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What a Life!: A Memoir
by Donald JacobsDon Jacobs, exuberant, wise, and remarkably capable of regarding himself lightly, has written a memoir. Here he candidly explores how he simultaneously held the trust of conservative North American Mennonites and the respect of African Mennonites who chose him to be their first bishop. He writes openly about his parents and their cultural differences, and he locates the source of his ability to swing comfortably between worlds in his childhood home. Jacobs earned a doctorate in anthropology from New York University, although he gave his life to the church around the world, rather than to academia. He reflects on that reality in these pages. His rollicking sense of humor, his clear spiritual commitments, and his searching questions about his own motives thread through this book. Photographs throughout show him at home with his beloved family, and at home in both North America and Africa.
What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals
by Terry Mcauliffe Steve KettmannBiography of a man who's been at the epicenter of American politics for decades, as a strategist and head of the Democratic National Committee
What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years
by Ricky RiccardiProdigiously researched and richly detailed, this is a comprehensive account of the remarkable final twenty-five years of the life and art of one of America's greatest and most beloved musical icons. Much has been written about Louis Armstrong, but the majority of it focuses on the early and middle stages of his long career. Now, Ricky Riccardi--jazz scholar and musician--takes an in-depth look at the years in which Armstrong was often dismissed as a buffoonish, if popular, entertainer, and shows us instead the inventiveness and depth of expression that his music evinced during this time. These are the years (from after World War II until his death in 1971) when Armstrong entertained crowds around the world and recorded his highest-charting hits, including "Mack the Knife" and "Hello, Dolly!"; years when he collaborated with, among others, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Dave Brubeck; when he recorded with strings and big bands, and, of course, with the All Stars, his primary recording ensemble for more than two decades. Riccardi makes clear that these were years in which Armstrong both burnished and enhanced his legacy as one of jazz's most influential figures. Eminently readable, informative, and insightful, here, finally, is a book that enlarges and completes our understanding of a peerless musical genius of commanding influence as both an instrumentalist and a vocalist.From the Hardcover edition.
What a Year (A 26 Fairmount Avenue Book)
by Tomie DePaolaCelebrate Tomie's sixth birthday in style, watch as he dresses up as Snow White for his first Halloween trick-or-treating, join in as he celebrates holidays with his family, suffers through a bout of the chicken pox, and gets to stay up to see in the new year.
What about Darwin?: All Species of Opinion from Scientists, Sages, Friends, and Enemies Who Met, Read, and Discussed the Naturalist Who Changed the World
by Thomas F. Glick2010 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice MagazineCharles Darwin and his revolutionary ideas inspired pundits the world over to put pen to paper. In this unique dictionary of quotations, Darwin scholar Thomas Glick presents fascinating observations about Darwin and his ideas from such notable figures as P. T. Barnum, Anton Chekhov, Mahatma Gandhi, Carl Jung, Martin Luther King, Mao Tse-tung, Pius IX, Jules Verne, and Virginia Woolf. What was it about Darwin that generated such widespread interest? His Origin of Species changed the world. Naturalists, clerics, politicians, novelists, poets, musicians, economists, and philosophers alike could not help but engage his theory of evolution. Whatever their view of his theory, however, those who met Darwin were unfailingly charmed by his modesty, kindness, honesty, and seriousness of purpose. This diverse collection drawn from essays, letters, novels, short stories, plays, poetry, speeches, and parodies demonstrates how Darwin’s ideas permeated all areas of thought. The quotations trace a broad conversation about Darwin across great distances of time and space, revealing his profound influence on the great thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
What in Me Is Dark: The Revolutionary Afterlife of Paradise Lost
by Orlando ReadeA highly original hybrid of literary criticism and political history, telling of the enduring, surprising and ever-evolving relevance of Milton&’s epic poem through the scandalous life of its creator and the revolutionary lives that were influenced by it.What in Me Is Dark tells the unlikely story of how Milton&’s epic poem came to haunt political struggles over the past four centuries, including the many different, unexpected, often contradictory ways in which it has been read, interpreted, and appropriated through time and across the world, and to revolutionary ends. The book focuses on twelve readers—including Malcolm X, Thomas Jefferson, George Eliot, Hannah Arendt, and C.L.R James—whose lives demonstrate extraordinary and disturbing influence on the modern age.Drawing from his own experiences teaching Paradise Lost in New Jersey prisons, English scholar Orlando Reade deftly investigates how the poem was read by people embedded in struggles against tyranny, slavery, colonialism, gender inequality, and capitalist exploitation. It is experimental nonfiction at its finest; rich literary analysis and social, cultural and political history are woven together to make a clarifying case for the undeniable impact of the poem.
