Biography: general Books

Book SynopsisThe incredible story of the second ever African American actor to find success on stage abroad.

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Book SynopsisJack Lawrence wrote songs that launched the careers of at least a dozen top showbusiness stars,such as Frank Sinatra (All Or Nothing At All) and Dinah Shore (Yes, My Darling Daughter).

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Book SynopsisA memoir from Holocaust survivor Michel - highlights include his description of the Nuremberg Trials and his encounterw with Goering.

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Book Synopsis“The lowdown on what it’s like to be raised by a legend. Frequently funny and consistently intimate. . . . A great read.” —BookPage “Those searching for a moving Father’s Day gift need look no further.”—Publishers Weekly Men like John Wayne and John Lennon, Nolan Ryan and Bruce Lee, Cesar Chavez, Christopher Reeve, and Miles Davis have touched the lives of millions. But at home, to their children, they were not their public personas. They were Dad. Maybe Davis didn’t leave the office at five o’clock to come home and play catch with his son Erin, but the man we see through Erin’s eyes is so alive, so real, so not the “king of cool” (he taught his son to box, made a killer pot of chili, watched MTV alongside him) that it brings us to a whole new appreciation for the artist. Each of these forty first-person narratives—intimate, heartfelt, unvarnished, surprising, and profoundly universal—shows us not only a very different view of a figure we thought we knew but also a wholly fresh and moving idea of what it means to be a father.Trade Review“The most famous fathers of modern times and how they interacted with their families in their private lives.”—Charleston Gazette-Mail “Sometimes emotionally raw, funny, sometimes a bit on the competitive side, and sometimes an awful lot sad. . . . A quick, enjoyable read.”—Miami Times “An intriguing collection of essays written by the children of actors, authors, inventors, sports heroes and scientists, the book gives readers the lowdown on what it’s like to be raised by a legend. Frequently funny and consistently intimate, the essays reveal surprising truths about their subjects. . . . Rare family photos give the book extra appeal. Stein delivers a great read for dads everywhere with this touching tribute to family men.”—BookPage “A compelling read for anyone interested in a behind-the-scenes take on the parental lives of men in the spotlight.”—Library Journal “Stein, editor-at-large for the website Fatherly, compiles 40 stories by sons and daughters about their well-known fathers. Giving a glimpse of the men outside the public eye, these compositions present their subjects in a whole new light—ultracool actor Samuel L. Jackson is a “nerd” (“he’s got a wormhole personality” who “burrows into whatever strange things he’s interested in”), and Superman actor Christopher Reeve didn’t become a super dad until he was paralyzed. According to Brandon Jenner, Caitlyn Jenner became a more attentive dad after her gender transition. Not all these dads were famous for the right reasons—Steve Hodel reflects on his father George, who was a prime suspect, though he was never charged, in the 1947 Black Dahlia murder—and though their children are haunted by their deeds, they also find the humanity in these men who acted in inhumane ways (Hodel recalls the joy of clamming—albeit illegally—with his father in 1949 L.A.). In a moving essay not involving a famous father, Jim Sullivan writes of spending years trying to learn the identity of his biological father, who turned out to be a Catholic priest named Thomas S. Sullivan. Those searching for a moving Father’s Day gift need look no further.”—Publishers Weekly

