Other books that might interest you

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  Icons and Instincts -...

  Vincent Paterson, Amy Tofte

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  For the first time, the choreographer of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Björk, and many others reveals stage stories through his extraordinary journey. 
   
   
   
  Vincent Paterson began his professional dancing career late in life. It would take an exceptional turn when he became one of the lead dancers in Michael Jackson's Beat It music video. Through hard work, he rises to the rank of choreographer and director for the world's greatest singers, but also for cinema and musical comedy. 
   
   
   
  He tells with humility the fascinating universe of film sets, the rehearsal sessions where he had to orchestrate and synchronize dozens of dancers, life backstage where it is sometimes necessary to manage a few whims of the stars, his successes and his disappointments. It is a dive into the heart of the world of dance.

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  Choosing Family - A Memoir of...

  Francesca T. Royster

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  A brilliant literary memoir of chosen family and chosen heritage, told against the backdrop of Chicago’s North and South Sides. 
   
  As a multiracial household in Chicago’s North Side community of Rogers Park, race is at the core of Francesca T. Royster and her family's world, influencing everyday acts of parenting and the conception of what family truly means. Like Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts, this lyrical and affecting memoir focuses on a unit of three: the author; her wife Annie, who's white; and Cecilia, the Black daughter they adopt as a couple in their forties and fifties. Choosing Family chronicles this journey to motherhood while examining the messiness and complexity of adoption and parenthood from a Black, queer, and feminist perspective. Royster also explores her memories of the matriarchs of her childhood and the homes these women created in Chicago’s South Side—itself a dynamic character in the memoir—where “family” was fluid, inclusive, and not necessarily defined by marriage or other socially recognized contracts. 
      
  Calling upon the work of some of her favorite queer thinkers, including José Esteban Muñoz and Audre Lorde, Royster interweaves her experiences and memories with queer and gender theory to argue that many Black families, certainly her own, have historically had a “queer” attitude toward family: configurations that sit outside the white normative experience and are the richer for their flexibility and generosity of spirit. A powerful, genre-bending memoir of family, identity, and acceptance, Choosing Family, ultimately, is about joy—about claiming the joy that society did not intend to assign to you, or to those like you.

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  Greatest Conquerors of the...

  Editors Charles River

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  The most famous man of the Middle Ages was probably Charlemagne, and few would argue that he was also the most important man during those centuries. Upon the death of his father, Pepin the Short, in 768, Charlemagne became King of the Franks, and he proceeded to create one of the largest European empires since the collapse of Rome. Through his conquests across Western Europe and Italy, Charlemagne became the first Holy Roman Emperor after a famous imperial coronation by Pope Leo III. In becoming the first Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne essentially established the new order on the European continent. 
  In a world fascinated by men like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan is one of history’s greatest and most famous conquerors. No man, before or since, has ever started with so little and gone on to achieve so much. From a noble family but raised in poverty that drove him to the brink of starvation, Genghis Khan rose to control the second-largest empire the world has ever known (the largest being, arguably, the British Empire of the 18th and 19th centuries), and easily the largest empire conquered by a single man.  
  Saladin is widely considered one of the greatest generals in history and one of the most famous leaders of the Middle Ages, but he remains a paradox, both in personal and in historical terms. A military genius, he first served other generals and was overshadowed, late in life, by his greatest rival, Richard I of England. He was far more admired by his Christian enemies, who extolled his chivalry, than some of his Muslim rivals, who fought him for control of Egypt and Syria in the 12th century. His Christian enemies continued his name long after it was forgotten in the Middle East, only to spark a revival of his reputation in Arab culture in the 20th century. 

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  Cow Hug Therapy - How the...

  Ellie Laks

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  The inspirational story of the compassionate and wise animals of the Gentle Barn and how they became a therapeutic salve for countless guests—and mentors for all of us in how to live and die 
   
  In Cow Hug Therapy, Ellie Laks recounts the extraordinary journey that started with her first teacher, Buddha—not the religious figure, but a rescued miniature Hereford cow. One evening Buddha wrapped her neck around an exhausted and upset Ellie and transferred a singular form of healing and comfort with an incredible impact. Understanding that this was something to be shared with others, Ellie developed Cow Hug Therapy, a groundbreaking approach to emotional healing that has proved effective for trauma, illness, disabilities, addiction, grief, and stress. 
   
  This colorful and compelling narrative introduces the healing mavens of the barnyard, each with a unique story of being rescued from trauma and treated with love and respect. In their new role at Ellie’s Gentle Barn sanctuaries, these animals have transformed lives and ignited breakthroughs and newfound purpose for visitors including a young mother who lost her baby, a suicidal teenager, a wounded serviceman, an open-heart-surgery patient, and many more. A testament to empathy and the mission to heal animals, people, and the planet, Cow Hug Therapy serves as a beacon of hope for all seeking healing and connection. 
   
  “This book shows not only the power of Cow Hug Therapy with these wonderful creatures, but also their beautiful, individual personalities.”—Christina Applegate

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  EntreThrive: The Entrepreneur's...

  Aaron Marcum

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  What Lies Between You and The Good Life?  
  There’s a myth that the entrepreneur can flourish in either life or business. The “Lie of the Either/Or” claims you cannot achieve both. The sad reality is that many entrepreneurs fall victim to this lie, believing the only way to succeed is to suffer.  
  Author Aaron Marcum can relate. In his past entrepreneurial journey, he found himself borrowing $100 to attend a family reunion and sleeping under a desk, to maintain the hustle. Married with six kids, he’d pop home for a quick dinner and dash back to the office to work until the early morning. Overwhelmed and exhausted, his body and brain told him something had to change. 
  Life and business transformed when he discovered The Eight EntreThrive™ Laws which helped him eliminate unhealthy stress, flourish personally, and create the good life:You believe in a better way and a bigger world.Who goes with you will determine where you end upYour staying power is fueled by passionate persistence. Your why illuminates your way.Your future is brighter than what you can see and feel.Ultimate performance flows from your daily focus.The energy you carry carries you.By owning your failures, you can experience limitless freedom. 
  Today Aaron shares this powerful model—through his coaching, speaking, and masterminds—with humbly confident entrepreneurs and organizations. 
  It’s time to flourish—starting today.

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  Troublemaker - A Memoir of...

  Lisa Cornwell, Tucker Booth,...

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  Lisa Cornwell never shied away from standing up to bullies. When she was a freshman in college, she saw a man hit a woman in the face with a closed fist while a paralyzed crowd stood by and watched. Seconds later, she took matters into her own hands—with a 3-iron from her golf bag. 
   
   
   
  This impulse crystallized years later when Cornwell publicly spoke out against the misogynistic culture she and others experienced at the hands of their employer, Golf Channel/NBCUniversal. Throughout her time at the network, she challenged the toxic environment and was quickly branded a "troublemaker"—a label that often accompanies women who refuse to play by an antiquated set of rules. 
   
   
   
  In this authentic and unreserved memoir, which includes a powerful foreword from Hillary Rodham Clinton, Cornwell takes listeners inside the boys' club of sports media and reveals the way powerful corporations cover up wrongdoings. For her, what began with retaliation exploded into a public smear campaign and, ultimately, her dismissal. She also shares the unlikely yet formative touchstones of her life: a close friendship with Tiger Woods when both were nationally ranked junior golfers; her cousin, Bill Clinton, being elected President of the United States; and the private demons she battled as a young adult that almost cost her everything. 
   
   
   
  Note: Listeners can access the foreword by Hillary Rodham Clinton in the bonus PDF accompanying this audiobook.

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