Biographies & Memoirs - Books

Nosotras. Historias de mujeres y algo más

Biographies & Memoirs

Edición especial de uno de los libros fundamentales de Rosa Montero, Premio Nacional de las Letras 2017. Una obra pionera en la reivindicación del papel de la mujer en la historia a través de las biografías de sus protagonistas. Ilustrada por María Herreros. Escúchalo ahora«Este libro no es un libro solo para mujeres, de la misma manera que el feminismo no es solo cosa de chicas. Estamos cambiando el mundo,estamos destruyendo estereotipos milenarios, y es evidente que si se altera el papel social femenino, es porque también muda el papel de los hombres.»Incluye el texto original de Historias de mujeres, publicado hace veinticuatro años, y añade noventa nuevos pequeños retratos, una ojeada rápida desde la antigüedad hasta nuestros días que nos permite atisbar la compleja riqueza de la aportación femeninaa la vida común. Porque hay una historia que no está en la historia y que solo se puede rescatar aguzando el oído y escuchando el susurro de las mujeres. La porción invisible del iceberg de protagonistas silenciadas empieza a emerger ahora, y tiene unas dimensiones colosales. Ha habido mujeres en todas las épocas haciendo cosas memorables. No hay un solo campo social, artístico o del conocimiento en el que no hayamos destacado. Y se trata de un pasado que nos han robado a todos.»Pero tenemos que hacer algo más que cambiar la visión del pasado: es esencial que también cambiemos la visión del presente. La manera en que nos miramos a nosotras mismas. El mundo, nos decían y nos decíamos, es así. Pero no. Resulta que el mundo no es así. El futuro está aquí, el futuro es hoy y lo estamos construyendo hombres y mujeres. Por primera vez estamos todos. Aunque, para ello, también debamos abandonar nosotrasmuchos prejuicios sexistas. Así es que, hermanas, abramos nuestras fauces de dragonas y escupamos fuego.»Rosa Montero---------------------------------La crítica ha dicho sobre Historias de mujeres...«Escribe con el punto casi exacto de acercamiento, con sinceridad y ardor pero sin concesiones fáciles, sabedora de que sus heroínas sufrieron a causa del entorno todo, y no solo de los hombres. Desde esta óptica madura y razonable,la prosa de Montero se nos hace así paradójicamente intensa, creíble, verdadera.»Miguel Dalmau, La Vanguardia«No perseguía un documento de hazañas femeninas ejemplares, solo ejemplos de mujeres que se atrevieron a traicionar las expectativas que la sociedad, durante siglos,depositó en ellas y asaltaron con audacias inéditas los preceptos que asignaban sus funciones.»Pilar Castro, ABC«El deseo de equilibrio entre los sexos late como un pulso en todo el libro de Montero. El mismo deseo que anima los modos de sentir y pensar de una mujer que ansía, en cada lugar, por oscuro y difícil que sea, ver llegar elfin de la prohibición, el día en que cada una pueda modelar su propia forma como un regalo que no temerá.»Teresa Hernández, Diario 16 Andalucía«Una parte de la historia clandestina de las mujeres y sus esfuerzos, muchas veces trágicos, para liberarse de la norma social masculina.»Andrés Fernández Rubio, El País«Interesante muestra, no solo de lo que el género biográfico puede dar de sí abordado con pasión y oficio, también de lo que las mujeres han aportado a la historia o a sus recovecos desde el matrimonio o la rebeldía.»Care Santos, El Cultural«Mujeres que dejaron huella, que hicieron historia. [...] Mujeres con vida propia.»El Tiempo

