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Bibi's Got Game: A Story about Tennis, Meditation and a Dog Named Coco
by Bianca AndreescuIn the first picture book written by and based on real-life tennis star Bianca Andreescu, a young athlete learns how to work through life's toughest moments through inner strength and meditation.From the moment she wakes up, Bibi is very busy. Even before school begins, there are cartwheels to do, world records to break (38 minutes balancing a spoon on your nose), and her dog, Coco, to snuggle. Bibi's mother suggests she try a sport, but nothing feels right. Until she tries tennis. On the court, she feels strong and powerful. Her serve is like lightning, her backhand booms like thunder and her forehand is as fierce as a hurricane. But one day, everything changes when she is injured on the playground. Bibi is heartbroken, sad, frustrated and angry — she decides to quit tennis! But her mother, with a little help from Coco, shows her how to meditate and dispel the self-doubt and negativity. Bibi learns to focus on all the things that make her grateful and happy. And when her body is ready to go back to tennis, so is her mind. "Now every morning, I picture myself strong and powerful on the court. Just me and the fuzzy ball."
Bibi: My Story
by Benjamin NetanyahuIn Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s sweeping, moving autobiography, one of the most formidable and insightful leaders of our time tells the story of his family, his path to leadership, and his unceasing commitment to defending Israel and securing its future. <p><p>From their earliest days, Bibi and his close-knit brothers, Yoni and Iddo, were instilled with purpose. Born in the wake of the Holocaust at the dawn of Israel’s independence and raised in a family with a prominent Zionist history, they understood that the Jewish state was a hard-won and still precarious gift. All three studied in American high schools—where they learned to appreciate the United States—before returning to their cherished homeland. The brothers joined an elite special forces outfit of the Israeli Defense Forces known as “the Unit.” <p><p>At twenty-two, Bibi was wounded while leading his team in the rescue of hostages from a hijacked plane. Four years later, in 1976, Yoni was killed in Entebbe, Uganda, while leading his men in one of the most daring hostage-rescue missions in modern times. Yoni became a legend; Bibi felt he would never recover from his grief. Yet, inspired by Yoni’s legacy and guided by the wisdom of his visionary historian father, Bibi thrust himself into the international struggle against terrorism, ultimately becoming the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history. <p><p>In this memoir Bibi weaves together his gripping personal story with the dramatic history of Israel and the Jewish people. Through a host of vivid anecdotes, he narrates his own evolution from soldier to statesman, while providing a unique perspective on leadership, the fraught geopolitics of the Middle East, and his successful efforts to liberate Israel’s economy, which helped turn it into a global powerhouse of technological innovation. Netanyahu gives colorful, detailed, and revealing accounts of his often turbulent relationships and negotiations with Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Trump. With eye-opening candor, he delves into the back channels of high diplomacy—including his struggle against the radical forces that threaten Israel and the world at large, and the decisive events that led to Israel’s groundbreaking 2020 peace agreements with four Arab states. <p><p>Offering an unflinching account of a life, a family, and a nation, Netanyahu writes from the heart and embraces controversy head-on. Steely and funny, high-tempo and full of verve, this autobiography will stand as a defining testament to the value of political conviction and personal courage. <p> <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu
by Anshel PfefferThe first biography that collects the threads of Benjamin Netanyahu's tumultuous personal life, controversial public career and struggle to endure as the Jewish state's leader and the master of its destiny. It is told by a writer who has spent his career explaining the world to Israelis and interpreting Israel for a global readership.Benjamin Netanyahu was born a year after Israel. His story in many ways embodies that of the ideological underdogs of the Zionist enterprise: members of the right-wing Revisionist movement, the religious, the Mizrahi Jews who emigrated from Arab lands, the petit-bourgeoisie of the new towns and cities, who all were supposed to metamorphose into the new Israeli. It hasn't quite worked out that way. Netanyahu is also a child of America. He is in large part the product of the affluent East Coast Jewish community and of the generation that came of age in the Reagan era. He was formed as much by American Cold War conservatism as he was by his historian father's hardline right-wing Zionism. It is impossible to understand today's Israel without understanding this singular person's life. Netanyahu's Israel is a hybrid of ancient phobia and high-tech hope, tribalism and globalism--like the man himself. In the face of animus at home and abroad, Netanyahu has survived political defeat and personal setback. For many in Israel and overseas, Netanyahu is an anathema, an embarrassment, even a precursor of Donald Trump. But he continues to dominate Israeli public life and the Jewish narrative of the twenty-first century. As Israel approaches the seventieth anniversary of its birth, this one man more than any other embodies the nation and directs its fate.
Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu
by Anshel PfefferA deeply reported biography of the scandal-plagued Israeli Prime Minister, showing that we cannot understand Israel--its history, present, and future--without first understanding the life and worldview of the man who leads itBenjamin Netanyahu is embroiled in numerous scandals, all of his own making, and may soon be ousted from the office he has held longer than any prior Israeli Prime Minister outside of David Ben Gurion. But Bibi, as he is known by friend and foe alike, is no stranger to controversy. For many in Israel and elsewhere, he is an embarrassment, a threat to democracy, even a precursor to Donald Trump. He nevertheless continues to dominate Israeli public life--and he may yet survive his current crises, the most challenging of his career. How can we explain Netanyahu's rise, his hold on Israeli politics, and his outsized role on the world's stage?In Bibi, the Haaretz journalist Anshel Pfeffer argues that we must view Netanyahu as representing the triumph of the underdogs in the Zionist enterprise. Born in 1949, one year after the state of Israel itself, Netanyahu came of age in a nation dominated by liberal, secular Zionists. Yet Netanyahu's grandfather and father bequeathed to him a brand of Zionism integrating Jewish nationalism and religious traditionalism, and he identified with the groups at the margins of Israeli society: right-wing Revisionists, orthodox, Mizrahi Jews, and small-time professionals living in the new towns and cities dotting the Israeli landscape. Netanyahu cultivated each faction individually and then fused them into a coalition that has frequently proven unstoppable in Israeli politics.Netanyahu is also a child of America, where he spent many years as a young man, and where he learned the techniques of modern political campaigns as well as the necessity of controlling the media cycle. The product of the affluent East Coast Jewish community and the Reagan era, Netanyahu's politics and worldview were formed as much by American Cold War conservatism as by his family's hardline right-wing Zionism.As Pfeffer demonstrates in this penetrating biography, Netanyahu's influence will endure even if his career soon comes to an end. The Israel he has helped make is a hybrid of ancient phobia and high-tech hope, tribalism and globalism--just like the man himself.
Bible John's Secret Daughter: Murder, Drugs and a Mother's Secret Heartbreak
by David LeslieThere was one partner the pretty young women who danced away the 1960s in Glasgow's Barrowlands were desperate to avoid: Bible John, so named because he quoted scripture to his victims. He was being hunted for three brutal unsolved sex murders, and each of his victims had been picked up after a night at the famous dance hall. Police were still investigating the first terrifying murder when Hannah Martin was raped on her way home from the Barrowlands. When Bible John struck twice more, Hannah confided to friends that his description matched that of her own attacker. The next shock came when Hannah discovered she was pregnant. Her distraught father banished her from the family home and forced her to give her child up for adoption. She would never see her daughter again, but in a bizarre twist three decades later, an investigation into the infamous World's End murder would result in Hannah's daughter discovering the identity of the mother she never knew. Tragically, the news came too late for them to be reunited, but it set her on a course to uncover the shocking secrets of her mother's life. Did Hannah know Bible John? What did Hannah Martin reveal of her baby's father? How did she then become a member of a multimillion-pound drug-smuggling gang? Why, after expecting a huge bounty, did she die in poverty? The answers are all here in Bible John's Secret Daughter.
Bible Stories for Little Ones
by Genny Monchamp Apryl StottDrawn from both the Old and New Testaments, this collection of twenty Bible stories introduces little ones ages 1-4 to God's Word. Interactive elements accompany each story, keeping young children actively engaged in their reading experience, encouraging reading comprehension, and reinforcing basic cognitive skills.
Biblical: Rob Halford's Heavy Metal Scriptures
by Rob HalfordThe Metal God himself, Rob Halford - lead vocalist of Judas Priest and author of the critically acclaimed and reader-beloved autobiography, Confess - delivers a bible of hard rock and heavy metal, all in his enlightening, hilarious, and one-of-a-kind voice.Rob Halford has long been known for his legendary voice. As the front man of Judas Priest, his vocals have always been tremendous, and tremendously influential. In 2020, he brought his voice to the page with a glorious autobiography. Fans and readers loved Halford's frank and open narrative, as well as his terrific insight and sense of humour. Now, in Biblical, Halford runs his expert eye over all facets of the hard rock history and the heavy metal world. Biblical is a lively encyclopaedia in which Halford shares his opinions, memories, and anecdotes regarding every element of the rock and roll work and lifestyle from tours to tattoos, riffs to riders, and drugs to devil horns. In Halford's relaxed and honest tone, the book mixes serious and in-depth pieces with whimsical reflections on lessons learned during his fifty years of a life in music. Biblical is a handed-down-from-on-high holy tome that transports fans behind the scenes and back into their record collections, to the almighty ways of rock.
