From a pampered son who showed little promise, to his rise to the presidency, George W. Bush has transformed himself through acts of will and faith. Stanley Renshon examines the psychological transformation of Bush and identifies those pivotal changes that allowed him to achieve success in his personal life and in the political arena, and shows how Bush's personal transformation has come to shape his political policies. The man who battled--and defeated--his own inner demons has become a president determined to battle the demons of terrorism and extremism that prevent democracy from flourishing around the world. This psychological portrait provides a much-needed antidote to prevailing critiques that ridicule Bush's values and policies, as it celebrates his resolve and strong leadership.
Of all the myriad stars and celebrities Hollywood has produced, only a handful have achieved the fame - and, some would say, infamy - of Orson Welles, the creator and star of what is arguably the greatest film ever, Citizen Kane. Many books have been written about him, detailing his achievements as an artist as well as his foibles as a human being. None of them, however, has come so close to the real man as Chris Welles Feder does in this beautifully realised portrait of her father. In My Father's Shadow is a classic story of a life lived in the public eye, told with affection and the wide-eyed wonder of a daughter who never stopped believing that some day she would truly know and understand her elusive and larger-than-life father. The result is a moving and insightful look at life in the shadow of a legendary figure and an immensely entertaining story of growing up in the unreal reality of Hollywood.
Kaya is completing her Higher School Certificate when she is woken in the middle of the night by her mother. They are to pack immediately and go to their holiday home in the Blue Mountains. Her father is 'not coming back'. He has been involved in a court case to give evidence against some dangerous criminals. Months later, they are still in hiding and the mysteries are multiplying. Kaya is not sure who to trust: her mother's new friend, the policeman or her new friend, Eric, from the local store. She is also recovering from memory loss caused by PTSD after a chilling encounter with the criminals. She is seeing a psychologist in an attempt to recall the evidence she might have to give in a forthcoming trial. Her best friend, Jenna, has gone overseas and Kaya is trying to make sense of what is really happening. Jannali Jones has crafted a thrilling story which stays on the edge right to the end.
Though born in America, Eddie Constantine is perhaps best remembered as a film actor in France and Germany, playing the role of a hardboiled detective named "Lemmy Caution" and appearing in films by Jean-Luc Godard, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and Lars von Trier. In the process of transitioning Constantine from the star of B-movies to the epicenter of the Nouvelle Vague, Jean-Luc Godard reconsecrated him as the solemn and impassive star of his extraordinary film, Alphaville. Eddie's unruffled charm, winning smile, and American credentials made him virtually untouchable. Europeans liked Constantine because he wasn't a pretty face-he had savoir faire. Constantine's daughter Tanya traveled with him throughout much of his career, and this book comes from her perspective of their troubled familial relationship. It is a testament to his legend that Constantine emerges from the candor of his daughter's autobiography somehow strengthened by her revelations of the compulsions and insecurities he made those closest to him suffer. This book presents us with universal truths about the difficulties experienced within family relationships and takes us behind the curtain of celebrity and the fixed smiles of publicity photos in a way few books ever do. I had a most unusual upbringing being the child of a celebrity. My childhood was a unique situation that only people who had experienced it could comprehend. My father was a superstar and singer in Europe in the 1950s and '60s. He and I recorded a song called "The Man and The Child" that sold over a million records in France alone, when I was just eleven years old, thus making me a celebrity too. When superstardom set in, a crazy atmosphere had overtaken our household, as fame creates pressure, fear of loss, and resentment. My father's estate became an open house to international celebrities who came to visit. Despite the fame and fortune that became part of my life, I ran away from home before the age of sixteen with the man who later became my first husband. I have spent my entire life attempting to release the pain of my upbringing.
"John A. Gotti who survived four trials and a parole violation hearing without a guilty verdict, in four years, now takes up his pen to tell the story of his father's unwavering dedication to the street, and how as his son he entered that life and then with his father's permission left the life of crime and put the "Family" behind him to live a legitimate life with his real family. It is a saga of betrayal and redemption, and an insider's view of how at times those who are tasked with upholding the law readily broke it to further their careers."--cover.
