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The Breakaway
by Nicole CookeA retirement statement from a sports star rarely causes a flicker, but Nicole Cooke went out as she rode her bike: giving it her all. The contrast could not have been greater - as Lance Armstrong, a fraudster backed by many corporate sponsors and feted by presidents, was about to deliver a stage-managed confession to Oprah, so a young woman from a small village in Wales took aim. She too had been a cyclist, the only rider ever to have become World and Olympic champion in the same year, and the first British cyclist to have been ranked World No.1, but as a woman in a man's sport, her exploits gained little recognition and brought no riches. She too had ridden through this dark period for the sport when drug-taking was everywhere. Nicole Cooke spoke up for those who had taken a very different path to Lance and his team-mates. In her frank and outspoken autobiography, Cooke reveals the real story behind British cycling's rise to global dominance. With a child's dreams of success, she left home at 18 to pursue her goals in Italy. Broken contracts, unpaid wages, a horrendous injury and drugs cheats were just some of the challenges she faced, even before she lined up to take on her opponents. The Breakawayis a book that will not only inspire all those who read it, but which also asks some serious questions about the way society regards women's sport.
The Breakaway
by Nicole CookeA retirement statement from a sports star rarely causes a flicker, but Nicole Cooke went out as she rode her bike: giving it her all. The contrast could not have been greater - as Lance Armstrong, a fraudster backed by many corporate sponsors and feted by presidents, was about to deliver a stage-managed confession to Oprah, so a young woman from a small village in Wales took aim. She too had been a cyclist, the only rider ever to have become World and Olympic champion in the same year, and the first British cyclist to have been ranked World No.1, but as a woman in a man's sport, her exploits gained little recognition and brought no riches. She too had ridden through this dark period for the sport when drug-taking was everywhere. Nicole Cooke spoke up for those who had taken a very different path to Lance and his team-mates. In her frank and outspoken autobiography, Cooke reveals the real story behind British cycling's rise to global dominance. With a child's dreams of success, she left home at 18 to pursue her goals in Italy. Broken contracts, unpaid wages, a horrendous injury and drugs cheats were just some of the challenges she faced, even before she lined up to take on her opponents. The Breakawayis a book that will not only inspire all those who read it, but which also asks some serious questions about the way society regards women's sport.
The Breakaway
by Nicole CookeA retirement statement from a sports star rarely causes a flicker, but Nicole Cooke went out as she rode her bike: giving it her all. The contrast could not have been greater - as Lance Armstrong, a fraudster backed by many corporate sponsors and feted by presidents, was about to deliver a stage-managed confession to Oprah, so a young woman from a small village in Wales took aim. She too had been a cyclist, the only rider ever to have become World and Olympic champion in the same year, and the first British cyclist to have been ranked World No.1, but as a woman in a man's sport, her exploits gained little recognition and brought no riches. She too had ridden through this dark period for the sport when drug-taking was everywhere. Nicole Cooke spoke up for those who had taken a very different path to Lance and his team-mates. In her frank and outspoken autobiography, Cooke reveals the real story behind British cycling's rise to global dominance. With a child's dreams of success, she left home at 18 to pursue her goals in Italy. Broken contracts, unpaid wages, a horrendous injury and drugs cheats were just some of the challenges she faced, even before she lined up to take on her opponents. The Breakaway is a book that will not only inspire all those who read it, but which also asks some serious questions about the way society regards women's sport.
Breakaway: Beyond the Goal
by Alex MorganGet inspired to be your best—in sports and in life—with this uplifting memoir from star soccer player and Olympic gold medalist Alex Morgan that includes eight pages of full-color photos!As a talented and successful female athlete, Alex Morgan is a role model to thousands of girls who want to be their best, not just in soccer, but in other sports and in life. The story of her path to success, from playing in the 2011 Women’s World Cup, to winning gold in the 2012 London Olympics, to ranking as one of the National Team’s top scorers, will inspire everyone who reads it.From her beginnings with the American Youth Soccer Organization to her key role in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Alex shares the details that made her who she is today: a fantastic role model and athlete who proudly rocks a pink headband.
Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to September 11
by Bill GertzBook about our intelligence failures and waste
Breakfast at Sally's: One Homeless Man's Inspirational Journey
by Michael Gordon Richard LemieuxOne day, Richard LeMieux had a happy marriage, a palatial home, and took $40,000 Greek vacations. The next, he was living out of a van with only his dog, Willow, for company. This astonishingly frank memoir tells the story of one man's resilience in the face of economic disaster. Penniless, a failed suicide, estranged from his family, and living "the vehicular lifestyle" in Washington state, LeMieux chronicles his journey from the Salvation Army kitchens to his days with "C"-a philosopher in a homeless man's clothing-to his run-ins with Pastor Bob and other characters he meets on the streets. Along the way, he finds time to haunt public libraries and discover his desire to write.LeMieux's quiet determination and his almost pious willingness to live with his situation are only a part of this politically and socially charged memoir. The real story of an all-too-common American condition, this is a heartfelt and stirring read.
Breakfast at the Exit Cafe
by Merilyn Simonds Wayne GradyWhat begins as a road trip through America soon becomes a journey of discovery into themselves and into the heart of the next-door neighbour they thought they knew. For Wayne Grady, the thrill of landscape and history is tempered by memories of racism and his own family roots. Merilyn Simonds, her ear tuned for the offbeat, finds curious echoes of the ex-pat promised land she grew up with. Together they travel against the tide of American history, following in the literary tire tracks of John Steinbeck, William Least Heat Moon, and Francis Trollope.Grady and Simonds experience the splendors of the Mojave Desert, the Grand Canyon, the Mississippi River, and the bayou's of Louisiana and the Outer Banks and contemplate the impact of geography on culture and of culture on landscape. They observe America from the outside, yet feel strangely at home.Part travelogue, part exploration, part mid-winter love story told with wit and acuity by one of Canada's most engaging literary couples, Breakfast at the Exit Cafe is a journey into the reality behind the cultural myth that is America.
Breakfast at the Hoito: And Other Adventures in the Boreal Heartland
by Charles WilkinsBreakfast at the Hoito brings together a collection of stories and essays on the dreamlike world of Lake Superior’s north shore … on wilds and wildlife, people and places.Spend a day in the kitchen of the famed Hoito Restaurant in Thunder Bay. Discover the secret life of ravens; the passions of the blueberry picker; the thrills and fears of the novice ice climber. Tour Silver Islet, an eccentric summer community that has evolved from the relics of what was once the world’s richest silver mine; and the town of Schreiber, half of whose 2,000 residents trace their roots to the Italian city of Siderno. Visit a 16th-century pine forest, and meet Freda McDonald, one of Canada’s most respected aboriginal elders. Accompany the author on a refreshingly candid tour of contemporary Thunder Bay.
Breakfast with Anglo
by Simon KellySimon Kelly's involvement in property development began when, as a computer-mad child in the 1980s, he started making spreadsheets for his father, the developer Paddy Kelly. By 2008, when the Irish property market crashed, Simon and Paddy owed their creditors nearly a billion euro. In 2009, they were the first big developers to admit they were bust - and they encouraged their fellow developers to face reality in the same way. In 2010, in the pages of a national newspaper, Simon Kelly apologized for his part in the long-term damage created by the property bubble.Until now, the story of Ireland's property boom and bust has been told only by people on the outside. The bankers and the developers have kept quiet. Now, Simon Kelly breaks the silence with this vivid and unsparing account of how it all worked and why it went sour. He brings us to the muddy fields, humble cafés and grand dining rooms where the deals were made; he explains how it was that debt always begat more debt; and he takes us through the hitherto opaque portals of Anglo Irish Bank, the Kellys' main lender. In an account packed with telling and indiscreet detail, Simon Kelly makes no excuses for ending up bust. He simply shows how it happened - to him, to other developers, to the banks, and to the country. In doing so, he courageously breaks ranks with the insiders who created this disaster, and who would prefer to blame 'international forces', bad luck, or one another. Breakfast with Anglo is a landmark in our national accounting of the present crisis, an essential read for anyone who wants to know how we got into this mess and how we might begin to think about getting out of it.
Breakfast with Tiffany: An Uncle's Memoir
by Edwin John WintleEd Wintle was a successful, urbane professional whose life, at forty, was very comfortable. He had reached the point when he looked around at his well-ordered, unfettered single existence and wondered: Is this all there is? After a desperate call from his sister at her wit's end, his street-wise thirteen-year-old niece Tiffany-a writhing ball of adolescent anger-comes to live with him. If he felt he needed a shot in the arm, what he got proved more like electroshock therapy.
