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With the Argylls: A Soldier's Memoir
by Ray WardAn unforgettable memoir of fighting with the renowned Scottish infantry regiment during World War II. &“The real stuff of history . . . a classic.&” —Trevor Royle, author of Facing the Bear When Ray Ward died in 1999, his sons discovered an old and dusty manuscript in an Afrika Korps ammunition box in the cellar of the family home in Glasgow. These papers contained a collection of their father&’s memoirs, which detailed his experiences as an infantry officer during the Second World War, when he served in the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. His memoirs give vivid accounts of Ray Ward&’s time in Eritrea, Abyssinia, Egypt, the Western Desert, Sicily and mainland Italy, and bring to life individual episodes of bravery, adventure and danger that characterized the North African and Italian Campaign.
With the Beatles
by Lewis LaphamHalfway between the summer of love and the Tet offensive, the Beatles went to India to study with the Maharishi--and Lewis Lapham, esteemed Harper's editor and award-winning writer, was there. WITH THE BEATLES is a remarkable book of cultural commentary on that seminal '60s moment.The ashram in Rishikesh, India was the ultimate '60s scene: the Beatles, Donovan, Mia Farrow, a stray Beach Boy and other '60s icons gathered along the shores of the Ganges--amidst paisley and incense and flowers and guitars--to meditate at the feet of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The February 1968 gathering received such frenzied, world-wide attention that it is still considered a significant, early encounter between Western pop culture and the mystical East. And Lewis Lapham was the only journalist allowed inside.And what went on inside the compound has long been the subject of wild speculation and rampant rumor. The Beatles said they wrote some of their greatest songs there . . . and yet they also came away bitterly disillusioned. In WITH THE BEATLES, Lewis Lapham finally tells the whole story.
With the Devil's Help: A True Story of Poverty, Mental Illness, and Murder
by Neal WootenIn the tradition of The Glass Castle, Educated, and Heartland, Neal Wootentraces five decades of his dirt-poor, Alabama mountain family as the years and secrets coalesce.Neal Wooten grew up in a tiny community atop Sand Mountain, Alabama, where everyone was white and everyone was poor. Prohibition was still embraced. If you wanted alcohol, you had to drive to Georgia or ask the bootlegger sitting next to you in church. Tent revivals, snake handlers, and sacred harp music were the norm, and everyone was welcome as long as you weren&’t Black, brown, gay, atheist, Muslim, a damn Yankee, or a Tennessee Vol fan. The Wooten's lived a secret existence in a shack in the woods with no running water, no insulation, and almost no electricity. Even the school bus and mail carrier wouldn&’t go there. Neal&’s family could hide where they were, but not what they were. They were poor white trash. Cops could see it. Teachers could see it. Everyone could see it. Growing up, Neal was weaned on folklore legends of his grandfather—his quick wit, quick feet, and quick temper. He discovers how this volatile disposition led to a murder, a conviction, and ultimately to a daring prison escape and a closely guarded family secret. Being followed by a black car with men in black suits was as normal to Neal as using an outhouse, carrying drinking water from a stream, and doing homework by the light of a kerosene lamp. And Neal&’s father, having inherited the very same traits of his father, made sure the frigid mountain winters weren&’t the most brutal thing his family faced. Told from two perspectives, this story alternates between Neal&’s life and his grandfather&’s, culminating in a shocking revelation. Take a journey to the Deep South and learn what it&’s like to be born on the wrong side of the tracks, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of a violent mental illness.
With the German Guns: Four Years on the Western Front (Pen And Sword Military Classics Ser.)
