After the death of his abusive father, eleven-year-old Ricky tries to help his younger brother deal with his residual fears and discovers that running helps him deal with his own anger and the taunts of a bullying classmate.
A moving story about survival, recovery, and the power of determination. There was something else driving Ricky as he sped down Ridge Road under that cloudless blue sky. "Everybody knows a Gordon's middle name is Thief." The hatred and hurt rose up inside him. His stride lengthened. His arms pumped faster. He could feel the new-found fuel burning in his muscles. Today would be the day Ricky beat the bus."The best thing your father ever did was get himself killed." Though he'd never admit it out loud, secretly Ricky Gordon agrees. It's been three months since his dad's fatal car accident, but Ricky is still haunted by memories of violent beatings and hurtful words. His mind won't let him forget, and neither will the kids at school. And if Ricky gets into one more fight he'll be in serious trouble. The fights always begin on the bus. That's where the kids corner Ricky, teasing him until he's so angry that he hits back. There has to be another way to get to school. Ricky decides to try running. At first the three-mile run is pure torture, but soon he begins to build speed and stamina. It's not long before people notice his dedication and his talent. And finally he accepts the challenge that has been facing him all along: he will race the bus -- and win.
Winning came naturally for Al Unser, Jr. He had a gift for finding the fast line on the track and he possessed a boisterous and lovable personality. Fans and the press adored him. Behind this affable persona, an appetite for drugs and alcohol was destroying his private life. Unser's battle to climb out of that cave is one of the great stories in motorsports. A Checkered Past is an unblinking story of triumph, tragedy, and the road to recovery.
Watching Eclipse is the man who wants to buy him. An adventurer and rogue who has made his money through gambling, Dennis O'Kelly is also a known companion to the madam of a notorious London brothel. Under O'Kelly's management, Eclipse would go on a winning streak unparalleled for the next two centuries. As journalist Nicholas Clee explores in this captivating romp, while O'Kelly was destined to remain an outcast to the racing establishment, his horse would go on to become the undisputed, undefeated champion of the sport. Not only a consummate winner, Eclipse exemplified the perfect thoroughbred -- a status he retains even today. Eclipse's male-line descendants include Secretariat, Barbaro, and all but three of the Kentucky Derby winners of the past fifty years.
Racing Against History is the stunning story of three powerful personalities who sought in 1940 to turn the tide of history. David Ben-Gurion, Vladimir Jabotinsky, and Chaim Weizmann—the leaders of the left, right, and center of Zionism—undertook separate missions that year to America, then frozen in isolationism, to seek support for a Jewish army to fight Hitler. Their efforts were at once heroic and tragic. The book presents a portrait of three historic figures and the American Jewish community—at the beginning of the most consequential decade in modern Jewish history—and a cautionary tale about divisions within the Jewish community at a time of American isolationism. Based on previously unpublished materials, the book sheds new light on Zionism in America and the history of World War II, and it aims to stimulate discussion about the evolving relationship between Israel and American Jews, as the Jewish State approaches its 70th anniversary under the continuing threat of annihilation. A book for general readers, history buffs and academics alike, it includes 75 pages of End Notes that enable readers to pursue the stunning story in further depth.
As an enduring American icon, the STAR TREK series represents a utopian future where humans no longer engage in racism, sexism, or capitalism--or does it? STAR TREK AND HISTORY traces the shifting and reforming meaning of race as articulated throughout the STAR TREK television series, feature films, and fan community. 60 illustrations.
Derek Bell’s name became inextricably linked with that of Porsche during his long and hugely successful career as a racing driver. In this new 276-page book, Bell collaborates with renowned motorsport author Richard Heseltine to give the reader a very personal insight into his experiences racing for the legendary German marque. The approach taken by this latest publication from Porter Press International is to look at every race Bell drove for Porsche, in detail and with revealing comments from the book’s subject. Light is cast on Bell’s most prestigious victories with Porsche - four of his five in the Le Mans 24 Hours, three in the Daytona 24 Hours, two in the World Sportscar Championship - and many more besides. Bell describes the Porsches he raced, from the fearsome 917 to the iconic 956, 962, and 911. And he shares his thoughts on the now-legendary drivers he raced with, including six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx, the famously flamboyant Hans Stuck, and two immense talents who lost their lives to the sport, Jo Siffert and Stefan Bellof. The overall effect is a fascinating trip back in time to a golden era for Porsche and sports car racing as a whole.
__________________ The bookies always win. But one man has been proving them wrong for four decades. In the summer of 1975 Barney Curley, a fearless and renowned gambler, masterminded one of the most spectacular gambles of all time with a racehorse called Yellow Sam. With a meticulous, entirely legal plan involving dozens of people, perfectly timed phone calls, sealed orders and months of preparation, Curley and Yellow Sam beat the bookmakers and cost them millions. They said that it could never happen again. But in May 2010, thirty-five years after his first coup, Curley staged the ultimate multi-million-pound-winning sequel. The Sure Thing tells the complete story of how he managed to organise the biggest gamble in racing history - and how he then followed up with yet another audacious scheme in January 2014.