Other books that might interest you

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  The Mafia Chronicles -...

  David Fisher, Man Joey the Hit

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  A New York Times bestseller, the “chilling and compelling . . . must-read” confessions of a mob hit man—and the riveting sequel of his most harrowing contract (former FBI agent Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco).  Killer: The Bronx-born son of a Jewish bootlegger, “Joey the Hit Man” was introduced to crime when he was just eleven years old. For the next thirty years he was a numbers king, scalper, loan shark, enforcer, and drug smuggler. He hijacked trucks, fenced stolen goods, and trafficked in pornography. But Joey really made his name as a Mafia assassin, racking up thirty-eight cold-blooded hits—thirty-five for cash, three for revenge. In this no-holds-barred account, he reveals the brutal truth of a life in organized crime.  Hit #29: In the fall of 1969, a public execution in a Brooklyn Italian restaurant earned Joey a mention in the New York Daily News and a twenty-grand payout from the mob. Next up: The bosses suspected their trusted numbers controller, Joe Squillante, was skimming the nightly bets to settle personal debts. But Squillante, aka Hit #29, was no clueless patsy and an unpredictable bull’s-eye. Taking the job meant entering into a game of predator and prey as nerve-racking as the cock of a .38 hammer.

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  Dream Homes - From Cairo to...

  Joyce Zonana

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  The American daughter of Egyptian Jewish immigrants journeys in search of belonging from Brazil to New Orleans and beyond—includes recipes and photos!   Born to Egyptian Sephardic Jews who fled to the United States after the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, Joyce Zonana spent her childhood in Brooklyn. But her experience of Jewish culture was very different from that of the other children she knew, from the foods they ate to the language they spoke. As she struggled to find a sense of inclusion, never feeling completely American or completely Egyptian, a childhood trip to Brazil became the basis for a lifelong quest to find her place in the world.   Meeting members of her extended family who had migrated to Brazil was one step in discovering the kind of life she might have lived in Egypt, and exploring the woman she was becoming. Through travels that ranged from Cairo to Oklahoma and finally New Orleans in the shadow of Katrina, and including an evocative exploration of the way food varies from culture to culture, this is a “frank, spirited memoir of identity from a Brooklyn-raised, Egyptian-born Jewish feminist.” (Kirkus Reviews)   “Zonana makes every human encounter lively” —Booklist

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  The Tank Man's Son - A Memoir

  Mark Bouman

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  In the tradition of The Glass Castle and Angela's Ashes comes the most unforgettable memoir you'll hear this year!  
  "What did it mean to be the Tank Man's son? To grow up overwhelmed by my father's presence and personality? It was as if I didn't exist, as if I was just something else for my father to crush."   
  So begins the haunting memoir of Mark Bouman as he recounts the events of his childhood at the hands of his larger-than-life, neo-Nazi father in brilliant, startling detail. From adventure-filled days complete with real-life war games, artillery fire, and tank races to terror-filled nights marked by vicious tirades, brutal beatings, and psychological torture, Mark paints a chilling portrait of family life that is at once whimsical and horrific - all building to a shocking climax that challenges even the broadest boundaries of love and forgiveness. An epic tale of redemption and reconciliation, The Tank Man's Son is a literary tour de force that is sure to become an instant classic.

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  The Raven Illustrations of James...

  Christopher P. Semtner

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  The fascinating story behind the nineteenth-century artist who illustrated Poe’s classic poem—and the rediscovery of the drawings decades later. 
   
  One of the most popular poems in the English language, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” has thrilled generations of readers. In 1882, the Anglo-American artist James Carling decided to produce the definitive series of illustrations for the poem. Carling’s bizarre images explore the darkest recesses of Poe’s masterpiece, its hidden symbolism, and its strange beauty. Although the series remained unpublished at the time of the artist’s early death in 1887, the drawings reemerged fifty years later, when they entered the collection of the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond. There they lined the blood-red walls of a Raven Room dedicated to their display.  
   
  For the first time, Poe historian Christopher P. Semtner reproduces the entire series—and tells the story behind these haunting works.

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  One Sip at a Time - Learning to...

  Keith Van Sickle

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  Can a two-career couple really pick up stakes and move to Provence?Keith and Val had a dream-to live in Provence, the land of brilliant sunlight, charming hilltop villages, and the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean.But there were two problems: they weren't French speakers and they had full-time jobs. So they came up with a plan . . .Follow their adventures (and misadventures) as they quit their jobs, become consultants, and split their time between two countries. Laugh along as they build a life in Provence, slowly mastering a new language and making friends with the locals over long meals and just a bit too much wine.This light and breezy memoir is full of wry observations on France, like the power of cheese to sway elections, the right and wrong ways for men to kiss each other, and the law requiring that blood donors must speak French.If you've ever dreamed of changing gears and learning what joie de vivre is really all about, you won't want to miss this delightful book.

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  Slaying the Badger - Greg LeMond...

  Richard Moore

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  Bernard Hinault is "Le Blaireau," the Badger. Tough as old boots, he is the old warrior of the French peloton, as revered as he is feared for his ferocious attacks. He has won five Tours de France, marking his name into the history books as a member of cycling's most exclusive club.Yet as the 1986 Tour de France ascends into the mountains, a boyish and friendly young American named Greg LeMond threatens the Badger-and France's entire cycling heritage.The stakes are high. Winning for Hinault means capping his long cycling career by becoming the first man to win the Tour six times. For LeMond, a win will bring America its first Tour de France victory. So why does their rivalry shock the world?LeMond and Hinault ride for the same team.Asked by a reporter why he attacked his own teammate, the Badger replies, "Because I felt like it." and "If he doesn't buckle, that means he's a champion and deserves to win the race. I did it for his own good."LeMond becomes paranoid, taking other riders' feed bags in the feed zone and blaming crashes on sabotage. Through it all, with the help of his American teammate Andy Hampsten, LeMond becomes the first American to win the Tour de France.

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