Individual actors Books

Book SynopsisJoseph Sobol is one of a select few contemporary scholar-practitioners to chart the evolution of storytelling from traditional foundations to its current multifarious presence in American life. The years since his classic The Storytellers’ Journey: An American Revival (1999), have brought seismic shifts in storytelling circles. Essays gathered here move between cultural history, critical analysis, and personal narratives to showcase the efforts of traditional and contemporary storytellers to make their presence felt in the world.The book begins with an account of recent changes in the storytelling landscape, including the growth of a new generation of urban personal storytelling venues sparked by The Moth. Next is a suite of essays on Appalachian Jack tales, the best-known cycle of traditional American wonder tales, and an account of its most celebrated practitioners, including close encounters with the traditional master, Ray Hicks. The next set examines frames through which storytellers capture truth—historical, legendary, literary, oral traditional, and personal. Stylistic differences between northern and southern tellers are affectionately portrayed, with a special look at the late, much-loved Alabaman Kathryn Tucker Windham.The final section makes the case for informed critical writing on storytelling performance, through a survey of notable contemporary storytellers’ work, a look at the ethics of storytelling genres, and a nuanced probe of truth and fiction in storytelling settings. A tapestry of personal stories, social criticism, and artistic illuminations, Liars, Damn Liars, and Storytellers is valuable not only to scholars and students in performance, folklore, cultural studies, and theater, but also to general readers with a love for the storytelling art.Trade ReviewJoseph Sobol is both a respected scholar and a storytelling performer with a superb style of writing that flows from his storytelling background. In many respects, this book is a continuation of his significant study The Storytellers’ Journey: An American Revival. There have been major changes in the storytelling field since, and Sobol is one of the few scholars who can understand and chart them." —Jack Zipes, author of The Irresistible Fairy Tale "Sobol takes us to meet the people, visit the scenes, and hear the voices of storytellers past and present. His writing is vivid, engaging, generous, and intimate. This collection is a gift to the storytelling world." —Annette Simmons, author of The Story Factor "No one has ever told so well the story of the story. Like any great yarn-spinner, Sobol gives us enthralling characters: Ray Hicks at his home on Beech Mountain, Kathryn Tucker Windham hunting the Alabama redhorse fish, Spalding Gray, and dozens more. But he also never loses sight of the core question of his tale: what is the magic in stories that give them such sway over our lives?" —George Dawes Green, novelist and founder of The Moth "With the sensitivity of an artist and the startling insights of a wide-ranging scholar, Joseph Sobol illuminates a century of storytelling performers and movements. Thanks to Liars, Damn Liars, and Storytellers, we are closer to understanding this enduring, protean art form and to finding the critical language to describe it." —Jo Radner, past president, American Folklore Society, past chair, National Storytelling Network

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Book SynopsisSince 1996, Alexander Payne has made six feature films and a short segment of an omnibus movie. Although his body of work is quantitatively small, it is qualitatively impressive. His movies have garnered numerous accolades and awards, including two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay. As more than one interviewer in this volume points out, he maintains an impressive and unbroken winning streak. Payne's stories of human strivings and follies, alongside his mastery of the craft of filmmaking, mark him as a contemporary auteur of uncommon accomplishment.In this first compilation of his interviews, Payne reveals himself as a captivating conversationalist as well. The discussions collected here range from 1996, shortly after the release of his first film, Citizen Ruth, to the debut of his film Nebraska at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013. Over his career, he muses on many subjects including his own creative processes, his commitment to telling character-centered stories, and his abiding admiration for movies and directors from across decades of film history.Critics describe Payne as one of the few contemporary filmmakers who consistently manages to buck the current trend toward bombastic blockbusters. Like the 1970s director-driven cinema that he cherishes, his films are small-scale character studies that manage to maintain a delicate balance between sharp satire and genuine poignancy.

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Book SynopsisConversations with Steve Martin presents a collection of interviews and profiles that focus on Martin as a writer, artist, and original thinker over the course of more than four decades in show business. While those less familiar with his full body of work may think of Martin as primarily the ""wild and crazy guy"" with an arrow through his head, this book makes the case that he is in fact one of our nation's most accomplished and varied artists. It shows the full range of Martin's creative work, tracing the source of his comic imagination from his early standup days, starting in the mid to late 1960s through the films he has written and starred in, and emphasizing his more recent creative outpourings as playwright, essayist, novelist, memoirist, songwriter, composer, musician, and art critic.""Standup is the hardest material in the world to write for someone else; it's like trying to condense 10 years of experience into 20 minutes of new material.,"" Martin says. But commenting on his fiction writing, he says. ""I think you have to be able to find as a writer that state where you don't know what you're going to say or what the character is going to say or who the characters are. That's the biggest thrill of all. When you start to trust that subconscious thing and you don't censor yourself--just remember you can always throw it away--that's when the good stuff comes out.""The selected materials consist not only of pieces focused primarily on Martin's writings, but also broader profiles and conversations that help explain Martin's development as a writer within the larger context of his many other accomplishments, talents, and performance skills.

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Book SynopsisConversations with Steve Martin presents a collection of interviews and profiles that focus on Martin as a writer, artist, and original thinker over the course of more than four decades in show business. While those less familiar with his full body of work may think of Martin as primarily the ""wild and crazy guy"" with an arrow through his head, this book makes the case that he is in fact one of our nation's most accomplished and varied artists. It shows the full range of Martin's creative work, tracing the source of his comic imagination from his early standup days, starting in the mid to late 1960s through the films he has written and starred in, and emphasizing his more recent creative outpourings as playwright, essayist, novelist, memoirist, songwriter, composer, musician, and art critic.""Standup is the hardest material in the world to write for someone else; it's like trying to condense 10 years of experience into 20 minutes of new material.,"" Martin says. But commenting on his fiction writing, he says. ""I think you have to be able to find as a writer that state where you don't know what you're going to say or what the character is going to say or who the characters are. That's the biggest thrill of all. When you start to trust that subconscious thing and you don't censor yourself--just remember you can always throw it away--that's when the good stuff comes out.""The selected materials consist not only of pieces focused primarily on Martin's writings, but also broader profiles and conversations that help explain Martin's development as a writer within the larger context of his many other accomplishments, talents, and performance skills.

