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No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home
by Chris OffuttFrom the critically acclaimed author of the novel The Good Brother and memoir My Father the Pornographer comes the unforgettable memoir No Heroes. “If you haven’t read Chris Offutt, you’ve missed an accomplished and compelling writer” (Chicago Tribune).In his fortieth year, Chris Offutt returns to his alma mater, Morehead State University, the only four-year school in the Kentucky hills. He envisions leading the modest life of a teacher and father. Yet present-day reality collides painfully with memory, leaving Offutt in the midst of an adventure he never imagined: the search for a home that no longer exists. Interwoven with this bittersweet homecoming tale are the wartime stories of Offutt’s parents-in-law, Arthur and Irene. An unlikely friendship develops between the eighty-year-old Polish Jew and the forty-year-old Kentucky hillbilly as Arthur and Offutt share comfort in exile, reliving the past at a distance. With masterful prose, Offutt combines these disparate accounts to create No Heroes, a profound meditation on family, home, the Holocaust, and history.
No He's Not a Monkey, He's an Ape and He's My Son
by Hester MundisMeet Boris, the chimp who took a bite out of the Big Apple—and wished it had been a banana: &“No one concerned with either apes or people should miss it.&” —Peter S. Beagle, award-winning author of The Last Unicorn This book answers the question that is on everybody&’s mind: &“What&’s it like to raise a chimpanzee in Manhattan?&” Hester Mundis&’s hilarious memoir No He&’s Not a Monkey, He&’s an Ape and He&’s My Son is the complete guide to raising a chimp in the heart of urban America. Join Hester, her husband, their terrifying attack dog Ahab, and the funniest monkey—excuse us, ape—ever to occupy an apartment on the Upper West Side of New York City in this true adventure of woman versus beast.
No He's Not a Monkey, He's an Ape and He's My Son
by Hester MundisMeet Boris, the chimp who took a bite out of the Big Apple—and wished it had been a banana: &“No one concerned with either apes or people should miss it.&” —Peter S. Beagle, award-winning author of The Last Unicorn This book answers the question that is on everybody&’s mind: &“What&’s it like to raise a chimpanzee in Manhattan?&” Hester Mundis&’s hilarious memoir No He&’s Not a Monkey, He&’s an Ape and He&’s My Son is the complete guide to raising a chimp in the heart of urban America. Join Hester, her husband, their terrifying attack dog Ahab, and the funniest monkey—excuse us, ape—ever to occupy an apartment on the Upper West Side of New York City in this true adventure of woman versus beast.
No Higher Honour
by Condoleezza RiceFrom one of the world's most admired women, this is former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's compelling story of eight years serving at the highest levels of US government. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Rice overcame racism to become a brilliant academic and expert on foreign affairs. She distinguished herself in George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign and during his presidency she served as chief advisor on national security issues, becoming one of his closest confidantes. After the September 11 attacks, Rice was at the center of the Administration's efforts to keep America safe, and she describes the events of that harrowing day, as well as the tumultuous days that followed. As Secretary of State Rice helped to shape America's foreign policy, and in No Higher Honour she reveals the behind-the-scenes diplomacy and crisis management that kept the world's relationships with Iran, North Korea and Libya from collapsing into chaos. Rice also reveals new details of the debates that led to the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and takes the reader into secret negotiating rooms where the fate of the Middle East hung in the balance. She explains how frighteningly close all-out war loomed between Pakistan-India and Russia-Georgia, as well as in East Africa. No Higher Honour is a remarkable record of achievement, and Rice delivers a master class in statecraft -- but always in a way that reveals her essential warmth and humility, and her deep reverence for the ideals on which America was founded.