First Ladies: The Life and Legacy of Mary Todd Lincoln

Biographies & Memoirs

*Includes pictures of Mary and important people, places, and events in her life. *Explains Mary's reputation and legacy as a First Lady, including her role as an entertainer and her issues with spending. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. *Includes a Table of Contents American presidents have shaped the course of global affairs for generations, but as the saying goes, behind every great man there’s a great woman. While the First Ladies often remain overshadowed by their husbands, some have carved unique niches in their time and left their own lasting legacy. Dolley Madison helped establish the role of the First Lady in the early 1800s, Eleanor Roosevelt gave voice to policy issues in a way that made her a forerunner of First Ladies like Hillary Clinton, and Jackie Kennedy created glamorous trends that made her more popular than her husband. In Charles River Editors’ First Ladies series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives and legacies of America’s most famous First Ladies in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. It’s possible that the world would have remembered Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882) if only because she was the wife of one of America’s greatest presidents and present for his shocking assassination, but Mary was one of the most unique women to ever be First Lady, and she was in the White House during the country’s most trying time. But history hasn’t exactly been kind. Mary was dealt a tough hand that might have made it impossible for her to ever be popular. The Civil War erupted a month after President Lincoln took office, and Mary was a native Southerner who had relatives fighting for the Confederacy. Making matters worse, Mary seemed out of touch with the times, organizing lavish balls at a time when the country was literally coming apart at the seams. As if the external pressure wasn’t trying enough, young Willie Lincoln died in the White House in 1862, sending Mary into such fits of grief that she might have never fully recovered from even before her husband’s assassination and the death of Tad in 1881. Unfortunately, one of the things most associated with Mary is insanity. Having dealt with so much death, and already a superstitious woman to begin with, Mary was eventually institutionalized by her eldest son Robert, the only Lincoln child to reach adulthood. With her death in 1882, the perception of her as a generally out of touch, troubled woman was set. First Ladies: The Life and Legacy of Mary Todd Lincoln looks at Mary’s turbulent life and the tragedies she was forced to endure, but it also humanizes her in an attempt to portray a more objective and comprehensive picture. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Mary Todd Lincoln like you never have before, in no time at all.

Legends of the West: The Life and Legacy of Wyatt Earp

Biographies & Memoirs

*Includes 30 pictures of Wyatt Earp and important people, places, and events in his life. *Explains the background surrounding the Gunfight at the OK Corral and a detailed description of how the fight went down. *Discusses lesser known facts about Earp's life, including his friendships with Hollywood movie stars like Charlie Chaplin and John Wayne. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. *Includes a Table of Contents. Space may be the final frontier, but no frontier has ever captured the American imagination like the “Wild West”, which still evokes images of dusty cowboys, outlaws, gunfights, gamblers, and barroom brawls over 100 years after the West was settled. A constant fixture in American pop culture, the 19th century American West continues to be vividly and colorful portrayed not just as a place but as a state of mind. In Charles River Editors’ Legends of the West series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most famous frontier figures in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Of all the colorful characters that inhabited the West during the 19th century, the most famous of them all is Wyatt Earp (1848-1929), who has long been regarded as the embodiment of the Wild West. Considered the "toughest and deadliest gunman of his day", Earp symbolized the swagger, the heroism, and even the lawlessness of the West, notorious for being a law enforcer, gambler, saloon keeper, and vigilante. The Western icon is best known for being a sheriff in Tombstone, but before that he had been arrested and jailed several times himself, in one case escaping from prison, and he was not above gambling and spending time in “houses of ill-fame”. The seminal moment in Earp’s life also happened to be the West’s most famous gunfight, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which famously pitted Earp, his brothers Morgan and Virgil, and Doc Holliday against Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury. Though the gunfight lasted less than a minute, it is still widely remembered as the climactic event of the period, representing lawlessness and justice, vendettas, and a uniquely Western moral code. For Earp, the aftermath led to assassination attempts on his brothers, one of which was successful, touching off the “Earp Vendetta Ride”. By the end of the 19th century, Earp was already a poignant symbol of that time and day, having permanently etched his name in the folklore of the West, but he stayed out west, engaging in everything from gold mining to vigilante justice on the Mexican border. A living legend, he even served as an advisor to early Hollywood, which was already pumping out Western movies. When he died in 1929 at the age of 80, one of the West’s toughest fighers and one of its longest survivors had finally passed Legends of the West: The Life and Legacy of Wyatt Earp details Earp’s amazing life and career, including all of its famous ups and infamous downs, while also analyzing his legacy and the mythology that has enveloped his story. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about Wyatt Earp like you never have before, in no time at all.

