5053 results for "Biography"

Landscapes of memory: a Holocaust girlhood remembered

Kluger, Ruth
Ruth Kluger is one of the child-survivors of the Holocaust. In 1942, at the age of eleven, she was deported to the Nazi "family camp" Theresienstadt with her mother. They would move to two other camps (including Auschwitz-Birkenau) before the war ended. 'Landscapes of memory' is the story of Ruth's life. Of a childhood spent in the Nazi camps and her refusal to forget the past as an adult in America. 'It is not in our power to forgive: memory does that for us,' says Kluger. Not erasing a single detail, not even the inconvenient ones, she writes frankly about the troubled relationship with her mother even through their years of internment, and of her determination not to forgive and absolve the past. It is this memory, pure and harsh, this anger, savage and profound, that makes Kluger's memoir so unforgettable. A gripping narrative and a superb meditation on the relationship between private memory and history, on forgiveness and redemption, 'Landscapes of memory' will become a classic of our times.
Bloomsbury 2004 272 pages

Fascinating: the life of Leonard Nimoy

Michelson, Richard
Once there was a boy named Leonard who loved to sing and to act. His parents were immigrants who felt like aliens in America, and certainly didn't understand Leonard's drive to perform. "Learn to play the accordion," his father told him. "Actors starve, but at least musicians can eke out a living." But Leonard reached for the stars... and caught them. He moved to Hollywood, where he took acting lessons, and drove a taxi and took every role he could get. He worked hard, learned his lines, showed up on time, and studied his craft. Until one day he was offered the role of an alien science officer on a new TV show called Star Trek. Leonard knew what it felt like to be an alien. But did he want the role?
Alfred A. Knopf 2016-09-06 40 pages

The emperor's new clothes: exposing the truth from Watergate to 9/11

Ben-Veniste, Richard
Richard Ben-Veniste hates being lied to. He especially hates it when the American people are lied to. Widely respected as a trial lawyer, Ben-Veniste delivers a fascinating insider’s tale in his memoir of a career spent fighting hypocrisy and seeking accountability among the highest ranks of government. A legal wunderkind, Ben-Veniste was hired at age thirty by Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox to investigate the Watergate cover-up. As chief of the Watergate Task Force at the time of the infamous “Saturday Night Massacre,” the author played an important role in prosecuting the case and revealed the extent of Richard Nixon’s involvement with his top lieutenants in a conspiracy to obstruct justice and commit perjury. Prior to Watergate, Ben-Veniste had investigated and prosecuted corruption in the office of Speaker of the House John W. McCormack. In 1980 the author served as a defense lawyer in the controversial Abscam case, delving into a flawed sting operation that pushed the boundaries of legality and tested due process of law. In the Senate Whitewater hearings, Ben-Veniste helped expose the partisan agenda behind the effort to take down President Clinton. The author gained further national prominence as a member of the 9/11 Commission, in which his artful questioning of Condoleeza Rice revealed how ill-prepared the Bush Administration had been in the weeks leading up to 9/11. A lifelong devotee to the principles of an open democracy, the author argues that the pursuit of truth is not one that should depend on party affiliations—that we should all seek to be partisans for the truth. Ben-Veniste recounts a remarkable career spent at the center of the most poignant public investigations of the last half century, fighting the abuse of power by those who wielded it most.
Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press 2009-05-26 340 pages

The politics of memory: the journey of a Holocaust historian

Hilberg, Raul
Even after thirty-five years, Raul Hilberg's The Destruction of the European Jews remains the most comprehensive analysis of the Nazi destruction process. Yet at the time it was written, as Mr. Hilberg relates in The Politics of Memory, both the manuscript and its subject matter were refused by major publishers and university presses. When at last his monumental study was published, to extraordinary acclaim, the author found himself facing a hostile reception from those.
Ivan R. Dee 1996-06-01 208 pages

Screw everyone: sleeping my way to monogamy

Eisenberg, Ophira
Screw Everyone is comedian Ophira Eisenberg’s wisecracking account of how she spent most of her life saying “yes” to everything—and everyone—and how that attitude ultimately helped her overcome her phobia of commitment. Skeptical about long-term relationships, Eisenberg approached dating as a sort of research experiment from early on: she spent her twenties traveling from futon to futon and gathering data, figuring that one day she’d put it all together somehow and build her own perfect Frankenmate. When she met a guy who didn’t fall for the emotionally cavalier facade she’d constructed (a guy who wanted marriage and monogamy), she knew it was time to reevaluate. From her first kiss to saying “I do,” Screw Everyone is an honest, hilarious chronicle of how one woman discovered herself, conquered her fears, and even found the “real thing”—one promiscuous encounter at a time.
Seal Press 2013-03-26 286 pages

