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Willow in a Storm
by Kathy Murphy Taylor James Peter TaylorWritten in a stark, unsentimental style, this compelling memoir shows how one man survived a seemingly impossible existence. As a child, "Jimmy Pete" was repeatedly abused by his adoptive father and family acquaintances. He married young, had a daughter, drifted into crime and ultimately killed a banker accidentally in a botched robbery.Jailed for four decades, Taylor didn't join a gang. Instead, though heterosexual, he adopted a traditionally female role, depending on men for protection and ultimately becoming so comfortable as a woman that he considered changing his sex.Taylor colors his surprising story with vivid anecdotes, never shying away from the sexual and physical violence endemic to prison. The victim of attacks that left him blind and brain-impaired, he nonetheless finds the spiritual safety valve that filigrees this remarkable book, learning to live by "bending like the willow."
Willy Ley: Prophet of the Space Age
by Jared S. Buss"Beautifully written. Reveals the vicissitudes of an extraordinarily interesting life."--Michael J. Neufeld, author of Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War "Willy Ley has been a mystery among spaceflight historians for many years. His role as science writer, advocate, and popularizer is known to many but understood by few. This book unpacks that story."--Roger D. Launius, associate director of collections and curatorial affairs, National Air and Space Museum "Ley lit the fire of interplanetary enthusiasm in the hearts of generations of young space cadets. Long overdue, this biography establishes the details and the ups and downs of his career."--Tom D. Crouch, author of Lighter Than Air: An Illustrated History of Balloons and Airships "Beyond recovering the fascinating and many contradictory aspects of Ley's extraordinary life, Buss has provided a valuable case study of the complex relationship between science popularization, mass media, and scientific advocacy in the twentieth century."--Asif A. Siddiqi, author of The Red Rockets' Glare: Spaceflight and the Soviet Imagination, 1857-1957 Willy Ley inspired young rocket scientists and would-be astronauts around the world to imagine a future of interplanetary travel long before space shuttles existed. This is the first biography of the science writer and rocketeer who predicted and boosted the rise of the Space Age. Born in Germany, Ley became involved in amateur rocketry until the field was taken over by the Nazis. He fled to America, where he forged a new life as a weapons expert and journalist during World War II and as a rocket researcher after the war. As America's foremost authority on rockets, missiles, and space travel, he authored books and scientific articles, while also regularly writing for science fiction pulp magazines and publishing what he termed romantic zoology--a blend of zoology, cryptozoology, history, and mythology. He even consulted for television's Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and the Disney program Man in Space, thrilling audiences with a romanticized view of what spaceflight would be like. Yet as astronauts took center stage and scientific intellectuals such as Wernher von Braun became influential during the space race, Ley lost his celebrity status. With an old-fashioned style of popular writing and eccentric perspectives influenced by romanticism and science fiction, he was ignored by younger historians. This book returns Willy Ley to his rightful place as the energizer of an era--a time when scientists and science popularizers mixed ranks and shared the spotlight so that our far-fetched, fantastic dreams could turn into the reality of tomorrow. Jared S. Buss is adjunct professor of history at Oklahoma City Community College.
Wilma Rudolph
by Meryl Henderson Jo HarperThe inspiring story of American track-and-field athlete Wilma Rudolph, who overcame childhood polio to win three Olympic gold medals, is told. Illustrations.
Wilma Rudolph
by Victoria SherrowA biography of the African-American woman who overcame crippling polio as a child to become the first woman to win three gold medals in track in a single Olympics.
Wilma Rudolph
by Wayne CoffeyThis Olympic star overcame extraordinary adversity, including crippling polio, to become the fastest woman in the world by 1960.
Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Runner
by Jo HarperThe story of American track-and-field athlete Wilma Rudolph, who overcame childhood polio to win three Olympic gold medals, is told.
