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Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
by David SheffTHE NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NOW A MAJOR FILM, STARRING STEVE CARELL AND BAFTA AND GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATED TIMOTHEE CHALAMET &‘What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong?&’ Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff&’s journey through his son Nic&’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets.With haunting candour, David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3am phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the attempts at rehab. His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself, and the obsessive worry and stress took a tremendous toll. But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every avenue of treatment that might save his son and refused to give up on Nic. This story is a first: a teenager's addiction from the parent's point of view – a real-time chronicle of the shocking descent into substance abuse and the gradual emergence into hope. Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help. Read the other side of Nic Sheff's bestselling memoir, Tweak. Praise for Beautiful Boy:- 'A brilliant, harrowing, heartbreaking, fascinating story, full of beautiful moments and hard-won wisdom. This book will save a lot of lives and heal a lot of hearts'. Anne Lamott 'An important book... moving, timely and startlingly beautiful.' Richard Branson
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
by David SheffWhat had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? <p><p>What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff 's journey through his son Nic's addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. <p><p>Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. <p><p>After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets. David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3 A. M. phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the rehabs. His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself, and the obsessive worry and stress took a tremendous toll. <p><p>But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every avenue of treatment that might save his son and refused to give up on Nic. Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Beautiful Brutality: The Family Ties at the Heart of Boxing
by Adam SmithBoxing. The Sport of Kings. And for every king, there are kingmakers and princes, determined heirs and ruthless pretenders to the throne. Boxers may enter the ring alone, but behind them are their families, many of whom have spent a career in the fight game themselves. And all are caught up in this most beautiful but brutal of sports.Beautiful Brutality is the first book to examine the world of boxing from the perspective of family. With unprecedented access to the likes of the Calzaghes, Mayweathers, Hattons and Khans, Sky Sports boxing expert Adam Smith lays bare the raw emotion at the heart of the sport. How does it feel when your son is taking a pummelling? Can a father make rational judgements from the corner of the ring, in the frenzied atmosphere of a fight? And how much strength does a boxer take from his family, or the family figures that so many trainers and promoters become?Passionate, hard-hitting and with astonishing revelations about the world of boxing, Beautiful Brutality is written from the heart, by an author with a unique knowledge and experience of the fight game.
Beautiful Chaos
by Carey Perloff"Beautiful Chaos is an extraordinary journey of Carey Perloff and her theatre, ACT. Their continued evolution and ability to define and re-define themselves with courage, tenacity, and bravery allow them to confront what seem like insurmountable odds. This continues to shape and inspire Carey and those who work with her."--Olympia Dukakis, Academy Award-winning actress"Carey Perloff's lively, outspoken memoir of adventures in running and directing theatre will be a key document in the story of playmaking in America."--Tom Stoppard, Playwright"Carey Perloff, quite literally, raised a vibrant new theater from the rubble of an old one. This refreshingly honest account of her triumphs and misfires over the past two decades is both a fascinating read and an invaluable handbook for anyone attempting such a labor of love."--Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City"Carey Perloff's marvel of a book is part memoir of a working mother, a passionate artist, a woman flourishing in a male-dominated craft- and part lavish love letter to theater. It is as lively, thoughtful, and insightful an account I have ever read about the art form. This one is for any person who has ever sat in the dark and been spellbound by the transformative power of theater."--Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner"Carey Perloff is a veteran of the regional theatre wars. Beautiful Chaos is her vivacious account of her ambitious work commanding San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre (ACT). The book exudes Perloff's trademark brio: smart, outspoken, full of fun and ferment."--John Lahr, author of Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh"This is an engaged, engaging, deeply intelligent, and passionate account of why the theatre matters and how it works in a city and in a society. It is also a fascinating and essential chapter in the history of San Francisco itself, as well as the story of a committed theatre artist's determination and vision."--Colm Toibin, author of Nora WebsterCarey Perloff, Artistic Director of San Francisco's legendary American Conservatory Theater, pens a lively and revealing memoir of her twenty-plus years at the helm and delivers a provocative and impassioned manifesto for the role of live theater in today's technology-infused world.Perloff's personal and professional journey-her life as a woman in a male-dominated profession, as a wife and mother, a playwright, director, producer, arts advocate, and citizen in a city erupting with enormous change-is a compelling, entertaining story for anyone interested in how theater gets made. She offers a behind-the-scenes perspective, including her intimate working experiences with well-known actors, directors, and writers, including Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Robert Wilson, David Strathairn, and Olympia Dukakis.Whether reminiscing about her turbulent first years as a young woman taking over an insolvent theater in crisis and transforming it into a thriving, world-class performance space, or ruminating on the potential for its future, Perloff takes on critical questions about arts education, cultural literacy, gender disparity, leadership, and power.Carey Perloff is an award-winning playwright, theater director, and the artistic director of the American Conservatory Theater of San Francisco since 1992.
