Other books that might interest you

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  The Oprah Phenomenon

  Jennifer Harris, Elwood Watson

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  “Excellent essays” on a business empire, a cultural phenomenon, and the nature of the extraordinary bond between Oprah Winfrey and her fans (Journal of Social History).   Oprah Winfrey has built an empire on her ability to connect with and inspire her audience. No longer just a name, “Oprah” has become a brand representing a unique style of self-actualizing individualism. The cultural and economic power wielded by Winfrey merits critical evaluation.   The contributors to The Oprah Phenomenon examine the origins of her public image and its substantial influence on politics, entertainment, and popular opinion. Contributors address praise from her supporters and weigh criticisms from her detractors. Winfrey’s ability to create a feeling of intimacy with her audience has long been cited as a foundation of her popularity. She has made headlines by engaging and informing her audience with respect to her personal relationships to race, gender, feminism, and New Age culture. The Oprah Phenomenon explores these relationships in detail. At the root of Winfrey’s message is her assertion that anyone can be a success regardless of background or upbringing. The contributors scrutinize this message: What does this success entail? Is the motivation behind self-actualization, in fact, merely the hope of replicating Winfrey’s purchasing power? Is it just a prescription to buy the products she recommends and heed the advice of people she admires, or is it a lifestyle change of meaningful spiritual benefit? The Oprah Phenomenon asks these and many other difficult questions to promote a greater understanding of Winfrey’s influence on the American consciousness.   “Identifies the common threads that run through Oprah’s empire, the demographics of her audience, how she brings together women of diverse backgrounds, and her use of empathy and encouragement to foster self-improvement.” ―Library Journal  With a foreword by Robert J. Thompson

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  Living the Sharing Economy -...

  Jane Wood, Mike Scantlebury

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  Jane and Mike have had a life filled with activity in invigorating, lively communities, where people help and support each other. First in South Manchester and then in Salford, in the North West of England, they were surprised to hear that sharing had once been a normal part of everyday life, especially when times were hard and uncertain. Over many generations, ordinary people in the two cities had learned to work together, sharing when money was short and paid work uncertain. 
  Jane and Mike have spent much of the new millennium working with local radio and have had the pleasure of interviewing many dozens of older people, who were happy to recall their memories and thrilled to hear them broadcast. Those recordings have been made available online and donated to the North West Sound Archive, where they can be heard for years to come. 
  So it was no surprise when 'Living the New Economy' came to Manchester in early 2014, that Jane and Mike got involved, sharing their experiences and volunteering to hold a similar event in Salford later that year. This book was put together for that event, and was published as a paperback and an e-book. Now the authors have recorded their thoughts out loud, making the stories live for a whole new wave of listeners and learners. 
  There is a theme. The stories from the past that were gathered proved that people benefited from sharing. Perhaps new ideas, like LETS schemes, are merely the latest attempt to make things happen that were once thought of as everyday and natural. If so, perhaps future generations can gain something valuable from the past.

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  Underbug - An Obsessive Tale of...

  Lisa Margonelli

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  The award-winning journalist Lisa Margonelli, national bestselling author of Oil on the Brain: Petroleum's Long, Strange Trip to Your Tank, investigates the environmental and economic impact termites inflict on human societies in this fascinating examination of one of nature's most misunderstood insects. Are we more like termites than we ever imagined? In Underbug, the award-winning journalist Lisa Margonelli introduces us to the enigmatic creatures that collectively outweigh human beings ten to one and consume $40 billion worth of valuable stuff annually?and yet, in Margonelli's telling, seem weirdly familiar. Over the course of a decade-long obsession with the little bugs, Margonelli pokes around termite mounds and high-tech research facilities, closely watching biologists, roboticists, and geneticists. Her globe-trotting journey veers into uncharted territory, from evolutionary theory to Edwardian science literature to the military industrial complex. What begins as a natural history of the termite becomes a personal exploration of the unnatural future we're building, with darker observations on power, technology, historical trauma, and the limits of human cognition. Whether in Namibia or Cambridge, Arizona or Australia, Margonelli turns up astounding facts and raises provocative questions. Is a termite an individual or a unit of a superorganism? Can we harness the termite's properties to change the world? If we build termite-like swarming robots, will they inevitably destroy us? Is it possible to think without having a mind? Underbug burrows into these questions and many others?unearthing disquieting answers about the world's most underrated insect and what it means to be human.

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  Monoglot Guru - Your Passport to...

  Adrienne Harris

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  Heads-up for travelers, would-be travelers, and long-term planners. 
  Avoid expensive language courses and scams. 
  Arm yourself with realistic expectations and tested real-world tactics. 
  DON'T PANIC...You'll be fine.

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  Mysterious Georgia

  Sherman Carmichael

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  A plunge into Georgia history offers no shortage of bewilderment. UFOs, haunted bridges, ghost lights and monsters are just a smattering of the unexplained. At the Jekyll Island Club, a bellhop from the Roaring Twenties does his best to stay busy. A bright golden light hovers above the tracks of Macon and Brunswick Railroad, floating toward spectators before it just…turns off. From the obligatory mountain road 'Squatch sightings to Jimmy Carter's eerie encounter in a stand of Leary pines, Sherman Carmichael leads adventurous readers on a quest through baffling Georgia legends.

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  The Melodramatic Thread -...

  James R. Lehning

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  “This ambitious undertaking is concerned with the melodramatic form in theatre and film and its impact on French political culture.” —H-France Review 
   
  In France, both political culture and theatrical performances have drawn upon melodrama. This “melodramatic thread” helped weave the country’s political life as it moved from monarchy to democracy. By examining the relationship between public ceremonies and theatrical performance, James R. Lehning sheds light on democratization in modern France. He explores the extent to which the dramatic forms were present in the public performance of political power. By concentrating on the Republic and the Revolution and on theatrical performance, Lehning affirms the importance of examining the performative aspects of French political culture for understanding the political differences that have marked France in the years since 1789. 
   
  “In this thoroughly researched and persuasive book, Lehning provides a fascinating reading of public performances in modern France . . . This is an important contribution to the study of French culture and the democratization process . . . Essential.” —Choice 
   
  “Lehning’s application of the themes of melodrama to French political culture offers new insights into French history. His style is lively, clear, and highly readable.” —Venita Datta, Wellesley College 
   
  “The analyses in this book make a real contribution to debates about the ways in which art, particularly popular art, and politics interact; how politics itself is theatrical in the French case; and the role of ritual in politics and the function of politics as ritual and ceremony.” —John Gaffney, Aston University

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