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1000 years of joys and sorrows: A memoir
By Ai Weiwei. 2021
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS &’ CHOICE • In Ai Weiwei&’s widely anticipated memoir, &“one of the most important artists working…
in the world today&” ( Financial Times ) tells a century-long epic tale of China through the story of his own extraordinary life and the legacy of his father, the nation&’s most celebrated poet. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • BookPage • Kirkus Reviews • &“With uncommon humanity, humbling scholarship, and poignant intimacy, Ai Weiwei recounts a life of courage, argument, defeat, and triumph. His is one of the great voices of our time.&”—Andrew Solomon Hailed as &“an eloquent and seemingly unsilenceable voice of freedom&” by The New York Times, Ai Weiwei has written a sweeping memoir that presents a remarkable history of China over the last hundred years while also illuminating his artistic process. Once an intimate of Mao Zedong and the nation&’s most celebrated poet, Ai Weiwei&’s father, Ai Qing, was branded a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, and he and his family were banished to a desolate place known as &“Little Siberia,&” where Ai Qing was sentenced to hard labor cleaning public toilets. Ai Weiwei recounts his childhood in exile, and his difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America, where he befriended Allen Ginsberg and was inspired by Andy Warhol. With candor and wit, he details his return to China and his rise from artistic unknown to art world superstar and international human rights activist—and how his work has been shaped by living under a totalitarian regime. Ai Weiwei&’s sculptures and installations have been viewed by millions around the globe, and his architectural achievements include helping to design the iconic Bird&’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing. His political activism has long made him a target of the Chinese authorities, which culminated in months of secret detention without charge in 2011. Here, for the first time, Ai Weiwei explores the origins of his exceptional creativity and passionate political beliefs through his life story and that of his father, whose creativity was stifled. At once ambitious and intimate, Ai Weiwei&’s 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows offers a deep understanding of the myriad forces that have shaped modern China, and serves as a timely reminder of the urgent need to protect freedom of expression
20 years younger: look younger, feel younger, be younger!
By Bob Greene, Harold A. Lancer, Ronald L. Kotler, Diane L. McKay. 2011
Exercise physiologist, personal trainer, and contributing writer for oprah.com Greene posits that signs of aging should be fought on four…
fronts: exercise, nutrition, skin care, and restorative rest. Working with a dermatologist and experts in sleep and healthful eating, Greene prescribes routines for each area. Bestseller. 2011
Escaping the delta: Robert Johnson and the invention of the blues
By Elijah Wald. 2004
Author of How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll (DB 71861) researches the origins of Mississippi Delta blues. Recaps the…
life of African American singer Robert Johnson (1911-1938) and his influence on white performers who revived the genre in the 1960s. Debunks stereotypes and myths surrounding the music. 2004
Role models
By John Waters. 2010
Baltimore director of cult films Pink Flamingos and Hairspray pens essays about the people he admires, including singers Johnny Mathis…
and Little Richard, writer Tennessee Williams, former Charles Manson groupie Leslie Van Houten, gay pornographers, and bar owners. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2010
Sleeping with the enemy: Coco Chanel's secret war
By Hal Vaughan. 2011
American diplomat and foreign correspondent uses overseas archives to document French fashion designer Coco Chanel's collaboration with the Nazis during…
World War II. Discusses Chanel's childhood; emergence on the social scene as a couture, perfume maker, and mistress of titled men; anti-Semitism; and involvement with the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS). 2011
Van Gogh: The Life
By Steven Naifeh, Gregory White Smith, Steven W Naifeh. 2011
Biography of Dutch artist van Gogh (1853-1890) by the Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of Jackson Pollock (DB 33540). They use primary…
documents from the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to analyze his family life, work, and death at age thirty-seven--and raise doubts that van Gogh killed himself. 2011
Paramedic's step-by-step guide to preventing and treating common injuries and illnesses. Includes instructions for administering CPR and first aid and…
advice for dealing with emergencies such as fires, snakebites, and natural disasters. 2012
100 simple things you can do to prevent Alzheimer's and age-related memory loss
By Jean Carper. 2010
Medical journalist Carper, who is genetically susceptible to Alzheimer's disease, surveys the scientific research on dementia and details specific actions…
that can help to delay or prevent the condition. Recommends nutritional and lifestyle changes, including taking vitamins, surfing the Internet, exercising, socializing, and meditating. 2010
Chuck Close: life
By Christopher Finch. 2010
Biography of American artist Chuck Close (born 1940), famous for his larger-than-life photo-imitative portraits. Close discusses his learning disabilities, his…
marriage to his former student Leslie Rose, the bohemian 1960s New York, the challenges of balancing career and family, his paralysis at age forty-eight, and his return to painting. 2010
