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The first full-scale biography of the Supreme Court's most provocative—and influential—justice If the U.S. Supreme Court teaches us anything, it is that almost everything is open to interpretation. Almost. But what's inarguable is that, while the Court has witnessed a succession of larger-than-life jurists in its two-hundred-year-plus history, it has never seen the likes of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Combative yet captivating, infuriating yet charming, the outspoken jurist remains a source of curiosity to observers across the political spectrum and on both sides of the ideological divide. And after nearly a quarter century on the bench, Scalia may be at the apex of his power. Agree with him or not, Scalia is "the justice who has had the most important impact over the years on how we think and talk about the law," as the Harvard law dean Elena Kagan, now U.S. Solicitor General, once put it. Scalia electrifies audiences: to hear him speak is to remember him; to read his writing is to find his phrases permanently affixed in one's mind. But for all his public grandstanding, Scalia has managed to elude biographers—until now. In American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the veteran Washington journalist Joan Biskupic presents for the first time a detailed portrait of this complicated figure and provides a comprehensive narrative that will engage Scalia's adherents and critics alike. Drawing on her long tenure covering the Court, and on unprecedented access to the justice, Biskupic delves into the circumstances of his rise and the formation of his rigorous approach to the bench. Beginning with the influence of Scalia's childhood in a first-generation Italian American home, American Original takes us through his formative years, his role in the Nixon-Ford administrations, and his trajectory through the Reagan revolution. Biskupic's careful reporting culminates with the tumult of the contemporary Supreme Court—where it was and where it's going, with Scalia helping to lead the charge. Even as Democrats control the current executive and legislative branches, the judicial branch remains rooted in conservatism. President Obama will likely appoint several new justices to the Court—but it could be years before those appointees change the tenor of the law. With his keen mind, authoritarian bent, and contentious rhetorical style, Scalia is a distinct and persuasive presence, and his tenure is far from over. This new book shows us the man in power: his world, his journey, and the far-reaching consequences of the transformed legal landscape.
This biography of Will Rogers provides an insight into 20th-century American history.
Walt Disney is an American hero--the creator of Mickey Mouse, and a man who changed the face of American culture. After years of research, with the full cooperation of the Disney family and access to private papers and letters, Bob Thomas produced the definitive biography of the man behind the legend--the unschooled cartoonist from Kansas City who went bankrupt on his first movie venture but became the genius who produced unmatched works of animation. Complete with a rare collection of photographs, Bob Thomas' biography is a fascinating and inspirational work that captures the spirit of Walt Disney.
Who are the American Originals? They are photographer William Abranowicz's pantheon of extraordinary subjects--painters, poets, rock stars, designers, tastemakers, politicians, performers--for whom the home represents the ultimate canvas of self-expression. In every one of the more than 250 photographs, most never before published, Abranowicz's classical sensibility for light, form, and composition mingles with his innate curiosity and sense of humor, producing stunning, unconventional portraits of these living spaces and workplaces. The text recounts Abranowicz's personal interactions with his subjects and their homes. American Originals is sure to be an essential source of inspiration not only for interior design but also for ways of living authentically and creatively in the modern world.
Don DeLillo, American Original is a startlingly original and provocative reinterpretation of one of the most important novelists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Adopting a direct approach that steers clear of debates with secondary literature and covering the full arc of Don DeLillo's career from A to Z – Americana (1971) to Zero K (2016) – Michael Naas shows that the extraordinary power, authority, insight, and inventiveness of DeLillo's fiction are the result of the way it traffics everywhere in contraband goods and narratives, in doubleness or duplicity of every kind, in multiple voices, story lines, times, places, and media that at once interrupt and complement one another. This is a book that invites skimming and dipping, structured into easily digestible sections on everything from weapons and drugs to erotica, nuclear waste, and secret societies, each preceded by humorous and incisive epigraphs from DeLillo's novels. Michael Naas reads DeLillo's fiction as a way of life or as equipment for living, rather than as a critical puzzle to be solved – and thereby opens up new horizons for thinking about why literature matters in the 21st century.
