Amelia Earhart: a biography by
She died mysteriously before she was forty. Yet in the last decade of her life Amelia Earhart soared from obscurity to fame as the best-known female aviator in the world. She set record after record--among them, the first trans-Atlantic solo flight by a woman, a flight that launched Earhart on a double career as a fighter for women's rights and a tireless crusader for commercial air travel. Doris L. Rich's exhaustively researched biography downplays the "What Happened to Amelia Earhart?" myth by disclosing who Amelia Earhart really was: a woman of three centuries, born in the nineteenth, pioneering in the twentieth, and advocating ideals and dreams relevant to the twenty-first.
The Sound of Wings: the life of Amelia Earhart by
A portrait of this fearless, headstrong pioneer of aviation and of her disappearance, which still remains a mystery.
The Heart of a Woman by
This engaging book chronicles the changes in Maya Angelou's life as she enters the hub of activity that is New York. There, at the Harlem Writers Guild, she rededicates herself to writing, and finds love at an unexpected moment. Reflecting on her many roles--from northern coordinator of Martin Luther King's history-making quest to mother of a rebellious teenage son--Angelou eloquently speaks to an awareness of the heart within us all.
Letter to My Daughter by
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Maya Angelou shares her path to living well and with meaning in this absorbing book of personal essays. Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight. Here in short spellbinding essays are glimpses of the tumultuous life that led Angelou to an exalted place in American letters and taught her lessons in compassion and fortitude: how she was brought up by her indomitable grandmother in segregated Arkansas, taken in at thirteen by her more worldly and less religious mother, and grew to be an awkward, six-foot-tall teenager whose first experience of loveless sex paradoxically left her with her greatest gift, a son. Whether she is recalling such lost friends as Coretta Scott King and Ossie Davis, extolling honesty, decrying vulgarity, explaining why becoming a Christian is a "lifelong endeavor," or simply singing the praises of a meal of red rice-Maya Angelou writes from the heart to millions of women she considers her extended family. Like the rest of her remarkable work, Letter to My Daughter entertains and teaches; it is a book to cherish, savor, re-read, and share. "I gave birth to one child, a son, but I have thousands of daughters. You are Black and White, Jewish and Muslim, Asian, Spanish speaking, Native Americans and Aleut. You are fat and thin and pretty and plain, gay and straight, educated and unlettered, and I am speaking to you all. Here is my offering to you."--from Letter to My Daughter
Even the Stars Look Lonesome by
The renowned author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and The Heart of a Woman imparts compelling wisdom learned during a remarkable lifetime in Even the Stars Look Lonesome--a glorious continuation of Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now.
Diana by
Diana. From her first exposure to the world as the girlfriend of the future King of England to her death as perhaps the most revered figure of the century, she captured the imagination and the love of literally hundreds of millions of people. And, from her first portrait of Lady Diana Spencer in 1980 to her last shoot months before Diana's tragic death and finally to Diana's funeral, Jayne Fincher -- the only female royal photographer working with the explicit approval and full cooperation of Buckingham Palace -- was there. Granted unprecedented access to the Princess of Wales and the extended royal family for 18 years, Fincher amassed an enormous archive of more than 30,000 striking images of Diana. She captured on film Diana's transformation from a shy, awkward teenager to an elegant and sophisticated woman. Diana: Portrait of a Princess collects in one spectacular volume for the first time ever the best of these extraordinary photographs. Here are some of the most famous images of Diana ever published...and here also are hundreds of never-before-seen candids, outtakes, and portraits, the definitive photographic document of Diana's life -- as fiancee, wife, and then ex-wife of the Prince of Wales; as mother to princes William and Harry; as philanthropist, as ambassador, as fashion muse. But more than a simple collection of images, Diana: Portrait of a Princess is a personal and deeply felt memoir with behind-the-scenes insight into the moods and complex personality of Diana. This narrative, a collaborative effort with royal writer Judy Wade, incorporates detailed impressions and experiences gathered in photographing the Princess. Featuring more than 500 pictures -- three-quarters of them never before seen -- and including dozens of revealing anecdotes, Diana: Portrait of a Princess is all exquisite tribute to a woman who carried the hearts of the world in the palm of her hand.
