- Table View
- List View
Six Silent Men...Book Three: 101st LRP / Rangers (101st LRP Rangers #3)
by Gary Linderer"The Eyes and Ears of the Screaming Eagles . . ."By 1969, the NVA had grown more experienced at countering the tactics of the long range patrols, and SIX SILENT MEN: Book Three describes some of the fiercest fighting Lurps saw during the war. Based on his own experience and extensive interviews with other combat vets of the 101st's Lurp companies, Gary Linderer writes this final, heroic chapter in the seven bloody years that Lurps served God and country in Vietnam. These tough young warriors--grossly outnumbered and deep in enemy territory--fought with the guts, tenacity, and courage that have made them legends in the 101st.From the Paperback edition.
Ponzi: The Incredible True Story of the King of Financial Cons
by Donald DunnJust who was the man whose name has become synonymous with the classic "rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul" scam in which money from new investors is used to reward earlier ones? In December 1919, he was an unknown thirty-eight-year-old, self-educated Italian immigrant with a borrowed two-hundred dollars in his pocket. Six months later, he was Boston's famed "wizard of finance," lionized by the public and politicians alike. Based on exclusive interviews with people who knew Charles Ponzi, lent him their money, and exposed him, Donald Dunn's Ponzi recreates both one of America's most notorious and colorful financial con artists and the mad money-hungry era in which he thrived.
Spiritual Genius: The Mastery of Life's Meaning
by Winifred GallagherInSpiritual Genius, journalist Winifred Gallagher, the acclaimed author ofWorking on God, asks Rabbi Lawrence Kushner to define holiness. "Standing in the presence of God," he says. "Everyone has it, but some people seem to have more of a knack for accessing it. " Like holiness, the gift that Gallagher calls "spiritual genius"--which she defines as "the uniquely human ability to search for and find life’s meaning, then express it in our lives as only each of us can"--is one we all possess but don’t necessarily recognize. Whether they are called saints, gurus, tzaddiks, or shamans, there have always been people who possess exceptional insight, altruism, and charisma. In this disarmingly inspirational book, Gallagher investigates what ordinary people trying to live decent, meaningful lives can learn from such extraordinary men and women, who are specially attuned to the deepest truths, and who exemplify-and radiate-spiritual genius. In a clear-eyed, ecumenical approach that's free of dogma and bias and suffused with profound respect, Winifred Gallagher highlights the common wisdom-and down-to-earth good humor-of these religious leaders, revels in their differences, and identifies the capacity for spiritual genius that all of us share with them. On an island in the Arabian Sea, Gallagher visits Mata Amritanandamayi, regarded by devotees as a Hindu goddess, who transmits divine love through hugs and charities. She travels through America's inner cities with Tony Campolo, an Evangelical preacher who counsels national leaders and serves the poor. She learns how Riffat Hassan, a Pakistani theologian, uses the Qur’an to defend the rights of her Muslim sisters. She journeys to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas to understand how an exiled minority has enchanted the world with their deep, resilient spirituality. In these diverse lives, Gallagher argues, we can glimpse our own potential for spiritual genius writ large. Each story testifies to the profound good in the world, even during a troubled time, and to Gallagher’s groundbreaking theory of a human capacity for finding life’s meaning that is nothing less than genius.
The Elimination: A Survivor of the Khmer Rouge Confronts His Past and the Commandant of the Killing Fields
by John Cullen Christophe Bataille Rithy PanhFrom the internationally acclaimed director of S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine, a survivor's autobiography that confronts the evils of the Khmer Rouge dictatorship.Rithy Panh was only thirteen years old when the Khmer Rouge expelled his family from Phnom Penh in 1975. In the months and years that followed, his entire family was executed, starved, or worked to death. Thirty years later, after having become a respected filmmaker, Rithy Panh decides to question one of the men principally responsible for the genocide, Comrade Duch, who's neither an ordinary person nor a demon--he's an educated organizer, a slaughterer who talks, forgets, lies, explains, and works on his legacy. This confrontation unfolds into an exceptional narrative of human history and an examination of the nature of evil. The Elimination stands among the essential works that document the immense tragedies of the twentieth century, with Primo Levi's If This Is a Man and Elie Wiesel's Night.