Wilma Rudolph: The Greatest Woman Sprinter in History (African-American Biographies)
by Anne SchraffWhen Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was the fastest woman in the world. Yet this amazing runner had spent much of her childhood unable to walk because of polio. Throughout her life, Rudolph never let public racism or personal hardships get in the way of her dreams. Harnessing the same determination that made her a great athlete, Rudolph went on to use her celebrity to help others. In this fast-paced, inspiring biography, author Anne Schraff tells the story of a world-class sports legend who considered her work with young people to be her most important legacy. Book jacket.
Wilma Rudolph: Walk, Run, Win (Fountas & Pinnell Classroom, Guided Reading Grade 2)
by Alice Cary Jani OrbanNIMAC-sourced textbook
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became The World's Fastest Woman
by Kathleen KrullBefore Wilma was five years old, polio had paralyzed her left leg. Everyone said she would never walk again. But Wilma refused to believe it. Not only would she walk again, she vowed, she'd run. And she did run--all the way to the Olympics, where she became the first American woman to earn three gold medals in a single olympiad.
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became The World's Fastest Woman (Soar To Success)
by David Diaz Kathleen KrullNIMAC-sourced textbook
Wilma's Way Home: The Life of Wilma Mankiller (Big Words)
by Doreen RappaportAs a child in Oklahoma, Wilma Mankiller experienced the Cherokee practice of Gadugi, helping each other, even when times were hard for everyone. But in 1956, the federal government uprooted her family and moved them to California, wrenching them from their home, friends, and traditions. Separated from her community and everything she knew, Wilma felt utterly lost until she found refuge in the Indian Center in San Francisco. There, she worked to build and develop the local Native community and championed Native political activists. She took her two children to visit tribal communities in the state, and as she introduced them to the traditions of their heritage, she felt a longing for home.Returning to Oklahoma with her daughters, Wilma took part in Cherokee government. Despite many obstacles, from resistance to female leadership to a life-threatening accident, Wilma's courageous dedication to serving her people led to her election as the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation. As leader and advocate, she reinvigorated her constituency by empowering them to identify and solve community problems.This beautiful addition to the Big Words series will inspire future leaders to persevere in empathy and thoughtful problem-solving, reaching beyond themselves to help those around them. Moving prose by award-winning author Doreen Rappaport is interwoven with Wilma's own words in this expertly researched biography, illustrated with warmth and vivacity by Linda Kukuk.
Wilma: An Alaska Tale of One Teacher, Two Teenagers, and Three Wolverines
by Dona AgostiWilma: An Alaska Tale of One Teacher, Two Teenagers, and Three Wolverines combines Alaska adventures and teenage life in the 1970s. It is the story of Pam Walker, Tom Lerner, and their junior high school biology teacher, William Marx. The action moves from an Anchorage classroom to the hilarious capture of a female wolverine named Wilma in the Alaska wilderness. A side trip to a science fair in Texas, a thrilling hunting expedition and a developing romance all culminate on a very realistic note. The antics of Wilma's kits, Wendy, and Willy, weave in and out of the narrative. The result is a young adult novel that is both entertaining and educational. There are very few wolverine novels published and those that do exist contain many inaccuracies. This story will give the reader an accurate understanding of this wary and difficult to observe animal. Students will be encouraged to get involved in their local science fairs.
Wilson
by A. Scott BergOne hundred years after his inauguration, Woodrow Wilson still stands as one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century, and one of the most enigmatic. And now, after more than a decade of research and writing, Pulitzer Prize-winning author A. Scott Berg has completed Wilson--the most personal and penetrating biography ever written about the 28th President. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of documents in the Wilson Archives, Berg was the first biographer to gain access to two recently-discovered caches of papers belonging to those close to Wilson. From this material, Berg was able to add countless details--even several unknown events--that fill in missing pieces of Wilson’s character and cast new light on his entire life. From the scholar-President who ushered the country through its first great world war to the man of intense passion and turbulence , from the idealist determined to make the world “safe for democracy” to the stroke-crippled leader whose incapacity and the subterfuges around it were among the century’s greatest secrets, the result is an intimate portrait written with a particularly contemporary point of view – a book at once magisterial and deeply emotional about the whole of Wilson’s life, accomplishments, and failings. This is not just Wilson the icon – but Wilson the man.