The Diana Chronicles by
Called a walloping good read by "The Washington Post," this edition of Brown's #1 "New York Times"-bestselling biography of Princess Diana contains a new Afterword by the author and an 8-page photo insert.
Diana: her true story by
"For the first time, here is the true story of Princess Diana, complete with revelations that will shock the world." "Diana: Her True Story is a unique royal biography. It is based on facts that are published here for the first time and includes private photographs made available exclusively for this book. The author has had the cooperation and support of members of Diana's family and her closest friends. They have all spoken freely of Diana's life, her problems, and how she has tried to solve them. Andrew Morton has painted a shocking portrait that will be front-page news all over the world." "Diana, Princess of Wales, is one of the best-loved women in the world. Since her storybook marriage to Prince Charles, she has captured the admiring eyes of the public. We have watched her blossom into a great beauty, raise a young family, and campaign for a long list of charities. Her world seems perfect. But behind this image of perfection lies a disturbing truth. Here, Andrew Morton reveals that truth." "In Diana: Her True Story we learn that Diana's marriage to Prince Charles has been unhappy from the very beginning. In fact, Diana has described her wedding day as the "most emotionally confusing day" of her life. Behind Diana's elegant, smiling face is a woman trapped in a loveless marriage, who has suffered from chronic illness and loneliness, and who has gone to the depths of despair where recovery seemed impossible. Yet she has courageously struggled to create a new life for herself." "This is a stunning book because it tells the truth. It tells the story of a girl who became a princess before she became a woman and the story of a woman who found herself through adversity."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has become a world classic--a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annexe" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and surprisingly humorous, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short. Praise for The Diary of a Young Girl "A truly remarkable book."--The New York Times "One of the most moving personal documents to come out of World War II."--The Philadelphia Inquirer "There may be no better way to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II than to reread The Diary of a Young Girl, a testament to an indestructible nobility of spirit in the face of pure evil."--Chicago Tribune "The single most compelling personal account of the Holocaust . . . remains astonishing and excruciating."--The New York Times Book Review "How brilliantly Anne Frank captures the self-conscious alienation and naïve self-absorption of adolescence."--Newsday
Anne Frank Remembered: the story of the woman who helped to hide the Frank family by 
Anne Frank: reflections on her life and legacy by
This book is an anthology of the disparate facts and interpretations of Anne Frank.
The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt by
The long and eventful life of Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) was full of rich experiences and courageous actions. The niece of Theodore Roosevelt, she married a distant relative and Columbia University law student named Franklin Delano Roosevelt; he gradually ascended throughout the world of New York politics to reach the U.S. presidency in 1932. Throughout his three terms, Eleanor Roosevelt was not only intimately involved in FDR's personal and political life, but led women's organizations and youth movements and fought for consumer welfare, civil rights, and improved housing. During World War II she traveled with her husband to meet leaders of many powerful nations; after his death in 1945 she worked as a UN delegate, chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, newspaper columnist, Democratic party activist, world-traveler, and diplomat. By the end of her life, Eleanor Roosevelt was recognized throughout the world for her fortitude and commitment to the ideals of liberty and human rights. Her autobiography constitutes a self-portrait no biography can match for its candor and liveliness, its wisdom, tolerance, and breadth of view--a self-portrait of one of the greatest American humanitarians of our time.
Courage in a Dangerous World: the political writings of Eleanor Roosevelt by
Dozens of books have been written about Eleanor Roosevelt, but her own writings are largely confined to the Roosevelt archives in Hyde Park. Courage in a Dangerous World allows her own voice again to be heard. Noted Eleanor Roosevelt scholar Allida M. Black has gathered more than two hundred columns, articles, essays, and speeches culled from archives whose pages number in the millions, tracing her development from timorous columnist to one of liberalism's most outspoken leaders. From "My Day" newspaper columns about Marian Anderson and excerpts from Moral Basis of Democracy and This Troubled World to speeches and articles on the Holocaust and McCarthyism, this anthology provides readers with the tools to reconstruct the politics of a woman who redefined American liberalism and democratic reform. Arranged chronologically and by topic, the volume covers the New Deal years, the White House years, World War II at home and abroad, the United Nations and human rights, the Cold War, the civil rights movement, the resurgence of feminism, and much more. In addition, the collection features excerpts from Eleanor Roosevelt's correspondence with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Adlai Stevenson, J. Edgar Hoover, John F. Kennedy, and ordinary Americans. The volume features a collection of 30 rare photographs. A comprehensive bibliography of Eleanor Roosevelt's articles serves as a valuable resource, providing a link to the issues she held dear, many of which are still hotly debated today.
