Fat City is a vivid novel of allegiance and defeat, of the potent promise of the good life and the desperation and drink that waylay those whom it eludes. Stockton, California is the setting: the Lido Gym, the Hotel Coma, Main Street lunchrooms and dingy bars, days like long twilights in houses obscured by untrimmed shrubs and black walnut trees. When two men meet in the ring -- the retired boxer Billy Tully and the newcomer Ernie Munger - their brief bout sets into motion their hidden fates, initiating young Ernie into the company of men and luring Tully back into training. In a dispassionate and composed voice, Gardner narrates their swings of fortune, and the plodding optimism of their manager Ruben Luna, as he watches the most promising boys one by one succumb to some undefined weakness; still, "There was always someone who wanted to fight."
A muscular novel about boxers in small town California in the 50s: an American classic Stockton, California: a town of dark bars and lunchrooms, cheap hotels and farm labourers scratching a living. When two men meet in the Lido Gym - the ex-boxer Billy Tully and the novice Ernie Munger - their brief sparring session sets a fateful story in motion, initiating young Munger into the "company of men" and luring Tully back into training. Fat City is a vivid novel of defiance and struggle, of the potent promise of the good life and the desperation and drink that waylay those whom it eludes. This acclaimed American classic tells of their anxieties and hopes, their loves and losses, and the ephemeral glory of the fight. Leonard Gardner was born in Stockton, California. His short stories and articles have appeared in the Paris Review, Esquire, Southwest Review, and Brick, among other magazines. His screen adaptation of Fat City was made into a film by John Huston in 1972; he subsequently worked as a writer for independent film and television. For his work on the series NYPD Blue he twice received a Humanitas Prize (1997 and 1999) as well as a Peabody Award (1998). In 2008 he was the recipient of the A.J. Liebling Award, given by the Boxing Writers Association of America. A former Guggenheim Fellow, he lives in Northern California.
The delicate balance between cops and criminals is in peril in this gritty noir graphic novel presented in deluxe packaging, including an oversized hardcover housed in a slipcase with a portfolio and print. Dwight owes a debt to the girls of Old Town. These dangerous women who walk the night have saved him more times than he can count, and finding friends like that isn’t easy. Tonight, these friends are being threatened in more ways than one . . . Dwight is going to do whatever it takes to bring them peace and keep the status quo—even if it means killing a whole lot of people. Frank Miller’s return to his comic opus graphic novel series continues with the luxury edition of Volume 3 The Big Fat Kill. High-end materials and finishes, and iconic textures from the series combine in a package which evokes the striking asphalt jungle that is Sin City. Housed in a cloth-covered slipcase with foil stamping and printing is an oversized hardcover featuring a soft-touch matte finish with spot gloss and foil stamping. The slipcase includes a cloth portfolio featuring a deluxe print of new artwork by Frank Miller. This edition does still include the ten-page pinup gallery from previous editions, featuring art from Arthur Adams, Mike Allred, Sergio Aragonés, Paul Chadwick, Joe Kubert, Mike Mignola, John Romita, Jim Silke, Walter Simonson, and Sergio Toppi. Also included is a slightly expanded eight-page cover gallery featuring art from previous editions. As an added bonus, each volume’s slipcase has a different letter from the logo, placed on the front cover in such a way that alone it looks like a splash of red wrapping around the slipcase. But when all seven volumes are together it is clear that the grouping spells out “Sin City.” Discerning fans and new readers can experience this unparalleled and action-packed noir masterpiece in the most exciting edition to date! FOR MATURE READERS
I ask a young 200 - kilo patient what he snacks on. ''Nothing,'' he says. I look him in the eye. Nothing? He nods. I ask him about his chronic skin infections, his diabetes. He tears up: ''I eat hot chips and fried dim sims and drink three bottles of Coke every afternoon. The truth is I'm addicted to eating. I'm addicted.'' He punches his thigh. In Fat City, Karen Hitchcock unpicks the idea of obesity as a disease. In a riveting blend of story and analysis, she explores chemistry, psychology and the impulse to excess to explain the West's growing obesity epidemic.
KIRKUS REVIEWS called this winning tale of a queen-sized queen bee "Hilarious and fresh."Manhattan It Girl Riley Swain is no pudgy wallflower. She's brash, bold, fashionable, and yes, fabulous. Riley has no qualms about kissing her best friend's crush, or bribing her dad's lawyer. But this spring break, Riley's dad and wicked stepmother are shipping her off to New Horizons, a two-week fat camp in upstate New York. And it's miserable: like military school without carbs. But then Riley gets to know adorable Eric, who sees beyond Riley's tough exterior. Soon, Riley might just realize that maybe it's not her shape that will change at New Horizons. . . but her heart.