What in the World?!: A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings
by Leanne Morgan&“This book is the inspirational story that we all need. No one makes me laugh harder than Leanne Morgan!&”—Reese WitherspoonThe beloved comedy sensation packs a hilarious punch with real talk about what it&’s like to be a woman today—from rebelling against the latest diet trends to dealing with perimenopausal mean girls and attending rock concerts in middle age. For a long time, no one pulling the strings in the comedy world thought that a woman over fifty from rural Tennessee could make it in the industry. But Leanne Morgan has defied the odds, reaching millions with her musings on hormones, low-rise britches, Weight Watchers, and her opposites-attract relationship with her husband, Chuck. In her charming southern accent, Morgan brings readers inside her quest to find her voice after spending many years trying to figure out what that meant. Along the way, we learn how she grew up as a butcher&’s daughter, landed a husband with health insurance, honed her stand-up technique selling jewelry at house parties, embraced the glories of aging, and surrendered to the comfort of wearing big flesh-toned panties. Equal parts warm and hilarious, this book is a must-read by one of comedy&’s rising stars—reminding you that every time life leaves you asking &“What in the world?!,&” something good is bound to come out of it someday.
What is Beautiful in the Sky: A book about endings and beginnings
by Michael Harding'In these strange days Michael Harding's route taking and wise words gently nudge us towards the future, steadying us as we navigate the great unknowns ahead' Joe Duffy The bestselling new book from acclaimed writer and Irish Times columnist. It's dawn and in the early morning light, Michael Harding is walking in his garden in the hills above Lough Allen in Leitrim, dreaming of the new beginning in Donegal he had planned before the world changed in the early months of 2020. Here, in his stunning and intimate new book, we travel with Michael through this day as he looks back at a life lived within, and as part of, the Irish landscape. In doing so, he vividly brings to life what is at the heart of Irish identity: storytelling, love and human connection. With honesty, insight and tenderness, he shows that while everything has changed, that which is important remains the same; and how, in this new world, we can live with hope and faith in everything that is beautiful in the sky. What is Beautiful in the Sky is an account of our times: a record of our past and a promise of new beginnings. 'This morning is special. The air is cleaner than it used to be. Birds sing with a deeper resonance. The apple trees shed their petals and fatten their fruit with an astonishing defiance; as if nature itself carried a coded message; everything will be OK in the end. Hope may seem lost with each new death but love has become more visible in every hospital corridor in the world."Let's begin again."
What is Beautiful in the Sky: A book about endings and beginnings
by Michael Harding'In these strange days Michael Harding's route taking and wise words gently nudge us towards the future, steadying us as we navigate the great unknowns ahead' Joe Duffy The bestselling new book from acclaimed writer and Irish Times columnist. It's dawn and in the early morning light, Michael Harding is walking in his garden in the hills above Lough Allen in Leitrim, dreaming of the new beginning in Donegal he had planned before the world changed in the early months of 2020. Here, in his stunning and intimate new book, we travel with Michael through this day as he looks back at a life lived within, and as part of, the Irish landscape. In doing so, he vividly brings to life what is at the heart of Irish identity: storytelling, love and human connection. With honesty, insight and tenderness, he shows that while everything has changed, that which is important remains the same; and how, in this new world, we can live with hope and faith in everything that is beautiful in the sky. What is Beautiful in the Sky is an account of our times: a record of our past and a promise of new beginnings. 'This morning is special. The air is cleaner than it used to be. Birds sing with a deeper resonance. The apple trees shed their petals and fatten their fruit with an astonishing defiance; as if nature itself carried a coded message; everything will be OK in the end. Hope may seem lost with each new death but love has become more visible in every hospital corridor in the world."Let's begin again."
