Other books that might interest you

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  First Son - The Biography of...

  Keith Koeneman

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  "Mayor Richard M. Daley dropped the bomb at a routine news conference at City Hall on Tuesday. With no prelude or fanfare, Mr. Daley announced that he would not seek re-election when his term expires next year. 'Simply put, it's time,' he said." New York Times, September 7, 2010With those four words, an era ended. After twenty-two years, the longest-serving and most powerful mayor in the history of Chicago—and, arguably, America—stepped down, leaving behind a city that was utterly transformed, and a complicated legacy we are only beginning to evaluate.In First Son, Keith Koeneman chronicles the sometimes Shakespearean, sometimes Machiavellian life of an American political legend. Making deft use of unprecedented access to key players in the Daley administration, as well as Chicago's business and cultural leaders, Koeneman draws on more than one hundred interviews to tell an up-close, insider story of political triumph and personal evolution. With Koeneman as our guide, we follow young Daley from his beginnings as an average Bridgeport kid thought to lack his father's talent and charisma to his unlikely transformation into an iron-fisted leader. Daley not only escaped the giant shadow of his father but also transformed Chicago from a gritty, post-industrial Midwestern capital into a beautiful, sophisticated global city widely recognized as a model for innovative metropolises throughout the world.But in spite of his many accomplishments, Richard M. Daley's record is far from flawless. First Son sets the dramatic improvement of certain parts of the city against the persistent realities of crime, financial stress , failing public housing, and dysfunctional schools. And it reveals that while in many ways Daley broke with the machine politics of his father, he continued to reward loyalty with favors, use the resources of city government to overwhelm opponents, and tolerate political corruption.A nuanced portrait of a complex man, First Son shows Daley to be sensitive yet tough, impatient yet persistent, a street-smart fighter and detail-driven policy expert who not only ran Chicago, but was Chicago.

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  System Exposed

  Julie Jean Evans

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  I HAVE MADE PEACE WITH MY PAST.What I want to yell from the rooftops is “everyone matters!”We all have hearts of energy. We all have the capacity to build a good life. Today, I can appreciate all the simple pleasures in my day by changing my thinking from past to present. Good people will make a difference in someone’s life.Within the pages of SYSTEM EXPOSED - Heartbeat of My Life, Julie shares her horrific childhood story; complete with child abuse, homelessness, juvenile jails, institutional care, lies and cover ups from trusted officials. The government just closed their eyes and allowed everything told within to happen to many children.Yet, as in many stories, there were moments of hope that eventually resulted in strength, courage and survival, healing and forgiveness…Take warning to read this book with a strong heart as you uncover the story of someone raised as a state ward, among many other children - The Forgotten Australians. You will be privy to confidential government files, as evidence of their severe failure to care for these children they swore to protect.You will never forget this story.    “A compelling honest telling of an ordeal most would never believe or consider possible in a modern world…A brave book by an inspiring woman who survived and who shares from a place of love, not spite…wonderful...” Alexandra, Indiebook reviewer

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  On the Devil's Tail - In Combat...

  Paul Martelli, Vittorino dal Cengio

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  A collaborationist who fought for Germany during WWII and later for the French in Vietnam tells his eventful life story in this military memoir.   This is the riveting true story of Paul Martelli who fought on the Eastern Front in 1945 as a fifteen-year-old member of the 33rd Waffen-Grenadier-Division of the SS Charlemagne, and later, as a soldier with French forces in the Tonkin area of Vietnam.   Paul recounts his time at the Sennheim military training base; his experience of the German invasion of France when he was still a boy in Lorraine; and his motivations for enlisting with the Waffen SS a few years later. He reveals his escapades at Greifenberg, his first love with a German girl helping refugees, and his experiences of combat. After the German defeat, Martelli ends up delivering a group of female camp prisoners to a Russian officer, then living in disguise among enemy soldiers until he escapes and surrenders to the Americans.   After a prison sentence and military service in Morocco, Paul is sent to fight in defense of French bases north of Hanoi, Vietnam. Though he survives three years of fierce combat, he compares his service in the Waffen SS with the inefficiency of the French Expeditionary Force and comes out deeply frustrated.   At almost twenty-six, Martelli has fought and lost in two wars, both against the communists. Unemployed, and with the ideals of a ‘Nouvelle Europe’ in pieces, he briefly joins the French Foreign Legion before choosing another path

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  How to Grow Old - Ancient Wisdom...

