majors said, “All right. You’re the man I want.”“You can come and get me. I’ll be right here.”“No,” said Majors. “Drop your belt and walk this way.”“No chance, mister. No chance.”Time narrowed down and the moments were like pulsebeats. Ben Maffitt called in a loud voice, “Look, Majors!”—trying to draw his attention from Dale, whose elbow faded backward as he went for his gun.There are sights that cut an unforgettable pattern in a man’s mind and this was one of them—Ed Dale’s body bending over from the effort of his draw, his feet planted wide apart in the dust. That was how he was when Majors’ bullet struck him. He was dead before he hit the ground.Majors turned slowly. “What was it you wanted me to look at, Maffitt?”
Sunk by Stukas, Survived at Salerno: The Memoirs of Captain Tony McCrum RN
by Tony McCrumTony McCrum was born in Portsmouth in 1919, the second son of a naval lieutenant and a mother who came from a line of naval officers that stretched back to and beyond Trafalgar. He entered the Naval College at Dartmouth in September 1932 and went on to complete his midshipmans time aboard HMS Royal Oak from 1936 to 1939.In January 1939 he shipped his first stripe to become an Acting Sub Lieutenant and joined HMS Skipjack, a fast fleet minesweeper, as navigator. The ship was initially based at Harwich as part of the 2nd Minesweeping Flotilla. Having worked-up to operational readiness the flotilla moved to their wartime station at Dover. In May 1940 Skipjack arrived off the Dunkirk beaches, one of the first ships to help the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. Having made several successful Channel crossings ferrying home troops, the French coast suddenly became even more dangerous as the Luftwaffe presence increased in support of their advancing army which had now reached the area. With a full load of troops aboard, Skipjack was suddenly attacked by ten Stukas and was mortally hit and sunk. Eventually rescue was at hand and McCrum was landed at Ramsgate. 19 of the crew and 294 troops went down with the ship. In June 1940 he was appointed First Lieutenant of HMS Bridlington, a new minesweeper of the same class as Skipjack. In June 1941 he joined HMS Mendip, a Hunt Class destroyer with the task of defending the east coast against e-boat attack. Then came a complete change when he was ordered to HMS Largs to become the Signals Officer in Charge. This was an ex West Indies banana boat that had been converted into a Landing Craft Headquarters Ship. Her task was to carry an admiral and general who would control all the forces in the early days of an assault. In April 1943, Largs arrived in North Africa and began preparations for the Sicily landings. Operation Husky started on 8 July and proved a complete success with a bridgehead being established within hours. The next step was Italy, the Salerno landing. McCrum was again heavily involved with the HQ planning staff and the US Navy and was in charge of the ULTRA operations within the area. Salerno proved to be a much harder battle and was well defended. Having spent eighteen months working in the Mediterranean theatre, and various landings in France, McCrum was ordered home and joined the destroyer HMS Tartar on 15 January 1945 as Staff Signals Officer, 8th Destroyer Flotilla. They were bound for the Far East and the war with Japan and it was there, in Trincomlee harbor that the end of WWII was celebrated.
Sunlight Dancing in the Snow
by Indrani Bachan-PersadWhat started as an academic journey from The University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago to Coventry University in England, turned out to be much more than I anticipated, giving me a rare opportunity to explore both England and other parts of Europe. My travels allowed me to introspect, imagine and experience things that I never thought were possible. In many ways finding Coventry was like finding myself and I felt very much like a ray of sunlight dancing in the snow. My journey through various towns, cities and countries with their many edifices and monuments allowed me to visit ancient castles, cathedrals and other historic buildings. These stark reminders of the passing of time played in my vivid imagination and I was able to conjure up a blend of mysterious and magical medieval world, mirroring the past and the living present in my mind. All the stories are based on my experiences and are exciting, adventurous, romantic and funny yet grounded in reality, allowing me to view the world with different lenses and have a deeper appreciation of my own life. Even though my journey took me to other famous cities such as Venice, Paris and Edinburgh and I continued to be amazed by them, only Coventry had such a profound effect, drawing me into its fold and giving me an inner peace and harmony which I found nowhere else.