by Herbert Sulzbach&“An invaluable eye-witness account of life at the lower levels of the German Army during the First World War.&”—HistoryOfWar.org At once harrowing and lighthearted, Herbert Sulzbach&’s exceptional diary has been highly praised since its original publication in Germany in 1935. With the reprint of this classic account of trench warfare, it records the pride and exhilaration of what to him was the fight for a just cause. It is one of the very few available records of an ordinary German soldier during the First World War. &“One of the most notable books on the Great War. It is a book which finely expressed the true soldierly spirit on its highest level; the combination of a high sense of duty, courage, fairness and chivalry.&”—Sir Basil Liddell Hart &“Herbert Sulzbach&’s first person diary focuses on four years of trench warfare and is a valuable contribution to the overall individual story of the First World War, more so than many other such accounts perhaps, as the author was German.&”—OCAD Militaria Collectors Resources &“A first-class personal account of Herbert Sulzbach&’s war seen through his diaries. There is much insight into both his and the German soldier&’s attitude to war and events . . . a very readable narrative and adds to the library of sources that are invaluable to counter the legions of postmodern re-evaluations of the German soldier.&”—Battlefield Guide
With the Guns in the Peninsula: The Peninsular War Journal of Captain William Webber, Royal Artillery (The Napoleonic Library #No. 18)
by William WebberThis British artillery officer&’s journal vividly depicts life on the frontlines in the war against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal. In August 1812, Second Captain Webber of the Royal Artillery joined Captain Maxwell&’s 9-pounder Brigade at Zafra, Spain. His journal offers a detailed chronicle of the period up June 16th 1813, just before the Battle of Vitoria. Webber records events as they unfold, as well as his impressions of the countryside and its people and customs. Webber describes his experiences during the advance up to and along the Tagus to Aranjuez, the reversal of fortunes during the autumn of 1812, the difficult retreat into winter quarters in Portugal, and finally his brigade&’s part in the brilliant campaign of 1813 which saw the French pushed back across the Ebro. Webber gives vivid accounts of engagements with the enemy along the way; notably around Alba de Tormes during the retreat, and on the heights outside Burgos. The preface by Lieutenant Colonel Laws sets the journal within the context of the Peninsular War. It also outlines Webber&’s military career, which culminated with his wounding at Waterloo.
With the Jocks: A Soldier's Struggle for Europe 1944-45
by Peter White'The book is remarkable .... one of the most striking personal records of the period.' - Max HastingsAs a 24-year-old lieutenant in the King's Own Scottish Borderers, Peter kept an unauthorised journal of his regiment's advance through the Low Countries and into Germany in the closing months of the war in Europe. Forbidden by his commanding officer from doing so for security reasons, Peter's boyhood habit of diary keeping had become an obsession too strong to shake off. In this graphic evocation of a soldier at war, the images he records are not for the faint hearted.There are heroes aplenty within its pages, but there are also disturbing insights into the darker sides of humanity - the men who broke under the strain and who ran away; the binge drinking which occasionally rendered the whole platoon unable to fight; the looting, the rape, and the callous disregard for human life that happens when death is a daily companion. Hidden away for more than 50 years, this is a rare opportunity to read an authentic account of the horrors of war experienced by a British soldier in the greatest conflict of the 20th century.
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
by E. B. SledgeA reprint of the classic World War II memoir chronicling 20-year-old Sledge's experiences as a rifleman. The non-fiction account of the Peleliu and Okinawa battles has been compared to All Quiet on the Western Front. It certainly captures the confusion and fear of war, particularly for a young man torn between ideals of duty and the horrific devastation of combat. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
by E. B. SledgeIn The Wall Street Journal, Victor Davis Hanson named With the Old Breed one of the top five books on epic twentieth-century battles. Studs Terkel interviewed the author for his definitive oral history, The Good War. Now E. B. Sledge's acclaimed first-person account of fighting at Peleliu and Okinawa returns to thrill, edify, and inspire a new generation.An Alabama boy steeped in American history and enamored of such heroes as George Washington and Daniel Boone, Eugene B. Sledge became part of the war's famous 1st Marine Division-3d Battalion, 5th Marines. Even after intense training, he was shocked to be thrown into the battle of Peleliu, where "the world was a nightmare of flashes, explosions, and snapping bullets." By the time Sledge hit the hell of Okinawa, he was a combat vet, still filled with fear but no longer with panic.Based on notes Sledge secretly kept in a copy of the New Testament, With the Old Breed captures with utter simplicity and searing honesty the experience of a soldier in the fierce Pacific Theater. Here is what saved, threatened, and changed his life. Here, too, is the story of how he learned to hate and kill-and came to love-his fellow man.From the Trade Paperback edition.