Beautiful Child: The Story of a Child Trapped in Silence and the Teacher Who Refused to Give Up on Her
by Torey L. HaydenSeven-year-old Venus Fox never spoke, never listened, never even acknowledged the presence of another human being in the room with her. Yet an accidental playground "bump" would release a rage frightening to behold. The school year that followed would prove to be one of the most trying, perplexing, and ultimately rewarding of Torey's career, as she struggled to reach a silent child in obvious pain. It would be a strenuous journey beset by seemingly insurmountable obstacles and darkened by truly terrible revelations--yet encouraged by sometimes small, sometimes dazzling breakthroughs--as a dedicated teacher remained committed to helping "hopeless" girl, and patiently and lovingly leading her toward the light of a new day. A stunning and poignant account of an extraordinary teacher's determination never to abandon a child in need from the internationally bestselling author of ONE CHILD.
Beautiful Country: A Memoir of an Undocumented Childhood
by Qian Julie WangA NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • The moving story of an undocumented child living in poverty in the richest country in the world—an incandescent debut from an astonishing new talent • A TODAY SHOW #READWITHJENNA PICK In Chinese, the word for America, Mei Guo, translates directly to &“beautiful country.&” Yet when seven-year-old Qian arrives in New York City in 1994 full of curiosity, she is overwhelmed by crushing fear and scarcity. In China, Qian&’s parents were professors; in America, her family is &“illegal&” and it will require all the determination and small joys they can muster to survive.In Chinatown, Qian&’s parents labor in sweatshops. Instead of laughing at her jokes, they fight constantly, taking out the stress of their new life on one another. Shunned by her classmates and teachers for her limited English, Qian takes refuge in the library and masters the language through books, coming to think of The Berenstain Bears as her first American friends. And where there is delight to be found, Qian relishes it: her first bite of gloriously greasy pizza, weekly &“shopping days,&” when Qian finds small treasures in the trash lining Brooklyn&’s streets, and a magical Christmas visit to Rockefeller Center—confirmation that the New York City she saw in movies does exist after all.But then Qian&’s headstrong Ma Ma collapses, revealing an illness that she has kept secret for months for fear of the cost and scrutiny of a doctor&’s visit. As Ba Ba retreats further inward, Qian has little to hold onto beyond his constant refrain: Whatever happens, say that you were born here, that you&’ve always lived here.Inhabiting her childhood perspective with exquisite lyric clarity and unforgettable charm and strength, Qian Julie Wang has penned an essential American story about a family fracturing under the weight of invisibility, and a girl coming of age in the shadows, who never stops seeking the light.
