Physician and writer Oliver Sacks recounts his experiences as a young neurologist; his physical passions--weight lifting and swimming; his love affairs, both romantic and intellectual; his guilt over leaving his family to come to America; his bond with his schizophrenic brother; and the writers and scientists--Thom Gunn, A.R. Luria, W.H. Auden, Gerald M. Edelman, Francis Crick--who influenced him.

An intimate memoir by the controversial, Oscar-winning director and screenwriter about his rarefied New York childhood, volunteering for combat, and his struggles and triumphs making such films as Platoon, Midnight Express, and Scarface. Before the international success of Platoon in 1986, Oliver Stone had been wounded as an infantryman in Vietnam, and spent years writing unproduced scripts while driving taxis in New York, finally venturing westward to Los Angeles and a new life. Stone, now 73, recounts those formative years with in-the-moment details of the high and low moments: We see meetings with Al Pacino over Stone’s scripts for Scarface, Platoon, and Born on the Fourth of July; the harrowing demon of cocaine addiction following the failure of his first feature, The Hand (starring Michael Caine); his risky on-the-ground research of Miami drug cartels for Scarface; his stormy relationship with The Deer Hunter director Michael Cimino; the breathless hustles to finance the acclaimed and divisive Salvador; and tensions behind the scenes of his first Academy Award–winning film, Midnight Express. Chasing the Light is a true insider’s look at Hollywood’s years of upheaval in the 1970s and ’80s.

An intimate memoir by the controversial, Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Oliver Stone Before moving to Los Angeles and the international success of Platoon in 1986, Oliver Stone had been wounded as an infantryman in Vietnam, and spent years writing unproduced scripts while working odd jobs in Manhattan. Stone, now 73, recounts those formative years with in-the-moment details of the highs and lows: meetings with Al Pacino over Stone's early scripts; the harrowing demon of cocaine addiction; the failure of his first feature; his risky on-the-ground research of Miami drug cartels for Scarface; and much more. Chasing the Light is a true insider's guide to Hollywood's razor-edged years of upheaval in the 1970s and '80s with untold stories of decade-defining films from the man behind the camera.

This study shows that the Wehrmacht was systematically involved in atrocities against the civilian population on the Eastern Front. Including quotes from letters, diaries, and military reports, this book aims to challenge the notion that the German army during World War II was apolitical and to reveal how thoroughly permeated it was by Nazi ideology. Focusing on ordinary German soldiers on the Eastern front, the book shows how government propaganda and indoctrination motivated the troops not only to fight well but to commit unprecedented crimes against humanity. This institutionalized brainwashing revolved around two interrelated elements: the radical demonization of the Soviet enemy and the deification of the führer. Consequently, most of the troops believed the war in the Eastern theater was a struggle to dam the Jewish/Bolshevik/Asiatic flood that threatened Western civilization. This book demonstrates how Germany's soldiers were transformed into brutal instruments of a barbarous policy.

"A heroic love story and an unprecedented inside view of one of Stalin's most notorious labor camps, based on a remarkable cache of letters smuggled in and out of the Gulag." -- Publisher's description.

A memoir from the beloved, colorful criminal defense attorney and three-term mayor of Las Vegas.

Statue of Liberty (Hardcover) by Oscar Handlin (Author)

"Drawing on over thirty years of experience captivating audiences and accruing psychological insights, Oz Pearlman reveals the techniques and habits that have propelled his extraordinary career and shares the ingenious secrets behind his craft to teach you how to unlock your full potential. You'll build confidence, sharpen your memory, connect more authentically with others, and eliminate your fears-all through simple, easy-to-master strategies that can be learned in minutes and applied for a lifetime. Read Your Mind helps you turn your focus inward, teaching you how to identify and overcome the mental blocks that hold you back, building habits that stick. Through compelling stories and practical tips, you'll learn how to: Master the art of influence to read people, win trust, and shape outcomes Sharpen your mental edge Overcome rejection, procrastination, and self-doubt Unlock the psychology of connection You don't need to be a mentalist to create real, lasting change-you just need to think like one"-- Provided by publisher.

