Publisher: WS
Edward Prendick is shipwrecked in the Pacific. Rescued by Doctor Moreau's assistant he is taken to the doctor's island home where he discovers the doctor has been experimenting on the animal inhabitants of the island, creating bizarre proto-humans...
Richard Pryor was arguably the single most influential performer of the second half of the twentieth century,and certainly he was the most successful black actor/comedian ever. Controversial and somewhat enigmatic in his lifetime, Pryor's performances opened up a new world of possibilities, merging fantasy with angry reality in a way that wasn't just new-it was heretofore unthinkable.His childhood in Peoria, Illinois, was spent just trying to survive. Yet the culture into which Richard Pryor was born-his mother was a prostitute; his grandmother ran the whorehouse-helped him evolve into one of the most innovative and outspoken performers ever, a man who attracted admiration and anger in equal parts. Both a brilliant comedian and a very astute judge of what he could get away with, Pryor was always pushing the envelope, combining anger and pathos, outrage and humor, into an art form, laying the groundwork for the generations of comedians who followed, including such outstanding performers as Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Louis C.K.Now, in this groundbreaking and revelatory work, David and Joe Henry bring him to life both as a man and as an artist, providing an in-depth appreciation of his talent and his lasting influence, as well as an insightful examination of the world he lived in and the influences that shaped both his persona and his art.Show book
Ruth Graham - daughter of beloved evangelist Billy Graham - offers a guide for those who are hurting or those who love them. She illustrates through personal stories and Scripture how nothing can keep you from experiencing the fullness of God's grace. Run with Ruth to the arms of the God you can trust, the Father God who embraces, sustains, and redeems your brokenness.Ruth Graham has discovered through bitter personal experience that God does his great work in the ruins of our lives. As Ruth's life descended through divorce, depression, and shame; as she bore heartrending parental struggles; and as she faltered trying to make wise choices in the wake of bad ones, she discovered the unending embrace of a faithful, forgiving, and grace-filled God.This book surpasses the testimony of her fascinating story as she brings sharp new insight from the Word of God for all who fear their actions may be beyond forgiveness or their broken circumstances may keep them from being used by God ever again. Through the words of Jeremiah - the weeping prophet - Ruth reveals the God who makes wasted places come to life. You'll explore the parable of the Prodigal Son as never before as Ruth discloses her own likeness to each character:The indignant older brother, struggling to understand God’s grace toward her husband's infidelityThe prodigal, wading through the deep shame and painful circumstances of her own actionsThe father, running to embrace her children in the midst of bulimia, drug abuse, and unplanned pregnancyRuth includes practical steps in every chapter anyone can take to offer care, support, and hope to the broken people they encounter in their lives and in the pews beside them every Sunday.Show book
Built on years of interviews with friends, family, teachers, coaches, and teammates, the first biography of Alphonso Davies, the new face of Canadian men's soccerArguably the most famous Canadian athlete on the planet, Alphonso Davies has been the subject of global attention after bursting onto the scene as a fifteen-year-old soccer sensation. Since then, he's won every trophy imaginable with German giant FC Bayern Munich and helped Canada reach the men's World Cup for the first time in thirty-six years.Based on years of original reporting and extensive interviews with his friends, family members, teachers, coaches, teammates, and others from his inner circle, Alphonso Davies: A New Hope paints a complete portrait of the soccer star. The first biography about "Phonzie" covers every angle of his life and career—from the harsh realities of growing up in a refugee camp amidst the Liberian Civil War, to the unique challenges of starting a new life in a foreign country, twice, to his trailblazing path as a Canadian megastar in the world's most popular sport. Bringing together intimate details and never-before-told stories, author Farhan Devji pulls back the curtain on a person and player who has captured the hearts of a nation and become a shining light for refugees everywhere.Show book
PBS NewsHour presents the various meanings of Timothy McVeigh's execution as seen by two death penalty proponents and two opponents.Show book
An “excellent” biography of the Renaissance artist, drawing on contemporary accounts and recent art historical research & scholarship (Booklist). Born in the mountains above Venice in the late fifteenth century, Tiziano Vecellio—or Titian—was the greatest painter of the Venetian High Renaissance. A poetic visionary and a technical master of oils, he painted everything, from frescoes and grand altarpieces to mythological stories and portraits—works described by his contemporaries as “mirrors of nature.” Sheila Hale’s rich biography is the first since 1877 to examine all contemporary accounts of Titian’s life and work as well as recent art historical scholarship, some of it previously unpublished. Her book charts the extraordinary transformation of Titian’s style: from the radiant, minutely realized masterpieces of his youth, to the more freely painted work of his middle years, to the dark, tragic, sometimes terrifying visions of his old age. Drawing on the latest scientific examinations of his paintings, Hale seeks to explain the evolution of his methods and his art. In doing so, she also gives many different voices—from Titian’s lifetime to today—free reign to explore, praise, and sometimes doubt his genius. When Titian died in 1576, in his late eighties, he had spent the whole of his working life in Venice—the most celebrated city in Europe—traveling as little as possible despite the clamor for his presence at the great courts of the continent. He had witnessed wars, Ottoman invasions, and the rising Protestant threat to the Catholic Church. He had become the favored painter of both Charles V—the most powerful man in the world—and his son, Philip II of Spain, who became Titian's most important patron. Sheila Hale’s masterly biography presents Titian through the lens of the turbulent times in which he lived and explores how this innovative sixteenth-century master conveyed in his paintings a kind of truth that few other artists have been able to communicate, which has fascinated Titian’s admirers and followers ever since.Show book
Adam Copeland on Edge is what the author describes as “a mental picture.” It's also a dream—“one of many”—that he decided to realize while at home convalescing from potential career-ending neck surgery. And it's a journey that explores not only his life but also his innermost thoughts.In the small town of Orangeville, Ontario, Copeland was raised by a loving mother who, while working multiple jobs just to pay the rent, nurtured her son's passion for Spider-Man comics and KISS albums. When a family tragedy created a void in Copeland's life, that void was soon filled by the wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, who “made me feel like I could accomplish anything.”For Copeland, “anything” meant becoming a wrestler, an ambition shared by his friend Jason Reso, who would eventually form the indie tag team Suicide Blondes with Copeland, then join him in WWE as Edge's “brother,” Christian. Winning a newspaper essay contest earned Copeland free wrestling training from independent veterans Sweet Daddy Siki and Ron Hutchinson. The author shares his vivid, often outrageous memories of wrestling throughout Canada and the midwestern United States and befriending future WWE Superstars like Terry Richards (Rhyno), Sean Morley (Val Venis), and Chris Jericho. Hard work and persistence brought Copeland to World Wrestling Entertainment. But his “inauspicious” Raw debut—during which he accidentally knocked out his opponent—supports his claim that “I had no idea” how to make the transformation to Edge.Copeland retraces the steps he took to “Edgeucate” himself, from his goth days with the Brood's Christian and Gangrel to ushering in the “E&C Dynasty,” which in turn revitalized WWE's Tag Team division (with the aid of the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz, and countless tables, ladders, and chairs).With vivid detail and sincerity, Copeland offers his thoughts about not only fulfilling his goals but also building upon them. He shares his actual surprise over winning the Intercontinental title for the first time; the anxiety he felt while splitting up with Christian; his eventual determination “to grab the damn ball out of someone's hands and take off”; the distress of almost losing his long blond hair to Kurt Angle; his wonder over enjoying a brief Tag Team title reign with the icon who first inspired him; the simultaneous pain of a broken marriage and two ruptured discs in his neck; and the nervous energy of returning to Raw in March 2004 and setting his sights on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.You think you know Edge? Then read on....Show book