“Murrow was a cut stone with an astonishing number of facets. He was born in a cabin with an outhouse, and behaved like an English squire, when he was not acting like a lumberjack, or an intellectual gadfly, or a cowboy, or a philosopher, or a daredevil, or a social crusader, or a raconteur, or a hermit. He could be found firing at metal ducks in a Times Square shooting gallery or shooting at grouse on the moors of an English country estate. He could spin dialect stories at a crowded bar or go for twenty-four hours without uttering a word to a house guest. He could send his son to the most prestigious schools, all the while telling the boy that college was not important to a successful life. He was either telling friends how humble his own origins were or insinuating into the conversation that his wife’s ancestors came over on the Mayflower. He was a handsome man and an elegant dresser who bristled at anyone who made mention of his striking appearance. He was impervious, even oblivious, to the charms of most women, yet became involved with an aristocratic beauty and nearly destroyed his marriage. He spent his professional life in world capitals, yet liked to imagine that he would be happier at a small-town college. He made a good deal of money, yet felt guilty about it and was so openhanded that it seemed at times that he was trying to give it all away. His pastimes were those of the he-man, yet he was a favorite of intellectuals. He had everything to live for, but he gambled his life dozens of times flying unnecessary combat missions. He could condemn a war, as he did in Korea, yet find it irresistible. He was modest, even flip, with colleagues about his physical bravery, but wrote letters to his parents presenting an almost maudlinly heroic self-image. He had every reason to be a happy man. He was not. I was drawn to his life because he was the preeminent figure in a profession that he essentially fathered. It is difficult for any thinking person not to be simultaneously mesmerized and repelled by the hold of mass communications over the modern world. Murrow’s story is integral to that phenomenon.” — from Joseph E. Persico’s foreword to Edward R. Murrow: An American Original “If one is curious to find out what makes some people stand out above the rest, what makes a person a hero, the story is in Edward R. Murrow: An American Original. Murrow had talent, drive, intelligence, personality and vision... In comprehensive detail, with dramatic, well-told anecdotes and insight and perceptiveness, Joseph E. Persico describes a man of extraordinary natural gifts, human failings and stunning accomplishments... a well-organized and readable trip through Murrow’s public and personal life... Mr. Persico is a diligent researcher who clearly won the confidence of the people he needed, most especially Murrow’s widow, Janet... [He] is an able reporter and a fine storyteller whose taste, tact and skill have produced an appropriate biography... We should be grateful to this book for reminding us that television once had, and on occasion still has — when someone is willing to put up a fight — the surprising and the exceptional.” — Joan Konner, The New York Times “Persico’s distinguished and compellingly readable biography does not slight the stuff of the Murrow legend — his humble origins as the son of a North Carolina dirt farmer, his work as a lumberjack in the Pacific Northwest, his invention of himself as a dashing and dapper foreign correspondent, his pioneering broadcasts from London during the Blitz, his televised showdown with Joseph McCarthy. But, then, Persico goes far beyond the myth and shows us the real man — to his surprise, and perhaps to our own... the book is rich with intimate anecdotes, recounted by a sympathetic but unadoring biographer, drawing on first-person sources who were close enough to Murrow to detect the cracks in the plaster saint of journalism... Persico brings to Murrow the intellectual discipline of the historian, the polished and memorable prose of the accomplished biographer... a fast but substantial and satisfying read.” — Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times “[T]he conjunctions of events that propelled [Murrow] into a career that didn’t exist until he created it is an absorbing tale that Persico tells compellingly. He also has a keen eye for some of the other towering egos that came to populate the scene.” — Anne Chamberlin, Washington Post “Persico has produced a work which reveals... Murrow’s spirit and his passion for broadcast journalism... Persico tells us what drove this man to such professional heights. This is the work to read for insights into Murrow’s personality, beliefs, feelings, foibles and frustrations. Persico’s work is likely to become the most popular biography of Murrow. He interviewed the right people and his research was faultless and well-documented in the book... His writing is entertaining, revealing, and alive with characters, stories, suspense and humor... Persico causes the reader to share the emotions, the tensions, and the passions felt by Murrow and those close to him. Persico’s is an excellent book to put on a reading list for students, either graduate or undergraduate, it is an especially appropriate selection for those studying the role of broadcasting in our society and the current debate over the public trusteeship of broadcast licensees.” — Edward Funkhouser, Journalism Quarterly “A plain-spoken, essentially favorable, and near definitive appraisal of the accomplished, angst-ridden man who almost single-handedly made broadcast journalism a respectable profession. Persico secured the cooperation of Murrow’s widow, Janet, and other family members; he also had access to private papers not available to previous biographers... As one result, the author is able to add telling detail to the largely familiar, often romanticized record of Murrow’s career... Persico’s diligent research has enabled him to offer a coherent, revelatory narrative that addresses Murrow’s shortcomings and setbacks as well as his triumphs. His informed, evenhanded text clears the air of myth-makers’ hyperbole without tarnishing in any significant way the achievements of a complex, charismatic broadcast pioneer.” — Kirkus