What is Beautiful in the Sky: A book about endings and beginnings
by Michael Harding'In these strange days Michael Harding's route taking and wise words gently nudge us towards the future, steadying us as we navigate the great unknowns ahead' Joe Duffy The bestselling new book from acclaimed writer and Irish Times columnist. It's dawn and in the early morning light, Michael Harding is walking in his garden in the hills above Lough Allen in Leitrim, dreaming of the new beginning in Donegal he had planned before the world changed in the early months of 2020. Here, in his stunning and intimate new book, we travel with Michael through this day as he looks back at a life lived within, and as part of, the Irish landscape. In doing so, he vividly brings to life what is at the heart of Irish identity: storytelling, love and human connection. With honesty, insight and tenderness, he shows that while everything has changed, that which is important remains the same; and how, in this new world, we can live with hope and faith in everything that is beautiful in the sky. What is Beautiful in the Sky is an account of our times: a record of our past and a promise of new beginnings. 'This morning is special. The air is cleaner than it used to be. Birds sing with a deeper resonance. The apple trees shed their petals and fatten their fruit with an astonishing defiance; as if nature itself carried a coded message; everything will be OK in the end. Hope may seem lost with each new death but love has become more visible in every hospital corridor in the world."Let's begin again."
What is My Destiny?: A Guided Journal to Help You Unlock the Secrets of Your Future
by Astrid CarvelThis guided journal contains everything you need to learn the skills of the clairvoyant and decipher messages from the universeThe ability to foresee our future is something we all long for, and with the help of this guided journal you’ll find yourself harnessing your psychic abilities in no time. From naeviology to numerology, tasseography to tarot and everything in between, this book will be your ultimate guide to fortune telling.Discover the fascinating history behind different divination techniques and how to tap into your own magical abilities with step-by-step instructions and thought-provoking questions. Packed with activities, methods and space to log your interpretations and findings, this book will help you develop your psychic gifts and discover your true path.Learn how to:Analyze the lines and formations of your palmCreate your own dowsing rods and master the art of rhabdomancyInterpret the meaning behind your dreamsDecipher your birth chartYour destiny awaits!
What is a Girl Worth
by Rachael DenhollanderRachael Denhollander’s voice was heard around the world when she spoke out to end the most shocking US gymnastics scandal in history. The first victim to publicly accuse Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team doctor who sexually abused hundreds of young athletes, Rachael now reveals her full story for the first time. How did Nassar get away with it for so long? How did Rachael and the other survivors finally stop him and bring him to justice? And how can we protect the vulnerable in our own families, churches, and communities?
What it Takes to Pull Me Through
by David L. MarcusThis is a book about a therapeutic boarding school for out-of-control teens.
What it Takes, from $20 to $200 Million: A Memoir
by Jerry Azarkman Ruth Garcia-CorralesWhat it Takes, from $20 to $200 Million is the true story of a man who with $20 in his pocket took a product and started selling it door to door, with ADD, not speaking English nor Spanish, but with the determination of making it happen. He identifies an underserved niche and develops a multimillion dollar operation, selling in Spanish in USA. This is the story of his family, the struggles and achievements and in a few steps it takes all from the start to the developing of a multimillion dollar business.
What on Earth Have I Done: Stories, Observations, and Affirmations
by Robert Fulghumfulghum looks at people and what they do, and alwayws puts a positive spin on what he sees, very entertaining
What the **** is Normal?!
by Francesca MartinezIf you grow up in a world where wrinkles are practically illegal, going bald is cause for a mental breakdown, and women over size zero are encouraged to shoot themselves (immediately), what the hell do you do if you’re, gasp … DISABLED? Whatever body you’re born into, the pressure to be normal is everywhere. But have you ever met a normal person? What do they look like? Where do they live? What do they eat for breakfast?And what the **** does normal mean anyway?This is the award-winning wobbly comedian Francesca Martinez’s funny, personal, and universal story of how she learned to stick two shaky fingers up to the crazy expectations of a world obsessed with being ‘normal’.
