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Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel
by Amy PriceThe disturbing true story of the notorious Cecil Hotel in downtown LA, by its general manager for a decade and star of the controversial Netflix documentary series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. When Amy Price took a temporary design job at an Art Deco hotel in Los Angeles to help a friend, she had no idea the path it would lead her down. Before long, she would become manager of the Cecil Hotel, seeking to make it more welcoming and correct its notoriety, not helped by sitting at the foot of Skid Row, or the fact that since its opening in 1927, there had been any number of deaths by suicide, and residents such as serial killers Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger.She cared about guests and residents alike, though she faced challenges on many fronts, with over eighty people dying during her decade of service. Among them was Elisa Lam, whose tragic death became the subject of a Netflix documentary series that captivated millions and led to its own controversies and unwarranted personal attacks on Amy.For the first time, Amy delves into her experiences at the Cecil Hotel. Equal parts memoir, true-crime, and cultural history, Behind the Door is essential to understanding one of America’s most enigmatic hotels.
Behind the Gates of Gomorrah: A Year with the Criminally Insane
by Stephen SeagerA darker twist on Orange is the New Black, this true insider's account delivers an eye-opening look into the nation’s largest state-run forensic hospital, a facility that houses the real-life Hannibal Lecters of the world.Psychiatrist Stephen Seager was no stranger to locked psych wards when he accepted a job at California’s Gorman State hospital, known locally as “Gomorrah,” but nothing could have prepared him for what he encountered when he stepped through its gates, a triple sally port behind the twenty-foot walls topped with shining coils of razor wire. Gorman State is one of the nation’s largest forensic mental hospitals, dedicated to treating the criminally insane. Unit C, where Seager was assigned, was reserved for the “bad actors,” the mass murderers, serial killers, and the real-life Hannibal Lecters of the world. Against a backdrop of surreal beauty—a verdant campus-like setting where peacocks strolled the grounds—is a place of remarkable violence, a place where a small staff of clinicians are expected to manage a volatile population of prison-hardened ex-cons, where lone therapists lead sharing circles with sociopaths, where an illicit underground economy flourishes, and where patients and physicians often measure their lives according to how fast they can run. To cross through the gates of Gomorrah is to enter a looking-glass world, where the trappings of the normal calendar year exist—Halloween dances and Christmas parties (complete with visits from Santa), springtime softball teams and basketball leagues, but marked with paroxysms of brutality (Santa goes berserk), and peopled by figures from our nightmares. Behind the Gates of Gomorrah affords an eye-opening look inside a facility to which few people have ever had access. Honest, rueful, and at times darkly funny, Seager’s gripping account of his rookie year blends memoir with a narrative science, explaining both the aberrant mind and his own, at times incomprehensible, determination to remain in a job with a perilously steep learning curve.
Behind the Glass: The Villa Tugendhat and Its Family
by Michael LambekThe Villa Tugendhat, designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1928, is an icon of architectural modernism and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Behind the Glass tells the true story of the large family connected to it, who rose to prominence through industrial textile manufacturing. The book traces the transformations in the life of the family, from their roots in a Jewish ghetto to part of the wealthy bourgeoisie in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to adaptation in interwar independent Czechoslovakia and flight in the face of Nazi invasion. Michael Lambek examines the generation born in the first decade of the twentieth century, especially Grete Tugendhat – Lambek’s maternal grandmother – who commissioned, inhabited, championed, and relinquished the distinctive modern house. An exploration of life in and surrounding the Villa Tugendhat offers a factual portrait that runs counter to the fictional one portrayed in Simon Mawer’s The Glass Room. The book also provides unpublished correspondence between Martin Heidegger and Ernst Tugendhat, Grete’s son, as well as a description of the impact of a 2017 family reunion. Behind the Glass reflects on the meaning of a "family" and suggests that it is more than a nuclear household – a family reproduces itself over generations, a product of how it represents itself and is represented by others.