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Book Synopsis"A boldly beautiful page-turner about loving and losing someone with mental illness. I'll be recommending this absorbing memoir for years to come." ,Cheryl Strayed, best-selling author of Wild Even as a reporter, Sheila Hamilton missed the signs as her husband David's mental illness unfolded before her. By the time she had pieced together the puzzle, it was too late. Her once brilliant and passionate partner was dead within six weeks of a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, leaving his young daughter and wife without so much as a note to explain his actions, a plan to help them recover from their profound grief, or a solution for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt that they would inherit from him. All the Things We Never Knew takes readers on a breathtaking journey from David and Sheila's romance through the last three months of their life together and into the year after his death. It details their unsettling spiral from ordinary life into the world of mental illness, examines the fragile line between reality and madness, and reveals the true power of love and forgiveness.Trade Review"All the Things We Never Knew is a boldly beautiful page-turner about loving and losing someone with mental illness. With unblinking honesty and profound compassion, Sheila Hamilton brings us vividly into her confusion, sorrow, and ultimate healing. I'll be recommending this absorbing memoir for years to come." --Cheryl Strayed, bestselling author of Wild "Highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand mental illness from a caregiver's perspective and educate themselves on how to support loved ones who are afflicted."--Library Journal "If you've ever asked the question 'Do I need help?' or 'Does my loved one need help?' then read this book. Merging her gut-wrenching personal story with all-pro journalistic acumen, Sheila Hamilton gives us the who-what-where-when-why of mental illness and what you can do to get the help you need. Most of all, this book gives us permission not to go through hardship alone, no matter what crises we face." --Laura Munson, New York Times best-selling author of This Is Not The Story You Think It Is, and founder of Haven Writing Retreats "Sheila Hamilton's All The Things We Never Knew is one of the most candid, heart-wrenching, and deeply moving accounts of the wake of destruction caused by the suicide of a loved one. Her book reminds us of those we've lost to suicide. The book casts the dark shadow that is depression, then rises from such darkness, reminding us to 'Look to the living, love them, and hold on.' Finally, it gives survivors tremendous resolve to continue in their quest for prevention." --Kevin Hines, mental health speaker, activist, and author of Cracked, Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt "Journalist Sheila Hamilton has written a bold and honest book that takes the stigma out of mental illness and explores the terrible and beautiful angles when a loved one suffers from bipolar disorder. Hamilton's reporter's eye and lover's heart give us a valuable perspective on how the grip of this insidious disease can destroy families and lives ... Hamilton's story is not only a cautionary tale but another example of the resiliency within all of us, and our ability to make the choice to heal." --Lee Woodruff, bestselling author of In an Instant and Perfectly Imperfect, and contributing reporter for CBS This Morning "All the Things We Never Knew is so beautiful, so raw, and so powerful. It is, in a word, spectacular, and Sheila Hamilton is so generous and brave to share this story with the rest of the world. Anyone who has struggled with mental illness--their own, their family members', their friends' (which is to say, all of us)--will come away from this deeply humane book feeling less alone." --Kelly Williams Brown, bestselling author of Adulting "All the Things We Never Knew is an honest, compelling read that chronicles Sheila Hamilton's personal story of what it's like to live with and love a spouse with mental health challenges. Written well, accurately describing the depression and mania of what later becomes a bipolar diagnosis, she captures the struggle of piecing together biological, psychological, and environmental factors that ultimately lead to a hard but hopeful ending. It is one of those books you don't want to put down. As a radio personality, it also turns out she has a gift for writing as well. In between each chapter is information or a nugget of wisdom Sheila found helpful in her healing journey. Put this on your reading list today and continue the conversation!" --Gina Firman Nikkel, President and CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care "All the Things We Never Knew is the rare memoir that's as harrowing as it is heartwarming, and Sheila Hamilton is the rarest of writers--a disciplined reporter with a masterful understanding of the workings of the human heart. This extraordinary story, about the mystery and scars of mental illness, is sobering and compelling and simply unputdownable." --Karen Karbo, bestselling author of The Gospel According to Coco Chanel and How Georgia Became O'Keefe