What the Animals Taught Me: Stories of Love and Healing from a Farm Animal Santuary
by Stephanie MarohnIn this “deeply insightful” and “heart warming” memoir, an animal rescuer reveals “profound lessons” learned while living on an animal sanctuary (Jane Goodall).What the Animals Taught Me is a collection of stories about rescued farm animals in a shelter in Sonoma County, California, and what these animals can teach us. Each story illuminates how animals can help us see and embrace others as they truly are and reconnect us with the natural world.Wishing to escape the urban rat race, freelance writer and editor Stephanie Marohn moved to rural northern California in 1993. Life was sweet. She was a busy freelancer. In return for reduced rent, she fed and cared for two horses and a donkey. Her life was full. And then, more farm animals started to appear: a miniature white horse, a donkey, sheep, chickens, followed by deer and other wildlife. Each one needed sanctuary either from abuse, physical injury, or neglect. Marohn took each animal in and gradually turned her ten-acre spread into an animal sanctuary. A deeply inspiring collection, What the Animals Taught Me awakens our hearts and reminds us that our best life teachers sometimes come covered in fur.“One of the best books I have ever read on the way animals open our hearts and teach us unforgettable lessons about life.” —Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism and The Direct Path
What the Bears Know: How I Found Truth and Magic in America's Most Misunderstood Creatures—A Memoir by Animal Planet's "The Bear Whisperer"
by Chris Erskine Steve SearlesThe incredible story of how one man went from a hired hunter to becoming one of America&’s top champions for this iconic animal.In this wonderous and eye-opening exploration, Steve Searles, the reknown and respected "Bear Whisperer" of Mammoth Lakes, takes the reader on a journey into the lives of these remarkable creatures and the world we share. In the late 1990s, the town of Mammoth Lakes, California hired Steve Searles as a hunter to cull half its troublesome bear population. But as he began to prepare for the grim task, the bears soon won him over, and Searles realized there had to be a better way. He soon developed non-lethal tactics to control their behavior and overpopulation that heralded a landmark moment in the care and handling of the American black bear. But change was not without its challenges. To some, his success was dismissed due to his lack of formal academic training. Yet Searles never wavered in his commitment, and eventually became not just local folk hero but a nationally recognized expert. This high school dropout saved not just the bears, but, in many ways, his community. In a tradition that runs from John Muir to Bear Grylls, Searles finds a fellowship with nature and a deeper meaning in the world of bears. Do bears understand things we don&’t? Are they dialed in to some greater natural force? Unlike us, bears waste little time on unreasonable fears. Bears are fully in the moment. They have an inner peace that seems to offset their power and strength. That may explain why no other animal on the planet is as revered as the bear. As Searles shares his remarkable knowledge and we become immersed in the ursine world, you&’ll never look at bears or nature the same way again. Warm and poignant, and perfect for anyone who has been fascinated by the natural world, What the Bears Know shows that wisdom and fulfillment can come from unexpected places.
What the Children Told Us: The Untold Story of the Famous "Doll Test" and the Black Psychologists Who Changed the World
by Tim SpoffordDoes racial discrimination harm Black children's sense of self?The Doll Test illuminated its devastating toll.Dr. Kenneth Clark visited rundown and under-resourced segregated schools across America, presenting Black children with two dolls: a white one with hair painted yellow and a brown one with hair painted black. "Give me the doll you like to play with," he said. "Give me the doll that is a nice doll." The psychological experiment Kenneth developed with his wife, Mamie, designed to measure how segregation affected Black children's perception of themselves and other Black people, was enlightening—and horrifying. Over and over again, the young children—some not yet five years old—selected the white doll as preferable, and the brown doll as "bad." Some children even denied their race. "Yes," said brown-skinned Joan W., age six, when questioned about her affection for the light-skinned doll. "I would like to be white."What the Children Told Us is the story of the towering intellectual and emotional partnership between two Black scholars who highlighted the psychological effects of racial segregation. The Clarks' story is one of courage, love, and an unfailing belief that Black children deserved better than what society was prepared to give them, and their unrelenting activism played a critical role in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. The Clarks' decades of impassioned advocacy, their inspiring marriage, and their enduring work shines a light on the power of passion in an unjust world.