Behind the Kingdom's Veil: Inside the New Saudi Arabia Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
by Susanne Koelbl&“A fascinating account of the significant changes underway in Saudi Arabia based on years of excellent reporting on the ground.&” —Bruce Riedel, director of the Brookings Institution Intelligence Project, author of Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and the United States Since FDR Saudi Arabia is one of the world&’s most secretive countries. Now, Susanne Koelbl, award-winning journalist for the German news magazine Der Spiegel, unveils many secrets of this mysterious kingdom. For years she traveled the Middle East, and recently lived in Riyadh during the most dramatic changes since the country&’s founding. She has cultivated relationships on every level of Saudi society and is equally at ease with ultra-conservative Wahhabi preachers, oppositionists, and women from all walks of life. In this &“piercingly powerful book&” (Ahmed Rahid, New York Times-bestselling author of Taliban), you can have breakfast with Royal Highnesses; meet Osama bin Laden&’s bomb-making trainer; enter palaces of secret service chiefs; listen to intimate conversations with women about their newly offered freedoms; learn about journalist Jamal Khashoggi; and view an in-depth portrait of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), as you learn about the not-so-obvious facts of the kingdom&’s history, politics, customs, and hidden power relations.
Behind the Laughter: A Comedian's Tale of Tragedy and Hope
by Mark Caro Anthony Griffith Brigitte Travis-GreenHow do you keep going when your world is falling apart? Discover the powerful story of stand-up comic Anthony Griffith and how to navigate grief through persistence, faith, humor and love. Now available in trade paper.Just as Anthony&’s career in stand-up comedy launched him onto the stage of The Tonight Show, he and his wife Brigitte faced an unimaginable personal nightmare: their two-year-old daughter, Brittany Nicole, was dying from cancer. While Anthony performed under bright lights, he struggled not to succumb to the darkness of losing a child.In this stirring memoir, Anthony Griffith and his wife of more than thirty years, Brigitte Travis-Griffin, share the powerful story of living between life&’s funniest moments and its most heartbreaking tragedies.With humor and deep insights into the human spirit, Behind the Laughter explores Anthony&’s life and career as well as the bonds between parent and child and husband and wife. The surprising twists along Anthony&’s path highlights experiencing God&’s sustaining presence in the darkest moments as well as the sweetest dreams.Behind the Laughter explores:Powerful, relatable emotions and lessons that are universal and inspiringNew perspectives on difficult topics that everyone can relate toThe power of finding humor in spite of adversityFind true inspiration along with laugh-out-loud humor in this remarkable story of resilience and grace in the face of loss.
Behind the Lens: My Life
by David SuchetDaily Mail Showbiz Memoir of the Year'A beautiful book' Chris Evans'Terrifically entertaining' Mail on Sunday'An arresting photographic voyage through the life and loves of this enigmatic English star' S magazine'Though not a conventional autobiography, we learn what makes the national treasure tick' Daily ExpressIn the early days of my career, I didn't think I stood a hope in hell. Look at me: I'm short, stocky, slightly overweight, deep of voice, passionate, dark haired, olive skinned, hardly your typical Englishman. What chance did I have, going into the world of British theatre?David Suchet has been a stalwart of British stage and screen for fifty years. From Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde, Freud to Poirot, Edward Teller to Doctor Who, Harold Pinter to Terence Rattigan, Questions of Faith to Decline and Fall, right up to 2019's The Price, David has done it all. Throughout this spectacular career, David has never been without a camera, enabling him to vividly document his life in photographs. Seamlessly combining photo and memoir, Behind the Lens is the story of David's remarkable life, showcasing his wonderfully evocative photographs and accompanied by his insightful and engaging commentary.In Behind the Lens, David discusses his London upbringing and love of the city, his Jewish roots and how they have influenced his career, the importance of his faith, how he really feels about fame, his love of photography and music, and his processes as an actor. He looks back on his fifty-year career, including reflections on how the industry has changed, his personal highs and lows, and how he wants to be remembered. And, of course, life after Poirot and why he's still grieving for the eccentric Belgian detective. An autobiography with a difference, this is David Suchet as you've never seen him before - from behind the lens.'The book offers more insight into the mind and philosophy of this remarkable man than a more conventional biographical approach could have achieved' Country Life
Behind the Lens: My Life