With the Stroke of a Pen: Executive Orders and Presidential Power
by Kenneth R. MayerThe conventional wisdom holds that the president of the United States is weak, hobbled by the separation of powers and the short reach of his formal legal authority. In this first-ever in-depth study of executive orders, Kenneth Mayer deals a strong blow to this view. Taking civil rights and foreign policy as examples, he shows how presidents have used a key tool of executive power to wield their inherent legal authority and pursue policy without congressional interference. Throughout the nation's life, executive orders have allowed presidents to make momentous, unilateral policy choices: creating and abolishing executive branch agencies, reorganizing administrative and regulatory processes, handling emergencies, and determining how legislation is implemented. From the Louisiana Purchase to the Emancipation Proclamation, from Franklin Roosevelt's establishment of the Executive Office of the President to Bill Clinton's authorization of loan guarantees for Mexico, from Harry Truman's integration of the armed forces to Ronald Reagan's seizures of regulatory control, American presidents have used executive orders (or their equivalents) to legislate in ways that extend far beyond administrative activity. By analyzing the pattern of presidents' use of executive orders and the relationship of those orders to the presidency as an institution, Mayer describes an office much more powerful and active than the one depicted in the bulk of the political science literature. This distinguished work of scholarship shows that the U.S. presidency has a great deal more than the oft-cited "power to persuade."
With the Tanks, 1916–1918: Memoirs of a British Tank Commander in the Great War (Eyewitnesses from The Great War)
by W.H.L. WatsonWilliam Watson was a young Oxford post-graduate at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Along with several friends from Oxford he enlisted in the army expecting the war to last six weeks. Watson began his service in the Great War as a British Army motorcycle despatch rider. He saw active service during the key battles of 1914 and early 1915. Watson was then commissioned and became a tank commander and saw active service with the tanks most notably at Cambrai in 1917. This well written and evocative memoir was originally published under the tile 'A Company Of Tanks' it constitutes a wonderful primary source and is an invaluable addition to the library of anyone with an interest in the evolution of the tank as a decisive weapon on the battlefield. Highly detailed, but nonetheless accessible this superb new illustrated edition, edited by Emmy AwardTM winning historian Bob Carruthers is greatly recommended for serious enthusiasts and casual readers alike.
Withdrawn Traces: Searching for the Truth about Richey Manic, Foreword by Rachel Edwards
by Sara Hawys Roberts Leon NoakesNew discoveries and a fresh perspective, with unprecedented access to Richey's personal archiveOn 1 February 1995, Richey Edwards, guitarist of the Manic Street Preachers, went missing at the age of 27. On the eve of a promotional trip to America, he vanished from his London hotel room, his car later discovered near the Severn Bridge, a notorious suicide spot.Over two decades later, Richey’s disappearance remains one of the most moving, mysterious and unresolved episodes in recent pop culture history. For those with a basic grasp of the facts, Richey's suicide seems obvious and undeniable. However, a closer investigation of his actions in the weeks and months before his disappearance just don’t add up, and until now few have dared to ask the important questions.Withdrawn Traces is the first book written with the co-operation of the Edwards family, testimony from Richey’s closest friends and unprecedented and exclusive access to Richey’s personal archive. In a compelling real-time narrative, the authors examine fresh evidence, uncover overlooked details, profile Richey's state of mind, and brings us closer than ever before to the truth.
