- Table View
- List View
You Cannot Resist Me When My Hair Is in Braids (Made in Michigan Writers Series)
by Frances Kai-Hwa WangIn the aftermath of a messy divorce, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang writes in the hope of beginning to build a new life with four children, bossy aunties, unreliable suitors, and an uncertain political landscape. The lyric essays in You Cannot Resist Me When My Hair Is in Braids deftly navigate the space between cultures and reflect on lessons learned from both Asian American elders and young multiracial children, punctuated by moments rich with cultural and linguistic nuance. In her prologue, Wang explains, "Buddhists say that suffering comes from unsatisfied desire, so for years I tried to close the door to desire. I was so successful, I not only closed the door, I locked it, barred it, nailed it shut, then stacked a bunch of furniture in front of it. And now that door is open, wide open, and all my insides are spilling out." Full of current events of the day and #HashtagsOfTheMoment, the topics in the collection are wide ranging, including cooking food to show love, surviving Chinese School, being an underpaid lecturer, defending against yellow dildos, navigating immigration issues, finding love in a time of elections, crying with children separated from their parents at the border, charting the landscape of frugal/hoarder elders during the pandemic, witnessing COVID-inspired anti–Asian American violence while reflecting on the death of Vincent Chin, teaching her sixteen-year-old son to drive after the deaths of Trayvon Martin and George Floyd, and trusting the power of writing herself into existence. Within these lyric essays, some of which are accompanied by artwork and art installations, Wang finds the courage and hope to speak out for herself and for an entire generation of Asian American women. A notable work in the landscape of Asian American literature as well as Midwest and Michigan-based literature, You Cannot Resist Me When My Hair Is in Braids features a clear and powerful voice that brings all people together in these political and pandemic times.
You Can’t Say That: Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell
by Leonard S. MarcusWhat happens when freedom of expression comes under threat? In frank and wide-ranging interviews, historian and critic Leonard S. Marcus probes the experience of thirteen leading authors of books for young people. <P><P> A powerful photo essay on transgender teens is called anti-religious and anti-family. A meticulously researched primer on sex education stirs up accusations of pornography and child abuse. Picture books about two mommies (or two penguin daddies) set off a hue and cry. Two hugely popular children’s series run afoul of would-be censors, one for its scatological humor, the other because it’s deemed too scary. Kids’ books that touch on race, sex, LGBTQ matters, the occult, “coarse language,” and more have found themselves under the scrutiny of those who challenge First Amendment rights. <P><P> Tune in as thirteen top children’s and young adult authors speak out about what it’s like to have your work banned or challenged in America today. Prompted by Leonard S. Marcus’s insightful questions, they discuss why their books have faced censorship—both blatant and “soft”—how the challenges have or haven’t affected their writing, and why some people feel they have the right to deny access to books. In addition, Leonard S. Marcus puts First Amendment challenges in a historical context and takes a promising look at the vibrant support network that has risen up to protect and defend young people’s rights. <P><P> Authors interviewed include: Matt de la Peña Robie H. Harris Susan Kuklin David Levithan Meg Medina Lesléa Newman Katherine Paterson Dav Pilkey Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell Sonya Sones R. L. Stine Angie Thomas.
