Biographies & Memoirs - Books

Jay-Z

Biographies & Memoirs

JAY-Z è universalmente riconosciuto come uno dei rapper più importanti al mondo: i numeri da record dei suoi dischi (oltre 100 milioni di copie vendute solo negli USA, 22 Grammy Awards, 3 album nella lista dei 500 migliori album di sempre secondo Rolling Stone) sono superati solo dalla sua celebrità. Questa autorevole biografia, scritta con il beneplacito di JAY-Z e frutto di oltre dieci anni di studio da parte di Michael Eric Dyson, affronta i temi più rilevanti della carriera e della complicata vita dell'artista, inclusi i momenti più scottanti, e racconta come Jay ha sempre utilizzato la musica per parlare di argomenti più grandi, come la politica, prendendo posizione su questioni come la razza, il sistema penale e l'ingiustizia sociale. Oggi, in occasione dei suoi cinquant'anni e per celebrare trent'anni di carriera, è il momento giusto per rileggere la strada che il rapper ha percorso fino ad ora e per capire il suo ruolo fondamentale nella musica e nella cultura americana: perché JAY-Z ha dato al suo Paese una lingua con cui pensare e nuove parole con cui convivere.

Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil (Unabridged)

Biographies & Memoirs

This eBook edition of "Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil" has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. "I venture to write again on themes on which great souls have already said greater words, in the hope that I may strike here and there a half-tone, newer even if slighter, up from the heart of my problem and the problems of my people." William Edward Burghardt "W. E. B." Du Bois (1868 – 1963) was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author, writer and editor. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated community. After completing graduate work at the University of Berlin and Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. Contents: Credo The Shadow of Year A Litany at Atlanta The Souls of White Folk The Riddle of the Sphinx The Hands of Ethiopia The Princess of the Hither Isles Of Work and Wealth The Second Coming "The Servant in the House" Jesus Christ in Texas Of the Ruling of Men The Call The Damnation of Women Children of the Moon The Immortal Child Almighty Death Of Beauty and Death The Prayers of God The Comet A Hymn to the Peoples

The Life of Flavius Josephus

Biographies & Memoirs

Now, my father Matthias was not only eminent on account of is nobility, but had a higher commendation on account of his righteousness, and was in great reputation in Jerusalem, the greatest city we have. I was myself brought up with my brother, whose name was Matthias, for he was my own brother, by both father and mother; and I made mighty proficiency in the improvements of my learning, and appeared to have both a great memory and understanding. Moreover, when I was a child, and about fourteen years of age, I was commended by all for the love I had to learning; on which account the high priests and principal men of the city came then frequently to me together, in order to know my opinion about the accurate understanding of points of the law. And when I was about sixteen years old, I had a mind to make trim of the several sects that were among us. These sects are three: - The first is that of the Pharisees, the second that Sadducees, and the third that of the Essens, as we have frequently told you; for I thought that by this means I might choose the best, if I were once acquainted with them all; so I contented myself with hard fare, and underwent great difficulties, and went through them all. Nor did I content myself with these trials only; but when I was informed that one, whose name was Banus, lived in the desert, and used no other clothing than grew upon trees, and had no other food than what grew of its own accord, and bathed himself in cold water frequently, both by night and by day, in order to preserve his chastity, I imitated him in those things, and continued with him three years. (3) So when I had accomplished my desires, I returned back to the city, being now nineteen years old, and began to conduct myself according to the rules of the sect of the Pharisees, which is of kin to the sect of the Stoics, as the Greeks call them.