What the Dead Have Taught Me About Living Well
by Samantha Rose Rebecca RosenHow can we know if our departed loved ones are still with us? Can guidance from beyond help our daily lives run more smoothly and feel more purposeful? Spiritual medium and bestselling author Rebecca Rosen has answers.After serving as a spiritual medium for more than two decades, Rosen knows with absolute clarity that the spirit world is always trying to get our attention. Our departed loved ones and spirit guides intervene in our lives daily to let us know that our real-life struggles have a rhyme, a reason, and a purpose and that we’re not alone to figure it all out. Rosen knows how easy it is to get caught up in the demands of life while juggling the responsibilities of family, friendships, work, health, and money. She strives to be the best working mother, partner, and friend she can be, and she has to actively work to find a healthy balance. What the Dead Have Taught Me about Living Well walks you through an equally ordinary and extraordinary day in Rosen’s life and reveals how she tunes in to see, hear, and feel the presence of spirits to help support and guide her forward. Through personal insights and shared extraordinary stories from the Other Side, she answers the question she’s asked most frequently: How can my departed loved ones help guide me to live my best life? In What the Dead Have Taught Me about Living Well, Rosen shares the daily practices and spiritual tools she relies on to recognize and interpret signs from beyond. Spend a day with her. You’ll learn how to strengthen your own connection to something bigger. This new perspective will help you better understand and navigate your day-to-day world so that new opportunities and possibilities unfold in all aspects of your life.
What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator
by Barbara ButcherNow featured in the five-part docuseries on Netflix, Homicide: New York A &“remarkably candid and sensitive&” (The Wall Street Journal) memoir of more than twenty years of death-scene investigations by New York City death investigator Barbara Butcher.Barbara Butcher was early in her recovery from alcoholism when she found an unexpected lifeline: a job at the Medical Examiner&’s Office in New York City. The second woman ever hired for the role of Death Investigator in Manhattan, she was the first to last more than three months. The work was gritty, demanding, morbid, and sometimes dangerous—and she loved it. Butcher (yes, that&’s her real name, and she has heard all the jokes) spent day in and day out investigating double homicides, gruesome suicides, and most heartbreaking of all, underage rape victims who had also been murdered. In What the Dead Know, she writes with the kind of New York attitude and bravado you might expect from decades in the field, investigating more than 5,500 death scenes, 680 of which were homicides. In the opening chapter, she describes how just from sheer luck of having her arm in a cast, she avoided a boobytrapped suicide. Later in her career, she describes working the nation&’s largest mass murder, the attack on 9/11, where she and her colleagues initially relied on family members&’ descriptions to help distinguish among the 21,900 body parts of the victims. This is the &“breathtakingly honest, compassionate, and raw&” (Patricia Cornwell), &“completely unputdownable&” (Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone) real-life story of a woman who, in dealing with death every day, learned surprising lessons about life—and how some of those lessons saved her from becoming a statistic herself. Fans of Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, and true crime won&’t be able to put this down.
What the L?
by Kate ClintonI mean "What the L ?" in a buoyant, smart-ass, get-a-load-of-this, relentlessly optimistic, might-as-well-live "What the L?" tone. A leap of faith, if you will. And I will. I am a faith-based comic. In addition to the frivolous, salutary pleasure of laughing, I believe in the power of laughter to subvert authority and promote democracy.