No Holding Back
by Amanda HoldenActress, presenter, talent show judge. Daughter, wife, mother, survivor. There's so much more to Amanda Holden than fame.A natural-born performer, Amanda's journey to becoming one of the most recognisable faces on our screens today has been one full of love, laughter and tears. A British star and nationally treasured actress, she has appeared on our screens and stages for over 20 years. In the notoriously tricky world of show business, Amanda has carved out her own identity and enjoyed impressive longevity, not least as the longest running judge on hit ITV show Britain's Got Talent. She never fails to keep her audience engaged and entertained. Charming, funny and incredibly honest, her story is remarkable. For the first time, No HoldingBacktells it in her own words, in her own way, and shows her fans the real woman behind the headlines.
No Holding Back
by Amanda HoldenActress, presenter, talent show judge. Daughter, wife, mother, survivor. There's so much more to Amanda Holden than fame.A natural-born performer, Amanda's journey to becoming one of the most recognisable faces on our screens today has been one full of love, laughter and tears. A British star and nationally treasured actress, she has appeared on our screens and stages for over 20 years. In the notoriously tricky world of show business, Amanda has carved out her own identity and enjoyed impressive longevity, not least as the longest running judge on hit ITV show Britain's Got Talent. She never fails to keep her audience engaged and entertained. Charming, funny and incredibly honest, her story is remarkable. For the first time, No HoldingBacktells it in her own words, in her own way, and shows her fans the real woman behind the headlines.
No Holding Back: The Autobiography
by Michael HoldingThe autobiography of West Indies fast-bowling legend turned Sky pundit, Michael Holding.As one of the fastest bowlers the world has seen, Michael Holding went by the haunting nickname 'Whispering Death', claiming 249 Test wickets. Despite having not laced his bowling boots since 1989, it remains a fitting sobriquet. As a commentator and administrator, Holding has delivered his views on cricket in the same manner that he played the game: he speaks softly with a rich Jamaican rhythm and is calculated in either criticism or compliment. NO HOLDING BACK charts his effortless transition from one of the great players to one of the great pundits. Holding graphically describes his days as a player, looking back at how he tried to deliberately hurt batsmen on the wastelands of Kingston, and his first match for Jamaica when he almost collapsed from exhaustion - after only four overs! There is time, too, to divulge what it was like to tour with the West Indies, and unmissable insights about sharing a dressing room with other legends of the game like Clive Lloyd, Sir Viv Richards and Malcolm Marshall. Holding does not shirk the big issues, as he discusses how the West Indies have slipped following their halcyon days, openly assesses Brian Lara and laments the hypocrisy over the state of the game in the region. The controversy surrounding the Allen Stanford $20m spectacle, the ICC's handling of the abandoned England v Pakistan match, player power, illegal bowling actions and the threat of Twenty20 to the Test game are all subjects which Holding tackles with characteristic knowledge and class.
No Horizon Is So Far: Two Women and Their Historic Journey across Antarctica
by Liv Arnesen Ann Bancroft Cheryl DahleThe extraordinary story of the first two women to cross Antarctica The fascinating chronicle of Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft’s dramatic journey as the first two women to cross Antarctica, No Horizon Is So Far follows the explorers from the planning of their expedition through their brutal trek from the Norwegian sector all the way to McMurdo Station as they walked, skied, and ice-sailed for almost three months in temperatures reaching as low as -35°F, all while towing their 250-pound supply sledges across 1,700 miles of ice full of dangerous crevasses. Through website transmissions and satellite phone calls, Ann and Liv, two former schoolteachers, were able to broadcast their expedition to more than three million students in sixty-five countries to teach geography, science, and the importance of following your dreams.
No Hormones, No Fear: A Natural Journey Through Menopause
by Trisha PosnerFive years ago, at the age of forty-six, Trisha Posner was surprised to learn from a blood test that she was in full-blown menopause. Her gynecologist urged her to begin hormones immediately, but, mindful of her family's history of breast cancer, she refused. No Hormones, No Fear is the story of Posner's search for an alternative to the AMA's sanctioned regimen of hormone replacement therapy. In a wonderfully engaging personal account, she reveals how she mastered menopause naturally, by developing a unique program involving exercise, diet, nutrition, and herbs. She not only successfully alleviated her symptoms but actually significantly improved her health and quality of life. Now updated with the latest major medical studies, which raise troubling questions about estrogen replacement for millions of women, No Hormones, No Fear is an indispensable primer for women confronting the thicket of conflicting information about whether or not to choose hormones during menopause. Trisha Posner, through her own inspiring story, shows that today's modern women finally have choices and can empower themselves by taking control of their health and lives.
