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The devil's snake curve: a fan's notes from left field
By Josh Ostergaard. 2014
Anthropologist shares anecdotes and stories of baseball's history, from its founding in the mid-1800s to the early twenty-first century, framing…
them in the context of social and political history. Presents similarities between the sport and war and nationalism. Strong language. 2014
Raise a fist, take a knee: Race and the illusion of progress in modern sports
By John Feinstein. 2021
Based on dozens of shocking interviews with some of the most influential names in sports, this is the urgent and…
revelatory examination of racial inequality in professional athletics America has been waiting for Commentators, coaches, and fans alike have long touted the diverse rosters of leagues like the NFL and MLB as sterling examples of a post-racial America. Yet decades after Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in a display of Black power and pride, and years after Colin Kaepernick shocked the world by kneeling for the national anthem, the role Black athletes and coaches are asked to perform—both on and off the field—still can be determined as much by stereotype and old-fashion ideology as ability and performance.Whether it's the pre-game moments of resistance, the lack of diversity among coaching and managerial staff, or the consistent undervaluation of Black quarterbacks, racial politics impact every aspect of every sport being played. Yet, the gigantic salaries and glitzy lifestyles of pro athletes can disguise the ugly truths of how minority players are treated and discarded by their White bosses. John Feinstein crisscrossed the country to secure personal interviews with quarterbacks, coaches, and more, revealing the stories none of us have heard (but all of us should know).Almost seventy-five years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color line, race is still a central and defining factor of America's professional sports leagues. With an encyclopedic knowledge of professional sports, and shrewd cultural criticism, John Feinstein uncovers not just why, but how, pro sports continue to perpetuate racial inequality
Around the world in 80 books
By David Damrosch. 2021
A transporting and illuminating voyage around the globe, through classic and modern literary works that are in conversation with one…
another and with the world around them *Featured in the Chicago Tribune' s Great 2021 Fall Book Preview* Inspired by Jules Verne&’s hero Phileas Fogg, David Damrosch, chair of Harvard University&’s department of comparative literature and founder of Harvard&’s Institute for World Literature, set out to counter a pandemic&’s restrictions on travel by exploring eighty exceptional books from around the globe. Following a literary itinerary from London to Venice, Tehran and points beyond, and via authors from Woolf and Dante to Nobel Prize–winners Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, Mo Yan, and Olga Tokarczuk, he explores how these works have shaped our idea of the world, and the ways in which the world bleeds into literature. To chart the expansive landscape of world literature today, Damrosch explores how writers live in two very different worlds: the world of their personal experience and the world of books that have enabled great writers to give shape and meaning to their lives. In his literary cartography, Damrosch includes compelling contemporary works as well as perennial classics, hard-bitten crime fiction as well as haunting works of fantasy, and the formative tales that introduce us as children to the world we&’re entering. Taken together, these eighty titles offer us fresh perspective on enduring problems, from the social consequences of epidemics to the rising inequality that Thomas More designed Utopia to combat, as well as the patriarchal structures within and against which many of these books&’ heroines have to struggle—from the work of Murasaki Shikibu a millennium ago to Margaret Atwood today. Around the World in 80 Books is a global invitation to look beyond ourselves and our surroundings, and to see our world and its literature in new ways
Warmth: Coming of age at the end of our world
By Daniel Sherrell. 2021
&“ [ Warmth ] is lyrical and erudite, engaging with science, activism, and philosophy . . . [Sherrell] captures the…
complicated correspondence between hope and doubt, faith and despair—the pendulum of emotional states that defines our attitude toward the future. &” — The New Yorker &“Beautifully rendered and bracingly honest.&” —Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing From a millennial climate activist, an exploration of how young people live in the shadow of catastrophe Warmth is a new kind of book about climate change: not what it is or how we solve it, but how it feels to imagine a future—and a family—under its weight. In a fiercely personal account written from inside the climate movement, Sherrell lays bare how the crisis is transforming our relationships to time, to hope, and to each other. At once a memoir, a love letter, and an electric work of criticism, Warmth goes to the heart of the defining question of our time: how do we go on in a world that may not?
