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You Did WHAT?
by Tova LeighA fantastic collection of funny, moving and outrageous confessions from people from all walks of life, chosen and introduced by popular digital creator and bestselling author Tova Leigh."I was living with a nasty boyfriend who complained I didn't put enough pepper in his egg sandwich. So I dried out some hamster poop and chopped it into tiny pieces. He said it was delicious. Revenge is sweet!"Have you ever wondered what other people get up to when they think no one's looking? Do you have a mortifying secret of your own you've never dared share? Whatever scandalous incidents lie hidden in your past, don't worry: this wonderful collection of funny, sexy, hair-raising and heart-warming confessions will reassure you that you're by no means alone.These confessions have all been curated by bestselling author and digital creator Tova Leigh, who explains just why we should stop being ashamed of our secrets, and instead have the courage to make ourselves vulnerable, speak out and connect. In this ultimate page-turner, there are parenting confessions, sex confessions, workplace confessions, revenge confessions ... not forgetting the all-important bodily fluids confessions! You need never feel embarrassed by your own slip-ups and misdemeanours again."So I was married for nine years and after the divorce, when I was ready to sleep with other men, I signed up on Tinder. After a few dates I was thinking ... why do I give it for free, when men will pay for it? So I became an escort! I did it for about five months and I must say I had the best time ever ... made a lot of money and met some really nice interesting people."
'You Dirty Old Man!': The Authorised Biography of Wilfrid Brambell
by David ClaytonWilfrid Brambell was one of Britain’s most loved and complex character actors. As Albert Ladysmith Steptoe, the unscrupulous rag-and-bone man with questionable habits in Ray Galton and Alan Simpson’s long-running Steptoe & Son, he quickly became a household name with co-star Harry H. Corbett. But despite scores of other successes in roles on stage, TV and film, Brambell died a sad and lonely man.Alongside fame and fortune, ‘You Dirty Old Man!’ reveals how Brambell suffered unbelievable personal heartache, battling an inner turmoil that eventually drove him to drink as his marriage collapsed in the most deceitful circumstances imaginable. His torment led to a secretive life off camera where he did everything possible to stay out of the public eye.Featuring original interviews with film directors Richard Lester, Terence Davies and Tony Palmer, as well as recollections from his own family members, the family of Harry H. Corbett and those who worked alongside him, author David Clayton seeks to re-examine the legacy of a man whose loyal fanbase remains undiminished sixty years on from his heyday.
You Do You: How to Be Who You Are and Use What You've Got to Get What You Want
by Sarah Knight*From the 'anti-guru' author of the smash hit The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k and the New York Times bestseller Get Your Sh*t Together * In The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k, our favourite 'anti-guru' Sarah Knight unleashed the power of saying no. In Get Your Sh*t Together, she prioritised the sh*t you need and want to do so you can achieve your hopes and dreams. Now she's back, doubling down on your happiness with her latest message: You Do You. Being yourself should be the easiest thing in the world. Yet instead of leaning in to who we are, we fight it, listening too closely to what society tells us. You Do You helps you shake off those expectations, say f**k perfect, start looking out for number one and keep on with your badass self. From career and finances to relationships and family, lifestyle and health, Sarah Knight rips up the rulebook. Writing about her mistakes and embarrassments in her own personal quest to 'do me' - because nobody gets everything right all day, every day - Sarah Knight shows why you can and should f**k up and teaches you to let yourself off the hook, bounce back and keep standing tall.What everyone is saying about Sarah Knight:'The anti-guru' Observer'I love Knight' Sunday Times 'Life-affirming' Lucy Mangan, Guardian 'Genius' Vogue
You Do You: How to Be Who You Are and Use What You've Got to Get What You Want
by Sarah Knight*From the 'anti-guru' author of the smash hit The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k and the New York Times bestseller Get Your Sh*t Together * In The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k, our favourite 'anti-guru' Sarah Knight unleashed the power of saying no. In Get Your Sh*t Together, she prioritised the sh*t you need and want to do so you can achieve your hopes and dreams. Now she's back, doubling down on your happiness with her latest message: You Do You. Being yourself should be the easiest thing in the world. Yet instead of leaning in to who we are, we fight it, listening too closely to what society tells us. You Do You helps you shake off those expectations, say f**k perfect, start looking out for number one and keep on with your badass self. From career and finances to relationships and family, lifestyle and health, Sarah Knight rips up the rulebook. Writing about her mistakes and embarrassments in her own personal quest to 'do me' - because nobody gets everything right all day, every day - Sarah Knight shows why you can and should f**k up and teaches you to let yourself off the hook, bounce back and keep standing tall.What everyone is saying about Sarah Knight:'The anti-guru' Observer'I love Knight' Sunday Times 'Life-affirming' Lucy Mangan, Guardian 'Genius' Vogue (P)2017 Hachette Audio