Biblical: Rob Halford's Heavy Metal Scriptures
by Rob HalfordThe Metal God himself, Rob Halford - lead vocalist of Judas Priest and author of the critically acclaimed and reader-beloved autobiography, Confess - delivers a bible of hard rock and heavy metal, all in his enlightening, hilarious, and one-of-a-kind voice.Rob Halford has long been known for his legendary voice. As the front man of Judas Priest, his vocals have always been tremendous, and tremendously influential. In 2020, he brought his voice to the page with a glorious autobiography. Fans and readers loved Halford's frank and open narrative, as well as his terrific insight and sense of humour. Now, in Biblical, Halford runs his expert eye over all facets of the hard rock history and the heavy metal world. Biblical is a lively encyclopaedia in which Halford shares his opinions, memories, and anecdotes regarding every element of the rock and roll work and lifestyle from tours to tattoos, riffs to riders, and drugs to devil horns. In Halford's relaxed and honest tone, the audiobook mixes serious and in-depth pieces with whimsical reflections on lessons learned during his fifty years of a life in music. Biblical is a handed-down-from-on-high holy tome that transports fans behind the scenes and back into their record collections, to the almighty ways of rock.(P) 2022 Hachette Audio
Bibliomaniac: An Obsessive's Tour of the Bookshops of Britain
by Robin InceIn this warm and witty celebration of the written word, the popular comedian and presenter takes the reader on a journey across Britain as he explores his lifelong love of books and bookshops.Why play to 12,000 people when you can play to 12? In Autumn 2021, Robin Ince's stadium tour with Professor Brian Cox was postponed due to the pandemic. Rather than do nothing, he decided he would instead go on a tour of over a hundred bookshops, from Wigtown to Penzance; from Swansea to Margate.Packed with anecdotes and tall tales, Bibliomaniac follows Robin up and down the country in his quest to discover just why he can never have enough books. It is the story of an addiction and a romance, and also of an occasional points failure just outside Oxenholme.
Bibliophobia: A Memoir
by Sarah Chihaya&“A wise, tremendously moving exploration of what it means to seek companionship and understanding, in books and in life.&”—Hua Hsu, author of Stay True &“A must for the obsessive reader.&”—Elif Batuman, author of Either/Or and The IdiotBooks can seduce you. They can, Sarah Chihaya believes, annihilate, reveal, and provoke you. And anyone incurably obsessed with books understands this kind of unsettling literary encounter. Sarah calls books that have this effect &“Life Ruiners&”.Her Life Ruiner, Toni Morrison&’s The Bluest Eye, became a talisman for her in high school when its electrifying treatment of race exposed Sarah&’s deepest feelings about being Japanese American in a predominantly white suburb of Cleveland. But Sarah had always lived through her books, seeking escape, self-definition, and rules for living. She built her life around reading, wrote criticism, and taught literature at an Ivy League University. Then she was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown, and the world became an unreadable blank page. In the aftermath, she was faced with a question. Could we ever truly rewrite the stories that govern our lives?Bibliophobia is an alternately searing and darkly humorous story of breakdown and survival told through books. Delving into texts such as Anne of Green Gables, Possession, A Tale for the Time Being, The Last Samurai, Chihaya interrogates her cultural identity, her relationship with depression, and the intoxicating, sometimes painful, ways books push back on those who love them.
Bichitra: The Making of an Online Tagore Variorum (Quantitative Methods in the Humanities and Social Sciences)
by Sukanta ChaudhuriThis book documents the creation of the Bichitra Online Tagore Variorum, a publicly accessible database of Rabindranath Tagore's complete works in Bengali and English totaling some 140,000 pages of primary material. Chapters cover innovative aspects of the site, all replicable in other projects: a hyperbibliography; a search engine and hyperconcordance working across the database; and a unique collation program comparing variant texts at three levels. There are also chapters on the special problems of processing manuscripts, and on planning the website. Early chapters take readers through the history of the project, an overview of Tagore's works, and the Bengali writing system with the challenges of adapting it to electronic form. The name Bichitra, meaning "various" in Bengali, alludes both to the great variety of Tagore's works and to their various stages of composition. Beyond their literary excellence, they are notable for their sheer quantity, the number of variant forms of a great many items, and their afterlife in translation, often the poet's own. Seldom if ever has the same writer revised his material and recast it across genres on such a scale. Tagore won the Nobel Prize in 1913. By its value-added presentation of this range of material, Bichitra can be a model for future databases covering an author's complete works or other major corpus of texts. It offers vastly expanded access to Tagore's writings, and enables new kinds of research including computational text analysis. The "book of the website" shows in technical and human terms how researchers with interests in art, literature and technology can collaborate on cultural informatics projects.