Sunlight Through Dusty Windows: The Dorcas Smucker Reader
by Dorcas SmuckerImagine raising six spirited kids on a grass farm—today. Newspaper columnist Dorcas Smucker and her brood live out their days in full view in this collection of musings—picking blueberries while watching for bears, hoping for angels while driving off the freeway, moving into the “thousand-story house,” and enduring lectures from teenage children about the virtue of respect. Three books in one, this collection includes Smucker’s Ordinary Days: Family Life in a Farmhouse, Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting: More Family Life in a Farmhouse, and Downstairs the Queen Is Knitting. Often slightly off-stride and with disarming humility, Dorcas finds endless materials for stories and life lessons in everyday happenings.As she says, “I, like my mother, feed my children mashed potatoes and stories. I repeat the ones I heard from Mom and turn our family escapades into tales to be repeated while washing dishes or snapping buckets of green beans on the front porch. A story is much more than just a story, of course. It is entertainment, identity, interpretation, and lessons. This is who we are, this is why we do what we do, this is important, that is not, and don’t ever whack your brother’s finger with a hatchet like your dad did to Uncle Philip.”This delightful trilogy includes some of Smucker’s best writing. She covers topics and dilemmas everyone can relate to while also inviting readers to explore her Mennonite family’s more personal experiences. Her voice is humorous, encouraging, and at times, doubting, but she never takes herself too seriously. As you read, her stories will entertain you and ultimately soothe your soul.
The Sunne in Splendour
by Sharon Kay PenmanRichard III was eight when his father, the Duke of York was ambushed and slain during the Wars of the Roses, war fought between Lancastrians and Yorkists for the crown of England during the fourteen hundreds. Richard remained loyal to those he loved during these treacherous times. It was his strength. It was his undoing. Richard was raised in the shadow of his brother Edward who became king at nineteen. Charming, headstrong and brilliant militarily, Edward struggled for his crown. Richard served him loyally while Edward was on the throne and during exile. These are the final days of the Plantagenets, the line which began with Henry II and Eleanor and was to give way to the Tudors and Henry VII.
Sunny Jim: The Life of America's Most Beloved Horseman, James Fitzsimmons
by Jimmy BreslinAn evocative portrait of the Triple Crown–winning racehorse trainer: &“sportswriting as good as it could ever possibly be&” (New York Daily News). At seventy-seven, James &“Sunny Jim&” Fitzsimmons should have been considering retirement. His six-decade career stretched back to 1885, when, as an eleven year-old, he began working as a stable boy. After failing as a jockey, Fitzsimmons—or Mr. Fitz to those in the know—started training horses, eventually winning three Kentucky Derbys, two Triple Crowns, and more than two thousand races. But by 1951, glory seemed to be behind him. His wife&’s sudden death took the light from his eyes, and retirement loomed. And then he met Nashua. She was the kind of horse trainers dream of. Big, powerful, with a windpipe that could suck down enough air to keep her running for weeks. Mr. Fitz knew he had a winner. It was only a matter of time before he realized that he had also just met the most remarkable horse of his long, storied career. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Jimmy Breslin including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s personal collection.
A Sunny Subaltern, Billy’s Letters from Flanders
by Anon Billy"An engaging collection of letters from a young Canadian officer, native to Toronto. His letters begin in late 1915 on the journey across the Atlantic to the European battlefield. He is filled with worldly-wonder and naiveté as he encounters figures as diverse as Colonels to French peasants, and recounts the daily trials and tribulations of the soldiers life in Belgium with wit; for example, he describes his batman as "a soldier paid by you to be absent when you want him." Particularly interesting is the tone of the narrative in which he attempts to educate his mother of life in the army, and in tone, cheerful beyond modern cyncism. Collected and posthumously published by his mother, they make for a gripping and atmospheric read.Author -- Anon "Billy"Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in Toronto, McClelland, Goodchild and Stewart, 1916.Original Page Count - 175 pages.