You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War
by Elizabeth BeckerThe long-buried story of three extraordinary female journalists who permanently shattered the barriers to women covering war. Kate Webb, an Australian iconoclast, Catherine Leroy, a French daredevil photographer, and Frances FitzGerald, a blue-blood American intellectual, arrived in Vietnam with starkly different life experiences but one shared purpose: to report on the most consequential story of the decade. At a time when women were considered unfit to be foreign reporters, Frankie, Catherine, and Kate challenged the rules imposed on them by the military, ignored the belittlement of their male peers, and ultimately altered the craft of war reportage for generations. In You Don&’t Belong Here, Elizabeth Becker uses these women&’s work and lives to illuminate the Vietnam War from the 1965 American buildup, the expansion into Cambodia, and the American defeat and its aftermath. Arriving herself in the last years of the war, Becker writes as a historian and a witness of the times. What emerges is an unforgettable story of three journalists forging their place in a land of men, often at great personal sacrifice. Deeply reported and filled with personal letters, interviews, and profound insight, You Don&’t Belong Here fills a void in the history of women and of war.
You Don't Cry Out Loud: The Lily Isaacs Story
by Lily IsaacsA powerful, unforgettable account of Christ's grace, mercy, and His work in their lives! A talented daughter of Holocaust survivors, Lily Isaacs is a woman who has felt pain and loss, and found the incomparable joy of a life with Jesus Christ. As a new Christian believer, she became estranged from her Jewish parents because of her faith, yet she never walked alone, always clinging to the hope she found in Christ. Throughout her music and that of her children, who together form the beloved and multi-award winning group The Isaacs, you hear the resonating inspirational legacy of this family's faith journey. An autobiographical look at Lily's life, from being a Jewish folk singer to serving as vocalist and matriarch of The Isaacs The powerful account of her struggle with a once unknown faith and how she finally "cried her way to God from the church's back pew" The incredible insights behind heartbreaking moments which were her greatest opportunities of faith. Whether surviving breast cancer or a challenging career, Lily's steady refrain has been one of God's constant love, comfort, and strength. With a remarkable and unforgettable mix of acoustic, gospel, and country music, she and The Isaacs continue to inspire and entertain audiences in churches and on stage around the world!
You Don’t Have to Be a Champion... to Be a Winner!: A journey from Xerox to F1
by Brian SimsFrom fitting wheels to wheelbarrows in a builders' merchant, Brian rapidly climbed the business ladder and became a Xerox salesman. He was unaware that the professional selling skills he was learning would one day propel him into the glamorous and overtly commercial world of F1. A disastrous debut at a racing driver school was the spark that lit his passion for motor racing. Aware of the need for some serious financial backing to be able to take part, Brian embarked on a variety of highly innovative and often extremely entertaining ways of securing sponsorship, including working with the cast of a top 1970s' BBC sit-com, as well as with John Cleese, of Monty Python fame. A chance meeting on a plane with Max Mosley offered an opportunity of managing one of the most popular F1 Grand Prix circuits. This, in turn, led to the heady heights of a factory drive for Mercedes and the establishment of South Africa's first racing driver school. It was only a matter of time before Brian's exceptional sponsorship-acquisition skills took him to F1, where he quickly made a name for himself by securing multi-million pound deals with three of the most sought after global corporations. However, Brian's greatest achievement in motorsport was to establish the Motorsport Industry Association in 1994, in a bid to secure government recognition of the industry in its own right. Once again, Brian's sales skills played a key role. Without ever becoming a household name as a motor racing champion, Brian's story of how he most definitely became a winner is not only inspirational, but highly entertaining, amusing, often irreverent and informative. You Don't Have to Be a Champion... to Be a Winner is the story of Brian Sims, who left school in 1963 with just 5 GCE O-Levels and a shattered dream of following in his father's footsteps as a Royal Air Force pilot.