You Changed My Life: A Memoir (Movie Tie-In Edition)
by Abdel Sellou"You Saved My Life" tells the extraordinary true story of the charming Algerian con-man whose friendship with a disabled French aristocrat inspired the record-breaking hit film, "The Intouchables. """SellouOCOs fictional reincarnation, Driss, played to critical acclaim by French comedian Omar Sy in the movie "Les Intouchables," captured the hearts of millions with his edgy charm. aAlready a bestseller in France and Germany, "You Changed My Life" shows us the real man behind SyOCOs smiling face. The book takes us from his childhood spent stealing candy from the local grocery store, to his career as a pickpocket and scam artist, to his unexpected employment as a companion for a quadriplegic. Sellou has never before divulged the details of his past. aIn many interviews and documentaries, he has evaded or shrugged off the question of his childhood and his stay in prison, until now. He tells his story with a stunning amount of talent, with humor, style, andOCothough he denies that he has anyOCohumility. SellouOCOs idiosyncratic and candidly charming voice is magnificently captured in this memoir, a fact to which his friendaPhilippe Pozzo di Borgo testifies in his touching preface for the book. "
You Come Too: My Journey with Robert Frost
by Jay Parini Lesley Lee FrancisRobert Frost observed in his wife, Elinor, a desire to live "a life that goes rather poetically." The same could be said of many members of the Frost family, over several generations. In You Come Too, Frost's granddaughter, Lesley Lee Francis, combines priceless personal memories and rigorous research to create a portrait of Frost and the women, including herself, whose lives he touched.Francis provides a vivid picture of Frost the family man, revealing him to be intensely engaged rather than the aloof artist that is commonly portrayed. She shares with us the devastation Frost and Elinor experienced when faced with tragic illnesses, both physical and mental, and the untimely death of family members. Elinor's own death added to the poet's despair and unleashed complex feelings throughout the family. (Francis's mother would lament the toll taken on Elinor by what she perceived as Frost's "selfishness" in the life he had chosen.)This is also the story of Lesley Frost, Francis's remarkable mother, who struggled to emerge from her celebrated father's shadow, while, as one of the people closest to him, sharing his intuitive impulse to write and to indulge their mutual love of books and poetry. Francis would herself become yet another writer and, like her grandfather and mother before her, a teacher--despite sharing Frost's sense of being "imperfectly academic." In addition, Francis explores Frost's professional relationships with women outside the family, such as the poets Harriet Monroe, Amy Lowell, and Susan Hayes Ward.Francis's invaluable insights into Frost's poetry and her inclusion of previously unpublished family writings and photographs make this book essential to Frost scholarship. But You Come Too will appeal to anyone interested in this great poet's life and work. It also reveals unforgettable stories of strong, independent women and their passion to create and share poetry.
You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir
by Maggie SmithINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NPR Best Book of the Year • Time Best Book of the Year • Oprah Daily Best Memoir of the Year &“A bittersweet study in both grief and joy.&” —Time &“A sparklingly beautiful memoir-in-vignettes&” (Isaac Fitzgerald, New York Times bestselling author) that explores coming of age in your middle age—from the bestselling poet and author of Keep Moving.&“Life, like a poem, is a series of choices.&” In her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself. The book begins with one woman&’s personal heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes. With the spirit of self-inquiry and empathy she&’s known for, Smith interweaves snapshots of a life with meditations on secrets, anger, forgiveness, and narrative itself. The power of these pieces is cumulative: page after page, they build into a larger interrogation of family, work, and patriarchy. You Could Make This Place Beautiful, like the work of Deborah Levy, Rachel Cusk, and Gina Frangello, is an unflinching look at what it means to live and write our own lives. It is a story about a mother&’s fierce and constant love for her children, and a woman&’s love and regard for herself. Above all, this memoir is &“extraordinary&” (Ann Patchett) in the way that it reveals how, in the aftermath of loss, we can discover our power and make something new and beautiful.
You Couldn't Make It Up
by Jeremy KyleThe follow up to the top five Sunday Times bestseller I'm Only Being Honest reveals Jeremy Kyle's lighter side as he opens up on topics such as celebrity, middle age, parenting and Gordon Brown.Love him or loathe him, you can't ignore Jeremy Kyle...Is he the most opinionated man on television or the only man who has the balls to say what we're all thinking? He pulls no punches on stage but when the studio lights are turned down and the cameras stop rolling, what is it really like being Jeremy Kyle, one of the nation's most controversial celebrities? Moreover, how would he cope if the focus of his famed straight-talking was... himself?In You Couldn't Make It Up Jeremy tells us exactly what life is like inside the 'crazy celebrity circus', complete with the rollercoaster ride of his accidental TV career and all the highs and lows of his personal life. Read how he really feels about his fellow celebrities; how he's coping with the minefield that is middle age and being a modern dad; uncover what Jeremy thinks about the true state of the nation and what he'd really like to do to our politicians!Funny, self-deprecating and bursting with his trademark honesty, You Couldn't Make It Up shows us the Jeremy Kyle 'not seen on TV', and it's as entertaining and outspoken as the man who is.
