A Tremendous Thing
A Tremendous Thing

Author: Gregory Jusdanis

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2014-12-18

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 0801454743

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"Why did you do all this for me?" Wilbur asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.""You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing."—from Charlotte's Web by E. B. WhiteFriendship encompasses a wide range of social bonds, from playground companionship and wartime camaraderie to modern marriages and Facebook links. For many, friendship is more meaningful than familial ties. And yet it is our least codified relationship, with no legal standing or bureaucratic definition. In A Tremendous Thing, Gregory Jusdanis explores the complex, sometimes contradictory nature of friendship, reclaiming its importance in both society and the humanities today. Ranging widely in his discussion, he looks at the art of friendship and friendship in art, finding a compelling link between our need for friends and our engagement with fiction. Both, he contends, necessitate the possibility of entering invented worlds, of reading the minds of others, and of learning to live with people.Investigating the ethics, aesthetics, and politics of friendship, Jusdanis draws from the earliest writings to the present, from the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad to Charlotte's Web and "Brokeback Mountain," as well as from philosophy, sociology, evolutionary biology, psychology, and political theory. He asks: What makes friends stay together? Why do we associate friendship with mourning? Does friendship contribute to the formation of political communities? Can friends desire each other? The history of friendship demonstrates that human beings are a mutually supportive species with an innate aptitude to envision and create ties with others. At a time when we are confronted by war, economic inequality, and climate change, Jusdanis suggests that we reclaim friendship to harness our capacity for cooperation and empathy.

The Big Thing
The Big Thing

Author: Phyllis Korkki

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2016-08-09

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 0062384325

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A New York Times business journalist explains why it’s important for people to pursue big creative projects, and identifies both the obstacles and the productive habits that emerge on the path to completion—including her own experience writing this book. Whether it’s the Great American Novel or a groundbreaking new app, many people want to create a Big Thing, but finding the motivation to get started, let alone complete the work, can be daunting. In The Big Thing, New York Times business writer and editor Phyllis Korkki combines real-life stories, science, and insights from her own experience to illuminate the factors that drive people to complete big creative projects—and the obstacles that threaten to derail success. In the course of creating her own Big Thing—this book—Korkki explores the individual and collaborative projects of others: from memoirs, art installations, and musical works to theater productions, small businesses, and charities. She identifies the main aspects of a Big Thing, including meaningful goals, focus and effort, the difficulties posed by the demands of everyday life, and the high risk of failure and disappointment. Korkki also breaks down components of the creative process and the characteristics that define it, and offers her thoughts on avoiding procrastination, staying motivated, scheduling a routine, and overcoming self-doubt and the restrictions of a day job. Filled with inspiring stories, practical advice, and a refreshing dose of honesty, The Big Thing doesn’t minimize the negative side of such pursuits—including the fact that big projects are hard to complete and raise difficult questions about one’s self-worth. Inspiring, wise, humorous, and good-natured, The Big Thing is a meditation on the importance of self-expression and purpose.

Tremendous Things
Tremendous Things

Author: Susin Nielsen

Publisher: Andersen Press Limited

Published: 2021-06-03

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1787612120

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Wilbur is sure he’s a loser: he spends his life being bullied, his best friend is 85 years old, and his only talent is playing the triangle in the school band. But things start to look up when he gets the chance to be part of the French exchange. Wilbur’s billet Charlie arrives to spend the week with him and his two moms . . . and it turns out that Charlie is a girl. An amazing, sophisticated, French girl who Wilbur instantly falls in love with. Keen to win her heart, Wilbur agrees to a total life makeover before he sees Charlie again on the return trip to Paris. But the course of true amour never did run smooth . . .

One Big Thing
One Big Thing

Author: Phil Cooke

Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 159555484X

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One Big Thing is about finding out what you were born to do with your life and how to use it to revolutionize your business or ministry---and change the world.