You Don't Have to Be in Who's Who to Know What's What: The Choice Wit and Wisdom of Sam Levenson
by Sam LevensonThe author and humorist Sam Levenson is quoted hundreds of time each day on Twitter, and his sayings appear on everything from t-shirts to inspirational signs. To read through and savor You Don't Have To Be In Who's Who To Know What's What is to discover much of the source material for his timeless wisdom. It is a treasure trove of topics ranging from family ("Insanity is hereditary; you can get it from your children") to perseverance ("Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.") Levenson's upbringing was as the youngest of eight children in a large Jewish immigrant family in New York. He evolved from a Spanish teacher in Brooklyn to working the Catskills circuit as a comedian and by the 1950s was a fixture in American homes as television personality, appearing and guest hosting numerous times on classic shows like This Is Show Business, Two For The Money, and The Ed Sullivan Show. For several years, he hosted his own variety show on CBS called The Sam Levenson Show, where the set doubled as a school classroom and the guests often evoked Levenson's love of learning, teaching, and family. These experiences informed his lessons about life, family and careers, and make this definitive collections of his views and sayings so timeless.
You Don't Have to Be Your Mother
by Gayle FeldmanA woman 8 months pregnant discovers she has breast cancer. This is a true story and a step-by-step walk, through her discovery, diagnosis, birth of her baby, her breast surgery, and post surgery. A must-read for anyone facing this disease.
You Don't Have to Like Me
by Alida NugentThe author of Don't Worry, It Gets Worse takes on the F-word Alida Nugent's first book, Don't Worry, It Gets Worse, received terrific reviews, and her self-deprecating "everygirl" approach continues to win the Internet-savvy writer and blogger new fans. Now, she takes on one of today's hottest cultural topics: feminism. Nugent is a proud feminist--and she's not afraid to say it. From the "scarlet F" thrust upon you if you declare yourself a feminist at a party to how to handle judgmental store clerks when you buy Plan B, You Don't Have to Like Me skewers a range of cultural issues, and confirms Nugent as a star on the rise.From the Trade Paperback edition.
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir
by Sherman AlexieOne of the most anticipated books of 2017--Entertainment Weekly and Bustle A searing, deeply moving memoir about family, love, loss, and forgiveness from the critically acclaimed, bestselling National Book Award-winning author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Family relationships are never simple. But Sherman Alexie's bond with his mother Lillian was more complex than most. She plunged her family into chaos with a drinking habit, but shed her addiction when it was on the brink of costing her everything. She survived a violent past, but created an elaborate facade to hide the truth. She selflessly cared for strangers, but was often incapable of showering her children with the affection that they so desperately craved. She wanted a better life for her son, but it was only by leaving her behind that he could hope to achieve it. It's these contradictions that made Lillian Alexie a beautiful, mercurial, abusive, intelligent, complicated, and very human woman.When she passed away, the incongruities that defined his mother shook Sherman and his remembrance of her. Grappling with the haunting ghosts of the past in the wake of loss, he responded the only way he knew how: he wrote. The result is a stunning memoir filled with raw, angry, funny, profane, tender memories of a childhood few can imagine, much less survive. An unflinching and unforgettable remembrance, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME is a powerful, deeply felt account of a complicated relationship. *Winner of the 2018 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Non-Fiction
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
by Simon Napier-BellYou probably know Simon Napier-Bell as the manager of the Yardbirds. Or you may know him as the man who managed Marc Bolan, or Japan. You should definitely know him as the man who managed Wham! And if none of these rings a bell, maybe you'll remember him as the man who co-wrote 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' for Dusty Springfield. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me is one of the funniest books you will read and equally provoking. From his revelation that the entire music industry was motivated by sex, to an embarrassing come-on from a suicidal Brian Epstein, it's all shocking stuff. But when you're on the run from the German police with Marc Bolan, brothel-hopping with Keith Moon and generally living the life of Riley at the music industry's expense, it would be a shame not to share those amazing experiences with the rest of the world, wouldn't it? Of all the great pop-music books written, it is worth savouring You Don't Have To Say You Love Me for its brilliant sideways insight into one of the most exciting cultural periods Britain has ever seen.