No House to Call My Home: Love, Family, and Other Transgressions
by Ryan BergIn this lyrical debut, Ryan Berg immerses readers in the gritty, dangerous, and shockingly underreported world of homeless LGBTQ teens in New York. As a caseworker in a group home for disowned LGBTQ teenagers, Berg witnessed the struggles, fears, and ambitions of these disconnected youth as they resisted the pull of the street, tottering between destruction and survival.Focusing on the lives and loves of eight unforgettable youth, No House to Call My Home traces their efforts to break away from dangerous sex work and cycles of drug and alcohol abuse, and, in the process, to heal from years of trauma. From Bella's fervent desire for stability to Christina's irrepressible dreams of stardom to Benny's continuing efforts to find someone to love him, Berg uncovers the real lives behind the harrowing statistics: over 4,000 youth are homeless in New York City-43 percent of them identify as LGBTQ.Through these stories, Berg compels us to rethink the way we define privilege, identity, love, and family. Beyond the tears, bluster, and bravado, he reveals the force that allows them to carry on-the irrepressible hope of youth.
No hubo fiesta: Crónicas de la revolución y la contrarrevolución
by Alonso Salazar JaramilloDesde la fundación de las Farc hasta la muerte de Manuel Marulanda (Tirofijo), este libro narra hechos, personajes históricos y anónimos que hicieron la guerra que definió la Colombia del siglo XX. Alonso Salazar es uno de los cronistas más reconocidos del país. No nacimos pa'semilla, La parábola de Pablo o Luis Carlos Galán, profeta en el desierto prueban su capacidad como periodista y su agudeza para abordar los temas más oscuros de la realidad nacional. En este libro conecta la experiencia histórica con la experiencia personal. La razón y la demencia de los ejércitos irregulares, los hechos sublimes y escabrosos de los que decidieron ir a la guerra, las fuerzas que en lugar de una victoria marchan bajo la sombra de la derrota colectiva. En trece capítulos el autor cuenta las historias de familiares y de amigos, y retratos intimistas de protagonistas de la guerra como Bateman, Pizarro, Marulanda, Iván Ríos, Carlos Castaño, entre otros
No Human Contact: Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates Who Changed the System
by Pete EarleyTold through the lens of two murders that changed modern-day prison corrections in America, award-winning New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Pete Earley delivers an eye-opening exploration of reprehensible crime, draconian punishment, and seemingly impossible reform in the tombs of the country&’s most isolated super max prison. In 1983, Thomas Silverstein and Clayton Fountain, both serving life sentences at the U.S, Prison in Marion, Illinois, separately murdered two correction officers on the same day. The Bureau of Prisons condemned both men to the severest punishment that could legally be imposed, one created specifically for them. It was unofficially called &“no human contact.&” Each initially spent nine months in a mattress-sized cell where the lights burned twenty-four hours a day. They were clothed only in boxer shorts, completely sealed off from the outside world with only their minds to occupy their time. Eventually granted minimal privileges, Fountain turned to religion and endured twenty-one-years before dying alone of natural causes. Silverstein became a skilled artist and lasted thirty-six years, longer than any other American prisoner held in isolation. Amazingly, both men found purpose to their existence while confined in the belly of the beast. Pete Earley—the only journalist to be granted face-to-face access with Silverstein—examines profound questions at the heart of our justice system. Were Silverstein and Fountain born bad? Or were they twisted by abusive childhoods? Did incarceration offer them a chance of rehabilitation—or force them to commit increasingly heinous crimes? No Human Contact elicits a uniquely deep and uncomfortable understanding of the crimes committed, the use of solitary confinement, and the reality of life, redemption, and death behind prison walls.