by David SuchetDaily Mail Showbiz Memoir of the Year'A beautiful book' Chris Evans'Terrifically entertaining' Mail on Sunday'An arresting photographic voyage through the life and loves of this enigmatic English star' S magazine'Though not a conventional autobiography, we learn what makes the national treasure tick' Daily ExpressIn the early days of my career, I didn't think I stood a hope in hell. Look at me: I'm short, stocky, slightly overweight, deep of voice, passionate, dark haired, olive skinned, hardly your typical Englishman. What chance did I have, going into the world of British theatre?David Suchet has been a stalwart of British stage and screen for fifty years. From Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde, Freud to Poirot, Edward Teller to Doctor Who, Harold Pinter to Terence Rattigan, Questions of Faith to Decline and Fall, right up to 2019's The Price, David has done it all. Throughout this spectacular career, David has never been without a camera, enabling him to vividly document his life in photographs. Seamlessly combining photo and memoir, Behind the Lens is the story of David's remarkable life, showcasing his wonderfully evocative photographs and accompanied by his insightful and engaging commentary.In Behind the Lens, David discusses his London upbringing and love of the city, his Jewish roots and how they have influenced his career, the importance of his faith, how he really feels about fame, his love of photography and music, and his processes as an actor. He looks back on his fifty-year career, including reflections on how the industry has changed, his personal highs and lows, and how he wants to be remembered. And, of course, life after Poirot and why he's still grieving for the eccentric Belgian detective. An autobiography with a difference, this is David Suchet as you've never seen him before - from behind the lens.'The book offers more insight into the mind and philosophy of this remarkable man than a more conventional biographical approach could have achieved' Country Life
Behind the Line of Scrimmage: Inside the Front Office of the NFL
by Michael HuyghueFormer collegiate star, sports agent, and NFL Executive Michael Huyghue recounts his journey in professional sports and the challenges that remain for minorities to succeed as front office executives in the multibillion-dollar sports industry. The author's journey as an athlete and lawyer provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors in the world of professional sports and collegiate athletic programs. It is also a not often told chronicle of growing up black and male in white suburban America. While black athletes are ubiquitous on the playing field and front pages of tabloids, the challenge remains to gain true power in the multibillion-dollar sports industry. Huyghue details that struggle play by play.
Behind the Lines
by Andrew CarrollFrom the editor of the phenomenal New York Times bestseller War Letters comes an even more powerful, more revealing collection of rare and previously-unpublished letters from every major war in American history -- all discovered during Andrew Carroll's extraordinary three-year journey throughout the U.S. and to thirty-five countries around the world."
Behind the Mask: A True Story of Obsession and Savage Genius
by Stella SandsForty-year-old William Coday lived the quiet life of a scholar. He spoke six languages and held degrees in history, literature, and library science. As a librarian in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he was known to be unfailingly kind and helpful. But you can't always judge a book by its cover... When Coday failed to show up for work one day, a concerned colleague looked for him at his apartment... only to discover the body of Gloria Gomez. Coday's ex-girlfriend, Gomez had been bludgeoned to death with 144 blows by two hammers and a knife. Police at the scene had little doubt that Coday was the killer. But other, darker secrets from Coday's past had yet to come to light... In one of the most shocking crime cases and legal appeals in Florida history, an extraordinary courtroom battle began. What the jury did not know was that Coday, when he lived abroad, had beaten another ex-girlfriend to death; the courts there had deemed him insane. Who was William Coday: Mentally unstable? Or perfectly capable--and guilty--of murder in the first degree? Soon it would be up to prosecutors to prove who the real man was BEHIND THE MASK.
Behind the Mask: The Life of Vita Sackville-West
by Matthew DennisonA dazzling new biography of Vita Sackville-West, the 20th century aristocrat, literary celebrity, devoted wife, famous lover of Virginia Woolf, recluse, and iconoclast who defied categorization.In this stunning new biography of Vita Sackville-West, Matthew Dennison's Behind the Mask traces the triumph and contradictions of Vita's extraordinary life. His narrative charts a fascinating course from Vita's lonely childhood at Knole, through her affectionate but ‘open' marriage to Harold Nicolson (during which both husband and wife energetically pursued homosexual affairs, Vita most famously with Virginia Woolf), and through Vita's literary successes and disappointments, to the famous gardens the couple created at Sissinghurst. The book tells how, from her privileged world of the aristocracy, Sackville-West brought her penchant for costume, play-acting and rebellion to the artistic vanguard of modern Britain. Dennison is the acclaimed author of many books including a biography of Queen Victoria. Here, in the first biography to be written of Vita for thirty years, he reveals the whole story and gets behind ‘the beautiful mask' of Vita's public achievements to reveal an often troubled persona which heroically resisted compromise on every level. Drawing on wideranging sources and the extensive letters that sustained her marriage, this is a compelling story of love, loss and jealousy, of high-life and low points, of binding affection and illicit passion – a portrait of an extraordinary, 20th-century life.