Sunny's Nights
by Tim SultanImagine that Alice had walked into a bar instead of falling down the rabbit hole. In the tradition of J. R. Moehringer's The Tender Bar and the classic reportage of Joseph Mitchell, here is an indelible portrait of what is quite possibly the greatest bar in the world--and the mercurial, magnificent man behind it. The first time he saw Sunny's Bar, in 1995, Tim Sultan was lost, thirsty for a drink, and intrigued by the single bar sign among the forlorn warehouses lining the Brooklyn waterfront. Inside, he found a dimly lit room crammed with maritime artifacts, a dozen well-seasoned drinkers, and, strangely, a projector playing a classic Martha Graham dance performance. Sultan knew he had stumbled upon someplace special. What he didn't know was that he had just found his new home. Soon enough, Sultan has quit his office job to bartend full-time for Sunny Balzano, the bar's owner. A wild-haired Tony Bennett lookalike with a fondness for quoting Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett, Sunny is truly one of a kind. Born next to the saloon that has been in his family for one hundred years, Sunny has over the years partied with Andy Warhol, spent time in India at the feet of a guru, and painted abstract expressionist originals. But his masterpiece is the bar itself, a place where a sublime mix of artists, mobsters, honky-tonk musicians, neighborhood drunks, nuns, longshoremen, and assorted eccentrics rub elbows. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming city, Sunny's Nights is a loving and singular portrait of the dream experience we're all searching for every time we walk into a bar, and an enchanting memoir of an unlikely and abiding friendship. Advance praise for Sunny's Nights "Sunny's Nights is more than an elegy for a bar and a neighborhood--it's also a vivid and loving portrait of the larger-than-life eccentric who gave the bar its name and its spirit, and a moving memoir about friendship and finding a home. Tim Sultan is a wonderful writer, wry and observant, with a sly sense of humor and a big heart."--Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers"Tim Sultan tells the terrific story of how one dark and raggedy waterfront bar changed his life. It is a wonderfully drawn portrait of the artist as barkeep."--Robert Sullivan, author of My American Revolution "This beautifully written chronicle of a disappearing place and its unforgettable people reveals how, sometimes, friendship endures when everything else, except perhaps the memories, is gone."--Howard Frank Mosher, author of God's Kingdom"[A] polished, affecting look at remarkable barkeep Sunny Balzano . . . In elegant prose, Sultan deploys laconic humor, an instinct for telling details, a taste for eccentricity, and above all, clear-eyed compassion for our all-too-human failings."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Beautifully wrought, evocative . . . an indelible portrait of an unusual man and a nearly forgotten part of NYC."--BooklistFrom the Hardcover edition.
Sunnyvale: The Rise and Fall of a Silicon Valley Family
by Jeff GoodellIn Sunnyvale, California, in 1979, Jeff Goodell's family lived quietly on Meadowlark Lane, unaware that their town was soon to become ground zero in the digital revolution. Then one day his mother announced that she and his father were divorcing after twenty years of marriage. Big deal, thought Jeff. "Everybody we knew was splitting up-it was the romantic equivalent of the pet-rock craze. " Over the next decade, Silicon Valley boomed, and the Goodell family unraveled. Sunnyvale: The Rise and Fall of a Silicon Valley Family is the story of a fragile, all-too-ordinary family caught at the epicenter of one of the great economic, cultural, and technological explosions in recent history. After the divorce, Goodell's mother went to work for a little company called Apple Computer and began her ascent into the new world; his father, a landscape contractor who valued plants and trees over bits and bytes, found himself alone and falling farther and farther behind. For the Goodell children, the aftershocks brought pain and confusion: Jeff ran off to Lake Tahoe and the fast track to nowhere; his younger brother, Jerry, began a nightmarish descent into drugs, alcohol, and sexual experimentation; and eleven-year-old Jill bounced between two houses, struggling to make sense of her shattered world. Watching it all was grandfather Leonard Goodell, a Westinghouse ur-geek who-even in his late seventies-still had enough mental horsepower to work as a lead engineer in a robotics factory. But as Leonard watched his son's family fall apart, he realized his worldly success had not come without a human cost, and near the end of his life he began his own quest for forgiveness and redemption. Sunnyvale is a portrait of a way of life that is no more, in a place where progress runs wild. It is about individuals struggling to make lives for themselves in a brutally Darwinian world. Above all, it is about what we owe to the people we love. A unique and compelling family story, it is also a resonant document of our age.
