Named one of the best music books of 2017 by The Wall Street Journal An elegy to the age of the Rock Star, featuring Chuck Berry, Elvis, Madonna, Bowie, Prince, and more, uncommon people whose lives were transformed by rock and who, in turn, shaped our culture Recklessness, thy name is rock. The age of the rock star, like the age of the cowboy, has passed. Like the cowboy, the idea of the rock star lives on in our imaginations. What did we see in them? Swagger. Recklessness. Sexual charisma. Damn-the-torpedoes self-belief. A certain way of carrying themselves. Good hair. Interesting shoes. Talent we wished we had. What did we want of them? To be larger than life but also like us. To live out their songs. To stay young forever. No wonder many didn’t stay the course. In Uncommon People, David Hepworth zeroes in on defining moments and turning points in the lives of forty rock stars from 1955 to 1995, taking us on a journey to burst a hundred myths and create a hundred more. As this tribe of uniquely motivated nobodies went about turning themselves into the ultimate somebodies, they also shaped us, our real lives and our fantasies. Uncommon People isn’t just their story. It’s ours as well.
Now in paperback, an engaging and eclectic collection of essays from "the best-known living historian in the world" (The Times, London). Uncommon People collects twenty-six essays by Eric Hobsbawm, "one of the truly great synthesizers of the last few centuries of European history" (Philadelphia Inquirer). It brings back into print his classic works on labor history, working people, and social protest, pairing them with more recent, previously unpublished pieces on everything from the villainy of Roy Cohn to the genius of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holliday. A true Renaissance man, Hobsbawm explores topics from Mario Puzo and the MaÃŒa to Tom Paine and the radical tradition. Highlighting Hobsbawm's passionate concern for the lives and struggles of ordinary men and women, Uncommon People offers both an exciting introduction for the uninitiated as well as a broad-ranging retrospective of the work of this "erudite and influential historian" (Los Angeles Times).
A collection of seventeen wonderful short stories showing that the legendary Tom Hanks is as talented a writer as he is an actor. “Reading Tom Hanks's Uncommon Type is like finding out that Alice Munro is also the greatest actress of our time.” —Ann Patchett, bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Dutch House A gentle Eastern European immigrant arrives in New York City after his family and his life have been torn apart by his country's civil war. A man who loves to bowl rolls a perfect game--and then another and then another and then many more in a row until he winds up ESPN's newest celebrity, and he must decide if the combination of perfection and celebrity has ruined the thing he loves. An eccentric billionaire and his faithful executive assistant venture into America looking for acquisitions and discover a down and out motel, romance, and a bit of real life. These are just some of the tales Tom Hanks tells in this first collection of his short stories. They are surprising, intelligent, heartwarming, and, for the millions and millions of Tom Hanks fans, an absolute must-have!
"An elegy to the age of the rock star, featuring Chuck Berry, Elvis, Madonna, Bowie, Prince, and more, uncommon people whose lives were transformed by rock and who, in turn, shaped our culture. [The author] zeroes in on defining moments and turning points in the lives of forty rock stars from 1955 to 1995, taking us on a journey to burst a hundred myths and create a hundred more"--Amazon.com.
From one of England's most celebrated writers, a funny and superbly observed novella about the Queen of England and the subversive power of reading When her corgis stray into a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace, the Queen feels duty-bound to borrow a book. Discovering the joy of reading widely (from J. R. Ackerley, Jean Genet, and Ivy Compton-Burnett to the classics) and intelligently, she finds that her view of the world changes dramatically. Abetted in her newfound obsession by Norman, a young man from the royal kitchens, the Queen comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with the routines of her role as monarch. Her new passion for reading initially alarms the palace staff and soon leads to surprising and very funny consequences for the country at large. With the poignant and mischievous wit of The History Boys, England's best loved author Alan Bennett revels in the power of literature to change even the most uncommon reader's life.
The world can be an amazing place if you know the right questions to ask: How did carrots become orange? What's stopping us from having a four-day week? How can we remove all the broken bits of satellite from orbit? If everything is so terrible, why is the global suicide rate falling? The keen minds of the Economist love to look beyond everyday appearances to find out what really makes things tick. In this latest collection of The Economist Explains, they have gathered together the juiciest fruits of their never-ending quest for answers. For an uncommonly interesting read, take a peek at some Uncommon Knowledge - and pass it on! The world only gets more amazing when discoveries are shared.
The title and subtitle say a great deal about the character of this book. These are stories about people who inevitably stand out in a crowd for their personal attributes, their ethical standards, the ways in which they have coped with great problems, and their remarkable achievements. Significantly, fourteen of the sixteen stories in this book are about people who have in some way contributed to better government. Several have worked directly in government, others have been teachers, and still others have found ways to make contributions. Not all the stories are about people in the U.S. The two stories from Brazil involve people who stayed at home and did their good work there; in the other two instances, already blossoming careers at home were ended by extreme governmental changes. In all cases, however, these are people who must be admired for their extreme dedication to the highest ideals of service. In effect, this book can be considered a primer on government that works. The two whose stories did not directly concern government contributed mightily to a better society. One was a highly productive author, who, in later years concentrated on children's books and wrote more than 50 of them. The other pioneered a wholly different journalistic undertaking, the city-regional magazine. Today these publications are found throughout the country and are distinguished by their design quality and their commitment to the communities they serve.