Beautiful Ever After
by Katie Piper'Katie Piper has an attitude to life that can make anything bearable. She's a hero' MARIAN KEYESThe heartbreaking, inspiring and uplifting story of Katie Piper's journey from recovery to new beginnings, motherhood and finding love. Since the rape and acid attack that left her disfigured, Katie Piper has rebuilt her life one piece at a time. Katie shares her experiences as her life changed in ways she never thought possible. Behind her brave face and public success, Katie's story is as heartbreaking as inspirational, as she faced medical procedures, terrifying flashbacks and fears for the future. But as Katie found her Prince Charming - and became a mother against the odds - she experienced both the wonder and anxiety of starting a new, loving family. You will both smile and cry as you join Katie on her highs and lows. With her trademark warmth, honesty and courage, Katie Piper takes you by the hand through her story, showing that no matter how lost you feel in life, you are never alone.Join Katie this December on her journey to confidence in her new book:CONFIDENCE: THE SECRET'We could all take a leaf out of Katie's book. She has overcome more than anyone else I know' CHERYL'Katie is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met' SIMON COWELL
Beautiful Ever After
by Katie PiperSince the brutal rape and acid attack that left her permanently disfigured, Katie Piper has rebuilt her life one determined step at a time. Her extraordinary story of strength and recovery has captivated and inspired many. In this powerful sequel to her bestselling memoir, Katie reveals what happened next, since she bravely faced up to the world. With her trademark honesty, humour and heartfelt emotion, Katie shares the highs and lows she has faced as life changed in ways she never thought possible. Now a successful charity campaigner, TV presenter and inspirational speaker, her career highs have often brought her face-to-face with her biggest demons. So her story is still dark at times, as she reveals the genuine fears and flashbacks she continues to overcome behind closed doors, and the realities, both physical and emotional, of her ongoing, painful recovery. But Katie's story will also delight and surprise: despite fears of a life alone, she has found her Prince Charming, and beaten the odds to become a mother for the first time. Proof that no matter what life throws at us there can be a happy ending, this is the no-holds-barred, witty and utterly engaging next chapter in the life of a remarkable young woman.(P) 2014 WF Howes Ltd
Beautiful Exile: The Life of Martha Gellhorn
by Carl RollysonMartha Gellhorn died in February 1998, just shy of her 90th birthday. Well before her death, she had become a legend. She reported on wars from Spain in the 1930s to Panama in the 1980s, and her travel books are considered classics. Her marriage to Ernest Hemingway, affairs with legendary lovers like H. G. Wells, and her relationships with two presidents, Roosevelt and Kennedy, reflect her campaigns against tyranny and deprivation, as well as her outrage at the corruption and cruelty of modern governments. This controversial and acclaimed biography portrays a vibrant and troubled woman who never tired of fighting for causes she considered just.
Beautiful Eyes: A Father Transformed
by Paul AustinThrough parenting a child with a disability, a father discovers patience, acceptance, and unconditional love. In 1987, Paul Austin and his wife Sally were newlyweds, excited about their future together and happily anticipating the birth of their first child. He was a medical student and she was a nurse. Everything changed the moment the doctor rushed their infant daughter from the room just after her birth, knowing instantly that something was wrong. Sarah had almond-shaped eyes, a single crease across her palm instead of three, and low-set ears--all of which suggested that the baby had Down syndrome. Beginning on the day Sarah is born and ending when she is a young adult living in a group home, Beautiful Eyes is the story of a father's journey toward acceptance of a child who is different. In a voice that is unflinchingly honest and unerringly compassionate, Austin chronicles his life with his daughter: watching her learn to walk and talk and form her own opinions, making decisions about her future, and navigating cultural assumptions and prejudices--all the while confronting, with poignancy and moving candor, his own limitations as her father. It is Sarah herself, who, in her own coming of age and her own reconciling with her difference, teaches her father to understand her. Time and again, she surprises him: performing Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" at a talent show; explaining how the word "retarded" is hurtful; reacting to the events of her life with a mixture of love, pain, and humor; and insisting on her own humanity in a world that questions it. As Sarah begins to blossom into herself, her father learns to look past his daughter's disability and see her as the spirited, warmhearted, and uniquely wise person she is.
Beautiful Flowers of the Maquiladora: Life Histories of Women Workers in Tijuana
by Norma Iglesias PrietoPublished originally as La flor mas bella de la maquiladora, this beautifully written book is based on interviews the author conducted with more than fifty Mexican women who work in the assembly plants along the U. S. –Mexico border. A descriptive analytic study conducted in the late 1970s, the book uses compelling testimonials to detail the struggles these women face. The experiences of women in maquiladoras are attracting increasing attention from scholars, especially in the context of ongoing Mexican migration to the country’s northern frontier and in light of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This book is among the earliest accounts of the physical and psychological toll exacted from the women who labor in these plants. Iglesias Prieto captures the idioms of these working women so that they emerge as dynamic individuals, young and articulate personalities, inexorably engaged in the daily struggle to change the fundamental conditions of their exploitation.
