Biography: general Books

Book SynopsisAs Joe Biden has shown us all, the best is yet to come. Here are the stories of the inspiring, inventive, and brave things people have achieved in later life. With a foreword by Michael Whitehall, late bloomer par excellence.With life comes perspective, wisdom, judgement and depth. You are as likely to change the world after middle age as you were before it - and perhaps more likely to change it for the better. From the well known to the unsung, each entry tells the story of how older age was no barrier to impressive feats of intellect, creativity and daring. Ranging from Alexander Fleming, Stan Lee and Baroness Trumpington, to Whina Cooper and the bestselling novelist Mary Wesley who didn't write her first novel until she was 71, and William Ivy Baldwin who tightrope walked across a canyon at 82. Here is a celebration of the amazing things we humans have shown to be possible in later life. A gift book for late bloomers, baby boomers, and beyond; and an inspiring picture of the possibilities and potential that older age holds.

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Alister McGrath is a brilliant guide to Jim Packer's invigorating theological vision. Crisp, incisive commentary on every page!' - Andrew Atherstone, Wycliffe Hall, University of OxfordJ. I. Packer was one of the most influential evangelical theological and spiritual writers of the twentieth century, best known for his classic work of spirituality Knowing God. In the 1990s, Christianity Today readers named him one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century, second only to C. S. Lewis. But who was Jim Packer, and what is the story of his own faith? Bestselling author and friend of Jim's Alister McGrath tells his story, and in the process opens up how Packer's faith nourished and sustained him - exploring questions of theology and spirituality as they arise along the way. Alternating narrative with reflection, Alister sets out Packer's ideas and presents them engagingly, and in doing so helps to explain why Packer and his writing continue to be so helpful and useful to all on the journey of faith. This beautiful tribute to a giant of the Christian faith is both a celebration of his life and the perfect introduction to his thought and writings for a new generation of readers.Trade ReviewAlister McGrath is a brilliant guide to Jim Packer's invigorating theological vision. Crisp, incisive commentary on every page! -- Andrew Atherstone, Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford * Andrew Atherstone *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA compelling, action-packed account of the only officially sanctioned I.R.A attack ever conducted on American soil. In 1922, three of the Irish Republican Army’s top gunmen arrived in New York City seeking vengeance. Their target: “Cruxy” O’Connor, a young Irishman who kept switching sides as revolution swept his country in the wake of World War I. Cruxy’s last betrayal dealt a stunning blow to Ireland’s struggle for independence: Six of his IRA comrades were killed when he told police the location of their safe house outside Cork. A year later, the IRA gunned him down in a hail of bullets before a crowd of horrified New Yorkers at the corner of 84th Street and Central Park West. Based primarily on first-hand accounts, most of them never before published, Ambush at Central Park is a cinematic exploration of the enigma of “Cruxy” O’Connor: Was he really a decorated war hero who became a spy for Britain? When he defected to the IRA, did his machine gun really jam in a crucial attack? When captured, did he give up his IRA comrades only under torture? Was he a British spy all along? Or was he pursuing a decades-old blood feud between his family and that of one of his comrades? A longtime editor at The New York Times, author Mark Bulik delved through Irish government archives, newspaper accounts, census data, and unpublished material from the families of the main actors. Together they add to the sensational story of a rebel ambush, a deadly police raid, a dinner laced with poison, a daring prison break, a boatload of tommy guns on the Hoboken waterfront, an unlikely pair of spies who fall in love, and an audacious assassination plot against the British cabinet. Gravely wounded and near death, Cruxy refused to cooperate with the detectives investigating the case. And so, the spy who stopped spying and the gunman who stopped shooting became the informer who wouldn’t inform, even at death’s door. Here is a forgotten chapter of Irish and New York history: the story of the only officially authorized IRA attack on American soil.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Bloody Anniversaries | 1 1 The Ambush | 5 2 Feuds and Fights | 13 3 War and Rebellion | 20 4 The Battle for Cork | 33 5 The Doomsday Plot | 42 6 The Coolavokig Ambush | 53 7 Bloodbath at Ballycannon | 65 8 A Basketful of Poison | 73 9 The Spying Game | 79 10 A Boatload of Tommy Guns | 90 11 Passages | 102 12 The Hunt | 109 13 The Heel of the Hunt | 117 14 The Crux of the Matter | 134 Acknowledgments | 147 Notes | 149 Index | 165 Photographs follow page 86