Biddy Mason Speaks Up (Fighting for Justice Ser. #2)
by Laura Atkins Arisa WhiteBuilding on the brilliance of Fred Korematsu Speaks Up, the newest installment in the Fighting for Justice series introduces young readers to another real-life champion for civil rights: Bridget “Biddy” Mason, an African American philanthropist, healer, and midwife who was born into slavery. When Biddy arrived in California, where slavery was technically illegal, she was kept captive by her owners and forced to work without pay. But when Biddy learned that she was going to be taken to a slave state, she launched a plan to win her freedom. She refused to be defined by her enslavement, and coauthors Arisa White and Laura Atkins devote much of their narrative to Biddy Mason's later life as a business and civic leader in the fledgling city of Los Angeles. Biddy Mason Speaks Up is an age-appropriate yet unflinching examination of slavery, racism, and community healing in the United States. Each chapter begins with lyrical verse and full-color illustrations that draw readers into the narrative, and is followed by visually engaging sections filled with keyword definitions, historical context, timelines, and primary sources. Throughout the book, the authors pose questions to the reader, such as “How do you see power at work in your community?”, making Biddy Mason's story all the more relatable to the present day.
Biden: The Obama Years and the Battle for the Soul of America
by David LienemannThe visual chronicle of Joe Biden's eight years as vice president to Barack Obama, revealing in intimate detail who the presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee is as a leader, father, friend, and future President This book captures the core of who Joe Biden is as a lifelong public servant, and who he would be as America's next President--featuring photographs from his eight years as one of America's most consequential vice presidents and partner to Barack Obama. These visually arresting photographs and behind-the-scenes stories show Biden stepping into his own as a leader ready to guide a nation in distress. They also reveal a new dimension to Biden's humanity--as a man whose decency and kindness shines through both tragedy and triumph, whose working-class roots inform his values, and whose candor and approachability enable him to connect with citizens of all kinds. This book traces Biden's vice presidency in unprecedented detail, shedding light on who he is as a political leader and patriot, and also as a father, husband, and friend. It will delight and fascinate readers who yearn for the return of honesty and ethics to the nation's highest offices. As we draw closer to the 2020 presidential elections, this portrait of one of the most influential names in American politics is more timely and important than ever.
Bienvenida a casa
by Lucia Berlin«Siempre estoy buscando... deseando sentirme en casa.» La recopilación definitiva de los textos autobiográfico jamás publicados de Lucia Berlin. Pese a la calidad abrumadora de su escritura, tuvo que llegar Manual para mujeres de la limpieza para que Lucia Berlin se convirtiera en una estrella literaria sin igual. Sus historias están pobladas de personajes, entornos y emociones de la propia vida de la autora, una vida llena de precariedad y cambios de rumbo. Bienvenida a casa es una recopilación de textos autobiográficos en la que Berlin estaba trabajando antes de su muerte y que muestra, con la intimidad de una confidencia, los espacios más personales de la vida de una misteriosa autora que ya ha alcanzado el estatus de leyenda. El volumen lo completan cartas y fotografías que hacen que este sea el objeto perfecto para conocer de primera mano a Lucia Berlin como escritora y, también, como ser humano. La crítica ha dicho...«Unos retazos de vida que nos desvelan a la mujer que hay tras la leyenda. Un libro lleno de fuerza.»Elena Méndez, La Voz de Galicia «La literatura de Lucia Berlin está impregnada de belleza y dolor, de honestidad y melanconiosa familiaridad. Consigue narrar las rutinas de la vida y los fulgores de la oscuridad como pocos. [...] Con este libro tenemos la oportunidad de sumergirnos en su mundo una vez más. [...] Gracias por existir.»Eric Gras, El Periódico Mediterráneo «El lado íntimo de la escritora: una Lucia Berlin luminosa, entregada al amor, frágil y optimista. [...] A pesar de haber permanecido más o menos escondida, leerla produce una extraña sensación de familiaridad.»Aloma Rodríguez, Diari de Tarragona «Carisma y talento. [...] Paisajes que pisaron sus pies y, en todos ellos, esa capacidad tan suya, nada fácil de encontrar en prosa, de sacar destellos de luz de las tinieblas. Incluso de la tristeza más densa o de los escenarios más amargos. [...] Nos vamos a quedar con ganas de más Lucia.»Núria Escur, La Vanguardia «Estos textos permiten descubrir, por un lado, una vida repleta de sinsabores, y por el otro, la persistencia de una mujer que intenta escribir a pesar de todo y que encuentra en su experiencia más cercana la fuente de sus relatos.»Diego Gángara, La Razón «Esta recopilación de textos autobiográficos cae como un auténtico y delicioso maná.»Andrés Rubín de Celis, La Vanguardia - Fashion & Arts Magazine «Los recuerdos más extensos que encontramos en Bienvenida a casa encantan e iluminan [...]