Other books that might interest you

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  A Dog in a Hat - An American...

  Joe Parkin

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  In 1987, Joe Parkin was an amateur bike racer in California when he ran into Bob Roll, a pro on the powerhouse Team 7-Eleven. "Lobotomy Bob" told Parkin that, to become a pro, he must go to Belgium. Riding along a canal in Belgium years later, Roll encountered Parkin, who he saw as "a wraith, an avenging angel of misery, a twelve-toothed assassin". Roll barely recognized him. Belgium had forged Parkin into a pro bike racer, and changed him forever. A Dog in a Hat is Joe's remarkable story. Leaving California with a bag of clothes, two spare wheels, some cash, and a phone number, Parkin left the comforts of home for the windy, rainswept heartland of European cycling. As one of the first American pros in Europe, Parkin was what the Belgians call "a dog with a hat on" -- something familiar, yet decidedly out of place. Parkin lays out the hard reality of the life--the drugs, the payoffs, the betrayals by teammates, the battles with team owners for contracts and money, the endless promises that keep you going, the agony of racing day after day, and the glory of a good day in the saddle. A Dog in a Hat is the unforgettable story of the un-ordinary education of Joe Parkin and his love affair with racing, set in the hardest place in the world to be a bike racer. It is a story untold until now, and one that you will never forget.

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  No Longer Whispering to Power -...

  Thandeka Gqubule

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  Thuli Madonsela achieved in seven years as Public Protector what few accomplish in a lifetime; her legacy and contribution cannot be overstated. In her final days in office she compiled the explosive State of Capture report and, two years before that, Secure in Comfort, the report on President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla residence. Praised and vilified in equal measure, Madonsela frequently found herself on centre stage in the increasingly fractious South African political scene. Yet, despite the intense media scrutiny, Madonsela remains something of an enigma. Who is this soft-spoken woman who stood up to state corruption? Where did she develop her views and resolve? In No Longer Whispering to Power Thandeka Gqubule, journalist and one of the 'SABC 8' fired and rehired by the broadcaster, attempts to answer these questions, and others, by exploring aspects of Madonsela's life: her childhood years and family, her involvement in student politics, her time in prison, her contribution to the Constitution, and her life in law.

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  Southern Horrors

  Ida B. Wells-Barnett

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  “If American conscience were only half alive, if the American church and clergy were only half christianized, if American moral sensibility were not hardened by a persistent infliction of outrage and crime against colored people, a scream of horror, shame and indignation would rise to Heaven wherever your pamphlet shall be read.” —Frederick Douglass, to Ida B. Wells-Barnett 
   
  In 1892, investigative journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett published a pamphlet with unflinching and honest descriptions of the cruelties being enacted against Black Americans in the South by their white neighbors. Wells’s poignant and raw reporting of the horrors of lynching scandalized many of her readers outside the South, yet the practice continued unimpeded for more than half a century after. Today, Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases is a sobering reminder that American racism and inequality did not simply end with emancipation—and that state-sanctioned oppression and violence can take different forms in different eras. 
   
  Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born into slavery in Mississippi in 1862, and was freed at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. Orphaned at the age of 16, she moved to Tennessee to become a schoolteacher and provide for her remaining family. She later became the co-owner of and reporter for the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight, a newspaper published on the grounds of a Baptist church and dedicated to social justice. Despite her life being threatened, her office being destroyed by a mob, and her family facing daily harassment, Wells remained an activist for civil and women’s rights for her entire life. She was one of the founders of the NAACP, and was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on the violence against African Americans. She died in Chicago in 1931.

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  Summary: The Wager - A Tale of...

  Brook Bryant

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  Disclaimer: This is NOT the official book, but a summary & it does NOT accompany the official. 
  In "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder" by David Grann, readers are thrust into a thrilling narrative based on true events surrounding the shipwreck of His Majesty's Ship the Wager in the 1740s. On a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain, the Wager pursued a treasure-laden Spanish galleon before meeting its tragic fate off the Patagonian coast. The wreckage and the ensuing survival tale provoke questions surrounding heroism, mutiny, and the human capacity for survival under the most extreme conditions. 
  The survivors' ordeal spans many months of starvation and anarchy, as they battled to endure in a harsh, desolate environment. The narrative takes a dramatic turn when two groups of survivors — one landing in Brazil and the other in Chile — narrate conflicting accounts of the events that transpired during their harrowing journey. This divergence sets the stage for a court-martial, where the truth hangs in a precarious balance with life-and-death stakes. 
  Grann excels in bringing this historic tale to life, paralleling the depth of narrative nonfiction greats and survival literature classics. The unraveling court-martial narrative holds the savvy of a courtroom thriller, beckoning readers into a vividly recreated world of 18th-century naval warfare and exploration.

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  Stan: The Life of Stan Laurel -...

  Fred Lawrence Guiles

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  Surprisingly, this is the first full-length biography of the legendary comic who was the creative half of the universally loved duo Laurel and Hardy. Based upon scores of interviews with family and friends (including the intimate diaries of Virginia Ruth Laurel, whom Stan married three times), Stan tells the very human story of Laurel’s struggle to survive against difficult odds, personal and professional.
  
  From precarious beginnings in vaudeville with Charlie Chaplin, skinny Stan changed his name and rose to enjoy success and universal acclaim with his big-bellied partner Oliver Hardy. Yet, beneath the exterior of the wistful comic whose sense of humor gave pleasure to so many millions was a man beset by financial worries, alcohol, and unhappy personal relationships that encompassed many dalliances and six marriages. This superb biography provides new insight into the supremely talented man behind the screen image and a fascinating panorama of show business in the first half of this century. A supplemental PDF is included with this audiobook.

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  Me Myself & Bob - A True Story...

  Phil Vischer

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  This is a story of dreaming big and working hard, of spectacular success and breathtaking failure, of shouted questions, and, at long last, whispered answers. With trademark wit and heart, Phil Vischer shares how God can use the death of a dream to point us toward true success.Larry. Bob. Archibald. These VeggieTales stars are the most famous vegetables you'll ever eat. Oops, meet. Their antics are known around the world. But so much of the VeggieTales story hasn't been told. In Me, Myself, and Bob, Phil Vischer, founder of Big Idea and creator of VeggieTales, gives a behind-the-scenes look at his not-so-funny journey with the loveable veggies. From famed creator to bankrupt dreamer, Vischer shares his story of trial and ultimate triumph as God inspired him with one big idea after another.

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