You Don't Know Me
by Mary Jane Ross Ray Charles RobinsonA deeply personal memoir of the private Ray Charles - the man behind the legend - by his eldest son.Ray Charles is an American music legend. A multiple Grammy Award-winning composer, pianist, and singer with an inimitable vocal style and a catalog of hits including "What I Say," "Georgia on My Mind," "Unchain My Heart," "I Can't Stop Loving You," and "America the Beautiful," Ray Charles's music is loved by fans around the world.Now his eldest son, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., shares an intimate glimpse of the man behind the music, with never-before-told stories. Going beyond the fame, the concerts, and the tours, Ray Jr. opens the doors of his family home and reveals their private lives with fondness and frankness.He shares his father's grief and guilt over his little brother's death at the age of five -- as well of moments of personal joy, like watching his father run his hands over the Christmas presents under their tree while singing softly to himself. He tells of how Ray overcame the challenges of being blind, even driving cars, riding a Vespa, and flying his own plane. And, in gripping detail, he reveals how as a six-year-old boy he saved his father's life one harrowing night.Ray Jr. writes honestly about the painful facts of the addiction that nearly destroyed his father's life. His father's struggles with heroin addiction, his arrests, and how he ultimately kicked the drug cold turkey are presented in unflinching detail. Ray Jr. also shares openly about how, as an adult, he fell victim to the same temptations that plagued his father.He paints a compassionate portrait of his mother, Della, whose amazing voice as a gospel singer first attracted Ray Charles. Though her husband's drug use, his womanizing, and the paternity suits leveled against him constantly threatened the stability of the Robinson home, Della exhibited incredible resilience and inner strength.Told with deep love and fearless candor, You Don't Know Me is the powerful and poignant story of the Ray Charles the public never saw -- the father and husband and fascinating human being who also happened to be one of the greatest musicians of all time.From the Hardcover edition.
You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me
by Nathan RabinFilled with veteran pop culture writer Nathan Rabin's "trademark humor, quirkiness, and self-deprecation" (USA TODAY) comes a gonzo exploration of two of music's most obsessed fanbases: Phish's neo-hippie following and hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse's "Juggalos." When memoirist and head writer for The A.V. Club Nathan Rabin first set out to write about obsessed music fans, he had no idea the journey would take him to the deepest recesses of both the pop culture universe and his own mind. For two very curious years, Rabin, who Mindy Kaling called "smart and funny" in The New Yorker, hit the road with two of music's most well-established fanbases: Phish's hippie fans and Insane Clown Posse's notorious "Juggalos." Musically or style-wise, these two groups could not be more different from each other, and Rabin, admittedly, was a cynic about both bands. But once he gets deep below the surface, past the caricatures and into the essence of their collective cultures, he discovers that both groups have tapped into the human need for community. Rabin also grapples with his own mental well-being--he discovers that he is bipolar--and his journey is both a prism for cultural analysis and a deeply personal exploration, equal parts humor and heart.
You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know
by Heather SellersAn unusual and uncommonly moving family memoir, with a twist that give new meaning to hindsight, insight, and forgiveness. Heather Sellers is face-blind-that is, she has prosopagnosia, a rare neurological condition that prevents her from reliably recognizing people's faces. Growing up, unaware of the reason for her perpetual confusion and anxiety, she took what cues she could from speech, hairstyle, and gait. But she sometimes kissed a stranger, thinking he was her boyfriend, or failed to recognize even her own father and mother. She feared she must be crazy. Yet it was her mother who nailed windows shut and covered them with blankets, made her daughter walk on her knees to spare the carpeting, had her practice secret words to use in the likely event of abduction. Her father went on weeklong "fishing trips" (aka benders), took in drifters, wore panty hose and bras under his regular clothes. Heather clung to a barely coherent story of a "normal" childhood in order to survive the one she had. That fairy tale unraveled two decades later when Heather took the man she would marry home to meet her parents and began to discover the truth about her family and about herself. As she came at last to trust her own perceptions, she learned the gift of perspective: that embracing the past as it is allows us to let it go. And she illuminated a deeper truth-that even in the most flawed circumstances, love may be seen and felt. Watch a Video .