The Post Office Lady with the Dragon Tattoo: An Essay
by Laurie Notaro"I had been dreading this day for more than a year." Everyone's favorite Idiot Girl, Laurie Notaro, is very close to wearing out her welcome in her hometown of Eugene, Oregon. Just a year ago, she was eighty-sixed from the local satellite post office for buying too many two-cent stamps ("The post office lady looked at me like I had just asked her if she wanted to buy my sex tape"). Now Notaro, needing to send an important care package to her nephew, returns to the scene of the non-crime--which is located inside a drugstore that is stocked with everything from Hello Kitty trinkets to fake poo to "the largest collection of aging candy on the West Coast." Will the post office lady who banned her the first time around kick her to the curb, or will Laurie use her Idiot Girl wiles to work her way back into the Mean Lady's good graces? In this hilarious short story, New York Times bestselling author Laurie Notaro's signature pluck and irresistible candor are on full display and will have you laughing out loud.
Summons of Trumpet: U.S.-Vietnam in Perspective
by Dave R. PalmerSoldier/scholar Palmer traces the history of the American involvement in Vietnam and shows how events in both the U.S. and Vietnam became inextricably linked as domestic dissent and a lack of realistic, viable military strategy ultimately led to America's first lost war.
The Life of Margaret Laurence
by James KingThe magnificent and long-awaited biography of the beloved writer who gave us the Manawaka novels, including The Diviners and The Stone Angel.
The Third Wave: A Volunteer Story
by Alison ThompsonAlison Thompson, a filmmaker living in New York City, was enjoying Christmas with her boyfriend in 2004 when she saw the news reports online: a 9.3 magnitude earthquake had struck the sea near Indonesia, triggering a massive tsunami that hit much of southern Asia. As she watched the death toll climb, Thompson had one thought: She had to go help. A few years earlier, she had spent eight months volunteering at Ground Zero after 9/11. She'd learned then that when disaster strikes, it's not just the firemen and Red Cross who are needed--every single person can make a difference. With $300 in cash, some basic medical supplies, and a vague idea that she'd go wherever she was needed, Thompson headed to Sri Lanka. Along with a small team of volunteers, she settled in a coastal town that had been hit especially hard and began tending to people's injuries, giving out food and water, playing games with the children, collecting dead bodies, and helping rebuild the local school and homes that had been destroyed. Thompson had intended to stay for two weeks; she ended up staying for fourteen months. She and her team helped start new businesses and set up the first tsunami early-warning center in Sri Lanka, which continues to save lives today. The Third Wave tells the inspiring story of how volunteering changed Thompson's life. It begins with her first real introduction to disaster relief after 9/11 and ends with her more recent efforts in Haiti, where she has helped create and run, with Sean Penn, an internally-displaced-person camp and field hospital for more than 65,000 Haitians who lost their homes in the 2010 earthquake. In The Third Wave, Thompson provides an invaluable inside glimpse into what really happens on the ground after a disaster--and a road map for what anyone can do to help. As Alison Thompson shows, with some resilience, a healthy sense of humor, and the desire to make a difference, we all have what it takes to change the world for the better.From the Hardcover edition.
The House of Mitford
by Jonathan GuinnessAmong the six daughters and one son born to David, second Lord Redesdale, and his wife Sydney were Nancy, the novelist and historian; Diana, who married fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley; Unity, friend of Hitler; Jessica, who became a communist and then an investigative journalist; and Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire and mistress of Chatsworth. 'The Mitford Girls', as John Betjeman called them, were one of the twentieth century's most controversial families; said to be always either in shrieks of laughter or floods of tears, they were glamorous, romantic and - especially in politics - extreme. Yet the teasing, often bordering on cruelty, the flamboyant contrasts and the violent disagreements, hid a powerful affection, subtle likenesses in character and a powerful underlying unity.