My Point... and I Do Have One by
"My motto has always been "If you're going to read, it might as well be a book... or a magazine... or even a newspaper, I guess." So, as you might imagine, I was awfully excited when I was asked to write a book myself. But after the celebration was over and all the champagne was gone, I realized I had to sit down and actually write it. I was sober when I wrote the book - kind of." "Okay I wasn't drunk or stoned. I was, however, nervous. But when I began writing, I realized that although I don't know a lot about any one thing, I know a little about a whole bunch of things: baking a pie; dancing; curing the common cold; running the Iditarod; explaining sex to children - it's all in the book. And I realized I notice things that maybe some people don't notice (or they don't notice that they notice): how we behave in elevators or airplanes or restrooms; why we're scared of the boogeyman (and believe me, we're scared of the boogeyman); how people sing songs the loudest when they don't know the lyrics." "But mostly my book is about how hard it is for someone who basically just wants to be liked to get things right and be understood. Does that make sense? I hope so. It's about how we strive and fail in so many of the small things in life but ultimately succeed in the larger things."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Remembering Jackie: a life in pictures by
America has no royal family, but in the earliest 1960s, the White House was graced with the presence of a couple so attractive, so vibrant and so glamorous that the eminent historian Theodore H. White, writing in LIFE, likened the situation to Camelot. And if Jack Kennedy was our King Arthur, then Jackie was our queen. On these pages, that era comes alive again, as do the earlier and later chapters of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis's remarkable, captivating story. LIFE long enjoyed a special relationship with this woman--she first appeared on the magazine's cover in 1953 as the fiancee of a charismatic young senator from Massachesetts, beginning a streak that would stretch to 18 covers in all--and this book is filled with warm, intimate images from our archives. We watch her children grow in these pages, and we smile. We revisit the tragedies that she endured, and we sympathize anew. Jackie's was an altogether amazing American life. LIFE was there to chronicle it at the time and is there to recapture it in this special commemorative book. In this volume, Jackie lives on.
A Woman Named Jackie by
C. David Heymann is the author of A Woman Named Jackie, Liz: An Intimate Biography Of Elizabeth Taylor, and Poor Little Rich Girl: The Life And Legend Of Barbara Hutton. He lives in New York City.
Jacqueline Kennedy - The White House Years by
This illustrated volume celebrates the 40th anniversary of Jacqueline Kennedy's emergence as America's First Lady and explores her enduring global influence on style and fashion.
Mother Teresa by
A sensitive, perceptive biography written with Mother Teresa's full cooperation and encouragement. Describes this living saint's mission of faith and the principles that guide her.
