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Soaring Into Greatness: A Blind Woman's Vision To Live Her Dreams And Fly
by Gail Hamilton<P>Born ten weeks premature and requiring oxygen to survive, Gail Hamilton's first six weeks of life began within an incubator. <P>Six months later, doctors discovered that Gail had retrolental fibroplasia (RLF), an eye condition caused by the infusion of 100% pure oxygen. By age eleven, she was completely blind. Soaring into Greatness follows Gail's story as her outer visual world merged with her inner vision, forcing her to listen with her inner voice, to follow her heart and tune into her intuition. <P>Subjected to physical and emotional abuse, ostracized and oftentimes feeling alone, Gail's journey is one of the courage and perseverance it takes to find one's way through the darkness and soar. <P> "I believe my desire to fly must be bigger than my fear of falling. Vision is internal, not external, and is guided by my heart, not my eyes. In order to be free, to fly, I must want my dream, feel my dream, and believe that my dream will come true. Most importantly, I must live my dream. I am the creator of my destiny, the composer of my symphony, and I choose to live a life of greatness. " - Gail Hamilton
Gonzo Girl
by Cheryl Della Pietra"Long after the last drink is poured and the final gunshot fired, Cheryl Della Pietra's novel inspired by her time as Hunter S. Thompson's assistant will linger in your mind. This debut novel is raucous, page-turning, head-spinning, and side-splitting as it depicts a boss and mentor who is both devil and angel, and a young heroine who finds herself tested in the chaos that surrounds him. An intense story, Della Pietra's tale about writing, firearms, psychotropics, and the pros and cons of hot tubs will suck you in and take you on ride. Gonzo Girl is a ticket you want to buy." --Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New BlackAlley Russo is a recent college grad desperately trying to make it in the grueling world of New York publishing, but like so many who have come before her, she has no connections and has settled for an unpaid magazine internship while slinging drinks on Bleecker Street just to make ends meet. That's when she hears the infamous Walker Reade is looking for an assistant to replace the eight others who have recently quit. Hungry for a chance to get her manuscript onto the desk of an experienced editor, Alley jumps at the opportunity to help Reade finish his latest novel. After surviving an absurd three-day "trial period" involving a .44 magnum, purple-pyramid acid, violent verbal outbursts, brushes with fame and the law, a bevy of peacocks, and a whole lot of cocaine, Alley is invited to stay at the compound where Reade works. For months Alley attempts to coax the novel out of Walker page-by-page, all while battling his endless procrastination, vampiric schedule, Herculean substance abuse, mounting debt, and casual gunplay. But as the job begins to take a toll on her psyche, Alley realizes she's alone in the Colorado Rockies at the mercy of a drug-addicted literary icon who may never produce another novel--and her fate may already be sealed. A smart, rollicking ride told with heart, Gonzo Girl is a loving fictional portrait of a larger-than-life literary icon.
Ángeles de Luz Divina (Angels of Divine Light Spanish edition)
by Aidan StoreyLa extraordinaria autobiografía de uno de los sanadores y terapeutas espirituales más importantes del mundo.Aidan Storey creció en Dublín feliz y rodeado de su familia y de sus amigos del barrio. Pero había una gran diferencia entre Aidan y sus amigos: Cuando él se quedaba solo, los Ángeles lo visitaban. Sin temor alguno a los bellos espíritus luminosos que velaban por él, no fue hasta mucho más adelante en su vida cuando Aidan se dio cuenta de que no todo el mundo podía ver a los Ángeles, ni tenía su mismo don excepcional para la curación. En este extraordinario libro, Aidan recuerda vívidamente cómo la presencia de los Ángeles lo sostuvo durante años de gran sufrimiento cuando fue sujeto de abuso sexual y mental a manos de dos maestros en su escuela primaria católica. Aidan cuenta cómo los Ángeles lo ayudaron a encontrar su camino de regreso a la felicidad y, a través del poder divino de la sanación, le enseñaron a llevar luz y amor a su vida y a la de muchos otros. Profundamente conmovedor, Ángeles de la Luz Divina es un libro de memorias sobre la esperanza y el perdón, y un testimonio inolvidable del poder curativo de los Ángeles.