Read more less

Book SynopsisProvides unique insight into Reconstruction’s downfall and Jim Crow’s emergence. In the years and decades following the American Civil War, veteran abolitionists actively thought and wrote about the campaign to end enslavement immediately. This study explores the late-in-life reflections of several antislavery memorial and historical writers, evaluating the stable and shifting meanings of antebellum abolitionism amidst dramatic changes in postbellum race relations. By investigating veteran abolitionists as movement chroniclers and commemorators and situating their texts within various contexts, Raymond James Krohn further assesses the humanitarian commitments of activists who had valued themselves as the enslaved people’s steadfast friends. Never solely against slavery, post-1830 abolitionism challenged widely held anti-Black prejudices as well. Dedicated to emancipating the enslaved and elevating people of color, it equipped adherents with the necessary linguistic resources to wage a valiant, sustained philanthropic fight. Abolitionist Twilights focuses on how the status and condition of the freedpeople and their descendants affected book-length representations of antislavery persons and events. In probing veteran– abolitionist engagement in or disengagement from an ongoing African American freedom struggle, this ambitious volume ultimately problematizes scholarly understandings of abolitionism’s racial justice history and legacy.Table of ContentsIntroduction: What Is Abolitionism Now? From the Disposition of the AASS to the Determinants of Abolitionist History | 1 1 Antislavery Moderated: Samuel Joseph May and the Lessons of Respectable Reform | 19 2 Antislavery Elevated: William Wells Brown and the Purpose of Black Activism | 45 3 Antislavery Vindicated: Oliver Johnson and the Value of Abolitionism’s Grand Old Party | 72 4 Antislavery Sanctified: Parker Pillsbury and the Spirit of Abolitionism in the Fields | 100 5 A Tale of Two Slaveries: Aaron Macy Powell and the Transfiguration of Abolitionism | 125 6 Songs of Innocence and Experience: Thomas Wentworth Higginson and the Abdication of Abolitionism | 154 7 What Was Antislavery For? From the Disbandment of the AASS to the Determination of Abolitionist Women | 191 Coda: Complicated Legacies | 219 Acknowledgments | 221 Notes | 225 Index | 269

Read more less

Book SynopsisProvides unique insight into Reconstruction’s downfall and Jim Crow’s emergence. In the years and decades following the American Civil War, veteran abolitionists actively thought and wrote about the campaign to end enslavement immediately. This study explores the late-in-life reflections of several antislavery memorial and historical writers, evaluating the stable and shifting meanings of antebellum abolitionism amidst dramatic changes in postbellum race relations. By investigating veteran abolitionists as movement chroniclers and commemorators and situating their texts within various contexts, Raymond James Krohn further assesses the humanitarian commitments of activists who had valued themselves as the enslaved people’s steadfast friends. Never solely against slavery, post-1830 abolitionism challenged widely held anti-Black prejudices as well. Dedicated to emancipating the enslaved and elevating people of color, it equipped adherents with the necessary linguistic resources to wage a valiant, sustained philanthropic fight. Abolitionist Twilights focuses on how the status and condition of the freedpeople and their descendants affected book-length representations of antislavery persons and events. In probing veteran– abolitionist engagement in or disengagement from an ongoing African American freedom struggle, this ambitious volume ultimately problematizes scholarly understandings of abolitionism’s racial justice history and legacy.Table of ContentsIntroduction: What Is Abolitionism Now? From the Disposition of the AASS to the Determinants of Abolitionist History | 1 1 Antislavery Moderated: Samuel Joseph May and the Lessons of Respectable Reform | 19 2 Antislavery Elevated: William Wells Brown and the Purpose of Black Activism | 45 3 Antislavery Vindicated: Oliver Johnson and the Value of Abolitionism’s Grand Old Party | 72 4 Antislavery Sanctified: Parker Pillsbury and the Spirit of Abolitionism in the Fields | 100 5 A Tale of Two Slaveries: Aaron Macy Powell and the Transfiguration of Abolitionism | 125 6 Songs of Innocence and Experience: Thomas Wentworth Higginson and the Abdication of Abolitionism | 154 7 What Was Antislavery For? From the Disbandment of the AASS to the Determination of Abolitionist Women | 191 Coda: Complicated Legacies | 219 Acknowledgments | 221 Notes | 225 Index | 269

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn exiled professor’s journey from inside and beyond academe In the summer of 2014, Steven Salaita was fired from a tenured position in American Indian Studies at the University of Illinois for his unwavering stance on Palestinian human rights and other political controversies. A year later, he landed a job in Lebanon, but that, too, ended badly. With no other recourse, Salaita found himself trading his successful academic career for an hourly salaried job. Told primarily from behind the wheel of a school bus—a vantage point from which Salaita explores social anxiety, suburban architecture, political alienation, racial oppression, working-class solidarity, professional malfeasance, and the joy of chauffeuring children to and from school—An Honest Living describes the author’s decade of turbulent post-professorial life and his recent return to the lectern. Steven Salaita was practically born to a life in academia. His father taught physics at an HBCU in southern West Virginia and his earliest memories are of life on campus and the cinder walls of the classroom. It was no surprise that he ended up in the classroom straight after graduate school. Yet three of his university jobs—Virginia Tech, the University of Illinois, and the American University of Beirut [AUB] —ended in public controversy. Shaken by his sudden notoriety and false claims of antisemitism, Salaita found himself driving a school bus to make ends meet. While some considered this just punishment for his anti-Zionist beliefs, Steven found that driving a bus provided him with not just a means to pay the bills but a path toward freedom of thought. Now ten years later, with a job at American University at Cairo, Salaita reconciles his past with his future. His restlessness has found a home, yet his return to academe is met with the same condition of fugitivity from whence he was expelled: an occasion for defiance, not conciliation. An Honest Living presents an intimate personal narrative of the author’s decade of professional joys and travails.Table of ContentsPreschool | 1 An Honest Living | 7 Career Training | 29 Left-Rights | 55 The Influence of Anxiety | 71 The Big Picture | 83 The Anxiety of Insignificance | 103 From Alexandria to Cairo | 129 School | 161