But enough about me: why we read other people's lives

Miller, Nancy K.
In her latest work of personal criticism, Nancy K. Miller tells the story of how a girl who grew up in the 1950s and got lost in the 1960s became a feminist critic in the 1970s. As in her previous books, Miller interweaves pieces of her autobiography with the memoirs of contemporaries in order to explore the unexpected ways that the stories of other people's lives give meaning to our own. The evolution she chronicles was lived by a generation of literary girls who came of age in the midst of profound social change and, buoyed by the energy of second-wave feminism, became writers, academics, and activists. Miller's recollections form one woman's installment in a collective memoir that is still unfolding, an intimate page of a group portrait in process.
Columbia University Press 2002 145 pages

Elie Wiesel: an extraordinary life and legacy

Nadine Epstein
Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) is best known as the author of Night, survivor of Auschwitz and a powerful, enduring voice of the Holocaust. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he was a hero of human rights, professor and author of more than 50 books. Among his accomplishments, Wiesel co-founded Moment Magazine with Leonard Fein in 1975 to be a place of conversation for America's Jews. For editor-in-chief Nadine Epstein, he became a mentor and friend after she took over the magazine in 2004. In this striking volume, Epstein shares her memories of Wiesel and brings together 36 interviews with friends, colleagues and others who knew him - including, his son Elisha, Michael Berenbaum, Wolf Blitzer, Father Patrick Debois, Ronald S. Lauder, Bernard Henri-Levi, Kati Marton, Natan Sharansky, Ben Kingsley, and Oprah Winfrey. The foreword is by British Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and the afterword is by broadcaster Ted Koppel. To celebrate this humanitarian and keep his inspiration alive, Epstein presents readers with a visual history of Wiesel's life and examines the influence of Night. This chilling story of the Holocaust has already gripped the souls of millions of readers. Epstein includes a selection of his speeches and writings, lively conversations with teenagers about Night and discussion questions. The book features more than 100 photos. Says Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: "This book of reflections is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Elie Wiesel. In its pages and through the words of its contributors, you will feel a promise, not just to the souls who perished, but also to Elie and all those who survived Europe's darkest night." From the Inside Flap "It is absolutely imperative for this legacy of Elie Wiesel's to continue. It has to, and if it doesn't, it is our loss, and it will be an unfathomable loss." ―Ben Kingsley "Wiesel taught us that we must not forget; that there is no greater sin than that of silence and indifference. In doing so he has not just illumined the past, he has illumined the future" ―Oprah Winfrey "There was something burning inside of Elie, a flame ignited by injustice and pain. He was willing to share that part of himself. Pain can make people retreat from life, but opened Elie to the world." ―Kathleen Kennedy Townsend "He performed the alchemy of converting pain, injustice and horror into love, compassion and tolerance. We remember him not so much because he so often succeeded but because he never stopped trying." ―Ted Koppel "I believe there is a risk of Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust, and other genocides being forgotten. Without a real effort to retain their memory, they may simply disappear from history. Elie Wiesel was a light in the night for the whole world, not just the Jewish one." ―Father Patrick Desbois About the Author Editor: Nadine Epstein, Editor-in-Chief of Moment Magazine, is the founder and executive director of the Center for Creative Change and founder of the Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative. An award-winning journalist and author, she reported for the City News Bureau of Chicago and the Chicago Bureau of the New York Times and covered the U.S.-Mexico border. She was a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan, where she also taught journalism. She is also an artist and the creator of the iShadow Project. Foreword: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks is the former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom. He is the author of more than 25 books, most recently Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence. Ted Koppel was the anchor and managing editor of ABC News Nightline for 25 years. He is currently a contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning and author of Lights Out.
MomentBooks 2019 176 pages

The general's son: journey of an Israeli in Palestine

Peled, Miko
"A powerful account, by Israeli peace activist Miko Peled, of his transformation from a young man who'd grown up in the heart of Israel's elite and served proudly in its military into a fearless advocate of nonviolent struggle and equal rights for all Palestinians and Israelis. His journey is mirrored in many ways the transformation his father, a much-decorated Israeli general, had undergone three decades earlier. Alice Walker contributed a foreword to the first edition in which she wrote, "There are few books on the Israel/Palestine issue that seem as hopeful to me as this one." In the new Epilogue he takes readers to South Africa, East Asia, several European countries, and the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel itself."--Amazon.com.
Just World Books 2016 271 pages