The Walt Disney Company honors its 100th anniversary in 2023. As part of the festivities, this must-have biography tells the story of Walt Disney's life— told as no other book can! Walt Disney is an American hero. From Mickey Mouse to Disneyland, he changed the face of American culture. His is a success story like no other: a man who developed animated film into an art form and made a massive contribution to the folklore of the world. After years of research, respected Hollywood biographer Bob Thomas produced a definitive biography of the man behind the legend of Disney: the unschooled cartoonist from Kansas City who when bankrupt on his first movie venture and developed into the genius who produced unmatched works of animation, and ultimately was the creative spirit of an international entertainment empire that has enchanted generations. Complete with a collection of rare photographs, Walt Disney: An American Original is a fascinating and inspirational work that captures the spirit of Walt Disney. This Commemorative Edition includes new: introductions from Jeff Kurtti and Marcy Carriker Smothers a 32-page photo insert with rare behind-the-scenes photos endnotes to add further context and connect Walt's story to today Searching for more ways to connect with the Disney Parks and films? Explore these books from Disney Editions: Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World: Recipes & Stories from The Most Magical Place on Earth A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of The Most Magical Place on Earth Birnbaum's 2023 Walt Disney World: The Official Vacation Guide Birnbaum's 2023 Walt Disney World for Kids: The Official Guide Art of Coloring: Walt Disney World Maps of the Disney Parks: Charting 60 Years from California to Shanghai Poster Art of the Disney Parks Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks: Celebrations Around the World from Fall to Winter The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky
A biography of the American clothing designer follows his career from the early days as a milliner for Bergdorf Goodman through his influence on international couture
In the late ’70s, spirited young designer, Perry Ellis introduced a fresh, witty and relaxed new sensibility to American sportswear, initially for women and a few years later, for men. The clothes were easy, oversized, slouchy, but classic at heart and they caused a sensation. Ellis, who once told the New York Times that he "always made a determined effort to do something different," did just that, creating a series of signature looks such as his “dimple” sleeves and single-cabled sweaters that set his clothes apart from everyone else’s. Nearly three decades after his untimely death, the legacy of the designer Ellis is still very much felt : PERRY ELLIS: An American Original is the first complete monograph to celebrate his exceptional career. The beautifully illustrated book showcases Ellis’s designs through a combination of photography and sketches, providing an insightful look at each season of his career, from 1976 to 1986, offering readers unique access to editorial and ad campaign photographs from the archives of brilliant photographer Erica Lennard, with whom Ellis worked almost exclusively. Included here are ephemera, a treasure trove of drawings, and never-before-published photos from the personal collections of the designer’s friends and family, adding insight to Ellis’s unique aesthetic while solidifying his place as one of the key contemporary designers of American fashion.
America's problem with race has deep roots, with the country's foundation tied to the near extermination of one race of people and the enslavement of another. Racism is truly our nation's original sin. "It's time we right this unacceptable wrong," says bestselling author and leading Christian activist Jim Wallis. Fifty years ago, Wallis was driven away from his faith by a white church that considered dealing with racism to be taboo. His participation in the civil rights movement brought him back when he discovered a faith that commands racial justice. Yet as recent tragedies confirm, we continue to suffer from the legacy of racism. The old patterns of white privilege are colliding with the changing demographics of a diverse nation. The church has been slow to respond, and Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour of the week. In America's Original Sin, Wallis offers a prophetic and deeply personal call to action in overcoming the racism so ingrained in American society. He speaks candidly to Christians--particularly white Christians--urging them to cross a new bridge toward racial justice and healing. Whenever divided cultures and gridlocked power structures fail to end systemic sin, faith communities can help lead the way to grassroots change. Probing yet positive, biblically rooted yet highly practical, this book shows people of faith how they can work together to overcome the embedded racism in America, galvanizing a movement to cross the bridge to a multiracial church and a new America.