Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  Gonna Do Great Things - The Life...

  Gary Fishgall

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  A major reappraisal of the life of legendary entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., Gonna Do Great Things is at once an intimate portrait and an exuberant celebration of a wholly American icon. Through his multifaceted talent and personality, Sammy became one of the most magnetic and contentious figures in modern entertainment history. His outstanding talents as a dancer, singer, actor, impressionist, and comedian, combined with his close association with megastars and his interracial marriage, made him a celebrity in the truest sense.Born in Harlem in 1925, Sammy debuted onstage with Will Mastin's vaudeville troupe when he was only three years old. He was an instant hit, and his talent propelled him into one of the most luminous entertainment careers of his generation. No one could please a crowd like Sammy, whose overwhelming energy and infectious humor exhilarated audiences for sixty years. However, Sammy's life was not without hardship, and his high-spirited attitude often masked a fragile ego. From an impoverished, broken home, he lacked even a single day of formal education, and the rigors of his blossoming show business career denied him the traditional pleasures of childhood. Racism constantly affected his life, particularly when he joined the army in 1943. Because he refused to acknowledge any race-related restrictions, his very existence became a political statement. An active member of the Civil Rights movement and America's first African-American superstar, Sammy paved the way for other black entertainers. As a charter member of the Rat Pack, Sammy spent the 1950s and 1960s basking in an image of "cool" and endearing himself to the public. But by the 1970s he was relying on cocaine and alcohol, flirting with Satanism, indulging in scandalous sexual behavior, and becoming the punchline of jokes on Saturday Night Live. Though his fans still adored him, his performances suffered. A four-pack-a-day smoker, Sammy succumbed to cancer when he was sixty-four, shortly after celebrating six decades in the spotlight.Renowned biographer of Hollywood giants Jimmy Stewart, Burt Lancaster, and Gregory Peck, Gary Fishgall brings an actor's and director's understanding of the entertainment industry to Sammy's complicated existence. Meticulously researched and filled with insights gathered from interviews with those who knew Sammy best, Gonna Do Great Things reveals the fascinating and controversial life of this beloved entertainer.

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  The Extraordinary Life of E...

  Elisabeth Galvin

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  Imagine being one of the most well-loved children’s authors of all time, yet your readers don’t know if you’re a man or a woman. Or even your real name.  E. Nesbit is really Edith Nesbit, who wrote an extraordinary 98 novels, plays and poetry collections for children and adults between 1885 and 1923. She is credited as the first modern writer for children whose work has influenced authors from Oscar Wilde to C.S. Lewis, Noël Coward to J.K. Rowling.  Even though it was published more than 100 years ago, The Railway Children remains one of the most popular children’s books ever written and it has never been out of print.  But for Edith, the truth of her life is stranger than her fiction – and it’s a truth she was keen to hide from the public.  Edith’s father died when she was four, resulting in a peripatetic childhood across Europe. At 21 years old she was seven months’ pregnant when she married a penniless libertine who became a famous journalist, Hubert Bland. Together as early socialists they were founding members of the Fabian Society, from which the Labour Party has its foundations.  A Bohemian and an eccentric, Edith became a mother of five children – two of whom she adopted in secret after her husband had an affair with a close friend (who subsequently lived with them as their housekeeper).  It was shortly after the sudden death of her beloved son that Edith wrote her first bestseller in 1899, a groundbreaker that dramatically changed the course of children’s literature.  On the eve of World War I, Edith’s husband died and she married a captain of the Woolwich Ferry. A cheerful cockney sparrow, Tommy Tucker proved to be Edith’s unwitting romantic hero who loved and cherished her until she died in near-poverty on the Romney Marshes of Kent.

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  My Secret Life Vol 3 Chapter 4

  Dominic Crawford Collins

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  My Secret Life, the anonymously written erotic memoirs of a Victorian English gentleman who refers to himself simply as 'Walter' is one of the most idiosyncratic and sexually obsessed books ever written. In this vast autobiographical confessional the author recounts, in meticulous detail, his sexual exploits throughout the course of a life devoted entirely to the pursuit of carnal pleasure. Through this compelling exploration of the author's sexual behaviour we are left with a uniquely entertaining insight into life behind the closed doors of Victorian society. My Secret Life is evocative, provocative, sorrowful, suspenseful, obscene, exciting and highly erotic...in it we are privy to the thoughts, emotions and memories of one of the most unusual, unsung and colourful English eccentrics of the Victorian era.
  