You Don't Look Your Age...and Other Fairy Tales: And Other Fairy Tales
by Sheila NevinsINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“Thank you to Sheila Nevins for putting all this down for posterity. Women need this kind of honest excavation of the process of living.” —Meryl StreepAn astonishingly frank, funny, poignant book for any woman who wishes they had someone who would say to them, “This happened to me, learn from my mistakes and my successes. Because you don’t get smarter as you get older, you get braver.”Sheila Nevins is the best friend you never knew you had. She is your discreet confidante you can tell any secret to, your sage mentor at work who helps you navigate the often uneven playing field, your wise sister who has “been there, done that,” your hysterical girlfriend whose stories about men will make laugh until you cry. Sheila Nevins is the one person who always tells it like it is. In You Don’t Look Your Age, the famed documentary producer (as President of HBO Documentary Films for over 30 years, Nevins has rightfully been credited with creating the documentary rebirth) finally steps out from behind the camera and takes her place front and center.In these pages you will read about the real life challenges of being a woman in a man's world, what it means to be a working mother, what it’s like to be an older woman in a youth-obsessed culture, the sometimes changing, often sweet truth about marriages, what being a feminist really means, and that you are in good company if your adult children don’t return your phone calls.So come, sit down, make yourself comfortable, (and for some of you, don’t forget the damn reading glasses). You’re in for a treat.
You Don't Lose 'Til You Quit Trying: Lessons on Adversity and Victory from a Vietnam Veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient
by Caroline Lambert Gary Sinise Sammy Lee DavisThe inspiring true life story of Vietnam veteran, Medal of Honor recipient and veteran's advocate Sammy Lee Davis. On November 18th, 1967, Private First Class Davis's artillery unit was hit by a massive enemy offensive. At twenty-one years old, he resolved to face the onslaught and prepared to die. Soon he would have a perforated kidney, crushed ribs, a broken vertebra, his flesh ripped by beehive darts, a bullet in his thigh, and burns all over his body. Ignoring his injuries, he manned a two-ton Howitzer by himself, crossed a canal under heavy fire to rescue three wounded American soldiers, and kept fighting until the enemy retreated. His heroism that day earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor--the ceremony footage of which ended up being used in the movie Forrest Gump. You Don't Lose 'Til You Quit Trying chronicles how his childhood in the American Heartland prepared him for the worst night of his life--and how that night set off a lifetime battling against debilitating injuries, the effects of Agent Orange and an America that was turning on its veterans. But he also battled for his fellow veterans, speaking on their behalf for forty years to help heal the wounds and memorialize the brotherhood that war could forge. Here, readers will learn of Sammy Davis's extraordinary life--the courage, the pain, and the triumph.
You Don't Need a Dick to DJ
by Smokin JoBefore she became Smokin Jo - the most famous and visible of the first generation of 'superstar DJs' - Joanne Joseph was a young girl growing up in a children's home with her sister. Until her mother returned and whisked the siblings away just before secondary school to a flat on the Portobello Road, her life was devoid of music: the home didn't allow it, apart from hymns and carols at Christmas.As she entered the turbulent years of adolescence, Jo found herself pulled towards Soho and the burgeoning underground acid house scene, instantly finding herself at home amongst other artists, musicians and misfits who breathed and survived on dance music and ecstasy. Within a couple of years, in a lightning-fast ascent, Jo claimed her permanent place as one of England's most exciting and revered DJs of the British rave scene. In 1992, Jo was awarded DJ of the Year in DJ Magazine's list of Top 100 DJ's. To this day she is still the only woman to achieve this accolade.This alternately celebratory and brutal memoir tells a story full of change, growth and determination. It documents Jo's life and loves; her struggles with drink and drugs and journey towards peace and sobriety. It documents the highs and lows of rave culture in an unprecedented way through Jo herself: the elation and euphoria that comes with entertaining an audience as well as the misogyny, the racism, the prejudice and homophobia of the scene, as told by someone who has been at the hard end of these experiences. You Don't Need a Dick to DJ is an extraordinary, moving and unforgettable story from a pioneer and survivor; perhaps the most honest and startling memoir yet to emerge from the club scene.