Biography of Seattle photographer Edward Curtis (1868-1952), who in 1900 became enamored of Native American culture. Sponsored by J.P. Morgan,…
Theodore Roosevelt, and others, Curtis spent three decades living with different tribes, creating films, and producing the twenty-volume publication The North American Indian. Discusses Curtis's legacy. National Book Award. 2012
Banksy: the man behind the wall
By Will Ellsworth-Jones. 2013
Biography of the graffiti artist known as Banksy details his early work in Bristol, England; the success of his Oscar-nominated…
film Exit through the Gift Shop; and his efforts to maintain his anonymity. Explores the culture of outsider art and Banksy's place in it. Young adult appeal. 2012
Author of The Lunar Men (DB 58797) presents a biography of Sarah Losh (1786-1853), who designed a uniquely decorated church…
in the village of Wreay, England, in 1842. Details her family history, her architectural and artisan endeavors, and the socioeconomic and cultural changes that influenced her. 2012
Remembering Whitney: my story of love, loss, and the night the music stopped
By Cissy Houston. 2013
Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Cissy Houston recalls the life of her daughter, singer/actress Whitney (1963-2012). Discusses Whitney's career and family…
relationships, including her tumultuous marriage to fellow entertainer Bobby Brown. Speculates on Whitney's drug use and the pitfalls of fame. Foreword by Dionne Warwick. 2013
Life is a gift: the zen of Bennett
By Tony Bennett. 2012
Winner of seventeen Grammy Awards, singer Bennett (born 1926) reminisces about growing up in New York City, his sixty years…
in the entertainment industry, and his friendships with musicians. Forward by Mitch Albom, author of The Time Keeper (DB 75616). 2012
Depression and anxiety in later life: what everyone needs to know (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)
By Mark D. Miller, Charles F. Reynolds. 2012
Psychiatrists explain mood disorders and other causes of depression and stress in the older population. They discuss ways to cope…
with memory loss, disability, pain, sleep disorders, and grief. Use case studies to exemplify successful maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. 2012
Caravaggio: a life sacred and profane
By Andrew Graham-Dixon. 2011
Biography of painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610). Chronicles his formative years in Milan, time in Rome, exile to the…
island of Malta, and his death at the age of thirty-eight. Examines his preferred subjects of religious scenes using everyday models, including prostitutes and the poor. Some violence. 2010
Is this thing on?: a computer handbook for late bloomers, technophobes, and the kicking & screaming
By Abby Stokes, Abigail Stokes. 2011
Computer instructor presents concepts and techniques for computer novices. Covers subjects such as purchasing a computer, establishing Internet access, and…
working with iPads and mobile devices. Also offers tips on online banking, shopping, and using social media. 2011
Look again: The autobiography
By David Bailey. 2021
'Rollicking . . . with roguish tales as vivid as his era-defining photos' Daily Mail 'Brilliant' Telegraph Eye-opening and candid,…
David Bailey's Look Again is a fantastically entertaining memoir by a true icon. David Bailey burst onto the scene in 1960 with his revolutionary photographs for Vogue . Discarding the rigid rules of a previous generation of portrait and fashion photographers, he channelled the energy of London's newly informal street culture into his work. Funny, brutally honest and ferociously talented, he became as famous as his subjects. Now in his eighties, he looks back on an outrageously eventful life. Born into an East End family, his dyslexia saw him written off as stupid at school. He hit a low point working as a debt collector until he discovered a passion for photography that would change everything. The working-class boy became an influential artist. Along the way he became friends with Mick Jagger, hung out with the Krays, got into bed with Andy Warhol and made the Queen laugh. His love-life was never dull. He propelled girlfriend Jean Shrimpton to stardom, while her angry father threatened to shoot him. He married Catherine Deneuve a month after meeting her. Penelope Tree's mother was unimpressed when he turned up on her doorstep. 'It could be worse, I could be a Rolling Stone,' Bailey told her. He went on to marry Marie Helvin and then Catherine Dyer, with whom he has three children. He is also a film and documentary director, has shot numerous commercials and has never stopped working. A born storyteller, his autobiography is a memorable romp through an extraordinary career
The longevity book: the science of aging, the biology of strength, and the privilege of time
By Sandra Bark, Cameron Diaz. 2016
Forty-three-year-old actress and her coauthor examine the current science on aging in women. Topics examined include how the body changes…
through time, menopause, cellular aging, building stronger bodies and brains, and the biological impact of genes, choices, and attitudes. Bestseller. 2016
Peggy Guggenheim: the shock of the modern (Jewish Lives Ser.)
By Francine Prose. 2015
Author of Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 (DB 79323) profiles the life of modern art advocate Peggy Guggenheim…
(1898-1979). Discusses the influence of her Jewish heritage on her life; the artists she championed, including Jackson Pollock and Man Ray; and her at times chaotic personal life. 2015