Within Arm's Length: A Secret Service Agent's Definitive Inside Account of Protecting the President
by Dan EmmettA “very moving” inside look at the Secret Service from an agent for George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush (Jake Tapper, CNN correspondent and New York Times–bestselling author of The Outpost).Dan Emmett was just eight years old when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, an event that shaped the course of young Emmett's life as he set a goal of becoming a US Secret Service agent.Within Arm's Length is a revealing inside look at the Secret Service and the elite Presidential Protective Division (PPD). With stories from some of the author's more high-profile assignments in his twenty-one years of service, Dan Emmett describes the professional, physical and emotional challenges faced by Secret Service agents.Included are never before discussed topics such as the complicated relationship between presidents, first ladies and their agents, the inner workings of Secret Service protective operations as well as the seldom-mentioned challenges of the complex Secret Service cultural issues faced by an agent's family. Within Arm's Length also shares firsthand details about conducting presidential advances, dealing with the media, driving the President in a bullet-proof limousine, running alongside him through the streets of Washington, and flying with him on Air Force One.An essential book on the United States Secret Service, Within Arms Length gives the reader an unprecedented look into the life and career of an agent in America's most elite law enforcement agency.“A must-read for anyone anticipating a job in government security services or police administration.” —Abraham Bolden, first African American Secret Service agent assigned to the PPD“Fascinating.” —Shannon Bream, FOX News“Succeeds in making vivid the life and culture of the anonymous . . . men and women clustered around the president.” —Library Journal
Within These Walls: Memoirs of a Death House Chaplain
by Carlton Stowers Carroll PickettWithin These Walls is the powerful memoir of Rev. Carroll Pickett, who spent fifteen years as the death house chaplain at "The Walls," the Huntsville unit of the Texas prison system. In that capacity Reverend Pickett ministered to ninety-five men before they were put to death by lethal injection. They came with sinister nicknames like "The Candy Man" and "The Good Samaritan Killer," some contrite, some angry--a few who might even have been innocent. All of them found in Reverend Pickett their last chance for an unbiased confessor who would look at them only as fellow humans, not simply as the convicted criminals the rest of society had already dismissed them as. This firsthand experience gave Reverend Pickett the unique insight needed to write an impassioned statement on the realities of capital punishment in America. The result is a thought-provoking and compelling book that takes the reader inside the criminal mind, inside the execution chamber, and inside the heart of a remarkable man who shares his thoughts and observations not only about capital punishment, but about the dark world of prison society.
Within You, Without You: A Sociological, Cultural and Musical History of Great Britain, 1945 – 1967
by Phil JacksonPhil Jackson has had a lifelong passion for music and in his book Within You, Without You examines the post-war years to the year of the ‘summer of love’, 1967, from the perspective of a listener, a writer and collector, drawing on a variety of sources and his own personal experiences to provide an extensive, analytical and engaging account of a seminal period in the history of popular culture and music.His book is unique in examining the mystery and magic of the music that emerged in the ’60s within its historical context with particular reference to the impact and influence of The Beatles whose ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ was a ‘high water mark’ in the development of pop and rock music and culture.A multiplicity of musical artists across various genres are discussed in a multi-faceted approach that includes a comprehensive reference guide with recommendations for fans, collectors and newcomers alike.
Within the White Lines: How the Beautiful Game Saved My Life (Inspirational Series)
by Ruth FoxGrowing up, Ruth was on track for an ideal life – she had the grades, friends, great sporting potential, and a strong bond with her sister. However, when she was 14, her perfect life began to crack. After suffering an injury, Ruth began seeking control in other areas of her life to combat growing feelings of depression. Having recovered physically, but not mentally, she eventually quit the game she loved so much.Having been let down repeatedly by the authorities – including during a stay in a mental health hospital – she sought support and understanding from authority figures and role models. And as she battled through the next few years, Ruth rediscovered football as a way to keep grounded during the most chaotic times in her life.Now an active campaigner for mental health awareness and training, especially in sport, Ruth is a proud ambassador and advisor for The Shaw Mind Foundation and Mental Health Football Association.
Without Bounds: The Life and Death of Rabbi Ya'aqov Wazana (Raphael Patai Series in Jewish Folklore and Anthropology)
by Yoram BiluWithout Bounds illuminates the life of the mysterious Rabbi Ya'aqov Wazana, a Jewish healer who worked in the Western High Atlas region in southern Morocco and died there in the early 1950s. Impressed by his healing powers and shamanic virtuosity, Moroccan Jews are intrigued by his lifestyle and contacts with the Muslim and the demonic worlds that dangerously blurred his Jewish identity. Based on interviews with Moroccan Jews conducted in the late 1980s, Without Bounds proposes multiple readings of Wazana's life. Yoram Bilu re-creates the influences and important moments in Wazana's life and evaluates his character from psychological and anthropological perspectives. Human- and demon-bound, holy and impure, Jew and Muslim, old and young, Rabbi Ya'aqov Wazana dissolved the boundaries of the major social categories in Morocco and integrated them into his identity.