Bomb: My Autobiography
by Adam JonesIn rugby, there are the Flash Harrys and the Glory Boys: the fly-halves who run, kick and dazzle; the scrum-halves who nip and dart; the wingers who step and glide. These are the players who get the crowd on their feet, who set stadiums abuzz. But they only get to do these things because other, less glorified figures do all of the donkey work. Adam Jones is one such figure. And for a decade he was one of the world's best. On many occasions when George North or Shane Williams were careering under the posts to score a try, and the crowd was engulfed in rapturous joy, Adam Jones would be hauling himself up from the turf, spitting blood and mud, and massaging his aching neck. He hadn't scored the try; but more often than not it was his graft and strength which had made it. This is the story of 'Bomb': the self-effacing manual labourer from the Swansea Valley who traded laying paving slabs for running out in some of the world's most imposing sporting citadels. He rose to the pinnacle of his sport, winning virtually everything there was to be won: Grand Slams, Six Nations Championships, Lions tours, Pro12 titles. In a nation of rugby heroes, Adam Jones has become a legend. Only six Welshmen can say they've won three Grand Slams. He is one of them: not just as a bit-part player, but as the beating heart of the most successful squad in Welsh rugby history. His was one of the first names on the team sheet. He was - literally and metaphorically - the cornerstone of this Welsh side. In his autobiography, Jones reveals exactly what goes on in the murky depths of the front row: the tricks, the techniques, the physical and psychological warfare; and the mental fortitude it takes to endure in one of the hardest positions, in one of the world's toughest contact sports.
The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
by David RemnickThe rise of Barack Obama is one of the great stories of this century: a defining moment for America, and one with truly global resonance. This is the book of his phenomenal journey to election. Through extensive on-the-record interviews with friends and teachers, mentors and disparagers, family members and Obama himself, David Remnick has put together a nuanced, unexpected and masterly portrait of the man who was determined to become the first African-American President. Most importantly, The Bridgeargues that Obama imagined and fashioned an identity for himself against the epic drama of race in America. In a way that Obama's own memoirs cannot, it examines both the personal and political elements of the story, and gives shape not only to a decisive period of history, but also to the way it crucially influenced, animated and motivated a gifted and complex man. 'Speaking to hundreds of friends and colleagues, Remmick investigates and corrects Obama’s own accout of his life with an assured and elegant tone that clarifies rather than accuses or unmasks . . . 600 masterly pages. *****Daily Telegraph 'The publishing event of the year' Observer
Remembering Richie: A Tribute to a Cricket Legend
by Richie BenaudA tribute to Richie Benaud and a celebration of his life.Remembering Richie is a compilation of the very best writing from Richie's books, along with the best tributes and obituaries from those who knew and worked with him. As a player, Richie was one of the greatest of cricket's all-rounders. As a commentator and thinker on the game he became the leading figure of his generation. As a man he was revered by cricket's multitude of followers and as a friend he was both loved and admired by his close circle of friends.This celebratory book brings together the best of Richie's writing on a range of subjects from his love of cricket as a child to his all time XIs; from his thoughts on T20 to insight into his family life, along with his most loved sayings and best known pieces of commentary. All perfectly complemented with tributes from his friends and colleagues.
Phantom Warriors: Book I: LRRPs, LRPs, and Rangers in Vietnam (Phantom Warriors #1)
by Gary LindererHere are some of the most courageous missions executed by six-man teams on their own deep behind enemy lines.
Prisoners of Hope: The Story of Our Captivity and Freedom in Afghanistan
by Stacy Mattingly Dayna Curry Heather MercerThe gripping and inspiring story of two extraordinary women--from their imprisonment by the Taliban to their rescue by U. S. Special Forces. When Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer arrived in Afghanistan, they had come to help bring a better life and a little hope to some of the poorest and most oppressed people in the world. Within a few months, their lives were thrown into chaos as they became pawns in historic international events. They were arrested by the ruling Taliban government for teaching about Christianity to the people with whom they worked. In the middle of their trial, the events of September 11, 2001, led to the international war on terrorism, with the Taliban a primary target. While many feared Curry and Mercer could not survive in the midst of war, Americans nonetheless prayed for their safe return, and in November their prayers were answered. InPrisoners of Hope, Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer tell the story of their work in Afghanistan, their love for the people they served, their arrest, trial, and imprisonment by the Taliban, and their rescue by U. S. Special Forces. The heart of the book will discuss how two middle-class American women decided to leave the comforts of home in exchange for the opportunity to serve the disadvantaged, and how their faith motivated them and sustained them through the events that followed. Their story is a magnificent narrative of ordinary women caught in extraordinary circumstances as a result of their commitment to serve the poorest and most oppressed women and children in the world. This book will be inspiring to those who seek a purpose greater than themselves. From the Hardcover edition.