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Book SynopsisThis biography of writer, translator, teacher, and feminist Ada Gobetti, the first in English or Italian, frames her activism in the Resistenza as a chapter in a lifetime of resistance. By the time Turin was liberated in April 1945, writer, translator, teacher, and women's rights activist Ada Gobetti had been fighting fascism for almost twenty-five years. This biography frames her wartime activism in the Resistenza as a chapter in a lifetime of resistance. Gobetti participated in the underground Giustizia e Libertà movement, and helped to found the Partito d'Azione, a political party whose members asked her to represent them as vice mayor of Turin after the war. For Gobetti, the Resistenza also brought an awareness of the specific talents, needs, and rights of Italian women. This led her to organize other Italian women against German occupiers and Fascist oppressors, found an underground women's newspaper, and solidify her views regarding women as a political force. After 1945, resistance meant espousing a set of ideals exemplified by the best that came out of the Resistenza, ideals of grassroots democracy, women's rights, and democratic education for which Gobetti would fight for the rest of her life. Jomarie Alano is a visiting scholar at Cornell University's Institute for European Studies. She is the translator and editor of Ada Gobetti's Diario partigiano, published by Oxford University Press in 2014 as Partisan Diary: A Woman's Life in the Italian Resistance.Trade ReviewA meticulously detailed and engaging account. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *Alano writes with clarity and enthusiasm that makes this biography engaging and an enjoyable read. * JOURNAL OF MODERN HISTORY *This thorough book about one woman's struggle against a brutal regime keeps the memory alive. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY Ada Gobetti entered politics in 1918 by joining the staff of Piero Gobetti's radical journal, Energie Nove, and her life was lived within words and ideas. By 1943, she had joined the armed resistance, but her role remained that of an intellectual, not a soldier. Her concerns, from the very beginning, had been not so much about herself but about Italy's and Europe's democratic future. * AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW *Table of ContentsIntroduction Early Years (1902-1918) New Life (1918-1920) The Path of Resistance (1920-1926) Resisting Alone (1926-1939) Antifascism for Children (1939-1940) War (1940-1943) The Resistenza (1943-1945) Postwar Politics (1945-1947) Women's Rights, Human Rights (1947-1961) Educating Resisters (1947-1968) Conclusion: The Legacy of Resistance Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book reprints a four-hour conversation between Mr. Schickel and Mr. Allen and includes a long essay of introduction by Mr. Schickel, which places Woody Allen's entire career in critical perspective, as well as a complete filmography. Readers will find Mr. Allen's reflections on his major preoccupations—the battle of the sexes; the conflict between reality and fantasy in his major films; mortality, religion, and the role that chance plays in the unfolding of our lives. The book also offers insights into Mr. Allen's working methods as a writer and the growth of his skills as a director.Trade Review...This book also offers new, tasty, nutritious stuff for Woody loyalists to savor. -- Owen McNally * Hartford Courant *This is an urbane and readable work and will be of great interest to avid Allen fans... -- Andrea Slonosky * Library Journal *Even those who have lost who have lost patience with Allen's recent efforts will want to read what he has to say about his 1970s masterworks. -- Gordon Flagg * Booklist *As usual, Richard Schickel has nailed his subject, and this time his subject is a particularly hard one to nail. -- Jeanine BasingerWitty, surprising, important (but never self-important), and—best of all—moving...a compact but very real treasure...graceful and perceptive...wonderful. -- Steven BachClearly, Allen is comfortable talking to Schickel...a brisk read. * Chicago Tribune *The author pleads a strong case that as a gifted writer and actor of limited range, Woody Allen deserves a more prominent position in the motion picture arts. * Foreword Reviews *…Thoughtful, critical insights into Allen's screen works. * Newport News Press *…Fascinating biography of a giant in film… * Forecast *Schickel is a thoughtful observer and critic, a lively writer…. * Virginia Quarterly Review *Schickel may well be the smartest, most practiced and least axe-grinding interviewer Allen has ever had. * The Buffalo News *A breezy, readable entry to Allen's vast bibliography...with an excellent Introduction and Afterword. -- Richard A. Blake * America: The Jesuit Review of Faith & Culture *Table of ContentsPart 1 A Note on the Text xi Part 2 Introduction: Woody in the Afternoon 3 Part 3 The Interview 71 Part 4 Afterword 171 Part 5 Filmography 180 Part 6 Index 206