You Couldn't Make It Up
by Jeremy KyleThe follow up to the top five Sunday Times bestseller I'm Only Being Honest reveals Jeremy Kyle's lighter side as he opens up on topics such as celebrity, middle age, parenting and Gordon Brown.Love him or loathe him, you can't ignore Jeremy Kyle...Is he the most opinionated man on television or the only man who has the balls to say what we're all thinking? He pulls no punches on stage but when the studio lights are turned down and the cameras stop rolling, what is it really like being Jeremy Kyle, one of the nation's most controversial celebrities? Moreover, how would he cope if the focus of his famed straight-talking was... himself?In You Couldn't Make It Up Jeremy tells us exactly what life is like inside the 'crazy celebrity circus', complete with the rollercoaster ride of his accidental TV career and all the highs and lows of his personal life. Read how he really feels about his fellow celebrities; how he's coping with the minefield that is middle age and being a modern dad; uncover what Jeremy thinks about the true state of the nation and what he'd really like to do to our politicians!Funny, self-deprecating and bursting with his trademark honesty, You Couldn't Make It Up shows us the Jeremy Kyle 'not seen on TV', and it's as entertaining and outspoken as the man who is.
You Deserve Better: What Life Has Taught Me About Love, Relationships, and Becoming Your Best Self
by Tyler CameronFrom the Bachelorette breakout heartthrob, You Deserve Better will combine Tyler Cameron's life story with a guide for both men and women to building healthy relationships in the tricky world of modern dating, proving why he's the male feminist we never knew we needed. Tyler Cameron impressed fans on The Bachelorette with his ability to discuss difficult topics with a level of emotional intelligence perhaps never seen on reality television. Things like consent and boundaries, respect for women and their decisions, the roots of toxic masculinity in insecurity, and more, he espoused with confidence and genuineness. Tyler seems like a unicorn. He got the world's attention simply by demonstrating a full grasp of respect and no fear of vulnerability and honesty. But shouldn't this be the norm? In this book he'll show that every person deserves a partner who understands and values them, with advice on how to seek out someone like this and how to behave like this for your own someone. Part memoir, part how-to guide for anyone lost in the world of modern dating, and interspersed with practical tips on how to find and foster a meaningful relationship, You Deserve Better will show readers how Tyler C. became Tyler C., the story his fans are dying to know.
You Deserve Good Gelato
by Kacie RoseIn this refreshingly honest take on navigating a new life abroad. Social media star Kacie Rose offers a funny, joyful, and searingly honest account of the highs and lows of living abroad and traveling the world.Kacie decided to leave her life as a pro dancer in New York City and move to Italy in 2021, covering everything from travel fails and homesickness to the joy of culture shocks. In this travel book, you will find:-Personal essays that tell Kacie’s story that will empower you to challenge yourself-A candid outlook on life as an expat, discussing important concepts like homesickness, embracing new cultures and cultural stereotypes-A helpful and funny guide that will encourage you to travel abroad and remind you that you are stronger and more capable than you think. Kacie reflects on the pure terror of driving on Italian roads, the trials of speaking a new language, and the genuine beauty of a slower pace of life, all with humor and heart. By sharing her personal stories of life under the Tuscan sun, Kacie explains how travel is a privilege, why cultural differences are the coolest things in the world, and how there's a positive you can take away from literally any situation. Travel meets narrative in this book about Kacie Rose’s experiences living in a new country.
You Did WHAT?
by Tova LeighA fantastic collection of funny, moving and outrageous confessions from people from all walks of life, chosen and introduced by popular digital creator and bestselling author Tova Leigh."I was living with a nasty boyfriend who complained I didn't put enough pepper in his egg sandwich. So I dried out some hamster poop and chopped it into tiny pieces. He said it was delicious. Revenge is sweet!"Have you ever wondered what other people get up to when they think no one's looking? Do you have a mortifying secret of your own you've never dared share? Whatever scandalous incidents lie hidden in your past, don't worry: this wonderful collection of funny, sexy, hair-raising and heart-warming confessions will reassure you that you're by no means alone.These confessions have all been curated by bestselling author and digital creator Tova Leigh, who explains just why we should stop being ashamed of our secrets, and instead have the courage to make ourselves vulnerable, speak out and connect. In this ultimate page-turner, there are parenting confessions, sex confessions, workplace confessions, revenge confessions ... not forgetting the all-important bodily fluids confessions! You need never feel embarrassed by your own slip-ups and misdemeanours again."So I was married for nine years and after the divorce, when I was ready to sleep with other men, I signed up on Tinder. After a few dates I was thinking ... why do I give it for free, when men will pay for it? So I became an escort! I did it for about five months and I must say I had the best time ever ... made a lot of money and met some really nice interesting people."