Breaking And Entering: The Extraordinary Story of a Hacker Called “Alien”
by Jeremy N. SmithA Bookish Must Read for 2019 An Amazon Best Book of the Month Featured on NBC's TODAY and Nightly News &“Smith&’s writing style…is crisp as he charts the course of Alien&’s life in a series of vignettes from uncertain undergraduate to successful business owner. The structure works because Smith is a lively storyteller.&” —The New York Times Book Review "Amusing and cautionary tale."—WORLD Magazine &“A fascinating look at hacking and the cybersecurity industry that has evolved. Alien is one bad-ass woman!&” —The Missoulian &“A book that reads like a fictional thriller while remaining solidly grounded in fact...effortless to read, Breaking and Entering is an engaging cautionary tale of security vulnerabilities and the constant threat of cyber attacks that businesses and institutions face on a daily basis. Knowing that our own personal security hangs in the balance, we can&’t help but feel glad that &“white hat hackers&” such as Alien are out there doing their best to stem the tide."—New York Journal of Books &“A novelistic tech tale that puts readers on the front lines of cybersecurity. For all whose lives and connections depend on the internet—nearly everyone—this biography of the pseudonymous &‘Alien&’ provides a fast-paced cautionary tale. Jeremy Smith has enough experience as a computer programmer to understand the technicalities of this world, but his storytelling makes it intelligible to general readers; indeed, the narrative is more character-driven than technology-driven.... Smith goes into great detail to demonstrate how Alien could penetrate the security of whomever was employing her, showing how a real criminal would do it, and makes fearfully clear that there is &‘no such thing as absolute security in this world, or any definitive and final fixes.&’ A page-turning real-life thriller, this is the sort of book that may leave readers feeling both invigorated and vulnerable.&” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A fascinating and riveting account...like an espionage thriller, this account ensnares readers into the high-stakes world of computer security, told through Alien&’s emergence as a recognized expert in a male-dominate profession." —Library Journal "This riveting book follows Alien as she transforms herself from a young woman up for pretty much any challenge, no matter how dangerous, to a woman who is among the best in the world at what she does. Freelance journalist Smith writes with gusto, giving Alien&’s story the feel of a novel (or, perhaps, a movie along the lines of 1995&’s Hackers). The world of hacking and cybersecurity still carries a mystique; only the privileged few are permitted to learn the secrets that lie within the close-knit hacker community. This book opens the gates and invites readers inside." —Booklist &“Scintillating.... Alien&’s mindset and exploits epitomize the spirit of hacking—a dogged perseverance directed at outsmarting and outwitting barriers of any kind.... An unabashedly human and humane portrait of a brilliant hacker.&” —Gabriella Coleman, author of Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy &“In Breaking and Entering, Jeremy Smith reveals the human side of cybersecurity. The book covers the vast spectrum of why and how hackers do what they do. A great thriller!&” —Paul de Souza
Breaking Back
by James BlakeJames Blake's life was getting better every day. A rising tennis star and People magazine's Sexiest Male Athlete of 2002, he was leading a charmed life and loving every minute of it. But all that ended in May 2004, when Blake fractured his neck in an on-court freak accident. As he recovered, his father--who had been the inspiration for his tennis career--lost his battle with stomach cancer. Shortly after his father's death, Blake was dealt a third blow when he contracted zoster, a rare virus that paralyzed half of his face and threatened to end his already jeopardized career. In Breaking Back, Blake provides a remarkable account of how he came back from this terrible heartbreak and self-doubt to become one of the top tennis players in the world. A story of strength, passion, courage, and the unbreakable bonds between a father and son, Breaking Back is a celebration of one extraordinary athlete's indomitable spirit and his inspiring ability to find hope in the bleakest of times.
Breaking Barriers: Working and Loving while Blind
by Peter Altschul<P>For some unknown reason, Peter Altschul was born totally blind. He grew up in a working-class town where, with the help of his persistent mother, he broke through barrier after barrier, determined to live a full life. <P>After attending a private school that initially turned him away--simply because he was blind--Peter details how he discovered his gift for music, eventually playing percussion in the orchestra, marching band, and jazz ensemble at Princeton University. <P>But it was only after Peter graduated from college that it became evident he would need a guide dog. Heidi, a Weimaraner with a large repertoire of barks, howls, and grunts, would assist Peter for the next eight years through the halls of New England Conservatory, where he eventually obtained a master's degree in music composition. <P>Peter relays how he blazed a unique professional trail while simultaneously overcoming obstacles; managed his uneasy relationship with music; and embraced his unexpected entrance into an unfamiliar and romantic world. <P>He also provides an unforgettable glimpse into the wonderful ways his five guide dogs supported him on his journey from urban bachelorhood to the light of love. <P>Breaking Barriers shares a compelling account of one man's journey through life as he and each of his specially trained dogs learned to trust each other, ultimately melding into a smooth working team that tackled the world-together.