No Hunger In Paradise: The Players. The Journey. The Dream
by Michael CalvinShortlisted for the British Sports Book Awards 2018“What’s your dream, son?”A six year-old boy, head bowed, mumbles the eternal answer: “Be a footballer….” Steadman Scott, football’s most unlikely talent scout, smiles indulgently, and takes him in from the street. He knows the odds. Only 180 of the 1.5 million boys who play organised youth football in England will become a Premier League pro. That’s a success rate of 0.012 per cent.How and why do the favoured few make it? What separates the good from the great? Who should they trust – the coach, the agent or their parents?Michael Calvin provides the answers on a journey from non-league grounds to hermetically sealed Premier League palaces, via gang-controlled sink estates and the England team’s inner sanctum. He interviews decision makers, behavioural specialists, football agents and leading coaches. He shares the hopes and fears of players and their parents. He exposes bullying and a black economy in which children are commodities, but remains true to the dream.
No Hurry to Get Home: A Memoir (Adventura Bks.)
by Emily HahnA fascinating memoir by a free-spirited New Yorker writer, whose wanderlust led her from the Belgian Congo to Shanghai and beyond. Originally published in 1970, under the title Times and Places, this book is a collection of twenty-three of her articles from the New Yorker, published between 1937 and 1970. Well reviewed upon first publication, the book was re-published under the current title in 2000 with a foreword by Sheila McGrath, a longtime colleague of hers at the New Yorker, and an introduction by Ken Cuthbertson, author of Nobody Said Not to Go: The Life, Loves and Adventures of Emily Hahn. One of the pieces in the book starts with the line, &“Though I had always wanted to be an opium addict, I can&’t claim that as a reason why I went to China.&” Hahn was seized by a wanderlust that led her to explore nearly every corner of the world. She traveled solo to the Belgian Congo at the age of twenty-five. She was the concubine of a Chinese poet in Shanghai in the 1930s—where she did indeed become an opium addict for two years. For many years, she spent part of every year in New York City and part of her time living with her husband, Charles Boxer, in England. Through the course of these twenty-three distinct pieces, Emily Hahn gives us a glimpse of the tremendous range of her interests, the many places in the world she visited, and her extraordinary perception of the things, large and small, that are important in a life.
No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save The Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes
by Colin BeavanA guilty liberal finally snaps, swears off plastic, goes organic, becomes a bicycle nut, turns off his power, and generally becomes a tree-hugging lunatic who tries to save the polar bears and the rest of the planet from environmental catastrophe.
No Invitation Required: The Pelham Cottage Years
by Lady Annabel GoldsmithPelham Cottage - with its infamous unlocked back gate - was where Annabel Goldsmith kept an open house for some of the most sophisticated and iconic people of the 1960s and 1970s.Lady Annabel Goldsmith - society hostess and eponym for an exclusive Mayfair nightclub - recounts life in her Kensington home during the 60s and 70s, where she operated an open door policy and entertained some of the most extraordinary figures of her inner circle and icons of the era.But Pelham Cottage was not just a dazzling party scene - it was also a treasured family home that provided longed-for stability and happiness, and where Lady Annabel raised her family. A time of huge personal change, Lady Annabel shares her most intimate memories of those cherished days, offering fascinating insight into her own character as well as the swirl of London's hedonistic decades.
No Is a Four-Letter Word: How I Failed Spelling But Succeeded in Life
by Chris JerichoBestselling author and six-time WWE champion Chris Jericho shares twenty of his most valuable lessons for achieving your goals and living the life you want, jam-packed with fantastic stories and the classic off-the-wall, laugh-out-loud Jericho references he's famous for. The result is a fun, entertaining, practical and inspiring book from the man with many scarves but only one drive: to be the best. After reading No Is a Four-Letter Word, you'll discover that you might have what it takes to succeed as well ... you just need to get out there and do it. That's what Jericho would do.