Without Child
by Laurie LisleWithout Child challenges the stigma of childlessness by offering childless women the lifeaffirming story of themselves. Beginning with the difficult inner journey a woman faces before finally deciding or realizing she will not bear children, Without Child explores the myth of the childless woman's rejection of the maternal instinct. It also examines the childless woman's relationship to mothers and mothering, to her femininity, to men, to achievement, to her body,and to old age.Laurie Lisle contends that childless women are part of an ancient and respectable cultural tradition that includes biblical matriarchs, celibate saints, and nineteenth-century social reformers. However, like other aspects of women's history, this tradition has been forgotten and, in the process, maligned. Without Child bring childless women out of obscurity and places them back in women's history.Without Child brings scope and depth to a subject that has long been misunderstood. Weaving rich materials from history, literature, religion, and sociology with the author's own and other stories, this groundbreaking book does what no other has done before-presents childlessnessin a multifaceted and positive light.Most women grow up thinking they will become mothers, and many do follow that path. But for those women who are willingly or unwillingly without children, childlessness is a way of life that many of them must constantly defend. Without Child explores the facts and fallacies behind childlessness,what it means for women and society, and reminds us of how women can and do embrace this choice.In the shadow of a culture that claims to adore the child, Without Child bring a long forbidden topic into the light. Wide-ranging, yet intimate, philosophical, yet clear~sighted, this important book will reassure millions of women that they are not alone, not unusual, and, in fact, are part of a long and honorable tradition.Laurie Lisle is the author of four other books besidesWithout Child: two biographies of women artists, a history of a girls'school, and a memoir from the point-of-view as a gardener. Raised in Rhode Island, she lives with her husband in Litchfield County,Connecticut and in Westchester County, New York. For more information, please see her website at www.laurielisle.com.
Without Ever Reaching the Summit: A Journey
by Paolo CognettiIn this exquisitely written journal-turned-journey of self-discovery, international bestselling author Paolo Cognetti examines our universal desire for connection through a voyage in the Himalayas.Why climb a mountain without ever reaching the summit?In 2017, Paolo Cognetti returned to Nepal, not to conquer the mountains but to journey through the high valleys of the Dolpo with a copy of Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard in hand. Drawing on memories of his childhood in theAlps, Cognetti explored the roots of life in the mountains, truly getting to know the communities and the nature that forged this resilient, almost mythical region. Accompanying him was Remigio, a childhood friend who had never left the mountains of Italy, and Nicola, a painter he had recently met. Joined by a stalwart team of local sherpas, the trio started out in the remote Dolpo region of Nepal. From there, a journey of self-discovery shaped by illness, human connection, and empathy was born.Without Ever Reaching the Summit features line illustrations drawn by the author.
Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark (John And Robin Dickson Series In Texas Music, Sponsored By The Center For Texas Music History, Texas State University Ser.)
by Tamara Saviano<P><P>For more than forty years, Guy Clark wrote and recorded unforgettable songs. His lyrics and melodies paint indelible portraits of the people, places, and experiences that shaped him. He has served as model, mentor, supporter, and friend to at least two generations of the world’s most talented and influential singer-songwriters. <P><P>In songs such as “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “The Randall Knife,” “She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” and “Texas 1947,” Clark’s poetic mastery has given voice to a vision of life, love, and trouble that has resonated not only with fans of Americana music, but also with the prominent artists--including Johnny Cash, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Jeff Walker, and others--who have recorded and performed Clark’s music. <P><P>Now, in Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark, writer, producer, and music industry insider Tamara Saviano chronicles the story of this legendary artist from her unique vantage point as his former publicist and producer of the Grammy- nominated album This One’s for Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark. <P><P>Part memoir, part biography, Saviano’s skillfully constructed narrative weaves together the extraordinary songs, larger-than-life characters, previously untold stories, and riveting emotions that make up the life of this modern-day poet and troubadour. <P><P>This sincere, no-holds-barred look at the life of a musical giant will surprise, inform, and entertain music lovers--especially Guy Clark fans. As fellow musician Terry Allen says of Guy in the final chapter, “let him take the lead and follow along, and just enjoy the ride.”
