Selvbiografier

Drawing on countless real-life stories from his embattled life, Maxamillion the Great is a captivating and moving autobiography told in the only way it could be, through the eyes of his beloved owner, author Barbara Goodier. Taking the reader through the lows of his joyless puppyhood into the highs of his new found family, it persuades us to revisit the idea that miracles really do exist and sometimes even more than once. Creative in its narration and affecting in its story, it will move you to re-evaluate what is important in your own life, will make you cry when you least expect it and lay bare the unbreakable bond between a dog and his mum.

Find inspiration and empowerment as you explore the life, career, and influences of Greta Gerwig.The actor, writer, and director probably best known (at the moment) for the ground-breaking blockbuster film Barbie, Greta Gerwig, is an icon to young women who hope to follow in her footsteps and pursue their own creative passions. But what has driven her to create such timely and socially conscious films, and what inspires her artistic vision?Greta explores the filmmaker’s life and career, including:A deep dive into her filmography, including the four films she’s directed, 12 she’s written, and 26 she’s acted inAn exploration of what has influenced her career path and the places from which she draws inspiration, from classic literature (as seen in her adaptation of Little Women) to her own California girlhood (Lady Bird)Greta’s impact on independent cinema and her work to bring more women into the film industryIconic quotes from Greta and her closest collaborators about her work, her ambitions, and what comes next for the celebrated filmmakerAn intriguing account of where this talented filmmaker has been and where her future might take her, this is a must-have volume for every Greta Gerwig fan.

A compelling on-the-ground account of Native activism in the Northwest A relentless advocate for Native rights, Ramona Bennett Bill has been involved in the battles waged by the Puyallup and other Northwest tribes around fishing rights, land rights, health, and education for over six decades. This invaluable firsthand account includes stories of the takeover of Fort Lawton as well as events from major Red Power struggles, including Alcatraz, Wounded Knee, and the Trail of Broken Treaties. She shares her experiences at the Puyallup fishing camp established during the Fish War of the 1960s and 1970s, which led to the federal intervention that eventually resulted in the Boldt Decision. She also covers the 1976 occupation of a state-run facility on reservation land and the lobbying that led to the property's return to the tribe. Bennett Bill served for nearly a dozen years as a Puyallup Tribal Council member and ten as chairwoman, organizing social welfare, education, and enrollment initiatives and championing Native religious freedom. Her advocacy for Native children, especially those who had been adopted out of their community, helped pave the way for the Indian Child Welfare Act. Now in her mid-eighties, she continues to organize for Native rights and environmental justice. The book is full of vivid stories of her fearless testimony in courtrooms and press conferences on issues affecting Indian Country, and of the many friends and comrades she made along the way.

A single day can change everything. Kosi and Lekan's lives take a drastic turn when an unfortunate chain of events rocks their relationship. Kosi ponders leaving her partner and even life itself, while Lekan struggles under the weight of loss, watching his own identity slip away. How can a man become useless overnight? In this thought-provoking story, Kosi must choose life for the sake of her daughter, and Lekan must release his grip on death for his own salvation. How much does one really need to know someone? Kosi and Lekan confront the limits of their understanding, testing the bonds of their relationship and forging a new connection that challenges their assumptions about life, loss, and the depths of human resilience. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a profound literary experience.

Celebrate four exhilarating and rebellious decades of Guns N’ Roses with this lushly illustrated journey through the band’s biggest moments.Formed on Los Angeles’ famed Sunset Strip in 1985, Guns N’ Roses worked their way up from the club scene in less than three years to become a best-selling recording act and a top tour draw. Along the way, there was no shortage of controversy to accompany the accolades. In Guns N’ Roses at 40, prolific rock biographer Martin Popoff curates 40 key touchstones in GN’R’s career, charting their formation and early history, key concert appearances, groundbreaking releases, notable collaborations, business challenges, personal difficulties, band quarrels, and more. This beautifully produced tribute features:Sturdy hardcover formatStunning photography, both on and off the stageImages of band memorabiliaGatefold Guns N’ Roses timelineComplete studio discographyPopoff covers it all:A history of the band’s scruffy early days on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip club sceneBackgrounds of founding members Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, and Steven AdlerRundowns of the key studio albums and the processes behind themAnalyses of the infamous incidents and controversies that seemed to follow the bandThe departures (and sometimes the returns) of key membersFirst-person interviews with bassists Duff McKagan and Tommy Stinson In examining 40 key pivot points in GN’R’s now-forty-year history, Guns N’ Roses at 40 provides a concise documentary-like view of the band that as much as any other helped drive a spike through the heart of hair metal. Combine this unique perspective with a gorgeous package and you have an indispensable addition to the collection of every fan.