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Book SynopsisThe sudden disappearance of Judge Joseph Crater nearly 75 years ago led to perhaps the most famous missing persons case of the twentieth century. Crater, a justice of New York's state Supreme Court, vanished amid political scandal. Within days, questions arose about Judge Crater's finances and his liaisons with numerous women. A public frenzy about what happened to Crater provided impetus for scrutiny of New York's Tammany Hall political machine—and ultimately for the vanishing of Tammany Hall as well. The cast of characters in this book—the first-ever serious look at the Crater case—includes Franklin D. Roosevelt, the governor who named Crater to the bench; Senator Robert Wagner, Crater's mentor, but also the leader with the most to lose from having Crater found; Al Smith, Tammany's ebbing leader and failed presidential candidate; Jimmy Walker, the rogue Mayor of New York City and the darling of Tammany Hall; and Fiorello La Guardia, the crusading reformer who finally came to power on the back of the scandals. Richard J. Tofel's Vanishing Point is a revealing look at New York as the Jazz Age gave way to the Depression, and at one of the most intriguing stories in the annals of urban America.Trade ReviewCasts intriguing new light on a famous unsolved mystery. * Kirkus *It's a fascinating tale, even after all these years. * The Dallas Morning News *Fans of true crime and New York City politics alike will be attracted to Vanishing Point, an excellent survey. * Midwest Book Review *Tofel has written an entertaining account...For those who recognize the name, but don't know the fascinating story behind it, this is the book to read. * New York Post *With a newspaperman's eye for drama, Tofel covers a great tale about a New York just beyond our living memory. * New York Sun *Offers a portrait of Tammany personalities and their intricate political deals...The first book to piece together his [Crater's] surprising story. * The Wall Street Journal *Excellent...a vivid portrayal...New York lawyers should find fascinating the depiction of a New York legal world...Illuminating. * New York Law Journal *An intriguing mystery built around the author's compelling argument about the truth behind Crater's disappearance. * Smoke *Shrewd, terse, engrossing study... * The New York Times *Using a substantial body of evidence Tofel...offers a tentative, yet intriguing solution… -- Gracie Gregg * Times Record News, Wichita Falls, TX *He makes the case relevant and fascinating for the reader. -- Larry Cox * Tucson Citizen *This makes for fascinating reading. -- Eugene R. Fidell * Green Bag *Compelling. -- Owen Moritz * New York Daily News *A fascinating look at a great city’s greatest mystery. * Kevin Baker *Extraordinarily deft and skillfully written...[An] admirably understated book... -- Ric Burns, documentary filmmaker