Big Wonderful Thing
Big Wonderful Thing

Author: Stephen Harrigan

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2019-10-01

Total Pages: 944

ISBN-13: 0292759517

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The story of Texas is the story of struggle and triumph in a land of extremes. It is a story of drought and flood, invasion and war, boom and bust, and of the myriad peoples who, over centuries of conflict, gave rise to a place that has helped shape the identity of the United States and the destiny of the world. “I couldn’t believe Texas was real,” the painter Georgia O’Keeffe remembered of her first encounter with the Lone Star State. It was, for her, “the same big wonderful thing that oceans and the highest mountains are.” Big Wonderful Thing invites us to walk in the footsteps of ancient as well as modern people along the path of Texas’s evolution. Blending action and atmosphere with impeccable research, New York Times best-selling author Stephen Harrigan brings to life with novelistic immediacy the generations of driven men and women who shaped Texas, including Spanish explorers, American filibusters, Comanche warriors, wildcatters, Tejano activists, and spellbinding artists—all of them taking their part in the creation of a place that became not just a nation, not just a state, but an indelible idea. Written in fast-paced prose, rich with personal observation and a passionate sense of place, Big Wonderful Thing calls to mind the literary spirit of Robert Hughes writing about Australia or Shelby Foote about the Civil War. Like those volumes it is a big book about a big subject, a book that dares to tell the whole glorious, gruesome, epically sprawling story of Texas.

Tremendous Things
Tremendous Things

Author: Susin Nielsen

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books

Published: 2021-05-25

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1524768405

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A funny and heartfelt story about learning how to rise above your most embarrassing moment while staying true to yourself--with the help of old friends, new friends, and some cheesy poetry. At the start of ninth grade, Wilbur Nuñez-Knopf is hoping for a fresh start. But he just can't live down a deeply humiliating moment from two years ago that's followed him to high school. His good friend Alex has stuck by him, but Alex has started dating Fabrizio and he doesn't have much time to hang out. Luckily, Wil can still confide in his elderly neighbor, Sal. But he longs to have a special someone of his own. When the school band does an exchange with students from Paris, a girl named Charlie captures Wilbur's heart. But his feelings aren't reciprocated. So Alex, Fabrizio, and Sal join forces to build Wil's confidence in the hope that he can impress Charlie when they go to Paris. Maybe, just maybe, Wilbur will find a new defining moment in the City of Love.

Archibald's Next Big Thing
Archibald's Next Big Thing

Author: Tony Hale

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780692229484

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Archibald's Next Big Thing is the extraordinary adventure of an extra-ordinary chicken named Archibald Strutter. His three brothers and one sister have each found their "Big Thing" (including a brother chicken who impressively grows human hair) and the only Big Thing Archibald has planned is what he's eating for lunch. This all changes when he receives a mysterious blue card that reads "YOUR BIG THING IS HERE!" So, accompanied by a friendly bee named BEE, Archibald takes the card and heads off on a fantastic journey in hopes of finding his NEXT BIG THING. It's a story that reminds us that, while looking for the next big thing isn't a bad thing, we should always remember that big and beautiful things are all around us ... right NOW.

It's Not a Big Thing in Life
It's Not a Big Thing in Life

Author: Arnie Witkin

Publisher:

Published: 2021-04-07

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13:

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In his new book, It's Not a Big Thing in Life, Arnie Witkin asks you to consider what actions you should take in handling life's troubles and triumphs. The 65 topics covered include: Principles of success Love and relationships Sex Work and money Facing difficult challenges and decisions Taking responsibility for yourself Humour as a coping strategy Public speaking guidelines Coping with illness The power of vulnerability Self-compassion How to deal with sexting, cyber bullies, pornography, racism, drugs, anger, jealousy, envy, gambling, trust, etc. It's all about your big things in life and your less big things in life and the energy that you assign to each. Arnie was a successful investment manager and a pioneer in the private equity industry in South Africa. Since retiring from active business he has been a speechwriter, public speaking coach, executive coach and mentor. His path was far from smooth. After emigrating in 1989 he found himself out of work for three years, living off dwindling capital. Calling on all his inner strength and resilience he started again at age 50 and once again reached the top of the tree. Possibly the greatest challenges he faced were being diagnosed with advanced thyroid cancer in 2001, which has metastasised to his lungs, and prostate cancer in 2009. He has developed strategies for coping and living a full life, which are all detailed in the book. He still plays golf three times a week, so everything must be OK. As an awkward teenager he was quite obese with all the angst this can create. As a result he understands anxiety that shy people can have about sex, inclusion, envy, jealousy, power and ambivalence about what to do with their lives. He has been married for forty seven years, has two sons and six grandchildren. His eldest grandchild said, 'Grandpa, I think that you understand everything'. _______________________________________________________________________________ BLURB 'The title suggests that these memoirs are for his grandchildren, but they are valuable musings for any and every one. As you go through the pages, you'll find a lot of humour, as life is supposed to have its frivolity and fun. I can only hope folks will enjoy the pages, as I have, and we learn to appreciate a thing or two about life from an all-rounder who has experienced his fair share of thorns and roses.' - Michael Holding (West Indian Test Cricketer, Cricket Commentator, and pundit for Sky Sports and SuperSport)

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing

Author: Matthew Perry

Publisher: Headline Book Publishing

Published: 2024-03-14

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781472295972

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'There's never been a more honest or raw memoir ... and it may just save lives' Daily Mail 'Funny, fascinating, compelling ... also a wonderful read for fans of Friends' The Times The beloved star of Friends takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence. This is the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, who takes us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who travelled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more. In an extraordinary story that only he could tell - and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it - Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he's found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humour, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fuelled it despite seemingly having it all. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening - as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for. 'An unflinching and often harrowing must-read for 90s pop culture fans' Guardian 'Written with Chandler's trademark sarcasm and self-deprecation' Telegraph 'A hopeful read ... I started to think of [it] not as a celebrity memoir about addiction, but as an addiction memoir written by a man who understands his own history through the prism of showbiz' Independent

Friendship Isn't a Big Thing, It's a Million Little Things
Friendship Isn't a Big Thing, It's a Million Little Things

Author: Becca Anderson

Publisher: Mango Media Inc.

Published: 2019-09-15

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1642500682

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A Tribute to Female Friendships Celebrate the bonds you’ve built with the wonderful women in your life. The bond shared among girlfriends is like no other. Whether the friendship is decades old or just beginning, we share a unique relationship with these women, a connection wholly different even from what we share with husbands or boyfriends. Share in the wit and wisdom of fellow women. Strong female friendships are inspiring because they foster the practice of women supporting and enabling other women. Author and blogger Becca Anderson has long been moved by the inspirational quotes and stories of groundbreaking women (as seen in her bestselling title, The Book of Awesome Women), and she shares some of that female empowerment with us in this book. Fill your heart with gratitude for your soul sisters. We know how much we love our girlfriends, but do they know? This book reminds us just how valuable our bonds with our gal pals are. These are the women who answer the phone at 4 a.m. and drop everything to help a sister out, the ones who are there for both the tearful wine nights and the champagne-worthy celebrations. As author Becca Anderson says, “Our friends are some of the great loves of our lives. Mine have seem me through tough times and we have so much shared joy. My life advice is simple: make friends and treasure them.” By reading Friendship Isn’t a Big Thing, It’s a Million Little Things, you will find... • Renewed value in the friendships you share with women • Inspiration for growing in those relationships and further supporting your friends • Reasons to celebrate the unique love you find in female friendship • A perfect inspirational gift for the women in you life If you’ve enjoyed books such as Beautifully Said, Badass Affirmations, That’s What She Said, and Cleo Wade’s Heart Talk, you will love Friendship Isn’t a Big Thing, It’s a Million Little Things: The Art of Female Friendship by bestselling author Becca Anderson.