Showing titles in Cultural & Regional

When acclaimed Washington Post writer Wil Haygood had an early hunch that Obama would win the 2008 election, he thought he'd highlight the singular moment by exploring the life of someone who had come of age when segregation was so embedded in the culture as to make the very thought of a black president inconceivable. He struck gold when he tracked down Eugene Allen, a butler who had served eight presidents, from Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan. Forest Whitaker narrates the story of this remarkable man who, while serving tea and supervising buffets, was also a witness to history.

An absolutely fascinating study of the period 1609-1780 of the Mohawk Valley (upper New York State). Get ready to learn about a multitude of interesting cultures such as the Mohawks, the Hurons, the Mohicans and the Iriquois and Dutch and French as well, as all parties are involved in conflict. (By W. Max Reid, published in 1901).

At once provocative and laugh-out-loud funny, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother ignited a global parenting debate with its story of one mother’s journey in strict parenting. Amy Chua argues that Western parenting tries to respect and nurture children’s individuality, while Chinese parents typically believe that arming children with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence prepares them best for the future.

The book is cordoned by fantastical and scientific stories comparing her family’s world and personality traits with those of wrens. It also contains a creative history of Worcester, a former factory town plagued by poverty, addiction, and violence—a cycle that Mal, unlike her brother and father, was able to escape.

In 1892, Bryan Mealer's great-grandfather leaves the Georgia mountains and heads west into Texas, looking for wealth and adventure in the raw and open country. But his luck soon runs out. Beset by drought, the family loses their farm just as the dead pastures around them give way to one of the biggest oil booms in American history. They eventually settle in the small town of Big Spring, where fast fortunes are being made from its own reserves of oil.

Say the word Israel today and it sparks images of walls and rockets and a bloody conflict without end. Yet for decades the symbol of the Jewish State was the noble pioneer draining the swamps and making the deserts bloom: the legendary kibbutznik. So what ever happened to the pioneers' dream of founding a socialist utopia in the land called Palestine? Chasing Utopia: The Future of the Kibbutz in a Divided Israel draws listeners into the quest for answers to the defining political conflict of our era.

The stories of Sinti and Roma suffering in Nazi Germany are all too often lost or untold. In this haunting account, Otto shares his story with a remarkable simplicity. Deeply moving, A Gypsy in Auschwitz is the incredible story of how a young Sinti boy miraculously survived the unimaginable darkness of the Holocaust.

When life gives you lemons make lemonade. We have heard this saying time and time again. We are rarely taught how to make that delicious drink. Lemonade being one of the simplest drinks requiring three ingredients. What do you make when life throws you a rambutan. Well I had never heard of a dragon fruit until about 10 years ago. I wouldn't know what to do with the peculiar looking fruit. Similarly most people have no clue what to do with their challenging life circumstances. So often people view their challenges similar to a walk path covered with prickly fruit.

We live in an era of low expectations. In fact, we tend to celebrate low expectations. The way in which we choose to live and work today is a far cry from the purposeful living of our parents. Have we reached the point in our society where it is more important to look good rather than be good? This book reacquaints listeners with the wisdom - the common sense that was practiced simply and unwittingly by those who represent a generation gone by: a generation that worked hard without complaining; a generation that did whatever was necessary to support their families....

Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper delves deeply into Michael Jackson's music and talent. From the artist's early days with the Jackson 5, to his stratospheric success as a solo artist, to "Beat It" and "Thriller", "Bad", and "The Man in the Mirror", to his volatile final years, his attempted comeback, and his untimely death, Knopper explores the beguiling and often contradictory forces that fueled Michael Jackson's genius.

Providing his thought-provoking insights on race, fame, and politics, a fascinating glimpse into the life and work of Dick Gregory, one of America's top comedians and civil rights workers, details the many challenges he has overcome and the many friends he has made along the way, including Dr. Martin Luther King and John Lennon.

Bessie’s Prayer is a vivid and wondrous memoir of love for family, faith, and adventure by African American Catholic author Walter D. Braud. From the Great Black Migration and life in Chicago to a triumphant law career and Chief Judgeship in the heart of the Midwest. Walter offers a memoir of gratitude, joy, and celebration of the enduring power and love of family. He credits his remarkable mother, Bessie, and her very specific prayers for him, which he knows made all the difference in his life.

Fifty years ago Malcolm X told a White woman who asked what she could do for the cause, "Nothing." Dyson believes he was wrong. In Tears We Cannot Stop, he responds to that question. If we are to make real racial progress, we must face difficult truths, including being honest about how Black grievance has been ignored, dismissed, or discounted.

There are shelves of memoirs about overcoming the death of a parent, childhood abuse, rape, drug addiction, miscarriage, alcoholism, hustling, gangbanging, near-death injuries, drug dealing, prostitution, or homelessness. Cupcake Brown survived all these things before she'd even turned 20.

What has happened to the dream of beloved community embraced by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement of the early 1960s—the vision of a just, humane, and colorblind America, a nation of "black and white together" animated by mutual respect and strengthened by the bonds of brotherly love? As Adam Gussow shows, the dream, although pressured on every front, remains alive. At the heart of My Family and I is Gussow's determination to live out the meaning of America's creed.

In her new book, Dr. Ahmondra McClendon reveals how the legacy of silence and a generational pattern of behavior has tarnished Black women's identities, stolen their power, dimmed their voices, and impacted their well-being.

Pultizer Prize-winner Mirta Ojito offers the intriguing story of her exodus from Cuba. In 1980, 25,000 Cuban immigrants arrived in America, dubbed Marielitos for the port from which they departed. Ojito was 16. This audiobook is both a detailed history of the Mariel boatlift and the touching memoir of an immigrant who struggled to find herself in a new world. Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

In his debut memoir, Won’t Be Silent, Abe Gurko invites you to join him in celebrating a life that he calls “finally worth living.” It’s an honest, rollicking ride filled with joyous and life-affirming as well as challenging, daunting, and heartbreaking situations that he navigates with aplomb, though not always.

This new book, Author, Musicologist & Folklorist: Guy W. Logsdon of Oklahoma, (Revised Ebook Edition), tells the compelling story of the life and career of Dr. Guy W. Logsdon of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was a modern renaissance man with credentials and wide experiences as an educator, a musicologist, an author, a historian, a storyteller, and as a musician and singer. Guy W. Logsdon grew up in Ada, OK. He graduated from Ada High School, from East Central State University, and worked in two of the family businesses in Ada ( a furniture store and a Western wear store) before becoming the owner of ...

Discover the life of Som Tamang, a true hero of the Himalayas, and be inspired by his incredible journey of triumph against all odds. Penned by award-winning former ABC journalist Kirsty Nancarrow, Som's life is a testament to the incredible strength of the human spirit, and the enduring power of hope and a singular purpose - to protect girls in Nepal from trafficking and child marriage.