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis heart-wrenching story immerses readers in the dramatic survival of one outspoken man who illuminates the souls of a billion ordinary Chinese citizens. An Wei, a stubborn, hardworking peasant who has lived by his values and stood up for his convictions, has succeeded against all odds in the authoritarian environment of China. Despite grinding poverty, hunger, reeducation campaigns, and attacks from jealous peers, Wei continues to inspire with his daring achievements, such as launching a democratic congress in his own village. His compelling life provides a vivid backdrop for understanding the development of modern China from the unique perspective of an outspoken citizen. Through his audacious determination and survival skills forged in rural poverty, An Wei’s unstoppable drive to improve himself and rural China will captivate and enthrall readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFor a quarter century, Luis Antonio Navia worked as a high-level cocaine transporter for all of the major Colombian and Mexican drug cartels, including Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel, and flooded the United States and Europe with cocaine before his dramatic arrest in Venezuela in 2000 during the 12-nation Operation Journey.The story of Navia’s rise, fall, takedown, imprisonment, and redemption is expertly researched and told by acclaimed biographer Jesse Fink, who has gathered interviews with Navia, Navia’s family, and a dozen law-enforcement agents in the United States and Great Britain from agencies such as the DEA, ICE and Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise (now Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs). Told in vivid detail, this true crime story will captivate the reader from start to finish.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThere’s No Crying in Newsrooms tells the stories of remarkable women who broke through barrier after barrier at media organizations around the country over the past four decades. They started out as editorial assistants, fact checkers and news secretaries and ended up running multi-million-dollar news operations that determine a large part of what Americans read, view and think about the world. These women, who were calling in news stories while in labor and parking babies under their desks, never imagined that 40 years later young women entering the news business would face many of the same battles they did – only with far less willingness to put up and shut up.The female pioneers featured in this book have many lessons to teach about what it takes to succeed in media or any other male-dominated organization, and their message is more important now than ever before. Including stories and data from 2020—a year of unprecedented turmoil from a worldwide pandemic, rampant social upheaval, and divisive political battles—the updated edition of this chronicle of courage serves as both inspiration and impetus to continue the fight for equity and advancement in the media industry.Trade ReviewRiffing off Tom Hanks’ line in A League of Their Own, "There's no crying in baseball," for their title, veteran journalists, editors, and educators Gilger and Wallace cogently demonstrate why the admonition is equally apt in newsrooms. Journalism is a field in which men have always dominated, and any woman who wanted to compete needed to demonstrate that she wouldn’t fall victim to her gender’s stereotypical emotional fragility. It wouldn’t be easy. Sexism and sexual harassment were rampant. Expectations for women were not only doubled, they were quadrupled. Hypocrisy reigned in story assignments, travel arrangements, job promotions, and, of course, salary equity. The authors interviewed nearly 100 women media leaders, from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to Vox ’s Melissa Bell, to assess the changing image of women in journalism, how they achieved success, and what they envision as the industry’s future. The result is a commanding critique of the current state of women in media, boosted by constructive advice applicable to workplaces other than newsrooms. A crucial resource for women leaders in any field. * Booklist *Gilger and Wallace (both, Arizona State) profile some successful female journalists and provide pragmatic advice to women within (and entering) the news media. Most of the book’s nine chapters are interspersed with career tips, which are partially derived from accompanying profiles and vignettes. The examples are contemporary and focus on the career challenges of women journalists within diverse mass media platforms, including digital, newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Among the array of interesting profiles, the book describes the challenging 32-month tenure of Jill Abramson as the executive editor of the New York Times. The latter adds insights to Ms. Abramson’s recent book, Merchants of Truth (2019). While Gilger and Wallace base their book on interviews of more than 100 journalists, they