. Sus viñetas de la infancia, en particular, poseen viveza de las revistas antiguas [...]. Leer Bienvenida a casa tras Una noche en paraíso y Manual para mujeres de la limpieza es experimentar a Berlin como en una galería de espejos.»Patricia Lockwood, London Review of Books «Encontramos un placer delicioso en seguir las huellas reales de las ficciones de Berlin.»Los Angeles Times «Un relato iluminador de la escritora [...], de las personas y los lugares que la formaron. Berlin escribe con honestidad sobre sus placeres y sus dificultades, y deja al lector con ganas de más.»The Economist«Mucho antes de la actual locura por la autoficción, Lucia Berlin ya estaba centrifugando su día a día para convertirlo en una prosa desnuda y dolorosa de brutal autenticidad. [...] Este nuevo volumen es una suerte de retrato en forma de puzle de esta leyenda literaria que sufrió un largo olvido y deja a la vista su material autobiográfico, que con tanta potencia se filtraba en sus relatos de ficción. Resulta que el misterio de su obra no es de dónde sacaba la inspiración, sino cómo lograba transformar su vida en una expresión
Big Appetite
by Sam McleodDr. Beauregard pulled his chair up a little closer to me, looked me in the eye, and said, "Sam, I'm afraid your health is pretty good. . . . You could stand to lose a little weight, but without some bad news, I can't scare you into taking better care of yourself. . . . You've got to find some meaning in your life that will motivate you to take better care of your body--something that gets under your skin, something that grabs your imagination, something other than a diet. And only you can figure that out." So begins "big-boned" Sam McLeod's search for the meaning of life. Luckily, a mysterious envelope arrives in the mail to distract him. It's an invitation to a neighborhood reunion where Sam grew up near Nashville, Tennessee. Sam's wise wife, Annie, insists that her reluctant husband get in the car and make the cross-country trip. "Here's a map and your itinerary. . . . But you keep your hands off that old girlfriend, you hear me?" As Sam drives, he tries to work out the meaning of life, just like the doctor ordered. Instead, memories of childhood fill his head. Who would be at the reunion? Weiner? He remembers how Weiner got his name and his lasting fear of buzzards. Would he find a descendant of Big 'Un, the snake as fat as a family-size can of Franco-American spaghetti? And what about Lexi? She wasn't his girlfriend, no matter what Annie says, but he remembers the summer night they played hide-and-seek. . . . And with these recollections come the smell of his mother's meatloaf, the taste of spicy pimento cheese, the tang of cold pickled shrimp, and the tart sweetness of strawberry pie, the foods of his Southern childhood. Does Sam find the meaning of life? Yes, he does, even though he lacks "the emotional intelligence God gave a stinkbug," as Annie so delicately put it. So come along with Sam as he follows his deep-fried roots to a simpler time and place, where mothers nourished their children with much more than ham biscuits, deviled eggs, and tuna noodle casserole with potato chips on top.A warm, laugh-out-loud funny memoir for anyone who has ever: * Collected lightning bugs in a quart-size Ball jar * Been in a watermelon fight * Fallen asleep to the sound of grown-ups talking on the porch * Been told you're eating a bite, whether you like it or not * Grown up Southern
Big Apple Diaries
by Alyssa BermudezIn Big Apple Diaries, a heartfelt diary-style graphic memoir by Alyssa Bermudez, a young New Yorker doodles her way through middle school—until the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack leaves her wondering if she can ever be a kid again.It’s the year 2000 in New York City. For 12-year old Alyssa, this means splitting time between her Puerto Rican dad's apartment in Manhattan and her white mom's new place in Queens, navigating the trials and tribulations of middle school, and an epic crush on a new classmate. The only way to make sense of it all is to capture the highs and lows in doodles and hilarious comics in a diary.Then life abruptly changes on September 11, 2001. After the Twin Towers fall and so many lives are lost, worries about gossip and boys feel distant and insignificant. Alyssa must find a new sense of self and purpose amidst all of the chaos, and find the strength to move forward with hope.
