When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked 'What is a hero?' I remember the glib response I repeated so many times. My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences--a soldier who crawls out of a foxhole to drag an injured buddy to safety. And I also meant individuals who are slightly larger than life: Houdini and Lindbergh, John Wayne, JFK, and Joe DiMaggio. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles: a fifteen-year-old boy who landed on his head while wrestling with his brother, leaving him barely able to swallow or speak; Travis Roy, paralyzed in the first thirty seconds of a hockey game in his freshman year at college. These are real heroes, and so are the families and friends who have stood by them." The whole world held its breath when Christopher Reeve struggled for life on Memorial Day, 1995. On the third jump of a riding competition, Reeve was thrown headfirst from his horse in an accident that broke his neck and left him unable to move or breathe. In the years since then, Reeve has not only survived, but has fought for himself, for his family, and for the hundreds of thousands of people with spinal cord injuries in the United States and around the world. And he has written Still Me, the heartbreaking, funny, courageous, and hopeful story of his life. Chris describes his early success on Broadway opposite the legendary Katherine Hepburn, the adventure of filming Superman on the streets of New York, and how the movie made him a star. He continued to move regularly between film acting and theater work in New York, Los Angeles, and at the WIlliamstown Theatre Festival in the Berkshires. Reunited with his Bostonians director, James Ivory, in 1992, he traveled to England to work with Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins in The Remains of the Day. The Man who cannot move has not stopped moving. He has established a charitable foundation to raise awareness and money for research on spinal cord injuries. His work as director of the HBO film In the Gloaming earned him an Emmy nomination, one of five that the film received. His speeches at the Democratic National Convention and the Academy Awards inspired people around the country and the world. He has testified before Congress on behalf of health insurance legislation, lobbied for increased federal funding for spinal cord research, and developed a working relationship with President Clinton. With dignity and sensitivity, he describes the journey he has made--physically, emotionally, spiritually. He explores his complex relationship with his parents, his efforts to remain a devoted husband and father, and his continuing and heroic battle to rebuild his life. This is the determined, passionate story of one man, a gifted actor and star, and how he and his family came to grips with the kind of devastating, unexplainable shock that fate can bring to any of us. Chris and Dana Reeve have gathered the will and the spirit to create a new life, one responsive and engaged and focused on the future.
The popular actor offers an account of his life, from his early acting career and his rise to stardom as Superman, to the devastating horseback-riding accident that left him paralyzed and his struggle to rebuild his life.
For millions of America's young athletes, winning is everything. Sports programs emphasize success over personal growth. Overzealous parents put tremendous pressure on their kids to succeed, and even parents who mean well often put unintentional stresses on their young athletes. Will You Still Love Me If I Don't Win? teaches parents how to relate positively to their children and demonstrate genuine support. Christopher Andersonn has spent two decades working with young athletes at all levels of sport, from amateurs to Olympians. He shares stories from the field and gives valuable instructions as to how parents can address the emotional needs of their athletic children. Will You Still Love Me If I Don't Win? provides advice for using emotional training as well as physical training to aid children in becoming well-rounded, confident young people. It demonstrates where parents and coaches often go wrong in relating to kids, what causes negative behavior toward children, and how to stop hurting andstart healing. With a foreword by three-time Olympic swimming coach Richard Quick, Will You Still Love Me If I Don't Win? guides parents to motivate their children positively for both personal and athletic achievement.
So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. If we can conquer outer space, we can conquer inner space, too. Christopher Reeve has mastered the art of turning the impossible into the inevitable. In Nothing Is Impossible, the author of the bestselling autobiography Still Me shows that we are all capable of overcoming seemingly insurmountable hardships. He interweaves anecdotes from his own life with excerpts from speeches and interviews he’s given and with evocative photos taken by his son Matthew. Reeve teaches us that for able-bodied people, paralysis is a choice—a choice to live with self-doubt and a fear of taking risks—and that it is not an acceptable one. Reeve knows from experience that the work of conquering inner space is hard and that it requires some suffering—after all, nothing worth having is easy to get. He asks challenging questions about why it seems so difficult—if not impossible—for us to work together as a society. He steers the reader gently, offering his reflections and guidance but not the pat answers that often characterize inspirational works. Published on the eve of both his fiftieth birthday and the seventh anniversary of his spinal cord injury, Christopher Reeve’s Nothing Is Impossible reminds us that life is not to be taken for granted but to be lived fully with zeal, curiosity, and gratitude. That is a powerful message in itself, but it is the messenger who gives it its full resonance.