Beautiful Fools: The Last Affair of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald
by R. Clifton SpargoThis Fitzgeralds&’ novel &“is historical fiction at its best, imaginatively filling the gaps and bringing us intimately into a portrait of a marriage.&”(Times Literary Supplement) In 1939 F. Scott Fitzgerald is living in Hollywood, a virulent alcoholic and deeply in debt. Despite his relationship with gossip columnist Sheila Graham, he remains fiercely loyal to his wife, Zelda, his soul mate and muse. In an attempt to fuse together their fractured marriage, Scott arranges a trip to Cuba, where, after a disastrous first night in Havana, the couple runs off to a beach resort outside the city. But even in paradise, Scott and Zelda cannot escape the dangerous intensity of their relationship. In Beautiful Fools, R. Clifton Spargo gives us a vivid, resplendent, and truly human portrait of the Fitzgeralds, and reveals the heartbreaking patterns and unexpected moments of tenderness that characterize a great romance in decline. &“This approach to the Fitzgeralds&’ story is the most successful of the bunch . . . With its contained arc and energetic plotting, Beautiful Fools takes the focus off more familiar episodes in the couple&’s history.&” —The New Yorker &“In Spargo&’s hands, the Fitzgeralds emerge as fully human, if crazed and ruined characters.&” —The Washington Post &“Beautiful Fools is the work of a genuine literary talent. . . . Spargo&’s Fitzgeralds come alive.&” —The Spectator &“Spargo's book is richly imagined, and paints a delightfully detailed portrait of Cuba of 1939. It's a positively delicious travelogue.&” —Chicago Tribune &“Alternating between Scott&’s and Zelda&’s perspectives, Spargo describes the imperfect communion of two troubled souls who can&’t quite let go of their past or each other.&” —Boston Globe
Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of the World's Smartest Horse
by Mim E. RivasThe remarkable true saga of an exceptional animal—and the no less exceptional man who led him to greatness: “Seabiscuit had nothing on Beautiful Jim Key.” —Sacramento BeeBeautiful Jim Key—the onetime ugly duckling of a scrub colt who became one of the most beloved heroes of the turn of the twentieth century—was adored not for his beauty and speed but rather for his remarkable abilities to read, write, spell, do mathematics, even debate politics. Trained with patience and kindness by one of the most renowned horse whisperers of his day—former slave, Civil War veteran, and self-taught veterinarian Dr. William Key—Jim performed in expositions across the country to wildly receptive crowds for nine glorious years, smashing box office records, clearing towering hurdles of skepticism and prejudice, and earning the respect and admiration of some of the most influential figures of the era, from Booker T. Washington to President William McKinley.“Wonderful . . . a fascinating and touching book.” —Winston-Salem Journal“If Beautiful Jim Key were alive today, he’d have a movie deal.” —People“A classic. . . . a window into a lost world.” —Nashville Scene“Chronicles the adventures of a great horse and the men who loved him . . . engaging.” —Entertainment Weekly“Compelling . . . a vivid slice of Americana.” —Parade“Captivating.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Beautiful Joe
by Marshall SaundersSaunders' most famous novel Beautiful Joe, tells the true story of dog that has had a difficult puppyhood with many obstacles including a cruel owner. It is told from the dog's point of view. When the book was published, both the book and its subject received worldwide attention. It was the first Canadian book to sell over a million copies, and by the late 1930s had sold over seven million copies worldwide.
Beautiful Justice: Reclaiming My Worth After Human Trafficking and Sexual Abuse
by Brooke AxtellA story of healing and a guide to seeking justice after sexual abuse from Brooke Axtell, one of the foremost survivor experts on sexual assault, domestic violence, and human traffickingWhen Brooke Axtell was seven years old, her nanny subjected her to sex trafficking. Today, she is a champion and advocate for women around the world who have experienced sexual violence and trauma.Beautiful Justice shares Brooke's own gripping story, both the trauma of sex trafficking and also her pathway through healing, moving on, and reclaiming power. Along the way, she imparts warm wisdom for others who have experienced similar violence, providing lessons from her own life and from the thousands of women, advocates, and lawmakers she's spoken with. Relying on her own experiences and a keen awareness of public policy, she provides a clear-eyed awareness of the ways that our culture and government work against women experiencing violence around the world. Inspiring and powerfully redemptive, Brooke encourages readers to take part in a creative resistance as a path to justice.