You Don't Own Me: The Life and Times of Lesley Gore
by Trevor Tolliver1963 tail fins were in, sock hops were hot, and a fairytale white knight was president. That summer, sixteen year-old singer Lesley Gore released her debut single, "It's My Party," propelling her to Number One on the charts. For the next several years, the crowned Princess of Pop dominated the radio with a string of hits including "Judy's Turn to Cry," "She's A Fool," "Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows," and the rousing anthem for independence, "You Don't Own Me," making her the most successful and influential solo female artist of the 60s. But beneath the bubblegum facade was a girl squirming against social and professional pressures to simply be herself and to forge a future where she could write and perform music beyond the trappings of teenage angst and love triangles. Assembled over five years of research and interviews, this is the first and long overdue biography of Lesley Gore, one of pop music's pioneering Mothers, which chronicles her meteoric rise to fame, her devastating fall from popularity and struggle for relevance in the 1970s, and her reemergence as a powerful songwriter, political activist, and camp icon. The biography includes behind-the-scenes stories about the making of her hit records, debunks or clarifies popular myths about her career, and places her remarkable life and times within a historical context to reveal how her music was both impacted by, and contributed to, each decade of her astounding fifty-year career.
You Get What You Pay For: Essays
by Morgan ParkerThe award-winning author of Magical Negro traces the difficulty and beauty of existing as a Black woman through American history, from the foundational trauma of the slave trade all the way up to Serena Williams and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina&“An engrossing journey through Parker&’s expansive and gifted mind.&”—Clint Smith, author of How the Word Is PassedDubbed a voice of her generation, poet and writer Morgan Parker has spent much of her adulthood in therapy, trying to square the resonance of her writing with the alienation she feels in nearly every aspect of life, from her lifelong singleness to a battle with depression. She traces this loneliness to an inability to feel truly safe with others and a historic hyperawareness stemming from the effects of slavery.In a collection of essays as intimate as being in the room with Parker and her therapist, Parker examines America&’s cultural history and relationship to Black Americans through the ages. She touches on such topics as the ubiquity of beauty standards that exclude Black women, the implications of Bill Cosby&’s fall from grace in a culture predicated on acceptance through respectability, and the pitfalls of visibility as seen through the mischaracterizations of Serena Williams as alternately iconic and too ambitious.With piercing wit and incisive observations, You Get What You Pay For is ultimately a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness and its effects on mental well-being in America today. Weaving unflinching criticism with intimate anecdotes, this devastating memoir-in-essays paints a portrait of one Black woman&’s psyche—and of the writer&’s search to both tell the truth and deconstruct it.
You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories
by Gabrielle UnionRemember when we hit it off so well that we decided We’re Going to Need More Wine? Well, this time you and I are going to turn to our friend the bartender and ask, You Got Anything Stronger? I promise to continue to make you laugh, but with this round, the stakes get higher as the conversation goes deeper. <P><P>So. Where were we? <P><P>Right, you and I left off in October 2017, when my first book came out. The weeks before were filled with dreams of loss. Pets dying. My husband leaving me. Babies not being born. My therapist told me it was my soul preparing for my true self to emerge after letting go of my grief. I had finally spoken openly about my fertility journey. I was having second thoughts—in fact, so many thoughts they were organizing to go on strike. But I knew I had to be honest because I didn’t want other women going through IVF to feel as alone as I did. I had suffered in isolation, having so many miscarriages that I could not give an exact number. Strangers shared their own journeys and heartbreak with me. I had led with the truth, and it opened the door to compassion. When I released We’re Going to Need More Wine, the response was so great people asked when I would do a sequel. The New York Times even ran a headline reading “We’re Going to Need More Gabrielle Union.” Frankly, after being so open and honest in my writing, I wasn’t sure there was more of me I was ready to share. But life happens with all its plot twists. And new stories demand to be told. This time, I need to be more vulnerable—not so much for me, but anyone who feels alone in what they’re going through. <P><P>A lot has changed in four years—I became a mom and I’m raising two amazing girls. My husband retired. My career has expanded so that I have the opportunity to lift up other voices that need to be heard. But the world has also shown us that we have a lot we still have to fight for—as women, as black women, as mothers, as aging women, as human beings, as friends. In You Got Anything Stronger?, I show you how this ever-changing life presents challenges, even as it gives me moments of pure joy. I take you on a girl’s night at Chateau Marmont, and I also talk to Isis, my character from Bring It On. For the first time, I truly open up about my surrogacy journey and the birth of Kaavia James Union Wade. And I take on racist institutions and practices in the entertainment industry, asking for equality and real accountability. <P><P>You Got Anything Stronger? is me at my most vulnerable. I have recently found true strength in that vulnerability, and I want to share that power with you here, through this book. <P><P><b>A New York Times Best Seller</b>
You Got Nothing Coming
by Jimmy LernerYou are convicts. Your job here is to lie, cheat, steal, extort, get tattoos, take drugs, sell drugs, shank and sock each other. Just don't let us catch you u that's our job. We catch you, you got nothin' coming. It is your worst nightmare. You wake up naked in an eight-by-ten-foot steel cell designated 'Suicide Watch #3'. The cell is real. Jimmy Lerner, former family man and corporate strategic planner, has become a prison 'fish', or green new arrival. Taken to a penitentiary in the Nevada desert to serve a twelve-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter, this previously nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn ends up sharing a claustrophobic cell with Kansas, a hugely muscled skinhead with a swastika tattooed on his neck and a serious set of issues. You Got Nothing Coming takes us into a corrupt world powered by violence, drugs, rape, fear and racial hatred. With brash, dark humour Jimmy Lerner tells us how the techniques learnt in management seminars have helped him survive in this hostile environment, and how a lethal act of self-defence landed him in this circle of American prison hell in the first place. Bracingly cynical and perceptive, this terrifying story is all truth.