  Marcus Tullius Cicero, Philip...

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  Worried that old age will inevitably mean losing your libido, your health, and possibly your marbles too? Well, Cicero has some good news for you. In How to Grow Old, the great Roman orator and statesman eloquently describes how you can make the second half of life the best part of all—and why you might discover that reading and gardening are actually far more pleasurable than sex ever was. 
  Filled with timeless wisdom and practical guidance, Cicero's brief, charming classic—written in 44 BC and originally titled On Old Age—has delighted and inspired readers, from Saint Augustine to Thomas Jefferson, for more than two thousand years. Presented here in a lively new translation with an informative new introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, the book directly addresses the greatest fears of growing older and persuasively argues why these worries are greatly exaggerated—or altogether mistaken. 
  Montaigne said Cicero's book "gives one an appetite for growing old." The American founding father John Adams read it repeatedly in his later years. And today its lessons are more relevant than ever in a world obsessed with the futile pursuit of youth.

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  Nikola Tesla: Biography of a...

  Luke Johnston

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  Nikola Tesla, genius or madman? 
  Noted for his incredible intellect, eccentric ideas, and world-altering inventions, Nikola Tesla has evolved into the classic example of mad scientist. But is that all there is to the story? 
  Uncover the rich life of Tesla and learn about his entrance into the world as a “Child of Light,” how he conceived his most brilliant inventions, and why he fell into obscurity and eventually died in a hotel, alone and penniless. 
  Journey with the visionary, from a small town in Croatia all the way to New York City, and gain insight into the mind of one of the greatest thinkers the world has ever known. 
  In this biography of Nikola Tesla, you’ll discover:How his unique way of looking at the world brought the technology of the future to the 19th century.What the Tesla vs Edison “Battle of the Currents” was really about.His many successes - and many failures.Details of his most incredible inventions, some of which we still use to this day.How genius turned to madness. 
  With excerpts from Tesla’s autobiography and insight from those who knew him best, this book aims to shed new light on the unique visionary and inspire the next generation of scientists. The story of Tesla will leave you feeling mournful for his sad fate, moved by his never-ending pursuit of a better future, and inspired by his enthusiasm. 
  There’s so much more to discover. Get your copy of the biography of Nikola Tesla, and decide for yourself - genius, madman, or both?

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  Disfigured - On Fairy Tales...

  Amanda Leduc

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  Fairy tales shape how we see the world, so what happens when you identify more with the Beast than Beauty? If every disabled character is mocked and mistreated, how does the Beast ever imagine a happily-ever-after? Amanda Leduc looks at fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm to Disney, showing us how they influence our expectations and behaviour and linking the quest for disability rights to new kinds of stories that celebrate difference. 
  		 
  ‘Leduc peels the flesh from the fairy tales we grew up loving and strips them down to their skeletons to skilfully reveal how they influence the way we think about disability. She contrasts the stories we have with the ones we wish we had, incorporating her own life. Her wisdom lands like a punch in the heart, leaving a sizable dent that reshapes how we see tales we’ve been telling for centuries. She also — and this is the best part — suggests how we might tell new fairy tales, how we can forge new stories.’ — Adam Pottle, author of Voice
  		 
  ‘A unique and dazzling study … a revolutionary approach to understanding why we are drawn to fairy tales and how they shape our lives.’ — Jack Zipes, author of Grimm Legacies
  		 
  ‘Each chapter is a gem, but the kind of gem that turns into a knife, into a mirror, into a portal. Leduc’s real magic? That she transforms her readers as surely as any world.’ — Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk

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