In his third in a series of stimulating stories, which he likes referring to as his yarns, the author paints colorful portraits of real people who have either personally touched his life in some way or simply captured his imagination by the way they lived and what they accomplished in their lifetimes. While telling his yarns about these Notable Characters, this Marine Corps veteran and retired FBI agent unabashedly professes his sincere love of family, his deep pride in American history, his steadfast admiration of personal courage, and his enduring belief and trust in God.
In this second book in a series of thrilling stories, the author vividly describes the soul-stirring details that surround the amazing deeds of some of America's greatest war heroes. You will marvel at the deeds of these exceptional men (and women) who unselfishly risked their lives for you, for our nation and for the freedom of the world. In telling tales of awesome courage, sacrifice and achievement from the American Revolution to the War in Iraq, this Vietnam War veteran and retired G-man proclaims his profound love for America, his rich pride in our nation's military, and his strong personal faith in God Almighty.
In this first of a series of thrilling stories, the author candidly expresses his personal thoughts and relates his vivid memories about many of his life experiences as a child, as a Marine in Vietnam, and as an FBI agent fighting to protect our country against evil. This former G-man also tells some fascinating tales about the members of his own family, and he is not afraid to speak about his faith as a Christian.
"The Chicken Ranch was the one, great festering, frustrating sore on the face of law enforcement in Texas."The year was 1973. The State of Texas had just elected a new reform-minded governor and attorney general. And Houston's ABC-TV affiliate station at Channel 13 had just launched a new consumer-oriented investigative feature by hiring flamboyant former lawman Marvin Zindler to seize the spotlight. The roads from those disparate events crossed quickly in dramatic fashion to national acclaim in the Texas Hill Country village of La Grange, which had harbored the country's longest continually operating bordello-a little place known as the Chicken Ranch and beloved to generations of Texas school boys. When Zindler's sensational TV expose forced the Chicken Ranch to close, it triggered a national controversy that raged for years, highlighted by the creation of a successful Broadway musical called The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The movie version starred Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton in the fictionalized account that boiled the story down to a basic theme still used in its marketing pitch: "Texas madam Miss Mona and her sheriff boyfriend try to save her chicken ranch from a TV muckraker."But lost amid the romanticized singing and the dancing and the nostalgic pining of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas lies an authentic true crime history yarn just as entertaining and as much a part of the Lone Star State's many fabled legends. In I, the People, veteran Houston journalist and author Gary Taylor recreates the real story behind the closing of the Chicken Ranch and explains the forces that unleashed TV icon Marvin Zindler upon the national scene.ReviewsMidwest Book Review: The famed film 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' had its roots in reality, but its charm wears thin when it has connections to organized crime. "I, the People: How Marvin Zindler Busted the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is Gary Taylor's coverage of the story that tells of fellow journalist Marvin Zindler's personal crusade against the famous brothel the Chicken Ranch and the puppet strings of the Mafia behind it. For those who want the true story behind the story, "I, the People" is well worth considering.POD People: You may have heard of the "Chicken Ranch," AKA "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," from the musical or the movie of the later name. Well, Gary Taylor, intrepid Texan journalist, has the real story. Taylor has a wonderful eye for character, and the Chicken Ranch story is full of them. This book is a fascinating look at characters from an era when Texas transitioned itself from the Wild West to civilization. I highly recommend I The People.
From Honus Wagner to Johnny Bench, Baseball As I Have Known It covers sixty-six seasons of America’s national sport. Fred Lieb, the dean of baseball writers, tells about its heroes, rogues, controversies, and grand plays. He broke in as a sportswriter in the Polo Grounds press box in 1911. In 1933, in the midst of the Depression, Lieb was fired from the New York Post and began a freelance career writing about his beloved sport. Baseball As I Have Known It, first published in 1977 when Lieb was eighty-nine years old, remains a vital record of a glorious bygone era. In superb style, he comments on changes in baseball over the decades and tells inside stories about great events and immortal players.
New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.
