Play is one of humanity's straightforward yet deceitful ideas: though the notion is unanimously agreed upon to be universal, used for man and animal alike, nothing defines what all its manifestations share, from childish playtime to on stage drama, from sporting events to market speculation. Within the author's anthropological field of work (Mongolia and Siberia), playing holds a core position: national holidays are called "Games," echoing in that way the circus games in Ancient Rome and today's Olympics. These games convey ethical values and local identity. Roberte Hamayon bases her analysis of the playing spectrum on their scrutiny. Starting from fighting and dancing, encompassing learning, interaction, emotion and strategy, this study heads towards luck and belief as well as the ambiguity of the relation to fiction and reality. It closes by indicating two features of play: its margin and its metaphorical structure. Ultimately revealing its consistency and coherence, the author displays play as a modality of action of its own. "Playing is no 'doing' in the ordinary sense" once wrote Johan Huizinga. Isn't playing doing something else, elswhere and otherwise ?
Porchlight’s Best Leadership & Strategy Book of The Year An inspiring memoir from the CEO of DICK’s Sporting Goods that is “not only entertaining but will be of great value to any entrepreneur” (Phil Knight, New York Times bestselling author of Shoe Dog), this book shows how a trailblazing business was created by giving back to the community and by taking principled, and sometimes controversial, stands—including against the type of weapons that are too often used in mass shootings and other tragedies. It’s How We Play the Game tells the story of a complicated founder and an ambitious son—one who transformed a business by making it about more than business, conceiving it as a force for good in the communities it serves. In 1948, Ed Stack’s father started Dick’s Bait and Tackle in Binghamton, New York. Ed Stack bought the business from his father in 1984, and grew it into the largest sporting goods retailer in the country, with 800 locations and close to $9 billion in sales. The transformation Ed wrought wasn’t easy: economic headwinds nearly toppled the chain twice. But DICK’s support for embattled youth sports programs earned the stores surprising loyalty, and the company won even more attention when, in the wake of yet another school shooting—at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—it chose to become the first major retailer to pull all semi-automatic weapons from its shelves, raise the age of gun purchase to twenty-one, and, most strikingly, destroy the assault-style-type rifles then in its inventory. With vital lessons for anyone running a business and eye-opening reflections about what a company owes the people it serves, It’s How We Play the Game is “a compelling narrative…In a genre that can frequently be staid, Mr. Stack’s corporate biography is deeply personal…[Features] surprising openness [and] interesting and humorous anecdotes” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
Discover how to reconnect with the child in you and unlock the transformative power of play to live a more joyful life. Can you remember the utter delight of playing chase in the park, flying a kite in the summer breeze, or sinking your hands into a box of paints? As children, playing is how we make sense of the world and our place in it. Why then, as adults, do we forget how to play? Drawing on over twenty years of neuroscientific research, psychotherapist Joanna Fortune has discovered that play is the key to living a happier and more meaningful life. She shares the social, emotional, and physical health benefits of why it’s so good for us, including how to: - Practice micro moments of joy to boost positive mood - Embrace wonderment to help unlock creativity and problem solving - Find the fun in your everyday to alleviate stress - Use storytelling to heal from trauma and find emotional resilience - Nurture a holiday state of mind to rest your brain and recharge - Utilise simple techniques to repair and strengthen relationships From the first blissful sip of freshly brewed coffee to an immune-boosting good laugh with close friends, this ground-breaking book shows how play is rooted in our daily experiences. With helpful insights, tips, and exercises, you’ll discover the tiny changes that will revolutionise your life and why you’re never too old for play. Fans of Atomic Habits and Solve for Happy will love Why We Play. Read what everyone is saying about Why We Play: ‘Brilliant… joyful and transformative.’ Stefanie Preissner ‘I absolutely adore this book and it was a such a treat to read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘The author does a tremendous job at collating scientific data… I am amazed at the writing, it did not lag or lacked any substance. Amazing!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘I loved the mixture of scientific research and suggestions on how to play... a very accessible read and equally good to read through or just dip into the play suggestions… An excellent and important book that I'd recommend.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘An excellent reference guide to how we can introduce play and fun into every aspect of our lives, including the workplace where “a curious mind is a playful mind”. The exercises are terrific!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘What I like most about the book are the many exercises you can try to play, either alone or with another person. I really enjoy being silly so some of her exercises already belong to my daily routine. Seeing even more ideas was very inspiring for me… I would recommend this book to everyone who might feel stuck in the seriousness of life and is looking for more joy as part of their daily routine.’ Victoria’s Vlog ‘A necessary book for those aiming to improve their day-to-day lives through something as easy as PLAY!’ Goodreads Reviewer ‘A great book… highly recommend.’ Angelic Light Book Review ‘A great book… The activities are varied, extensive… a book I would 100% recommend to any adult who wants to enjoy life and live their best life.’ Goodreads reviewer
Ours As We Play It takes a close look at several contemporary Australian productions of three Shakespeare plays; exploring masculinity and madness in Hamlet, the role of landscape and the multiple roles of Rosalind in As You Like It, and hierarchies of gender and social order re-imagined in relation to Australian understandings of power in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Born in the UK as Margaret Marian Turner, she was trained in classical piano, yet was passionately attracted to jazz. During World War II she met jazz trumpeter Jimmy McPartland, protege of Biederbecke, married him, and together they made jazz history.