Big Asian Energy: An Unapologetic Guide for Breaking Barriers to Leadership and Success
by John WangIn his groundbreaking leadership book, John Wang, a top empowerment coach to Asian American professionals across Fortune 500 companies, offers research-backed guidance for Asian Americans to embody their most confident selves in business, relationships, and their everyday lives. Asians today are smashing box office records, winning Oscars, dominating global music charts, and reaching the office of vice president of the United States. Yet studies show Asian American professionals are still less likely to be promoted to leadership roles, and they struggle with self-confidence and self-criticism more than any other racial group. With Asian visibility now higher than it has been in decades, how can the new generation of Asian Americans finally step into our power? In his book, John Wang offers his unique framework for empowerment. He is an experienced leadership coach to the Asian American community who can help readers in every area of their lives. He has supported hundreds of clients from Google, American Express, Goldman Sachs, and other global companies, and his coaching videos have reached more than 25 million views on TikTok. Through proven exercises and successful client stories, he shows how cultural values like collectivism might make some avoid claiming credit in group projects, or how deference to elders creates communication issues. He sees Achievers and Fixers burning out, and Chameleons or Invisible Ones assimilating themselves into imposter syndrome. Instead of urging assimilation, Wang will show Asian Americans how to advocate for themselves on their own terms, through culturally informed guidance. Through his deeply relatable stories and his witty and disarming voice, John Wang offers a bold, moving, insightful, and practical guide. Big Asian Energy aims to teach readers to identify their authentic strengths and values, and to finally break through societal barriers.
Big Bear: A Biography (Canadian Biography Ser.)
by J.R. MillerA biography of the Plains Cree chief who challenged Canadian authorities and became a warrior of legend. When Big Bear was young, in the first half of the nineteenth century, he overcame smallpox and other hardships—and eventually followed in the footsteps of his father, Black Powder, engaging in warfare against the Blackfoot. The time would come for him to draw on these experiences and step into a leadership role, as the buffalo began to disappear and his people suffered. This rich historical biography tells of Big Bear&’s role as chief of a Plains Cree community in western Canada in the late nineteenth century, at a time of transition between the height of Plains Indian culture and the modern era. During the 1870s and early 1880s, Big Bear became the focal point of opposition for Cree and Saulteaux bands that did not wish to make treaty with Canada. During the early 1880s, he spearheaded a Plains diplomatic movement to renegotiate the treaties in favor of the Aboriginal groups whose way of life had been devastated. Although Big Bear personally favored peaceful protest, violent acts by some of his followers during the North-West Rebellion of 1885 provided the federal government with the opportunity to crush him by prosecuting him for treason. His story provides fascinating insight into this era of North American history.
Big Bend: A Homesteader's Story
by Fred Gipson J.O. LangfordA first-hand account of a chronically ill man who uproots his family to settle on the banks of the Rio Grande, written with the author of Old Yeller. To the wild and fabulous country where the Rio Grande makes its big bend, J. O. Langford came in 1909 with his wife and daughter in search of health and a home. High on a bluff overlooking the spot where Tornillo Creek pours its waters into the turbulent Rio Grande, the Langfords built their home, a rude structure of adobe blocks in a land reputed to be inhabited only by bandits and rattlesnakes.Big Bend is the story of the Langfords&’ life in the rugged and spectacularly beautiful country which they came to call their own. Langford&’s account is told with the help of Fred Gipson, author of Old Yeller and Hound Dog Man. &“Big Bend. . . is the story of a way of life, beautiful in its simplicity, a story that can be read again and again for it is a book of substance.&” —New York Herald Tribune &“Not a big book this, but as warming to the senses and to the heart as a mesquite fire on the open hearth. It is, also, a book that reflects a commonality of the Western experience of this Nation—a homesteader&’s story.&” —San Francisco Chronicle &“This is one of those rare books of actual experience with the smooth continuity of the best fiction.&” —Houston Chronicle
Big Bill
by H. A. BranhamThe first major authorized biography of NASCAR founder, Bill France Sr.Big Bill is the consummate "insider" book on the life and legend of NASCAR founder Bill France and tells the tale of a classic American success story. France Sr. brought his family to Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1934, put down roots and immersed himself in the business of racing, both as a driver and an owner. Nicknamed "Big Bill" because of his 6-foot-5 stature, he made significant contributions to the racing world - he founded NASCAR in December 1947, built Daytona International Speedway in 1959 and built Talladega Superspeedway in 1969, and landed the landmark R.J. Reynolds/Winston sponsorship deal in 1971 that not only transformed NASCAR but also transformed corporate sponsorship of sports in America. The France family has spent the last 30 years gathering a vast collection of files and material about their family patriarch and has turned over countless interviews -- both written and taped -- as well as NASCAR documents, memorabilia, memos, letters and various other materials to the author for this definitive biography. Big Bill offers NASCAR fans a rich, entertaining, emotional, and detailed story about America's most recognized and admired racing family.