A collection of six television plays by this brilliant "Holiday Song," "Printer's Measure," "The Big Deal," "Marty," "The Mother," and "The Bachelor Party." Includes an introduction and notes for each play by the author himself.

"The events of 1979-80 reverberate around the campus of Auburn Academy and linger many years later in the mind of narrator Bruce Bennett-Jones. Aviva Rossner and Seung Jung are an unlikely couple at the elite East Coast boarding school and are not shy in flaunting their newly discovered sexuality. Their blossoming relationship is watched with envy and fascination by Bruce and other classmates, who believe their liaison to be one of pure, unadulterated passion and pleasure. But nothing is what it seems, and as Aviva and Seung struggle to understand themselves and each other, things begin to fall apart. Their ultimate descent into shame and betrayal has disastrous consequences beyond their own lives. This is the story of Aviva and Seung's descent into shame as re-imagined in richly detailed episodes by their classmate Bruce, a once-embittered voyeur turned repentant narrator. With unflinching honesty and breathtaking prose, Pamela Erens brings a fresh voice to the tradition of the great boarding school novel."--Provided by publisher.

“It gives me a secret pleasure to observe the fair character our family has in the place by Jews & Christians,“Abigail Levy Franks wrote to her son from New York City in 1733. Abigail was part of a tiny community of Jews living in the new world. In the centuries that followed, as that community swelled to several millions, women came to occupy diverse and changing roles. American Jewish Women’s History , an anthology covering colonial times to the present, illuminates that historical diversity. It shows women shaping Judaism and their American Jewish communities as they engaged in volunteer activities and political crusades, battled stereotypes, and constructed relationships with their Christian neighbors. It ranges from Rebecca Gratz’s development of the Jewish Sunday School in Philadelphia in 1838 to protest the rising prices of kosher meat at the turn of the century, to the shaping of southern Jewish women's cultural identity through food. There is currently no other reader conveying the breadth of the historical experiences of American Jewish women available. The reader is divided into four sections complete with detailed introductions. The contributors include: Joyce Antler, Joan Jacobs Brumberg, Alice Kessler-Harris, Paula E. Hyman, Riv-Ellen Prell, and Jonathan D. Sarna.

Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter befriended many of jazz greats of the thriving New York jazz scene in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. In the 1960s, she began a project: She asked 300 jazz musicians what their three wishes in life were. Their responses are collected in this volume, available in English for the first time, and are accompanied by hundreds of candid photographs.--From cover, p. [4]

Appelemando loves to dream! The villagers think he will never amount to much, but his friends know better. They can see his dreams drift up from the top of his head and float into the sky. Then, one rainy day, Appelemando's dreams are blown onto all the wet walls and roofs of the town, covering the houses and stores with fantastic pictures. The villagers are astonished and angry: How could the children do such a thing! Not until Appelemando and his friends lose their way in the forest do the villagers recognize the wonder and value of Appelemando's special gift. With her vibrant folk-art illustrations, Patricia Polacco draws young readers into Appelemando's magical world, where they will discover the importance of dreaming and the power of true friendship.

Miss Parks, a new teacher, is devastated when her cat, Autumn, disappears during a storm, but with the help of her students, she finds not only Autumn but also the man of her dreams.

When her beloved Ginger, a piano-playing socialite and very snappy dresser, makes a last-minute trip to London not knowing her housesitter has cancelled, Petunia the pig does more than fend for herself, she becomes Ginger.

Soon after her beloved grandmother's death, Trisha's family moves to a diverse California neighborhood where she meets Stewart and his grandmother, Miss Eula, who brings people together to help a grieving neighbor.

In this variation on the story of "The Fisherman and His Wife," a young Ukrainian girl must repeatedly return to the wren she has rescued to relay her parents' increasingly greedy demands.

Because she is afraid to read an essay aloud in English class, young Patricia is invited to take Mr. Wayne's drama class where she paints sets, participates in fun exercises, and memorizes every part in the play the others are rehearsing.