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Assata: An Autobiography
by Angela Y. Davis Assata Shakur Lennox S. HindsOn May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur (aka JoAnne Chesimard) lay in a hospital, close to death, handcuffed to her bed, while local, state, and federal police attempted to question her about the shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that had claimed the life of a white state trooper. Long a target of J. Edgar Hoover's campaign to defame, infiltrate, and criminalize Black nationalist organizations and their leaders, Shakur was incarcerated for four years prior to her conviction on flimsy evidence in 1977 as an accomplice to murder. This intensely personal and political autobiography belies the fearsome image of JoAnne Chesimard long projected by the media and the state. With wit and candor, Assata Shakur recounts the experiences that led her to a life of activism and portrays the strengths, weaknesses, and eventual demise of Black and White revolutionary groups at the hand of government officials. The result is a signal contribution to the literature about growing up Black in America that has already taken its place alongside The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the works of Maya Angelou. Two years after her conviction, Assata Shakur escaped from prison. She was given political asylum by Cuba, where she now resides.
Assata: An Autobiography
by Assata ShakurThis presents the life story of African American revolutionary Shakur, previously known as JoAnne Chesimard.
Assault (Thoroughbred Legends #23)
by Eva Jolene BoydNo stranger to adversity, Assault never backed down from a fight, whether overcoming a devastating injury as a baby or battling to the wire for a victory. Born in the unforgiving brush country of South Texas on the famed King Ranch, Assault showed his tenacity and will early on. As a foal, he stepped on a surveyor's spike, piercing his front right hoof. Assault recovered; however, the injury left his foot deformed and he forever walked with a limp. But when he ran, Assault showed no trace of his injury as he galloped down the homestretch. Trained by Texan Max Hirsch, Assault as a three-year-old in 1946 launched a powerful attack on his rivals. He swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont to become the seventh Triple Crown winner and earned Horse of the Year honors after running in an impressive fifteen starts that year. Author Eva Jolene Boyd, who brought the stories of Native Dancer and Exterminator so vividly to life, does so again with Assault. She recounts his incredible story from a foal who nearly died to a champion who became an inspiration for a nation.
Assault at West Point, The Court Martial of Johnson Whittaker
by John MarszalekIn "Assault at West Point", John F. Marszalek, the highly acclaimed author of "Sherman: A Soldier's Passion for Order", has written a dramatic account of one of the most momentous trials in American history. Set in the 1880s, this riveting story focuses on Whittaker, a former slave who became the third black to enter West Point. Like his two predecessors, he was ostracized for the entire three years of his training. One morning Whittaker didn't show up for drill. He was found in his room, unconscious, tied tightly to the bed, with blood streaming from his head. In a trial that received major attention from the press, Whittaker was accused of faking the crime to get sympathy from the public and from his professors. Author Marszalek weaves his rich narrative from historical records to tell how Whittaker sought justice against all odds. Now the basis if the Showtime original movie "Assault at West Point", this compelling work brings to life a case that rocked the country and involved the highest reaches of power-- and vividly demonstrates the impact of racism on the fabric of American society.
Assault from the Sky: Marine Corps Helicopter Operations in Vietnam
by Dick Camp&“Action-packed . . . he brings the reader artfully through the fog of war with clarity&” (20th Century Aviation Magazine). Vietnam has often been called our &“first helicopter war,&” and indeed, the US Marine Corps, as well as Army, had to feel its way forward during the initial combats. But by 1967, the combat was raging across South Vietnam, with confrontational battles against the NVA on a scale comparable to the great campaigns of WWII. In 1968, when the Communists launched their mammoth counteroffensive, the Marines were forced to fight on all sides, with the helicopter giving them the additional dimension that proved decisive in repelling the enemy. The author of this book, a Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient who has also worked at the USMC History Division and National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, uses his experiences as a company commander to bring the story to life by weaving personal accounts, after-action reports, and official documents into a compellingly readable narrative of service and sacrifice by Marine pilots and crewmen. The entire story of the war is depicted through the prism of Marine helicopter operations, from the first deployments to support the Army of the Republic of Vietnam against the Viet Cong through the rapid US buildup to stop the North Vietnamese Army, until the final withdrawal from our Embassy. &“Superlative research.&” —Leatherneck
Assessing George W. Bush’s Legacy
by Iwan Morgan Philip John DaviesThis book examines the legacy of the Bush presidency in term of presidential leadership, politics, and public policy. It focuses on Bush's expansion of presidential power in pursuit of the 'war on terror,' the ideological and pragmatic foundations of presidential politics, and the complexity of Bush's domestic and foreign policy legacies.