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Book SynopsisThough he has made only five films in two decades--Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, and the Oscar-nominated films Moulin Rouge!, Australia, and The Great Gatsby--Australian writer-director Baz Luhrmann is an internationally known brand name. His Christian name has even entered the English language as a verb, as in ""to Baz things up,"" meaning ""to decorate them with an exuberant flourish."" Celebrated by some, loathed by others, his work is underscored by what has been described as ""an aesthetic of artifice"" and is notable for both its glittering surfaces and recurring concerns.In this collection of interviews, Luhrmann discusses his methods and his motives, explaining what has been important to him and his collaborators from the start and how he has been able to maintain an independence from the studios that have backed his films. He also speaks about his other artistic endeavors, including stage productions of La Bohème and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and his wife and collaborative partner Catherine Martin, who has received two Academy Awards for her work with Luhrmann.

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Book SynopsisHarmony Korine: Interviews tracks filmmaker Korine's stunning rise, fall, and rise again through his own evolving voice. Bringing together interviews collected from over two decades, this unique chronicle includes rare interviews unavailable in print for years and an extensive, new conversation recorded at the filmmaker's home in Nashville.After more than twenty years, Harmony Korine (b. 1973) remains one of the most prominent and yet subversive filmmakers in America. Ever since his entry into the independent film scene as the irrepressible prodigy who wrote the screenplay for Larry Clark's Kids in 1992, Korine has retained his stature as the ultimate cinematic provocateur. He both intelligently observes modern social milieus and simultaneously thumbs his nose at them. Now approaching middle age, and more influential than ever, Korine remains intentionally sensationalistic and ceaselessly creative.He parlayed the success of Kids into directing the dreamy portrait of neglect Gummo two years later. With his audacious 1999 digital video drama Julien Donkey-Boy, Korine continued to demonstrate a penchant for fusing experimental, subversive interests with lyrical narrative techniques. Surviving an early career burnout, he resurfaced with a trifecta of insightful works that built on his earlier aesthetic leanings: a surprisingly delicate rumination on identity (Mister Lonely, 2007), a gritty quasi-diary film (Trash Humpers, 2009) and a blistering portrait of American hedonism (Spring Breakers, 2013), which yielded significant commercial success. Throughout his career he has also continued as a mixed-media artist whose fields included music videos, paintings, photography, publishing, songwriting, and performance art.

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Book SynopsisFor ten years before the creation of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney struggled with, failed at, and eventually mastered the art and business of animation. Most biographies of his career begin in 1928, when Steamboat Willie was released. That first Disney Studio cartoon with synchronized sound made its main character--Mickey Mouse--an icon for generations.But Steamboat Willie was neither Disney's first cartoon nor Mickey Mouse's first appearance. Prior to this groundbreaking achievement, Walt Disney worked in a variety of venues and studios, refining what would become known as the Disney style. In Walt before Mickey: Disney's Early Years, 1919-1928, Timothy Susanin creates a portrait of the artist from age seventeen to the cusp of his international renown.After serving in the Red Cross in France after World War I, Walt Disney worked for advertising and commercial art in Kansas City. Walt used these experiences to create four studios--Kaycee Studios, Laugh-O-gram Films, Disney Brothers Studio, and Walt Disney Studio. Using company documents, private correspondence between Walt and his brother Roy, contemporary newspaper accounts, and new interviews with Disney's associates, Susanin traces Disney's path. The author shows Disney to be a complicated, resourceful man, especially during his early career. Walt before Mickey, a critical biography of a man at a crucial juncture, provides the ""missing decade"" that started Walt Disney's career and gave him the skills to become a name known worldwide.

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Book SynopsisI have never compromised in what I have done with what I think, what surrounds me. That's why my films cannot be taken out of the archives.""Krzysztof Kies?lowski's untimely death came at the height of his career, after his Three Colors trilogy of films garnered international acclaim (and an Oscar nomination), and he had been proclaimed Europe's most important filmmaker by many critics. Born in 1941, he was only fifty-four years old when he died.Kies?lowski himself tried to tell the story of his life and career in the 1993 book Kies?lowski on Kies?lowski. This collection, by contrast, reveals the shifting voice of a filmmaker who was initially optimistic about his social and cultural role, then felt himself buffeted by the turbulent politics and events of the People's Republic of Poland. As described in the chronology in this book, he found himself subject to the ""economic censorship"" of post-Communist filmmaking.How Kies?lowski responded at each moment of his life, what he tried to achieve with each of his films, is finely detailed in thirty-five selections. These pieces bring together his thesis from the famous ?o?dz? film school, a manifesto written just before the dark days of martial law in Poland, diary entries from the first time he was working outside Poland, and numerous rare interviews from Polish-, French-, and English-language sources.

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Book SynopsisThis revised and updated edition gathers interviews and profiles covering the entire forty-five-year span of Woody Allen's career as a filmmaker, including detailed discussions of his most popular as well as his most critically acclaimed works. The present collection is a complete update of the volume that first appeared in 2006. In the years since, Allen has continued making movies, including Midnight in Paris and the Oscar-winning Blue Jasmine.While many interviews from the original edition have been retained in the present volume, nine new entries extend the coverage of Allen's directorial career through 2015. In addition, there is a new, in-depth interview from the period covered in the first edition. Most of the interviews included in the original volume first appeared in such widely known publications and venues as the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and Playboy. A number of smaller and lesser-known venues are also represented, especially in the new volume. Several interviews from non-American sources add an international perspective on Allen's work.Materials for the new volume include pieces focusing primarily on Allen's films as well as broader profiles and interviews that also concentrate on his literary talent. Perhaps Stephen Mamber best describes Allen's distinctiveness, especially early in his career: “Woody Allen is not the best new American comedy director or the best comedy writer or the best comedy actor, he's simply the finest combination of all three.”

