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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
Windfall: The Prairie Woman Who Lost Her Way and the Great-Granddaughter Who Found Her
by Erika BolstadBeneath the windswept North Dakota plains, riches await...At first, Erika Bolstad knew only one thing about her great-grandmother, Anna: she was a homesteader on the North Dakota prairies in the early 1900s before her husband committed her to an asylum under mysterious circumstances. As Erika's mother was dying, she revealed more. Their family still owned the mineral rights to Anna's land—and oil companies were interested in the black gold beneath the prairies. Their family, Erika learned, could get rich thanks to the legacy of a woman nearly lost to history.Anna left no letters or journals, and very few photographs of her had survived. But Erika was drawn to the young woman who never walked free of the asylum that imprisoned her. As a journalist well versed in the effects of fossil fuels on climate change, Erika felt the dissonance of what she knew and the barely-acknowledged whisper that had followed her family across the Great Plains for generations: we could be rich. Desperate to learn more about her great-grandmother and the oil industry that changed the face of the American West forever, Erika set out for North Dakota to unearth what she could of the past. What she discovers is a land of boom-and-bust cycles and families trying their best to eke out a living in an unforgiving landscape, bringing to life the ever-present American question: What does it mean to be rich?
Windhorse Woman: A Marriage of Spirit
by Lynn V. AndrewsIn Windhorse Woman, the sixth book in her bestselling Medicine Woman series, an odyssey of the spirit will take Lynn V. Andrews to the completion of the circle of learning as an apprentice shaman and the start of another quest for the truth only reached through struggle on the human path.Outside of Kathmandu where the majestic Himalayas thrust their jagged peaks against Nepal&’s azure sky, Lynn V. Andrews begins her most momentous journey yet. Her destination is a remote valley high in the mountains where she is searching for a secret hidden for three millennia. More than fifteen years ago, Lynn Andrews became an apprentice to Agnes Whistling Elk, an Indigenous shamaness in the far north. Then, with help from other wise women of the Sisterhood of the Shields—a secret society of Indigenous shamaness women from around the world—she continued her quest for selfhood. In Windhorse Woman, on the roof of the world in Nepal, Lynn seeks an urgent solution to both the wounds of woman&’s inner self and the ongoing destruction of Mother Earth. Believing the key lies with the healing powers of woman, Lynn follows an extraordinary dream to a Nepalese woman who&’ll become her new teacher. But also waiting in this high land of snow is an awesome male force, Windhorse. Unlike the male antagonists of her past who embodied only negative male energies, Windhorse is ready to offer a passionate marriage of spirit and flesh—and a oneness of all-surpassing love able to transform Lynn&’s destiny and perhaps our own.
Window Poems
by Wendell BerryComposed while Wendell Berry looked out the multipaned window of his writing studio, this early sequence of poems contemplates Berry’s personal life as much as it ponders the seasons he witnessed through the window. First designed and printed on a Washington hand press by Bob Barris at the Press on Scroll Road, Window Poems includes elegant wood engravings by Wesley Bates that complement the reflective and meditative beauty of Berry’s poems.
Winds Of Skilak: A Tale of True Grit, True Love and Survival in the Alaskan Wilderness
by Bonnie Rose Ward''Winds of Skilak'' traces a young couple's adventurous move from the suburbs of Ohio to a remote island on ill-tempered Skilak Lake. As Sam and Bonnie adapt to a life without running water, electricity and telephones, the unforgiving, desolate environment tests their courage early on. Facing sub-freezing temperatures, unfriendly bears, and cabin fever, the Wards find strength in new friends, each other, and the awe-inspiring beauty of ''the last frontier. '' Just when they finally settle in, a freak accident proves to be the ultimate test of their resolve. Will they be able to survive in this isolated wilderness filled with unseen dangers? Author Bonnie Ward chronicles an exciting and thought-provoking tale of one couple's faith in God and dedication to each other through all of Alaska's curveballs. ''Winds of Skilak'' is a true tale of absorbing force, sure to bring out your own sense of adventure.