Sunrise with Seamonsters: Travels and Discoveries, 1964-84
by Paul TherouxThis collection of wide-ranging essays from the New York Times–bestselling travel writer is &“a steamer trunk full of delights&” (Chicago Sun-Times). This collection of decidedly opinionated articles, essays, and ruminations, by the author of My Other Life and Kowloon Tong, transports the reader not only to exotic, unexpected places in the world but also into the interior life of the writer himself. Whether it is his time serving in the Peace Corps, his memorable interview with tennis star John McEnroe, bearing witness to the uprising in Uganda, or the debt he owes to his mentor, V. S. Naipaul, Theroux approaches each subject with characteristic intelligence, insight, and an eye for life&’s great ironies. Over the course of two decades, Paul Theroux gathers people, places, and ideas in precise, evocative writing that &“serves as both the camera and the eye, and both the details and the illusions are developed with brilliance&” (Time). &“What makes Mr. Theroux most persuasive as a writer is simply his willingness to put himself on the line. . . . Gusty, personal, and astonishing.&” —The New York Times &“These pieces prove anew Theroux&’s unflagging, infectious enthusiams [sic] for exploring.&” —Kirkus Reviews
Sunset in Spain
by Erna WalravenBidding adios to work and Sydney, Erna and Alex decide to pursue a dream of living in the north of Spain. They fall in love with a tiny Castilian village, and set about restoring a long-forgotten, falling down villa that will soon be their new home. Letting go of old ways, they get swept up in the colourful goings-on of their Spanish neighbours and the challenges of living a new life on a new continent - all while becoming minor celebrities among baffled locals who can't understand why anyone would want to cross the world to live in their modest village.Sunset in Spain is a warm, funny and poignant story of a couple's search for new challenges and the joys to be had in ramping things up when most of us would be happy to start winding down.
Sunset in Spain
by Erna WalravenBidding adios to work and Sydney, Erna and Alex decide to pursue a dream of living in the north of Spain. They fall in love with a tiny Castilian village, and set about restoring a long-forgotten, falling down villa that will soon be their new home. Letting go of old ways, they get swept up in the colourful goings-on of their Spanish neighbours and the challenges of living a new life on a new continent - all while becoming minor celebrities among baffled locals who can't understand why anyone would want to cross the world to live in their modest village.Sunset in Spain is a warm, funny and poignant story of a couple's search for new challenges and the joys to be had in ramping things up when most of us would be happy to start winding down.
Sunset in the East: Fighting Against the Japanese through the Siege of Imphal and alongside them in Java 1943-1946
by John HudsonIt is generally recognized that the war in Burma against the Japanese was as fierce as any. The Battle of Kohima was the turning point of this extraordinary campaign and personal accounts of the fighting there are greatly sought after. The author was in the thick of the action and his record is indeed a graphic and moving one. Thereafter he was sent down to Malaya, but when the War ended, he found himself in Indonesia under the most bizarre circumstances. A bitter war of national independence from the Dutch colonial power was underway and it became necessary to employ the defeated Japanese troops to keep a semblance of order. This little known turn of events makes for the most fascinating reading and adds a new dimension to what would in any case be a first class memoir.