You Do Not Have to Be Good: A Memoir
by Dayna MacCullochWhen Dayna MacCulloch was two years old, her father killed his friend and then himself. Twenty years later, she went back to see where it happened—where her father morphed from the hippie, homesteading, jack-of-all-trades man that everyone loved to the guy who took his rifle off the shelf one night and shot his friend in the face. Standing in the place where he did it, a wildfire of unanswered questions—the ones she’d suppressed all her life—blazed open within her. The life she was living no longer made sense, no longer was enough. While most of her friends were applying for big jobs, getting married, and getting pregnant, she bought a one-way ticket to a Greek island—determined to, as Rilke advised, live the questions for as long as she could.You Do Not Have to Be Good is the story of where that choice led her: to five different countries over the course of five years. It is a candid, intimate memoir about the ways that loss and landscape guide and shape us, the ways strangers can heal us, and what it means to finally come home.
You Do You: How to Be Who You Are and Use What You've Got to Get What You Want
by Sarah Knight*From the 'anti-guru' author of the smash hit The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k and the New York Times bestseller Get Your Sh*t Together * In The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k, our favourite 'anti-guru' Sarah Knight unleashed the power of saying no. In Get Your Sh*t Together, she prioritised the sh*t you need and want to do so you can achieve your hopes and dreams. Now she's back, doubling down on your happiness with her latest message: You Do You. Being yourself should be the easiest thing in the world. Yet instead of leaning in to who we are, we fight it, listening too closely to what society tells us. You Do You helps you shake off those expectations, say f**k perfect, start looking out for number one and keep on with your badass self. From career and finances to relationships and family, lifestyle and health, Sarah Knight rips up the rulebook. Writing about her mistakes and embarrassments in her own personal quest to 'do me' - because nobody gets everything right all day, every day - Sarah Knight shows why you can and should f**k up and teaches you to let yourself off the hook, bounce back and keep standing tall.What everyone is saying about Sarah Knight:'The anti-guru' Observer'I love Knight' Sunday Times 'Life-affirming' Lucy Mangan, Guardian 'Genius' Vogue
You Do You: How to Be Who You Are and Use What You've Got to Get What You Want
by Sarah Knight*From the 'anti-guru' author of the smash hit The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k and the New York Times bestseller Get Your Sh*t Together * In The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k, our favourite 'anti-guru' Sarah Knight unleashed the power of saying no. In Get Your Sh*t Together, she prioritised the sh*t you need and want to do so you can achieve your hopes and dreams. Now she's back, doubling down on your happiness with her latest message: You Do You. Being yourself should be the easiest thing in the world. Yet instead of leaning in to who we are, we fight it, listening too closely to what society tells us. You Do You helps you shake off those expectations, say f**k perfect, start looking out for number one and keep on with your badass self. From career and finances to relationships and family, lifestyle and health, Sarah Knight rips up the rulebook. Writing about her mistakes and embarrassments in her own personal quest to 'do me' - because nobody gets everything right all day, every day - Sarah Knight shows why you can and should f**k up and teaches you to let yourself off the hook, bounce back and keep standing tall.What everyone is saying about Sarah Knight:'The anti-guru' Observer'I love Knight' Sunday Times 'Life-affirming' Lucy Mangan, Guardian 'Genius' Vogue (P)2017 Hachette Audio
You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War
by Elizabeth BeckerThe long-buried story of three extraordinary female journalists who permanently shattered the barriers to women covering war. Kate Webb, an Australian iconoclast, Catherine Leroy, a French daredevil photographer, and Frances FitzGerald, a blue-blood American intellectual, arrived in Vietnam with starkly different life experiences but one shared purpose: to report on the most consequential story of the decade. At a time when women were considered unfit to be foreign reporters, Frankie, Catherine, and Kate challenged the rules imposed on them by the military, ignored the belittlement of their male peers, and ultimately altered the craft of war reportage for generations. In You Don&’t Belong Here, Elizabeth Becker uses these women&’s work and lives to illuminate the Vietnam War from the 1965 American buildup, the expansion into Cambodia, and the American defeat and its aftermath. Arriving herself in the last years of the war, Becker writes as a historian and a witness of the times. What emerges is an unforgettable story of three journalists forging their place in a land of men, often at great personal sacrifice. Deeply reported and filled with personal letters, interviews, and profound insight, You Don&’t Belong Here fills a void in the history of women and of war.