Somalia on $5 a Day: A Soldier's Story
by Martin Stanton"Stanton's battalion was the first army unit in Somalia in 1992 and it did one hell of a job accomplishing a difficult mission where there wasn't a template. I had the pleasure of tagging along with his unit and saw first-hand how its leaders dealt with and solved problems. . . . A first-rate book and a must read. All professional soldier-leaders should carry Stanton's book in their rucksacks."--DAVID H. HACKWORTH Author of About Face and Hazardous DutyA country torn by seemingly endless war, a people tormented and victimized by relentless banditry---into this land of warlords came the soldiers of the army's elite 10th Mountain Division. They were strangers in a strange land sent to restore hope to this cauldron of misery and despair. The Pentagon deemed it a hostile fire zone thereby earning each soldier a monthly bonus of $150-- Somalia on $5.00 a day. Major Stanton and the infantrymen of Task Force 2-87 found themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, trying to accomplish a vague and constantly changing mission where knowing the good guys from the bad guys was nearly impossible. When the focus of Restore Hope changed from limited famine relief to nation building, the men found themselves in armed clashes with Somali warlords. In this exciting and often humorous memoir, Stanton relates the mounting frustrations experienced by the U.S. soldiers, futility that culminated in the infamous chaos on the streets of Mogadishu.From the Paperback edition.
The Sandwich Years: How to survive when the people in your life need you most
by Alana KirkThe Sandwich Years is the heartfelt, inspirational story of the bond between mothers and daughters, and how one woman - through caring for the person she had relied on the most - finally found herself. Alana Kirk, married with two children and a third on the way, often found herself stretched between the various demands on her time - parenting, marriage, work, friendship, self. But when her mother suffered a massive stroke, just days after the birth of daughter Ruby, Alana's life became unrecognisable.The next five years - 'the sandwich years' - were a time of heartbreak and difficult choices as Alana lost herself amid part-time caring for her mother, supporting her father and parenting three young daughters, while also attempting to get her career back on track. But it was also a time of growth and love as Alana rediscovered the joy her loved ones bring to her life, and learned how to find a way back to herself.The Sandwich Years is a celebration of mothers and daughters, and everyday warriors.(Previously published as Daughter, Mother, Me)
A Fish Supper and a Chippy Smile: Part 1
by Hilda Kemp Cathryn KempA FISH SUPPER AND A CHIPPY SMILE can either be read as full-length eBook or in 3 serialised eBook-only parts.This is PART 1 OF 3.'Oi, Hilda, the sign outside says you're frying today but I ain't seeing nothing done in ere!' The voice cut through my daydream, startling me into remembering where I was: standing in the fish-and-chip shop I worked in. We opened for business at 5 p.m. and already there was a queue of hungry customers on the cobbled street of London's East End. In 1950s and 60s Bermondsey, the fish-and-chip shop was at the centre of the community. And at the heart of the chippy itself was 'Hooray' Hilda Kemp, a spirited matriarch who dispensed fish suppers and an abundance of sympathy to a now-vanished world of East Enders. For 'Hooray' Hilda knew all to well what it was like to feel real, aching hunger. Growing up in the slums of 1920s south-east London, the daughter of a violent alcoholic who drank away his wages rather than put food on the table, she could spot when a customer was in need and would sneak them an extra big portion of chips, on the house. As Hilda works in the chippy six days a week - cutting the potatoes and frying the fish, yesterday's rag becoming today's dinner plate - she hears all the gossip from the close-knit community. There are rumours that the gang wars are hotting up: the Richardsons and the Krays are playing out their fights across south-east London. And the industrial strike is carrying on for a painfully long time for the mothers with many mouths to feed. At home, Hilda's children are latchkey kids, letting themselves in from school and helping themselves to whatever is in the larder until she gets in from her long, hard day at work. Despite tragedy striking her family, Hilda never complained of the loss of her daughter at a tragically young age, nor the tough upbringing she narrowly escaped. With a cast of colourful characters - dirty ragamuffins, struggling housewives, rough-diamond gang members - 'Hooray' Hilda's story is one of grit, romance, nostalgia and British endurance. Told to her granddaughter Cathryn, this memoir is the uplifting sequel to 'WE AIN'T GOT NO DRINK, PA' and is a testament to a woman who lived life to the full, who enjoyed laughter and loved fiercely - even though her heart was broken many times over.
