Outrageous demagogue or charismatic visionary? In this powerful new biography, Richard D. White, Jr. , brings Huey Long to life in all his blazing, controversial glory. From the moment he took office as governor in 1928 to the day an assassin’s bullet cut him down in1935, Huey Long wielded all but dictatorial control over the state of Louisiana. A man of shameless ambition and ruthless vindictiveness, Huey orchestrated elections, hired and fired thousands at will, and deployed the state militia as his personal police force. And yet, paradoxically, as governor and later as senator, Huey did more good for the state’s poor and uneducated than any politician before or since. With Kingfish, White has crafted a balanced, lucid, and absolutely spellbinding portrait of the life and times of the most incendiary figure in American politics.

Wolff chronicles the tumultuous events of his early life, discussing his parents' divorce, the nomadic wanderings with his mother that followed, and the strange and eventful process of growing up. Book available. Fiction writer Tobias Wolff electrified critics with his scarifying 1989 memoir, which many deemed as notable for its artful structure and finely wrought prose as for the events it describes. The story is pretty grim: Teenaged Wolff moves with his divorced mother from Florida to Utah to Washington State to escape her violent boyfriend. When she remarries, Wolff finds himself in a bitter battle of wills with his abusive stepfather, a contest in which the two prove to be more evenly matched than might have been supposed. Deception, disguise, and illusion are the weapons the young man learns to employ as he grows up-not bad training for a writer-to-be. Somber though this tale of family strife is, it is also darkly funny and so artistically satisfying that most readers come away exhilarated rather than depressed.

Both George Painter's and Andre Maurois's biographies were written too early to take advantage of the first reliable edition of Proust's correspondence, or of the manuscripts and corrected proofs which Suzy Mante-Proust sold to the Bibliotheque Nationale. Hayman argues that Painter was wrong to say Proust invented nothing, that "Remembrance of Things Past" is not, properly speaking, a fiction but a creative autobiography, and that Proust invented a lot, not only in his fictions but in his letters, which are full of distortions and exaggerations.

Were It Not for Grace gives twelve prominent Christian women the platform to share their stories about how God has had his hand on their lives. The heart of each of these ladies bears the indelible fingerprint of a God who has pursued them, healed them, and held them in their times of trial. Be enriched, moved, and inspired by the personal testimonies of these high profile, wonderful women of God:First Lady Laura BushCondoleezza RiceKay Coles JamesJoyce WrightLeslie ParrottJoni Eareckson TadaBeth MooreKathy GallagherJill BriscoeJoyce PennerNancy AlcornAnne Paulk.

Now hailed as a classic, Carlos Baker's bestselling biography of Hemingway brings into sharp focus one of the titans of 20th-century American literature, a writer whose life itself was the stuff of legend. 11 cassettes.

Married for political reasons at the age of fourteen, Marie Antoinette was naïve, impetuous, and ill-equipped for the role in which history cast her. From her birth in Vienna in 1755 through her turbulent, unhappy marriage, the bloody turmoil of the French Revolution, her trial for high treason during which she was accused of incest, and her final beheading, Marie Antoinette’s life was a tragic tale of disastrous circumstances colliding. Drawing upon her diaries, letters, court records, and memoirs, Evelyne Lever paints a vivid portrait of Marie Antoinette, her inner circle, and the lavish court life at Versailles. What emerges is a surprisingly average woman thrust into a position for which she was wholly unprepared, a combination that proved disastrous both for her and for France. This highly readable translation of French historian Evelyne Lever's 1991 biography captures all the drama and pathos of Marie Antoinette's short life. Born in 1755, this carefree, fun-loving daughter of Austrian empress Maria Theresa inherited neither her mother's political shrewdness nor her sense of duty. She was married off at 14 to the stolid, clumsy French Dauphin, who would not fully consummate their marriage for another seven years, at which point he was King Louis XVI and their marital difficulties were the subject of public ridicule. She consoled herself by retreating to the artificial village she constructed at Trianon, where she could be free of the court etiquette she hated and indulge in expensive amusements that only increased her unpopularity. Her rare incursions into politics were just as ill judged; she alienated the French nobility with attempts to further Austria's diplomatic goals, and from the first rumblings of revolution in 1788, she influenced Louis to take a hard line on royal power when compromise might have saved the monarchy and prevented their executions in 1793. Lever does not soften Marie Antoinette's faults or downplay her poor judgment, but most readers will finish this absorbing narrative feeling very sorry for a pretty, goodhearted, but fundamentally frivolous woman thrown into a historical moment whose demands were beyond her. [+]

In this timely and significant Bookcassette, Studs Terkel interweaves the experiences and opinions of a variety of people - blacks and whites, men and women - from all walks of life. As one of our greatest interviewers, he encourages people to speak their minds with great frankness about the subject of race and about their perceptions of the leadership in Washington. Nearly a hundred Americans talk openly about attitudes that few are willing to admit in public. While the problems of race have existed since the first slave ship landed in colonial America, it is compelling to be reminded that we still have two separate and unequal societies in this country.

With her unmistakable voice and honest lyrics, Amy Grant has captured a unique place in American music. As the best-selling Christian music artist of all time, a cross-over pop sensation, and the wife of country music star Vince Gill, Amy has lived much of her life in the spotlight, subject to adulation, speculation, and scrutiny. Now for the first time she bares her heart and soul to reveal thoughts on everything from motherhood and marriage to fame and forgiveness. Whether describing personal moments alone on a moonlit hillside or very public ones performing with the likes of Tony Bennett and James Taylor, Amy presents a captivating collection of beautiful reflections on life, love, and faith. Rendered with the lyrical insight we see in her music, Amy reflects on the pieces of her life through the years, forming a vivid mosaic of memories rich in color, varied in texture, and united in their heartfelt design. “Thanks to writing and remembering, I’m re-inspired to value both the mundane and magical moments. In trying to capture a few memories as best as I can, I give myself the gift of treasuring what has been so far a very full and meaningful life. I hope you will do the same with yours. ” - Amy Grant.

Part One Of Two Parts Ulysses Grant showed little aptitude for the common careers open to young men, so he went off to West Point. He showed no great scholastic aptitude, fared better during the Mexican War, but when that contest was over he returned home. It was all downhill - from farmer to collector of rents to shop clerk. To such a man the Civil War spelled opportunity. Grant reached out and took it. His early war years in the Mississippi theatre were brilliant. His ruthless pursuit of victory brought him to Linclon's notice. Grant never looked back. In war he was strong and decisive, but these virtues did not last. His years as president were a disgrace and only when he again found himself in battle, his last with cancer, did he summon his heroic energies.

Now you can listen to Stephen Callahan, the author, tell of his historic raft voyage - one of the great sea adventure stories of all time! When his sloop sank west of the Canary Islands, he was adrift alone in a small raft for 76 days with only three pounds of food and eight pints of water. He drifted 1,000 miles to the Caribbean. His story is exciting, devastating, courageous and historic, for he is the only man to have survived more than a month alone at sea in an inflatable raft. Listen to another true adventure in Bookcassette Audio.