Mother Teresa, her people and her work by 
Get Happy: the life of Judy Garland by
Judy Garland. The girl with the pigtails, the symbol of innocence in The Wizard of Oz. Judy Garland. The brightest star of the Hollywood musical and an entertainer of almost magical power. Judy Garland. The woman of a half-dozen comebacks, a hundred heartbreaks, and countless thousands of headlines. Yet much of what has previously been written about her is either inaccurate or incomplete, and the Garland the world thought it knew was merely a sketch for the astonishing woman Gerald Clarke portrays inGet Happy. Here, more than thirty years after her death, is the real Judy. To tell her story, Clarke took ten years, traveled thousands of miles across two continents, conducted hundreds of interviews, and dug through mountains of documents, many of which were unavailable to other biographers. In a Tennessee courthouse, he came across a thick packet of papers, unopened for ninety years, that laid out the previously hidden background of Judy's beloved father, Frank Gumm. In California, he found the unpublished memoir of Judy's makeup woman and closest confidante, a memoir centered almost entirely on Judy herself.Get Happyis, however, more than the story of one woman, remarkable as she was. It is a saga of a time and a place that now seem as far away, and as clouded in myth and mystery, as Camelot-the golden age of Hollywood. Combining a novelist's skill and a movie director's eye, Clarke re-creates that era with cinematic urgency, bringing to vivid life the unforgettable characters who played leading roles in the unending drama of Judy Garland: Louis B. Mayer, the patriarch of the world's greatest fantasy factory, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Arthur Freed, the slovenly producer who revolutionized the movie musical and gave Judy her best and most enduring parts. Sexy Lana Turner, Judy's friend and idol, who had a habit of trying to snatch away any man Judy expressed interest in. And what men they were! Oscar Levant, the wit's wit, whose one-liners could all but kill. Artie Shaw, whose sweet and satiny clarinet had a whole nation dancing. Handsome Tyrone Power, who caused millions of hearts to pound every time he looked out from the screen with his understanding eyes. Orson Welles, Hollywood's boy genius and the husband of a movie goddess, Rita Hayworth. Brainy Joe Mankiewicz, who knew everything there was to know about women, but who confessed that he was baffled by Judy. Vincente Minnelli, who showed what wonders Judy could perform in front of a camera and who fathered her first child, Liza-but who also, with an act of shocking betrayal, caused her first suicide attempt. Charming, brawling Sid Luft, who gave her confidence, then took it away. And the smooth and seductive David Begelman, who stole her heart so he could steal her money. Toward the end of her life, Garland tried to tell her own story, talking into a tape recorder for hours at a time. With access to those recordings-and to her unfinished manuscript, which offers a revelation on almost every page-Clarke is able to tell Judy's story as she herself might have told it. "It's going to be one hell of a great, everlastingly great book, with humor, tears, fun, emotion and love," Judy promised of the autobiography she did not live to complete. But she might just as well have been describingGet Happy. For here at last-told with humor, tears, fun, emotion and love-is the true, unforgettable story of Judy Garland.
Judy Garland: the secret life of an American legend by
A provocative look at the private life of the legendary performer reveals intimate details about Garland's bisexuality, her drug and alcohol addiction, and her many abortions.
Wrapped in Rainbows: the life of Zora Neale Hurston by
A woman of enormous talent, remarkable drive, and rare intellectual prowess, Zora Neale Hurston published four novels, two books of folklore, an autobiography, many short stories, and several articles and plays over a career that spanned more than thirty years. Although she enjoyed some popularity during her lifetime, her greatest acclaim has come posthumously. All of her books were out of print when she died in poverty in 1960, but today nearly every black woman writer of significance -- including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker -- acknowledges Hurston as a literary foremother. And her masterpiece,Their Eyes Were Watching God,has become a crucial part of the American literary canon. Yet, despite the recent renewed interest in Hurston's work, she remains, as a friend and contemporary described her, "a woman half in shadow."Wrapped in Rainbows-- the first biography of Zora Neale Hurston in twenty-five years -- illuminates the complexities of an extraordinary life. Born in Alabama in 1891, Hurston moved with her family to Eatonville, Florida, when she was still a toddler. In this close-knit community -- the first incorporated all-black town in America -- she spent a pleasant childhood, happily imbibing the rich language and folk culture of the rural black South. When Hurston was still a girl, her mother died, and her father's swift remarriage led to the family's dispersal. Hurston spent the next decade wandering in search of parental figures, working menial jobs, and charting her own course into adulthood. Reinventing herself at the age of twenty-six, she entered high school in Baltimore by claiming to be ten years younger -- a fiction she would maintain throughout her life. Hurston went on to attend Howard University and Barnard College, and during this time launched her writing career in the midst of the blossoming Harlem Renaissance. In New York, she developed relationships with luminaries such as Langston Hughes, Ethel Waters, Fannie Hurst, and Carl Van Vechten. Hurston periodically left New York to travel the country (and the world) collecting black music, poetry, and literature -- becoming one of the most important folklore collectors of her time, as well as one of the most enduring writers of her century.Wrapped in Rainbowspresents a full picture of Hurston as both a writer and a woman, shedding new light on her public and private lives. Drawing on meticulous research and a wealth of crucial information that has emerged over the past twenty years, Valerie Boyd delves into Hurston's thirst for the limelight, her sexuality and short-lived marriages, her mysterious relationship with Vodou, and her occasionally controversial political views. With the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression, and World War II as historical backdrops,Wrapped in Rainbowsnot only positions Hurston's work in her time but offers implications for our own.Featuring more than thirty-five black-and-white photographs -- including some that have never been published --Wrapped in Rainbowsis an eloquent profile of one of the most intriguing cultural figures of the twentieth century.