Without Hesitation: The Odyssey of an American Warrior
by Malcolm McConnell Hugh Shelton Ronald LevinsonThe powerful unvarnished memoir of General Hugh Shelton, war hero, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during 9/11, and one of the leading military figures of our time.Whether serving under a Democratic president or a Republican president, General Shelton was never afraid to speak out and tell it like it is. Shelton chronicles his incredible journey from a small farming community in North Carolina to the highest level of American military and political power at the Pentagon and White House.As one of the nation's elite Special Forces soldiers, Shelton served twice in Vietnam, commanding a Green Beret unit and then an airborne infantry company. He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for a wound suffered when a booby trap drove a poisoned stake through his leg.Shelton rose up the ranks and was assistant division commander of the 101st Airborne Division as they invaded Iraq in the Persian Gulf War, then led the 20,000 American troops tasked with restoring Haiti's deposed President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to power. Promoted to 4-star General, he became Commander in Chief of U.S. Special Operations Command (including Delta Force, Navy SEALS and other top secret Special Mission Units).But it was while serving as Chairman during both the Clinton and Bush administrations that he faced his biggest challenges, including his role as chief architect of the U.S. military response to 9/11. General Shelton speaks frankly of how decisions were made behind the scenes in the inner sanctum of the E-Ring and Oval Office, and reveals key military operations and meetings that have not yet been revealed, including:* High-ranking Cabinet member proposes intentionally allowing an American pilot to be killed by the Iraqis to have an excuse to retaliate and go to war.* Details of a contentious Camp David meeting among President George W. Bush and his National Security Council immediately after 9/11, where internal battle lines were drawn---and Shelton (along with Colin Powell) convinced President Bush to do the right thing.* How Rumsfeld persuaded General Tommy Franks to bypass the Joint Chiefs, leading to a badly flawed Iraq war plan that failed to anticipate the devastating after-effects of the insurgency and civil war.* Attempts to kill Usama bin Laden that were shot down by our State Department.* CIA botched high-profile terrorist snatches, leaving Shelton's Special Operations teams to clean up their mess.* How Shelton "persuaded" Haiti's dictator to flee the country.* And much more.Yet it's Shelton's amazing personal story that puts his military career in perspective. It began with a fall from a ladder in his backyard, resulting in total paralysis from the neck down---and a risky experimental procedure, so dangerous that if it didn't cure him, chances are it would kill him.Revealing, compelling, and controversial, Without Hesitation is the story of a man whose integrity and ethics were always above reproach, and who dedicated his life to serving his country.
Without Hope: A Childhood Ruined by the Man she should Trust the Most
by Barbara NaughtonBarbara's father was a sadistic man at the best of times - his idea of fun was to kill the family dog by tying it to the back of his car and driving off. Also for kicks, he took his children out on to the lake and held them under until they were gasping for their lives.He sexually assaulted Barbara from a young age, often when the rest of the family were in the house. He repeatedly threatened to kill her, and made two very serious attempts. During the final attempt, as he was raping and choking her, Barbara made a vow - if she survived, she would come forward and get justice against her father ...Without Hope is a powerful and inspiring true story of a girl who finally found the inner strength to escape her brutal childhood.