Told in detail for the first time and based on exclusive interviews, get the inside story on the legendary rivalry between two of the greatest NASCAR drivers ever.The battle for NASCAR dominance was never more pronounced than when Richard Petty and David Pearson met on the track. In head-to-head competition beginning in 1960, they finished one-two an astounding 63 times (Pearson won 33, Petty 30). Petty vs. Pearson is the only book to examine this storied relationship, beginning with their pre-Winston Cup careers. Along the way, author and award-winning motorsports journalist Mike Hembree leaves no stone unturned, detailing:The drivers’ respective backgrounds—Petty earning his way up through a racing dynasty led by his father Lee; Pearson honing his chops as a DIY racer on local South Carolina dirt tracks The Carolinians’ first meeting in a Cup event in 1960The memorable battles between the two drivers, including their legendary wild finish at the 1976 Daytona 500Parallel careers that coincided with seismic changes to NASCAR, including: the advent of superspeedways, the “aero wars,” the injection of corporate money, and the arrival of a new generation of star drivers in the 1980sWhile their rivalry produced amazing finishes and tense moments, Petty and Pearson remained friends throughout. Petty vs. Pearsonexamines all aspects of the relationship, from their salad days in the sport to their respective retirements in 1986 (Pearson) and 1994 (Petty) and their lives in NASCAR beyond the driver’s seat. Throughout the riveting text, Hembree draws on original interviews with both drivers (including interviews conducted with Petty in early 2024), those who were there to witness the rivalry, and NASCAR figures who came later. The result is an entertaining and essential account of a storied rivalry—and friendship—that bridged the divide between NASCAR’s rollicking early years and the entertainment behemoth it is today.Featuring a foreword by Terry Labonte, a legendary NASCAR driver in his own right, Petty vs. Pearson is a must-have for every NASCAR fan’s collection.

Some journeys see us going home as quickly as possible because they put us through so much that we started missing home, work and everyday routine. Some leave us wanting more and make we resent the very thought of having to go home. Sometimes, we must stand at the crossroads - on the one hand, we might want to hug our loved ones, and on the other, the heart yearns to continue exploring the world. These two things rarely go hand in hand.The return from Abisko was difficult. I longed for my family, but on the other hand, I felt an irresistible desire to stay there, in frozen snow under a starry sky illuminated by magical flashes of green light. I sometimes wonder what my life would be like now if I had chosen to continue my journey. Would I freeze and starve to death, or would I discover my forgotten Viking soul and somehow survive until spring? Or would I simply die broken-hearted, longing for my wife and sons? Thankfully, I will never know the answer. I came home with a red face covered with facial hair and skin chafed by wind, wearing clothes that reeked of body odor.

The remarkable and little-known story of Henri Matisse and his groundbreaking time in Morocco, a fertile period that transformed his art and cemented his legacy.

When over seventy-five pieces of rare and intriguing 17th and 18th century Delftware are rediscovered in an historic Manhattan townhouse, decorative art advisor and writer Genevieve Wheeler Brown quickly recognizes that together these pieces tell an amazing story.

"Along with Dante and Petrarch, Boccaccio (1313-1375) is one of the "Three Crowns" of Italian literature, a trio of writers who shaped the history of humanism, literature, and poetry in Italy, Europe, and beyond. Much as Dante established vernacular Italian in poetry, Boccaccio did the same for prose, most notably in his best-known work, the Decameron, an unforgettable work that takes an unflinching look at human passion, celebrates storytelling and community as a means of survival. This major biography by the esteemed literary scholar Marco Santagata sheds new light on Boccaccio's life-his family, friends, and foes; his aspirations, fears, and frustrations. Santagata shows in this rich portrait how the transformations Italy was undergoing at the time affected Boccaccio at various stages of his life. Most importantly, he shows how the world around him shaped Boccaccio's understanding of what literature could be; what kinds of stories it could or should convey and what kinds of characters it could depict; and, perhaps most importantly, what role literature and art can play in a changing world. This work promises to be the definitive biography of Boccaccio for many years to come"--

An exploration of spirituality in our post-religious world

The first biography and collected writings of one of the leading West Indian anti-colonialists of the twentieth century