Breaking Barriers: The Feminist Revolution from Susan B. Anthony to Margaret Sanger to Betty Friedan
by Jules ArcherAn exploration of the women's movement, with biographies of Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, and Betty Friedan.
Breaking Barriers: A View from the Bench
by Freddie Pitcher Jr.In Breaking Barriers, Judge Freddie Pitcher Jr. describes how he made history in Baton Rouge by becoming the first African American to be elected to judgeships at three different levels of the court system. Pitcher recounts his early years in Valley Park—a segregated and semi-rural neighborhood—where one of his cousins, a civil rights attorney, served as his role model and inspired him to become both a lawyer and an agent of change. Pitcher depicts what it was like to grow up in the segregated South and how racial discrimination fueled his drive to challenge the norms of the Baton Rouge judiciary later in life. Pitcher discusses how he forged together Black political organizations, the Black church community, and a group of white attorneys into a campaign coalition that ultimately helped him overcome the racial barriers that prevented Black people from ascending to the judiciary in Baton Rouge. He details the strategy used to win seats on both the Baton Rouge City Court and the 19th Judicial District Court at a time when many said a Black candidate could not win a city- or parish-wide election. He describes many of the challenges he faced as the first and only Black judge in Baton Rouge while highlighting some of the notable cases he tried and sharing his beliefs about judging and the judicial process. Pitcher’s story of rising from “the bench to the bar to the bench”—from the bench outside the local grocery store that he and his friends frequented as young boys, to the Louisiana bar, to the judicial bench—is informative and inspiring, shedding light on the perseverance and determination required of early African American candidates to overcome the many roadblocks to full participation in the political process related to the judiciary.
Breaking Blue
by Timothy Egan"No one who enjoys mystery can fail to savor this study of a classic case of detection." --TONY HILLERMAN On the night of September 14, 1935, George Conniff, a town marshal in Pend Oreille County in the state of Washington, was shot to death. A lawman had been killed, yet there seemed to be no uproar, no major investigation. No suspect was brought to trial. More than fifty years later, the sheriff of Pend Oreille County, Tony Bamonte, in pursuit of both justice and a master's degree in history, dug into the files of the Conniff case--by then the oldest open murder case in the United States. Gradually, what started out as an intellectual exercise became an obsession, as Bamonte asked questions that unfolded layer upon layer of unsavory detail. In Timothy Egan's vivid account, which reads like a thriller, we follow Bamonte as his investigation plunges him back in time to the Depression era of rampant black-market crime and police corruption. We see how the suppressed reports he uncovers and the ambiguous answers his questions evoke lead him to the murder weapon--missing for half a century--and then to the man, an ex-cop, he is convinced was the murderer. Bamonte himself--a logger's son and a Vietnam veteran--had joined the Spokane police force in the late 1960s, a time when increasingly enlightened and educated police departments across the country were shaking off the "dirty cop" stigma. But as he got closer to actually solving the crime, questioning elderly retired members of the force, he found himself more and more isolated, shut out by tight-lipped hostility, and made dramatically aware of the fraternal sin he had committed--breaking the blue code. Breaking Blue is a gripping story of cop against cop. But it also describes a collision between two generations of lawmen and two very different moments in our nation's history.
Breaking Blue: Real Life Stories of Cops Falsely Accused
by Sean "Sticks" LarkinBody cams and dashcams have fundamentally transformed law enforcement in recent years. These innovations can help prove someone committed a crime, or didn't. Real-life footage has cleared people initially accused of wrongdoing, and in certain instances even implicated officers. But that same type of footage can also be used to clear police falsely accused of misdeeds. From allegations of harassment or bias to false arrests or even criminal conduct, these videos can prove officers did not cross a line as sometimes they are alleged to have done. Breaking Blue is the first book that shares real stories of cops accused of wrongdoing and subsequently cleared. Charges may have been brought against them, Internal Affairs may have started an investigation, but in many cases, thanks to the officer&’s body cam or dashcam videos, the true story came to light, with charges ultimately dismissed or initial convictions overturned. Sergeant Sean &“Sticks&” Larkin of the Tulsa Police Department Gang Unit and host of A&E show Live PD, presents real stories of officers falsely accused. . .. including his own. Now, we can finally get both sides of the story for citizens and the police officers hired to serve and protect.