Wilson
by A. Scott Berg"With the prescience that all truly great biographers possess, Berg discovered in Woodrow Wilson a figure who would understand Washington's current state of affairs."--Vanity Fair "A brilliant biography that still resonates in Washington today."--Doris Kearns Goodwin From Pulitzer Prize-winning, #1 New York Times-bestselling author A. Scott Berg comes the definitive--and revelatory--biography of one of the great American figures of modern times. One hundred years after his inauguration, Woodrow Wilson still stands as one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century, and one of the most enigmatic. And now, after more than a decade of research and writing, Pulitzer Prize-winning author A. Scott Berg has completed Wilson--the most personal and penetrating biography ever written about the 28th President. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of documents in the Wilson Archives, Berg was the first biographer to gain access to two recently-discovered caches of papers belonging to those close to Wilson. From this material, Berg was able to add countless details--even several unknown events--that fill in missing pieces of Wilson's character and cast new light on his entire life. From the scholar-President who ushered the country through its first great world war to the man of intense passion and turbulence , from the idealist determined to make the world "safe for democracy" to the stroke-crippled leader whose incapacity and the subterfuges around it were among the century's greatest secrets, the result is an intimate portrait written with a particularly contemporary point of view - a book at once magisterial and deeply emotional about the whole of Wilson's life, accomplishments, and failings. This is not just Wilson the icon - but Wilson the man.
Wilt, 1962: The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era
by Gary M. PomerantzOn the night of March 2, 1962, in Hershey, PA, Wilt Chamberlain, a young & striking athlete celebrated as the Big Dipper, scored 100 points in a game against the N. Y. Knicks. As historic & revolutionary as the achievement was, it remains shrouded in myth. The game was not televised, & no N. Y. sportswriters showed up. Author Pomerantz brings to life a lost world of American sports. He tracked down Knicks & Phila. Warriors, fans, journalists, team officials, other NBA stars of the era, & basketball historians, to recreate the game that announced the Dipper¿s greatness. This is not only the dramatic story of a singular basketball game but a meditation on small towns, mid-century America, & one of the most intriguing figures in sports. Photos.
Win or Learn: MMA, Conor McGregor and Me: A Trainer's Journey
by John KavanaghConor McGregor's trainer tells the amazing story of his long road to success in the world's fastest-growing sportGrowing up in Dublin, John Kavanagh was a skinny lad who was frequently bullied. As a young man, after suffering a bad beating when he intervened to help a woman who was being attacked, he decided he had to learn to defend himself. Before long, he was training fighters in a tiny shed, and promoting the earliest mixed-martial arts events in Ireland. And then, a cocky kid called Conor McGregor walked into his gym ...In Win or Learn, John Kavanagh tells his own remarkable life story - which is at the heart of the story of the extraordinary explosion of MMA in Ireland and globally. Employing the motto 'win or learn', Kavanagh has become a guru to young men and women seeking to master the arts of combat. And as the trainer of the world's most charismatic champion, his gym has become a magnet for talented fighters from all over the globe. Kavanagh's portrait of Conor McGregor - who he has seen in his lowest moments, as well as in his greatest triumphs - is a revelation. What emerges from Win or Learn is a remarkable portrait of ambition, discipline, and persistence in the face of years and years of disappointment. It is a must read for every MMA fan - but also for anyone who wants to understand how to follow a dream and realize a vision.'For anyone interested in following their dream to the end of the line' Tony Parsons'It kept me up well past my bedtime' Sean O'Rourke, RTE Radio One'Remarkable' Irish Times'Kavanagh is open and honest about his upbringing ... The journey hasn't been easy, but Kavanagh's inbuilt determination has carried him all the way' Irish Examiner
Win the Race or Die Trying: Uncle Earl's Last Hurrah
by Jack B. McGuireEarl Kemp Long (1895–1960) was the political heir to his brother Huey in Louisiana politics. A country boy who never lost his common touch, he ran for office in every state election between 1933 and 1959. He was the best campaigning politician Louisiana ever produced. In his final term as governor, he suffered a breakdown on live television while addressing members of the legislature. He was kidnapped and committed to mental institutions in Texas and Louisiana. That he engineered his own release gives proof that he was in charge of his faculties. Abandoned by his family and his allies, Long was written off politically. But in 1960, he had other ideas. He was plotting his comeback. In poor health, smoking and drinking, he decided to challenge the incumbent in Louisiana's Eighth Congressional District, Harold McSween. Doctors warned him that the race could cost him his life. But politics was his life, and he vowed to win the election or die trying. He did both. This book tells the story of the last year of Long's life and the campaign that he waged and won by sheer force of will. He won the election (and a sizable bet he placed on it), but he was dead in just over a week. Win the Race or Die Trying captures the essence of Earl Long by chronicling the desperate, death-defying campaign he waged to redefine his legacy.
