Biographies Power

In this classic of social history, the author describes the lives of six obscure men and women of the Middle Ages. She draws on account books, records, letters, diaries, and wills to make the life of those times as concrete and comprehensible as our own.

Burned-out after years of doing development work around the world, William Powers spent a season in a 12-foot-by-12-foot cabin off the grid in North Carolina, as recounted in his award-winning memoir Twelve by Twelve. Could he live a similarly minimalist life in the heart of New York City? To find out, Powers and his wife jettisoned 80 percent of their stuff, left their 2,000-square-foot Queens townhouse, and moved into a 350-square-foot "micro-apartment" in Greenwich Village.

Many fantasize about dramatically changing their lives - living in accordance with their ideals rather than the exigencies of job, bills, and possessions. William Powers actually does it. Here, his family, with baby in tow, searches for balance, community, and happiness in a small town in Bolivia. They build an adobe house, plant a prolific orchard and organic garden, and weave their life into a community of permaculturists, bio-builders, artists, and creative businesspeople. Can this Transition Town succeed in the face of encroaching North American capitalism?

a loyal warrior. a dying cause. an epic race for salvation. As the Confederacy felt itself slipping beneath the Union juggernaut in late 1864, the South launched a desperate counteroffensive to force a standoff. Its secret weapon? A state-of-the-art raiding ship whose mission was to sink the U.S...

Millicent E. Brown's family home at 270 Ashley Avenue in Charleston, South Carolina, was a center of civil rights activity. There Brown gained intimate knowledge of the struggle for racial justice, and those experiences set her on a life course dedicated to the civil rights struggle. Best known as the named plaintiff in the federal court case that, in 1963, forced the initial desegregation of public schools in South Carolina, her experiences as an activist range across years and well beyond her native state. Another Sojourner Looking for Truth is Brown's insightful reflection.

In Charles Barkley: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Power Forwards, you'll learn the inspirational story of basketball's legendary power forward Charles Barkley. Barkley was one of the most popular big men throughout 1980's and 1990's basketball due to his dominance on both sides of the court. He remains one of the greatest examples of how to overcome obstacles to become a great, as he went through his entire career as "undersized" compared to traditional power forwards.

In November 2008, Hillary Clinton agreed to work for her former rival. As President Barack Obama's secretary of state, she set out to repair America's image around the world - and her own. For the following four years, BBC foreign correspondent Kim Ghattas had unparalleled access to Clinton and her entourage, and she weaves a fast-paced, gripping account of life on the road with Clinton in The Secretary.

1968 was an unprecedented year in terms of upheaval on numerous scales: political, military, economic, social, cultural. In the United States, perhaps no one was more undone by the events of 1968 than President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Kyle Longley leads his listeners on a behind-the-scenes tour of what Johnson characterized as the 'year of a continuous nightmare'. Longley explores how LBJ perceived the most significant events of 1968, including the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the violent Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Today's heads of big companies are as recognizable to us as the most popular entertainers or sports stars, but the heart and soul of every organization are those leaders below the CEO. Today's celebrity CEO has become either a figurehead or an egomaniac, and often too public a personality to get the real work done. That work is done instead by teams of leaders - exceptional deputies who forge great partnerships to maximize both organizational and personal success.

Geno DiBacco led the notorious Gabardine Gang, a small-time mob that ruled the city. Geno's son, Kevin, takes you on a visceral journey through his childhood and adolescence, revealing the gang's illegal activities, his father's dramatic descent, and the harsh realities of organized crime, offering a unique perspective on a world often glamorized in Hollywood.

In Kevin Garnett: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Power Forwards, you will learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier power forwards, Kevin Garnett. Since joining the NBA directly from high school, Kevin Garnett has had a highly productive and legendary career in the NBA as a leader and as a basketball player.

Michael Bloomberg is not only New York City's 108th mayor; he is a business genius and self-made billionaire. He has run the toughest city in America with an independence and show of ego that first brought him great success and eventually threatened it. Yet while Bloomberg is internationally known and admired, few people know the man behind the carefully crafted public persona.

Daddy Yankee is a record-breaking rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and icon. In his first book, ReaDY, published simultaneously in English and Spanish, he shares the story of his journey from Puerto Rico to global fame, his brush with death, the reclaiming of his faith, and how tests of...

Blackwildgirl begins her life as a queen superpower. When she is still a child, however, her parents strike a bargain that leads to her dethronement—and sets her on a forty-five-year journey to become the warrior she was born to be: Blackwildgoddess. Join an interactive adventure exploring the private life and journals of a young Black girl, beginning at the age of eight, as she struggles and evolves from a tennis player, musician, and college student to become a wife, mother, lawyer, scholar, and writer.

In this inspirational and informative book, Latham demonstrates how the power of sound entrepreneurial thinking can lead to positive results in the most daunting of circumstances. Latham’s company, Thermagon Inc., evolved as an offshoot of the explosive growth of silicon chips driving the computer industry and the information age. As a female, Latham defied all odds by successfully creating the products, the facilities, and the funding for a thriving and much sought-after company in a world of technology overwhelmingly dominated by men.

Republic of Outsiders is about the growing number of Americans who disrupt the status quo: outsiders who seek to redefine a wide variety of fields, from film and mental health to diplomacy and music, from how we see gender to what we eat. They include professional and amateur filmmakers crowd-sourcing their work, transgender and autistic activists, and Occupy Wall Street’s alternative bankers.”

This engaging tale takes us on a journey with an executive in a multinational corporation, who, along with her team, had to skillfully navigate what seemed to them insurmountable challenges and difficulties in a corporate culture ripe with lust, deceit, greed, and an insatiable desire for power. The story follows the obstacles they encountered and details how the characters employed biblical principles, corporate strategies, and academics to reorganize the company in the midst of fierce opposition to achieve success.

In the tradition of Notorious RBG, a lively celebration of the life, wisdom, wit, legacy, and fearless style of iconic American Congresswoman Maxine Waters. “Let me just say this: I’m a strong black woman, and I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be undermined. I cannot be thought to be afraid...

Ellen Keane spent most of her teens uncomfortable with her limb difference and battling to hide her insecurities. It was only when she embraced her difference that she found her superpower. She started to believe in her unique abilities and gradually find the success that she had never dreamed possible. Perfectly Imperfect is for anyone struggling to accept who they are. With anecdotes from her own life, practical advice and good-natured humour, Keane challenges you to let go of waiting until everything is perfect and instead embrace your imperfections and accept who you are, flaws and all.

In 1971, Rod Barton applied for a junior scientist role in the Australian Department of Defence. Little did he know what it entailed: As the Cold War intensified, Barton was inducted into the murky world of espionage. This is an extraordinary behind-the-scenes account of a world marked by risk, secrecy and individual acts of courage. The Life of a Spy will introduce you to a man of principle in a time of chaos, and take you to the frontlines of politics and war.