Asshole
by Martin KihnMartin Kihn was the nicest guy in the world - and it was killing him. But on the day he turned forty, Marty decided to change his life - for the meaner. Tired of being passed over for promotions at work, Marty set out on a journey to transform himself from Mr. Nice Guy into a rule-breaking, order-giving dickhead like the "Marty Kaan" character played by Don Cheadle in the Showtime series House of Lies, based on Kihn's book of the same name. Asshole is the story of Kihn's ascent from Beta Male to Alpha Male to Asshole. He shares the techniques that helped him hone his image as a jerk, including the essential body language (don't smile, unless others are in pain); covers typical activities (credit stealing, getting even); and delineates classic behavior patterns, including speaking loudly and interrupting often, and insisting you've never, ever made a mistake.From acting lessons to boxing lessons, from hiring a life coach to covertly observing his nemesis at work, Marty develops the Seven Principles of Assholism. But will it be enough to earn him a promotion? Or will he alienate others to the point where his own wife won't be able to stand him?
Assholes Finish First
by Tucker MaxWhat do you do after you write a #1 bestselling book about your drunken, sexual misadventures that makes you rich and famous? Celebrate by getting more drunk and having insane amounts of sex, obviously. And pretty soon you've got another bestselling book on your hands. Stuffed full of ridiculous stories of bad decisions, debauchery, and sexual recklessness, Assholes Finish First starts where I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell left off, then proceeds to "some next-level shit." You already know how women react to confidence, game, and vodka, but what happens when you add money and fame to the mix? You get answers to the hard questions you've never thought of asking:* What's it like to have sex with a midget? What about two midgets?* What does it do to a man to watch a 19-year-old do wind sprints to sober up, so that she can have sex with you before her twin sister does?* At what number of virgins does deflowering them stop being fun and start feeling like a job?* When a girl you met three hours ago decides to tattoo your name on her body, what is the appropriate reaction?The answers are inside, they are absurd and hilarious, and they are the product of one man's experiences: His name is Tucker Max, and he is still an asshole.
Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People's Republic
by Mike ChinoyReporting on China has long been one of the most challenging and crucial of journalistic assignments. Foreign correspondents have confronted war, revolution, isolation, internal upheaval, and onerous government restrictions as well as barriers of language, culture, and politics. Nonetheless, American media coverage of China has profoundly influenced U.S. government policy and shaped public opinion not only domestically but also, given the clout and reach of U.S. news organizations, around the world.This book tells the story of how American journalists have covered China—from the civil war of the 1940s through the COVID-19 pandemic—in their own words. Mike Chinoy assembles a remarkable collection of personal accounts from eminent journalists, including Stanley Karnow, Seymour Topping, Barbara Walters, Dan Rather, Melinda Liu, Nicholas Kristof, Joseph Kahn, Evan Osnos, David Barboza, Amy Qin, and Megha Rajagopalan, among dozens of others. They share behind-the-scenes stories of reporting on historic moments such as Richard Nixon’s groundbreaking visit in 1972, China’s opening up to the outside world and its emergence as a global superpower, and the crackdowns in Tiananmen Square and Xinjiang. Journalists detail the challenges of covering a complex and secretive society and offer insight into eight decades of tumultuous political, economic, and social change.At a time of crisis in Sino-American relations, understanding the people who have covered China for the American media and how they have done so is crucial to understanding the news. Through the personal accounts of multiple generations of China correspondents, Assignment China provides that understanding.
Assignment: Rescue
by Albert O. Hirschman Varian FryMarseilles, France...August, 1940 The Gestapo's blacklist was thousands of names long...How many people could he get out before Hitler sealed the frontiers? Varian Fry didn't know any more about being an undercover agent than what he'd seen in the movies. But, he was the one man who could get into Vichy France, where thousands of people had fled Hitler's Germany. Unless he could get them out, they'd be trapped-turned back to the concentration camps and death camps. An exciting, true story of World War II - Varian Fry describes the methods he used to get thousands of hunted men and women to safety.
