Entertainment Culture

One bright spring morning in the woods of France, a soldier, blinded by the war, is found by a little girl named Coco, and her older sister Marcelle. In return for their kindness, the soldier tells the sisters marvelous tales, each story connected to the keepsake he carries in his pocket: a perfect, tiny, silver donkey.

When Matt Graham finds an antique gold pocket watch he little realizes that he is being swept into a vortex of nefarious intrigue that began decades ago. Ninety miles away, Marie Buford finds a nearly identical watch. Both teenagers soon uncover concealed inscriptions whose obscure meanings draw them together at the intersection of a wealthy banker's mysterious death, a million-dollar gold heist and the exploits of a French jewel thief and a Corsican pirate on the Mediterranean Riviera.

Through the telling of events from his own life, Wes Moore (author of the best-selling adult title The Other Wes Moore) explores the issues that separate success and failure. He also counterpoints his story with another man, someone who shared the same name, was almost the same age, grew up fatherless in a similar Baltimore neighborhood, but is serving a life sentence for murder. Compelled to write to the other Wes, the author was surprised to receive a reply. And so began a friendship, as letters turned into visits and the two men got to know one another.

This book was designed to provide both motivation and direction to any person passionate about gospel choir singing and performance. Whether you are involved in a world renowned professional choir, a local community choir, or just considering joining the existing choir at your church, this book is full of proven critical knowledge which will help you become fruitful in that endeavor. This book emphasizes the universal importance of specific spiritual and mechanical fundamentals which are far too often neglected.

Beth Lisick started out as a homecoming princess with a Crisco-aided tan and a bad perm. And then everything changed. Plunging headlong into America's deepest subcultures, while keeping both feet firmly planted in her parents' Leave It to Beaver values, Lisick makes her adult home on the fringe of mainstream culture and finds it rich with paradox and humor. Fans of David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell will relish Lisick's scathingly funny, smart, very real take on the effluvia of daily living.

Turn Around Bright Eyes picks up Sheffield’s story right after Love Is a Mix Tape. He is a young widower devastated by grief, trying to build a new life in a new town after his wife’s death. As a writer for Rolling Stone, he naturally takes solace in music. But that’s when he discovers the sublime ridiculousness of karaoke, and despite the fact that he can’t carry a tune, he begins to find his voice.

From best-selling author Julie Klam comes a lively and engaging exploration of celebrity: Why celebrities fascinate us, what it means to be famous today, and why celebrities are so important. “When I was young I was convinced celebrities could save me”, Julie Klam admits in The Stars in Our Eyes, her funny and personal exploration of fame and celebrity. As she did for subjects as wide-ranging as dogs, mothers, and friendship, Klam brings her infectious curiosity and crackling wit to the topic of celebrity.

Bloody Crossroads 2020 takes a deep dive into the role that mass-appeal movies, television, videos, and music played in America's political culture in the year of Donald Trump's failed reelection campaign. The book also explores the impact of entertainment celebrities in communications, fundraising, and campaigning to support the election of Joe Biden.

Sneaker Culture is Exploding! This book will challenge you to think critically about purpose, identity, materialism, and eternity. Sneakerheads own anywhere from 25-75 pairs and buy one to four pairs a month. Sneakers used to just be for sports but now they have become one of the biggest fashion items in the world.

A decade ago, millions of Egyptians took to the streets in a people-led revolution that captivated the world’s attention and sent ripples across the Middle East. But the so-called “Arab Spring” quickly faded, and a return to the status quo—of authoritarian rule—was cemented. What happened to the energy and desire for change? In Egypt, the answer lies in its youth, who comprise the bulk of the country’s fast-growing 106 million citizens.

The digital revolution poses a mortal threat to the major creative industries - music, publishing, television, and the movies. The ease with which digital files can be copied and distributed has unleashed a wave of piracy with disastrous effects on revenue. Cheap, easy self-publishing is eroding the position of these gatekeepers and guardians of culture. Does this revolution herald the collapse of culture, as some claim? In Digital Renaissance, Joel Waldfogel argues that digital technology is enabling a new golden age of popular culture, a veritable digital renaissance.

Super Black places the appearance of black superheroes alongside broad and sweeping cultural trends in American politics and pop culture, which reveals how black superheroes are not disposable pop products, but rather a fascinating racial phenomenon through which futuristic expressions and fantastic visions of black racial identity and symbolic political meaning are presented.

Pop culture and parody author Valerie Estelle Frankel examines the sources and predicts a Game of Thrones ending for each one. What will the Ragnarok ending look like? Or the Narnia ending? Who will live, who will die, and how goofy can the war of ice and fire possibly get?

From award-winning journalist and children’s book author Mary Cronk Farrell comes the inspiring and fascinating story of the woman who gave a human face to the Vietnam War. Close-Up on War tells the story of French-born Catherine Leroy, one of the war’s few woman photographers, who documented some of the fiercest fighting in the 20-year conflict. Although she had no formal photographic training and had never before traveled more than a few hundred miles from Paris, Leroy left home at age 21 to travel to Vietnam and document the faces of war.

Best movie quotes for all occasions: That’s where I come in. I’ve scoured the movie world to track down the most appropriate, best movie quotes for every occasion. From weddings to pre-game pep talks, I’ve found the quotes that are moving, inspirational, or just plain hilarious that do more than just remind of the movies they came from. These quotes transcend their stories and enrich your life.

This book features dozens of real-life action hero techniques, including Good Guy Skills, Love Skills, Paranormal Skills, Fighting Skills, and Escape Skills. This dynamic little handbook is everything you need to keep up with the Indiana Joneses. Good luck - we're counting on you.

Das Dossier bietet Einblicke in die Hintergründe der Flutkatastrophe in Hamburg 1962, das Oder-Hochwasser 1997, in das Seebeben/Flutwelle "Tsunami" in Thailand und in den Hurrican Katrina im Süden der USA.

Eine Naturkatastrophe ist eine natürlich entstandene Veränderung der Erdoberfläche oder der Atmosphäre, die auf Lebewesen und deren Umgebung verheerende Auswirkungen hat. Im engeren Sinne kann ein Naturereignis nur dann zur "Katastrophe" werden, wenn es sich auf Menschen auswirkt...

Mittels ihrer Religion richten Menschen ihr Leben an Konzepten eines "sinngebenden Ganzen" aus. Diese in sehr langen Traditionen entstandenen Welterklärungen und Anleitungen zur Lebensbewältigung werden in der westlichen Welt aufgrund christlicher und humanistischer Traditionen häufig mit der Kurzformel "Glaube" zusammengefasst...

In A New America, Tommy Mottola explores the societal and cultural impact the Latino community and its music has had on America by sharing behind-the-scenes stories from his own life and his connection to the Latin sound throughout the decades - from his initial fascination with Latin music which started with Puente, to the mainstream success of Ritchie Valens, to the groove-laden guitar wizardry of Carlos Santana. >But A New America is more than a story about music and musicians. It is the story of a culture that continues to grow and influence America.

What if John Henry had a son? Twelve-year-old Ray is haunted by the strangest memories of his father, whom Ray swears could speak to animals. Now an orphan, Ray jumps from a train going through the American South and falls in with a medicine show train and its stable of sideshow performers. The performers turn out to be heroes, defenders of the wild, including the son of John Henry. They are hiding the last of the mythical Swamp Sirens from an ancient evil known as the Gog.