Simply Jim is the story of the early years of Jim Simply growing up in rural Alabama. Jim is thought to be slow mentally because he is quiet, bordering on being shy. He is thought to be a problem because of his slowness by his first grade school teacher. He is a tag along to his older brothers and his dad. In groups where others are talking but no one could remember what was said five minutes later, Jim remembers what was said, who had said it, and the context of what was said. He is very smart but lacks the social manners to fit in. Jim is mentored in baseball by his elementary school principal. His natural ability, developed by throwing rocks on his farm and influenced by his mentor, helped him to become a phenomenal pitcher sought by college and pro teams. Jim is a hard luck type because most of the people with whom he has a close relationship dies, moves away, or suffers maladies causing him to suffer in silence and persevere through loss and disappointment. His mother died in his early years. His mentor died early, and his father died before he is able to fulfill his baseball goals. His brothers and childhood acquaintances moved away. His only positive influences are Joe, an older ninety-seven-year-old man; his uncle John; and his childhood sweetheart, Julie. Jim has so much tragedy in his life but is on the verge of fantastic things happening to him.
A bittersweet short story about a lifetime love affair. Henry and Jim have spent a life in love, from the very first date arranged by Henry's sister, through the rocky times they worked to make ends meet, and into their twilight years. Old men now, Henry reminisces about the love they've shared as he learns to cope with Jim's fading memory and his own fear of being forgotten by the only man he's ever loved.
Lessons on product, quality, innovation, and longevity from the "First Family of Bourbon" The Big Man of Jim Beam delves into the life and times of legendary distiller F. Booker Noe III, grandson of Jim Beam and father of the bourbon boom. A true American original who left his mark on everything he did and everyone he met, this charismatic, opinionated man turned the Jim Beam company into the world's largest bourbon distillery and secured his product's place in the cultural psyche. This book tells his story, from growing up in the "First Family of Bourbon" to becoming master distiller, offering insights and guidance for creating brands and products that stand the test of time. His commitment to innovation and quality earned him legendary status and tremendous business growth; the discussion keys in on some of his most prized creations, including one of the first super-premium bourbons on the market, and the small batch collection that laid the groundwork for bourbon's modern resurgence. Jim Beam is a distinctly American brand that has tapped into the collective consciousness and leveraged vision into growth. This book tells the story of the man behind the brand, and his approach to his work, his product, his company, and his people. Read colorful stories about growing up as "bourbon royalty" Trace Booker's journey from apprentice to world's largest bourbon distiller Learn how innovation and a commitment to quality delivers product longevity Gain deep, personal insight on creating a brand that becomes a legend Booker was the sixth generation of the Beam family to make bourbon, and he grew an empire. Driven by commitment, vision, and a singular sort of ambition, his success offers many lessons to anyone in business. The Big Man of Jim Beam tells the story, and digs out the wisdom and insight from this legendary leader.
Angels Dance and Angels Die tells the story of the turbulent relationship between legendary Doors front man, Jim Morrison, and his common-law wife, Pamela Courson. Follow the lives of Courson and Morrison before their fateful meeting in 1965; their lives together until Morrison's death in 1971; and Courson's life without Morrison, including her fight to gain the rights to his estate until her death from a heroin overdose on April 25, 1974.
A teenage boy on trial can see and heal the human light fields, drawing comparisons to Christ while the world argues over his case. Sequel to The Little Universe, Jim gets his wish for the full human experience. Nurses want to sleep with him, skeptics to debunk him, patients need his healing touch, and still others want to train him to use his gifts and be the teacher he was destined to become.
Legendary drummer and founding member of The Doors, John Densmore, unpacks the intersection of art and commerce in this deeply principled middle finger to greed "The Doors drummer Densmore rockets through his tumultuous six-year lawsuit against former bandmates Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger in this no-holds-barred account . . . Throughout, the author's initial question—at what point does money cheapen art's original message?—remains salient, even if he hammers it home a bit repetitively. Devoted fans will be eager to get their hands on this deep dive." —Publishers Weekly "Densmore's concerns about his band's legacy and its meaning in today's society are thought-provoking and worth pondering. Also impressive is his continued respect for his former bandmates' creativity and musicianship, despite the in-fighting, philosophical differences, and court battles. Not a typical rock memoir, but something more interesting to those who want to look past the hit songs and off-stage antics." —Kirkus Reviews "Part courtroom drama, part morality tale, The Doors Unhinged reminds us what happens when greed and deception get in the way of teamwork and the creative process." —Booklist IN THE DOORS UNHINGED, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR and legendary Doors drummer John Densmore offers a powerful exploration of the "greed gene"—that part of the human psyche that propels us toward the accumulation of more and more wealth, even at the expense of our principles, friendships, and the well-being of society. This is the gripping account of the legal battle to control The Doors's artistic destiny. In it, Densmore looks at his conflict with his bandmates over the right to use The Doors's name, revealing the ways in which this struggle mirrors and reflects a much larger societal issue: that no amount of money seems to be enough for even the wealthiest people. The Doors continue to attract new generations of fans, with more than one hundred million albums sold worldwide and counting, and nearly twenty million followers to the band's social media accounts. As such, Densmore occupies a rarefied space in popular culture. He's beloved by artists across the decades for his fierce, uncompromising dedication to art. His writing consistently earns accolades and has appeared in a range of publications, such as the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone. As his friend and American novelist Tom Robbins recently said to him, "If you keep writing like this, I'll have to get a drum set." This is an incredibly timely and important volume in a contemporary world that is increasingly consumed by an insatiable profit motive. John Densmore has given us a blueprint for an approach to life and culture that is not driven by greed.
M*A*S*H meets Scrubs in a sharply observant, darkly funny, and totally unique debut memoir from physical therapist Adele Levine. In her six years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Adele Levine rehabilitated soldiers admitted in worse and worse shape. As body armor and advanced trauma care helped save the lives—if not the limbs—of American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, Walter Reed quickly became the world leader in amputee rehabilitation. But no matter the injury, physical therapy began the moment the soldiers emerged from surgery. Days at Walter Reed were intense, chaotic, consuming, and heartbreaking, but they were also filled with camaraderie and humor. Working in a glassed-in fishbowl gymnasium, Levine, her colleagues, and their combat-injured patients were on display at every moment to tour groups, politicians, and celebrities. Some would shudder openly at the sight—but inside the glass and out of earshot, the PTs and the patients cracked jokes, played pranks, and compared stumps. With dazzling storytelling, Run, Don’t Walk introduces a motley array of oddball characters including: Jim, a retired lieutenant-colonel who stays up late at night baking cake after cake, and the militant dietitian who is always after him; a surgeon who only speaks in farm analogies; a therapy dog gone rogue; —and Levine’s toughest patient, the wild, defiant Cosmo, who comes in with one leg amputated and his other leg shattered. Entertaining, engrossing, and ultimately inspiring, Run, Don’t Walk is a fascinating look into a hidden world.
Jim is a young man who dropped out of college, opting for a comfortable income in a union work place. Boredom, women, his declining mother, and an event from his past plague his day to day life. Things take a turn for Jim when he makes a gruesome discovery early one morning. While arriving to work, he notices a large box near the parking lot, and decides to investigate. He opens the box to find the dead body of a young woman. He panics. He reaches in, grabs an item from the body, closes the box, and heads into work. What follows is Jim's continued downhill spiral with his personal life coupled with the growing guilt of what he's taken from the body.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • For the first time ever—a comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth century’s most innovative creative artists: the incomparable, irreplaceable Jim Henson He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters born of his fertile imagination: Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were just part of his remarkable story. This extraordinary biography—written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family—covers the full arc of Henson’s all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in America, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives, Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson’s contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten-year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson’s non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth—as well as fascinating misfires like Henson’s dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub. An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose dealmaking prowess won him a reputation as “the new Walt Disney,” and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson’s intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing, his love of fast cars and expensive art, and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life—a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well founded. An up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture—and continues to beguile audiences worldwide. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BOOKPAGE “Jim Henson vibrantly delves into the magnificent man and his Muppet methods: It’s an absolute must-read!”—Neil Patrick Harris “An exhaustive work that is never exhausting, a credit both to Jones’s brisk style and to Henson’s exceptional life.”—The New York Times “[A] sweeping portrait that is a mix of humor, mirth and poignancy.”—Washington Independent Review of Books “A meticulously researched tome chock-full of gems about the Muppets and the most thorough portrait of their creator ever crafted.”—Associated Press