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Book SynopsisOf the ten thousand letters that Aldous Huxley wrote, only a fraction have been published. Those that were once considered too sensitive for publication can now be included in a wholly new collection. James Sexton's thoughtful selection opens new perspectives on one of the giants of prose. Huxley's letters movingly depict his courageous battle with almost total blindness. Later letters to his patroness demonstrate the brilliance that would soon gain Huxley an international reputation as one of his generation's major satirists. Gradually the letters reveal a shift from cynical satirist to a committed critic of fascism. The letters also provide plentiful insights into the London and New York theater scenes, and vivid discussions of Hollywood's film industry.Trade ReviewAldous Huxley's letters represent a valuable contribution to literary history-and an entertaining one. They reflect his high seriousness, and the extraordinary range of his cultural interests; at the same time they abound in witty gossip and shrewdly observed social detail. They also reveal many unexpected aspects of his personality and his private life. The Huxley who emerges from these pages is both formidable and very human. He can sometimes be arrogant or wrong-headed, too-but that doesn't make him any less readable. -- John GrossA fascinating and revelatory glimpse into the mental engine room of one of the twentieth-century's most commanding men of letters. Huxley knew everybody, and everybody knew him: these letters provide a vital record of an extraordinary moment in Europe's history as well as a portrait of an extraordinary man. A volume as entertaining as it is illuminating. -- Roger KimballThese newly published letters of Aldous Huxley are like the discovery of buried treasure. It is as if some leading figure from the Age of Enlightenment had survived into the present. Expressing himself so naturally and often wittily in these letters, he sets a lasting example of intelligence and humanity. -- David Pryce JonesHis reading was immense, his taste was impeccable, and his ear acute...His place in English literature is unique and is certainly assured. -- T. S. EliotHuxley was among the few writers who played with ideas so freely, so gaily, with such virtuosity, that the responsive reader was dazzled and excited. -- Isaiah Berlin"An illuminating work.... Sexton helps reveal Huxley more fully than ever before." * Publishers Weekly *A book of letters, many previously unpublished, reinforces the impression that Aldous Huxley was attracted to eccentric ideas ... ENGROSSING. * The New York Times *Main pleasures here derive from correspondence with two women, one of whom Huxley shared as a lover with his wife. * The New York Times *Brings a new perspective on the personal and intellectual life of a giant of modern English prose. * Sarasota Herald-Tribune *Remarkable scope...its hundreds of never-before-published letters recommend it for large academic libraries. -- Paulina Taglienti * Library Journal *Letters extend one’s sense of Huxley’s ubiquitous presence in 20th-century intellectual society....Attractive collection represents diligent research....Recommended. * CHOICE *A powerful gathering of his personal and intellectual life in letters-most of them published for the first time. * Midwest Book Review *We see Huxley's full range: husband, traveler, lover, aesthete, and scathing social commentator....Sexton has done an invaluable service. -- ELLIE THERMANSEN * The New Criterion *There are wonderful things in these letters: dazzling historical, literary-critical and etymological excursions; very funny gossip; reflections on Huxley's writing…and on his increasingly religious reading and sympathies. -- JEREMY TREGLOWN * Times Literary Supplement *Sexton's attractive collection represents diligent research in dozens of libraries, and his useful introduction places the letters in the context of Huxley's life and friendships. * CHOICE *