Twelve Years A Slave

Biographies & Memoirs

The true story of Solomon Northup, born a free man in New York State in 1808. He was kidnapped in Washington City in 1841 and spent the following twelve years as a slave on a Louisiana cotton plantation where he was abused. After being rescued in 1853, Solomon Northup wrote this autobiographical story about his captivity. His book became a best-seller. "Twelve Years a Slave" now a motion picture directed by Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'o. Golden Globe Award 2014 for Best Motion Picture.

The Hatfields and The McCoys Collection

Biographies & Memoirs

Includes: •Charles River Editors’ original history of the Hatfield-McCoy feud •Four contemporary stories about the feud "They were men, who matched the mountains, they were Hatfields and McCoys. They were men, who matched the mountains. They were men, when they were boys." – Jimmy Wolford The feud between the Hatfields and McCoys is the stuff of American legend and has become synonymous for vendettas. In fact, it has become its own term for any large scale disagreement and has made its way into everything from music to television and movies. Though the fighting took place over a century ago, Americans remain so fascinated by it that The History Channel’s 2012 miniseries about the feuding families set records for cable television ratings. These days, the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys is a celebrated piece of American folklore, but for two families living along the West Virginia–Kentucky border during the last half of the 19th century, the feud was literally a matter of life and death. 21st century America might celebrate this relic of the country’s rural past, but modern society would also likely scoff at the idea of a couple of rural families taking pot shots at each other through the woods over slights as insignificant as a stolen pig. Nevertheless, for the Hatfields and McCoys, the feud was every bit as dangerous as a modern gang war or organized crime activity. While the feud may be harder to understand today, it was a microcosm of other conflicts that shaped America’s destiny. First, it represents the heritage of the blood feud that came to the United States with those immigrating from Scotland and Ireland. The backcountry of the South was settled primarily by immigrants from the “Celtic fringe” of Great Britain: Scotland, Northern England, Cornwall, Wales, and Ireland. For these settlers, family ties were paramount; loyalty was key, and conflicts were settled with violence. The feud also demonstrated the continuing importance of honor in the South in the late 19th century, and a notion that personal honor should be defended against actual or perceived slights with violence. Clearly, the South’s code of honor persisted long after the Civil War, as did tension between supporters of the Union and the Confederacy. The Hatfields and The McCoys Collection chronicles America’s most famous blood feud, from the origins of each family to the events that sparked the fighting. It includes an original history of about the feud, and four contemporary stories discussing the feud during the 19th century. This collection also includes a Table of Contents and pictures of important people, places, and events.

Waxing On

Biographies & Memoirs

An instant New York Times Bestseller! Since The Karate Kid first crane-kicked its way into the pop culture stratosphere in June 1984, there hasn’t been a week Ralph Macchio hasn’t heard friendly shouts of “Wax on, wax off” or “Sweep the leg!” Now, with Macchio reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso in the #1 ranked Netflix show Cobra Kai, he is finally ready to look back and cele-brate the legacy of The Karate Kid in cinema, pop culture, and his own life.The result, Waxing On, is a comprehensive look at the film that shaped Macchio as much as it influenced the world. He shares an insider’s perspective of the untold story behind the scenes—the innocence of the early days; the audition process; his experiences working with Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, and William Zabka; and so much more. He also takes readers through the birth of some of the film’s most iconic moments, including the creation of the famous crane kick and the touching scenes that revealed Mr. Miyagi’s intriguing backstory.Ultimately, the book centers on Ralph’s indelible connection to the film itself, focusing on the reason that the characters and themes have endured in such a powerful way, and how these personal experiences have impacted Macchio’s life as well. It brings readers back to the day they met Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi for the first time, but also provides a fascinating lens into how our pasts shape all of us, and how they can come back to enrich our lives in surprising and wonderful ways.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Biographies & Memoirs

Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide. Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned. Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity.”—James Baldwin

The Tell

Biographies & Memoirs

An astonishing memoir that explores how far we will go to protect ourselves, and the healing made possible when we face our secrets and begin to share our stories“A beautiful account of the journey of courage it takes to face the truth of one’s past.”—Bessel van der Kolk, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the ScoreFor decades, Amy ran. Through the dirt roads of Amarillo, Texas, where she grew up; to the campus of the University of Virginia, as a student athlete; on the streets of New York, where she built her adult life; through marriage, motherhood, and a thriving career. To outsiders, it all looked, in many ways, perfect. But Amy was running from something—a secret she was keeping not only from her family and friends, but unconsciously from herself. “You’re here, but you’re not here,” her daughter said to her one night. “Where are you, Mom?” So began Amy’s quest to solve a mystery trapped in the deep recesses of her own memory—a journey that would take her into the burgeoning field of psychedelic therapy, to the limits of the judicial system, and ultimately, home to the Texas panhandle, where her story began.In her search for the truth, to understand and begin to recover from buried childhood trauma, Griffin interrogates the pursuit of perfectionism, control, and maintaining appearances that drives so many women, asking, when, in our path from girlhood to womanhood, did we learn to look outside ourselves for validation? What kind of freedom is possible if we accept the whole story and embrace who we really are? With hope, heart, and relentless honesty, she points a way forward for all of us, revealing the power of radical truth-telling to deepen our connections—with others and ourselves.

Report of the County Chairman

Biographies & Memoirs

James A. Michener, the acclaimed author of sweeping historical blockbusters, chronicles his personal involvement in one of the most dramatic elections of the twentieth century: the presidential race between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. A relative newcomer to politics, Michener served as the Democratic chairman in his native Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in a rural battleground precinct where the major controversies of the day—notably Kennedy’s Catholicism—brought cultural divides to the forefront. First published shortly after the 1960 election, Report of the County Chairman remains an intimate, gripping account of the power of grassroots political involvement. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Hawaii. Praise for Report of the County Chairman “A candid account of the Kennedy/Nixon campaign.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “Fascinating . . . The personalities are vividly and vigorously sketched—the workers, the volunteers, the hatchet men, the pros and . . . key figures on the barnstorming tour.”—Kirkus Reviews “Instructive . . . Anti-Catholicism was not just a Southern problem. In Pennsylvania, accounts of increasing anti-Catholicism were widespread. No one documented this sentiment more clearly than famed Pennsylvania novelist James Michener.”—The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania)

Napoleon: The Making of a Legend

Biographies & Memoirs

In 'Napoleon: The Making of a Legend,' readers are presented with an intricate tapestry of perspectives that illuminate the life and legacy of one of history's most enigmatic figures, Napoleon Bonaparte. This collection expertly merges a diverse range of literary styles, from firsthand memoirs to scholarly historical analyses, creating a multifaceted portrait of the French leader. The anthology distinguishes itself by encompassing not only the political and military strategies of Napoleon but also his personal relationships and the cultural impact of his rule, offering standout pieces that shed light on lesser-known facets of his reign. The contributing authors - Charles Downer Hazen, William Milligan Sloane, Alexandre Dumas, Louis Constant Wairy, Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, and Emmanuel-Auguste-Dieudonné Las Cases - bring a rich selection of backgrounds, from those who served alongside Napoleon to others who have critically analyzed his impact from a historical distance. Their collective expertise spans various disciplines, enriching the anthology's exploration of Napoleon's life. Their accounts converge at the intersection of historical fact and personal narrative, offering a nuanced perspective on the Napoleonic era and its significant cultural and political shifts. 'Napoleon: The Making of a Legend' is an essential read for those intrigued by the complexity of historical narratives and the figures that shape them. It invites readers to navigate through the myriad interpretations of Napoleon's life, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the interplay between the personal and the political in shaping historical legacies. This anthology promises to be a rich educational journey, perfect for scholars, students, and enthusiasts alike, keen on understanding the multifarious nature of one of history’s most talked-about leaders.