The Princes in the Tower
by Alison Weir"Comprehensive and insightful, THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER offers a unique perspective on a profound mystery." Faye KellermanDespite five centuries of investigation by historians, the sinister deaths of the boy king Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, remain one of the most fascinating murder mysteries in English history. Did Richard III really kill the young princes, as is commonly believed, or was the murderer someone else entirely? Carefully examining every shred of contemporary evidence as well as the dozens of modern accounts, Weir reconstructs the entire chain of events leading to the double murder to arrive at a conclusion Sherlock Holmes himself could not dispute.
The Crossing
by Kathy Watson*Now a Major Film*On the night of 24 August 1875 Matthew Webb, a 27-year-old British Navy captain, launched himself into the English Channel at Dover. Twenty-one hours and 45 minutes later he became the first man to swim the English Channel. In this acclaimed biography, Kathy Watson shows how Captain Webb was instrumental in bringing the sport of swimming into the modern era. It is also a study of the Victorian drive to push back the boundaries of endurance. In THE CROSSING, Watson uses this great British eccentric's extraordinary life as a springboard to explore themes of obsession and failure and the emerging force of the media, and swimming's place in our psyche.
Rollercoaster: My Hectic Years as Jean Chretien's Diplomatic Advisor, 1994-1998
by James K. BartlemanFor four years, James Bartleman mixed with all the biggest names - Clinton, Blair, Yeltsin, Mitterrand, Castro, Kohl, Chirac, and on and on, as Chrétien's Henry Kissinger figure.He was involved in deadly serious crisis management, accompanying Chrétien to all the world's hot spots - dodging bullets in Sarajevo, and trying to avoid war in the Spanish trawler incident. Not to mention dealing with Premier Li of China on an official visit encountering protestors in Montreal and shouting, "I am departing immediately. Never have I and my country been so humiliated."Which leader at the G7 Summit in Halifax passed out drunk in the hotel elevator? What did Jean Chrétien do to set White House aides threatening, "the next time there's a referendum, we will support the separatists"? And why did Fidel Castro grab our author, shaking him and snarling, "I hope you are satisfied, Bartleman"? It's all in this lively book.Every major world crisis of these years is represented here, and every region of the world. You'll be amazed at how widely Chrétien and Bartleman travelled and how much top-level action they experienced. Canadian foreign policy has never seemed so exciting. Or so funny (as when the angry Japanese prime minister's Ottawa visit was marred by a health problem officially described as "soft poo"). A candid, witty, eye-opening book about foreign affairs at the top.From the Hardcover edition.