Assim Acima, Como Abaixo. A Minha Vida Como Um Adepto. Uma Autobiografia por Seila Orienta
by Seila Orienta; P. Windsheimer - Translator Gilson Cardozo de ArrudaEsta autobiografia expõe um sincero relato sobre a vida de um adepto. Seila Orienta conta honestamente e de forma aberta sobre importantes e interessantes fases marcantes em sua via, tais como encontros com ordens mágicas, visitas às esferas, domínios dos gênios negativos, discípulos de Orienta e da Liga de Bardon a qual ele fundou nos ano de 1980 e algumas encarnações anteriores do autor. A primeira parte do livro é puramente autobiográfica e o segundo livro descreve as percepções que o autor esteve acumulando através de sua vida hermética. Na segunda parte do livro, os capítulos incluem e tratam da demonologia, dos seres elementais, Cristo, Shiva, amor, crença, o espírito guardião e vários outros assuntos interessantes.
Assim foi Auschwitz
by Primo LeviTestemunho inédito de uma das vozes mais relevantes da memória do Holocausto. «Somos homens, pertencemos à mesma família humana a que pertencem os nossos carrascos. [...] Somos filhos dessa Europa onde está Auschwitz.» Em 1945, no rescaldo do fim da Guerra e da libertação dos campos de concentração pelas forças aliadas, o exército soviético pediu a Primo Levi e a Leonardo De Benedetti, seu companheiro de campo, que redigissem uma relação pormenorizada das condições de vida nos Lager. O resultado foi um dos primeiros relatórios alguma vez realizados sobre os campos de extermínio. Chocante pela objectividade e detalhe, tocante pela precoce e indignada lucidez, é um testemunho extraordinário daquela que viria a ser uma das vozes mais relevantes da antologia de memórias sobre o Holocausto. Assim foi Auschwitz recolhe esse relatório e vários outros textos de Primo Levi - inéditos até hoje - sobre a experiência colectiva do Holocausto, compondo um mosaico de memórias e reflexões críticas de inestimável valor histórico e humano, tão relevantes hoje, setenta anos volvidos sobre o fim da Segunda Guerra, como no tempo em que foram escritos. «A nossa esperança é que tudo o que aqui foi documentado seja visto e lembrado como uma aberração a não repetir até ao futuro mais longínquo. A esperança de todos os homens é que estas imagens sejam vistas como um fruto horrendo, mas isolado, da tirania e do ódio: que se identifiquem as suas raízes na grande parte da história sangrenta da Humanidade, mas que o fruto não dê novas sementes,nem amanhã nem nunca.»
Assim foi Auschwitz
by Primo LeviTestemunho inédito de uma das vozes mais relevantes da memória do Holocausto. FORMATO DE BOLSO, NUMA EDIÇÃO CUIDADA (CAPA DURA). Em 1945, no rescaldo do fim da Guerra e da libertação dos campos de concentração pelas forças aliadas, o exército soviético pediu a Primo Levi e a Leonardo De Benedetti, seu companheiro de campo, que redigissem uma relação pormenorizada das condições de vida nos Lager. O resultado foi um dos primeiros relatórios alguma vez realizados sobre os campos de extermínio. Chocante pela objectividade e detalhe, tocante pela precoce e indignada lucidez, é um testemunho extraordinário daquela que viria a ser uma das vozes mais relevantes da antologia de memórias sobre o Holocausto.Assim foi Auschwitz recolhe esse relatório e vários outros textos de Primo Levi - inéditos até hoje - sobre a experiência colectiva do Holocausto, compondo um mosaico de memórias e reflexões críticas de inestimável valor histórico e humano, tão relevantes hoje, setenta anos volvidos sobre o fim da Segunda Guerra, como no tempo em que foram escritos. «A nossa esperança é que tudo o que aqui foi documentado seja visto e lembrado como uma aberração a não repetir até ao futuro mais longínquo. A esperança de todos os homens é que estas imagens sejam vistas como um fruto horrendo, mas isolado, da tirania e do ódio: que se identifiquem as suas raízes na grande parte da história sangrenta da Humanidade, mas que o fruto não dê novas sementes,nem amanhã nem nunca.»
Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith
by D. L. MayfieldFrom childhood, D.L. Mayfield longed to be a missionary, so she was thrilled when the opportunity arose to work with a group of Somali Bantu refugees in her hometown of Portland, OR. As the days, months, and years went by, her hopeful enthusiasm began to wear off, her faith became challenged, and the real work of learning to love and serve her neighbors grew harder, deeper, and more complex. She writes: "The more I failed to communicate the love of God to my refugee friends, the more I experienced it for myself. The more overwhelmed I felt as I became involved in the myriads of problems facing my friends who experience poverty in America, the less pressure I felt to attain success or wealth or prestige. And the more my world started to expand at the edges of my periphery, the more it became clear that life was more beautiful and more terrible than I had been told."In this collection of stunning and surprising essays, Mayfield invites readers to reconsider their concepts of justice, love, and reimagine being a citizen of this world and the upside-down kingdom of God.