provide occasional context, such as a discussion about the increasing presence of women in journalism during the past four decades. The text is well written and contains a list of interviewees, chapter footnotes, and some cheerful photographs. * CHOICE *Collecting the stories of women who have spent the last four decades in media, There's No Crying in Newsrooms is an essential read for any aspiring journalist or reporter. * Bustle *Kristin Grady Gilger and Julia Wallace (both news veterans) ask the questions you’ve always wanted to know from the women at the top: “How did you get where you are?” “What did you say to the creepy guys at work?” “Do you think you made the right decision to (not) have kids?” and “What can I do today to get ahead?” . . . The authors weave the stories of dozens of women leaders into the broader history of gender and civil rights in America, and in how news and journalism are changing in the digital age. * Women2 *Gilger and Wallace argue that the fight is worth it — that journalism and democracy are better served if newsrooms more closely reflect the broader culture. I hope this book is read not just by aspiring journalists but by newsroom leaders as well. A problem can’t be solved unless it’s first understood, and There’s No Crying in Newsrooms explains it well. -- Dan Kennedy, WGBH BostonIf there is one lesson that I can add to the many profound lessons this book offers, it is this: Focus on what’s best for you and then throw yourself at it. And remember that the cause of women in newsrooms will take on urgency only if we make it happen–together. -- Campbell Brown, Head of Global News Partnerships, FacebookThere’s No Crying in Newsrooms is an important, readable, and timely book about women newsroom leaders at a turning point in American journalism. It vividly describes, from probing interviews, the struggles and triumphs of dozens of leading women journalists. Each chapter ends with engaging, sage advice from the authors, drawing on their own long careers as successful news leaders. A rich portfolio of photos of many of the women helps readers get to know them even better. The book should be essential reading for journalists and for everyone else interested in the journey of American women today. -- Leonard Downie Jr., former Executive Editor and VP of The Washington PostI’m truly thankful to Kristin and Julia for writing this book. It’s part history, part practical advice, and fueled by the stories women journalists tell when we’re together. It’s important that the discussion about facing obstacles and opportunities for women in journalism be shared more widely. I came away inspired by and grateful to the trailblazing women journalists who have led the way. -- Nicole Carroll, Editor in Chief of USA TODAYA provocative look inside the world of journalism, filled with stories of women who have learned to lead, even though many of the same old obstacles remain. There’s No Crying in Newsrooms is the real-life guidebook to a new generation of women intent on careers in not just news, but every profession. -- Gail Evans, EVP, CNN Newsgroup, Author of Play Like A Man, Win Like a WomanI found this book to be a triple gift. Not only do Gilger and Wallace write the compelling history of women climbing to the top of the news business, and profile many of those women who fought to the summit, they also provide a detailed roadmap for future leaders on their own journey to the top. I thought I knew this story because I lived it. But there's so much more that exists under the surface. This is required reading for anyone entering the business. -- Kate O'Brian, Former Senior Vice President of ABC News and President of Al Jazeera AmericaMentors, professors, and parents should recommend There'sNo Crying in Newsrooms to any aspiring journalist. Through captivating stories and anecdotes, the authors – trailblazers in their own right -- share the wisdom gained by those homesteading female pioneers who, over the past half century, rose through the ranks, paving a professional path forward for other women. Each chapter ends with a compendium of leadership lessons – a passing of the baton to the current generation and a toolkit for meeting the remaining challenges. -- Penelope Muse Abernathy, Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics, University of North CarolinaTable of ContentsForeword: We Learn From Each Other’s Experiences, and We Have Lots to LearnCampbell BrownAcknowledgmentsIntroduction to the Updated Edition : Finishing the Job We Started1 Too Wimpy or Too Bitchy? Finding an Effective Way to Lead2 From Getting Coffee to Running the Place3 Dealing with the Lechers Among Us4 The Dollars and Sense of Diversity5 A Short History of the First Female Editor of the New York Times6 Changing the News: How Women Shape Culture and Coverage7 What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Balancing Work and Family8 The Unfulfilled Promise of Digital Media9 The Next Generation: What Has Changed and What Has NotList of InterviewsNotesIndex

