Above is a photograph of Oberhofen Castle where at least three generations (circa 1585 to 1650) of Ritschards served as castle baliff. The photo was taken by the author during a visit in October 2004. This is the village where Christian Ritschhart, his family and 80 year old mother-in-law lived before emigrating to America in 1750.
This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl--and a young woman--trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world, of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community that made all the difference. Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman--and the first black woman ever--to serve as Secretary of State. But until she was 25 she never learned to swim, because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he'd rather shut down the city's pools than give black citizens access. Throughout the 1950's, Birmingham's black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last. But by 1963, Birmingham had become an environment where blacks were expected to keep their head down and do what they were told--or face violent consequences. That spring two bombs exploded in Rice’s neighborhood amid a series of chilling Klu Klux Klan attacks. Months later, four young girls lost their lives in a particularly vicious bombing. So how was Rice able to achieve what she ultimately did? Her father, John, a minister and educator, instilled a love of sports and politics. Her mother, a teacher, developed Condoleezza’s passion for piano and exposed her to the fine arts. From both, Rice learned the value of faith in the face of hardship and the importance of giving back to the community. Her parents’ fierce unwillingness to set limits propelled her to the venerable halls of Stanford University, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become the university’s second-in-command. An expert in Soviet and Eastern European Affairs, she played a leading role in U.S. policy as the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Less than a decade later, at the apex of the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, she received the exciting news--just shortly before her father’s death--that she would go on to the White House as the first female National Security Advisor. As comfortable describing lighthearted family moments as she is recalling the poignancy of her mother’s cancer battle and the heady challenge of going toe-to-toe with Soviet leaders, Rice holds nothing back in this remarkably candid telling.
Cranes Among Chickens is a compelling memoir about a Taiwanese family, with tales of immigrants and pioneers, of ambition and rebellion, of three generations spanning one hundred years, two continents, five countries, and three wars. This family saga mirrors a tumultuous period in history as Taiwan transitioned from a 19th century backwater to a 21st century economic powerhouse. These collected stories drawn from diaries, letters, oral accounts, and the authors recollections of his own journey to American citizenship and professional acclaim provide a candid portrait of a remarkable family that has endured great change and overcome numerous challenges.
This is a story of two families ? ordinary people intertwined with the dates, places, and extraordinary events of world history. Their names are not found in history books. Many, in the 18th century, could neither read nor write their names, but the Neeses and Falcons, despite any illiteracy, were part of the great movement of peoples from around the world who came to the New World to build the most powerful country on this planet. They established freedom as the bedrock upon which America stands. Our people endured much hardship and privation, but they did not give up in their determination to build America. Our people were among the pioneering immigrants who laid the foundation of our country ? the ideals of our country are steeped in the sweat and blood of these early Americans ? the Neeses and Falcons.
Start discovering your Scottish ancestors today! Turn your research into results with the help of genealogists Linda Jonas and Paul Milner! Their invaluable instructions and problem-solving advice makes tracing your Scottish family history easier and more efficient.You'll learn how to: • Discover who your family was, where they came from, and how they lived. • Maximize your research results by using the Internet, visiting local libraries and Family History Centers - even traveling to Scotland. • Master the differences between Scottish and U.S. research, including geographic and political terms, names and naming patterns, clans and tartans, religion, record keeping and languages. • Use the most important resources for tracing one's Scottish family history. Most of these records are readily available outside of Scotland. Your research opportunities are virtually unlimited.
Who are "The Legal Warriors" in this book? Some might think these are lawyers. But that is wrong. The real Legal Warriors in this book are the poor individuals and families who daily struggle to gain their rights. The real Legal Warriors are their community groups fighting for justice and improvements in society. These fighters include families struggling to save their homes from foreclosure. They are the neighborhood organizations combatting the industrial polluters who poison our water and air. They are the soldiers who skirmish to keep their gas and lights on. They are newcomers who come to our region to seek a "fresh start in life." These are only some of the legal warriors that I have been privileged to serve in my fifty years of legal work. To all of them I say thank you for sharing your battles with me. This book is dedicated to you. I pray and hope that the Good Lord blesses you and your communities with many well-deserved legal victories in all of your struggles.
One of the U.S. Senate's most candid--and funniest--women tells the story of her life and her unshakeable faith in our democracy Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has tackled every obstacle she's encountered--her parents' divorce, her father's alcoholism and recovery, her political campaigns and Washington's gridlock--with honesty, humor and pluck. Now, in The Senator Next Door, she chronicles her remarkable heartland journey, from her immigrant grandparents to her middle-class suburban upbringing to her rise in American politics. After being kicked out of the hospital while her infant daughter was still in intensive care, Klobuchar became the lead advocate for one of the first laws in the country guaranteeing new moms and their babies a 48-hour hospital stay. Later she ran Minnesota's biggest prosecutor's office and in 2006 was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from her state. Along the way she fashioned her own political philosophy grounded in her belief that partisan flame-throwing takes no courage at all; what really matters is forging alliances with unlikely partners to solve the nation's problems. Optimistic, plainspoken and often very funny, The Senator Next Door is a story about how the girl next door decided to enter the fray and make a difference. At a moment when America's government often seems incapable of getting anything done, Amy Klobuchar proves that politics is still the art of the possible.
Award-winning author Kathleen Krull takes an in-depth historical look at immigration in America—with remarkable stories of some of the immigrants who helped build this country. With its rich historical text, fascinating sidebars about many immigrants throughout time, an extensive source list and timeline, as well as captivating photos, American Immigration will become a go-to resource for every child, teacher, and librarian discussing the complex history of immigration. America is a nation of immigrants. People have come to the United States from around the world seeking a better life and more opportunities, and our country would not be what it is today without their contributions. From writers like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, to scientists like Albert Einstein, to innovators like Elon Musk, this book honors the immigrants who have changed the way we think, eat, and live. Their stories serve as powerful reminders of the progress we’ve made, and the work that is still left to be done.
“Family history begins with missing persons,” Alison Light writes in Common People. We wonder about those we’ve lost, and those we never knew, about the long skein that led to us, and to here, and to now. So we start exploring. Most of us, however, give up a few generations back. We run into a gap, get embarrassed by a ne’er-do-well, or simply find our ancestors are less glamorous than we’d hoped. That didn’t stop Alison Light: in the last weeks of her father’s life, she embarked on an attempt to trace the history of her family as far back as she could reasonably go. The result is a clear-eyed, fascinating, frequently moving account of the lives of everyday people, of the tough decisions and hard work, the good luck and bad breaks, that chart the course of a life. Light’s forebears—servants, sailors, farm workers—were among the poorest, traveling the country looking for work; they left few lasting marks on the world. But through her painstaking work in archives, and her ability to make the people and struggles of the past come alive, Light reminds us that “every life, even glimpsed through the chinks of the census, has its surprises and secrets.” What she did for the servants of Bloomsbury in her celebrated Mrs. Woolf and the Servants Light does here for her own ancestors, and, by extension, everyone’s: draws their experiences from the shadows of the past and helps us understand their lives, estranged from us by time yet inextricably interwoven with our own. Family history, in her hands, becomes a new kind of public history.