The Life and Times of Mickey Rooney
by William J. Birnes Richard A. LertzmanA definitive biography of the iconic actor and Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney (1920-2014) and his extravagant, sometimes tawdry life, drawing on exclusive interviews, and with those who knew him best, including his heretofore unknown mistress of sixty years."I lived like a rock star," said Mickey Rooney. "I had all I ever wanted, from Lana Turner and Joan Crawford to every starlet in Hollywood, and then some. They were mine to have. Ava [Gardner] was the best. I screwed up my life. I pissed away millions. I was #1, the biggest star in the world." Mickey Rooney began his career almost a century ago as a one-year-old performer in burlesque and stamped his mark in vaudeville, silent films, talking films, Broadway, and television. He acted in his final motion picture just weeks before he died at age ninety-three. He was an iconic presence in movies, the poster boy for American youth in the idyllic small-town 1930s. Yet, by World War II, Mickey Rooney had become frozen in time. A perpetual teenager in an aging body, he was an anachronism by the time he hit his forties. His child-star status haunted him as the gilded safety net of Hollywood fell away, and he was forced to find support anywhere he could, including affairs with beautiful women, multiple marriages, alcohol, and drugs. In The Life and Times of Mickey Rooney, authors Richard A. Lertzman and William J. Birnes present Mickey's nearly century-long career within the context of America's changing entertainment and social landscape. They chronicle his life story using little-known interviews with the star himself, his children, his former coauthor Roger Kahn, collaborator Arthur Marx, and costar Margaret O'Brien. This Old Hollywood biography presents Mickey Rooney from every angle, revealing the man Laurence Olivier once dubbed "the best there has ever been."
Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva!
by Big Freedia Nicole BalinFrom the eponymous star of one of the most popular reality shows in Fuse&’s history, this no-holds-barred memoir and &“snappily dictated story of inverted cultural norms in the wards of New Orleans&” (East Bay Express) reveals the fascinating truth about a gay, self-proclaimed mama&’s boy who exploded onto the formerly underground Bounce music scene and found acceptance, healing, self-expression, and stardom. As the &“undisputed ambassador&” of the energetic, New Orleans-based Bounce movement, Big Freedia isn&’t afraid to twerk, wiggle, and shake her way to self-confidence, and is encouraging her fans to do the same. In her engrossing memoir, Big Freedia tells the inside story of her path to fame, the peaks and valleys of her personal life, and the liberation that Bounce music brings to herself and every one of her fans who is searching for freedom.Big Freedia immediately pulls us into the relationship between her personal life and her career as an artist; being a &“twerking sissy&” is not just a job, she says, but a salvation. A place to find solace and escape from the battles she faced growing up in the worst neighborhood in New Orleans. To deal with losing loved ones to the violence on the streets, drug overdoses, and jail. To survive hurricane Katrina by living on her roof for two days with three adults and a child. To grapple with the difficulties and celebrate the joys of living. In this eye-opening memoir that bursts with energy, you&’ll learn the history of the Bounce movement and meet all the colorful characters that pepper its music scene. &“Whether detailing the highs or the lows, Freedia&’s tales pop as much as the booty that made her famous&” (Out Magazine).
Available: A Memoir of Heartbreak, Hookups, Love and Brunch
by Matteson PerryFrom a breakout storytelling star at The Moth, a real-life romantic comedy about a guy and a girl--and twenty-nine other girls: a memoir about an unexpected break-up, one self-imposed year of being single, and how a "nice guy" survived dating in the twenty-first century.Matteson Perry is a Nice Guy. He remembers birthdays, politely averts his eyes on the subway, and enjoys backgammon. A serial monogamist, he's never asked a stranger out. But when the girl he thought might be The One dumps him, he decides to turn his life around. He comes up with The Plan: 1. Be single for a year. 2. Date a lot of women. 3. Hurt no one's feelings. He's not out to get revenge, or to become a pickup artist; he just wants to disrupt his pattern, have some fun, and discover who he is. A quick-witted Everyman, Perry throws himself into the modern world of courtship and digital dating, only to discover that even the best-laid plans won't necessarily get you laid. Over the course of a year he dated almost thirty different women, including a Swedish tourist, a former high school crush, a born-again virgin, a groupie, an actress, a lesbian, and a biter. In Available, award-winning storyteller Matteson Perry brings us into the inner sanctum of failed pick-up lines, uncomfortable courtships, awkward texts, and self-discovery, charting the highs and lows of single life and the lessons he learned along the way. Candid, empathetic, and devastatingly funny, Available is the ultimate real-life rom-com about learning to date, finding love, and becoming better at life.