This Is Not a Border

Biographies & Memoirs

Writers from Alice Walker to Michael Ondaatje to Claire Messud share their thoughts on one of the most vital gatherings of writers and readers in the world. The Palestine Festival of Literature was established in 2008 by authors Ahdaf Soueif, Brigid Keenan, Victoria Brittain and Omar Robert Hamilton. Bringing writers to Palestine from all corners of the globe, it aimed to break the cultural siege imposed by the Israeli military occupation, to strengthen artistic links with the rest of the world, and to reaffirm, in the words of Edward Said, "the power of culture over the culture of power." This Is Not a Border is a collection of essays, poems, and sketches from some of the world's most distinguished artists, responding to their experiences at this unique festival. Both heartbreaking and hopeful, their gathered work is a testament to the power of literature to promote solidarity and hope in the most desperate of situations. Contributing authors include J. M. Coetzee, China Miéville, Alice Walker, Geoff Dyer, Claire Messud, Henning Mankell, Michael Ondaatje, Kamila Shamsie, Michael Palin, Deborah Moggach, Mohammed Hanif, Gillian Slovo, Adam Foulds, Susan Abulhawa, Ahdaf Soueif, Jeremy Harding, Brigid Keenan, Rachel Holmes, Suad Amiry, Gary Younge, Jamal Mahjoub, Molly Crabapple, Najwan Darwish, Nathalie Handal, Omar Robert Hamilton, Pankaj Mishra, Raja Shehadeh, Selma Dabbagh, William Sutcliffe, Atef Abu Saif, Yasmin El-Rifae, Sabrina Mahfouz, Alaa Abd El Fattah, Mercedes Kemp, Ru Freeman.

Wired

Biographies & Memoirs

This reissue of Bob Woodword’s classic book about John Belushi—one of the most interesting performers and personalities in show business history—“is told with the same narrative style that Woodward employed so effectively in All the President’s Men and The Final Days” (Chicago Tribune).John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose March 5, 1982, in a seedy hotel bungalow off Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Belushi’s death was the beginning of a trail that led Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward on an investigation that examines the dark side of American show business—TV, rock and roll, and the movie industry. From on-the-record interviews with 217 people, including Belushi's widow, his former partner Dan Aykroyd, Belushi’s movie directors including Jack Nicholson and Steven Spielberg, actors Chevy Chase, Robin Williams, and Carrie Fisher, the movie executives, the agents, Belushi’s drug dealers, and those who live in the show business underground, the author has written a close portrait of a great American comic talent, and of his struggle to succeed and to survive that ended in tragedy.Using diaries, accountants’ records, phone bills, travel records, medical records, and interviews with firsthand witnesses, Woodward has followed Belushi’s life from childhood in a small town outside Chicago to his meteoric rise to fame.Bob Woodward has written a spellbinding account of rise and fall, a cautionary tale for our times, and a poignant and gentle portrait of a young man who had so much, gave so much, and lost so much.

The Life of Thomas More

Biographies & Memoirs

Peter Ackroyd's The Life of Thomas More is a masterful reconstruction of the life and imagination of one of the most remarkable figures of history. Thomas More (1478-1535) was a renowned statesman; the author of a political fantasy that gave a name to a literary genre and a worldview (Utopia); and, most famously, a Catholic martyr and saint.Born into the professional classes, Thomas More applied his formidable intellect and well-placed connections to become the most powerful man in England, second only to the king. As much a work of history as a biography, The Life of Thomas More gives an unmatched portrait of the everyday, religious, and intellectual life of the early sixteenth century. In Ackroyd's hands, this renowned "man for all seasons" emerges in the fullness of his complex humanity; we see the unexpected side of his character--such as his preference for bawdy humor--as well as his indisputable moral courage.