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Book SynopsisRoots and Wings recounts Virginia Tanner's remarkable career as a dance artist, educator, and founder of the University of Utah's Tanner Dance Program. From her early experiences assisting at Evelyn Davis's dance school in Washington, D.C., to the creation of the Tanner Dance Program at the University of Utah, her influence in the field was pervasive. She channelled children's energy, sharpened their senses, and encouraged youthful, authentic dance expression. Tanner's work endures, continuing to echo with sensitivity and spirit in the bodies of young dancers throughout the United States and abroad. By revealing both the broader and specific themes of Tanner's career and legacy, this narrative fills an important void. While exploring Tanner's story, it also recognizes the value of unique instructional methodologies for teaching dance to young children and the vital role the arts play in children's lives.Trade Review“This work is a significant contribution. Biographical information on people such as Virginia Tanner, who devoted their lives to the development of children through the arts, is almost nonexistent.”—Douglas C. Sonntag, emeritus Director of Dance, National Endowment for the ArtsTable of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: A Gift of Dance Freely Given Chapter 1 Awakening: Born to a Place and Time Chapter 2 Distant Voices: In Search of a Calling Chapter 3 Inspiration: Summer Schools in the Rockies Chapter 4 Hop- Scotching Chapter 5 Uncharted Territory: Launching a Career Chapter 6 Birth of a Young Company Chapter 7 Balance: The Juggling Act Chapter 8 Springboards: The Buttermilk Tree Chapter 9 Children: Straight Out of Heaven Chapter 10 Imagination: The Beauty of Childhood Chapter 11 Liftoff: When Dreams Take Flight Chapter 12 Invitations: Westward Ho Chapter 13 Virginia: “The Breadwinner” Chapter 14 Sunshine and Sand: Hawaii Beckons Chapter 15 A Master Teacher: IMPACT Calls Chapter 16 Bright with Promise: The Golden Age for the Arts in Education Chapter 17 Bulldozers on the Horizon: A Search for Home Chapter 18 What Joy They Gave Unknowingly Chapter 19 Unstoppable Drive: A Brilliant Journey Coda You Taught My Soul to Dance Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisWar has a way of annihilating not just individual combatants and civilians caught in the maelstrom, but also the cultural memories of the defeated. Forgotten are what cities and provinces were like after being ravaged and occupied by new regimes. Saigon of the 1960s and early 1970s is one such place. After the Republic of Vietnam was defeated in 1975, many of the city's accomplished and notable citizens fled, were imprisoned, or, necessarily but reluctantly, adapted to entirely different social and political circumstances.Among those who departed their country of birth, few were as recognizable as the actress and singer Kim Vui, fondly referred to as "the Sophia Loren of Vietnam". From her early work with a government civic action cadre to subsequent nightclub singing engagements and film roles, perhaps no other is so well positioned to tell the story of Saigon's nightlife and burgeoning film scene as the famous actress from Purple Horizon. Kim Vui was a pioneering performer and spokesmodel, the first to appear in a bikini and first to do a nude cinema scene. From contested rural hamlets to stage and on camera, Kim Vui took considerable personal risk throughout her life while blazing a trail in South Vietnam, later helping refugees on Guam, observing violence in Iran, working for change in Africa, and making America her new home.Love Found and Lost is Kim Vui's story, told in her own words. From her challenging childhood and rise to prominence, to her torrid romance and bitter separation from an American committed to war in her country, Kim Vui candidly describes a place now lost to history and a love that spans continents and lifetimes.Trade ReviewIn the current Vietnam, decades after the war, little memory remains of what was once the Republic of South Vietnam, its history, its cultural life, its society during the war. Of particular interest is the lost world of South Vietnam's entertainment industry duringthe war: Kim Vui was a larger-than-life figure within that industry." —Andrew Lam, former commentator, NPR's All Things Considered, and author of Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora

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Book SynopsisAustralia has a long cinema history — starting with the world's first feature film, The Story of the Kelly Gang, made in Melbourne and released in 1906. Today, much of Australia's film talent goes to the United States, looking for bigger and more lucrative opportunities overseas. But what does this mean for both the history and future of Australian cinema?The larger-than-life personalities that form the heart of this book — Errol Flynn, Peter Finch, David Gulpilil AM and Nicole Kidman — have dominated cinema screens both locally and internationally and starred in some of the biggest films of their eras — including The Adventures of Robin Hood, Network, Crocodile Dundee and Eyes Wide Shut among others.From the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s to the streaming wars of today, the lives of these four actors, and their many cast mates, tell a story of how a nation's cinema was founded, then faltered, before finding itself again.

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Book SynopsisVade Mecum brings together Richard Skinner's best essays, reviews and interviews from 1992-2014. There are close critical engagements with writers (Kazuo Ishiguro, Italo Calvino, Shakespeare's The Tempest) and composers (Erik Satie, Iannis Xenakis, Luc Ferrari), meditations on films and filmmakers (Antonioni, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Chinatown) and idiosyncratic reflections on Werner Herzog's Of Walking in Ice and Steely Dan.

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Book SynopsisEvery artist has a dream project an enterprise that he or she has continuously taken up but never completed. Via archived notes and drafts, a retrospective reconstitution of such projects can serve as a key for better understanding the authors artistic corpus. The present study reaches out to the authorship of Paul Claudel, Jean Genet, and Federico Fellini. Claudel deferred and never completed the fourth segment of his Trilogie des Coufontaine. The only indication of the existence of this prospective fourth part of the theatre sequence is a brief entry in his Journal. In 1949, he began writing a third version of his first great work Tête d'Or. Like the unfinished fourth section that was to be added to the trilogy, the draft of the third version of Tête d'Or reveals a dialogue between the Old and New Testaments a theme that appears to be central to Claudel's entire corpus. Genet labored over La Mort for many years. At the conclusion of Saint Genet, comédien et martyr (1952), Sartre mentions this final work of Genet. Genet discussed his progress on La Mort in correspondence and even published Fragments of La Mort in the literary magazine Les Temps Modernes. While the project never came to fruition, it nevertheless remains an important means through which to understand Genets work. The aborted production of Fellinis Voyage de G. Mastorna has become a legend. After 8" and Giulietta degli spiriti, Fellini wrote a screenplay that he began to film but subsequently abandoned, much to the chagrin of producer Dino de Laurentiis who had already invested in sets and costumes. Fellini would often revisit this project, but never completed it. This book also examines additional dream projects taken from different art forms: poetry (Mallarmés Le Livre); literature (Vignys Daphné); painting (Monets Nymphéas); music (Schoenbergs Moses und Aron); and various films (Clouzots LEnfer, Viscontis La Recherche, Kubricks Napoleon, etc.).

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Book Synopsis'You had to decide to let yourself be turned upside down, you had to accept to see the idea you had forged about yourself progressively shatter.' In the summer of 1969, at 19 years old, Didier Mouturat gave up on college, shattering his parents' hopes that he follow a safe and conventional course. Fresh from the wild Parisian student revolt of 1968, with its street battles and slogans, he set out to find a life that would be truly alive, deciding to be a classical actor. When he met Cyrille Dives, however, the universe of masks quietly turned his world upside down. This book describes Mouturat's apprenticeship to a unique theater artist. In the 1970s and early 80s, Dives created a theater of masks, a Western parallel to Japanese Noh. Dives was a true bohemian artist, a sculptor of masks, a painter and theatrical director. Cyrille Dives was also a spiritual master. Mouturat's apprenticeship encompassed everything from walking in a way that brings a mask to life to cultivating a beginner's mind. Slowly and subtly, the theater apprenticeship became an encounter with the deeper truth of his own being. 'I am speaking of an intimate, progressive discovery that we are not masters of our own being -- that it is only the result of a system of reactions that tyrannize us.' Mouturat becomes Dives's right-hand man, helping establish a theater and a school of masks. That work is evident here in enchanting illustrations, as well as words. Yet as translated by the scholar and author Roger Lipsey, Mouturat also offers a pithy chronicle of a search for meaning and inner being.