Beautiful Lives: How We Got Learning Disabilities So Wrong
by Stephen Unwin'This book is both heart-rending and gorgeous. It crosses the line many times but ultimately, it's about love. He teaches us humanity.' MIRIAM MARGOLYES'Thank you, Joey, for getting your dad off his arse to write this book.' HUGH BONNEVILLE'A beautiful book - powerful, persuasive, illuminating, moving.' GYLES BRANDRETH'This is a wonderful and important book. Beautifully written, of course; but full of pain and joy, concern and celebration.' SIMON RUSSELL BEALE 'A powerful, multi-faceted, myth-busting account of the most marginalised and belittled out-group in modern society.' SIMON JARRETT, author of Those They Called IdiotsFor much of history, people with learning disabilities have been regarded as unworthy of interest - often seen as a threat to the social order and sometimes dismissed as barely human. While recent years have seen an improvement, learning-disabled people are still treated as fundamentally different.Beautiful Lives is a personal and pragmatic account, told through the eyes of a father whose son has severe learning disabilities. From early civilisation to the chilling realities of twentieth-century eugenics, this powerful book uncovers a startling and rarely told history - one deeply embedded in the challenges still faced today.Unwin shapes this history into a powerful story of love, lived experience and the long struggle for a better future.
Beautiful Lives: How We Got Learning Disabilities So Wrong
by Stephen Unwin'This book is both heart-rending and gorgeous. It crosses the line many times but ultimately, it's about love. He teaches us humanity.' MIRIAM MARGOLYES'Thank you, Joey, for getting your dad off his arse to write this book.' HUGH BONNEVILLE'A beautiful book - powerful, persuasive, illuminating, moving.' GYLES BRANDRETH'This is a wonderful and important book. Beautifully written, of course; but full of pain and joy, concern and celebration.' SIMON RUSSELL BEALE 'A powerful, multi-faceted, myth-busting account of the most marginalised and belittled out-group in modern society.' SIMON JARRETT, author of Those They Called IdiotsFor much of history, people with learning disabilities have been regarded as unworthy of interest - often seen as a threat to the social order and sometimes dismissed as barely human. While recent years have seen an improvement, learning-disabled people are still treated as fundamentally different.Beautiful Lives is a personal and pragmatic account, told through the eyes of a father whose son has severe learning disabilities. From early civilisation to the chilling realities of twentieth-century eugenics, this powerful book uncovers a startling and rarely told history - one deeply embedded in the challenges still faced today.Unwin shapes this history into a powerful story of love, lived experience and the long struggle for a better future.
Beautiful Lives: How We Got Learning Disabilities So Wrong
by Stephen Unwin'This book is both heart-rending and gorgeous. It crosses the line many times but ultimately, it's about love. He teaches us humanity.' MIRIAM MARGOLYES'Thank you, Joey, for getting your dad off his arse to write this book.' HUGH BONNEVILLE'A beautiful book - powerful, persuasive, illuminating, moving.' GYLES BRANDRETH'This is a wonderful and important book. Beautifully written, of course; but full of pain and joy, concern and celebration.' SIMON RUSSELL BEALE 'A powerful, multi-faceted, myth-busting account of the most marginalised and belittled out-group in modern society.' SIMON JARRETT, author of Those They Called IdiotsFor much of history, people with learning disabilities have been regarded as unworthy of interest - often seen as a threat to the social order and sometimes dismissed as barely human. While recent years have seen an improvement, learning-disabled people are still treated as fundamentally different.Beautiful Lives is a personal and pragmatic account, told through the eyes of a father whose son has severe learning disabilities. From early civilisation to the chilling realities of twentieth-century eugenics, this powerful book uncovers a startling and rarely told history - one deeply embedded in the challenges still faced today.Unwin shapes this history into a powerful story of love, lived experience and the long struggle for a better future.
Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio
by Diamond RioCan a band comprised of six very talented but very different musicians make a difference with their music?What made it possible for Diamond Rio to weather the storms inherent in the fickle world of fame and fortune and go more than two decades without a single lineup change? Any reader in search of transparency and a behind-the-scenes look into the life of the band as a unit as well as the individual lives of the players and singers will be well satisfied. Can true loyalty exist within the competitive, seemingly unforgiving music industry? In Beautiful Mess Marty Roe, Dan Truman, Jimmy Olander, Brian Prout, Gene Johnson, and Dana Williams each has an entire chapter devoted to his personal and professional life. The book&’s tone is a welcome rarity—not written from one player&’s perspective, but from all six as they &“meet in the middle.&” Beautiful Mess is a wild ride from the edge of disaster and a little-known secret to an ongoing heart-warming revival.
Beautiful Monster: A Becoming
by Miles BorreroA breathtaking, exquisitely crafted memoir about a trans person&’s singular journey through breaching the boundaries of gender—across generations, cultures and borders—to become his truest, most authentic self.Nearing the age of forty, with an entire life already lived as a woman—half in Colombia, half in the US—Miles Borrero comes face to face with his father&’s impending death. Suddenly realizing that he has been stalling his transition for fear of losing his family&’s love, this moment catalyzes Miles&’s determination to be fully known as his father&’s son before it is too late. In Beautiful Monster, Miles chronicles his unusual childhood, by turns riveting and hilarious, in &’80s and &’90s Colombia during the Pablo Escobar years, as well as his move to Salt Lake City to pursue acting and the winding trajectory that eventually lands him in the New York City yoga scene. Within these very different cultures, the realities of being queer and trans echo poignantly through the triumphs, heartbreaks, family dynamics, spiritual pursuits, and relationships that propel Miles along his path. Sublimely nuanced and written in ravishing prose that is as unique and irresistible as its subject, Beautiful Monster is one person&’s story of navigating the pressures to perform femininity while becoming a gender outlaw. Brimming with wonder, humor, and mythos, entertaining and enlightening in equal measure, this book offers a compelling case for embracing one&’s true nature.
Beautiful Nate: A Memoir of a Family's Love, a Life Lost, and Heaven's Promises
by Dennis MansfieldHOPE and COMPASSION for FAMILIES Beautiful Nate offers valuable insights into what went wrong in a dedicated Christian family and how things might have gone differently—giving parents direction for raising their own children in a troubled world. Exploring the differences between fear-based parenting, child-centered parenting, and healthy intentional parenting, author Dennis Mansfield shares hard-earned wisdom and powerful ideas on what children need. Whether you’re in the midst of parenting small children or have experienced the heartbreak of a child gone astray, you’ll find guidance and hope for your journey in this poignant, real-life story. *** Even when you follow all the rules, LIFE CAN GO VERY WRONG. . . Dennis Mansfield and his wife Susan planned for and expected every parent’s dream but instead lived every parent’s nightmare. This haunting memoir tells the story of a father who diligently followed all the parenting rules that he learned from conservative Christian “experts”; yet life with his son Nate went terribly wrong when the young man died at twenty-seven of drug-related causes. It wasn’t that the principles Dennis followed were faulty; it was that the promised guarantee turned out to be void. The author, a national leader in the pro-family movement of the 1990s, reveals what did and did not work in raising a child within the evangelical framework. But rather than losing his faith and abandoning the God he’d trusted, Dennis eventually found new joy and purpose—with a more compassionate and realistic view of the roles parents play and the rules they follow. As you read this sobering yet refreshing account, you will find direction for your own parenting style and encouragement after life’s disappointments. midst of parenting small children or have experienced the heartbreak of a child gone astray, you’ll find guidance and hope for your journey in this poignant, real-life story.
Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage
by Lisa RogersOpen this unique picture book and meet John Cage, the pioneering, inspiring composer who believed all sound—from the crash of a slamming door to the whirr of a blender to the whoosh of the wind—was music.For John Cage, music was everywhere: in the hum of the refrigerator, the screech of a garbage truck, the patter of the rain. But other people disagreed. They felt that, surely, a pianist on stage must actually play their piano to create music...not just sit there. And in no way was it melodic to turn a musician's mic on and off as they do play their instruments--it was just chaos!John Cage found sound in silence, and knew that all noises were unique. All you had to do was listen to hear it.Told in second person and paired with exciting illustrations as innovative as Cage's music, here is a picture book--perfect for any budding musician--that celebrates the genius of a nonconforming musician who always stayed true to his artistic vision.