You Don't Cry Out Loud: The Lily Isaacs Story
by Lily IsaacsA powerful, unforgettable account of Christ’s grace, mercy, and His work in their lives! A talented daughter of Holocaust survivors, Lily Isaacs is a woman who has felt pain and loss, and found the incomparable joy of a life with Jesus Christ. As a new Christian believer, she became estranged from her Jewish parents because of her faith, yet she never walked alone, always clinging to the hope she found in Christ. Throughout her music and that of her children, who together form the beloved and multi-award winning group The Isaacs, you hear the resonating inspirational legacy of this family’s faith journey. An autobiographical look at Lily’s life, from being a Jewish folk singer to serving as vocalist and matriarch of The Isaacs The powerful account of her struggle with a once unknown faith and how she finally "cried her way to God from the church’s back pew" The incredible insights behind heartbreaking moments which were her greatest opportunities of faith. Whether surviving breast cancer or a challenging career, Lily’s steady refrain has been one of God’s constant love, comfort, and strength. With a remarkable and unforgettable mix of acoustic, gospel, and country music, she and The Isaacs continue to inspire and entertain audiences in churches and on stage around the world!
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
by Simon Napier-BellYou probably know Simon Napier-Bell as the manager of the Yardbirds. Or you may know him as the man who managed Marc Bolan, or Japan. You should definitely know him as the man who managed Wham! And if none of these rings a bell, maybe you'll remember him as the man who co-wrote 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' for Dusty Springfield. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me is one of the funniest books you will read and equally provoking. From his revelation that the entire music industry was motivated by sex, to an embarrassing come-on from a suicidal Brian Epstein, it's all shocking stuff. But when you're on the run from the German police with Marc Bolan, brothel-hopping with Keith Moon and generally living the life of Riley at the music industry's expense, it would be a shame not to share those amazing experiences with the rest of the world, wouldn't it? Of all the great pop-music books written, it is worth savouring You Don't Have To Say You Love Me for its brilliant sideways insight into one of the most exciting cultural periods Britain has ever seen.
You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here: The instant Sunday Times bestseller
by Benji Waterhouse**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**A humane, hilarious and heart-breaking window into the world of psychiatry from ‘the Adam Kay of mental healthcare’ (THE TIMES) 'Very funny and deeply sympathetic. Really excellent' HENRY MARSH'This is honestly my dream book. Both fascinating and bleakly funny' FERN BRADY‘Honest, funny, saddening and uplifting all rolled into one’ JO BRANDA woman in a wedding dress arrives at the hospital looking for Harry Styles.A lorry driver with schizophrenia believes he’s got a cure for coronavirus.A depressed man hides his profession from his GP due to stigma.Most of the psychiatric cases in this book are his patients. Some of them are family. One of them is him.Unlocking the doors to the psych ward, NHS psychiatrist Dr Benji Waterhouse provides a fly-on-the-padded-wall account of medicine’s most mysterious and controversial speciality.Why would anyone in their right mind choose to be a psychiatrist? Are the solutions to people’s messy lives really within medical school textbooks? And how can vulnerable patients receive the care they need when psychiatry lacks staff, hospital beds and any actual cures?You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here explores these complicated questions from both sides of the doctor’s desk.This is the perfect read for fans of This Is Going to Hurt, Unnatural Causes and The Prison Doctor.Instant Sunday Times bestseller, May 2024
You Don't Have to Be Your Mother
by Gayle FeldmanA woman 8 months pregnant discovers she has breast cancer. This is a true story and a step-by-step walk, through her discovery, diagnosis, birth of her baby, her breast surgery, and post surgery. A must-read for anyone facing this disease.