What the Mountains Remember
by Joy Callaway&“Joy Calloway weaves a dramatic, heartfelt story of self- discovery and a hard-won love against the stunning backdrop the &‘Eighth Wonder of the World.&’&” —Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author of Time is a River At this wondrous resort, secrets can easily be hidden in plain sight when the eye is trained on beauty.April 1913—Belle Newbold hasn&’t seen mountains for seven years—since her father died in a mining accident and her mother married gasoline magnate, Shipley Newbold. But when her stepfather&’s business acquaintance, Henry Ford, invites the family on one of his famous Vagabonds camping tours, she is forced to face the hills once again—primarily in order to reunite with her future fiancé, owner of the land the Vagabonds are using for their campsite, a man she&’s only met once before. It is a veritable arranged marriage, but she prefers it that way. Belle isn&’t interested in love. She only wants a simple life—a family of her own and the stability of a wealthy man&’s pockets. That&’s what Worth Delafield has promised to give her and it&’s worth facing the mountains again, the reminder of the past, and her poverty, to secure her future.But when the Vagabonds group is invited to tour the unfinished Grove Park Inn and Belle is unexpectedly thrust into a role researching and writing about the building of the inn—a construction the locals are calling The Eighth Wonder of the World—she quickly realizes that these mountains are no different from the ones she once called home. As Belle peels back the facade of Grove Park Inn, of Worth, of the society she&’s come to claim as her own, and the truth of her heart, she begins to see that perhaps her part in Grove Park&’s story isn&’t a coincidence after all. Perhaps it is only by watching a wonder rise from ordinary hands and mountain stone that she can finally find the strength to piece together the long-destroyed path toward who she was meant to be.International bestselling author Joy Callaway returns with a story of the ordinary people behind extraordinary beauty—and the question of who gets to tell their stories.Praise for What the Mountains Remember:&“Callaway is back with another insightful rendering of a place and time in history, bringing her trademark attention to detail, warmth, and heart to a story centered around one of the nation&’s most beautiful and fabled hotels, the Grove Park Inn in Asheville NC.&”? —Marybeth Mayhew Whalen, author of ten novels and cofounder of The Book Tide A stunning portrayal of the building of the Grove Park Inn that reveals not only its grandeur, but also the struggles of the laborers tasked with its construction, Joy Callaway brings the famed Vagabonds to life with immaculate research and rich details in this intriguing, elegantly written historical fiction that readers are going to love!&” —Madeline Martin, New York Times Bestseller author of The Keeper of Hidden Books? Perfect for fans of The Only Woman in Room and A Well-Behaved WomanStand-alone novelIncludes Discussion Questions
What the Stones Remember: A Life Rediscovered
by Patrick LaneIn this exquisitely written memoir, poet Patrick Lane describes his raw and tender emergence at age sixty from a lifetime of alcohol and drug addiction. He spent the first year of his sobriety close to home, tending his garden, where he cast his mind back over his life, searching for the memories he'd tried to drown in vodka. Lane has gardened for as long as he can remember, and his garden's life has become inseparable from his own. A new bloom on a plant, a skirmish among the birds, the way a tree bends in the wind, and the slow, measured change of seasons invariably bring to his mind an episode from his eventful past. What the Stones Remember is the emerging chronicle of Lane's attempt to face those memories, as well as his new self--to rediscover his life. In this powerful and beautifully written book, Lane offers readers an unflinching and unsentimental account of coming to one's senses in the presence of nature.
What the Taliban Told Me
by Ian FritzAn &“essential&” (Kevin Maurer, #1 New York Times bestselling author) memoir of a young Air Force linguist coming of age in a war that is lost.When Ian Fritz joined the Air Force at eighteen, he did so out of necessity. He hadn&’t been accepted into colleges thanks to an indifferent high school career. He&’d too often slept through his classes as he worked long hours at a Chinese restaurant to help pay the bills for his trailer-dwelling family in Lake City, Florida. But the Air Force recognizes his potential and sends him to the elite Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, to learn Dari and Pashto, the main languages of Afghanistan. By 2011, Fritz was an airborne cryptologic linguist and one of only a tiny number of people in the world trained to do this job on low-flying gunships. He monitors communications on the ground and determines in real time which Afghans are Taliban and which are innocent civilians. This eavesdropping is critical to supporting Special Forces units on the ground, but there is no training to counter the emotional complexity that develops as you listen to people&’s most intimate conversations over the course of two tours, Fritz listens to the Taliban for hundreds of hours, all over the country night and day, in moments of peace and in the middle of battle. What he hears teaches him about the people of Afghanistan—Taliban and otherwise—the war, and himself. Fritz&’s fluency is his greatest asset to the military, yet it becomes the greatest liability to his own commitment to the cause. Both proud of his service and in despair that he is instrumental in destroying the voices that he hears, What the Taliban Told Me is a &“fraught, moving&” (Kirkus Reviews) coming-of-age memoir and a reckoning with our twenty years of war in Afghanistan.