Behind the Mask: Winner of the Telegraph Sports Book of the Year
by Tyson FuryAS SEEN ON NETFLIX'S AT HOME WITH THE FURYSTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AND AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR** TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR **DOUBLE WINNER: BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY & BEST OVERALL SPORTS BOOK OF 2020________________________________ 'Incredible stories... you don't have to be a boxing fan to enjoy it' SCOTT MILLS, BBC RADIO 1'One of sport's most heart-warming stories' SUNDAY TIMES, SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR'A must-read for any boxing fan.' WORLD BOXING NEWS'If you know someone who is a fan of the People's Champion then they'll love this.' TALKSPORT XMAS GIFT GUIDEThe extraordinary story of the rise and fall and rise again of Tyson Fury...THE GYPSY KING.A Manchester lad from Irish Traveller stock, born three months premature and weighing just a pound at birth, Tyson (named after his father's boxing hero) grew up to become one of the most unlikely heavyweight champions in history. This 'dream come true' soon turned to nightmare, however, as alcohol and cocaine abuse took hold and Tyson was stripped of his titles. What followed was the darkest moment of his life - detailed in this book for the first time - in which he came within seconds of ending everything.THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION.Like all the greatest stories, though, there is redemption and Tyson defies all the odds and literally drags himself to his feet. 10 million people around the globe watched Fury fight Wilder in the biggest fight of the boxing calendar. Speaking candidly about his struggles with mental health, this is Tyson Fury as you have never seen him before.A BRITISH ICON.________________________________ Behind the Mask is an unflinching story from the greatest boxer of our time and a man who has demonstrated strength of a very different kind by conquering his demons.________________________________ 'It's a great book, if I could read, I'd buy it' BILLY JOE SAUNDERS, WBO World Super-Middleweight Champion'I didn't believe boxers could be role models, but Tyson Fury has changed my mind... This 30-year-old Mancunian has made us all think twice about the possibilities of redemption.'SIMON KELNER, INDEPENDENT'Tyson Fury has become Britain's most unlikely inspirational figure... the sight of a broken Fury caught a mood with the public. Never was the epithet "People's Champion" more apt'RON LEWIS, THE TIMES'Tyson Fury is an amazing real-life champion' SYLVESTER STALLONE, star of Rocky'You may not have any interest in boxing at all and you will find this story about Tyson's life fascinating' BBC RADIO 5 LIVE'An unusual, heartening story, nicely told. There is much to amaze and admire' SUNDAY TIMES
Behind the Mexican Mountains
by Robert ZinggIn 1930, anthropologists Robert Zingg and Wendell Bennett spent nine months among the Tarahumara of Chihuahua, Mexico, one of the least acculturated indigenous societies in North America. Their fieldwork resulted in The Tarahumara: An Indian Tribe of Northern Mexico (1935), a classic ethnography still familiar to anthropologists. In addition to this formal work, Zingg also penned a personal, unvarnished travelogue of his sojourn among the Tarahumara. Unpublished in his lifetime, Behind the Mexican Mountains is now available in print for the first time.
Behind the Mirror: The Story of a Pioneer in Autism Treatment and Her Work with Children on the Spectrum
by Jeanne Simons Sabine OishiThe life story of Jeanne Simons, whose own autism informed her pioneering work with autistic children.Jeanne Simons devoted her career as a social worker and educator to the study, treatment, and care of children with autism. In 1955, she established the Linwood Children's Center in Ellicott City, Maryland, one of the first schools dedicated to children with autism. Her Linwood Model, developed there, was widely adopted and still forms the basis for a variety of autism intervention techniques. Incredibly—although unknown at the time—Jeanne was herself autistic. Behind the Mirror reveals the remarkable tale of this trailblazer and how she thought, felt, and experienced the world around her. With moving immediacy, Jeanne tells her life story to developmental psychologist, friend, and collaborator Sabine Oishi. Jeanne's unique experience is supplemented by commentary from Dr. Oishi, who explains the importance of key biographical details and fills in additional information about the diagnosis and treatment of autism. Enhanced with a photo gallery, a look at new approaches to the education of children with autism, and a history of Linwood since its founding, the book also contains a foreword, an afterword, and an appendix by James C. Harris, MD, the past director of child psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the founder of its autism clinic. Demystifying the experience of autism, Behind the Mirror is a groundbreaking account of possibilities and hope.