Todo lo que sé sobre el amor

Biographies & Memoirs

Tan salvajemente divertido y conmovedor como la vida de cualquier veinteañero que crece navegando entre desengaños amorosos y relaciones desastrosas.La periodista Dolly Alderton se propuso dar cuenta de sus locos veinte años en este divertido libro trufado de amores y desamores, relaciones intensas por Messenger que fracasan en el cara a cara, trabajos precarios y amigos que siempre están ahí. Un novio que acaba saliendo del armario, borracheras que te llevan a cruzar el país en taxis que no puedes pagar, chicos sin redes sociales que se creen Sartre…, escenas todas ellas de nuestra lucha por entender que el amor más intenso e importante es el que sentimos por nuestros amigos y nosotros mismos.«Casi todo lo que sé sobre el amor lo he aprendido charlando con mis amigas de toda la vida. He aprendido que el amor es júbilo desenfrenado, bailar borracha sobre el fango de un festival de música, los cruces de miradas en un autobús nocturno, los polvos de una noche. Pero también he aprendido que el amor no son las relaciones tediosas, ni las horas de obsesivo seguimiento en Instagram al chico que te gusta, ni los orgasmos fingidos.»«No quería que acabara nunca», Marian KeyesN.º1 en Reino Unido. Un millón de ejemplares vendidos.La Bridget Jones de la era millennial.

Aloysius X. L. Pendergast

Biographies & Memoirs

#1 New York Times–bestselling authors: Get to know the ruthless, mysterious FBI agent, “one of thrillerdom’s most exciting and intriguing series leads” (Booklist). Acclaimed as “a modern-day Sherlock Holmes” (Associated Press) with a brilliant mind, a cultured manner, and a dark edge, Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast has calmly looked evil in the face throughout the long-running series that includes such novels as The Cabinet of Curiosities—named one of NPR’s 100 Best Thrillers Ever—and Crooked River. In this essay, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child discuss how the character came to be created, his enigmatic backstory, and the history of their own wildly successful writing partnership. “The most charming, intelligent, cool, and creepy agent ever written.” —Suspense Magazine “Every bit the modern equivalent of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.”―Providence Journal

Pour se raconter III

Biographies & Memoirs

L’amour ponctue nos vies, bouleverse nos âmes, transforme nos cœurs. Mais quand vient le moment de déterminer lequel est réellement ineffaçable, la question se complique. Car bien qu’universel, l’amour est surtout multiple. Qu’il soit intellectuel, passionnel, amical, culturel ou platonique, il peut se manifester pour une personne, un animal, un loisir, un lieu, un pays ou encore un objet. De l’amour parental à la passion artistique, de l’attirance impossible à l’ardeur des émotions naissantes, les quarante auteurs de ce recueil ont relevé le défi de raconter leur amour inoubliable. En exprimant ce sentiment impérissable, ils se dévoilent dans des textes touchants, nostalgiques, rayonnants ou, parfois même, dramatiques. Par le récit de ces amours diverses et variées, nous sommes à notre tour amenés à réfléchir aux passions qui ont marqué nos vies, à faire le bilan de nos sentiments les plus riches et les plus puissants. «Pour se raconter III» est le résultat d'un concours de création littéraire initié par les Éditions David à l'automne 2013 dans le but d'inciter la population francophone de l'Ontario à prendre plaisir à lire et à écrire en français. Il s'agit là du troisième recueil de la série, qui fait suite aux «Souvenirs d'enfance» (2014) et aux «Parcours identitaires» (2015).

Memoirs of Casanova — Volume 25: Russia and Poland

Biographies & Memoirs

After a stay in Germany, the notorious Venetian lover travels east to Poland, Lithuania, and Russia, where he meets Catherine the Great before heading back west to Dresden.

The Autobiography and Other Writings

Biographies & Memoirs

This authoritative Bantam Classic edition presents readers with a wide-ranging selection of Benjamin Franklin’s most important writings, illuminating the complex and appealing character of this quintessential American who rose to fame as a publisher, inventor, educator, bon vivant, and statesman.Here are selections from Franklin’s newspaper articles, from the sage wisdom of Poor Richard’s Almanac, from his entertaining letters, from his scientific essays, from his political and revolutionary writings, plus a generous sampling of his famous aphorisms, poems, and humor. And, most important, here is a newly edited text of one of the most vital and important works of American literature, the Autobiography. As fascinating and as relevant as ever, this timeless collection of writings reveals an extraordinary man whose mind was always curious, always questioning, and who forever remained dedicated to the principles of truth and liberty.