Mike Matusow: check-raising the devil

Matusow, Mike
1. Big Poker Celebrity: The super popular and always entertaining Mike "The Mouth" Matusow is a huge fan favorite from his many implosions, explosions, and huge successes at the poker table on national TV. 2. Fascinating Memoir: This book has it all: high stakes gambling, drugs, jail, psychotic episodes and debilitating depression and mental illness, plus the depths of despair and heights of victory. 3. Very High Profile: Mike Matusow is one of the most recognizable and followed players in poker today. Yahoo's online search engine identifies over 1.1 million websites that provide content about Mike Matusow. His weekly online video show "The Mouthpiece" at CardPlayer.com, averages over 2,000 viewers per day. 4. Super Popular Subject: Poker is the third most watched sport on cable television, behind auto racing and football. 5. Secondary Market Possibilities: The National Institute of Mental Health estimates there are 5.7 million people in the U.S. that have bipolar disorder and the CDC estimates 1.6 million elementary school children have been diagnosed ADHD. Get Ready for a Wild Ride… Hang on tight as Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, poker player extraordinaire, takes you with him on a breathtaking, true-life roller coaster ride from his humble beginnings in a trailer park to a rock and roll lifestyle full of hot women, sex, wild drug-filled parties and million-dollar wins and losses. Yet behind the glamour and glory of his high-stakes poker career lurked the flip side: a person torn between two debilitating mental illnesses?—?bipolar disorder and ADHD. To dig himself out of depression and suicidal despair, Matusow turned to dangerous street drugs to self-medicate a problem he didn’t understand, and spiraled deeper into the darker world of addiction, police narcotic stings, and jail time. In this revealing and tumultuous autobiography, the combustible Matusow holds nothing back. You’ll get a mouthful of the man behind the infamous Matusow Meltdowns seen on national TV. Riveting, exhilarating, sexy, sometimes shocking and always fascinating, this voyeur’s look into the world of high-stakes poker, mental illness, and ultimately, Matusow’s inspiring redemption, will keep you glued to your seat until the very last page!
Cardoza Pub 2009-05-12 267 pages

Becoming Madison: the extraordinary origins of the least likely founding father

Signer, Michael
In a time when America is desperately searching for leadership comes this inspiring story of James Madison’s coming of age, providing incisive and original insight into the Founding Father who did the most but is known the least. Michael Signer takes a fresh look at the life of our fourth president. His focus is on Madison before he turned thirty-six, the years in which he did his most enduring work: battling with Patrick Henry—the most charismatic politician in revolutionary America, whose political philosophy and ruthless tactics eerily foreshadowed those of today’s Tea Party—over religious freedom; introducing his framework for a strong central government; becoming the intellectual godfather of the Constitution; and providing a crucial role at Virginia’s convention to ratify the Constitution in 1788, when the nation’s future hung in the balance. Signer’s young James Madison is a role model for the leaders so badly needed today: a man who overcame daunting personal issues (including crippling anxiety attacks) to battle an entrenched and vicious status quo. Michael Signer’s brilliant analysis of “Madison’s Method,” the means by which Madison systematically destroyed dangerous ideas and left in their stead an enduring and positive vision for the United States, is wholly original and uniquely relevant today.
Public Affairs 2015-03-10 371 pages

Joan Rivers confidential: the unseen scrapbooks, joke cards, personal files, and photos of a very funny woman who kept everything

Rivers, Melissa,Currie, Scott
"Joan Rivers is an enduring icon of the 20th century, and her wildly popular humor has appealed to generations of fans. With a career that began in the late 1950s, Joan kept mementos over the course of her entire working life, and Joan Rivers Confidential is a compilation of never-before-seen personal archives. Assembled by her daughter Melissa with Scott Currie, the book contains scripts and monologues, letters from famous friends, exchanges with fans, rare photographs, as well as classic and never-before-heard jokes--many simply scribbled on everything from hotel stationery to airplane boarding passes. Touching on subjects from her 50 years in show business (The Tonight Show, Las Vegas, Elizabeth Taylor, Heidi Abromowitz, the red carpet, and Fashion Police), this is a revelatory and humor-filled insider look at the popular, multitalented comedian."--Provided by Amazon.com.
Abrams 2017-10-24 336 pages

Breaking news: a memoir

Fletcher, Martin
During three decades covering wars, revolutions, and natural disasters, Martin Fletcher worked his way from news agency cameraman to Tel Aviv bureau chief for NBC News, facing down his own fears while facing up to mass killers, warlords, and murderers. These extraordinary, real-life adventure stories, told with humor and elegance, describe Fletcher's growth from clueless adventurer to grizzled veteran of the world's trouble spots. Can you eat the food of a warlord who stole it from the starving? Do you listen politely to a terrorist threatening to blow up your children? Do you ask the tough questions of a Khmer Rouge killer, knowing he is your only ticket out of the Cambodian jungle?
Thomas Dunne 2009-10-27 254 pages

Patton: legendary commander

Blumenson, Martin
Shortly after World War II, when the Allies interrogated Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, the senior commander who opposed the Allied invasion of France, they asked him to rate the skills of his opponents. He is reputed to have said, "Patton, he was your best." Praise for his performance was precisely what George Smith Patton, Jr., had sought all his life. As a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute and West Point, he was already searching for what he called "the undefinable difference" that distinguished a great general from the good ones. He led a mechanized attack in Mexico and a tank battalion during World War I. In World War II he turned American fortunes around in North Africa, chased the Germans out of Sicily, and sparked the breakout and liberation of France. When the Germans attacked the American First Army in the Battle of the Bulge, Patton turned his army north and smashed the German salient. He then drove into the heart of Germany and reached Czechoslovakia by war's end. Brilliant yet flawed, Patton's leadership style drove himself and his men to acts of bravery and victory. Half uncouth, provincial cowboy and half cultured sophisticate, the man behind the warrior mask was a complex and paradoxical person. He became an icon of the American military leader and the uncompromising individual.
Potomac Books 2008 117 pages