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Book SynopsisSam Peckinpah (1925-1984), an accomplished writer and director of television westerns, did not attract media attention until the release of his second feature-length film, the award-winning Ride the High Country. Peckinpah revealed in early interviews his deep knowledge of film history, an uncompromising aesthetic, and an intolerance for any crew members who did not share his capacity for hard work. As his career progressed, he began having increasingly difficult times with producers who did not share his vision. His problems with them emerge as a major focus of his interviews. Sam Peckinpah: Interviews features the combustible director discussing his best-known films, including the gory western The Wild Bunch, the unsettling and controversial Straw Dogs (which Pauline Kael described as ""the first American film that is a fascist work of art""), and the crime thriller The Getaway. In these conversations, Peckinpah's candor--about himself, filmmaking, studios, male/female relations, violence, and contemporary politics--provides a thoughtful portrait of a polarizing filmmaker. Kevin J. Hayes is professor of English at the University of Central Oklahoma. His previous books include Poe and the Printed Word, Folklore and Book Culture, and An American Cycling Odyssey, 1887, among others. He edited Charlie Chaplin: Interviews and Conversations with Jack Kerouac, both from University Press of Mississippi.

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Book SynopsisSam Peckinpah (1925-1984), an accomplished writer and director of television westerns, did not attract media attention until the release of his second feature-length film, the award-winning Ride the High Country. Peckinpah revealed in early interviews his deep knowledge of film history, an uncompromising aesthetic, and an intolerance for any crew members who did not share his capacity for hard work. As his career progressed, he began having increasingly difficult times with producers who did not share his vision. His problems with them emerge as a major focus of his interviews. Sam Peckinpah: Interviews features the combustible director discussing his best-known films, including the gory western The Wild Bunch, the unsettling and controversial Straw Dogs (which Pauline Kael described as ""the first American film that is a fascist work of art""), and the crime thriller The Getaway. In these conversations, Peckinpah's candor--about himself, filmmaking, studios, male/female relations, violence, and contemporary politics--provides a thoughtful portrait of a polarizing filmmaker. Kevin J. Hayes is professor of English at the University of Central Oklahoma. His previous books include Poe and the Printed Word, Folklore and Book Culture, and An American Cycling Odyssey, 1887, among others. He edited Charlie Chaplin: Interviews and Conversations with Jack Kerouac, both from University Press of Mississippi.