Without My Mother: A Daughter’s Search for the Mother Who Abandoned Her
by Melissa CistaroHow Do You Forgive a Parent Who Has Failed You?One summer, Melissa Cistaro’s mother stepped into her baby-blue Dodge Dart and drove away, leaving behind Melissa and her brothers. Rarely seeing their mother as they were growing up, they blamed themselves for her leaving, turning to each other for support and seeking out often destructive ways to cope with living without their mom.Decades later, with children of her own, Melissa finds herself in Olympia, Washington, as her mother is dying. She has just days to find out what happened that summer and to confront the unthinkable fear that a “leaving gene” might be lying dormant inside of her. She knew she came from a long line of mothers who left their children. But when Melissa stumbles across a folder titled “Letters Never Sent” tucked away in her mother’s filing cabinet, she begins to feel the wreckage of her mother’s painful journey, before and after she abandoned her family. Alternating between Melissa’s tumultuous coming-of-age and her mother’s final days, Without My Mother is a haunting yet ultimately uplifting story of one woman’s quest to discover how our parents’ choices impact our own and how we can survive those choices to forge our own paths.
Without My Mother: A Daughter's Search for the Mother Who Abandoned Her
by Melissa CistaroHow Do You Forgive a Parent Who Has Failed You?One summer, Melissa Cistaro’s mother stepped into her baby-blue Dodge Dart and drove away, leaving behind Melissa and her brothers. Rarely seeing their mother as they were growing up, they blamed themselves for her leaving, turning to each other for support and seeking out often destructive ways to cope with living without their mom.Decades later, with children of her own, Melissa finds herself in Olympia, Washington, as her mother is dying. She has just days to find out what happened that summer and to confront the unthinkable fear that a “leaving gene” might be lying dormant inside of her. She knew she came from a long line of mothers who left their children. But when Melissa stumbles across a folder titled “Letters Never Sent” tucked away in her mother’s filing cabinet, she begins to feel the wreckage of her mother’s painful journey, before and after she abandoned her family. Alternating between Melissa’s tumultuous coming-of-age and her mother’s final days, Without My Mother is a haunting yet ultimately uplifting story of one woman’s quest to discover how our parents’ choices impact our own and how we can survive those choices to forge our own paths.
Without Precedent
by Anna R. HayesThe first woman judge in the state of North Carolina and the first woman in the United States to be elected chief justice of a state supreme court, Susie Marshall Sharp (1907-1996) broke new ground for women in the legal profession. When she retired in 1979, she left a legacy burnished by her tireless pursuit of lucidity in the law, honesty in judges, and humane conditions in prisons.Anna Hayes presents Sharp's career as an attorney, distinguished judge, and politician within the context of the social mores, the legal profession, and the political battles of her day, illuminated by a careful and revealing examination of Sharp's family background, private life, and personality. Judge Sharp was viewed by contemporaries as the quintessential spinster, who had sacrificed marriage and family life for a successful career. The letters and journals she wrote throughout her life, however, reveal that Sharp led a rich private life in which her love affairs occupied a major place, unsuspected by the public or even her closest friends and family. With unrestricted access to Sharp's abundant journals, papers, and notes, Anna Hayes uncovers the story of a brilliant woman who transcended the limits of her times, who opened the way for women who followed her, and who improved the quality of justice for the citizens of her state. Without Precedent also tells the story of a complicated woman, at once deeply conservative and startlingly modern, whose intriguing self-contradictions reflect the complexity of human nature.
Without Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall and His Times
by Joel Richard PaulThe remarkable story of John Marshall who, as chief justice, statesman, and diplomat, played a pivotal role in the founding of the United States.No member of America's Founding Generation had a greater impact on the Constitution and the Supreme Court than John Marshall, and no one did more to preserve the delicate unity of the fledgling United States. From the nation's founding in 1776 and for the next forty years, Marshall was at the center of every political battle. As Chief Justice of the United States - the longest-serving in history - he established the independence of the judiciary and the supremacy of the federal Constitution and courts. As the leading Federalist in Virginia, he rivaled his cousin Thomas Jefferson in influence. As a diplomat and secretary of state, he defended American sovereignty against France and Britain, counseled President John Adams, and supervised the construction of the city of Washington. D.C.This is the astonishing true story of how a rough-cut frontiersman - born in Virginia in 1755 and with little formal education - invented himself as one of the nation's preeminent lawyers and politicians who then reinvented the Constitution to forge a stronger nation. Without Precedent is the engrossing account of the life and times of this exceptional man, who with cunning, imagination, and grace shaped America's future as he held together the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the country itself.