"The Shadow of the Father" - one of the most important books of Jan Dobraczynski, is based on the record of the Gospel, the evangelical text. It shows Joseph, the guardian of the Holy Family as a human being subjected to obedience to God and his intentions, a man who must understand and accept his part of being a shadow of the true Father of Jesus who will be born by his Miriam-chosen to him by God. Joseph, a native of Bethlehem, heir to the heritage of kings David and Solomon and the noble tribe of Judah, is up to Nazareth in search of the woman for whom he will sacrifice his life. Over there he meets a charming, friendly, yet mysterious girl named Miriam. However, starting to understand that between Miriam and him stands an impetuous force of abysmal proportions, as God's fist, will make their relationship continue unexpected ways: the One Who will be born and Who will become the liberator of the people scattered and oppressed in Israel.The book gives testimony to the values that never lose their importance: family, responsibility, patience, and true love."
Dedicated. Driven. Determined. These words have all been used to describe Kara Rodriguez, but most aren't aware of the devastating past that made her this way. Beneath the facade of a faith-filled family, a horrible secret was kept. No one would have guessed that the sexual abuse began when Kara was only five years old, not even Kara. At the age of twelve, Kara realized she had repressed her memories of abuse. And thirteen years later, she continues to unpack them. My Father's Shadow is Kara's revealing memoir detailing the abuse, the overwhelming struggles, and her search for a Savior in the midst of great distress. Though the abuse has infiltrated every area of her life, Kara also writes of the joys of healing and the highs of traveling the world. What do you do when a secret-kept or told-continues to haunt you? What do you do when you've been betrayed? When your heart's been taken and used and thrown away? Kara's memoir provides great insight into the trauma of sexual abuse and the damage sin can cause. A true survivor memoir, My Father's Shadow is poised to change the face of literature on the topic of sexual abuse."
A little boy with hair the color red-his scarlet letter-and family secrets to be disclosed only decades later. A man late in life confronted with looming mortality. These are the bookends of My Father's Shadow, a narrative nonfiction collection of timely stories with universal themes that are heartwarming, painful, distressing, humorous.
Defying the Kroeten is the best way to court certain death. Yet Togan, the Kroeten's youngest child, has done just that by daring to flee from his father's vengeful control. However, escaping from himself proves to be a more daunting task as Togan comes to understand that fear of his magical heritage and fear of his kind precedes him. In the midst of his enemies, Togan finds that even the gods are wary of his presence. In Dinota, Captain Jisra and her allies, including her two sisters in arms and the Mage Dythan, find themselves under siege from within. The enemy is converging around them, and even their home provides no guarantee of safety.
COP: “Buddy, I think this is a whorehouse.” BUDDY CIANCI: “Now I know why they made you a detective.” Welcome to Providence, Rhode Island, where corruption is entertainment and Mayor Buddy Cianci presided over the longest-running lounge act in American politics. In The Prince of Providence, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Mike Stanton tells a classic story of wiseguys, feds, and politicians on a carousel of crime and redemption. Buddy Cianci was part urban visionary, part Tony Soprano—a flawed political genius in the mold of Huey Long and James Michael Curley. His lust for power cost him his marriage, his family, and close friendships. Yet he also revitalized the city of Providence, where ethnic factions jostle with old-moneyed New Englanders and black-clad artists from the Rhode Island School of Design rub shoulders with scam artists from City Hall. For nearly a quarter of a century, Cianci dominated this uneasy melting pot. During his first administration, twenty-two political insiders were convicted of corruption. In 1984, Cianci resigned after pleading guilty to felony assault, for torturing a man he suspected of sleeping with his estranged wife. In 1990, in a remarkable comeback, Cianci was elected mayor once again; he went on to win national acclaim for transforming a dying industrial city into a trendy arts and tourism mecca. But in 2001, a federal corruption probe dubbed Operation Plunder Dome threatened to bring the curtain down on Cianci once and for all. Mike Stanton takes readers on a remarkable journey through the underside of city life, into the bizarre world of the mayor and his supporting cast, including: • “Buckles” Melise, the city official in charge of vermin control, who bought Providence twice as much rat poison as the city of Cleveland, which was at the time four times as large, and wound up increasing Providence’s rat population. During a garbage strike, Buckles sledgehammered one city employee and stuck his thumb in another’s eye. Cianci would later describe this as “great public policy.” • Anthony “the Saint” St. Laurent, a major Rhode Island bookmaker and loan shark, who tried to avoid prison by citing his medical need for forty bowel irrigations a day, thus earning himself the nickname “Public Enema Number One.” • Dennis Aiken, a celebrated FBI agent and public corruption expert, who asked to be sent to “the Louisiana of the North,” where he enlisted an undercover businessman to expose the corrupt secrets of Cianci’s City Hall. The Prince of Providence is a colorful and engrossing account of one of the most tragicomic figures in modern American life—and the city he transformed.