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Book SynopsisThe first-ever graphic biography of Paul Robeson, Ballad of an American, charts Robeson’s career as a singer, actor, scholar, athlete, and activist who achieved global fame. Through his films, concerts, and records, he became a potent symbol representing the promise of a multicultural, multiracial American democracy at a time when, despite his stardom, he was denied personal access to his many audiences. Robeson was a major figure in the rise of anti-colonialism in Africa and elsewhere, and a tireless campaigner for internationalism, peace, and human rights. Later in life, he embraced the civil rights and antiwar movements with the hope that new generations would attain his ideals of a peaceful and abundant world. Ballad of an American features beautifully drawn chapters by artist Sharon Rudahl, a compelling narrative about his life, and an afterword on the lasting impact of Robeson’s work in both the arts and politics. This graphic biography will enable all kinds of readers—especially newer generations who may be unfamiliar with him—to understand his life’s story and everlasting global significance.Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson is published in conjunction with Rutgers University’s centennial commemoration of Robeson’s 1919 graduation from the university.Study guide for Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson (https://d3tto5i5w9ogdd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/10201015/YA_Adult-Study-Guide-for-A-Graphic-Biography-of-Paul-Robeson.pdf).View the blad for Ballad of an American.Trade Review“Paul Robeson was an artistic genius, moral titan, and courageous freedom fighter whom we must never forget!” -- Dr. Cornel West"Sharon Rudahl's graphic biography of Paul Robeson is vivid, well-informed, and deeply moving--a compelling account of a towering American hero, whose courage is more inspiring than ever at this fraught historical moment." -- Jackson Lears * Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of History, Rutgers University *"With powerful drawings, meticulous attention to historical detail, and deep appreciation for his wife, Eslanda Goode Robeson, Rudahl, Buhle, and Ware provide us with a deeply moving tribute to the enormous talent, courage and genius of Paul Robeson." -- Bettina Aptheker * Distinguished Professor Emerita, Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz *"With extraordinary rhythm, these arresting drawings and captivating words seamlessly weave insights from critical race theory, global politics, Marxist theory, cultural studies, and historical criticism to narrate the inimitable life of Paul Robeson. Robeson's story is as much a meditation on black aliveness in the face of systemic racism today as it is an insightful history of one man's fortitude against government persecution of yesteryear. This graphic biography captivated me from the first page - I couldn't put it down! It will be a classic in the genre." -- Andre C. Willis * Associate Professor of Religion, Brown University *"Ballad of an American takes a creative and thoughtful approach to sharing the life story of the great artist-activist. It is a welcome addition to the body of literature on Paul Robeson." -- Lindsey R. Swindall * author of Paul Robeson: A Life of Activism and Art *"[Ballad of an American] carries an inspiring message at a time in which our country is living amidst the most far-reaching civil rights movement in its modern-day political history." * Portside *"When Paul Robeson Became a Star: From the First-Ever Graphic Biography of the American Icon" excerpt * Literary Hub *"The first-ever graphic biography of alumnus Paul Robeson RC1919 is a suitable introduction to his remarkable life, from his birth in Princeton, New Jersey, to his athletic and academic accolades at Rutgers to his worldwide fame as a film and stage star." * Rutgers Magazine *"A Public Affair," WORT-FM interview with Sharon Rudahl * "A Public Affair," WORT *"BOOKS: NON-FICTION: Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson" * Zinn Project Education *"Paul Robeson, Political Outlaw: Lessons for Today from the Black Radical Tradition: Greg Carr in Conversation with Jesse Hagopian" * Zinn Project Education *"Social Justice Books: A Teaching for Change Project" * Teaching for Change *"A unique mix of art, history, and radical narrative. It is a welcome introduction to Robeson’s unsurpassed contributions to the struggles for workers’ rights, African American equality, peace, and—yes—socialism....Ballad of an American is highly recommended and would make a great stocking-stuffer this holiday season." * People's World *"Much of this book is dedicated to Robeson’s political maturity and actions on behalf of the earliest civil rights movement. Also, beautifully depicted in the book is his 1934 visit to the Soviet Union following an invitation from Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein. Rudahl tells and shows the reader how Robeson stared down and confronted Nazi guards in Berlin as he, Essie and friend Mary Seton anxiously boarded their train into Russia." * Truthout *"Ballad of an American, released in 2019 on the 100th anniversary of Robeson’s graduation from Rutgers University, brings his creative and powerful historical presence to life through Rudahl’s striking graphic text and Buhle’s and Ware’s excellent afterword. Rudahl’s review of Robeson’s life is a needed antidote to the long and shameful efforts to erase his legacy and drop him down Orwell’s memory hole of history." * Monthly Review *"If there is one thing to take away from “Ballad of an American,” it’s that all art is political—not can be, but is....Rudahl’s moving graphic biography of Robeson is a reminder that artists and creatives can still make an impact today, whether through song, comics, or bite-sized video." * Democratic Left: A Publication of Democratic Socialists of America *"Captures the essence of why Robeson’s story is a must-read for all Americans." * BeyondChron *"This book represents another graphic novel approach to teaching Black history. This time the focus is the actor and activist Paul Robeson, who is a figure worth studying because his legacy is so complex. He fought vigorously against white supremacy and was a committed Communist, even when people who shared his views started distancing themselves from the party. Robeson’s story invites us to grapple with complexity." * Book Riot *"Q&A: Sharon Rudahl: Graphic novelist honors performer, activist Paul Robeson," by G.M. Burns * Ithaca.com *"We all still stand in the shadow of this tall tree. May the leaves of this volume inspire many." * Dig Boston *"Sharon Rudahl does a magnificent job of highlighting the key details of Paul Robeson’s astonishing life." * Progressive *"Interview with Underground Comix Artist Sharon Rudahl" * Comic Grinders *"PHS Senior Talks with Eyewitness to History" * TAP into Princeton *"The volume combines engaging art with biography and radical history and did tremendous justice to Robeson’s multi-dimensional life of art and political engagement. " * The Progressive *"With beautiful illustrations and a conversational tone, this biography paints an intimate portrait of Robeson, the son of a slave, who became a leading voice in the black liberation struggle in the United States and the fight against colonial rule around the world." * Black Agenda Report *“Paul Robeson was an artistic genius, moral titan, and courageous freedom fighter whom we must never forget!” -- Dr. Cornel West"Sharon Rudahl's graphic biography of Paul Robeson is vivid, well-informed, and deeply moving--a compelling account of a towering American hero, whose courage is more inspiring than ever at this fraught historical moment." -- Jackson Lears * Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of History, Rutgers University *"With powerful drawings, meticulous attention to historical detail, and deep appreciation for his wife, Eslanda Goode Robeson, Rudahl, Buhle, and Ware provide us with a deeply moving tribute to the enormous talent, courage and genius of Paul Robeson." -- Bettina Aptheker * Distinguished Professor Emerita, Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz *"With extraordinary rhythm, these arresting drawings and captivating words seamlessly weave insights from critical race theory, global politics, Marxist theory, cultural studies, and historical criticism to narrate the inimitable life of Paul Robeson. Robeson's story is as much a meditation on black aliveness in the face of systemic racism today as it is an insightful history of one man's fortitude against government persecution of yesteryear. This graphic biography captivated me from the first page - I couldn't put it down! It will be a classic in the genre." -- Andre C. Willis * Associate Professor of Religion, Brown University *"Ballad of an American takes a creative and thoughtful approach to sharing the life story of the great artist-activist. It is a welcome addition to the body of literature on Paul Robeson." -- Lindsey R. Swindall * author of Paul Robeson: A Life of Activism and Art *"[Ballad of an American] carries an inspiring message at a time in which our country is living amidst the most far-reaching civil rights movement in its modern-day political history." * Portside *"When Paul Robeson Became a Star: From the First-Ever Graphic Biography of the American Icon" excerpt * Literary Hub *"The first-ever graphic biography of alumnus Paul Robeson RC1919 is a suitable introduction to his remarkable life, from his birth in Princeton, New Jersey, to his athletic and academic accolades at Rutgers to his worldwide fame as a film and stage star." * Rutgers Magazine *"A Public Affair," WORT-FM interview with Sharon Rudahl * "A Public Affair," WORT *"BOOKS: NON-FICTION: Ballad of an American: A Graphic Biography of Paul Robeson" * Zinn Project Education *"Paul Robeson, Political Outlaw: Lessons for Today from the Black Radical Tradition: Greg Carr in Conversation with Jesse Hagopian" * Zinn Project Education *"Social Justice Books: A Teaching for Change Project" * Teaching for Change *"A unique mix of art, history, and radical narrative. It is a welcome introduction to Robeson’s unsurpassed contributions to the struggles for workers’ rights, African American equality, peace, and—yes—socialism....Ballad of an American is highly recommended and would make a great stocking-stuffer this holiday season." * People's World *"Much of this book is dedicated to Robeson’s political maturity and actions on behalf of the earliest civil rights movement. Also, beautifully depicted in the book is his 1934 visit to the Soviet Union following an invitation from Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein. Rudahl tells and shows the reader how Robeson stared down and confronted Nazi guards in Berlin as he, Essie and friend Mary Seton anxiously boarded their train into Russia." * Truthout *"Ballad of an American, released in 2019 on the 100th anniversary of Robeson’s graduation from Rutgers University, brings his creative and powerful historical presence to life through Rudahl’s striking graphic text and Buhle’s and Ware’s excellent afterword. Rudahl’s review of Robeson’s life is a needed antidote to the long and shameful efforts to erase his legacy and drop him down Orwell’s memory hole of history." * Monthly Review *"If there is one thing to take away from “Ballad of an American,” it’s that all art is political—not can be, but is....Rudahl’s moving graphic biography of Robeson is a reminder that artists and creatives can still make an impact today, whether through song, comics, or bite-sized video." * Democratic Left: A Publication of Democratic Socialists of America *"Captures the essence of why Robeson’s story is a must-read for all Americans." * BeyondChron *"This book represents another graphic novel approach to teaching Black history. This time the focus is the actor and activist Paul Robeson, who is a figure worth studying because his legacy is so complex. He fought vigorously against white supremacy and was a committed Communist, even when people who shared his views started distancing themselves from the party. Robeson’s story invites us to grapple with complexity." * Book Riot *"QA: Sharon Rudahl: Graphic novelist honors performer, activist Paul Robeson," by G.M. Burns * Ithaca.com *"We all still stand in the shadow of this tall tree. May the leaves of this volume inspire many." * Dig Boston *"Sharon Rudahl does a magnificent job of highlighting the key details of Paul Robeson’s astonishing life." * Progressive *"Interview with Underground Comix Artist Sharon Rudahl" * Comic Grinders *"PHS Senior Talks with Eyewitness to History" * TAP into Princeton *"The volume combines engaging art with biography and radical history and did tremendous justice to Robeson’s multi-dimensional life of art and political engagement. " * The Progressive *"With beautiful illustrations and a conversational tone, this biography paints an intimate portrait of Robeson, the son of a slave, who became a leading voice in the black liberation struggle in the United States and the fight against colonial rule around the world." * Black Agenda Report *"Sharon Rudahl’s wonderful graphic biography of Paul Robeson is a welcome addition to the recent literature on this towering figure who was probably the world’s first truly global “Black Star,” as C. L. R. James once admiringly wrote of him. With beautiful images and concise text, Rudahl’s biography captures the essence of one of the giants of twentieth-century African American cultural politics. The editors, Paul Buhle and Lawrence Ware, close the text with an insightful afterword that provides a larger frame for understanding Robeson’s life." -- Cedric R. Tolliver * ALH Online Review *Table of ContentsContents I. Son of a Slave, Star of Rutgers II. First Steps on the Stage III. He Finds His Voice IV. A World to Win V. Bloodied but Unbowed Paul Robeson: More Alive Than Ever An Afterword by the Editors Further Reading