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis"A brilliant and brilliantly different" (Kiese Laymon), wrenching and redemptive coming-of-age memoir about the difficulty of growing up in a hazardous home and the glory of finding salvation in geek culture. Stranded within an ever-shifting family’s desperate but volatile attempts to love, saddled with a mercurial mother mired in crack addiction, and demeaned daily for his perceived weakness, Joseph Earl Thomas grew up feeling he was under constant threat. Roaches fell from the ceiling, colonizing bowls of noodles and cereal boxes. Fists and palms pounded down at school and at home, leaving welts that ached long after they disappeared. An inescapable hunger gnawed at his frequently empty stomach, and requests for food were often met with indifference if not open hostility. Deemed too unlike the other boys to ever gain the acceptance he so desperately desired, he began to escape into fantasy and virtual worlds, wells of happiness in a childhood assailed on all sides. In a series of exacting and fierce vignettes, Thomas guides readers through the unceasing cruelty that defined his circumstances, laying bare the depths of his loneliness and illuminating the vital reprieve geek culture offered him. With remarkable tenderness and devastating clarity, he explores how lessons of toxic masculinity were drilled into his body and the way the cycle of violence permeated the very fabric of his environment. Even in the depths of isolation, there were unexpected moments of joy carved out, from summers where he was freed from the injurious structures of his surroundings to the first glimpses of kinship he caught on his journey to becoming a Pokémon master. SINK follows Thomas's coming-of-age towards an understanding of what it means to lose the desire to fit in—with his immediate peers, turbulent family, or the world—and how good it feels to build community, love, and salvation on your own terms.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis Part hidden history, part love letter to creative innovation, this is the 'imaginative and immersive' (The Star Tribune) true story of an unlikely friendship between a dancer, Loie Fuller, and a scientist, Marie Curie, brought together by an illuminating discovery.   At the turn of the century, Paris was a hotbed of creativity. Technology boomed, delivering to the world electric light, the automobile, and new ways to treat disease, while imagination blossomed, creating Art Nouveau, motion pictures, and modernist literature. A pivotal figure during this time, yet largely forgotten today, Loie Fuller was an American performance artist who became a living symbol of the Art Nouveau movement with her hypnotic dances and stunning theatrical effects. Credited today as the pioneer of modern dance, she was perennially broke, never took no for an answer, spent most of her life with a female partner, and never questioned her drive. She was a visionary, a renegade, and a loyal friend.   In the early 1900s, she heard about Marie Curie's discovery of a glowing blue element and dreamed of using it to dazzle audiences on stage. While Loie's dream wouldn't be realized, her connection with Marie and their shared fascination with radium endured. Radiant is the true story of Marie Curie and Loie Fuller, two revolutionary women drawn together at the dawn of a new era by a singular discovery, and the lifelong friendship that grew out of their shared passion for enlightenment.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisSeen through the eyes of four generations of a firefighter family, Five Floors Up is on one level the story of the modern New York City Fire Department. From the days just after the horse-drawn firetruck, to the devastation of the 1970s when the Bronx was Burning, to the unspeakable tragedy of 9/11, to the culture-busting department of today, a Feehan has worn the shoulder patch of the FDNY. The tale especially shines the spotlight on the career of William M. Feehan. “Chief” Feehan is only person to have held every rank in the FDNY including being New York City's 28th Fire Commissioner. He died in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. But Five Floors Up is at root an intimate look at a firefighter clan, the selflessness and bravery of not only those who face the flames, but the family members who stand by their sides. Alternately humorous and harrowing, rich with anecdotes and meticulously researched and reported, Five Floors Up takes us inside a world few of us truly understand, and documents an era that is quickly passing us by.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAt the turn of the twentieth century, American women began to reject Victorian propriety in favor of passion and livelihood outside the home. This alarmed authorities, who feared certain "over-sexed" women could destroy civilization if allowed to reproduce and pass on their defects. Set against this backdrop, THE UNFIT HEIRESS chronicles the fight for inheritance, both genetic and monetary, between Ann Cooper Hewitt and her mother Maryon.In 1934, aided by a California eugenics law, the socialite Maryon Cooper Hewitt had her "promiscuous" daughter declared feebleminded and sterilized without her knowledge. She did this to deprive Ann of millions of dollars from her father's estate, which contained a child-bearing stipulation. When a sensational court case ensued, the American public was captivated. So were eugenicists, who saw an opportunity to restrict reproductive rights in America for decades to come. This riveting story unfolds through the brilliant research of Audrey Clare Farley, who captures the interior lives of these women on the pages and poses questions that remain relevant today: What does it mean to be "unfit" for motherhood? In the battle for reproductive rights, can we forgive the women who side against us? And can we forgive our mothers if they are the ones who inflict the deepest wounds?