You Don't Have to Be in Who's Who to Know What's What: The Choice Wit and Wisdom of Sam Levenson
by Sam LevensonThe author and humorist Sam Levenson is quoted hundreds of time each day on Twitter, and his sayings appear on everything from t-shirts to inspirational signs. To read through and savor You Don't Have To Be In Who's Who To Know What's What is to discover much of the source material for his timeless wisdom. It is a treasure trove of topics ranging from family ("Insanity is hereditary; you can get it from your children") to perseverance ("Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.") Levenson's upbringing was as the youngest of eight children in a large Jewish immigrant family in New York. He evolved from a Spanish teacher in Brooklyn to working the Catskills circuit as a comedian and by the 1950s was a fixture in American homes as television personality, appearing and guest hosting numerous times on classic shows like This Is Show Business, Two For The Money, and The Ed Sullivan Show. For several years, he hosted his own variety show on CBS called The Sam Levenson Show, where the set doubled as a school classroom and the guests often evoked Levenson's love of learning, teaching, and family. These experiences informed his lessons about life, family and careers, and make this definitive collections of his views and sayings so timeless.
You Don't Have to Like Me
by Alida NugentThe author of Don't Worry, It Gets Worse takes on the F-word Alida Nugent's first book, Don't Worry, It Gets Worse, received terrific reviews, and her self-deprecating "everygirl" approach continues to win the Internet-savvy writer and blogger new fans. Now, she takes on one of today's hottest cultural topics: feminism. Nugent is a proud feminist--and she's not afraid to say it. From the "scarlet F" thrust upon you if you declare yourself a feminist at a party to how to handle judgmental store clerks when you buy Plan B, You Don't Have to Like Me skewers a range of cultural issues, and confirms Nugent as a star on the rise.From the Trade Paperback edition.
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir
by Sherman AlexieOne of the most anticipated books of 2017--Entertainment Weekly and Bustle A searing, deeply moving memoir about family, love, loss, and forgiveness from the critically acclaimed, bestselling National Book Award-winning author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Family relationships are never simple. But Sherman Alexie's bond with his mother Lillian was more complex than most. She plunged her family into chaos with a drinking habit, but shed her addiction when it was on the brink of costing her everything. She survived a violent past, but created an elaborate facade to hide the truth. She selflessly cared for strangers, but was often incapable of showering her children with the affection that they so desperately craved. She wanted a better life for her son, but it was only by leaving her behind that he could hope to achieve it. It's these contradictions that made Lillian Alexie a beautiful, mercurial, abusive, intelligent, complicated, and very human woman.When she passed away, the incongruities that defined his mother shook Sherman and his remembrance of her. Grappling with the haunting ghosts of the past in the wake of loss, he responded the only way he knew how: he wrote. The result is a stunning memoir filled with raw, angry, funny, profane, tender memories of a childhood few can imagine, much less survive. An unflinching and unforgettable remembrance, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME is a powerful, deeply felt account of a complicated relationship. *Winner of the 2018 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Non-Fiction
You Don't Know Me
by Mary Jane Ross Ray Charles RobinsonA deeply personal memoir of the private Ray Charles - the man behind the legend - by his eldest son.Ray Charles is an American music legend. A multiple Grammy Award-winning composer, pianist, and singer with an inimitable vocal style and a catalog of hits including "What I Say," "Georgia on My Mind," "Unchain My Heart," "I Can't Stop Loving You," and "America the Beautiful," Ray Charles's music is loved by fans around the world.Now his eldest son, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., shares an intimate glimpse of the man behind the music, with never-before-told stories. Going beyond the fame, the concerts, and the tours, Ray Jr. opens the doors of his family home and reveals their private lives with fondness and frankness.He shares his father's grief and guilt over his little brother's death at the age of five -- as well of moments of personal joy, like watching his father run his hands over the Christmas presents under their tree while singing softly to himself. He tells of how Ray overcame the challenges of being blind, even driving cars, riding a Vespa, and flying his own plane. And, in gripping detail, he reveals how as a six-year-old boy he saved his father's life one harrowing night.Ray Jr. writes honestly about the painful facts of the addiction that nearly destroyed his father's life. His father's struggles with heroin addiction, his arrests, and how he ultimately kicked the drug cold turkey are presented in unflinching detail. Ray Jr. also shares openly about how, as an adult, he fell victim to the same temptations that plagued his father.He paints a compassionate portrait of his mother, Della, whose amazing voice as a gospel singer first attracted Ray Charles. Though her husband's drug use, his womanizing, and the paternity suits leveled against him constantly threatened the stability of the Robinson home, Della exhibited incredible resilience and inner strength.Told with deep love and fearless candor, You Don't Know Me is the powerful and poignant story of the Ray Charles the public never saw -- the father and husband and fascinating human being who also happened to be one of the greatest musicians of all time.From the Hardcover edition.