The diet and weight-loss industry is worth $66 billion – billion!! The estimated annual health care costs of obesity-related illness are 190 billion or nearly 21% of annual medical spending in the United States. But how did we get here? Is this a battle we can’t win? What changes need to be made in order to scale back the incidence of obesity in the US, and, indeed, around the world? Here, Jonathan Engel reviews the sources of the problem and offers the science behind our modern propensity toward obesity. He offers a plan for helping address the problem, but admits that it is, indeed, an uphill battle. Nevertheless, given the magnitude of the costs in years of life and vigor lost, it is a battle worth fighting. Fat Nation is a social history of obesity in the United States since the second World War. In confronting this familiar topic from a historical perspective, Jonathan Engel attempts to show that obesity is a symptom of complex changes that have transpired over the past half century to our food, our living habits, our life patterns, our built environments, and our social interactions. He offers readers solid grounding in the known science underlying obesity (genetic set points, complex endocrine feedback loops, neurochemical messengering) but then makes the novel argument that obesity is a result of the interaction of our genes with our environment. That is, our bodies have always been programmed to become obese, but until recently never had the opportunity to do so. Now, with cheap calories ubiquitous (particularly in the form of sucrose), unwalkable physical spaces, deteriorating rituals and norms surrounding eating, and the withering of cooking skills, nearly every American daily confronts the challenge of not putting on weight. Given the outcomes, though, for those who are obese, Engel encourages us to address the problems and offers suggestions to help remedy the problem.
A fresh and innovative route to business and personal success - Polar Bear Pirates contains a whole new universe of characters and terminology that everyone will instantly recognize and relate to. Polar Bear Pirates, highly focused, successful, fun-loving people who truly believe in life before death, are on a quest to reach Fat City. But as we follow the fortunes of these highly motivated bears, we see how they must fight off some pretty ruthless and often highly elusive enemies - enemies who are determined to block their paths and shatter their dreams... Here's a brief sketch of just some of these treacherous characters... Sinkers...the bitter losers who, as disciples of the pear shape, despise anyone else's success and derive immense pleasure from torpedoing it... Head treads...those who block anyone coming up the success ladder; they are devoid of talent, having only got where they are through brown nosing, knife throwing and luck! Neg ferrets...the pessimistic warriors of doom with insatiable appetites for other people's problems... Molasses Man.. the sweet but slow, well-meaning people who are burdened by the beliefs of others... Bloaters...boasting, lazy, obnoxious and tediously egotistical reptilian saddos who are absolutely full of it! Written in the tradition of the bestselling, Who Moved My Cheese, Polar Bear Pirates is a uniquely entertaining and often hilarious look at business and personal development. A 'game book' of questions, answers, traps and signposts, this book delivers powerful, inspirational messages as it helps you to unravel a series of complex motivational issues on your journey to personal and professional success.
From the author of the New York Times Well Blog series, My Fat Dad Every story and every memory from my childhood is attached to food… Dawn Lerman spent her childhood constantly hungry. She craved good food as her father, 450 pounds at his heaviest, pursued endless fad diets, from Atkins to Pritikin to all sorts of freeze-dried, saccharin-laced concoctions, and insisted the family do the same—even though no one else was overweight. Dawn’s mother, on the other hand, could barely be bothered to eat a can of tuna over the sink. She was too busy ferrying her other daughter to acting auditions and scolding Dawn for cleaning the house (“Whom are you trying to impress?”). It was chaotic and lonely, but Dawn had someone she could turn to: her grandmother Beauty. Those days spent with Beauty, learning to cook, breathing in the scents of fresh dill or sharing the comfort of a warm pot of chicken soup, made it all bearable. Even after Dawn’s father took a prestigious ad job in New York City and moved the family away, Beauty would send a card from Chicago every week—with a recipe, a shopping list, and a twenty-dollar bill. She continued to cultivate Dawn’s love of wholesome food, and ultimately taught her how to make her own way in the world—one recipe at a time. In My Fat Dad, Dawn reflects on her colorful family and culinary-centric upbringing, and how food shaped her connection to her family, her Jewish heritage, and herself. Humorous and compassionate, this memoir is an ode to the incomparable satisfaction that comes with feeding the ones you love.