Birth Memoirs

A Pure Solar World: Sun Ra and the Birth of Afrofuturism offers a spirited introduction to the life and work of this legendary but underappreciated musician, composer, and poet. Paul Youngquist explores and assesses Sun Ra’s wide-ranging creative output - music, public preaching, graphic design, film and stage performance, and poetry - and connects his diverse undertakings to the culture and politics of his times, including the space race, the rise of technocracy, the civil rights movement, and even space-age bachelor-pad music.

A deeply researched account of the life and legacy of the man who defined the profession of private eye. Allan Pinkerton, the world's most famous private detective, has been an enduring source of fascination since the nineteenth century. But the details of his impact, business empire, and private life have been incomplete. Drawing on overlooked primary sources, Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones provides an authoritative account of the man and the Pinkerton National Detective Agency (PNDA).

Augustin Fresnel (1788–1827) shocked the scientific elite with his unique understanding of the physics of light. The lens he invented was a brilliant feat of engineering that made lighthouses blaze many times brighter, farther, and more efficiently. Battling the establishment, his own poor health, and the limited technology of the time, Fresnel was able to achieve his goal of illuminating the entire French coast. At first, the British sought to outdo the new Fresnel-equipped lighthouses as a matter of national pride.

From late 1872 to 1876, H.M.S. Challenger explored the world's oceans. Conducting deep sea soundings, dredging the ocean floor, recording temperatures, observing weather, and collecting biological samples, the expedition laid the foundations for modern oceanography. Following the ship's naturalists and their discoveries, earth scientist Doug Macdougall engagingly tells a story of Victorian-era adventure and ties these early explorations to the growth of modern scientific fields.

Joseph Leslie 'Squizzy' Taylor was many things to many people: a kind and caring husband, father and stepfather, a reliable son and brother, a generous and considerate neighbour and patron. He was also a criminal willing to consider any type of crime, provided it supported his lifestyle and his ego. Squizzy graduated from teenage pickpocket to adult murderer, from organizing smash-and-grab raids on jewellers to corrupting juries and suborning witnesses.

From the ghetto paved and unpaved streets of Indianapolis, Indiana this book begins telling the story of one fat kids rise from the projects, to his fall serving over 7 years in as many prisons, and how he was able to come out a Prison scholar that led to him writing 18 phenomenal books about redemption and attending Georgia State University graduating No.1 in his undergraduate class earning a 4.13 GPA and going on to grad school where he excelled graduating at top of his class, before becoming a very popular African-American Studies professors at Georgia State University.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PLUTARCH AWARD FOR BEST BIOGRAPHY WINNER OF THE ASJA AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY/HISTORY A riveting history about the little-known rivalry between Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett that profoundly shaped reproductive rights in America In the 1910s, as the birth control movement...

This absorbing and poignant book is not merely the story of one writer's flawed heart. It is a history of cardiac medicine, a candid personal journey, and a profound reflection on mortality. Born in 1966 with a congenital heart defect known as the tetralogy of Fallot, Gabriel Brownstein entered...

This is a true love story of the romance and emotional trauma of a 20-year-old college student set on an international stage in 1965. It is based on the hundreds of letters she sent to her parents in Palo Alto, California while she studied in Denmark and Germany. Her experiences matured her from a typical naive teenager to a world leader who helped identify the need for, and implement an international social movement that as impacted millions of families and professionals. It inspires the listener by showing how truth trumps secrecy and can lead to health and happiness.

Through Adopted Hearts explores the world of adoption from the viewpoints of both birth and adoptive parents. In this follow up to Through Adopted Eyes, author and adoptee Elena Hall guides listeners through a diverse collection of true stories filled with powerful insight into the rest of the adoption triad. If you are an adoptive parent, birth parent, adoptee, or just curious to learn more, this audiobook provides thoughtful and challenging perspective into how adoption shapes and changes lives.

The story of how Hip Hop got its start as told by Gene "Poo Poo Man" Anderson, the promoter at the center of it all. From "Rapper's Delight" and the first rap concert ever, to the introduction of break dancing and scratching, take an insider's tour of the crazy stories, culture, and challenges of the time.

Upon returning home from golf on a rare afternoon free of responsibilities, Dr. Beverly Joyce, a busy and beloved OB-GYN, listened to a phone message that would shake her identity and send her on a life-changing journey of self-discovery. That call would instantly help free her from the hidden doubt, guilt, and shame that had plagued her throughout her life.

John Adams told Thomas Jefferson that “history is to ascribe the American Revolution to Thomas Paine.” Thomas Edison called him “the equal of Washington in making American liberty possible.” He was a founder of both the United States and the French Revolution. He invented the phrase, “The United States of America.” He rose from abject poverty in working-class England to the highest levels of the era’s intellectual elite. And yet, by the end of his life, Thomas Paine was almost universally reviled.

In the early 1960s, Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration became one of the most celebrated women in America when she prevented a deadly sedative from entering the U.S. market. A Canadian-born pharmacologist and physician, Kelsey saved countless Americans from the devastating side effects of thalidomide, routinely given to pregnant women to prevent morning sickness. As the FDA medical officer charged with reviewing Merrell Pharmaceutical’s application for approval, Kelsey was unconvinced that there was sufficient evidence of the drug’s efficacy and safety.

In "Cursed at Birth," author Jenna Burda takes listeners on a poignant and gripping journey across the highs and lows of her life. Through vivid storytelling and raw emotion, Jenna recounts her experiences fending for herself, migrating to freedom, and navigating the complexities of love and loss. As she grapples with betrayal and heartbreak from the depths of despair to the heights of joy, Jenna's story invites listeners to join her on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and ultimately, redemption.

This book, based on actual cases and investigations, tells how a widespread criminal network in Spain and Morocco, stole and sold babies through an underground baby black market for decades. All the while, government, church and doctors and nurses either looked the other way, or worse, conspired together to deceive parents and family while lining their own pockets.

Follow Ernest Hemingway's exploits on the Bahamian island of Bimini from 1935 to 1937, the very moment in time when the International Game Fish Association (under the author's co-leadership) was emerging. Covers Hemingway's role in the formation of the IGFA, his underappreciated seminal writing about competitive saltwater angling when the sport was still in its infancy, the amazing fishing he enjoyed on the island, and the way all of these experiences translated into the composition of his posthumous novel Islands in the Stream.

Step into history and relive the exhilarating saga of the American Revolution. Experience the thrill of rebellion, the birth of a nation, and the courage that ignited change. This meticulously crafted book brings to life the riveting battles, visionary leaders, and the spirit that forged the United States.

Life is full of labels that limit, but God has a new name He longs for you to hear - a name that boldly declares freedom from your past and hope for your future. Join Esther Fleece Allen, bestselling author of No More Faking Fine, in this profound exploration of your God-given identity that no...

Hormonal explores everything from contraception to PMS, in relation to anxiety, depression and taboos about hysteria and the 'hormonal' woman. It is a compelling portrait of the modern landscape of women and health, showing us how to navigate stigma and misinformation. Combining her own experiences with extensive research and expert contributions, Eleanor Morgan explores the relationship between the female body, the female mind and the ways in which women's bodies are being medicalised.