An absolutely wonderful book. --Russell Baker "Rick Bragg writes like a man on fire. And All Over but theShoutin' is a work of art. While reading this book, I fell in lovewith Rick Bragg's mother, Margaret Bragg, a hundred times. I feltlike I was reading one of the prophets in the Old Testament whenreading parts of this book. I thought of Melville, I thought ofFaulkner. Because I love the English language, I knew I was readingone of the best books I've ever read. By explaining his life to theworld, Rick Bragg explained part of my life to me. You feel thingsin every line this man writes. His sentences bleed on you. I weptwhen the book ended. I never met Rick Bragg in my life, but Icalled him up and told him he'd written a masterpiece, and I sentflowers to his mother." --Pat Conroy "Searingly honest, beautifully written, All Over but the Shoutin'is perhaps the most courageous thing Pulitzer Prize-winningjournalist Rick Bragg has ever written. Making his reputation on
The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir that inspiredthe film October Sky, Rocket Boys is a uniquelyAmerican memoir--a powerful, luminous story of coming of age at thedawn of the 1960s, of a mother's love and a father's fears, of agroup of young men who dreamed of launching rockets into outerspace . . . and who made those dreams come true. With the grace of a natural storyteller, NASA engineer Homer Hickampaints a warm, vivid portrait of the harsh West Virginia miningtown of his youth, evoking a time of innocence and promise, whenanything was possible, even in a company town that swallowed itsmen alive. A story of romance and loss, of growing up and gettingout, Homer Hickam's lush, lyrical memoir is a chronicle oftriumph--at once exquisitely written and marvelouslyentertaining. Now with 8 pages of photographs.
In the final decades of the nineteenth century, threebrilliant and visionary titans of America’s Gilded Age—ThomasEdison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse—battled bitterly aseach vied to create a vast and powerful electrical empire. InEmpires of Light, historian Jill Jonnes portrays this extraordinarytrio and their riveting and ruthless world of cutting-edge science,invention, intrigue, money, death, and hard-eyed Wall Streetmillionaires. At the heart of the story are Thomas Alva Edison, thenation’s most famous and folksy inventor, creator of theincandescent light bulb and mastermind of the world’s first directcurrent electrical light networks; the Serbian wizard of inventionNikola Tesla, elegant, highly eccentric, a dreamer whorevolutionized the generation and delivery of electricity; and thecharismatic George Westinghouse, Pittsburgh inventor and toughcorporate entrepreneur, an industrial idealist who in the era ofgaslight imagined a world powered by cheap and plentifulelectricity and
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller For the first time, rock music’s most famous muse tells herincredible story Pattie Boyd, former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton,finally breaks a forty-year silence and tells the story of how shefound herself bound to two of the most addictive, promiscuousmusical geniuses of the twentieth century and became the mostlegendary muse in the history of rock and roll. The woman whoinspired Harrison’s song “Something” and Clapton’s anthem “Layla,”Pattie Boyd has written a book that is rich and raw, funny andheartbreaking–and totally honest.
The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine.The tragedy is that my story could have been his. Two kids named Wes Moore were born blocks apart within a year ofeach other. Both grew up fatherless in similar Baltimoreneighborhoods and had difficult childhoods; both hung out on streetcorners with their crews; both ran into trouble with the police.How, then, did one grow up to be a Rhodes Scholar, decoratedveteran, White House Fellow, and business leader, while the otherended up a convicted murderer serving a life sentence? Wes Moore,the author of this fascinating book, sets out to answer thisprofound question. In alternating narratives that take readers fromheart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption, TheOther Wes Moore tells the story of a generation of boys tryingto find their way in a hostile world.
Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson'sspellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men--thebrilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair,striving to secure America’s place in the world; and the cunningserial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death.Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, ErikLarson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newlydiscovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.
The cyberspace revolution, globalization, and the ever more rapid pace at which new knowledge is created are among the recent developments which challenge our universities. While they have adapted rather slowly in the past to changing circumstances, there is now an urgent need for them to adjust rapidly in order to fulfill their mission. Success will heavily depend on the presence of an appropriate system of governance, which is becoming more complex as the cyberspace revolution makes university structures less hierarchical. This book examines the contours and dimensions of university governance in research-intensive universities, seeks to develop cogent governance principles, and offers appropriate initiatives and recommendations. The authors, current and former heads of leading research-intensive universities in Western Europe and the United States, all share the defining concern that the fundamental changes of today pose serious challenges for universities and their system of governance. Contributors inclu