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Book SynopsisCandy Is dandy But liquor Is quicker. These inimitable lines could only have been written by Ogden Nash, the American nonpareil of light verse and one of the most remarkable figures in American letters. His keen grasp of human nature and a unique style of verse made him, in the mid-twentieth century, the most widely read and frequently quoted poet of his time. For years, readers have longed for a biography to match Nash's charm, wit, and good nature; now we have it in Douglas Parker's absorbing and delightful life of the poet. My garden will never make me famous, I'm a horticultural ignoramus, I can't tell a stringbean from a soybean, Or even a girl bean from a boy bean. Ogden Nash grew up in Savannah, Georgia, went to prep school in Newport, Rhode Island, dropped out of Harvard after his freshman year, and soon after started work as an editor with Doubleday. When he began publishing humorous poems in the New Yorker, and later when he worked at the magazine, he became part of the literary circle that included E. B. and Katharine White, Dorothy Parker, Harold Ross, and S. J. Perelman. He went on to publish more than two dozen books of verse as well as screenplays, lyrics and scripts for the theater, children's stories, and essays. Douglas Parker, who has had exclusive access to family letters and diaries, and permission to quote liberally from them and from Nash's poems, has written a warm and inviting biography of the poet who reveled in pure whimsy and wordplay, but who was applauded by his more serious contemporaries. With 12 black-and-white photographs.Trade ReviewIn this faithful and fascinating chronicle, Ogden Nash's triumphs and disappointments on Broadway and in Hollywood; his battles with writer’s block and the bottle; his disparate careers as poet, lyricist, editor, film writer, radio and television personality, courtly lover, and resident “Jesus” for Harold Ross of The New Yorker, are all revealed. Nash was a man without enemies; Douglas M. Parker’s captivating biography should win him legions of new friends. -- X. J. KennedyDouglas Parker’s superb biography of Ogden Nash is the book I would rather find in a hotel drawer than the Gideon Bible. Ironically, upon reading a Nash verse, I am invariably tempted to break the Commandment: thou shalt not steal. -- Mark Russell, political satiristNow that humor has finally been released from the doghouse called 'light verse' and has reclaimed its rightful place in poetry, how well-timed is Douglas Parker's examination of the life and work of Ogden Nash, who refused to hide his joyful wit behind the long, serious mask donned by the writers of 'heavy verse.' -- Billy CollinsDouglas Parker's intelligent, informative, and engaging new biography fills a significant scholarly need in presenting the life and times of this neglected but important American poet. -- Dana GioiaParker’s is a useful, highly readable biography of one of America’s best-loved poets. * Publishers Weekly *Well-researched. * Bloomberg *Parker's biography may well lead to a new appreciation of Nash… -- Debra Lawless * Chatham Chronicle *Explores the complex person behind the deceptively simple verse. -- Melanie Lauwers * Cape Cod Times *I've marked page after page to treasure—for the skill of the friendly first-time biographer as well as the delights of the poet. -- Roderick Nordell * The Christian Science Monitor *Admirably concise. -- Brad Leithauser * The Wall Street Journal *Douglas Parker has given us an attractive book about an engaging writer. -- John M. and Priscilla S. Taylor * The Washington Times *Capable biography… -- Jonathan Yardley * The Instrumentalist *Parker narrates Nash's accomplishments with careful detail, sprinkling apt verse excerpts throughout to add lyrical detail. * Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie *Ogden Nash is an irresistible subject for biography. Douglas M. Parker, a former lawyer and public servant, has undertaken the task out of affection and admiration for his subject; his response to Nash is that of an intelligent layman to a unique talent. Without indulging in special pleading for Nash's importance, Parker's Ogden Nash is a temperate and carefully measured account. -- William H. Pritchard * Times Literary Supplement *In the best of Nash we find a haiku of hilarity, a profound explication of the human condition. Parker has given us a levelheaded explanation of where Nash was coming from. * American Spectator *Parker tells this life story smoothly.... Nash's legion of fans should find themselves satisfied at this total story. * Arkansas Democrat–Gazette *Parker has done a tremendous service by writing this readable and workmanlike biography–the first biography of Nash, amazingly enough. * Books and Culture *Douglas M. Parker, a retired Washington, D.C., lawyer, writes a solid biography of Ogden Nash (1902–1971), perhaps America's most beloved versifier.... The author has done himself proud. It wouldn't bother citizens of the country much if more Washington lawyers took to writing biographies. * The Buffalo News *Parker's finely written biography provides a thorough picture of Nash. The reference section is extensive and impressive. If you are a Nash fan to begin with, you will be more so upon completion of Parker's book. * Charleston Post and Courier *This biography is a fine and overdue tribute to a good man who wrote very funny and sometimes sad light verse. It is particularly strong on Nash's ventures into musical theatre and his long involvement with the New Yorker. * Literary Review, (Uk) *Parker's sympathetic appraisal reveals a man of adaptable talents. * The New Yorker *Douglas M. Parker's biography tells his story with an abundance of detail. * The New York Times *There seems to be a law of deceptive appearances requiring that anyone who wrote as much and as wittily as Ogden Nash must have been deeply troubled. However, according to Douglas M. Parker's carefully researched and authoritative new biography of the master of light verse, Nash violated that law as cavalierly as he broke the laws of rhyme and prosody. In Odgen Nash Parker shows that Nash was in fact the likable man that his poems suggest. Even when his verses are slightly acerbic, he describes universal experiences that strengthen the bonds of our humanity. * The Seattle Times *Multi–faceted biography covers all aspects...and is a 'must' for any Nash reader. * Bookwatch *Affectionately honest. -- Laurie Higgins * Upper Cape Codder *Douglas M. Parker believes that Nash has become too little–known, and he makes a good case. -- Richard Wakefield * Light Quarterly *Richly detailed....[An] affectionate look at Nash's life. -- Theresa Barnaby * Tri-City Herald *A fast-paced, readable biography....One of the delights of Parker's book is its reprinting of Nash's pleasure-giving lines. -- Joseph Rosenblum * Magill's Literary Annual *Really quite dandy to read by the fire whilst nibbling on candy...a good introduction to Nash. -- R.A. Bartlett * CHOICE *[An] affectionate look at Nash's life.... Richly detailed with excerpts from family correspondence. * Tri-City Herald *Worth Reading. -- Louis Phillips * Georgia Review *