Read more less

Book SynopsisNAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2021 BY THE NEW YORK POST AND BOOK RIOTNAMED A BEST TRUE CRIME BOOK OF 2021 BY CRIMEREADSAt the turn of the twentieth century, emboldened American women began to seek passion and livelihood outside the home. This alarmed authorities, who feared "over-sexed" women could destroy civilization, either by crossing the color line or passing their evident defects on to their children. Set against this backdrop, The Unfit Heiress chronicles the fight for inheritance between Ann Cooper Hewitt and her socialite mother Maryon, who had her daughter sterilized without her knowledge. A sensational court case ensued, and powerful eugenicists saw an opportunity to restrict reproductive rights in America for decades to come.This riveting story unfolds through the brilliant research of Audrey Clare Farley, who captures the interior lives of these women on the pages and poses questions that remain relevant today: What does it mean to be "unfit" for motherhood? How do racial anxieties continue to influence who does and does not reproduce? In the battle for reproductive rights, can we forgive those who side against us? And can we forgive our mothers if they are the ones who inflict the deepest wounds?

Read more less

Book Synopsis"[C]harming and surprising. . . The work of Admissions is laying down, with wit and care, the burden James assumed at 15, that she - or any Black student, or all Black students - would manage the failures of a racially illiterate community. . . The best depiction of elite whiteness I've read."-New York TimesEarly on in Kendra James' professional life, she began to feel like she was selling a lie. As an admissions officer specializing in diversity recruitment for independent prep schools, she persuaded students and families to embark on the same perilous journey she herself had made-to attend cutthroat and largely white schools similar to The Taft School, where she had been the first African-American legacy student only a few years earlier. Her new job forced her to reflect on her own elite education experience, and to realize how disillusioned she had become with America's inequitable system.In ADMISSIONS, Kendra looks back at the three years she spent at Taft, chronicling clashes with her lily-white roommate, how she had to unlearn the respectability politics she'd been raised with, and the fall-out from a horrifying article in the student newspaper that accused Black and Latinx students of being responsible for segregation of campus. Through these stories, some troubling, others hilarious, she deconstructs the lies and half-truths she herself would later tell as an admissions professional, in addition to the myths about boarding schools perpetuated by popular culture.With its combination of incisive social critique and uproarious depictions of elite nonsense, ADMISSIONS will resonate with anyone who has ever been The Only One in a room, dealt with racial microaggressions, or even just suffered from an extreme case of homesickness.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe epic history of African American women's pursuit of political power -- and how it transformed America.In the standard story, the suffrage crusade began in Seneca Falls in 1848 and ended with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. But this overwhelmingly white women's movement did not win the vote for most black women. Securing their rights required a movement of their own.In Vanguard, acclaimed historian Martha S. Jones offers a new history of African American women's political lives in America. She recounts how they defied both racism and sexism to fight for the ballot, and how they wielded political power to secure the equality and dignity of all persons. From the earliest days of the republic to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and beyond, Jones excavates the lives and work of black women—Maria Stewart, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Fannie Lou Hamer, and more—who were the vanguard of women's rights, calling on America to realize its best ideals.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA group biography of renowned crime novelist Dorothy L. Sayers and the Oxford women who stood at the vanguard of equal rights Dorothy L. Sayers is now famous for her Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane detective series, but she was equally well known during her life for an essay asking "Are Women Human?" Women''s rights were expanding rapidly during Sayers''s lifetime; she and her friends were some of the first women to receive degrees from Oxford. Yet, as historian Mo Moulton reveals, it was clear from the many professional and personal obstacles they faced that society was not ready to concede that women were indeed fully human. Dubbing themselves the Mutual Admiration Society, Sayers and her classmates remained lifelong friends and collaborators as they fought for a truly democratic culture that acknowledged their equal humanity. A celebration of feminism and female friendship, The Mutual Admiration Society offers crucial insight into Dorothy L. Sayers and her world.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe inspiring true story of an enslaved woman who liberated an infamous slave jail and transformed it into one of the nation's first HBCUs In The Devil's Half Acre, New York Times bestselling author Kristen Green draws on years of research to tell the extraordinary and little-known story of young Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved woman who blazed a path of liberation for thousands. She was forced to have the children of a brutal slave trader and live on the premises of his slave jail, known as the "Devil's Half Acre." When she inherited the jail after the death of her slaveholder, she transformed it into "God's Half Acre," a school where Black men could fulfil their dreams. It still exists today as Virginia Union University, one of America's first Historically Black Colleges and Universities. A sweeping narrative of a life in the margins of the American slave trade, The Devil's Half Acre brings Mary Lumpkin into the light. This is the story of the resilience of a woman on the path to freedom, her historic contributions, and her enduring legacy.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the early days of the Afghanistan war, Jeff Stern was scouring the streets of Kabul for a big story. He was accompanied by a driver, Aimal, who had ambitions of his own: to get rich off the sudden infusion of foreign attention and cash.In this gripping adventure story, Stern writes of how he and Aimal navigated an environment full of guns and danger and opportunity, and how they forged a deep bond.Then Stern got a call that changed everything. He discovered that Aimal had become an arms dealer, and was ultimately forced to flee the country to protect his family from his increasingly dangerous business partners.Tragic, powerful, and layered, The Mercenary is more than a wartime drama. It is a Rashomon-like story about how politics and violence warp our humanity, and keep the most important truths hidden.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe true story of two women who found meaning, strength, and friendship in one of the most punishing and magnificent landscapes on earth.Amy Butcher was an accomplished college professor, mentor, and writer, but in her own home, she was embarrassed and emotionally burdened by an increasingly abusive relationship. Exhausted and terrified of the ways her partner’s behavior could escalate, Amy reached out to Instagram celebrity Joy “Mothertrucker” Wiebe. Joy was a fifty-year-old wife and mother and the nation’s only female ice road trucker, a woman who maneuvered big rigs through the Alaskan wilderness along the deadliest road in America. Joy was everything Amy wanted to be: independent, fearless, and in charge of her life in a landscape dominated by men. Invited by Joy to ride shotgun, Amy found her escape on a road that was treacherous, beautiful, and exhilarating—an adventurous ride through the Alaskan wilderness that was profoundly life changing.Mothertrucker is the story of that bracing four-hundred-mile journey navigating snow-glazed overpasses, ice-blue curves, and near plummets. It’s also the stories that led them both to Alaska—an interrogation of the reality of female fear, domestic violence, and how to overcome—and an exploration into just how galvanizing friendships between women can be.