Winchester Mystery House: The Mansion Designed by Spirits
by Cynthia AndersonLearn all about the Winchester Mystery House and Sara Winchester, its creator.
Wind Up The Windows We’re Coming In To Land
by Dave SharpFrom the beautiful pristine rivers and streams of New Zealand to the muddy brown waters of the Amazon, Dave Sharp lived his childhood dream of always wanting to travel. From being a local butcher in Takaka NZ to moving oil rigs across the ice in Canada he lived an intriguing and adventurous life. Held up at gunpoint, being entertained by a President's right hand man, dealing with buses that never ran on time...or even ran at all, bribing government officials and sharing rides with live chickens, the book tells it all. Read about the highs and lows he went through losing his mother at an early age followed not long after by losing his family home by fire, then jagging the best job in the world building ice bridges in the Yukon, this will whet your appetite....you won't want to put this book down. This small town boy whose carefree days in the 1950's and 60's were spent with friends down at the local creek or making mischief as a teenager with his home brew, Dave's early years had a huge bearing on the rest of his life. His father, HO, being his greatest rock throughout this time. Read about working an oil rig inside the Arctic circle, the tear gas gun in Central America, his lovely Mexican lady whose heart he broke and the movie star he became in Hong Kong. Throw in the odd opium den, pig pen toilet and drunken barman ......you'll soon get the picture.
Wind Wizard
by Siobhan RobertsWith Wind Wizard, Siobhan Roberts brings us the story of Alan Davenport (1932-2009), the father of modern wind engineering, who investigated how wind navigates the obstacle course of the earth's natural and built environments--and how, when not properly heeded, wind causes buildings and bridges to teeter unduly, sway with abandon, and even collapse. In 1964, Davenport received a confidential telephone call from two engineers requesting tests on a pair of towers that promised to be the tallest in the world. His resulting wind studies on New York's World Trade Center advanced the art and science of wind engineering with one pioneering innovation after another. Establishing the first dedicated "boundary layer" wind tunnel laboratory for civil engineering structures, Davenport enabled the study of the atmospheric region from the earth's surface to three thousand feet, where the air churns with turbulent eddies, the average wind speed increasing with height. The boundary layer wind tunnel mimics these windy marbled striations in order to test models of buildings and bridges that inevitably face the wind when built. Over the years, Davenport's revolutionary lab investigated and improved the wind-worthiness of the world's greatest structures, including the Sears Tower, the John Hancock Tower, Shanghai's World Financial Center, the CN Tower, the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, the Sunshine Skyway, and the proposed crossing for the Strait of Messina, linking Sicily with mainland Italy. Chronicling Davenport's innovations by analyzing select projects, this popular-science book gives an illuminating behind-the-scenes view into the practice of wind engineering, and insight into Davenport's steadfast belief that there is neither a structure too tall nor too long, as long as it is supported by sound wind science.