Assise-là, à écouter
by Valerie HockertSuite au décès de son mari, une femme d’âge mûr se demande que faire sans lui et s’interroge sur la valeur de sa propre vie. Un jour, alors qu’elle remplit une boite de souvenirs et de photos, elle eut l’idée d’organiser une soirée où chaque participante apporterait un objet lié à une histoire qui les avait marquées. À ce moment-là, elle est loin de se douter que certaines des histoires de ses invitées révèleraient des secrets surprenants : une précédente vie, la perte d’un enfant, un accident… Et même si leurs souvenirs sont teintés d’une certaine tristesse, elles conservaient ces objets pour s’ancrer à la réalité. Ces histoires lui permettent de changer de perspectives sur sa vie et de comprendre qu’elle a encore beaucoup à apporter, surtout à ses amies.
Assisted Loving: True Tales of Double Dating with My Dad
by Bob MorrisWhat would you do if your eighty-year-old father dragged you into his hell-bent hunt for new love? Bob Morris, a seriously single son, tells you all about it in this warm, witty, and wacky chronicle of a year of dating dangerously.A few months after the death of his wife, Joe Morris, an affable, eccentric, bridge-obsessed octogenarian, starts flapping about for a replacement. If he can get a new hip, he figures, why not a new wife? At first, his son Bob is appalled, but suspicion quickly turns to enthusiasm as he finds himself trolling the personals, screening prospects, and offering etiquette tips, chaperoning services, and post-date assessments to his needy father.Bob hopes that Joe will find a well-heeled lady—or at least one who is very patient—to get him out of his hair. But soon they discover that finding a new mate will not be as easy as they think: one date is too morose, another too liberal; one's a three-timer, another just needs an escort until Mr. Right comes along. Dad persists and son assists. Am I pimping for my father? he begins to wonder. Meanwhile, Bob suffers similar frustrations; trying to find love isn't easy in a big-city market that has little use for a middle-aged gay man with an attitude and a paunch. But with the encouragement of his father (his biggest fan and the world's "most democratic Republican") he prevails. In the end, this memoir becomes a twin love story and a soulful lesson about giving and receiving affection with an open heart.With wicked humor and a dollop of compassion, Bob Morris gleefully explores the impact of senior parents on their boomer kids and the perils of dating at any age.
Assume Nothing: A Memoir of Intimate Violence
by Tanya SelvaratnamA combination of memoir, reporting, and research, Assume Nothing is an urgent, timely examination of a frightening type of abuse of power. It tells Tanya Selvaratnam’s incredible story, while offering tools and solutions for a problem that persists, dangerously, behind the closed bedroom doors of people we know and love.When Tanya met Eric, they fell quickly and effortlessly in love, fueling each other’s growing political ambitions. But their power dynamic soon took a dark turn, as he criticized Tanya and began to try to control her, even telling her that he would have to kill her if they broke up. Sex turned frighteningly violent. At a friend’s urging, she opened up to a domestic violence expert, who confirmed what Tanya, on some level, already knew: she was in an abusive relationship. She considered avenues for protection—an ethics complaint, a civil claim, going to the police. But a situation that would be dire for most women was even more dangerous for Tanya because her abuser was the attorney general of New York—the top law enforcement officer in the state. She feared he would be tipped off and that he would crush her. Tanya’s story is harrowing, but not as rare as you might think. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, on average, nearly twenty people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. Here Tanya uses her abuse at the hands of former New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to expose the prevalence of intimate partner violence—and offers steps to recognize, expose, and end it.