Brothers Anthony and Christopher Donnelly were raised in, and grew up surrounded by, what was allegedly one the UK's most legendary and elusive crime families - Manchester's Quality Street Gang. How they found riches and fame as celebrated fashion kings is one of the most astonishing stories in the history of the rag trade. In their early twenties, as Acid House and street clothing pioneers, they were called both 'ambassadors for a generation' by Vivienne Westwood and 'a menace to society' by Parliament. Their fashion label, Gio-Goi, became a worldwide hit at the height of the 'Madchester' phenomenon, sported by the Happy Mondays, New Order, The Stone Roses and many more. Then, in 1994, Anthony and Chris were arrested as part of a huge police investigation into the Quality Street Gang, and the Donnelly Brothers lost everything amid lurid 'drugs and guns' headlines. After years in the wilderness, they made a remarkable comeback in 2005 with Pete Doherty (then dating Kate Moss) designing a high-profile collection for the re-launched Gio-Goi. Further attention-grabbing headlines featuring Robbie Williams, Arctic Monkeys, Liam Gallagher, Kasabian, Rihanna, Amy Winehouse, Plan B, Calvin Harris and Deadmau5 emphasised the label's runaway success. The Donnelly Brothers were more notorious than ever as Gio-Goi hit the top of The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 in 2009 with a £19 million turnover (and would peak at £40 million annual turnover). They bought a pub, promoted club nights in Ibiza with Cream, made award winning pop videos and launched new fashion label, Your Own [YO]. Gio-Goi was hit by further scandal in 2013 and a spectacular crash saw investors, including The Donnelly Brothers, lose millions. The saga of the brand continues. Anthony and Christopher's journey from creeping and rifling safes, ticket touting and bootlegging pop merchandise to the front page of Vogue is told here for the first time - in their own words.
Christopher Sparks asked Facebook friends to finish the question: “How can you still be Catholic when … ?” The replies came swiftly and forcefully. With that, Sparks went to work. Here is the result. In this book, he addresses the biggest issues people grapple with when they think about the Catholic Church: the Inquisition, the Crusades, the Church’s role in a state, homosexuality, the role of women in the Church, and many others.For skeptics and non-Catholics, this book is an invitation to understanding the faith, a way for outsiders to hear one contemporary Catholic’s worldview, and to see through Catholic eyes, even if they remain unconvinced. For Catholics, this book is an introduction to an array of answers and resources for delving more deeply into and defending the faith.
A stunningly illustrated guide to the wonderful world of hummingbirds With their glorious colors, glittering iridescence, astonishing powers of flight, and many characteristics unique in the world of birds, hummingbirds are extraordinary—true jewels of nature. This beautiful book is a celebration of all aspects of hummingbirds and their world. It features hundreds of the most spectacular photographs of hummingbirds ever taken, exquisite illustrations, and a lively, readable text that presents the latest scientific information and includes up-to-date details about every species. A familiar sight across much of the Americas, hummingbirds have long captured the imagination and played an important part in myths, legends, and other aspects of human culture. Today, hummingbirds are among the most popular of all birds, sought after by serious and casual birders alike. They inspire questions in anyone lucky enough to see them. How can they fly like that? Why are they so colorful? How many are there? Where and how do they live? How do they survive? This book answers these and many other questions, providing an enlightening and enjoyable guide to hummingbirds that can only deepen their wonder. A definitive yet accessible account of all aspects of hummingbird life More than 540 spectacular color photographs, illustrating all 101 hummingbird genera and over two-thirds of the world’s 369 species Specially commissioned illustrations revealing details of anatomy and behavior Meticulously researched facts and figures on status, population, distribution, and conservation designations of all the world’s hummingbirds
Christopher Sparks asked Facebook friends to finish the question: “How can you still be Catholic when … ?” The replies came swiftly and forcefully. With that, Sparks went to work. Here is the result. In this book, he addresses the biggest issues people grapple with when they think about the Catholic Church: the Inquisition, the Crusades, the Church’s role in a state, homosexuality, the role of women in the Church, and many others.For skeptics and non-Catholics, this book is an invitation to understanding the faith, a way for outsiders to hear one contemporary Catholic’s worldview, and to see through Catholic eyes, even if they remain unconvinced. For Catholics, this book is an introduction to an array of answers and resources for delving more deeply into and defending the faith.