Dust Tracks on a Road by
The imaginative and exuberant account of Hurston's rise from poverty in the rural South to becoming one of the leading intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by
"Belongs in the category ... of enduring American literature." -- Saturday ReviewFair and long-legged, independent and articulate, Janie Crawford sets out to be her own person -- no mean feat for a black woman in the '30s. Janie's quest for identity takes her through three marriages and into a journey back to her roots.
Becoming by
An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America - the first African-American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations - and whose story inspires us to do the same.
The Meaning of Michelle: 16 writers on the iconic first lady and how her journey inspires our own by
A NEW IN NONFICTIONPEOPLE PICK | ATIME TOP 10 NONFICTION BOOK OF 2017| NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2017 BY: The Huffington Post* Glamour* Bustle* RedEye ALos Angeles Times bestseller **One of BookRiot's '11 Books to Help Us Make It Through a Trump Presidency'** **One ofThe Guardian's Essentials for Black History Month** "Whenever I think about Michelle Obama, I think, 'When I grow up, I want to be just like her. I want to be that intelligent, confident, and comfortable in my own skin'." --Roxane Gay "Even after eight years of watching them daily in the press, the fact that the most powerful man in the world is a Black man is still breathtaking to me. The fact that he goes home to a tight-knit, loving family headed by a Black woman is soul-stirring. That woman is Michelle. Michelle. That name now carries a whole world of meaning..." --From the Preface by Ava DuVernay Michelle Obama is unlike any other First Lady in American History. From her first moments on the public stage, she has challenged traditional American notions about what it means to be beautiful, to be strong, to be fashion-conscious, to be healthy, to be First Mom, to be a caretaker and hostess, and to be partner to the most powerful man in the world. What is remarkable is that, at 52, she is just getting started. While many books have looked at Michelle Obama from a fashion perspective, no book has fully explored what she means to our culture.The Meaning of Michelle does just that, while offering a parting gift to a landmark moment in American history. In addition to a tribute to Michelle Obama, this book is also a rollicking, lively dinner party conversation about race, class, marriage, creativity, womanhood and what it means to be American today. Contributors include: Ava DuVernay, Veronica Chambers, Benilde Little, Damon Young, Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran, Brittney Cooper, Ylonda Gault Caviness, Chirlane McCray, Cathi Hanauer, Tiffany Dufu, Tanisha Ford, Marcus Samuelsson, Sarah Lewis, Karen Hill Anton, Rebecca Carroll, Phillipa Soo, and Roxane Gay
Barack and Michelle: portrait of an American marriage by
InBarack and Michelle, America's First Couple is scrutinized in stirring detail by Christopher Andersen, author of thirteen New York Times bestsellers including Jack and Jackie, Somewhere in Heaven, and the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestsellers The Day Diana Died and The Day John Died. Subtitled Portrait of an American Marriage, here is the first in-depth look at the popular U.S. President and his beautiful, brilliant, and stylish First Lady. Andersen, already internationally acclaimed for his intimate portraits of the Kennedys, Bushs, and Clintonsnow celebrates the unique union of President and Mrs. Obama withBarack and Michelle, shedding fascinating light on a romantic relationship and a political destiny like no other.
Michelle Obama and the FLOTUS Effect: platform, presence, and agency by
"The FLOTUS Effect" emphasizes the import of agency on the part of Michelle Obama in relation to her politics as evidenced in her positionality and presence as the first African American woman to serve as First Lady of the United States of America. Her occupation of a previously white space and place tended to frame her as an enigma in the American mind and media. Contributors reflect on Mrs. Obama's eight years in her ceremonial position, and the ways she chose to uniquely embody her role. Hence, the result is a volume that speculates upon her evolving legacy, and the likely "effects" of what it meant to be the first African-American woman to serve in the ceremonial, yet powerful, role of FLOTUS.