Sunset Limited: An Autobiography of Creole
by Wendy A. GaudinShaped by centuries of migration, enslavement, freedom, colonization, and cultural mixture, Louisiana Creole identity is often simplified or misunderstood to fit into today’s ideas about race and nationality. In Sunset Limited: An Autobiography of Creole, Wendy A. Gaudin fearlessly takes on the many meanings of Creole in a lyrical exploration of how this multilayered, transnational, bilingual, and racially expansive history of New Orleans and Louisiana has manifested itself in her own diasporic Creole family.When Gaudin’s Creole grandparents boarded the Sunset Limited train in Jim Crow–era New Orleans, they imagined new lives for themselves in the city of Los Angeles. The Sunset Limited produced a twentieth-century Creole community on the West Coast, whose members ate the traditional foods of south Louisiana, gathered in one another’s homes and churches, spoke in the distinctive dialects of the Gulf Coast, and taught their children to respect their unique, blended ancestry and their centuries-long history.As an adult, yearning to know more about her Creole background, Gaudin returned to Louisiana. There, she began to trace her Creole ancestors back to the time before the Civil War, confronting hard truths about the past her grandparents left behind. Revisiting the lands of her ancestors, diving into the archival record, interviewing those who remained in New Orleans, and remembering the stories told to her by her elders, Gaudin sought answers to questions asked by many whose lives are shaped by migration: Why did her people leave their ancestral home? What did they lose in the leaving, and what did they gain?Sunset Limited explores the boundaries of what it means to be Creole, how migration shaped Gaudin’s family and her community, and how this history is remembered and told. Incorporating historical narrative, oral history, biomythography, historiography, cultural geography, autoethnography, and poetry, Sunset Limited is as multidimensional and dynamic as Louisiana Creoles themselves. Weaving together the stories of her mixed-race elders, the artifacts of her ancestors, and memories of her California childhood, Gaudin argues that history is not a cold, linear record of the past. Rather, it is a deeply felt understanding of how we are shaped by the movements of our ancestors, and of our rich and ever-changing relationships with those who came before us.
The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West
by Carrot QuinnThe unforgettable story of one woman who leaves behind her hardscrabble childhood in Alaska to travel the country via freight train—a beautiful memoir about forgiveness, self-discovery, and the redemptive power of nature, perfect for fans of Wild or Educated.&“An urgent read. A courageous life. Quinn&’s story burns through us and bleeds beauty on every page.&”—Noé Álvarez, author of Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America&’s Stolen LandAfter a childhood marked by neglect, poverty, and periods of homelessness, with a mother who believed herself to be the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, Carrot Quinn moved out on her own. She found a sense of belonging among straight-edge anarchists who taught her how to traverse the country by freight trains, sleep in fields under the stars, and feed herself by foraging in dumpsters. Her new life was one of thrilling adventure and freedom, but still she was haunted by the ghosts of her lonely and traumatic childhood.The Sunset Route is a powerful and brazenly honest adventure memoir set in the unseen corners of the United States—in the Alaskan cold, on trains rattling through forests and deserts, as well as in low-income apartments and crowded punk houses—following a remarkable protagonist who has witnessed more tragedy than she thought she could ever endure and who must learn to heal her own heart. Ultimately, it is a meditation on the natural world as a spiritual anchor, and on the ways that forgiveness can set us free.
Sunshine Falls
by Kyle David TorkeA collection of autobiographical essays that glean meaning from everyday life by the poet and author of Tanning Season and Still in Soil. Sunshine Falls is Kyle David Torke&’s beautiful, elegiac account of living in a world rich with mystery and impermanence. In twenty far-reaching, story-driven essays, we follow the author from his first love in sixth grade to the demise of his marriage thirty years later, experiencing the full potency, confusion, and promise of human interaction, loss, and triumph. In crisp, sparkling prose, Torke shines focused light into the cracks of human experience, causing us to laugh—and wince with recognition—at the awkwardness of growing up, the joys of love, the pangs of loss, and the death-defying adventure of life as we know it.
Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life
by Julianna MarguliesKnown for her outstanding performances on the groundbreaking television series The Good Wife and ER, Julianna Margulies deftly chronicles her life and her work in this deeply powerful memoir. &“At once a tender coming-of-age story and a deeply personal look at a young woman making sense of the world against a chaotic and peripatetic childhood.&”—Katie CouricAs an apple-cheeked bubbly child, Julianna was bestowed with the family nickname &“Sunshine Girl.&” Shuttled back and forth between her divorced parents, often on different continents, she quickly learned how to be of value to her eccentric mother and her absent father. Raised in fairly unconventional ways in various homes in Paris, England, New York, and New Hampshire, Julianna found that her role among the surrounding turmoil and uncertainty was to comfort those around her, seeking organization among the disorder, making her way in the world as a young adult and eventually an award-winning actress. Throughout, there were complicated relationships, difficult choices, and overwhelming rejections. But there were also the moments where fate, faith, and talent aligned, leading to the unforgettable roles of a lifetime, both professionally and personally—moments when chaos had finally turned to calm. Filled with intimate stories and revelatory moments, Sunshine Girl is at once unflinchingly honest and perceptive. It is a riveting self-portrait of a woman whose resilience in the face of turmoil will leave readers intrigued and inspired.
Sunshine State: Essays
by Sarah GerardA Chicago Tribune Exciting Book for 2017 • A Buzzfeed Most Exciting Book for 2017 • A The Millions Great 2017 Preview Pick• A Huffington Post 2017 Preview Pick • A PW Spring 2017 Top 10 Pick in Essays & Literary Criticism“Brave, keenly observational, and humanitarian…. Gerard’s collection leaves an indelible impression.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review “These large-hearted, meticulous essays offer an uncanny x-ray of our national psyche... showing us both the grand beauty of our American dreams and the heartbreaking devastation they wreak.” — Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to YouSarah Gerard follows her breakout novel, Binary Star, with the dynamic essay collection Sunshine State, which explores Florida as a microcosm of the most pressing economic and environmental perils haunting our society.In the collection’s title essay, Gerard volunteers at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, a world renowned bird refuge. There she meets its founder, who once modeled with a pelican on his arm for a Dewar’s Scotch campaign but has since declined into a pit of fraud and madness. He becomes our embezzling protagonist whose tales about the birds he “rescues” never quite add up. Gerard’s personal stories are no less eerie or poignant: An essay that begins as a look at Gerard’s first relationship becomes a heart-wrenching exploration of acquaintance rape and consent. An account of intimate female friendship pivots midway through, morphing into a meditation on jealousy and class.With the personal insight of The Empathy Exams, the societal exposal of Nickel and Dimed, and the stylistic innovation and intensity of her own break-out debut novel Binary Star, Sarah Gerard’s Sunshine State uses the intimately personal to unearth the deep reservoirs of humanity buried in the corners of our world often hardest to face.