Estranged: Leaving Family and Finding Home
by Jessica Berger GrossA powerful, haunting memoir about one woman’s childhood of abuse and her harrowing decision to leave it all behind that redefines our understanding of estrangement and the ability to triumph over adversity.To outsiders, Jessica Berger Gross’s childhood—growing up in a “nice” Jewish family in middle class Long Island—seemed as wholesomely American as any other. But behind closed doors, Jessica suffered years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father, whose mood would veer unexpectedly from loving to violent. At the age of twenty-eight, still reeling from the trauma but emotionally dependent on her dysfunctional family, Jessica made the anguished decision to cut ties with them entirely. Years later, living in Maine with a loving husband and young son, having finally found happiness, Jessica is convinced the decision saved her life. In her powerful memoir reminiscent of Jeannette Walls’s bestseller The Glass Castle, Jessica breaks through common social taboos and bravely recounts the painful, self-defeating ways in which she internalized her abusive childhood, how she came to the monumental decision to break free from her family, and how she endured the difficult road that followed. Ultimately, by extracting herself from the damaging patterns and relationships of the past, Jessica has managed to carve an inspiring path to happiness—one she has created on her own terms. Her story, told here in a careful, unflinching, and forthright way, completely reframes how we think about family and the past.
Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart
by Scott EymanNew York Times bestselling author Scott Eyman tells the story of the remarkable friendship of two Hollywood legends who, though different in many ways, maintained a close friendship that endured all of life’s twists and turns.Henry Fonda and James Stewart were two of the biggest stars in Hollywood for forty years. They became friends and then roommates as stage actors in New York, and when they began making films in Hollywood, they roomed together again. Between them they made such memorable films as The Grapes of Wrath, Mister Roberts, Twelve Angry Men, and On Golden Pond; and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Destry Rides Again, The Philadelphia Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, Vertigo, and Rear Window. They got along famously, with a shared interest in elaborate practical jokes and model airplanes, among other things. Fonda was a liberal Democrat, Stewart a conservative Republican, but after one memorable blow-up over politics, they agreed never to discuss that subject again. Fonda was a ladies’ man who was married five times; Stewart remained married to the same woman for forty-five years. Both men volunteered during World War II and were decorated for their service. When Stewart returned home, still unmarried, he once again moved in with Fonda, his wife, and his two children, Jane and Peter, who knew him as Uncle Jimmy. For Hank and Jim, biographer and film historian Scott Eyman spoke with Fonda’s widow and children as well as three of Stewart’s children, plus actors and directors who had worked with the men—in addition to doing extensive archival research to get the full details of their time together. This is not another Hollywood story, but a fascinating portrait of an extraordinary friendship that lasted through war, marriages, children, careers, and everything else.
The Encore: A Memoir in Three Acts
by Charity Tillemann-DickThe remarkable true story of acclaimed opera singer Charity Tillemann-Dick, who received not one but two double lung transplants and went from struggling to draw a single breath to singing at the most prestigious venues in the world.Charity Tillemann-Dick was a vivacious young American soprano studying at the celebrated Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest when she received devastating news: her lungs were failing, her heart was three and a half sizes too big, and she would die within five years. Inexplicably, despite her fatal pulmonary condition, she could still sing. Medical experts advised Charity to abandon her musical dreams, but if her time was running out, she wanted to spend it doing what she loved. In just three years, she endured two double lung transplants. Teetering between life and death, she slowly learned to breathe, walk, talk, eat, and sing again. With new lungs and fierce determination, she eventually fell in love, rebuilt her career, and reclaimed her life. Over a decade after her diagnosis, she has a chart-topping album, performs around the globe, and is a leading voice for organ donation. Weaving Charity’s extraordinary tale of triumph with those of opera's greatest heroines, The Encore illuminates the indomitable human spirit. It's the story of confronting devastating challenges with love: the intimate love of a mother for her daughter, a man for a woman, a doctor for her craft, and a singer for her music. Ultimately, grace from God and strangers enabled the work of love to save one young woman's breath and allowed her to reclaim her life.