You Gotta Be Alive To Whinge
by John Cutty CutmoreGrowing up on a dairy farm honed John Cutty Cutmore's tenacity and wry humour. Here is a tale of tough times and good times in the Obi Obi farming community deep in the beautiful hinterland of Queensland's Sunshine Coast, interspersed with photographs and humorous anecdotes of unlikely characters and stories tall and true. When a horrific farm accident causes Cutty injuries that no-one in the world is known to have survived, the community rallies to his support. Cutty tells of his fight for life and an amazing recovery, aided by a loving family and friends and the determination of skilled doctors and nurses.
You Gotta Be You: How to Embrace This Messy Life and Step Into Who You Really Are
by Brandon Kyle GoodmanAudible's Best of the Year in Well-Being YOU ARE ENOUGH EXACTLY AS YOU ARE. From the time we&’re born, a litany of do&’s and don&’ts are placed on us by our families, our communities, and society. We&’re required to fit into boxes based on our race, gender, sexuality, and other parts of our identities, being told by others how we should behave, who we should date, or what we should be interested in. For so many of us, those boxes begin to feel like shackles when we realize they don&’t fit our unique shape, yet we keep trying because we crave acceptance and validation. But is &“fitting in&” worth the time, energy, and suffering? Actor, writer, and activist Brandon Kyle Goodman says, Hell no it ain&’t! As a Black nonbinary, queer person in a dark-skinned 6&’1&”, 180-pound male body born into a religious immigrant household, Brandon knows the pain of having to hide one&’s true self, the work of learning to love that true self, and the freedom of finally being your true self. In You Gotta Be You, Brandon affectionately challenges you to consider, &“Who would I be if society never got its hands on me?&” This question set Brandon on a mission to dropkick societal shackles by unlearning all the things he was told he should be in order to step into who he really is. It required him to reexamine messy but ultimately defining moments in his life—his first time being followed in a store, navigating his mother&’s born-again Christianity, and regretfully using soap as lube (yes, you read that right!)—to find the lessons that would guide him to his most authentic self. Compassionate and soulful, funny and revealing, You Gotta Be You is an unapologetic call to self-freedom. It&’s about turning rejection (from others and yourself) into a roadmap to self-love. It&’s a guide to setting boundaries and fostering self-growth. And most importantly, it&’s an affirmation that we are enough exactly as we are.
You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams: My Life in Stories and Pictures
by Alan CummingA magical concoction of the mischievous, tender, whimsical, and debauched real-life adventures of Alan Cumming, told in his own words and pictures. Described by the New York Times as "a bawdy countercultural sprite" and named one of the most fun people in show business by Time magazine, Alan Cumming is a genuine quadruple threat--an internationally acclaimed, award-winning star of stage, television, and film, as well as a New York Times best-selling author whose real-life vivacity, wit, and charm shine through every page of his third book, You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams. In these forty-five picture essays, Cumming recounts his real-life adventures (and often, misadventures), illustrated by his own equally entertaining photographs. From an awkward bonding session with Elizabeth Taylor to poignant stories about his family and friends to some harsh words of wisdom imparted by Oprah that make up the title of this collection, You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams is as eclectic, enchanting, and alive as its author.