  Now, for the first time, the complete unabridged version of this unique text is being narrated and scored by film composer Dominic Crawford Collins as an 'audiofilm' (an audiobook in which the emotional landscape is explored through the music score). Each chapter of My Secret Life will be released at monthly intervals over the next ten or so years culminating in what is likely to become the longest audio book ever to be produced.

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  Boudica - The Life of Britain's...

  Vanessa Collingridge

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  An “intelligent and infectiously enthusiastic” biography of the Celtic queen and an analysis of her impact on British and feminist history (The Sunday Times).   Boudica has been mythologized as the woman who dared to take on the Romans to avenge her daughters, her tribe, and her enslaved country. Her immortality rests on the fact that she almost drove the Romans out of Britain, and her legend has become the reference point for any British woman in power, from Elizabeth I to Margaret Thatcher. As Boudica has become well known as an icon of female leadership and strength, the true story of her revolt against the Roman Empire has only become more distant until now.   Combining new research and recent archaeological discoveries, Vanessa Collingridge has written a major new biography on this shadowy and often misunderstood figure of ancient history. Boudica provides a detailed history of the Celtomania that has adopted Boudica as its earliest hero, and the nationalist and feminist causes that have also tried to claim her as their own. While tracking the origins and impact of the various versions of the Boudica legend, Collingridge unearths a historical woman who is far subtler but every bit as fascinating as the myths associated with her name.   “Deeply researched and powerfully explosive.” —Saga Magazine   “A compelling tale.” —Daily Mail

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  Murder at the Bailey

  Henry Milner

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  "Fast, funny and readable, Murder at the Bailey is an enjoyable romp through a criminal world more recognisable decades ago: rogues' justice often prevails, against a background of colourful lifestyles – from expensive restaurants and bars to flashy cars and mistresses… Few lawyers can turn their hand to fiction after a lifetime processing the dry details of the law. Milner clearly can, and with verve and humour." – The Times
  "A pacy, witty, riveting tour de force" – Wensley Clarkson
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  A notorious loan shark is shot dead, in broad daylight, right outside the front doors of the Old Bailey. The killer is arrested at the scene and Adrian Stanford is lined up to take on the toughest defence case of his career. Can he steer his client past the no-nonsense Detective Chief Superintendent 'Iron-Rod' Stokes, hell-bent on achieving a murder conviction in his last case before retirement? That's assuming he can keep his client alive in prison long enough for the trial to go ahead. Can his illustrious defence QC, Patrick 'The Edge' Gorman, swerve the case past the acerbic judge known to all as Mack the Knife, whose own resolve is being tested to the limit by an adulterous wife? And why is London underworld numero uno Big Jake Davenport showing such a keen interest in the proceedings?
  A wickedly eccentric cast of brilliantly drawn characters populate this daring debut from one of Britain's top criminal defence lawyers. Dripping with sparkling dialogue and delicious wit, Murder at the Bailey is a masterly picaresque romp through the courtrooms, custody suites and London restaurants graced by the cognoscenti.

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  Put Your Pants On and Get to...

  Kalman Magyar

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  Living every day with zest hinges on following ten principles which apply equally to everyone. No matter how much money you have, your level of education, occupation, age, or where you live – the principles work if you stick with them. Their roots have been established over generations and stress-tested during times of war, prosperity, triumph, and adversity. Begin living more zestfully. It's never too late to start. 
    
  Author Kalman Magyar has a remarkably eccentric skill set and atypical background. He is an international business lawyer and professor with over two decades of wide-ranging experience in courtrooms, boardrooms and classrooms throughout the United States and Canada. He is also a renowned Hungarian folk musician who has appeared in the world's most prominent performing venues and obscurest ethnic community halls. 
    
  Kalman guides you through his unusual personal history while decoding his ten principles for a zestful life. The adventure begins with his family's ordeals in war-ravaged Hungary. It continues as a first-generation immigrant in New Jersey. Valuable lessons are drawn from Kalman's unconventional development in the legal and musical fields. The odyssey is far from smooth, with failures, challenges and missteps along the way. These experiences form the genesis of the principles that collectively provide a blueprint for living zestfully. All day, every day. 
    
  Married with three children, Kalman splits his time between Toronto, Ontario and Naples, Florida. Kalman also takes frequent trips to Budapest, Hungary, the land of his ancestors where his journey begins.

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