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Book SynopsisIn between his romances with baseball, in early 1969 Bill Veeck took up the challenge of managing Boston's semi–moribund Suffolk Downs racetrack. "Being of sound mind and in reasonable possession of my faculties," Veeck wrote, "I marshaled my forces, at the tender age of fifty–four, and marched upon the city of Boston, Massachusetts, like a latter–day Ben Franklin, to seek my fame and fortune as the operator of a racetrack. Two years later, fortune having taken one look at my weathered features and shaken its hoary locks, I retreated, smiling gamely." When he took over the track, Veeck had yet to learn that the normal daily output of some sixteen hundred horses (including straw) would amount to so much, or be so hard to dispose of. But that was the least of his problems. In the tough–minded and Tabasco–tongued prose that is his trademark, Veeck recalls the battles he won and lost, the fun he had, and what he discovered about horse racing at "Sufferin' Downs." It's a zesty, complicated story but a relentlessly fascinating one about the inside workings of one of the most popular sports in America.

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Book SynopsisIn the twentieth century, African Americans not only helped make popular music the soundtrack of the American experience, they advanced American music as one of the preeminent shapers of the world's popular culture. Vast numbers of black American musicians deserve credit for this remarkable turn of events, but a few stand out as true giants. David Stricklin's superb new biography explores the life of one of them, Louis Armstrong. The life story of this great instrumentalist, bandleader, and entertainer illustrates much of the black entertainer's impact on American culture and illuminates how popular culture often intersects with politics and economics. Armstrong emerged from a precarious background and triumphed over almost impossible odds, becoming a transcendent public figure and an international icon. Mr. Stricklin concentrates on Armstrong's musical talent, something many observers called a thing of genius. But he also pays special attention to Armstrong's identity a black man in America and the ways in which he triumphed over the mistreatment and disrespect dealt countless people like him. The creativity and exuberance he shared with the world came from his unique vantage as an artist and as an African American with a striking and lively spirit of freedom. He might have been able to demonstrate that determination in any line of work, but his story has special urgency because he expressed his creative power through music. With 16 black-and-white photographs.Trade ReviewIn Stricklin's biography, Louis Armstrong: The Soundtrack on the American Experience, he gives us a very compelling revisit to the total majesty of Louis Armstrong. . . . His book re-illuminates the greatness that he consistently displayed on trumpet and vocals but also puts the spotlight on Louis's impact on society and culture at large from the vantage point of a pioneering African-American artist. His stances on mistreatment and injustices give us the full picture of Mr. Armstrong the human being and how we are deeply in his debt for showing us the way musically, socially, spiritually, and humanly! This book is a must have for all to remind us the toll we pay to Armstrong every time we pick up an instrument or enjoy freedoms that he, along with other ancestors, felt were entitled to his race, the human race! -- James CarterTable of ContentsPreface Introduction Chapter 1: Humble Origins Chapter 2: A Rising Talent Chapter 3: Hot Music in a Strange Time Chapter 4: An Independent Musician Chapter 5: Fully Free African American Chapter 6: Looking to a New Future Chapter 7: International Icon Chapter 8: The Soundtrack of the American Experience