Behind the Red Veil: An American Inside Gorbachev's Russia
by Frank ThomsFrank Thoms went to the Soviet Union not to judge but to learn. As a result, he gained the trust and confidence of the people he befriended—and discovered much about himself. Behind the Red Veil recounts Frank&’s quest to understand the Russian people. He spent his initial twenty-five years as a teacher, during which time he pursued his understanding of Marxism, Russian history, and Soviet Communism. His first venture to the Soviet Union occurred in October 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev&’s first year as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In his following six trips, Frank served twice as a US–Soviet exchange teacher of English in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), and on his own taught English in schools in Moscow and Alma-Ata (Almaty), Kazakhstan. His final journey, which was to the new Russia in 1994, three years after Gorbachev&’s resignation, took him to Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. Through it all, Frank sought the love and respect of the Russians he came into contact with. Behind the Red Veil is the story of how they opened their hearts to him—and, in doing so, opened his.
Behind the Scenes
by William L. Andrews Elizabeth KeckleyOriginally published in 1868--when it was attacked as an "indecent book" authored by a "traitorous eavesdropper"--Behind the Scenes is the story of Elizabeth Keckley, who began her life as a slave and became a privileged witness to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Keckley bought her freedom at the age of thirty-seven and set up a successful dressmaking business in Washington, D.C. She became modiste to Mary Todd Lincoln and in time her friend and confidante, a relationship that continued after Lincoln's assassination. In documenting that friendship--often using the First Lady's own letters--Behind the Scenes fuses the slave narrative with the political memoir. It remains extraordinary for its poignancy, candor, and historical perspective. First time in Penguin Classics
Behind the Scenes
by Robert A. WardhaughWilliam Clifford Clark, federal deputy minister of finance from 1932 to 1952, had a profound impact on Canadian history. An important intellectual figure during the first half of the twentieth century, he was leader of 'The Ottawa Men,' a group of federal civil servants who shaped a new liberal vision of the nation. Robert A. Wardhaugh chronicles Clark's contributions to Canada's modern state in Behind the Scenes, which reconstructs the public life and ideas of one of Canada's most important bureaucrats.The Department of Finance sat at the centre of critical federal decisions and debates. From this axis, Clark's wide-ranging contributions to Canadian policy were nothing short of phenomenal: he was the driving force behind the creation of the Bank of Canada and he spearheaded national housing policy. Clarke also managed the economy during the Great Depression and during the Second World War and he was instrumental in forging Canada's international economic role in the postwar era.
Behind the Scenes at the Olympics (The Olympics #3)
by Nick HunterFrom the winning bid to the Olympic village and stadiums, this book looks beyond the sports and into all aspects, such as the costs involved, the media and where events will take place around the country.
Behind the Scenes in the Lincoln White House: Memoirs of an African-American Seamstress
by Elizabeth KeckleyKeckley was a former slave who became a successful Washington, DC dressmaker -- and a confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln. This intimate bond allowed her to witness the happy times as well as the tragic events that unfolded within the Lincoln White House. A remarkable first-hand narrative of both African-American and Civil War history.
Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House (American Biography Ser.)