Running with the Champ: My Forty-Year Friendship with Muhammad Ali
by Chuck Crisafulli Tim ShanahanA personal tribute to the remarkable friendship between Tim Shanahan and Muhammad Ali, including dozens of never-before-told stories about Ali, his family, his entourage, and various celebrities along the way--as well as never-before-published personal photos.In 1976 Tim Shanahan was a medical-instruments salesman living in Chicago and was associated with a charity that arranged for athletes to speak to underprivileged kids. Muhammad Ali was also living in Chicago, having just reclaimed his title as heavyweight champion of the world after defeating George Foreman and Joe Frazier ("The Thrilla in Manila"). He was at the peak of his fame and athletic skill. Shanahan contacted Ali to ask whether he would participate in the program. Not only did Ali agree, he invited Shanahan to his house and then spent several hours talking to Shanahan. It was the beginning of a forty-year friendship. In Running with the Champ, Shanahan shares the stories of various celebrities whom Ali met over the years, such as Michael Jackson (who showed Ali and Shanahan his doll collection), Elvis Presley, John Travolta, Andy Warhol, and many others. Ali invited Shanahan to sparring sessions (and once sparred with him) and the two men would often go running together in the early morning. Shanahan accompanied Ali to his Pennsylvania training camp as the Champ prepared to fight Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, and Leon Spinks and he witnessed numerous unpublicized incidents of Ali's generosity to people in need. When Ali moved to Los Angeles, Shanahan also relocated there. Running with the Champ is a touching, candid narrative of an extraordinary friendship that has persevered through the best and worst of times.
The Trials of Harry S. Truman: The Extraordinary Presidency of an Ordinary Man, 1945-1953
by Jeffrey FrankJeffrey Frank, author of the bestselling Ike and Dick, returns with the first full account of the Truman presidency in nearly thirty years, recounting how so ordinary a man met the extraordinary challenge of leading America through the pivotal years of the mid-20th century.The nearly eight years of Harry Truman&’s presidency—among the most turbulent in American history—were marked by victory in the wars against Germany and Japan; the first use of an atomic weapon; the beginning of the Cold War; creation of the NATO alliance; the founding of the United Nations; the Marshall Plan to rebuild the wreckage of postwar Europe; the Red Scare; and the fateful decision to commit troops to fight in Korea. Historians have tended to portray Truman as stolid and decisive, with a homespun manner, but the man who emerges in The Trials of Harry S. Truman is complex and surprising. He believed that the point of public service was to improve the lives of one&’s fellow citizens, and was disturbed by the brutal treatment of African Americans. Yet while he supported stronger civil rights laws, he never quite relinquished the deep-rooted outlook of someone with Confederate ancestry reared in rural Missouri. He was often carried along by the rush of events and guided by men who succeeded in refining his fixed and facile view of the postwar world. And while he prided himself on his Midwestern rationality, he could act out of emotion, as when, in the aftermath of World War II, moved by the plight of refugees, he pushed to recognize the new state of Israel. The Truman who emerges in these pages is a man with generous impulses, loyal to friends and family, and blessed with keen political instincts, but insecure, quick to anger, and prone to hasty decisions. Archival discoveries, and research that led from Missouri to Washington, Berlin and Korea, have contributed to an indelible, and deeply human, portrait of an ordinary man suddenly forced to shoulder extraordinary responsibilities, who never lost a schoolboy&’s romantic love for his country, and its Constitution.
Molina
by Joan Ryan Bengie MolinaLa inspiradora y verdadera historia del pobre obrero de factoría puertorriqueño Benjamín Molina Santana, quien contra viento y marea crió a la mayor dinastía de béisbol de todos los tiempos. Los tres hijos de Molina--Bengie, José y Yadier--han ganado cada uno dos anillos de Serie Mundial, algo sin precedentes en ese deporte Uno de ellos, Bengie, narra su historia.Un libro de reglas del béisbol. Una cinta de medir. Un boleto de lotería. Esas cosas estaban en el bolsillo del padre de Bengie Molina cuando murió de un infarto cardiaco en el terreno surcado de Liga Infantil en su barrio de Puerto Rico. Ellas sirven como guías temáticas en la hermosa memoria de Molina sobre su padre, quien usó también el béisbol para enseñarles a sus tres hijos los principios de lealtad, humildad, valentía y el verdadero significado del éxito. Bengie y sus dos hermanos--José y Yadier, quien fue seleccionado seis veces para el juego Todos Estrellas--se convirtieron en famosos receptores en las Grandes Ligas y entre los tres han sido parte de seis equipos ganadores de Series Mundiales. Solamente los hermanos DiMaggio podrían compararse con los Molina como los más logrados hermanos en la historia del béisbol. Bengie era el que menos posibilidades tenía de llegar a las mayores. Era demasiado lento, demasiado sensible y demasiado pequeño. Pero ávido de ganarse el respeto de su querido padre, Bengie soportó fracaso tras fracaso hasta que un día logró alzar un trofeo de Serie Mundial en una casa club empapada en champán. Todo el tiempo pensó que estaba realizando el sueño glorioso de béisbol de su padre, sólo para descubrir que no había sido ese el sueño de su padre. Escrito con el poder emocional de obras clásicas sobre deportes, como Field of Dreams y Friday Night Lights, Molina es una historia de amor entre un formidable y a la vez imperfecto padre y un hijo que, al desenterrar respuestas sobre la vida de su padre, logra comprender las suyas propias.
Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise
by Scott Eyman"Highly recommended" (Library Journal): The only full-length biography of legendary film director Ernst Lubitsch, the director of such Hollywood classics as Trouble in Paradise, Ninotchka, and The Shop Around the Corner.In this groundbreaking biography of Ernst Lubitsch, undeniably one of the most important and influential film directors and artists of all time, critic and biographer Scott Eyman, author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller John Wayne, examines not just the films Lubitsch created, but explores as well the life of the man, a life full of both great successes and overwhelming insecurities. The result is a fascinating look at a man and an era--Hollywood's Golden Age. Born in Berlin and transported to Hollywood in the 1920s with the help of Mary Pickford, Lubitsch brought with him a level of sophistication and subtlety previously unknown to American movie audiences. He was quickly established as a director of unique quality and distinction. He captivated audiences with his unique "touch," creating a world of fantasy in which men are tall and handsome (unlike Lubitsch himself) and humorously adept at getting women into bed, and where all the women are beautiful and charming and capable of giving as well as receiving love. He revived the flagging career of Marlene Dietrich and, in Ninotchka, created Greta Garbo's most successful film. When movie buffs speak of "the Lubitsch touch," they refer to a sense of style and taste, humor and humanity that defined the films of one of Hollywood's all-time great directors. In the history of the medium, no one has ever quite equaled his unique talent. Written with the cooperation of an extraordinary ensemble of eyewitnesses, and unprecedented access to the files of Paramount Pictures, this is an enthralling biography as rich and diverse as its subject--sure to please film buffs of all types, especially those who champion Lubitsch as one of the greatest filmmakers ever.
The Jersey Brothers: A Missing Naval Officer in the Pacific and His Family's Quest to Bring Him Home
by Sally Mott FreemanThe extraordinary, real-life adventure of three brothers at the center of the most dramatic turning points of World War II and their mad race to change history—and save one of their own.They are three brothers, all Navy men, who end up coincidentally and extraordinarily at the epicenter of three of the war’s most crucial moments. Bill is picked by Roosevelt to run his first Map Room in Washington. Benny is the gunnery and anti-aircraft officer on the USS Enterprise, one of the only carriers to escape Pearl Harbor and by the end of 1942 the last one left in the Pacific to defend against the Japanese. Barton, the youngest and least distinguished of the three, is shuffled off to the Navy Supply Corps because his mother wants him out of harm’s way. But this protection plan backfires when Barton is sent to the Philippines and listed as missing-in-action after a Japanese attack. Now it is up to Bill and Benny to find and rescue him. Based on ten years of research drawn from archives around the world, interviews with fellow shipmates and POWs, and primary sources including diaries, unpublished memoirs, and letters half-forgotten in basements, The Jersey Brothers is a remarkable story of agony and triumph—from the home front to Roosevelt’s White House, and Pearl Harbor to Midway and Bataan. It is the story, written with intimate, novelistic detail, of an ordinary young man who shows extraordinary courage as the Japanese do everything short of killing him. And it is, above all, a story of brotherly love: of three men finding their loyalty to each other tested under the tortures of war—and knowing that their success or failure to save their youngest brother will shape their family forever.