Sunshine Warm Sober: The unexpected joy of being sober – forever (The Unexpected Joy #5)
by Catherine Gray'Stone cold sober.'Sounds horrible, doesn't it? Hard, icy. Brrrrr. No bloody ta.However, as the millions who choose to stay sober now know, the propaganda around drinking and sobriety is wonky. Sober doesn't feel stony, or cold.Retired wreckhead Catherine Gray, author of surprise bestseller The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, is now in her ninth sober year and has learnt a damn sight more.This hotly anticipated sequel enlists the help of experts and case studies, turning a curious, playful gaze onto provocative questions. Is alcohol a parenting aid? Why are booze and cocaine such a horse and carriage? Once an addict, always an addict? How do you feel safe - from alcohol, others and yourself - in sobriety?Whether you're a dedicated boozehound, flirting with teetotalling, or already sober, this witty, gritty read may just change how you think about alcohol forever. Praise for The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober:'Fascinating' - Bryony Gordon'Truthful, modern and real' - Stylist'Brave, witty and brilliantly written' - Marie Claire'Gray's tale of going sober is uplifting and inspiring' - The Evening Standard'Not remotely preachy' - The Times'Jaunty, shrewd and convincing' - The Telegraph'Admirably honest, light, bubbly and remarkably rarely annoying' - The Guardian'An empathetic, warm and hilarious tale from a hugely likeable human' - The Lancet Psychiatry(p) 2021 Octopus Publishing Group
Super Agent: The One Book the NFL and NCAA Don't Want You to Read
by Jerry Argovitz J. David MillerSuper Agent. Maverick. Reformer. Iconoclast. Dealmaker. Dentist? Jerry Argovitz has worn many hats in his remarkable life, both inside and outside of the world of sports. As a player agent representing and advising some of the biggest names in the game, Argovitz challenged the NFL both at the negotiating table and in the courtroom, earning a reputation as one of the most powerful men in professional sports. He successfully negotiated the first milliondollar guaranteed contract in NFL history, wrote the language for career-ending insurance policy underwriting for Lloyds of London, and brokered the deal that brought Heisman Trophy-winner Herschel Walker to the upstart USFL as a junior, which opened the floodgates for all underclassmen to follow.As the owner of the Houston Gamblers of the USFL, Argovitz helped to implement several rules which were subsequently adopted by the NFL, and served as a principal figure in a lawsuit against the NFL that proved the league was guilty of Sherman Antitrust violations. Now, Argovitz has a plan to reform the corrupt world of college sports, a plan he will share in this eye-opening book.Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Super Agent
by Jerry Argovitz J. David MillerSuper Agent. Maverick. Reformer. Iconoclast. Dealmaker. Dentist? Jerry Argovitz has worn many hats in his remarkable life, both inside and outside of the world of sports. As a player agent representing and advising some of the biggest names in the game, Argovitz challenged the NFL both at the negotiating table and in the courtroom, earning a reputation as one of the most powerful men in professional sports. He successfully negotiated the first milliondollar guaranteed contract in NFL history, wrote the language for career-ending insurance policy underwriting for Lloyds of London, and brokered the deal that brought Heisman Trophy-winner Herschel Walker to the upstart USFL as a junior, which opened the floodgates for all underclassmen to follow. As the owner of the Houston Gamblers of the USFL, Argovitz helped to implement several rules which were subsequently adopted by the NFL, and served as a principal figure in a lawsuit against the NFL that proved the league was guilty of Sherman Antitrust violations. Now, Argovitz has a plan to reform the corrupt world of college sports, a plan he will share in this eye-opening book.
Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster—the Creators of Superman
by Brad RiccaIn time for the 75th anniversary of the Man of Steel, comes the first comprehensive literary biography of Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, creators of the DC Comics superhero Superman and the inspiration for Michael Chabon's Kavalier and ClayDrawing on ten years of research in the trenches of Cleveland libraries, boarded-up high schools, and secret, private collections, and a love of comic books, Brad Ricca's Super Boys is the first ever full biography about Superman's creators. Among scores of new discoveries, the book reveals the first stories and pictures ever published by the two, where the first Superman story really came from, the real inspiration for Lois Lane, the template for Superman's costume, and much, much more. Super Boys also tracks the boys' unknown, often mysterious lives after they left Superman, including Siegel's secret work during World War II and never-before-seen work from Shuster.Super Boys explains, finally, what exactly happened with the infamous check for $130 that pulled Superman away from his creators—and gave control of the character to the publisher. Ricca also uncovers the true nature of Jerry's father's death, a crime that has always remained a mystery. Super Boys is the story of a long friendship between boys who grew to be men and the standard that would be impossible for both of them to live up to.