Clotel, or The President's Daughter

Biographies & Memoirs

Excerpt: ''More than two hundred years have elapsed since the first cargo of slaves was landed on the banks of the James River, in the colony of Virginia, from the West coast of Africa. From the introduction of slaves in 1620, down to the period of the separation of the Colonies from the British Crown, the number had increased to five hundred thousand; now there are nearly four million. In fifteen of the thirty-one States, Slavery is made lawful by the Constitution, which binds the several States into one confederacy. On every foot of soil, over which Stars and Stripes wave, the Negro is considered common property, on which any white man may lay his hand with perfect impunity. The entire white population of the United States, North and South, are bound by their oath to the constitution, and their adhesion to the Fugitive Slaver Law, to hunt down the runaway slave and return him to his claimant, and to suppress any effort that may be made by the slaves to gain their freedom by physical force. Twenty-five millions of whites have banded themselves in solemn conclave to keep four millions of blacks in their chains. In all grades of society are to be found men who either hold, buy, or sell slaves, from the statesmen and doctors of divinity, who can own their hundreds, down to the person who can purchase but one.''

Thrown Away Child

Biographies & Memoirs

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR Thrown Away Child is a memoir covering Louise Allen’s abusive childhood in a foster home, how she survived - using her love of art as a sanctuary - and how she hopes to right old wrongs now by fostering children herself and campaigning for the improvement of foster care services. It is a compelling and inspirational story. This book gives a voice to the many children who grew up unhappily in care.

Kitchen Confidential

Biographies & Memoirs

Ny udgave suppleret med håndskrevne kommentarer af Anthony Bourdain selv og med nyt forord af Svend Rasmussen. For næsten to årtier siden udgav magasinet The New Yorker artiklen ”Don’t Eat Before Reading This” af den dengang ikke særligt kendte køkkenchef på Brasserie Les Halles i New York City, Anthony Bourdain. I artiklen tager Bourdain læserne med bag svingdørene i de fine restauranter og lægger ikke skjul på, hvordan det går for sig. Artiklen blev en sensation, og den efterfølgende bog, ny-klassikeren Kitchen Confidential, blev en endnu større sensation, en megabestseller verden over. Det handler om tæt druk, stoffer, knepperi i kolonialvaresektionen, uappetitlige afsløringer om tvivlsom omgang med fødevarer og ulækker praksis i hele industrien … Men samtidig kan den interesserede læser også finde ud af, hvordan man laver professionelt udseende og velsmagende anretninger ved hjælp af få, praktiske redskaber.Anthony Bourdain døde 8. juni 2018, 61 år gammel.

The Big Sea

Biographies & Memoirs

"The Big Sea" is a memoir written by Langston Hughes, a celebrated African-American writer, poet, and social activist. The book chronicles his life from his childhood in the Midwest to his travels and experiences as a young man in the 1920s and 1930s, a time of significant social and cultural change in America. In the book, Hughes explores his personal journey of self-discovery and identity formation in the context of the racial and cultural complexities of his time. He writes about his relationships with other writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as his encounters with racism, poverty, and discrimination. Through his vivid and lyrical prose, Hughes portrays the richness and diversity of African-American culture and history, while also highlighting the struggles and challenges faced by black Americans during his lifetime. "The Big Sea" is a powerful and inspiring work that continues to resonate with readers today.

The Motion of Light in Water

Biographies & Memoirs

This Hugo Award–winning memoir is “a very moving, intensely fascinating literary autobiography from an extraordinary writer” (William Gibson, Nebula and Hugo Award–winning author of Neuromancer). With the poet Marilyn Hacker, Delany moves into a tenement on a dead-end street that the landlord reserves for interracial couples. Between playing folk music in the evenings at the same Greenwich Village coffee shop as Bob Dylan and preparing shrimp curry for W. H. Auden and Chester Khalman, who have accepted an invitation that night for dinner, Delany takes a stab at writing science fiction. This young prodigy would complete and sell five novels before he turned twenty-two! (And then have a nervous breakdown . . .) This beautifully written memoir is a testament to a neighborhood where experimentation was a way of life. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Samuel R. Delany including rare images from his early career.

