Winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction, 2004. In the nine stories of Let's Do, various calamities strike ordinary Midwesterners, who cope with a mixture of good intentions and ineptitude. Balancing humor with painful clarity, author Rebecca Meacham pulls readers into the lives of characters who struggle with--and more often against--change.
The must-read music book of the year—and the first such history bringing together all musical genres to tell the definitive narrative of the birth of Pop—from 1900 to the mid-1950s. Pop music didn't begin with the Beatles in 1963, or with Elvis in 1956, or even with the first seven-inch singles in 1949. There was a pre-history that went back to the first recorded music, right back to the turn of the century. Who were these earliest record stars—and were they in any meaningful way "pop stars"? Who was George Gershwin writing songs for? Why did swing, the hit sound for a decade or more, become almost invisible after World War II? The prequel to Bob Stanley’s celebrated Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, this new volume is the first book to tell the definitive story of the birth of pop, from the invention of the 78 rpm record at the end of the nineteenth century to the beginnings of rock and the modern pop age. Covering superstars such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra, alongside the unheralded songwriters and arrangers behind some of our most enduring songs, Stanley paints an aural portrait of pop music's formative years in stunning clarity, uncovering the silver threads and golden needles that bind the form together. Bringing the eclectic, evolving world of early pop to life—from ragtime, blues and jazz to Broadway, country, crooning, and beyond—Let's Do It is essential reading for all music lovers. "An encyclopaedic introduction to the fascinating and often forgotten creators of Anglo-American hit music in the first half of the twentieth century."—Neil Tennant (The Pet Shop Boys)
"What started out as an essay on my boyhood neighborhood an my life there turned in to a book. My purpose in writing the book was to revisit a few of my experiences there and give the readers of the book a synopsis of my experiences in the U S Navy such as the ceremony observed when crossing the equator which is quite hilarious and centuries old, being observed by men of the sea when sails were the only means of propulsion. the musical portion of my life is also laid out to enjoy as humorous events are reounted. I travel from childhood to the time I became a man and try to entertain the reader with my exploits. I have lived a full life and am not the man I used to be, and the book addreses that nicely. I give it all, a comp- osite look at a life full of both good times and sad times. I wrote the book on th light side so that it would have appeal to all readers . As we age , we evolve and look at life anew every day. I wouldn't change a thing if I were chosen to do it all again. I hope the readers enjoy the adventure as as much as I did." Richard (Digger)Vogt
"Joseph C. Veramu is a lecturer at the University of the South Pacific. "Let's do it our way" presents his account of education in Solevu District, Fiji. He examines formal, informal, and non-formal education and offers valuable lessons for improving the teaching-learning process ..." -- Back cover.