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Book SynopsisAlthough she remains one of the all-time most recognizable Hollywood icons, Marilyn Monroe has seldom been ranked among the greatest actors of her generation. Critics have typically viewed her film roles as mere extensions of her sexpot star persona. Yet this ignores both the subtle variations between these roles and the acting skill that went into the creation of Monroe’s public persona. Some Kind of Mirror offers the first extended scholarly analysis of Marilyn Monroe’s film performances, examining how they united the contradictory discourses about women’s roles in 1950s America. Amanda Konkle suggests that Monroe’s star persona resonated with audiences precisely because it engaged with the era’s critical debates regarding femininity, sexuality, marriage, and political activism. Furthermore, she explores how Monroe drew from the techniques of Method acting and finely calibrated her performances to better mirror her audience’s anxieties and desires. Drawing both from Monroe’s filmography and from 1950s fan magazines, newspaper reports, and archived film studio reports, Some Kind of Mirror considers how her star persona was coauthored by the actress, the Hollywood publicity machine, and the fans who adored her. It is about why 1950s America made Monroe a star, but it is also about how Marilyn defined an era. Trade Review"Written with passion and verve, this meticulously researched and well-argued book is a valuable entry into our ongoing conversations about movie stars and their meanings in their original contexts as well as our own." -- Adrienne McLean * author of Being Rita Hayworth: Labor, Identity, and Hollywood Stardom *"Konkle brings fresh understanding to the Marilyn Monroe phenomenon, shedding light on her journey from sexpot to star, and revealing the complex construction and development of the Monroe image." -- Lucy Bolton * Queen Mary University of London *"Some Kind of Mirror is a fascinating study, a must-read for connoisseurs of Monroe's career, and a choice pick for public and college library Film Studies shelves. Highly recommended." * Midwest Book Review *"Highly recommended." * Choice *"Amanda Konkle has managed to add a fresh new angle to this ever-expanding topic area. From the outset, it is apparent that Konkle knows her subject extremely well and is committed to showing both Monroe’s underappreciated skills as an actress and how her constructed star persona reflected the timeframe in which she worked. The vast amount of research Konkle has employed to both her study of Monroe and American culture at the time is abundantly evident throughout." * Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television *Table of ContentsContents 1 Introduction: Playing Marilyn Monroe 2 Becoming a Star: The Publicity Buildup and Early Performances 3 Mrs. America: Marilyn Monroe and Marriage Anxiety 4 “It’s Kinda Personal and Embarrassing, Too”: Monroe, the Kinsey Reports, and the Double Standard 5 The Actress and Her Method: Resisting Playing Marilyn Monroe Conclusion: A Marilyn Monroe Type Filmography Acknowledgments Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisBong Joon Ho won the Oscar® for Best Director for Parasite (2019), which also won Best Picture, the first foreign film to do so, and two other Academy Awards. Parasite was the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes. These achievements mark a new career peak for the director, who first achieved wide international acclaim with 2006’s monster movie The Host and whose forays into English-language film with Snowpiercer (2013) and Okja (2017) brought him further recognition. As this timely book reveals, even as Bong Joon Ho has emerged as an internationally known director, his films still engage with distinctly Korean social and political contexts that may elude many Western viewers. The Films of Bong Joon Ho demonstrates how he hybridizes Hollywood conventions with local realities in order to create a cinema that foregrounds the absurd cultural anomie Koreans have experienced in tandem with their rapid economic development. Film critic and scholar Nam Lee explores how Bong subverts the structures of the genres he works within, from the crime thriller to the sci-fi film, in order to be truthful to Korean realities that often deny the reassurances of the happy Hollywood ending. With detailed readings of Bong’s films from Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) through Parasite (2019), the book will give readers a new appreciation of this world-class cinematic talent.Trade Review“The Films of Bong Joon Ho is at once a path-breaking study of the director Bong Joon Ho—one of the most recognized and internationally acclaimed filmmakers currently active in South Korea—and his films and simultaneously a study of how the post-1987 South Korean film industry came into being. Drawing upon her own rich experience as a former staff writer and film critic in South Korea and with judicious use of relevant critical theories, Lee offers us both the larger sociopolitical, historical, and cultural context of Bong’s films as well as detailed analyses of a set of films, both critically received and commercially successful ones as well as relatively unknown earlier short films. This book is a great service not only to the fans of Bong but also to the general public who are interested in films of South Korea, as well as to the scholarly community of film studies and Korean studies.”— Namhee Lee, University of California, Los Angeles "For the legions of new fans of Bong Joon Ho, this timely book will demonstrate that the triumph of Parasite in the West was no fluke. Nam Lee demonstrates in loving detail just how Bong has managed over a two decade-long career of unprecedented critical and commercial success to condemn and critique contemporary society through the lens of satire, humor and sheer entertainment. It’s hard to think of a director better able to address both Korean controversies and universal anxieties and a writer better able to explicate these concerns."— David Desser, founding editor, the Journal of Japanese and Korean CinemaTable of ContentsTable of Contents List of Illustrations Preface Introduction Chapter 1 A New Cultural Generation Chapter 2 Cinematic “Perversions”: Tonal Shifts, Visual Gags and Techniques of Defamiliarization Chapter 3 Social Pujoris and the “Narratives of Failure”: Transnational Genre and Local Politics in Memories of Murder and The Host Chapter 4 Monsters Within: Moral Ambiguity and Anomie in Barking Dogs Never Bite and Mother Chapter 5 Beyond the Local: Global Politics and Neoliberal Capitalism in Snowpiercer and Okja Conclusion: Parasite, A New Beginning? Filmography Bibliography Index