Windsor's Way Updated Edition
by Tony WindsorTraitor or saviour? Tony Windsor has been called both in his 22-year political career, but never more often than when he supported Julia Gillard's government in 2010. And now he's back.After three years in retirement, Tony Windsor refuses to stand by and watch regional Australia relegated to being taken for granted. In the forthcoming election he will go head to head with the leader of the National Party, Barnaby Joyce in the seat of New England.Windsor's Way reveals Tony's courageous political path—as a young branch member he moved a no-confidence motion against the National Party leader. He conducted a rigorous 17-day assessment period of Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard's promises following the indecisive 2010 election and then seized the opportunities of the subsequent hung parliament.By staying true to his values and beliefs in difficult and challenging times, Tony Windsor has become an emblem of integrity and decency in Australian politics.
Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography
by Billy ConnollyWINNER OF THE 2022 BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR: NON-FICTIONThe funny, frank and full autobiography of the nation's favourite comedian.'It's the first time I've done this. Other people have written about me - or for me - but this time it's just my own life in my own words'In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician - a 'rambling man' - with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart. As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies followed. Billy's pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too - for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson's Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings... and writing.Windswept and Interesting is Billy's story in his own words. It is joyfully funny - stuffed full of hard-earned wisdom as well as countless digressions on fishing, farting and the joys of dancing naked. It is an unforgettable, life-affirming story of a true comedy legend.'I didn't know I was Windswept and Interesting until somebody told me. It was a friend who was startlingly exotic himself. He'd just come back from Kashmir and was all billowy shirt and Indian beads. I had long hair and a beard and was swishing around in electric blue flairs.He said: "Look at you - all windswept and interesting!"I just said: "Exactly!"After that, I simply had to maintain my reputation...'(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography
by Billy ConnollyIn his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician - a 'rambling man' - with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart.As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies followed. Billy's pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too - for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson's Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings... and writing.Windswept and Interesting is Billy's story in his own words. It is joyfully funny - stuffed full of hard-earned wisdom as well as countless digressions on fishing, farting and the joys of dancing naked. It is an unforgettable, life-affirming story of a true comedy legend.'I didn't know I was Windswept and Interesting until somebody told me. It was a friend who was startlingly exotic himself. He'd just come back from Kashmir and was all billowy shirt and Indian beads. I had long hair and a beard and was swishing around in electric blue flairs.He said: "Look at you - all windswept and interesting!"I just said: "Exactly!"After that, I simply had to maintain my reputation...'
Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography
by Billy ConnollyIn his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician - a 'rambling man' - with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart.As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies followed. Billy's pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too - for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson's Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings... and writing.Windswept and Interesting is Billy's story in his own words. It is joyfully funny - stuffed full of hard-earned wisdom as well as countless digressions on fishing, farting and the joys of dancing naked. It is an unforgettable, life-affirming story of a true comedy legend.'I didn't know I was Windswept and Interesting until somebody told me. It was a friend who was startlingly exotic himself. He'd just come back from Kashmir and was all billowy shirt and Indian beads. I had long hair and a beard and was swishing around in electric blue flairs.He said: "Look at you - all windswept and interesting!"I just said: "Exactly!"After that, I simply had to maintain my reputation...'
Windswept: Walking the Paths of Trailblazing Women
by Annabel Abbs“A gorgeous and revelatory blend of memoir, travelogue, and long-forgotten history.”—Abbott Kahler Annabel Abbs’s Windswept: Walking the Paths of Trailblazing Women is a beautifully written meditation on connecting with the outdoors through the simple act of walking. In captivating and elegant prose, Abbs follows in the footsteps of women who boldly reclaimed wild landscapes for themselves, including Georgia O’Keeffe in the empty plains of Texas and New Mexico, Nan Shepherd in the mountains of Scotland, Gwen John following the French River Garonne, Daphne du Maurier along the River Rhône, and Simone de Beauvoir—who walked as much as twenty-five miles a day in a dress and espadrilles—through the mountains and forests of France. Part historical inquiry and part memoir, the stories of these writers and artists are laced together by moments in Abb’s own life, beginning with her poet father who raised her in the Welsh countryside as an “experiment,” according to the principles of Rousseau. Abbs explores a forgotten legacy of moving on foot and discovers how it has helped women throughout history to find their voices, to reimagine their lives, and to break free from convention. As Abbs traces the paths of exceptional women, she realizes that she, too, is walking away from her past and into a radically different future. Windswept crosses continents and centuries in a provocative and poignant account of the power of walking in nature.