Big Bill Tilden: The Triumphs and the Tragedy
by Frank Deford&“A compelling, long overdue tribute&” to America&’s first tennis star from the renowned sportswriter and author of Everybody&’s All-American (Kirkus Reviews). When he stepped onto the Wimbledon grass in 1920, Bill Tilden was poised to become the world&’s greatest tennis star. Throughout the 1920s he dominated the sport, winning championship after championship with his trademark grace, power, and intelligence. He owned the game more completely than Babe Ruth ruled baseball, making his name, for more than a decade, synonymous with tennis. Phenomenally intelligent—he completed his first book on tennis in the three weeks before his first Wimbledon triumph—Tilden&’s success came with a dark side. This classic biography by legendary sports writer Frank Deford tells of Tilden&’s dominance, which was unlike anything the sport had ever seen—and the big man&’s tragic fall.
Big Bosses: A Working Girl’s Memoir of Jazz Age America
by Robin F. Bachin Althea Mcdowell AltemusSharp, resourceful, and with a style all her own, Althea Altemus embodied the spirit of the independent working woman of the Jazz Age. In her memoir, Big Bosses, she vividly recounts her life as a secretary for prominent (but thinly disguised) employers in Chicago, Miami, and New York during the late teens and 1920s. Alongside her we rub elbows with movie stars, artists, and high-profile businessmen, and experience lavish estate parties that routinely defied the laws of Prohibition. Beginning with her employment as a private secretary to James Deering of International Harvester, whom she describes as "probably the world's oldest and wealthiest bachelor playboy," Altemus tells us much about high society during the time, taking us inside Deering's glamorous Miami estate, Vizcaya, an Italianate mansion worthy of Gatsby himself. Later, we meet her other notable employers, including Samuel Insull, president of Chicago Edison; New York banker S. W. Straus; and real estate developer Fred F. French. We cinch up our trenchcoats and head out sleuthing in Chicago, hired by the wife of a big boss to find out how he spends his evenings (with, it turns out, a mistress hidden in an apartment within his office, no less). Altemus was also a struggling single mother, a fact she had to keep secret from her employers, and she reveals the difficulties of being a working woman at the time through glimpses into women's apartments, their friendships, and the dangers--sexual and otherwise--that she and others faced. Throughout, Altemus entertains with a tart and self-aware voice that combines the knowledge of an insider with the wit and clarity of someone on the fringe. Anchored by extensive annotation and an afterword from historian Robin F. Bachin, which contextualizes Altemus's narrative, Big Bosses provides a one-of-a-kind peek inside the excitement, extravagances, and the challenges of being a working woman roaring through the '20s.
Big Cat: The Life of Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize
by Jerry GrilloJohnny Mize was one of the greatest hitters in baseball&’s golden age of great hitters. Born and raised in tiny Demorest, Georgia, in the northeast Georgia mountains, Mize emerged from the heart of Dixie as a Bunyonesque slugger, a quiet but sharp-witted man from a broken home who became a professional player at seventeen, embarking on an extended tour of the expansive St. Louis Cardinals Minor League system. Mize then spent fifteen seasons terrorizing Major League pitchers as a member of those Cardinals, the New York Giants of Mel Ott and Leo Durocher, and finally with the New York Yankees, who won a record five straight World Series with Mize as their ace in the hole—the best pinch hitter in the American League. Few hitters have combined such meticulous bat control with brute power the way Mize did. Mize was a line-drive hitter who rarely struck out and also hit for distance, to all fields, and usually for a high average. Nicknamed the Big Cat, &“nobody had a better, smoother, easier swing than John,&” said Cardinals teammate Don Gutteridge. &“It was picture perfect.&” Tabbed as a can&’t-miss Hall of Famer, then all but forgotten, Mize spent twenty-eight years waiting for the call from Cooperstown before he was finally inducted in 1981, delighting fans with his straightforward commentary and sly sense of humor during a memorable induction speech. From the backroads of the Minor Leagues to the sunny Caribbean, where he played alongside the best Black and Latin players as a twenty-one-year-old, and to the Major Leagues, where he became a ten-time All-Star, home run champion, and World Series hero, Mize forged a memorable trail along baseball&’s landscape. This is the first complete biography of the Big Cat.