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisDuring the eighteenth century, theatrical writing developed as a genre. The publishing market responded to a seemingly insatiable appetite for accounts of the personalities, social lives and performances of celebrated entertainers. This series features actors who were significant in their development of new ways of performing Shakespeare.

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Book SynopsisFeatures actors who were significant in their development of new and innovative ways of performing Shakespeare. This title contains extracts from diaries, memoirs, private letters, and obituaries that present a contemporary account of their acting achievements and personal lives.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisPerforming Menken, first published in 2003, uses the life experiences of controversial actress and poet Adah Isaacs Menken to examine the culture of the Civil War period. It discusses Menken's racial and ethnic claims and her performance of gender and sexuality in the context of the social categories of her day.Trade Review"This is a most interesting and valuable study of a performer, of a woman, and of a particular cultural movement." John W. Frick, American Historical Review"Renee Sentilles has written a scintillating book about a fascinating character. Adah Isaacs Menken was a poet, actress, publicity hound, and self-proclaimed bohemian who invented and re-invented herself dramatically in the middle years ofthe nineteenth century. This book finally puts 'the Menken,' as she was known at the peak of her fame, in the contexts that help us to understand her: the rise of celebrity culture, the shifting terms of gender, religious, and racial identity, changing public standards of taste, and the new America that was emerging during and after the Civil War." Joy Kasson, Univerisy of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"Vividly written, analystically sophisticated, and thoroughly fascinating, this book will be important to readers interested in cultural history, women's studies, American studies, and theater history, as well as to everyone who likes a gripping story." Joy Kasson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"In Menken's story, Renee Sentilles carries off a bravura performance of her own. Cutting her way through the numerous tales Menken told about herself, Sentilles discovers in her subject a revealing mirror of America in the Victorian age. That society, she shows with insight and wit, was far less rigid than is customarily assumed, and Menken capitalized on its desire for entertainment and its openness to change. With a chameleon-like talent for moving from one social world to another and remaking her self to fit her surround, Menken emerges as the hero of a very American adventure: a pioneer on the frontiers of identity, in an extraordinary tale of self-invention fit for a post-modern age." Robert A. Gross, College of William and Mary"In capturing Menken's creations and revealing their cultural resonances for her time and our own, Performing Menken is at once enlightening and entertaining. Sentilles commands notice as a rising star in the interdisciplinary field of American studies.Encore!" Robert A. Gross, College of William and Mary"A useful model of interdisciplinary research and analysis, the book is also a nuanced and insightful study of the agency of a particular woman at a contentious, complex, and rapidly changing moment in American history. Sentilles has seized on an utterly compelling figure in American culture and shown us how the culture may be more fascinating than the notoriously sensational actress-poet herself." LegacyTable of Contents1. Playing Deborah; 2. Playing the Pugilist's Wife; 3. Performing Mazeppa; 4. Performing Menken; 5. Among the Bohemians; 6. Becoming Mazeppa; 7. Becoming the Menken; 8. Finale; 9. Remember and rewriting Menken.

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Book SynopsisThis sixth volume of essays by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre is the first to focus on a single group of Shakespeare's plays. To celebrate the arrival of the new millennium the RSC presented productions of all eight of the history plays of the first and second Lancastrian tetralogies. Half of the twelve essays in this volume accordingly come from this important and historic cycle. Of the other six essays, from later productions, three are from the rarely performed King John, one from the even more rarely performed Edward III and the remaining two deal with the best-known title roles among the history plays, in two major recent independent productions of Henry V and Richard III. The contributors are Guy Henry, Kelly Hunter, Jo Stone-Fewings, David Rintoul, Samuel West, David Troughton, Nancy Carroll, Desmond Barrit, Adrian Lester, Fiona Bell, Richard Cordery, and Henry Goodman.Trade Review'… rich and searching volume …' The Times Literary Supplement'The best efforts in this series are first rate.' Contemporary ReviewTable of ContentsPreface; Introduction Robert Smallwood; King John Guy Henry; Constance in King John Kelly Hunter; The Bastard in King John Jo Stone-Fewings; King Edward the Third David Rintoul; King Richard the Second Samuel West; Bolingbroke in Richard the Second and King Henry the Fourth David Troughton; Lady Percy in Parts 1 and 2 of Henry the Fourth Nancy Carroll; Falstaff in Parts 1 and 2 of Henry the Fourth Desmond Barrit; King Henry the Fifth Adrian Lester; Joan of Arc in Part 1 of Henry the Sixth and Margaret of Anjou in Parts 1, 2, and 3 of Henry the Sixth and in Richard the Third Fiona Bell; Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in Parts 1 and 2 of Henry the Sixth and Buckingham in Richard the Third Richard Cordery; King Richard the Third Henry Goodman.