Euripides And His Age

Biographies & Memoirs

Euripides and His Age by Gilbert Murray This is a complete survey of the drama of Euripides, along with the historical, social and religious context in which he wrote. It includes synopses of all of the plays, including mentions of fragmentary and lost plays, and also serves as an introduction to the mechanics of Greek drama, including 'the messenger,' the 'deus ex machina,' and the 'Chorus.' Gilbert Murray (1886-1957) was a British classicist at Oxford, who translated much of the body of Greek drama during the early 20th century. His translation of The Trojan Women is also available at this site. Murray was associated with Jane Harrison, and contributed to herProlegomena to the Study of Greek Religion and Themis.

Ask Not

Biographies & Memoirs

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | #1 SUNDAY TIMES (UK) BESTSELLER "The must-read book of the summer" (Megyn Kelly) from New York Times bestseller Maureen Callahan: a "harrowing, incendiary" exposé of the real Kennedy Curse—the family’s generations-long legacy of misogyny, murder, and mayhem (Karen Abbott). The Kennedy name has long been synonymous with wealth, power, glamor, and—above all else—integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the pattern of Kennedy men physically and psychologically abusing women and girls, leaving a trail of ruin and death in each generation’s wake. Through decades of scandal after scandal—from sexual assaults to reputational slander, suicides to manslaughter—the family and their defenders have kept the Kennedy brand intact. Now, in Ask Not, bestselling author and journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys’ hidden history of violence and exploitation, laying bare their unrepentant sexism and rampant depravity while also restoring these women and girls to their rightful place at the center of the dynasty’s story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Martha Moxley, Mary Jo Kopechne, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren’t nearly as well known but should be. Drawing on years of explosive reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled family and a consequential part of American history that is still very much with us. At long last, Callahan redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys’ orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves and giving voice to those who, through no fault of their own, could not.One of Town & Country’s Must-Read Books of Summer 2024

Moja stručná história

Biographies & Memoirs

Stephen Hawking očaril čitateľov na celom svete sériou bestsellerov, v ktorých odhaľuje tajomstvá vesmíru. Teraz po prvý krát sa najslávnejší kozmológ pozerá do svojho vnútra a prezrádza detaily svojho života a intelektuálneho rozvoja. Moja stručná história rozpráva o Hawkingovej nepravdepodobnej ceste od chlapčenských rokov v povojnovom Londýne až po roky medzinárodnej slávy. Tento stručný, vtipný a úprimný príbeh predstavuje Hawkinga ako zvedavého chlapca, ktorého spolužiaci prezývali Einstein; ako vtipkára, ktorý sa raz stavil s kolegom o existencii čiernej diery; ako mladého manžela a otca, ktorý sa snaží vybudovať si postavenie vo svete fyziky a kozmológie. Hawking píše s pokorou a humorom sebe vlastným a zdôveruje sa aj s výzvami, ktorým musel čeliť potom ako mu vo veku dvadsať jeden rokov diagnostikovali ALS (amyotrofnú laterálnu sklerózu). V knihe sleduje svoj rast ako mysliteľ a vysvetľuje ako ho vyhliadka skorej smrti priviedla k prelomovým objavom. Opisuje aj vznik svojho majstrovského diela Stručná história času, jednu z kľúčových kníh dvadsiateho storočia. Moja stručná história otvára čitateľom okno do Hawkingovho osobného vesmíru.

Jack Ruby

Biographies & Memoirs

Jack Ruby changed history with one bold, violent action: killing accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV two days after the November 22, 1963, murder of President John F. Kennedy. But who was Jack Ruby—and how did he come to be in that spot on that day? As we approach the sixtieth anniversaries of the murders of Kennedy and Oswald, Jack Ruby's motives are as maddeningly ambiguous today as they were the day that he pulled the trigger. The fascinating yet frustrating thing about Ruby is that there is evidence to paint him as at least two different people. Much of his life story points to him as bumbling, vain, violent, and neurotic; a product of the grinding poverty of Chicago's Jewish ghetto; a man barely able to make a living or sustain a relationship with anyone besides his dogs. By the same token, evidence exists of Jack Ruby as cagey and competent, perhaps not a mastermind, but a useful pawn of the Mob and of both the police and the FBI; someone capable of running numerous legal, illegal, and semi-legal enterprises, including smuggling arms and vehicles to both sides in the Cuban revolution; someone capable of acting as middleman in bribery schemes to have imprisoned Mob figures set free. Cultural historian Danny Fingeroth's research includes a new, in-depth interview with Rabbi Hillel Silverman, the legendary Dallas clergyman who visited Ruby regularly in prison and who was witness to Ruby's descent into madness. Fingeroth also conducted interviews with Ruby family members and associates. The book's findings will catapult you into a trip through a house of historical mirrors.At its end, perhaps Jack Ruby's assault on history will begin to make sense. And perhaps we will understand how Oswald's assassin led us to the world we live in today.