At the lowest point in his life, living in a motel room with his wife and two children, John St. Augustine undertook a journey of a thousand miles, walking from northern Michigan to Chicago—and back—a journey that became one of discovery, and a chance for St. Augustine to reinvent himself. It was on this walk that the inspiration was born for a radio show that would be a positive voice in a world saturated by cynicism. Upon his return, despite having no prior radio experience, a local station gave him a chance: one hour a week for five weeks... Ten years and 5,000 guests later St. Augustine is living his dream, and, like The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People®, Living an Uncommon Life offers a roadmap for reaching your own dreams. St. Augustine discovered a pattern in the lives of the exceptional personalities with whom he has crossed paths including Oprah Winfrey, John Denver, Walter Payton, Wayne Dyer and others. Each of them refused to let negative circumstances dictate their life. Instead they found the inner strength to achieve great things. St. Augustine insists we all share these remarkable traits and in Living an Uncommon Life he offers powerful principles for unlocking your strengths and achieving your personal best.
Bestselling author Timothy Keller and legal scholar John Inazu bring together a thrilling range of artists, thinkers, and leaders to provide a guide to faithful living in a pluralistic, fractured world. How can Christians today interact with those around them in a way that shows respect to those whose beliefs are radically different but that also remains faithful to the gospel? Timothy Keller and John Inazu bring together illuminating stories--their own and from others--to answer this vital question. Uncommon Ground gathers an array of perspectives from people thinking deeply and working daily to live with humility, patience, and tolerance in our time. Contributors include: Lecrae Tish Harrison Warren Kristen Deede Johnson Claude Richard Alexander Shirley Hoogstra Sara Groves Rudy Carrasco Trillia Newbell Tom Lin Warren Kinghorn Providing varied and enlightening approaches to reaching faithfully across deep and often painful differences, Uncommon Ground shows us how to live with confidence, joy, and hope in a complex and fragmented age. "Loving engagement with folks with whom we disagree does not come easily for many of us with strong Christian convictions. Tim Keller and John Inazu are not only models for how to do this well, but in this fine book they have gathered wise conversation partners to offer much needed counsel on how to cultivate the spiritual virtues of humility, patience, and tolerance that are necessary for loving our neighbors in our increasingly pluralistic culture." -- Richard Mouw, Professor of Faith and Public Life, Fuller Theological Seminary "For anyone struggling to engage well with others in an era of toxic conflict, this book provides a framework, steeped in humility, that is not only insightful but is readily actionable. I'm grateful for the vulnerability and wisdom offered by each of the twelve leaders who contributed to this book. The task of learning to love well - neighbors and enemies alike - is long and urgent, and it can be costly. And yet, as this book shows us, because it is the work of Jesus, we can pursue this love with great hope." -- Gary A. Haugen, founder and CEO, International Justice Mission
A WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER by DR. JOE DISPENZA , the author of the New York Times bestseller You Are the Placebo, as well as Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself and Evolve Your Brain. Becoming Supernatural draws on epigenetics, quantum physics & neuroscience research conducted at his advanced workshops since 2012 to explore how common people are doing the uncommon to transform their consciousness, mindset, and beliefs to heal and live SUPERNATURAL lives. Becoming Supernatural marries some of the most profound scientific information with ancient spiritual wisdom to show how people like you and me can experience a more mystical life. Readers will learn that we are, quite literally supernatural by nature if given the proper knowledge and instruction, and when we learn how to apply that information through various healing meditations, we should experience a greater expression of our creative abilities. We have the capacity to tune in to frequencies beyond our material world and receive more orderly coherent streams of consciousness and energy; that we can intentionally change our brain chemistry to initiate profoundly mystical transcendental experiences; and how, if we do this enough times, we can develop the skill of creating a more efficient, balanced, healthy body, a more unlimited mind, and greater access to the quantum field and the realms of spiritual truth. Topics include: • Demystifying the body’s 7 energy centers and how you can balance them to heal • How to free yourself from the past by reconditioning your body to a new mind • How you can create reality in the generous present moment by changing your energy • The difference between third-dimension creation and fifth-dimension creation • The secret science of the pineal gland and its role in accessing mystical realms of reality • The distinction between Space-Time vs. Time-Space realities • And much more Chapters Include: Opening the Door to the Supernatural The Present Moment Tuning In to New Potentials in the Quantum Blessing of the Energy Centers Reconditioning the Body to a New Mind Case Studies: Living Examples of Truth Heart Intelligence Mind Movies/Kaleidoscope Walking Meditation Case Studies: Making It Real Space-Time and Time-Space The Pineal Gland Project Coherence: Making a Better World Case Studies: It Could Happen to You Using tools and disciplines ranging from cutting-edge physics to practical exercises such as a walking meditation, Dr. Joe offers nothing less than a proven program for stepping outside our physical reality and into the quantum field of infinite possibilities. “In a style that is simple, straightforward, and easy to understand, Dr. Joe Dispenza has woven into a single volume the paradigm-altering discoveries of quantum science and the deep teachings that adepts of the past dedicated their entire lifetimes to master.” — Gregg Braden, New York Times best-selling author of Human by Design and The Divine Matrix “We can create better lives for ourselves—and that we are not linear beings living linear lives, but dimensional beings living dimensional lives. Hopefully, reading it will help you understand that you already have all the anatomy, chemistry, and physiology you need to become supernatural sitting latent within you, waiting to be awakened and activated.” - Dr. Joe Dispenza New York Times best-selling author Researcher of epigenetics, quantum physics & neuroscience