You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me
by Nathan RabinFilled with veteran pop culture writer Nathan Rabin's "trademark humor, quirkiness, and self-deprecation" (USA TODAY) comes a gonzo exploration of two of music's most obsessed fanbases: Phish's neo-hippie following and hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse's "Juggalos." When memoirist and head writer for The A.V. Club Nathan Rabin first set out to write about obsessed music fans, he had no idea the journey would take him to the deepest recesses of both the pop culture universe and his own mind. For two very curious years, Rabin, who Mindy Kaling called "smart and funny" in The New Yorker, hit the road with two of music's most well-established fanbases: Phish's hippie fans and Insane Clown Posse's notorious "Juggalos." Musically or style-wise, these two groups could not be more different from each other, and Rabin, admittedly, was a cynic about both bands. But once he gets deep below the surface, past the caricatures and into the essence of their collective cultures, he discovers that both groups have tapped into the human need for community. Rabin also grapples with his own mental well-being--he discovers that he is bipolar--and his journey is both a prism for cultural analysis and a deeply personal exploration, equal parts humor and heart.
You Don't Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine
by Yeva SkalietskaAn inspiring memoir of resilience by a young survivor of the war in Ukraine, as told through her diary entries—a harrowing and ultimately hopeful survival story. Yeva Skalietska&’s story begins on her twelfth birthday in Kharkiv, where she has been living with her grandmother since she was a baby. Ten days later, the only life she&’d ever known was shattered. On February 24, 2022, her city was suddenly under attack as Russia launched its horrifying invasion of Ukraine. Yeva and her grandmother took shelter in a basement bunker, where she began writing this diary. She describes the bombings she endured while sheltering underground and her desperate journey west to escape the conflict raging around them. After many endless train rides and a prolonged stay in an overcrowded refugee center in Western Ukraine, Yeva and her beloved grandmother eventually find refuge in Ireland. There, she bravely begins to forge a new life, hoping she&’ll be able to return home one day. Hardcover with dust jacket; 128 pages; 7.5 in H x 5 in W.
You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know
by Heather SellersAn unusual and uncommonly moving family memoir, with a twist that give new meaning to hindsight, insight, and forgiveness. Heather Sellers is face-blind-that is, she has prosopagnosia, a rare neurological condition that prevents her from reliably recognizing people's faces. Growing up, unaware of the reason for her perpetual confusion and anxiety, she took what cues she could from speech, hairstyle, and gait. But she sometimes kissed a stranger, thinking he was her boyfriend, or failed to recognize even her own father and mother. She feared she must be crazy. Yet it was her mother who nailed windows shut and covered them with blankets, made her daughter walk on her knees to spare the carpeting, had her practice secret words to use in the likely event of abduction. Her father went on weeklong "fishing trips" (aka benders), took in drifters, wore panty hose and bras under his regular clothes. Heather clung to a barely coherent story of a "normal" childhood in order to survive the one she had. That fairy tale unraveled two decades later when Heather took the man she would marry home to meet her parents and began to discover the truth about her family and about herself. As she came at last to trust her own perceptions, she learned the gift of perspective: that embracing the past as it is allows us to let it go. And she illuminated a deeper truth-that even in the most flawed circumstances, love may be seen and felt. Watch a Video .