The Wall of Life

Biographies & Memoirs

Academy Award-winning actress and New York Times bestselling author Shirley MacLaine shares a dazzling memoir in photographs, chronicling her extraordinary life with 150+ images from her personal archiveWith more than seventy years on the silver screen, Shirley MacLaine has, as she says, seen it all, done it all, been everywhere, and met everyone. Since making her Hollywood debut in 1955, her popularity has only grown as she’s amassed a stunning collection of awards and written multiple bestselling memoirs.Now, at ninety years old, MacLaine has more stories to tell and the pictures to bring them to life. By introducing readers to her extensive photo collection—which she calls her “wall of life”—MacLaine reveals both intimate family memories and images with some of the most significant figures from entertainment and politics. With wit and charm, she reflects on each photo, exploring ambition, love, friendship, motherhood, art, political activism, curiosity, and more.Charting the course of her remarkable life and career, MacLaine shares both early memories (her childhood with her brother, Warren Beatty; her decision to leave for New York City at age sixteen; her early work dancing on Broadway) as well as remembrances of her days in the public eye (campaigning for George McGovern, traveling to meet political luminaries, starring in legendary film roles, and developing an interest in spirituality).Along the way, readers gain greater insight into figures such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bob Fosse, Jack Nicholson, the Dalai Lama, Fidel Castro, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and many more. Whether she's sharing what advice Elvis Presley asked her for, how she consoled close friend Elizabeth Taylor after the death of her husband, or which head of state she discussed UFOs with, MacLaine offers her most visual and delightful book yet, giving readers an unprecedented glance into a life like no other.

Welcome to Radio!

Biographies & Memoirs

For years when I told listeners about the wild things that go on behind the scenes in radio, they said, “Write a book!” So here it is. Inside are stories you’ve not heard about highly creative people encouraged to go all out in every direction—to entertain an audience and keep life interesting for their co-workers and bosses. Imagine coming to work and finding an office missing. How about filling someone’s convertible with puffed wheat, just because you can? How did Jerry Forbes and Keith James Sr. guide a team like Bob McCord, Wes Montgomery, Chuck Chandler and the rest to build such a successful station? How did I fit in? Why did a police officer enter the 630 CHED newsroom, pistol at the ready? Why was I banned in Barrhead? What’s a Little Tiny Ugly? Why did one news announcer sound like she was having a passionate personal experience on-air? Want to know what it was truly like covering the Mayerthorpe tragedy? If you can handle stories about people on the air that will make you laugh, shake your head, or cry, then this book is for you. The proceeds of this book will be used to benefit 630 CHED Santas Anonymous, Global Edmonton’s Give Me Shelter, and the Edmonton Police Foundation.

An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth Mahatma Gandhi

Biographies & Memoirs

This unusual autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, is a window to the workings of Mahatma Gandhi' s mind, a window to the emotions of his heart, a window to understanding what drove this seemingly ordinary man to the heights of being the father of a nation— India.Starting with his days as a boy, Gandhi takes one through his trials and turmoils and situations that moulded his philosophy of life: going through child marriage, his studies in England, practicing Law in South Africa— and his Satyagraha there— to the early beginnings of the Independence movement in India.He did not aim to write an autobiography but rather share the experience of his various experiments with truth to arrive at what he perceived as Absolute Truth— the ideal of his struggle against racism, violence and colonialism. This is a translation by Mahadev Desai.This book is a must-read for all! It offers: • The great life story of the father of the nation— India• Insights into the revolutionary ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi• Highlights into the history and social systems of India• A real story that will keep you hooked for hours • An excellent collectable for libraries and gifting

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