Beautiful People: My Family and Other Glamorous Varmints
by Simon DoonanA wickedly funny memoir with echoes of David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs, Beautiful People (originally published in hardcover as Nasty) is now a BBC comedy hit series from the producer of Ab Fab and The Office. Proclaimed "the most brilliant, brash thing in type" by Liz Smith, Simon Doonan's saucy prose has established him as an emerging star among literary humorists. In this break-through memoir, reminiscent of both Sedaris and Burroughs, he revisits the landscape of his youth, and displays the irresistible charm that earned him his dedicated audience. Long before he became a celebrity in his own right--as the author of best-selling books, as the style arbiter of VH1 and America's Top Model, and the marketing genius behind Barney's New York--Simon Doonan was a "scabby knee'd troll" in Reading, England. In Beautiful People, Doonan returns to the working-class neighborhood of his youth, and chronicles the misadventures of the Doonan clan in all their wacky glory. Readers meet his mother Betty, whose gravity-defying, peroxide hairdo signified her natural glamour; his father Terry, an amateur vintner who turned parsnips into the legendary Chateau Doonan; his grandfather D.C., a hard-drinking betting man who plotted to win his fortune by turning Simon into a jockey; and his demented grandma Narg and schizophrenic Uncle Ken, both of whom lived upstairs. Fearing he would fall victim to the insanity that runs in his family, or, worse, the banality of suburban life, Doonan decamps with his flamboyant best-friend Biddie to London, where they hope to find the Beautiful People, that elusive clan who luxuriate on floor pillows and amuse each other with bon mots. Throughout the memoir--in essays about family holidays, the tart who lived next door, his first job--Doonan continues his bumbling pursuit of the fabulous life, only to learn, in the end, that perhaps the Beautiful People were the ones he left behind.
Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability
by Melissa BlakeWell-known disability activist and social media influencer Melissa Blake offers a frank, illuminating memoir and a call to action for disabled people and allies. In the summer of 2019, journalist Melissa Blake penned an op-ed for CNN Opinion. A conservative pundit caught wind of it, mentioning Blake&’s work in a YouTube video. What happened next is equal parts a searing view into society, how we collectively view and treat disabled people, and the making of an advocate. After a troll said that Blake should be banned from posting pictures of herself, she took to Twitter and defiantly posted three smiling selfies, all taken during a lovely vacation in the Big Apple:I wanted desperately to clap back at these vile trolls in a way that would make a statement, not only about how our society views disabilities, but also about the toxicity of our strict and unrealistic beauty standards. Of course I knew that posting those selfies wasn't going to erase the nasty names I'd been called and, the chances were, they would never even see my tweet, but that didn't matter. I wasn't doing it for them; I was doing it for me and every single disabled person who has been bullied before, online and in real life. When people mock how I look, they're not just insulting me. They're insulting all disabled people. We're constantly told that we're repulsive and ugly and not good enough to be seen. This was me pushing back against that toxic, ableist narrative.For the first time, I felt like I was doing something empowering, taking back my power and changing the story. Her tweet went viral, attracting worldwide media attention and interviews with the BBC, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, PEOPLE magazine, Good Morning America and E! News. Now, in her manifesto, Beautiful People, Blake shares her truths about disability, writing about (among other things): the language we use to describe disabled people ableism, microaggressions, and their pernicious effects what it's like to live in a society that not only isn't designed for you, but actively operates to render you invisible her struggles with self‑image and self‑acceptance the absence of disabled people in popular culture why disabled people aren't tragic heroes Blake also tells the stories of some of the heroes of the disability rights movement in America, in doing so rescuing their incredible achievements from near total obscurity. Highlighting other disabled activists and influencers, Blake&’s work is the calling card of a powerful voice—one that has sparked new, different, better conversations about disability.