Jay Glazer—a top NFL insider on Fox NFL Sunday, an MMA coach, actor, and a veteran advocate and founder of…
MVP (Merging Vets and Players)—offers honest, in your face advice and insights gleaned from his fight through depression and anxiety, his successful careers in NFL journalism and business, as well as his work with military vets struggling with PTSD; the result is a relentless, unapologetic, and no-nonsense approach to overcoming your self-doubts, fears, and excuses... with the goal of becoming Unbreakable. In Unbreakable, Jay Glazer talks directly to you, his teammates, and shares his truth. All the success from his screeching-and-swerving joy ride through professional football, the media, the MMA fighting world, Hollywood, the military-warrior community, comes with a side of relentless depression and anxiety. Living in the gray, as Jay calls it, is just a constant for him. And, in order to work through and work better, Jay knows he has to keep going, to be of service, to believe in himself when no one else will, and be stronger, tougher, and more dedicated than anyone. Unbreakable is his story of how he has done this in all of his many endeavors—a relentless insider who won't quit talking or take his foot off the gas, whether detailing how he got his big break inside the NFL (it involves a friendship with Michael Strahan that seems too unlikely even for Hollywood) or helping veterans fight for their lives in gyms around the country or playing himself on the hit show Ballers, Jay's ability to laugh at himself and take on his mental struggles has given him a clarity, toughness, and openness that few people can rival. Throughout Unbreakable, Jay will use his stories—featuring some of the biggest, baddest, and most fascinating characters in the public eye today—to tackle the toughest subjects by making you laugh. He will also use them as motivation to outline a prescriptive plan for you to get to the top of your game, whatever your game is, and to stop making excuses. He will show you how to use your insecurities, your own battles with mental health, to get where you need to go, scars and all. Especially scars and all. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook
Hemingway's boat: everything he loved in life, and lost, 1934-1961
By Paul Hendrickson. 2011
Explores the last twenty-seven years of the life of writer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) and describes the solace that he found…
aboard his fishing boat Pilar, which he obtained in 1934. Discusses both Hemingway's literary career and his family, including his cross-dressing youngest son Gregory. Some strong language. 2011
The book in the Renaissance
By Andrew Pettegree. 2010
Chronicles the first one hundred fifty years of the printed word. Details the origins and evolution of print, culminating in…
Gutenberg's innovation and its momentous consequences for humankind. Examines the religious, economic, and cultural concerns that influenced the production of books. 2010
As fast as her: Dream big, break barriers, achieve success
By Kendall Coyne. 2022
Dream big, follow your passion and never give up. Decorated US Olympian and accomplished hockey star Kendall Coyne shares the…
grit and determination it took to break down barriers and achieve her dreams against tremendous odds, encouraging you to follow your passions and never give up. The world told Kendall Coyne to slow down. They said "not so fast" when she picked up hockey skates instead of figure skates. They said "just a minute" when she tried out for the boy's team. They told her "you're not enough" so often that she started to believe it. But Kendall had a passion and a dream, so instead of slowing down, she sped up, going on to win Olympic gold and a spot in the Fastest Skater Competition at the 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend. As Fast as Her explores how Kendall held on to her dream, overcame her insecurities, defied her naysayers, and pushed herself past barriers to achieve her goals—and how you can too! Inside this inspirational, sports-meets-real-life inspirational autobiography, Kendall shares: stories that illustrate the lessons she's learned and how to apply them for success affirmations to help young people believe you are can reach your dreams encouragement to fit in, to find your "why," and to create lasting change for others her personal trials and triumphs, inspiring you to discover what excites and exhausts you motivation to be relentless in achieving your own goals Kendall pauses throughout her story to equip you with practical take-aways from her journey to become a top athlete and Olympic medalist, appropriately dubbed "Golden Coynes." As Fast As Her also includes behind-the-scenes and personal photos in a full-color, 8-page insert. As Fast as Her is perfect for: readers 13 and up looking for an uplifting true story fans of the NHL, Olympic hockey, women's sports, and sports in general birthday, Christmas, and holiday gifts for teens and young adults.
Undisputed: how to become the world champion in 1,372 easy steps
By Chris Jericho, Peter Thomas Fornatale. 2011
Champion wrestler Jericho continues his autobiography begun in A Lion's Tale (DB 73213). Jericho recounts joining Vince McMahon's World Wrestling…
Entertainment in 1999 and feuding with fellow athletes. Discusses his family life, his heavy-metal band, and the death of Chris Benoit. Strong language. 2011
Anne Frank: the book, the life, the afterlife
By Francine Prose. 2009
Analyzes The Diary of a Young Girl (DB 57022) as a literary work, a Holocaust narrative, and a cultural artifact.…
Examines the evidence that Anne rewrote her memoir to increase its appeal. Discusses the published book's use in classroom instruction and its adaptation for stage and film. 2009
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
The Grimm legacy (Grimm Legacy Ser.)