The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts: Murder and Memory in an American City
by Laura TillmanIn Cold Blood meets Adrian Nicole LeBlanc's Random Family: A harrowing, profoundly personal investigation of the causes, effects, and communal toll of a deeply troubling crime--the brutal murder of three young children by their parents in the border city of Brownsville, Texas.On March 11, 2003, in Brownsville, Texas--one of America's poorest cities--John Allen Rubio and Angela Camacho murdered their three young children. The apartment building in which the brutal crimes took place was already rundown, and in their aftermath a consensus developed in the community that it should be destroyed. It was a place, neighbors felt, that was plagued by spiritual cancer. In 2008, journalist Laura Tillman covered the story for The Brownsville Herald. The questions it raised haunted her, particularly one asked by the sole member of the city's Heritage Council to oppose demolition: is there any such thing as an evil building? Her investigation took her far beyond that question, revealing the nature of the toll that the crime exacted on a city already wracked with poverty. It sprawled into a six-year inquiry into the larger significance of such acts, ones so difficult to imagine or explain that their perpetrators are often dismissed as monsters alien to humanity. With meticulous attention and stunning compassion, Tillman surveyed those surrounding the crimes, speaking with the lawyers who tried the case, the family's neighbors and relatives and teachers, even one of the murderers: John Allen Rubio himself, whom she corresponded with for years and ultimately met in person. The result is a brilliant exploration of some of our age's most important social issues, from poverty to mental illness to the death penalty, and a beautiful, profound meditation on the truly human forces that drive them. It is disturbing, insightful, and mesmerizing in equal measure.
My Life After Death: A Memoir from Heaven
by Erik Medhus Elisa Medhus M.D.In this follow-up to Elisa Medhus&’s novel My Son and the Afterlife, Elisa&’s son Erik tells his astonishing story directly from the afterlife, describing in detail his death, transition, and spiritual renewal.My Life After Death begins on the tragic day when Erik Medhus took his own life. What follows is a moment-by-moment account of the spiritual life he discovers on the other side—told in his own words as channeled by medium Jamie Butler and then transcribed by his mother, Dr. Elisa Medhus. Overflowing with his signature directness and honesty, Erik describes more than just a visit to the afterlife. He personally walks us through the experience of dying, the trauma and regret of committing suicide, transitioning into spirit form—revealing a detailed look at the life awaiting us on the other side. In this intimate, unique, and provocative memoir, crucial questions about the afterlife will finally be answered, including: What does it feel like to die? What is it like to become a spirit? Why and how do spirits communicate with the living? Is there a heaven? Ultimately, Erik&’s story sheds light on his mental illness while also providing the answers that will help readers find solace and remove the fears surrounding death, showing that love has no boundaries and life truly does go on. *Content warning: Please note that there is some explicit language present in this book.
Forgiveness: A Memoir
by Chiquis Rivera"I wrote this book not to dismiss a rumor but to share something much more important: my journey to forgiveness." Chiquis Rivera is a singer and the daughter of the late music superstar Jenni Rivera. In Forgiveness, her memoir, Chiquis bravely reveals the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father during her childhood and the difficulties she's faced in her personal life as a result. Despite growing up marked by the wounds of abuse, she eventually conquered her fear of love andintimacy.The story within these pages also recounts what caused the distance between her and her mother toward the end of Jenni's life. In Forgiveness, Chiquis brings to light truths that she wishes she had been able to reveal to Jenni. Two years after her mother's death, Chiquis answers the most difficult questions: Was she able to make peace with Jenni? And in this story of triumph and tragedy, who is most in need of forgiveness?
Perdón (Forgiveness Spanish edition)
by Chiquis Rivera"Escribí este libro no para para aclarar malentendidos sino para compartir algo mucho más importante y valioso: mi largo camino hacia el perdón"Chiquis Rivera es la cantante y celebridad de televisión que saltó a la fama de la mano de su madre, la popular Diva de la Banda, Jenni Rivera. En Perdón, su primer libro autobiográfico, narra con detalle estremecedor el abuso al que fue sometida por su propio padre durante su infancia, y explica cómo logran sobrevivir las víctimas a tan corta edad. A la vez nos revela su tortuosa vida sexual, al crecer marcada por las heridas del abuso, y comparte cómo logró vencer sus miedos al amor y a la intimidad. La joven cantante también se atreve por primera vez a confesar otro gran secreto que llegó incluso a ocultarle a su madre en vida. Estas páginas también plasman la conversación que quedó pendiente entre Jenni y Chiquis, después de que se distanciaran. En Perdón salen a la luz verdades desgarradoras entre madre e hija que ya nunca podrán contarse frente a frente. A dos años de la muerte de su madre, Chiquis contesta las preguntas más difíciles: ¿Pudieron madre e hija hacer las paces? ¿Quién ha perdonado a quién en esta historia de grandes éxitos y de grandes tropiezos?