The Biker Who Shot Me: Recollections of a Crime Reporter
by Michel Auger Jean-Paul MurrayOn September 13, 2000, Michel Auger was walking away from his car in a parking lot across the street from the offices of Le Journal de Montréal when he was shot in the back six times. Miraculously, although at least one bullet lodged in his spine, no vital organs were damaged. Auger was on his feet again within weeks, and able to resume his normal life. The practice of journalism is dangerous in many parts of the world. But in Canada? The idea that an assassin would attempt to take the life of a journalist because of something he wrote is almost unthinkable. Either a deadly new threat has appeared on the scene or Michel Auger has learned something that is truly dangerous to know. Or perhaps both propositions are true. Michel Auger has been a crime reporter for some 30 years. He has covered mafia trials and corruption scandals, notorious murders and government inquiries. What he has seen and recorded has ranged from the sordid to the bizarre. He has interviewed notorious criminals, like Alvin "Creepy" Karpis, a member of the Ma Barker gang whose capture helped make J. Edgar Hoover's name, and infamous Canadians, like the Montreal drug dealer Lucien Rivard, who escaped from Bordeaux jail while awaiting extradition to the United States. He has travelled to the Far East to see for himself where the drug trade begins, and to Sicily where he traced the origins of organized crime. Michel Auger's knowledge of Canada's underworld is as comprehensive as that of any reporter alive. In recent years he has developed a particular interest in the criminal activities of biker gangs, especially the Hell's Angels and their rivals, the Rock Machine. Without a doubt, it was his series of articles in the spring of 2000 about the growing links between the Angels and other criminal organizations that led to the attempt on his life. Both the threat to civil society posed by the Angels and Michel Auger's knowledge of their affairs had become so great that violence was the natural outcome. But, amazingly, Michel Auger survived the attempt on his life. In this frank, fascinating, and sometimes funny memoir, he tells about the bad guys he has known, the strange scenes he has witnessed, and above all, the true story of his deadly encounter with the bikers.
Storm Kings: The Untold History of America's First Tornado Chasers
by Lee SandlinWith 16 pages of black-and-white illustrationsFrom the acclaimed author of Wicked River comes Storm Kings, a riveting tale of supercell tornadoes and the quirky, pioneering, weather-obsessed scientists whose discoveries created the science of modern meteorology. While tornadoes have occasionally been spotted elsewhere, only the central plains of North America have the perfect conditions for their creation. For the early settlers the sight of a funnel cloud was an unearthly event. They called it the "Storm King," and their descriptions bordered on the supernatural: it glowed green or red, it whistled or moaned or sang. In Storm Kings, Lee Sandlin explores America's fascination with and unique relationship to tornadoes. From Ben Franklin's early experiments to the "great storm war" of the nineteenth century to heartland life in the early twentieth century, Sandlin re-creates with vivid descriptions some of the most devastating storms in America's history, including the Tri-state Tornado of 1925 and the Peshtigo "fire tornado," whose deadly path of destruction was left encased in glass. Drawing on memoirs, letters, eyewitness testimonies, and archives, Sandlin brings to life the forgotten characters and scientists who changed a nation--including James Espy, America's first meteorologist, and Colonel John Park Finley, who helped place a network of weather "spotters" across the country. Along the way, Sandlin details the little-known but fascinating history of the National Weather Service, paints a vivid picture of the early Midwest, and shows how successive generations came to understand, and finally coexist with, the spiraling menace that could erase lives and whole towns in an instant.
Silent No More: Victim 1's Fight for Justice Against Jerry Sandusky
by Michael Gillum Dawn Daniels Aaron FisherVictim 1, at fourteen years of age, spoke up against Jerry Sandusky in the Penn State scandal, and now for the first time tells his story.Aaron Fisher was an eager and spirited eleven-year-old when legendary Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky recruited him into his Second Mile children's charity. Offering support at a critical time in Aaron's life, Sandusky gave him gifts and attention, winning the boy's trust even as he isolated him from his family and peers. Before long, Sandusky's attention escalated into sexual assault. When Aaron summoned the courage to speak up, he found himself ostracized and harassed by the very people who were supposed to protect him. The investigation set off by his coming forward would drag on for three years--and would launch the biggest scandal in the history of sports.In Silent No More, Aaron Fisher recounts his harrowing quest to bring Sandusky's crimes to light--from the intense feelings of guilt that kept him from speaking up earlier and the fear he felt at accusing a man who was a pillar of the community and a hero to the largest alumni network in the world, to the infuriating delays in the arrest and conviction of his abuser. He catalogs the devastating personal toll the case took on him: the shattered relationships, panic attacks, and betrayal of trust that continued to haunt him even after the charges went public in the fall of 2011. But he also speaks of his mother's desperate efforts to get him out of harm's way, the invaluable help of psychologist Michael Gillum, and the vindication he felt at inspiring numerous other victims to step forward . . . and at knowing that, thanks to him, there would be no future victims of Jerry Sandusky.In the end, Aaron Fisher won his fight to expose the truth, achieving some measure of closure. Told in the honest and unforgettable voices of Aaron; his mother, Dawn; and his psychologist, Mike, this inspiring book completes Aaron's transformation from a nameless casualty into a resounding voice for change.From the Hardcover edition.