No Is a Four-Letter Word: How I Failed Spelling but Succeeded in Life
by Chris Jericho Paul StanleyThree-time New York Times bestselling author and six-time WWE champion Chris Jericho shares 20 of his most valuable lessons for achieving your goals and living the life you want, jam-packed with fantastic stories and the classic off-the-wall, laugh-out-loud Jericho references he's famous for, with a foreword by Paul Stanley.Chris Jericho has known what he wanted out of life since he was a teenager: to be a pro wrestler and to be in a rock 'n' roll band. Most of his high school friends felt that he lacked the tools necessary to get into either, but Chris believed in himself. With the wise words of Master Yoda echoing through his head ("Do or do not. There is no try."), he made it happen. As a result, Chris has spent a lifetime doing instead of merely trying, managing to achieve his dreams while learning dozens of invaluable lessons along the way.No Is a Four-Letter Word distills more than two decades of showbiz wisdom and advice into twenty easy-to-carry chapters. From developing a strong work ethic thanks to WWE chairman Vince McMahon, remembering to always look like a star from Gene Simmons of KISS, learning to let it go when the America's Funniest Home Videos hosting gig goes to his rival, adopting a sense of perpetual reinvention from the late David Bowie, making sure to sell himself like his NHL-legend father Ted Irvine taught him, or going the extra mile to meet Keith Richards (with an assist from Jimmy Fallon), Chris has learned countless lessons during his decades-long career. Now, in the hopes that those same principles might help and inspire his legions of fans, Chris has decided to share them while recounting the fantastic and hilarious stories that led to the birth of these rules. The result is a fun, entertaining, practical, and inspiring book from the man with many scarves but only one drive: to be the best. After reading No Is a Four-Letter Word, you'll discover that you might have what it takes to succeed as well...you just need to get out there and do it. That's what Jericho would do.
No, It Is Not In My Head: The Journey of a Chronic Pain Survivor from Wheelchair to Marathon
by Nicole Hemmenway“A story of triumph and courage . . . Nicole Hemmenway demonstrates hope, guts and faith for any chronic pain sufferer or caregiver” (Betsy Turner Nunley, author of Preemie to Woman in Sixty Short Years). At seventeen, Nicole Hemmenway believed her life was just beginning. She was a senior in high school looking forward to college and living on her own. However, all her dreams vanished the moment she became injured. Diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), she soon learned that mainstream medicine viewed her pain and symptoms as being untreatable and incurable. She was living a nightmare. With no use of her right hand and minimal use of her arm, she depended on massive amounts of narcotics to survive each day. Yet even that could not control her agony. The crippling pain was so paralyzing that she faced periods where she was bedridden or wheelchair bound. All she had to hold on to was hope. Hope that her miracle would someday arrive . . . No, It Is Not in My Head is a courageous memoir that presents answers and allows others to believe in the unimaginable. “A must-read for anyone suffering from chronic pain or anyone who knows someone battling it . . . No, It Is Not in My Head is not a cure for pain, but more a cure for hopelessness. . . . Beautifully written, incredibly inspirational and highly recommended!” —Robin Cain, author of The Secret Miss Rabbit Kept “A riveting and uplifting tale, not to be missed.” —Midwest Book Review
No Job for a Man: A Memoir
by John Ross BowieA darkly witty, deeply affecting, and finely crafted memoir by the Big Bang Theory andSpeechless star and comedian, John Ross Bowie.From his earliest memories of watching Rhoda with his parents in their tiny Hell&’s Kitchen apartment, John knew that he wanted to be an actor. The strange, alternate world of television—where people always cracked the perfect joke, lived in glamorous Upper East Side buildings, and made up immediately after fighting—seemed far better than his own home life, with a mother and father on the brink of divorce and a neighborhood full of crumbling pre-war architecture and not-so-occasional muggings. And yet that other world also seems unattainable. Besides crippling stage fright (which would take him years to overcome) John's father, ever aloof and cynical, has instilled within him the notion that acting is &“no job for a man.&” His father would impart that while theater, film, and television should be consumed and even debated, to create was no way to make a living or support a family. Putting aside his acting dreams, John stumbles through his twenties. He tries his hand at teaching and other traditional occupations, but nothing feels nearly as fulfilling as playing with his fleetingly on-the-map punk band, Egghead. When he and his bandmates break up, John lands a joyless job copywriting for a consulting agency and slips into a dark depression. He loses weight, begins drinking heavily, and his relationships flounder. But everything changes when John discovers improv (and anti-depressants). As a part of New York&’s now-famous Upright Citizens Brigade, John not only explores his passion for acting and comedy—and begins to envision himself doing so professionally—he also meets his future wife and fellow actor, Jamie Denbo. No Job for a Man follows the couple as they relocate to Los Angeles and try to make it in the arts, meeting success and failure, wins and losses, despair and hope along the way. Though his father chronically refuses to acknowledge pride in his adult son&’s accomplishments, John comes to realize what being a man truly means.