Big Chief Harrison and the Mardi Gras Indians
by Al KennedyA biography of the life, work, and legacy of a pivotal figure in New Orleans cultural history. Based on more than seventy interviews with the subject and his close friends and family, this biography delves deep into the life of Donald Harrison—a waiter, performer, mentor to musicians, philosopher, devoted family man, and, most notably, the Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame, a Mardi Gras Indian tribe. The firsthand accounts and anecdotes from those who knew him offer insight into the electrifying existence of a man who enriched the culture of New Orleans, took pride in his African American heritage, and advocated education throughout the city. Beneath a vibrant costume of colorful feathers and intricate beading stood a man of conviction who possessed a great intellect and intense pride. Harrison grew up during the Great Depression and faced discrimination throughout his life but refused to bow down to oppression. Through determination and an insatiable eagerness to learn, he found solace in philosophy, jazz, and art and spiritual meaning in the Mardi Gras Indian tradition. He shared his ideals and discoveries with his family, whom he protected fiercely, until he took his last breath in 1998. Harrison&’s wife, children, and grandchildren continue to carry his legacy by furthering literacy programs for New Orleans&’ youth. From Harrison&’s birth in 1933 to his desire to become a Mardi Gras Indian to the moment he met his beloved wife, author Al Kennedy shares Harrison&’s significant life experiences. He allows Big Chief Donald to take center stage and explain—in his own words—the mysterious world of the Mardi Gras Indians, their customs, and beliefs. Rare personal photographs from family albums depict the Big Chief with his family, parading through the streets on Carnival Day, and performing the timeless rituals of the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans. This well-researched biography presents a side of the Big Chief the public did not see, revealing the rebellious spirit of a man who demanded respect, guarded his family, and guided his tribe with utmost pride. Praise for Big Chief Harrison and the Mardi Gras Indians&“Enormously enjoyable, richly informative, and deeply moving. . . . To meet the Harrisons is to encounter an America you can't help but fall in love with and be inspired by forever, while gaining a glimpse into the powerful and meaningful tradition of the Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans. It's a story of strength, passion, survival, and resistance. It&’s a story for today.&” —Jonathan Demme, Academy Award–winning director&“Building on his impressive knowledge of New Orleans culture, Al Kennedy delivers a masterpiece of artistic biography. The world needs to know about Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. Al Kennedy tells his full story in this wonderful book. . . . A powerful read.&” —Robert Farris Thompson, Col. John Trumbull Professor, History of Art; Master of Timothy Dwight College, Yale University; and author, Tango: The Art History of Love, Face of the Gods, and Aesthetic of the Cool
Big Daddy: Frederick G. Gardiner and the Building of Metropolitan Toronto
by Timothy ColtonFrederick Gardiner's public life was rich and long, from his initiation into politics as a Toronto schoolboy before the First World War, through his involvement with the Ontario Conservative party and suburban politics in the 1930s and 1940s, on through his years as first chairman of Metropolitan Toronto (1953-61), to the relinquishing of his last public office in 1979. This is a readable and perceptive biography of the exuberant and powerful politician who captured the public imagination of Toronto and created a legend around himself during his lifetime. The book focuses mainly on Gardiner's experience as founding boss of Metropolitan Toronto. This first metropolitan government in North America was in many ways his personal machine. Gardiner made an indispensable contribution to its effectiveness and to its very survival. He presided over an unprecedented boom in urban development and construction. His public works projects included the first urban expressway in Canada (the Gardiner Expressway). Gardiner's political nickname, 'Big Daddy,' fits him well. He revelled in his reputation as a political bulldozer, and was often described as the Canadian equivalent of Robert Moses, the famous and feared coordinator of construction for New York City. Gardiner was a man for the times, an unusual person whose character seemed to match the requirements of a city bursting at its seams. His lack of interest in public participation generated great controversy and left a lasting impression on Toronto's metropolitan government. Readers concerned with politics and urban government will learn much from Gardiner's experiences and conduct as he wrestled with his political surroundings and with urban policy problems such as planning, housing, and transportation. And this portrait of a dynamic and aggressive man who symbolized the Toronto on a generation ago will appeal to those who remember these years. Electronic Format Disclaimer: Photo section removed after page 150 at the request of the rights holder.