Read more less

Book Synopsis‘Of all the variously talented women SOE sent to France, Nancy Wake was perhaps the most formidable’ —Sebastian Faulks This is the incredible true story of the greatest spy you’ve never heard of—as told to the author by the woman herself. At the outbreak of World War Two, Nancy Wake’s glamorous life in the South of France seemed far removed from the fighting. But when her husband was called up for military service, Nancy felt she had just as much of a duty to fight for freedom. By 1943, her fearless undercover work even in the face of personal tragedy had earned her a place on the Gestapo’s ‘most wanted’ list. Mixing armed combat with a taste for high living, Nancy frustrated the Nazis at every turn’whether she was smuggling food and messages as part of the underground Resistance or being parachuted into the heart of the war to lead a 7,000-strong band of Resistance fighters. The extraordinary courage of this unequalled woman changed the course of the war, and Russell Braddon’s vividly realised biography brings her incredible story to life. Revised edition: This edition of Nancy Wake includes editorial revisions.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom prominent outdoorsman and nature writer Mark Kenyon comes an engrossing reflection on the past and future battles over our most revered landscapes—America’s public lands. Every American is a public-land owner, inheritor to the largest public-land trust in the world. These vast expanses provide a home to wildlife populations, a vital source of clean air and water, and a haven for recreation. Since its inception, however, America’s public land system has been embroiled in controversy—caught in the push and pull between the desire to develop the valuable resources the land holds or conserve them. Alarmed by rising tensions over the use of these lands, hunter, angler, and outdoor enthusiast Mark Kenyon set out to explore the spaces involved in this heated debate, and learn firsthand how they came to be and what their future might hold. Part travelogue and part historical examination, That Wild Country invites readers on an intimate tour of the wondrous wild and public places that are a uniquely profound and endangered part of the American landscape.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom prominent outdoorsman and nature writer Mark Kenyon comes an engrossing reflection on the past and future battles over our most revered landscapes—America’s public lands. Every American is a public-land owner, inheritor to the largest public-land trust in the world. These vast expanses provide a home to wildlife populations, a vital source of clean air and water, and a haven for recreation. Since its inception, however, America’s public land system has been embroiled in controversy—caught in the push and pull between the desire to develop the valuable resources the land holds or conserve them. Alarmed by rising tensions over the use of these lands, hunter, angler, and outdoor enthusiast Mark Kenyon set out to explore the spaces involved in this heated debate, and learn firsthand how they came to be and what their future might hold. Part travelogue and part historical examination, That Wild Country invites readers on an intimate tour of the wondrous wild and public places that are a uniquely profound and endangered part of the American landscape.Trade ReviewA 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards Semifinalist: Best Science & Technology “Kenyon’s writing and traveling style are equally companionable…he evokes in his prose an appealing sense of shared experience…a strong argument for why two often politically opposed factions, hunters and environmentalists, should come together under the #KeepItPublic banner…succeeds in making the political simultaneously personal and universal.” —Publishers Weekly “An intimate escape for adventure seekers.” —Seattle PI “When friends complain to me about the ideological divisions ripping America in two, I cheer them up with stories about our public lands. Right now, groups and individuals as diverse as the nation itself are coalescing around the rallying cry of ‘Keep It Public’ as we fight to defend the environmental integrity and accessibility of our public lands. Let Mark Kenyon’s That Wild Country be our guiding text. Not only does Kenyon tell you why and how we have public lands, but he also tells you why and how we’ll keep them. Read this book and join the movement.” —Steven Rinella, bestselling author of The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook and American Buffalo “This is a must-read for all public-land owners. Mark weaves his own adventures and connections to public land into the history on how we were gifted this great legacy. Read this book, be inspired, and become engaged.” —Land Tawney, president and CEO of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers “More than a century ago John Muir warned that ‘Wilderness is a necessity…They will see what I meant in time.’ For better or worse we have arrived in the cultural moment that the wandering Scotsman foresaw, when the landscapes that are most vital to the survival of America’s soul are also the most jeopardized. Thoroughly immersed in said moment, with pure heart and true aim, Mark Kenyon has written an engrossing walkabout of his own that pairs an impassioned, unquenchable desire for wild country with a rare, marksman-cool ability to articulate the complex issues and stakes in our fight for public lands. A wonderful debut.” —Chris Dombrowski, author of Body of Water “America’s public lands are under assault, from chronic underfunding, development interests, invasive species, and climate change, among other threats. Against this backdrop, Mark Kenyon eloquently explores how many of these public lands came to be, and why they are more important today than ever. That Wild Country is more than a lesson; it is a personal journey of discovery to which all public-lands users, from hikers and boaters to hunters and anglers, can relate.” —Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