By Polly Shulman. 2010
Elizabeth gets an after-school job as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository, which houses magical objects from…
the Grimm brothers' fairy tales. When items disappear Elizabeth and the other pages are drawn into frightening adventures involving mythical creatures and stolen goods. For grades 6-9. 2010
Jump: My secret journey from the streets to the boardroom
By Larry Miller. 2022
One of the most successful Black businessmen in the country, who has led Nike's Jordan Brand from a $200M sneaker…
company to a $4B global apparel juggernaut, tells the remarkable story of his rise from gangland violence to the pinnacles of international business. Jump tells Larry Miller's journey from the violent streets of West Philly in the 1960s to the highest echelons of American sports and industry. Miller wound up in jail more than once, especially as a teenager. But he immersed himself in the educational opportunities, eventually took advantage of a Pennsylvania state education-release program offered to incarcerated people, and was able to graduate with honors from Temple University. When revealing his gangland past caused him to lose his first major job opportunity, Miller vowed to keep it a secret. He climbed the corporate ladder with a number of companies such as Kraft Foods, Campbell's Soup, and Jantzen, until Nike hired him to run its domestic apparel operations. Around the time of Michael Jordan's basketball retirement, Nike Chairman Phil Knight made Larry Miller president of the newly formed Jordan Brand. In 2007 Paul Allen convinced Miller to jump to the NBA to become president of the Portland Trailblazers, one of the first African-Americans to lead a professional sports team, before returning to Jordan Brand in 2012. All along, Miller lived two lives: the secret of his violent past haunted him, invading his days with migraines and his sleep with nightmares of getting hauled back to jail. More than a rags-to-riches story, Jump is also a passionate appeal for criminal justice reform and expanded educational opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people across the United States. Drawing on his powerful personal story, as well as his vast and well-connected network, Miller plans to use Jump as a launching point to help expand such opportunities and to provide an aspirational journey for those who need hope
Hwpo: Hard work pays off
By Mat Fraser. 2022
Transform your body and mind with the definitive guide to building peak strength, endurance, and speed, from the five-time CrossFit…
Games champion and Fittest Man on Earth No matter your level of fitness, no matter if you&’ve never attempted CrossFit before, this book is your total training manual. Mat Fraser is undisputedly the fittest man in CrossFit history for winning the CrossFit Games an unprecedented five times. A student of engineering, Fraser optimized his body like a machine, and his absolute dedication to the training program he designed for himself is now legendary. For years, every single decision he made was weighed against the question: "Will this help me win?" If the answer was no, he didn't do it. If it would give him even the slightest edge or advantage, he would—no matter the cost. Fraser became a master of identifying his weaknesses and then seeking out training methods to improve them, and he's idolized in the fitness community for his relentless pursuit of peak performance. It's not hard to see why he achieved so much success—but how is a different question. Throughout his career, Fraser has been highly guarded about his specific training techniques (after all, sharing them would not help him win the CrossFit Games). But with his recent retirement from competition, Fraser is finally ready to open up about his path to the podium. HWPO reveals the workouts, training hacks, eating plans, and mental strategies that have helped make him a champion. It's an incredible resource of elite training strategies, illustrated workouts, and motivational stories, and it's a glimpse into the mind of one of the world's greatest athletes. *Includes a downloadable PDF of exercises, recipes, logs, and other HWPO tools
The captain: the journey of Derek Jeter
By Ian O'Connor. 2011
Biography of New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (born 1974) chronicles his childhood in Kalamazoo, Michigan; his 1995 major-league debut;…
and his career highlights, which include five World Series rings and five Gold Glove awards. Also recaps Jeter's contentious late-2010 contract negotiations. Some strong language. 2011
Why Orwell matters
By Christopher Hitchens. 2002
Essayist explores the life and work of George Orwell (1903-1950), best known as the author of 1984 and Animal Farm.…
Discusses Orwell's political beliefs and the ways they were shaped by the times in which he lived. Challenges Orwell's critics and argues that his ideas remain relevant. 2002
Newspaperman examines his unique relationship with his hiking partner, miniature schnauzer Atticus M. Finch. Explains how a fund-raising effort after…
a friend's death started man and dog's years of climbing in New Hampshire's White Mountains--188 peaks over three winters. Some strong language. 2011
The Sookie Stackhouse companion (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood)
By Charlaine Harris. 2011
Features the novella Small-Town Wedding, in which Sookie and her boss Sam, a shape-shifter, attend nuptials in Sam's Texas hometown.…
Includes trivia and fan questions, recipes, and a guide to Sookie's world of vampires, werewolves, and fairies. 2011
Beauty is a verb: the new poetry of disability
By Sheila Black, Jennifer Bartlett, Michael Northen. 2011
Anthology shows disability through the lenses of poetry and essays. Features works of early and mid-twentieth-century poets, such as Josephine…
Miles and Larry Eigner, as well as from participants in the later "disability/crip poetics" movement, including John Lee Clark and Daniel Simpson. Offers critical commentary. 2011
West by West: my charmed, tormented life
By Jerry West, Jonathan Coleman. 2011
Autobiography of Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Jerry West (born in 1938) describes his hardscrabble life in West Virginia, championship…
college play with the Mountaineers, participation in the 1960 Olympics, and career with the Lakers. Discusses his personal life and relationships with other players. Strong language. Bestseller. 2011