The first translation into English of Jérémie Gallon's prize-winning contemporary biography, Kissinger, the European draws lessons from Kissinger's life and actions and discusses how they might be used to create a more coherent and stronger European foreign policy. This new English edition includes an additional chapter to the French edition, detailing the author's meeting with Kissinger in Connecticut prior to Kissinger's death and ten days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Chapters address themes, moments, and figures that shaped Kissinger's legacy, including subjects as diverse as Jewishness, football, his years at Harvard, and his close relationships with figures such as Lee Kuan Yew, Anwar Sadat, and Zhou Enlai.Gallon is as interested in the statesman as he is in the man himself, and the text reads more like a novel than an academic biography, including the most glamorous and intimate aspects of his like and making no secret of Kissinger's faults and the accusations levelled against him.At a time when Europe again faces dangerous and threatening times, Gallon argues that Europe must renew its sense of history and long-term strategic vision, and that Kissinger, whom he considers the direct heir of such European diplomats as Talleyrand, Metternich and Castlereagh, should be a principal source of inspiration.

An insightful exploration that unveils the lesser-known dimensions of this legendary writer and her legacy, revealing the cultural icon's profound impact as a visionary editor who helped define an important period in American publishing and literature. A multifaceted genius, Toni Morrison transcended her role as an author, helping to shape an important period in American publishing and literature as an editor at one of the nation's most prestigious publishing houses. While Toni Morrison's literary achievements are widely celebrated, her editorial work is little known. Drawing on extensive research and firsthand accounts, this comprehensive study discusses Morrison's remarkable journey from her early days at Random House to her emergence as one of its most important editors. During her tenure in editorial, Morrison refashioned the literary landscape, working with important authors, including Toni Cade Bambara, Leon Forrest, and Lucille Clifton, and empowering cultural icons such as Angela Davis and Muhammad Ali to tell their stories on their own terms. Toni Morrison herself requested that Dana Williams be the one to tell this story, even giving her the book's title. From the manuscripts she molded, the authors she nurtured, and the readers she inspired, Toni at Random demonstrates how Toni Morrison has influenced American culture beyond the individual titles or authors she published. Morrison's contribution as an editor transformed the broader literary landscape and deepened the cultural conversation. With unparalleled insight and sensitivity, Toni at Random charts this editorial odyssey.

Steven M. Gillon, New York Times bestselling author of America's Reluctant Prince, is back with the story of how WWII shaped the characters and politics of seven American presidents. World War II loomed over the twentieth century, transforming every level of American society and international relationships and searing itself onto the psyche of an entire generation, including that of seven American presidents: John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.  The lessons of World War II, more than party affiliation or ideology, defined the presidencies of these seven men. They returned home determined to confront any force that threatened to undermine the war’s hard-won ideals, each with their own unique understanding of patriotism, sacrifice, and America’s role in global politics. In Presidents at War, Gillon examines what these men took away from the war and how they then applied it to Cold War policies that proceeded to change America, and the world, forever. A nuanced and deeply researched exploration of the lives, philosophies, and legacies of seven remarkable men, Presidents at War deftly argues that the lessons learned by these postwar presidents continue to shape the landscape upon which current, and future, presidents stand today.

"A smart, crackling chronicle of fast game, the '80s art market, [and] the attraction of destruction." -- The Village Voice A New York Times Notable BookThe definitive biography of Jean Michel Basquiat--both a compulsively readable portrait of the artist and a vivid documentation of the 1980s East Village art scene, the graffiti movement, and the art galleries and auction houses that helped fuel his meteoric rise--now back in print with a new introduction by the author. In less than a decade, the prodigious painter Jean-Michel Basquiat went from a teenage graffiti artist to an international art star at the peak of the heady, excessive 1980s art boom. A legend in his own lifetime, Basquiat was a fixture of the downtown scene, full of rock music, couture fashion, outrageous art, and heady drugs. Along the way, Basquiat was involved with several of the time's most infamous personalities, from Keith Haring and Andy Warhol to his brief romantic fling with Madonna.Nearly thirty years after his death, the story of Basquiat's life and art continue to inspire artists across the globe. Known as a defining twentieth-century artist and more successful posthumously than he was in his lifetime -- with international retrospectives, critical acclaim, and million dollar sales -- Basquiat's work has permeated our cultural sphere, from homages paid in hip-hop to references across art and product mediums throughout the country.In Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art, Hoban paints a skillful portrait not only of the artist but of the era, deftly exploring the graffiti street art movement of the 80s, the culture downtown that formed the backdrop to his career, and the elite galleries and houses that stoked the contagious enthusiasm around his life and art.

Live your very own Wes Anderson fantasy – discover all the techniques to transform your photography to kaleidoscopic, cinematic stills worthy of the auteur’s latest masterpiece.