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Book SynopsisA confessional story that reads like fiction, this is the true story of a famed tennis star who went from being ranked fourth in the world, dueling the sport’s greatest players to lying to police in several countries to avoid jail. Roscoe Tanner’s life is a complicated story that include years of one-night stands with groupies, a private fortune amassed and then lost, multiple failed marriages and relationships, business plans that fizzled, fleeing to Europe for a last chance, the pounding on the door by two German detectives that led to an involuntary stay in the Karlsruhe jail, and, ultimately, finding redemption. Double Fault is Tanner's story-arrests, cons, lies, and all in an attempt to share it with others to prove that when you hit bottom you can still pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep moving forward.

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Book SynopsisJazz Man's Journey chronicles the life and career of, Ellis Louis Marsalis, Jr., one of New Orleans' most vivacious and talented jazz musicians. From his childhood in a rural section of New Orleans, to solo appearances with the New Orleans/Louisiana Philharmonic, as well as appearances at Carnegie Recital Hall, Newport Jazz Festival, and Harvard University, this unprecedented biography accurately portrays Marsalis not only as a pianist and a Columbia recording artist, but also as a successful teacher, composer, lecturer, father, and human being. By conducting interviews with Marsalis and his family, as well as with some of his friends and professional acquaintances, D. Antoinette Handy provides comprehensive background on Marsalis, as well as a revealing personal narrative. Complete with discography, dozens of photos from Marsalis's private collection, and a list of Marsalis "profundities," this book is an important addition to jazz studies, and an enjoyable read for jazz scholars and more casual fans alike.

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Book SynopsisReflections of a “revolutionary whore” and champion of sexual freedom and prostitutes'' rights.They have to come back to us, because we know every detail of their orgasms, their little caprices, their little weaknesses and strengths. We know all of them. I mean, where do you expect them to go? They''ll be disappointed anywhere else. Except for with us, because we know them like the back of our hand. As soon as they get in the door, it''s like we''d made them ourselves. We know all the right things to say, all the gestures, there''re no surprises.—from The Little Black Book of Grisélidis RéalThe Little Black Book of Grisélidis Réal is the portrait of a true humanist who made a career out of compassion. Hailed as a virtuoso writer and a “revolutionary whore,” Grisélidis Réal (1929-2005) chanced into prostitution at thirty-one after an upper-class upbringing in Switzerland. Serving clients from all walks of life, Réal applied the anarcho-Marxist dictum “from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs” to her profession, charging sliding-scale fees determined by her client''s incomes and complexity of their sexual tastes. Réal went on to become a militant champion of sexual freedom and prostitutes'' rights. She has described prostitution as “an art, and a humanist science,” noting that “the only authentic prostitution is that mastered by great technical artists...who practice this form of native craft with intelligence, respect, imagination, heart...”This volume includes lengthy dialogues from 1979-1981 with Réal conducted by journalist and author Jean-Luc Henning, in which she eloquently discusses the theoretical implications of sex-positive whoring and relates her experiences both inside and outside the profession: from her lengthy love affair with the “Berber” to such “psychological” and “special” clients as the “moldy rhinoceros.” The “Little Black Book” that rounds out this book is drawn from the logs in which Réal kept track of her many clients, from “Pedro, hilarious fat Spaniard, devoted, simple, honest, fat peasant face, 70F” to “Pierre 8 (from Basel), blue eyes, fifties, slightly balding, cultivated, sweet-violent...licks my finger after I remove it from his anus...100-400F.” It is a journal that not only chronicles Réal''s working life, but offers a clinically direct, investigative sociological analysis of the sexual subcultures of her time.

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Book SynopsisIn 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his long-time surfing companion, Patrick, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Patrick's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend. In Search of Captain Zero is, according to Outside magazine, A subtly affecting tale of friendship and duty. [It] deserves a spot on the microbus dashboard as a hell of a cautionary tale about finding paradise and smoking it away.In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road is a Booksense 76 Top Ten selection for September/October.

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