The Letters of Ambrose Bierce

Biographies & Memoirs

It is a biographical book. The question that starts to the lips of ninety-nine readers out of a hundred', says Arnold Bennett, in a review in the London New Age in 1909, 'even the best informed, will assuredly be: 'Who is Ambrose Bierce?' I scarcely know, but I will say that among what I may term 'underground reputations' that of Ambrose Bierce is perhaps the most striking example. You may wander for years through literary circles and never meet anybody who has heard of Ambrose Bierce, and then you may hear some erudite student whisper in an awed voice: 'Ambrose Bierce is the greatest living prose writer'. I have heard such an opinion expressed'. Bierce himself shows his recognition of the 'underground' quality of his reputation in a letter to George Sterling: 'How many times, and during a period of how many years must one's unexplainable obscurity be pointed out to constitute fame? Not knowing, I am almost disposed to consider myself the most famous of authors. I have pretty nearly ceased to be 'discovered', but my notoriety as an obscurian may be said to be worldwide and everlasting.

The Story of My Life (The Complete Memoirs of Giacomo Casanova, Volume 2 of 12)

Biographies & Memoirs

A Venetian adventurer, author, and lifelong womanizer, the name of Casanova has become interchangeable with the art of seduction since the 18th century. In his most notable book, "Story of My Life," Casanova narrates countless tales of the people with whom he interacted: lovers, European royalty, clergymen, and artists such as Goethe, Voltaire, and Mozart. His writing demonstrates his talent for dialogue, while his life seems an inadvertent testament to skill in plot development. Casanova gambled, spied, translated, dueled, schemed, traveled, and observed people of all levels of society, having been born of two actors and becoming a self-made gentleman. He writes of his life without regret, recalling his adventures, from necromancy to imprisonment, with general honesty and the occasional embellishment, and always with a good humor. In this remarkable celebration of the senses, Casanova proves his talent for storytelling by revealing a refreshingly authentic view of the customs and everyday life of social 18th century Europeans, ultimately proving his claim that "I can say I have lived." In this edition you will find the second of twelve volumes of "The Complete Memoirs."

The Complete Works of Frederick Douglass

Biographies & Memoirs

This meticulously edited collection has been formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents: Memoirs: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave My Bondage and My Freedom Life and Times of Frederick Douglass Writings & Speeches: The Heroic Slave My Escape from Slavery What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Self-Made Men The Church and Prejudice The Color Line The Future of the Colored Race Abolition Fanaticism in New York An Appeal to Congress for Impartial Suffrage Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln Reconstruction John Brown: An Address at the 14th Anniversary of Storer College The Claims of Our Common Cause The End of All Compromises with Slavery – Now and Forever The Kansas-Nebraska Bill The Dred Scott Decision Farewell Speech to the British People Comments on Gerrit Smith's Address Change of Opinion Announced Colonization Henry Clay and Slavery The Free Negro's Place Is In America Horace Greeley and Colonization The Fugitive Slave Law, The Revolution of 1848 West India Emancipation The Chicago Nomination The Late Election The Union and How to Save It Sudden Revolution in Northern Sentiment How to End the War Cast off the Millstone The Reasons for Our Troubles The War and How to End It What shall be Done with the Slaves if Emancipated The President and His Speeches Emancipation Proclaimed Men of Color, To Arms! Why Should a Colored Man Enlist? Our Work Is Not Done The Work of the Future What the Black Man Wants Give Us the Freedom Intended for Us A Call to Work The Word White The Hypocrisy of American Slavery Introduction to "The Reason Why" Reply of the Colored Delegation to the President Letter to Harriet Beecher Stowe Letter to Miss Wells Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was an African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York.