Assume Nothing: A Story of Intimate Violence
by Tanya SelvaratnamAward-winning filmmaker Tanya Selvaratnam bravely recounts the intimate abuse she suffered from former New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, using her story as a prism to examine the domestic violence crisis plaguing America.When Tanya Selvaratnam met then New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016, they seemed like the perfect match. Both were Harvard alumni; both studied Chinese; both were interested in spirituality and meditation, both were well-connected rising stars in their professions—Selvaratnam in entertainment and the art world; Schneiderman in law and politics. Behind closed doors, however, Tanya’s life was anything but ideal. Schneiderman became controlling, mean, and manipulative. He drank heavily and used sedatives. Sex turned violent, and he called Tanya—who was born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Southern California—his “brown slave.” He isolated and manipulated her, even threatening to kill her if she tried to leave. Twenty-five percent of women in America are victims of domestic abuse. Tanya never thought she would be a part of this statistic. Growing up, she witnessed her father physically and emotionally abuse her mother. Tanya knew the patterns and signs of domestic violence, and did not see herself as remotely vulnerable. Yet what seemed impossible was suddenly a terrifying reality: she was trapped in a violent relationship with one of the most powerful men in New York. Sensitive and nuanced, written with the gripping power of a dark psychological thriller, Assume Nothing details how Tanya’s relationship devolved into abuse, how she found the strength to leave—risking her career, reputation, and life—and how she reclaimed her freedom and her voice. In sharing her story, Tanya analyzes the insidious way women from all walks of life learn to accept abuse, and redefines what it means to be a victim of intimate violence.
Assume the Worst: The Graduation Speech You'll Never Hear
by Carl HiaasenThis is the ultimate hilarious, cynical, but absolutely realistic view of a college graduate's future. And what he or she can or can't do about it."This commencement address will never be given, because graduation speakers are supposed to offer encouragement and inspiration. That's not what you need. You need a warning."So begins Carl Hiaasen's attempt to prepare young men and women for their future. And who better to warn them about their precarious paths forward than Carl Hiaasen? The answer, after reading Assume the Worst, is: nobody.Illustrated by bestselling author/illustrator and National Book Award winner Roz Chast, this book is bound to be a classic, sold year after year come graduation time. Although it's also a good gift for anyone starting a job, getting married, or recently released from prison. Because it is not just funny. It is, in its own Hiaasen way, extremely wise and even hopeful. Well, it might not be full of hope, but there are certainly enough slivers of the stuff in there to more than keep us all going.
Astonished
by Beverly Donofrio"A narrative composed of brutal honesty, tenderness, and an aching love for God. I could not put it down. ” -Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees In the middle of her life, acclaimed memoirist Beverly Donofrio thought she’d found a safe haven in a beautiful town in Mexico-until she was awakened in her bed by a rapist. As she writes in this fierce, unflinching account: "This was not supposed to happen. I was supposed to have escaped: I had hot flashes and liver spots and was in the final stretch. ” Here Donofrio wrestles with anger toward her attacker and toward life, yet realizes her despair is not unlike that of other friends who are struggling with grave illnesses, loss of jobs, deaths of loved ones. Hoping to heal from trauma, Donofrio turns to prayer while journeying to five very different monasteries. A testimony to how anyone who is broken can move away from fear and anger toward grace, Astonished will not only be read and shared by fans of Donofrio’s previous books, but also by anyone who hopes to be inspired by Donofrio’s strength and her search for faith, healing, and identity. .
Astor & Nadia: De ontmoeting van Astor Piazzolla met Nadia Boulanger die de tango een nieuwe wending gaf.
by Lazaro DroznesToneelstuk gebaseerd op de ontmoeting tussen Astor Piazzolla, de beroemde Argentijnse musicus, en Nadia Boulanger, de wereldvermaarde muziekpedagoge uit Frankrijk. Het onderwijs en de adviezen van Boulanger waren doorslaggevend in de muzikale ontwikkeling van Astor Piazzolla en hebben de koers bepaald van de Argentijnse tango. Piazzolla, die vastbesloten was de tango en de bandoneon achter zich te laten, maakte door haar invloed de ommekeer om de tango wederom te omarmen, en werd daardoor wereldwijd de bekendste vertegenwoordiger van de tango en oogstte als componist veel lof voor de revolutionaire veranderingen die hij aanbracht in de muziek van Buenos Aires. We mogen rustig stellen dat Astor Piazzolla zonder Nadia Boulanger nooit beroemd zou zijn geworden. Lees dit boek en word getuige van deze wonderlijke gebeurtenis!
Astor&Nadia. O encontro entre Astor Piazzolla e Nadia Boulanger
by Gisela Leal Lázaro DroznesFicção sobre o encontro entre Nadia Boulanger e Astor Piazzolla que transformou tanto a história do tango como a vida do músico. O famoso autor de "Adios Nonino", "Libertango" e "Oblivion" abandonou o tango e o bandoneon enquanto jovem para aprender e compor música clássica. O encontro com a famosa professora de música francesa Nadia Boulanger ajudou Piazzolla a recuperar as suas raízes musicais e a revolucionar o tango argentino com novas técnicas. Sem Boulanger, Piazzolla nunca teria existido enquanto tal.
Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
by Anderson Cooper Katherine HoweA NPR Best Book of the YearThe number one New York Times bestselling authors of Vanderbilt return with another riveting history of a legendary American family, the Astors, and how they built and lavished their fortune.The story of the Astors is a quintessentially American story—of ambition, invention, destruction, and reinvention.From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society.The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic, one of many shocking and unexpected twists in the family’s story.In this unconventional, page-turning historical biography, featuring black-and-white and color photographs, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe chronicle the lives of the Astors and explore what the Astor name has come to mean in America—offering a window onto the making of America itself.
Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction
by Alec Nevala-Lee“A big biography of John Campbell, the genius magazine editor who created a mass market for science fiction, couldn’t be timelier. Alec Nevala-Lee’s granular portrait of Campbell and the quirky superstars whose careers he launched in the 1940s and 1950s is a gift to science fiction fans everywhere.” — Sylvia Nasar, New York Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Mind“[Astounding] is a major work of popular culture scholarship that science fiction fans will devour.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)Astounding is the landmark account of the extraordinary partnership between four controversial writers—John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and L. Ron Hubbard—who set off a revolution in science fiction and forever changed our world. This remarkable cultural narrative centers on the figure of John W. Campbell, Jr., whom Asimov called “the most powerful force in science fiction ever.” Campbell, who has never been the subject of a biography until now, was both a visionary author—he wrote the story that was later filmed as The Thing—and the editor of the groundbreaking magazine best known as Astounding Science Fiction, in which he discovered countless legendary writers and published classic works ranging from the I, Robot series to Dune. Over a period of more than thirty years, from the rise of the pulps to the debut of Star Trek, he dominated the genre, and his three closest collaborators reached unimaginable heights. Asimov became the most prolific author in American history; Heinlein emerged as the leading science fiction writer of his generation with the novels Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land; and Hubbard achieved lasting fame—and infamy—as the founder of the Church of Scientology. Drawing on unexplored archives, thousands of unpublished letters, and dozens of interviews, Alec Nevala-Lee offers a riveting portrait of this circle of authors, their work, and their tumultuous private lives. With unprecedented scope, drama, and detail, Astounding describes how fan culture was born in the depths of the Great Depression; follows these four friends and rivals through World War II and the dawn of the atomic era; and honors such exceptional women as Doña Campbell and Leslyn Heinlein, whose pivotal roles in the history of the genre have gone largely unacknowledged. For the first time, it reveals the startling extent of Campbell’s influence on the ideas that evolved into Scientology, which prompted Asimov to observe: “I knew Campbell and I knew Hubbard, and no movement can have two Messiahs.” It looks unsparingly at the tragic final act that estranged the others from Campbell, bringing the golden age of science fiction to a close, and it illuminates how their complicated legacy continues to shape the imaginations of millions and our vision of the future itself.
Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968
by Ryan H. WalshA mind-expanding dive into a lost chapter of 1968, featuring the famous and forgotten: Van Morrison, folkie-turned-cult-leader Mel Lyman, Timothy Leary, James Brown, and many more Van Morrison's Astral Weeks is an iconic rock album shrouded in legend, a masterpiece that has touched generations of listeners and influenced everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Martin Scorsese. In his first book, acclaimed musician and journalist Ryan H. Walsh unearths the album's fascinating backstory--along with the untold secrets of the time and place that birthed it: Boston 1968.On the 50th anniversary of that tumultuous year, Walsh's book follows a criss-crossing cast of musicians and visionaries, artists and hippie entrepreneurs, from a young Tufts English professor who walks into a job as a host for TV's wildest show (one episode required two sets, each tuned to a different channel) to the mystically inclined owner of radio station WBCN, who believed he was the reincarnation of a scientist from Atlantis. Most penetratingly powerful of all is Mel Lyman, the folk-music star who decided he was God, then controlled the lives of his many followers via acid, astrology, and an underground newspaper called Avatar.A mesmerizing group of boldface names pops to life in Astral Weeks: James Brown quells tensions the night after Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated; the real-life crimes of the Boston Strangler come to the movie screen via Tony Curtis; Howard Zinn testifies for Avatar in the courtroom. From life-changing concerts and chilling crimes, to acid experiments and film shoots, Astral Weeks is the secret, wild history of a unique time and place.One of LitHub's 15 Books You Should Read This March