My Colourful Life: From Red to Amber
by Ginger MccainRed Rum's classic win in the 1977 Grand National is the stuff of sporting legend. Red himself became a national treasure, and his charismatic trainer - the redoubtable Ginger McCain - became a sporting hero. While the public adored Ginger, there were those who sniped that he was a one-horse trainer. All that changed 27 years later when, in a thrilling race, Ginger won his fourth National with Amberleigh House, equalling the record of Fred Rimmer. Once again Ginger had taken the sporting world by storm. In the 70s, the popularity of Red Rum and Ginger almost single-handedly saved the great race when there were plans afoot to turn the track into a housing estate. Ginger himself is a remarkable individual - charming, forthright, not afraid to speak his mind and a hugely entertaining raconteur. This is his story, at times funny, sad, exciting and always captivating, told in his own inimitable style.
The Fine Green Line: My Year of Adventure on the Pro-golf Mini-tours
by John Paul NewportWhat happens when a man obsessed with golf leaves home for a year to pursue his dream? This is the story of that journey. One day when John Paul Newport was in his mid-thirties, he attended a corporate outing at a golf course. He had hacked around on the fairways for a couple of summers as a kid, but had always found other sports, especially football, more compelling. Golf was a game he had played only a handful of times in the past twenty years. But that day on the course he more or less accidentally nailed a drive more than 300 yards. The feeling he had as he watched the ball soar was incredible--grace, power, and purity combined. Much to his surprise, he was hooked. Within a month he had bought a set of clubs--the first he'd ever owned--and discovered he had a knack for the game. With practice, his scores improved steadily, until one day two years later, he miraculously shot a three-under-par 69. This amazing experience triggered all sorts of questions in his mind: How was such a round possible? Having shot 69 once, what prevented him from shooting 69 every time? In golf, as elsewhere in life, why is one so consistently incapable of fulfilling one's clearly established potential? Projecting into the world of professional golf, he wondered what was it that allowed some pros to stay at the top of the PGA Tour golf rankings year after year while others with seemingly just as much talent got stuck in the bush leagues? In pursuit of some answers, John Paul Newport spent a year playing in the bush leagues himself, the dark, comic underbelly of professional golf. This is a world in which even highly talented players sometimes live out of their cars, sneak food from country clubs, and gamble away their meager earnings in an attempt to stay afloat. But it is also the world many top pros--including John Daly, Paul Azinger, and Tom Lehman--first had to conquer before becoming the stars they did. Newport's year culminated in a bold, some might say ill-advised effort to make it through the PGA Tour's infamous Q School. Traveling and competing throughout Florida, the Northeast, the Dakotas, and California, refining his game and consulting numerous "head coaches" and psychologists, Newport realized his number one goal was to solve the mystery of what he calls the Fine Green Line--that infinitely subtle yet critical difference that separates golf's top players from their nearest pursuers, but that also applies to golfers all up and down the ability spectrum. He also struggled to find meaning in the game that had become his obsession. As he questioned the people he encountered--from Eastern consciousness guru Michael Murphy to successful young Tour players like Kevin Sutherland--about practicing better golf, Newport realized that the answers he was given were also about practicing better life. A compelling personal journey that captures many of the fears, frustrations, and elations of midlife, both on and off the course, The Fine Green Line is also a rich, honest, rollicking narrative set in a golf world few people know. It will appeal to anyone either afflicted or confounded by golf's mysterious tug.