Untamed

Biographies & Memoirs

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD! “Packed with incredible insight about what it means to be a woman today.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick)In her most revealing and powerful memoir yet, the activist, speaker, bestselling author, and “patron saint of female empowerment” (People) explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet others’ expectations and start trusting the voice deep within us.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY O: The Oprah Magazine • The Washington Post • Cosmopolitan • Marie Claire • Bloomberg • Parade • “Untamed will liberate women—emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It is phenomenal.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of City of Girls and Eat Pray LoveThis is how you find yourself.There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn’t it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent—even from ourselves. For many years, Glennon Doyle denied her own discontent. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room and fell instantly in love. Three words flooded her mind: There She Is. At first, Glennon assumed these words came to her from on high. But she soon realized they had come to her from within. This was her own voice—the one she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions, cultural conditioning, and institutional allegiances. This was the voice of the girl she had been before the world told her who to be. Glennon decided to quit abandoning herself and to instead abandon the world’s expectations of her. She quit being good so she could be free. She quit pleasing and started living. Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is. Untamed shows us how to be brave. As Glennon insists: The braver we are, the luckier we get.

At Home in the World

Biographies & Memoirs

"Followers and newcomers to Nhat Hanh’s teaching alike will find this collection inspiring for everyday practice and for social engagement in the world."—Publishers Weekly This collection of autobiographical and teaching stories from peace activist and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is thought provoking, inspiring, and enjoyable to read. Collected here for the first time, these stories span the author’s life. There are stories from Thich Nhat Hanh’s childhood and the traditions of rural Vietnam. There are stories from his years as a teenaged novice, as a young teacher and writer in war torn Vietnam, and of his travels around the world to teach mindfulness, make pilgrimages to sacred sites, and influence world leaders. The tradition of teaching the Dharma through stories goes back at least to the time of the Buddha. Like the Buddha, Thich Nhat Hanh uses story–telling to engage people’s interest so he can share important teachings, insights, and life lessons.

Válaszd az életet

Biographies & Memoirs

Frankl auschwitzi beszámolója olvasók millióit rendítette meg. De vajon milyen volt az élete előtte és utána? Ki az ember a könyvek mögött? Önéletírásában a világhírű pszichológus azokról a tapasztalatokról is mesél, amelyek a rezilienciakutatás előfutárává és az értékközpontú pszichoterápia megalapozójává tették: a zsidó szülői házról, Sigmund Freudhoz és Alfred Adlerhez fűződő fiatalkori kapcsolatairól, az öngyilkosság által fenyegetett fiatalok körében végzett munkájáról, a nácik eutanáziaprogramjával szemben kifejtett ellenállásáról, politikai üldöztetéséről, deportálásáról, majd hazatéréséről Bécsbe, ahol majd egész életét leélte. Frankl visszaemlékezéseit az elszenvedett veszteségek és szenvedések ellenére mélységes emberszeretet hatja át. Visszaemlékezését a családi archívumból származó képek egészítik ki. „Segített megbirkóznom a fájdalmaimmal” Edith Eva Eger

Wild Men: The Playboy Interview

Biographies & Memoirs

About the Series: In mid-1962, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner was given a partial transcript of an interview with Miles Davis. It covered jazz, of course, but it also included Davis’s ruminations on race, politics and culture. Fascinated, Hef sent the writer—future Pulitzer Prize–winning author Alex Haley, an unknown at the time—back to glean even more opinion and insight from Davis. The resulting exchange, published in the September 1962 issue, became the first official Playboy Interview and kicked off a remarkable run of public inquisition that continues today—and that has featured just about every cultural titan of the past half century. To celebrate the interview’s 50th anniversary, the editors of Playboy have assembled 13 compilations of the magazine’s most (in)famous interviews—from big mouths and wild men to sports gods and literary mavericks. Here is our collection of 12 interviews with the most unpredictable eccentrics.

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