An immersive exploration of the nightly presence that has captured our imagination for the entirety of human history. "When the Moon rises between buildings or over trees, it’s not just a beautiful light: It’s an archive of human longing, fear and adventure. The Moon is more than a rock. It’s a story.” In the luminously told Still s Bright, the story of the Moon traverses time and space, rendering a range of human experiences—from the beliefs of ancient cultures to the science of Galileo’s telescopic discoveries, from the obsessions of colorful 19th century “selenographers” to the astronauts of Apollo and, now, Artemis. Still As Bright also traces Cokinos's own lunar pilgrimage. With his backyard telescope, he explores the surface of the Moon, while rooted in places both domestic and wild, and this award-winning poet and writer rediscovers feelings of solace, love and wonder in the midst of loss and change. Simultaneously steeped in rigorous cultural and scientific history, as well as memoir, Still As Bright is a thoughtful, deeply moving, evergreen natural history. It takes readers on a lyrical journey that spans the human understanding of our closest celestial neighbor, whose multi-faceted appeal has worked on witches, scientists, poets, engineers and even billionaires. Still As Bright is a must-read for anyone who has ever looked up into the night sky in awe and wonder. Readers will never look at the Moon the same way again.
The American South has experienced remarkable change over the past half century. Black voter registration has increased, the region's politics have shifted from one-party Democratic to the near-domination of the Republican Party, and in-migration has increased its population manyfold. At the same time, many outward signs of regional distinctiveness have faded--chain restaurants have replaced mom-and-pop diners, and the interstate highway system connects the region to the rest of the country. Given all of these changes, many have argued that southern identity is fading. But here, Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts show how these changes have allowed for new types of southern identity to emerge. For some, identification with the South has become more about a connection to the region's folkways or to place than about policy or ideology. For others, the contemporary South is all of those things at once--a place where many modern-day southerners navigate the region's confusing and omnipresent history. Regardless of how individuals see the South, this study argues that the region's drastic political, racial, and cultural changes have not lessened the importance of southern identity but have played a key role in keeping regional identification relevant in the twenty-first century.
The Beautiful Noise in My Head is a journey through Caribbean waves and the spirits that occupy the coconut trees. This book of poetry travels the world and generations. It unearths the voices of ghosts, which had been lost for a while. With each poem, a vast amount of emotions will be incited in the reader, leaving a casualty of feelings to be reconciled. The book revisits the doorsteps of slaves and fallen victims of the streets. It exposes the candy stealer of the wealthy and gives independence to poor people's fingers. These voices that were circumcised at birth will finally be able to sit at the table and enjoy the same meal as a result of the words that perfume each page of this book. From the revealing "Conversation with a Whiteman" to the provoking "Hollywood Crack House," The Beautiful Noise in My Head travels at a high-rate speed never letting the reader take a breath. They are the sounds the author heard while the quiet became loud with each step taken in a foreign land.
Writing about the arts in South Africa is a tricky proposition. Trying to keep up with the country's politics is a fool's errand. Yet these are the twin tasks set before Chris Thurman moonlighting as an arts critic and occasional socio-political commentator. In this book, the many frontiers between art and politics are made explicit. When reading its 'dispatches' -grouped thematically and framed by introductory letters-context is key. A week is a long time in politics; the twists and turns in the South African and global current affairs create an intriguing dialogue between the columns, polemics, essays and reviews collected here. "Still at Large" presents itself as an historical barometer or thermometer, indicating the pressure and heat of particular moments in time. Along the way, in a voice shifting from the journalistic to the academic and from chatty to critical, Thurman plays various roles: guide, provocateur, companion, campaigner, raconteur, castigator, confidant and teacher. He may not be a consistent correspondent, but he is good company. (Series: African Humanities) [Subject: South African Studies, Politics, Art]
An immersive exploration of the nightly presence that has captured our imagination for the entirety of human history. "When the Moon rises between buildings or over trees, it’s not just a beautiful light: It’s an archive of human longing, fear and adventure. The Moon is more than a rock. It’s a story.” In the luminously told Still s Bright, the story of the Moon traverses time and space, rendering a range of human experiences—from the beliefs of ancient cultures to the science of Galileo’s telescopic discoveries, from the obsessions of colorful 19th century “selenographers” to the astronauts of Apollo and, now, Artemis. Still As Bright also traces Cokinos's own lunar pilgrimage. With his backyard telescope, he explores the surface of the Moon, while rooted in places both domestic and wild, and this award-winning poet and writer rediscovers feelings of solace, love and wonder in the midst of loss and change. Simultaneously steeped in rigorous cultural and scientific history, as well as memoir, Still As Bright is a thoughtful, deeply moving, evergreen natural history. It takes readers on a lyrical journey that spans the human understanding of our closest celestial neighbor, whose multi-faceted appeal has worked on witches, scientists, poets, engineers and even billionaires. Still As Bright is a must-read for anyone who has ever looked up into the night sky in awe and wonder. Readers will never look at the Moon the same way again.
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