'A gripping account of how Shakhtar Donetsk came to represent embattled Ukraine's hopes for the future' Sunday Times 'We want to show to the world that we are alive. That we are strong. Not just us - the whole of Ukraine. We are continuing to play. We are continuing to win.' Darijo Srna 'Excellent ... a symbol of Ukrainian resistance' Ada Wordsworth Shakhtar Donetsk have not played in their home stadium since 2014. Their matchdays now typically have no crowds, air raid sirens interrupt games and thoughts of and fears for family, friends and hometowns frontline troops loom large in the players' minds ahead of every game. These are extraordinary times - but Shakhtar is an extraordinary club. Displaced when fighting first began in the Donbas region, and then again when Russia mounted a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, this book honours a club - players, coaching staff, management - who choose to play on. In a time of chaos and conflict, they have become emblems of hope and unity. They are winning on the pitch, and winning hearts and minds across the world. Following the club's meteoric rise from domestic team to domineering European contenders, Andy Brassell expertly weaves a story of Shakhtar through the ages - their origin story after Ukrainian independence, their evolution and their reinvention. The war forced an exodus of star players and staff and the club has had to find itself once again. With direct testimony and exclusive interviews from those at Shakhtar, this book delivers unparalleled insight to the club's journey - one that is all too often hidden from view. The result is an ode to Shakhtar Donetsk, shining a light on the beauty and force of their football and their fight to play on.
After a humiliating scandal, a young writer flees to the West Coast, where she is drawn into the morally ambiguous orbit of a charismatic filmmaker and the teenage girls who are her next subjects. FINALIST FOR THE LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD • ONE OF BUZZFEED’S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • “A blistering story about the costs of creating art.”—O: The Oprah Magazine Not too long ago, Cass was a promising young playwright in New York, hailed as “a fierce new voice” and “queer, feminist, and ready to spill the tea.” But at the height of all this attention, Cass finds herself at the center of a searing public shaming, and flees to Los Angeles to escape—and reinvent herself. There she meets her next-door neighbor Caroline, a magnetic filmmaker on the rise, as well as the pack of teenage girls who hang around her house. They are the subjects of Caroline’s next semidocumentary movie, which follows the girls’ clandestine activity: a Fight Club inspired by the violent classic. As Cass is drawn into the film’s orbit, she is awed by Caroline’s ambition and confidence. But over time, she becomes troubled by how deeply Caroline is manipulating the teens in the name of art—especially as the consequences become increasingly disturbing. With her past proving hard to shake and her future one she’s no longer sure she wants, Cass is forced to reckon with her own ambitions and confront what she has come to believe about the steep price of success.
What Will We Play Today? contains 100 games based on drama, movement and music. It is sure to become a popular resource for anyone working with young children. It is said that a good game 'grows' with the children, and many of the games in this book are likely to be requested by children over and over again. The book contains games to encourage children's physical, creative and language development. The activities include listening games such as Mi Gallinita, hoop games, singing games and movement games such as Jig Jog. The games in the book are deliberately non-competitive and there is a strong emphasis on the process of playing ratheer than on winning. The games in this book offer a challenging and highly enjoyable way of providing guided play experiences for young children.
“Briana Cole takes her characters through hell in this book. And this is just exactly what the readers will enjoy! Drama, drama, drama!” —Cydney Rax, author of A Sister’s Survival Marriage can be a dangerous game . . . Kimera Davis finds comfort in dating married men. It’s easier that way. Her needs are taken care of and she doesn’t have to give more of herself than she wants to. No messy feelings involved. But when the man she’s seeing poses an unexpected question, Kimera quickly realizes that she’s not the only woman pulled in by his charm. Their new arrangement doesn’t require much from Kimera, but she soon discovers that someone else is pulling the strings. She’s not looking for complications, yet she can’t help feeling that there’s something devious at play. And the truth is more complicated than she could ever imagine . . . Book 1 in the Unconditional series “Tempestuous, gripping, and downright salacious! Briana Cole explores the complexities of love while twirling on the razor’s edge of twisted betrayals. A phenomenal, cinematically written debut!” —N’Tyse, bestselling author “Loaded with suspense and drama, The Wives We Play will have you on an emotional high and excited to see how it ends. It’s outstandingly intriguing, entertaining, and a page turner in my book!” —Anna Black, bestselling author of The Perfect Love Storm
An inspirational look at a diverse group of popular American sports figures and how they found success in sports and life. Young athletes all dream of what they might become. They might see themselves as a soccer player racing through defenses at the World Cup, as a hockey player scoring the winning goal in the Stanley Cup Final, or as a figure skater in the Winter Olympics. But to get there takes hard work, dedication, and passion. In The Reason We Play: American Sports Figures and What Inspires Them, Marc Bona profiles some of the nation’s top athletes and sports personalities from the past several decades to reveal what it takes to make it in the world of professional sports. Along with fascinating accounts of the sports figures’ lives and careers, Bona includes, in their own words, what motivated them, what obstacles they overcame, and even what books they loved to read when they were young. Featuring athletes such as soccer icon Kristine Lilly, basketball star Victor Oladipo, and softball phenom Cat Osterman, The Reason We Play has something for everyone. From football to rodeo, baseball to racing, the front office to coaching, the subjects all share a common trait of excellence on and off the field.