Read more less

Book SynopsisMeet the unsung sheroes of history: the diverse, defiant and daring (wo)men who changed the rules, and their identities, to get sh*t done. You’ll encounter Kit Cavanagh, the swaggering Irish dragoon who was the first woman to be buried in London with full military honours; marauding eighteenth-century pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny, who collided on the high seas after swapping their petticoats for pantaloons; Ellen Craft, an escaped slave who masqueraded as a white master to spirit her husband-to-be to freedom; and Billy Tipton, the swinging jazz musician, who led a double life as an adult, taking five wives along the way. Then there are the women who still have to dress like men to live their best lives, like the inspirational football-lovers in Iran, who risk everything to take their place in the stands. A call to action for the modern world, this book celebrates the #GenderRebels who paved the way for women everywhere to be soldiers and spies; kings and queens; firefighters, doctors, pilots; and a Swiss Army knife’s-worth more. These superbly spirited (wo)men all had one thing in common: they defied the rules to progress in a man’s world.Trade Review“Essential reading…a funny, beautiful, powerful guide to the unsung heroes…People of the earth: read this book, you will never look at gender the same again.” —Scarlett Curtis, author of Feminists Don’t Wear Pink and Other Lies “Brilliant! Anneka Harry has achieved something special and I feel inspired and galvanized after reading it.” —Gemma Cairney, broadcaster

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisYou may know Anjelah Johnson-Reyes for her viral sketch "Nail Salon" (over 100 million views globally) or her beloved MadTV character Bon Qui Qui, but it's her clean humor and hilarious storytelling that make her one of the most successful stand-up comedians and actresses today. With her razor-sharp wit, Anjelah recounts funny stories from her journey-from growing up caught between two worlds (do chips and salsa go with potato salad?) to unexpectedly embracing faith ("I love Jesus, but I will punch a 'ho") to her many adventures in dating (she may or may not have accepted dates simply for the food). Through it all, Anjelah transforms from a suburban-adjacent kid with Aquanet-drenched hair into a devoted Christian who abstains from drinking and premarital sex, into a mall-famous Oakland Raiders cheerleader, and then an actually famous comedian traveling the world and meeting people from all-walks of life, including Oprah. No biggie. (Huge biggie.) As she travels the world, Anjelah has eye-opening experiences, and she morphs from square, rigid Anjelah into "Funjelah," and learns that she can still ride with Jesus without squashing the other parts of her personality.Anjelah's stories explore subjects such as navigating your racial identity, finding your place in the world, chasing your crazy dreams, embracing the messiness of an evolving faith, and searching for belonging and meaning. Through her journey, Anjelah gets closer to discovering her true identity and encourages readers to have the audacity to dream big.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this powerful memoir, the creator of the viral videos "Before You Call the Cops" and "Walking While Black", Tyler Merritt, shares his experiences as a Black man in America with truth, humour, and poignancy.Tyler Merritt's video "Before You Call the Cops" has been viewed millions of times. He's appeared on Jimmy Kimmel and Sports Illustrated and has been profiled in the New York Times. The viral video's main point-the more you know someone, the more empathy, understanding, and compassion you have for that person-is the springboard for this book. By sharing his highs and exposing his lows, Tyler welcomes us into his world in order to help bridge the divides that seem to grow wider every day.In I Take My Coffee Black, Tyler tells hilarious stories from his own life as a black man in America. He talks about growing up in a multi-cultural community and realizing that he wasn't always welcome, how he quit sports for musical theater (that's where the girls were) to how Jesus barged in uninvited and changed his life forever (it all started with a Triple F.A.T. Goose jacket) to how he ended up at a small Bible college in Santa Cruz because he thought they had a great theater program (they didn't). Throughout his stories, he also seamlessly weaves in lessons about privilege, the legacy of lynching and sharecropping and why you don't cross black mamas. He teaches readers about the history of encoded racism that still undergirds our society today.By turns witty, insightful, touching, and laugh-out-loud funny, I Take My Coffee Black paints a portrait of black manhood in America and enlightens, illuminates, and entertains-ultimately building the kind of empathy that might just be the antidote against the racial injustice in our society.

Read more less