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Book SynopsisThe greatest actor of his day, Sir Henry Irving (1838â1905) thrilled audiences with his tragedy and melodrama, his Hamlet and Richard III, most famously at the Lyceum Theatre in London. Born John Henry Brodribb, he took the name Irving for his first professional stage appearance in 1856. A long and exhausting apprenticeship followed, during which he played some 700 roles in theatres up and down the country before establishing his reputation in 1871 in the psychological thriller The Bells. In 1878, he took over the Lyceum and here, with his business manager Bram Stoker (1847â1912) and actress Ellen Terry (rumoured to be his mistress), he became the theatrical icon of his age. This engaging two-volume tribute by Stoker, his closest friend, was first published in 1906. Volume 1 includes reminiscences of Irving's Shakespeare, performances of The Bells, Faust and Tennyson's plays, Ellen Terry's acting and his appearances in America.Table of ContentsPreface; 1. Earliest recollections of Henry Irving; 2. The old school and the new; 3. Friendship; 4. Honours from Dublin university; 5. Converging streams; 6. Joining forces; 7. The Lyceum productions; 8. Irving begins management; 9. Shakespeare plays - 1; 10. Shakespeare plays - 2; 11. Shakespeare plays - 3; 12. Shakespeare plays - 4; 13. Irving's method; 14. Art-sense; 15. Stage effects; 16. The value of experiment; 17. The pulse of the public; 18. Tennyson and his plays - 1; 19. Tennyson and his plays - 2; 20. Tennyson and his plays - 3; 21. Tennyson and his plays - 4; 22. Waterloo - King Arthur - Don Quixote; 23. Art and hazard; 24. Vandenhoff; 25. Charles Matthews; 26. Charles Dickens and Henry Irving; 27. Mr J. M. Levy; 28. Visits to America; 29. William Winter; 30. Performance at West Point; 31. American reporters; 32. Tours-de-force; 33. Christmas; 34. Irving as a social force; 35. Visits of foreign warships; 36. Irving's last reception at the Lyceum; 37. The voice of England; 38. Rival towns; 39. Two stories; 40. Sir Richard Burton; 41. Sir Henry Morton Stanley; 42. Arminius Vambéry.

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Book SynopsisUnsinkable is the definitive memoir by film legend and Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds.In Unsinkable, the late great actress, comedienne, singer, and dancer Debbie Reynolds shares the highs and lows of her life as an actress during Hollywood’s Golden Age, anecdotes about her lifelong friendship with Elizabeth Taylor, her experiences as the foremost collector of Hollywood memorabilia, and intimate details of her marriages and family life with her children, Carrie and Todd Fisher.A story of heartbreak, hope, and survival, “America’s Sweetheart” Debbie Reynolds picks up where she left off in her first memoir, Debbie: My Life, and is illustrated with previously unpublished photos from Reynolds’s personal collection.Debbie Reynolds died on December 28, 2016, at the age of 84, just one day after the death of her daughter, actress and author Carrie Fisher.Trade Review"Anyone who loves Hollywood and movies is bound to enjoy this lively, funny book, filled with candid recollections. Debbie was a movie-struck kid who experienced the last days of Hollywood's Golden Age, and I love her clear-eyed memories." -- Leonard Maltin "[Reynolds is] indisputably a grand dame of show business." -- NPR on UNSINKABLE "Lively." -- People on UNSINKABLE "Debbie Reynolds knows exactly how to steal the scene, wring tears, and most important, how to leave the audience feeling thoroughly entertained." -- New York Journal of Books on UNSINKABLE "Nothing could sink this lady." -- New York Post on UNSINKABLE

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Marlon Brando reigned over Hollywood in an era before it was possible to know every little thing about an actor’s life — but this biography [changes] that. Mann went through Brando’s personal archives to craft a story that covers not only his behind-the-scenes persona but the way in which he led the charge for a merging of Hollywood and protest culture.” — Entertainment Weekly, Big Books of Fall Preview “ Big, sprawling, meticulously researched…Tells us everything we ever wanted to know about the man and then some.” — Washington Post “An insightful and well-researched portrait of Marlon Brando. Taking a cinematic approach, Mann swoops in on pivotal moments in Brando’s life. Though sympathetic to Brando, Mann doesn’t shy away from his flaws, such as his often callous treatment of women. The result is a thoughtfully considered study of a supremely talented, observant, and imaginative man who became a reluctant cultural icon.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Structuring his biography like a film, Mann jumps from one key moment in Brando’s life to another—the dysfunctional family life, the great movie roles, the tempestuous and often callous relationships with lovers, the tragedies that befell his children—and, while the book brings something new and often revelatory to all of these familiar aspects of the Brando saga, Mann is at his best when he digs into Brando’s tortured relationship with acting itself… A compelling biography, rich in complexity and irony.” — Booklist (starred review) “Remarkably ambitious … Mann’s book is continuously fascinating, vivid, and full of new information; for anyone interested in Brando, it is indispensable.” — Air Mail “[THE CONTENDER] is a humanizing portrait that doesn't shy away from the complexity of one of Hollywood's greatest stars.” — AARP Magazine “ Deeply engaging and perceptive from page one…A thoroughly enjoyable, illuminating read." — Library Journal (starred review) “ William J. Mann masterfully captures Brando’s allure, his psychological complexity and the epic arc of his career…From Mann, Brando receives a biography every bit as compelling and powerful as his own stage presence.” — BookPage "Mann uses painstaking years of research, conversations with those who knew Brando best, and his own knack for delving into the lives of Hollywood luminaries to offer fans up a staggeringly comprehensive tale of Brando’s life." — Entertainment Weekly "William J. Mann sets out in The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando to give the actor the dominant voice in his own story, serving as the advocate Brando is often denied in articles and books… Mann’s book presents a necessary re-examination of Brando and his tumultuous life…The Contender is a standout biography, providing an empathetic look at Brando’s struggle with himself." — Associated Press "Mann is a dogged investigator who is fixed on establishing truths. Over and over again in his long book he dispels fantastic stories, unstitches embroidered truths and pins Brando down. Mann is an experienced writer about Tinseltown….His research is exhaustive. His tone is agreeably respectful. As Hollywood biographies go, this is as nice and as intelligent as can be." — The Times (UK)

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Book SynopsisActress, director, entertainer Joely Fisher invites readers backstage, into the intimate world of her career and family with this hilarious, irreverent, down-to-earth memoir filled with incredible, candid stories about her life, her famous parents, and how the loss of her unlikely hero, sister Carrie Fisher ignited the writer in her.Trade Review“This book is like the talented Joely--honest, funny, dark, light, brazen, and it smells good. Or maybe that was just my copy.” — Bob Saget “Joely’s wit, humor, and candor carry on the Fisher legacy. Just brilliant.” — Sue Cameron “Raw, honest, hilarious. This book is pure Joely Fisher.” — Brad Garrett “The stories are addictive--I couldn’t get enough!” — Robby Benson “This book was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Not only does Joely take you on a journey ‘growing up all things Hollywood,’ but she pulls you into her heart and shares intimate thoughts and feelings we all have about family and love.” — Jenny McCarthy “Joely is a rare creature. Her book will lift you up... Get lost in her world.” — James L. Brooks “[A] powerful, incredible read” — Good Morning America “A beautiful book.” — Megyn Kelly Today

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