Raw
by Colin CowherdIn his no-holds-barred, unapologetically controversial voice, New York Times bestselling author and ESPN radio show host Colin Cowherd gives an insider's look into all things sports, including behind-the-scenes scandals, inter-team rivalries, and players' lives on and off the field.There's a lot you don't see or hear sitting high up in the stands. But Colin Cowherd knows what really goes on--and he's not afraid to share the vivid details of everything we don't see on ESPN. From hotel parties for athletes and other industry professionals, to gossip from the road between games, to what happens at ESPN behind closed doors, Cowherd draws on personal experiences to offer you an exclusive look into the rarefied, outrageous, ego-stuffed sphere of the professional sports world. If you want honest, unvarnished opinions on current sports rivalries, scandals, and statistics, it's all in Raw--from one of America's most outspoken sports broadcasters on air today.
Suzanne's Children: A Daring Rescue in Nazi Paris
by Anne NelsonA story of courage in the face of evil. The tense drama of Suzanne Spaak who risked and gave her life to save hundreds of Jewish children from deportation from Nazi Paris to Auschwitz. This is one of the untold stories of the Holocaust.Suzanne Spaak was born into the Belgian Catholic elite and married into the country’s leading political family. Her brother-in-law was the Foreign Minister and her husband Claude was a playwright and patron of the painter Renée Magritte. In Paris in the late 1930s her friendship with a Polish Jewish refugee led her to her life’s purpose. When France fell and the Nazis occupied Paris, she joined the Resistance. She used her fortune and social status to enlist allies among wealthy Parisians and church groups. Under the eyes of the Gestapo, Suzanne and women from the Jewish and Christian resistance groups “kidnapped” hundreds of Jewish children to save them from the gas chambers. In the final year of the Occupation Suzanne was caught in the Gestapo dragnet that was pursuing a Soviet agent she had aided. She was executed shortly before the liberation of Paris. Suzanne Spaak is honored in Israel as one of the Righteous Among Nations.
Furnishing Eternity: A Father, a Son, a Coffin, and a Measure of Life
by David Giffels“Giffels does well as a voice of the Midwest…but this is for everyone.” —Library Journal From the acclaimed author of The Hard Way on Purpose, a vibrant, heartfelt memoir about confronting mortality, surviving loss, finding resilience in one’s Midwest roots and seeking a father’s wisdom through an unusual woodworking project—constructing his own coffin.David Giffels grew up fascinated by his father’s dusty, tool-strewn workshop and the countless creations—some practical, others fantastical—it inspired. So when he enlisted his eighty-one-year-old dad to help him with the unusual project of building his own casket, he thought of it mostly as an opportunity to sharpen his woodworking skills and to spend time together. But life, as it usually does, had other plans. The unexpected deaths of his mother and, a year later, his best friend, coupled with the dawning realization that his father wouldn’t be around forever for such offbeat adventures—and neither would he—led to a harsh confrontation with mortality and loss. Over the course of several seasons, Giffels returned to his father’s barn in rural Ohio, a place cluttered with heirloom tools, exotic wood scraps, and long memory, to continue a pursuit that grew into a meditation on grief and optimism, a quest for enlightenment, and a way to cherish time with an aging parent. With wisdom and humor, Giffels grapples with some of the hardest questions we all face as he and his father saw, hammer, and sand their way through a year bowed by loss. Furnishing Eternity is the story of a family searching for hope in its roots and the unexpected truths we arrive at in the process of creating and constructing. Heartfelt, unvarnished, and piercing with insight, this powerful memoir is Giffels’s most intimate exploration yet of the values and traditions that illuminate the Midwest.
Hello, Hollywood
by Suzanne CorsoFrom the critically acclaimed author of Brooklyn Story--praised by The New York Times for its "true female voice"--comes the conclusion to a whirlwind Cinderella story traveling from the gritty streets of Brooklyn to the glitzy scenes of Hollywood.Samantha Bonti came from a humble background in Brooklyn and listened to her beloved grandmother's advice: she wrote herself out of her story as a poor girl and into an affluent one as the wife of a Wall Street banker. Her glitzy life took a turn, though, when her husband spent the money faster than it came in and grew abusive and angry. After his sudden and unexpected heart attack, it turns out fate has dealt Sam another hand in her husband's $15 million life insurance policy. Now independent, Sam moves to Hollywood with her daughter to oversee the film production of her bestselling novel, based on her childhood. She thinks she has it all, but life has a lot more in store for her. The producer of her film (and her now-boyfriend) reveals a dark underside to all this Hollywood glamour--and soon, people from her past in Brooklyn that she thought long gone start showing up where they are very unwelcome. Amidst it all, a mysterious man named John has designs on Sam--and she's not sure if this could be a new romance or another romantic misstep. Now she must ask herself: Is her turn in the spotlight worth all the real-life drama?