Wind and the Book: Memoirs of a Country Doctor
by David D. BrowneThis is the story of a general practitioner and his patients. The scene is Victoria in the mid-twentieth century. Many of the changes which revolutionized—medicine, antibiotics, immunization and blood transfusions—were yet to be made. Conditions were hard, transportation primitive and hospital facilities scarce. The innovating doctor met a public that was often cautious and suspicious, if not actively hostile. In these circumstances Dr Browne struggled for better health care in three country areas. He built his own hospital at Cobden. He campaigned for the immunization of children against diphtheria. Under shocking conditions he carried out one of the earliest blood tranfusions in Victoria. For fifty-three years he worked with imagination, compassion and dedication to improve the health of his patients. At a time when general practice was threatened by the rush to specialization. Dr Browne's memoirs are not simply fascinating; they are a warning of the danger of our losing the personal relationship and commitment which has characterized general practice in the past.
Wind in the Wires and an Escaper's Log: A British Pilot's Classic Memoir of Aerial Combat, Captivity and Escapeduring the Great War
by Duncan Grinnell-MilneDuncan Grinnell-Milne was one of that select band of young men who made history in the air between 1915 and 1918 when they learned to fly in machines that resembled box-kites and laid the foundations of aerial combat which future generations would follow. He became a flying ace, with six confirmed aerial victories, and he spent two years as a prisoner of war before escaping from German captivity to fly and fight again. He took part in the great aerial offensive of 1918 which contributed to the winning of the war. His story of the war in the air is one of the most exciting accounts by a pilot of the Royal Flying Corps it is also one of the best written and, ninety years after it was first published, it is a classic of its kind. Endorsements ..'We have no hesitation in ranking it with the very best of the war books.' Daily Telegraph'Wind in the Wires is a war book in class by itself. From beginning to end the book a lure to readoutstanding.' Flight'An addition to the number of books about flying needs more excuse than the mere subject of air fighting. This book is excused by the charm of the author's style, by his judgement in pruning his story, and by the interest which his own personality arouses.' Manchester Guardian'The most beautiful air book that has yet appeared.' Birmingham Post'The most interesting and attractive quality of the book is the fact that it gives a graphic account of the fledgling days of wartime flying. When the time comes for the great writer of the future to compose a comprehensive narrative of the war, this is one of the books that will help him acquire a true perspective.' Nottingham Guardian
Wind, Sand and Stars
by Antoine de Saint-ExupéryRecipient of the Grand Prix of the Académie Française, Wind, Sand and Stars captures the grandeur, danger, and isolation of flight. Its exciting account of air adventure, combined with lyrical prose and the spirit of a philosopher, makes it one of the most popular works ever written about flying. Translated by Lewis Galantière.
Windblown: Landscape, Legacy and Loss - The Great Storm of 1987
by Tamsin Treverton JonesTrees are part of the British psyche. We care if just one tree is cut down unnecessarily. So what happens when 15 million are blown down in one night? Part travelogue, part memoir, part celebration of nature's ability to heal itself, Windblown is as rich in character and story-telling as the rings of an ancient oak.'Windblown is a marvellously original mixture of reportage and memoir, holding a memorable event in recent history up to the light and making sense of it' Bel Mooney'A wonderful read' Michael Fish'Vivid ... thoroughly researched and informative' TLS'This eloquently written account shows that the Great Storm was a wake-up call, providing a wealth of information that helps us manage our treescape today.' Tony Kirkham, Head of the Kew Gardens Arboretum
Windblown: Landscape, Legacy and Loss - The Great Storm of 1987
by Tamsin Treverton JonesPublished to mark the 30th anniversary of The Great Storm of October 1987, WINDBLOWN is in the best tradition of English writing about our relationship with the natural world.The Great Storm of 1987 is etched firmly into the national memory. Everyone who was there that night remembers how hurricane force winds struck southern Britain without warning, claiming eighteen lives, uprooting more than fifteen million trees and reshaping the landscape for future generations. Thirty years on, the discovery of an old photograph inspires the author to make a journey into that landscape: weaving her own memories and personal experiences with those of fishermen and lighthouse keepers, rough sleepers and refugees, she creates a unique portrait of this extraordinary event and a moving exploration of legacy and loss.(P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited