The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak

The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak

Author: Randy Fertel

Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published: 2015-07-08

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 149680113X

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The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak is the story of two larger-than-life characters and the son whom their lives helped to shape. Ruth Fertel was a petite, smart, tough-as-nails blonde with a weakness for rogues, who founded the Ruth's Chris Steak House empire almost by accident. Rodney Fertel was a gold-plated, one-of-a-kind personality, a railbird-heir to wealth from a pawnshop of dubious repute just around the corner from where the teenage Louis Armstrong and his trumpet were discovered. When Fertel ran for mayor of New Orleans on a single campaign promise-buying a pair of gorillas for the zoo-he garnered a paltry 308 votes. Then he purchased the gorillas anyway! These colorful figures yoked together two worlds not often connected-lazy rice farms in the bayous and swinging urban streets where ethnicities jazzily collided. A trip downriver to the hamlet of Happy Jack focuses on its French-Alsatian roots, bountiful tables, and self-reliant lifestyle that inspired a restaurant legend. The story also offers a close-up of life in the Old Jewish Quarter on Rampart Street-and how it intersected with the denizens of “Back a' Town,” just a few blocks away, who brought jazz from New Orleans to the world. The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak is a New Orleans story, featuring the distinctive characters, color, food, and history of that city-before Hurricane Katrina and after. But it also is the universal story of family and the full magnitude of outsize follies leavened with equal measures of humor, rage, and rue.


White Like Her

White Like Her

Author: Gail Lukasik

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2017-10-17

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 151072415X

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White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing is the story of Gail Lukasik’s mother’s “passing,” Gail’s struggle with the shame of her mother’s choice, and her subsequent journey of self-discovery and redemption. In the historical context of the Jim Crow South, Gail explores her mother’s decision to pass, how she hid her secret even from her own husband, and the price she paid for choosing whiteness. Haunted by her mother’s fear and shame, Gail embarks on a quest to uncover her mother’s racial lineage, tracing her family back to eighteenth-century colonial Louisiana. In coming to terms with her decision to publicly out her mother, Gail changed how she looks at race and heritage. With a foreword written by Kenyatta Berry, host of PBS's Genealogy Roadshow, this unique and fascinating story of coming to terms with oneself breaks down barriers.


Tarzan at the Earth's Core

Tarzan at the Earth's Core

Author: Edgar Rice Burroughs

Publisher: Wildside Press LLC

Published: 2020-10-20

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 147945298X

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In response to a radio plea from Abner Perry, a scientist who with his friend David Innes has discovered the interior world of Pellucidar at the Earth's core, Jason Gridley launches an expedition to rescue Innes from the Korsars (corsairs), the scourge of the internal seas. He enlists Tarzan, and a fabulous airship is constructed to penetrate Pellucidar via the natural polar opening connecting the outer and inner worlds. The airship is crewed primarily by Germans, with Tarzan's Waziri warriors under their chief Muviro also along for the expedition.


The Master Mind of Mars

The Master Mind of Mars

Author: Edgar Rice Burroughs

Publisher: BEYOND BOOKS HUB

Published: 2024-02-02

Total Pages: 5

ISBN-13:

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"The Master Mind of Mars" is a science fiction novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. First published in 1928, it is the sixth book in Burroughs' "Barsoom" series, also known as the John Carter of Mars series. The story is set on the fictional planet Mars (Barsoom) and follows the continuing adventures of John Carter, a Confederate soldier transported to Mars, as he becomes embroiled in the conflicts and mysteries of the Martian civilizations.


Tanar of Pellucidar

Tanar of Pellucidar

Author: Edgar Rice Burroughs

Publisher: eStar Books

Published: 2012-05-10

Total Pages: 391

ISBN-13: 1612105262

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The further adventures of David Innes and Abner Perry at the Earth's core. We learn of new developments occuring in Pellucidar, including the capture of Tanar the Fleet One by the piratical Korsars, together with picturesque details about the lovely Stellara of the Island of Amiocap, Bohar the Bloody, and others, as well as reptilian monsters.


We're Still Here Ya Bastards

We're Still Here Ya Bastards

Author: Roberta Brandes Gratz

Publisher: Bold Type Books

Published: 2015-06-09

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 1568585004

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The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is one of the darkest chapters in American history. The storm caused unprecedented destruction, and a toxic combination of government neglect and socioeconomic inequality turned a crisis into a tragedy. But among the rubble, there is hope. We're Still Here Ya Bastards presents an extraordinary panoramic look at New Orleans's revival in the years following the hurricane. Award-winning journalist Roberta Brandes Gratz shares the stories of people who returned to their homes and have taken the rebuilding of their city into their own hands. She shows how the city -- from the Lower Ninth Ward to the storied French Quarter to Bayou Bienvenue -- is recovering despite flawed governmental policies that promote disaster capitalism rather than the public good. While tracing positive trends, Gratz also investigates the most fiercely debated issues and challenges facing the city: a violent and corrupt prison system, the tragic closing of Charity Hospital, the future of public education, and the rise of gentrification. By telling stories that are often ignored by the mainstream media, We're Still Here Ya Bastards shows the strength and resilience of a community that continues to work to rebuild New Orleans, and reveals what Katrina couldn't destroy: the vibrant culture, epic history, and unwavering pride of one of the greatest cities in America.


The World's Worst Records: Volume One

The World's Worst Records: Volume One

Author: Darryl W Bullock

Publisher: Bristol Green Publishing

Published: 2015-02-04

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 148262446X

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An affectionate look at some of the worst recordings ever made, The World’s Worst Records tells the extraordinary but true stories behind some of the most appalling audio crimes ever committed. Extensively researched, and featuring music by major stars, ‘outsider’ artists and almost forgotten singers and songwriters, read about how Elvis Presley came to record a rock ‘n’ roll version of the nursery rhyme Old Macdonald; discover the truth behind actor Peter Wyngarde’s one attempt at pop immortality; meet the beautifully bonkers Florence Foster Jenkins – possibly the most deluded singer in history; fi nd out which Paul McCartney record is most hated world over. Puzzle over why 60’s flower-power icon Donovan would record a song about the toilet habits of astronauts.