Yoga Girl: Finding Happiness, Cultivating Balance And Living With Your Heart Wide Open
by Rachel BrathenBy the yoga instructor who inspires more than one million followers on Instagram every day.Whether she's practicing handstands on her stand-up paddleboard or teaching Downward-Facing Dog to the masses, Rachel Brathen--Instagram's @Yoga_Girl--has made it her mission to share inspirational messages with people from all corners of the world. In Yoga Girl, Brathen takes readers beyond her Instagram feed and shares her journey like never before--from her self-destructive teenage years in her hometown in Sweden to her adventures in the jungles of Costa Rica, and finally to the beautiful and bohemian life she's built through yoga and meditation in Aruba today. Featuring spectacular photos of Brathen practicing yoga with breathtaking tropical backdrops, along with step-by-step yoga sequences and simple recipes for a healthy, happy, and fearless lifestyle--Yoga Girl is like an armchair vacation to a Caribbean spa.
Lady Bird: A Biography of Mrs. Johnson (Biography Ser.)
by Jan Jarboe RussellA revealing biography of Lady Bird Johnson with startling new insights into her marriage to Lyndon Baines Johnson and her unexpectedly strong impact on his presidency. Long obscured by her husband's shadow, Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson emerges in this first comprehensive biography as a figure of surprising influence and the centering force for LBJ, a man who suffered from extreme mood swings and desperately needed someone to help control his darker impulses. Expertly researched and written, Lady Bird draws from rare conversations with the former First Lady and from interviews with key members of Johnson's inner circle of friends, family, and advisers. With chapters such as "Motherless Child," "A Ten-Week Affair," and "LBJ's Midlife Crisis," Lady Bird sheds new light on Mrs. Johnson's childhood, on her amazing acumen as a businesswoman, and on the central role she played in her husband's life and political career. A vital link to the Kennedys during LBJ's uneasy tenure as vice president and a voice of conscience on civil rights, Lady Bird is portrayed here as a political force, strikingly different from the somewhat minor figure depicted in previous works on LBJ. Especially fascinating today, in light of the enormous attention now focused on the private lives of our leaders, are the personal details about her marriage to a man whose extramarital affairs were widely discussed. In this intimate portrait, Russell shows us the private Lady Bird -- not only a passionate conservationist but a remarkable woman who greatly influenced her husband, his administration, and the country.
Dream Again
by Matt Litton Isaiah Austin Robert Griffin IIIThe inspiring story of Isaiah Austin, the man who captured our hearts when he was made the honorary NBA draft pick after a shocking diagnosis ended his professional basketball career before he could even step onto the court."There are two choices in life: you make it your excuse or you make it your story." Isaiah Austin's mother shared these words of wisdom with him as a child as he came to terms with a torn retina taking away the ability to see with his right eye. Faced with adversity at such a young age, Isaiah had to choose--let his disability define him or overcome the challenge and shine. Overcoming that challenge is exactly what Isaiah did as he made a name for himself on Baylor University's NCAA Division 1 basketball team. Everyone expected Isaiah to have a successful career in the NBA after college, but on June 21, 2014--just five days before the NBA draft--Austin was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body's connective tissue, putting him at risk of rupturing his heart if he continued to play basketball. In seconds, Austin's hopes for a career in the NBA became impossible. After hearing about Isaiah's diagnosis, NBA commissioner Adam Silver invited Austin to attend the 2014 draft as his personal guest. The League recognized Isaiah's courage, resilience, and determination in a bittersweet moment when he was made an Honorary Draft Pick. Rather than letting another challenge destroy his faith, Austin has once again strived to overcome adversity by becoming a spokesperson for The Marfan Foundation, raising awareness and understanding for the disease. Despite the many heartbreaking challenges he has faced, Isaiah's story is inspirational and full of hope as he encourages everyone to tower in the face of adversity and keep living out your dreams, no matter what life throws your way. *Proceeds from Dream Again will go to the Isaiah Austin Foundation, which provides support for the awareness and research of Marfan syndrome and those affected by it.