No Judgment: Essays
by Lauren OylerA Most Anticipated Book of 2024: Elle, The Millions, LitHub, Nylon, BookPage, PureWow, and moreFrom the national bestselling novelist and essayist, a groundbreaking collection of brand-new pieces about the role of cultural criticism in our ever-changing world.In her writing for Harper’s, the London Review of Books, The New Yorker, and elsewhere, Lauren Oyler has emerged as one of the most trenchant and influential critics of her generation, a talent whose judgments on works of literature—whether celebratory or scarily harsh—have become notorious. But what is the significance of being a critic and consumer of media in today’s fraught environment? How do we understand ourselves, and each other, as space between the individual and the world seems to get smaller and smaller, and our opinions on books and movies seem to represent something essential about our souls? And to put it bluntly, why should you care what she—or anyone—thinks?In this, her first collection of essays, Oyler writes with about topics like the role of gossip in our exponentially communicative society, the rise and proliferation of autofiction, why we’re all so “vulnerable” these days, and her own anxiety. In her singular prose—sharp yet addictive, expansive yet personal—she encapsulates the world we live and think in with precision and care, delivering a work of cultural criticism as only she can.Bringing to mind the works of such iconic writers as Susan Sontag, Pauline Kael, and Terry Castle, No Judgment is a testament to Lauren Oyler’s inimitable wit and her quest to understand how we shape the world through culture. It is a sparkling nonfiction debut from one of today’s most inventive thinkers.
No Justice: One White Police Officer, One Black Family, and How One Bullet Ripped Us Apart
by Lawrence Ross Robbie Tolan Ken GriffeyThe harrowing true story of Robbie Tolan, a young black man who was shot in the chest by a white police officer . . . in his own driveway.NO JUSTICE is the harrowing story of Robbie Tolan, who early on one New Year's Eve morning, found himself being rushed to the hospital. A white police officer had shot him in the chest after mistakenly accusing him of stealing his own car...while in his own driveway. In a journey that took nearly a decade, Tolan and his family saw his case go before the United States Supreme Court in a groundbreaking decision, while Tolan struggled with how to put his life back together. Holding him together through this journey was the strength of his mother and father, his faith in God, and an impenetrable belief that he deserved justice like any other American who'd been wronged. NO JUSTICE is the story about what happened after the cameras and social media protests went away. Robbie Tolan was left with the physical and mental devastation from having his body violated by someone who was supposed to serve and protect him. His story reminds us that police brutality is not a theoretical talking point in a larger nationwide argument. This story is about Robbie Tolan courageously picking up the pieces of his life, even as he fights for justice for all.