Breaking The Chain: Drugs and Cycling - The True Story
by Willy Voet-------------------------------On 8 July 1998 Festina team soigneur Willy Voet was stopped by the police. In his car were the drugs the team needed if they were to have any chance of playing a competitive part in the 1998 Tour de France. The car was searched, he was immediately arrested and so the story that has been undermining the sport of cycling since the death of Tommy Simpson in 1967, finally broke. Imprisoned for sixteen days, sacked from the Festina team and ostracised from the sport to which he had dedicated his life, Willy Voet at last was able to tell the truth. His sensational story will change cycling forever.Cocaine, amphetamines, EPO, heroin - all these are now considered not optional but necessary, not to win but just to compete in the Tour de France. Details of how these drugs are obtained, mixed together to make cocktails, administered and concealed are all included in this graphic and uninhibited account of how drugs brought cycling to its knees.
Breaking Clean
by Judy BluntA memoir of the fierce narrative force of an eastern Montana Blizard, rich in story and character, filled with the bone-chilling details of Blunt's childhood. A book for the ages.
Breaking Clean
by Nancy Smith Judy J. Blunt"A memoir with the fierce narrative force of an eastern Montana blizzard, rich in story and character, filled with the bone-chilling details of Blunt's childhood. She writes without bitterness, with an abiding love of the land and the work and her family and friends that she finally left behind, at great sacrifice, to begin to write. This is a magnificent achievement, a book for the ages. I've never read anything that compares with it."--James Crumley, author of The Last Good KissBorn into a third generation of Montana homesteaders, Judy Blunt learned early how to "rope and ride and jockey a John Deere," but also to "bake bread and can vegetables and reserve my opinion when the men were talking." The lessons carried her through thirty-six-hour blizzards, devastating prairie fires and a period of extreme isolation that once threatened the life of her infant daughter. But though she strengthened her survival skills in what was--and is--essentially a man's world, Blunt's story is ultimately that of a woman who must redefine herself in order to stay in the place she loves.Breaking Clean is at once informed by the myths of the West and powerful enough to break them down. Against formidable odds, Blunt has found a voice original enough to be called classic.
Breaking Down Fitzgerald (The Breaking Down Series)
by Helen M. TurnerA practical guide to F. Scott Fitzgerald's works for middle and secondary students F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American novelist, essayist, and writer best known for his glamourous novels that detailed life in America's Jazz Age—a term which he popularized. Throughout his career, Fitzgerald published four novels, four collections of short stories, and 164 short stories in magazines. His work commonly focused on themes of ambition and loss, money and class, and the promise and disappointment of America and its vaunted dream. In his lifetime, Fitzgerald gained fame for his The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise. Today, his works are taught in middle and high school classrooms throughout the United States and worldwide. Breaking Down Fitzgerald provides readers with an overview of Fitzgerald's life and investigates the composition, characters, themes, symbols, language, and motifs in his work and their relation to contemporary society. Author Helen Turner clarifies some essential facts about F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and addresses important themes found in his novels and short stories. As readers explore the literary and cultural context of Fitzgerald's works, they develop a firm appreciation of Fitzgerald's role in modern literature and why he is considered one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Breaking Down Fitzgerald: Explains of why Fitzgerald remains one of the great American voices heard around the world Showcases the multiple genres in Fitzgerald's world Offers a brief thematic tour through Fitzgerald's novels and short stories Provides an overview of Fitzgerald's critical reception Discusses Fitzgerald in contemporary popular culture This book is a primer for younger or new Fitzgerald readers and a welcome addition to the toolbox used by educators, parents, and anyone interested in or studying F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and work.
Breaking Down Plath (The Breaking Down Series)
by Patricia GrisafiA practical guide to Sylvia Plath’s works for middle and secondary school students One of the most dynamic and admired poets of the 20th century, Sylvia Plath wrote work about war, motherhood, jealousy, rage, grief, death, and mental illness that challenged preconceptions about what poetry should be about. The enduring power of Plath’s poetry and prose continues to attract and fascinate a multitude of readers. Best known for her poems "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus" and the novel The Bell Jar, Plath starkly expressed a sense of alienation closely linked to both her personal experiences and the to the wider situation of women throughout mid-twentieth-century America. With an eye towards demythologizing Plath and focusing on her achievements, Breaking Down Plath aims to contextualize Plath’s work in the larger scheme of Cold War-era gender politics, debates about mental health, and anxiety about global conflict. Breaking Down Plath informs readers of essential facts about Sylvia Plath’s life and explores the works of the influential and controversial American poet, novelist, and short-story writer. Author Patricia Grisafi contextualizes and clarifies important underlying themes in Plath’s works while providing insight into how interest in Plath’s work developed, how the story of Plath’s life has been told, what we still need to discover about her, and why her life and art matter. Breaking Down Plath: Presents a critical biography of Plath’s life Offers a thematic tour through Plath's, short fiction, journals, and letters Explores the recurrent themes in Plath’s poetry Features an overview of the reception of Plath’s work Discusses the role of Plath in contemporary popular culture This book is a primer for younger or new Plath readers and a welcome addition to the toolbox used by educators, parents, and anyone interested in or studying Plath’s life and work.