by Elizabeth KeckleyThe remarkable story of the former slave who became Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker and closest confidante Born into slavery in Virginia, Elizabeth Keckley was whipped, sexually abused, and separated from her mother for long stretches of time. When her master eventually settled in St. Louis, Missouri, Keckley resolved to buy her freedom. She put to use her talents as a seamstress and found patrons among the wives of the city's elite, eventually earning enough money to move with her young son to Washington, DC. In the nation's capital, Keckley started her own business and soon had commissions from the wives of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Stephen A. Douglas, and Edwin Stanton. Hired by Mary Todd Lincoln to be her personal modiste, Keckley formed a close friendship with the first lady, a relationship strengthened by the tragedies they endured together, including the deaths of their sons and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Published to great controversy in 1868, Behind the Scenes offers an intimate and revealing portrait of life inside the White House as well as the stirring story of one woman's fight to rise above the horrors of slavery. Frequently cited in studies of the Civil War and biographies of the Lincolns, it is a must read for students of American history. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones
by Dolly PartonNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A beautiful celebration of Dolly Parton&’s iconic sense of style through entertaining personal stories and 450 full-color photographs, including exclusive images from her private costume archiveIn Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, global superstar Dolly Parton shares, for the first time, the full story behind her lifelong passion for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Dolly style, which has defied convention and endeared her to fans around the world. Featuring behind-the-scenes stories from Dolly Parton&’s life and career, and the largest reveal of her private costume archive, this gorgeously photographed book spotlights her most unforgettable looks from the 1960s to now. The sky-high heels, famous wigs, bold makeup, eye-catching stage clothes—she shares them all. Along the way, Parton discusses memorable outfits from her past, from the clothes her mother would sew out of feed sacks (including her &“Coat of Many Colors&”) and the bold dresses and hairdos that shook up Nashville, to the bunny suit on the cover of Playboy, evening wear at Studio 54, costumes from her most famous film and TV roles, and the daring styles that continue to entertain and inspire today. Filled with candor, humor, and lots and lots of rhinestones, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones is a shining tribute to one of the most beloved musicians in history, a treasured keepsake for anyone who loves Dolly Parton, and an indispensable guide to forging your own path to beauty and confidence.
Behind the Sequins: My Life
by Shirley BallasLeave it all on the floor...Queen of Latin Ballroom, Shirley Ballas has a spectacular dance career spanning over 40 years – she has Cha-Cha'd her way across the world's dance floors to become a multi-award-winning ballroom champion and one of the most renowned dancers in the world. In 1996, Shirley retired from competitive dancing to become a highly-acclaimed coach and now holds the enviable position of Head Judge on BBC One's prime time show Strictly Come Dancing.In Behind the Sequins, she leads us through her dramatic and determined life, from growing up in a rough estate on the Wirral and leaving home at 14 years old, to conquering the high-octane world of ballroom and coping with betrayal, bullying, two broken marriages and a personal tragedy that left Shirley and her family devastated. Speaking from the heart, Shirley leaves her dancing shoes at the door to tell you the story of a fiery, strong-willed grafter who could make the brat pack blush.
Behind the Shades
by Duncan FletcherThe autobiography of England's most successful cricket coach of the modern era
Behind the Shoulder Pads: Tales I Tell My Friends
by Joan Collins&“I&’ve had many amazing adventures in my life. Some stories, though, I have only ever shared with my friends.… Until now!&”Dame Joan Collins has always believed that one should retain some mystery in life and hide a knowing smile behind one&’s shoulder pads. In her new book, she returns in dazzling form to share her most memorable moments from her eclectic and vibrant life—in and out of the limelight. Behind the Shoulder Pads will take you on a spectacular journey from her early years as a young star in Hollywood to stamping her stilettos in Dynasty; from the glittering heights of Saint-Tropez to the busy Oscars seasons in LA over the years. Joan writes movingly about her adventures with and grief for her sister, Jackie, delves deeper into the ups and downs of love and relationships, and discusses her happiness with husband Percy. Filled with a cast of household names and Hollywood icons, Behind the Shoulder Pads is a spectacularly entertaining tour de force bound to delight and shock in equal measures. Hilarious, intimate, and completely spellbinding, Joan invites you into her life like never before, sharing the stories she only tells her closest friends.
Behind the Smile
by Jeannie MorrisIn 1992, Carol Moseley Braun became the first, and to this day only, African-American woman elected to the US Senate. Long before this historic victory, which Barack Obama would later say prefigured his own path to the Senate and presidency, veteran Chicago journalist Jeannie Morris saw an incredible opportunity. Here was a bold and politically courageous candidate, a feminist and sensible progressive with whom Morris quickly identified on a personal level. Morris joined the campaign to write the official story of a brilliant retail politician with a charismatic smile. What happened next resulted in a story that went well beyond what Morris could have imagined. Behind the Smile is the riveting campaign-trail memoir of a journalist coming to grips with the shortcomings of an ascendant politician--a charismatic trailblazer whose personal relationship with a key staffer led to her undoing. The narrative unfolds as the personal journey of a sympathetic reporter reconciling her own belief in an inspiring figure with her responsibility to deliver the facts. In Behind the Smile, Morris brings the social and political impact of Moseley Braun's story--from her meteoric rise to her eventual downfall--into clear focus.