No Justice, No Peace: From the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
by Devin AllenNautilus Book Awards' Better Books for a Better WorldA Movement in Words and Images Award-winning photographer Devin Allen has devoted the last six years to documenting the protests of the Black Lives Matter movement, from its early days in Baltimore, Maryland, up to the present day. The riveting images in No Justice, No Peace provide a lens on the resistance that has empowered Black lives generation after generation. Allen&’s signature black-and-white photos bear witness to the profound history of African Americans and allies in the fight for social justice and portray the collective action over decades in stunning, timeless portraits. Allen&’s remarkable photos of today&’s Black Lives Matter protests, which have been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and twice on the cover of Time magazine, were inspired by Gordon Parks of the Civil Rights Movement, and create a vision of the past and future of Black activism and leadership in America. With contributions from twenty-six bestselling and influential writers and activists of today such as Clint Smith, DeRay Mckesson, D. Watkins, Jacqueline Woodson, Emmanuel Acho, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and more, alongside the words of past writers and activists such as Martin Luther King Jr, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Maya Angelou, and John Lewis, No Justice, No Peace is a reminder of the moral responsibility of Americans to break unjust laws and take direct action. In words and pictures, No Justice, No Peace honors the connection between activism today and that of the past. If indeed hindsight is 20/20, this artistic look back is a lens on history that enlarges our understanding of the lasting predicament of racism in the United States of America. At once deeply intimate and profoundly uplifting, No Justice, No Peace is a visual tribute to Black resistance and a stern missive on the tough, but necessary, road that lies ahead.
No Land's Man
by Aasif Mandvi"It always bothered me that Aasif was more than merely funny-he's also a great actor. Now I've learned he's an amazing storyteller as well, and I am furious . . . but also grateful. Aasif's movement between cultures and genres is what makes him and his story singularly funny, poignant, and essential."- John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require"My father moved our family to the United States because of a word. It was a word whose meaning fascinated him. It was a singularly American word, a fat word, a word that could only be spoken with decadent pride. That word was . . . Brunch! 'The beauty of America,' he would say, 'is they have so much food, that between breakfast and lunch they have to stop and eat again.'" --from "International House of Patel"If you're an Indo-Muslim-British-American actor who has spent more time in bars than mosques over the past few decades, turns out it's a little tough to explain who you are or where you are from. In No Land's Man Aasif Mandvi explores this and other conundrums through stories about his family, ambition, desire, and culture that range from dealing with his brunch-obsessed father, to being a high-school-age Michael Jackson impersonator, to joining a Bible study group in order to seduce a nice Christian girl, to improbably becoming America's favorite Muslim/Indian/Arab/Brown/Doctor correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.This is a book filled with passion, discovery, and humor. Mandvi hilariously and poignantly describes a journey that will resonate with anyone who has had to navigate his or her way in the murky space between lands. Or anyone who really loves brunch.
No Laughing Matter
by Joseph Heller Speed VogelAn uproarious and frank memoir of illness and recovery, No Laughing Matter is a story of friendship and recuperation from the author of the classic Catch-22.It all began one typical day in the life of Joe Heller. He was jogging four miles at a clip these days, working on his novel God Knows, coping with the complications of an unpleasant divorce, and pigging out once or twice a week on Chinese food with cronies like Mel Brooks, Mario Puzo, and his buddy of more than twenty years, Speed Vogel. He was feeling perfectly fine that day—but within twenty-four hours he would be in intensive care at Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital. He would remain hospitalized for nearly six months and leave in a wheelchair. Joseph Heller had Guillain-Barré syndrome, a debilitating, sometimes fatal condition that can leave its victims paralyzed from head to toe. The clan gathered immediately. Speed—sometime artist, sometime businessman, sometime herring taster, and now a coauthor—moved into Joe's apartment as messenger, servant, and shaman. Mel Brooks, arch-hypochondriac of the Western world, knew as much about Heller's condition as the doctors. Mario Puzo, author of the preeminent gangster novel of our time, proved to be the most reluctant man ever to be dragged along on a hospital visit. These and lots of others rallied around the sickbed in a show of loyalty and friendship that not only built a wild and spirited camaraderie but helped bring Joe Heller, writer and buddy extraordinaire, through his greatest crisis. This book is an inspiring, hilarious memoir of a calamitous illness and the rocky road to recuperation—as only the author of Catch-22 and the friend who helped him back to health could tell it. No Laughing Matter is as wacky, terrifying, and greathearted as any fiction Joseph Heller ever wrote.