Breaking Down Vonnegut (The Breaking Down Series)
by Julia A. WhiteheadA practical guide to Vonnegut’s works for young adults, secondary, and college students Kurt Vonnegut was a prolific American writer whose career spanned more than 50 years. Vonnegut’s world is a complex web. His books, short stories, and essays are among the gems of American literature, exploring themes of historical events and human limitations. Written for young adults through adulthood, the goal of Breaking Down Vonnegut is to relate essential facts about Kurt Vonnegut’s life and to address the themes underlying his imaginary worlds. Breaking Down Vonnegut features an overview of Vonnegut’s life and an investigation of the midwestern values that were challenged by his imprisonment by the Nazis during his wartime military service. Those themes, often cloaked in science fiction, historical parallels, and social science conundrums, address the major questions of life: the values by which we choose to live. Author Julia Whitehead is the founder and CEO of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis. Her ten years of experience leading the organization and learning about Vonnegut impelled her to share her knowledge and insight with fans and those new to Vonnegut’s life and work. Breaking Down Vonnegut Showcases the multiple genres in Vonnegut’s world Provides a brief thematic tour through two of Vonnegut’s books and one short story Offers three chapters of biographical information Explains why Kurt Vonnegut will remain one of the great American voices heard around the world This is the first book of its kind for middle and secondary students, and it will also delight educators, parents, and anyone interested in or studying Vonnegut’s life and work.
Breaking Free: Shattering Expectations and Thriving with Ambition in Pursuit of Gold
by McKenzie Coan Holly Neumann Kara Ayers<p><p>"I have no interest in living my life like a China doll." <p><p>McKenzie Coan is an elite athlete. A world champion. A Paralympic gold medalist. A world record holder. And she's not done yet. <p><p>In Breaking Free, McKenzie tells how she finds strength through swimming, despite the limited expectations placed on her by having osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease. With her graceful freestyle stroke and never-quit attitude, McKenzie breaks through the barriers of disability and lives a life of hope on the Paralympic stage and beyond. <p><p>"Keep going. It is so worth it. I've had my hard moments in the pool before, too, but keep going. A champion's mindset isn't always about breaking records and winning gold medals. What makes a champion is going out on your lowest day or on the day that you fail or the day that you lose and still giving your all, still giving your best and refusing to quit."
Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs
by Rachel JeffsIn this searing memoir of survival in the spirit of Stolen Innocence, the daughter of Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed Prophet of the FLDS Church, takes you deep inside the secretive polygamist Mormon fundamentalist cult run by her family and how she escaped it.Born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Rachel Jeffs was raised in a strict patriarchal culture defined by subordinate sister wives and men they must obey. No one in this radical splinter sect of the Mormon Church was more powerful or terrifying than its leader Warren Jeffs—Rachel’s father.Living outside mainstream Mormonism and federal law, Jeffs arranged marriages between under-age girls and middle-aged and elderly members of his congregation. In 2006, he gained international notoriety when the FBI placed him on its Ten Most Wanted List. Though he is serving a life sentence for child sexual assault, Jeffs’ iron grip on the church remains firm, and his edicts to his followers increasingly restrictive and bizarre.In Breaking Free, Rachel blows the lid off this taciturn community made famous by John Krakauer’s bestselling Under the Banner of Heaven to offer a harrowing look at her life with Warren Jeffs, and the years of physical and emotional abuse she suffered. Sexually assaulted, compelled into an arranged polygamous marriage, locked away in "houses of hiding" as punishment for perceived transgressions, and physically separated from her children, Rachel, Jeffs’ first plural daughter by his second of more than fifty wives, eventually found the courage to leave the church in 2015. But Breaking Free is not only her story—Rachel’s experiences illuminate those of her family and the countless others who remain trapped in the strange world she left behind.A shocking and mesmerizing memoir of faith, abuse, courage, and freedom, Breaking Free is an expose of religious extremism and a beacon of hope for anyone trying to overcome personal obstacles.