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Shanghai Grand : forbidden love and international intrigue on the eve of the Second World War / by Grescoe, Taras,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."On the eve of WWII, the foreign-controlled port of Shanghai was the rendezvous for the twentieth century's most outlandish adventurers, all under the watchful eye of the fabulously wealthy Sir Victor Sassoon. Emily 'Mickey' Hahn was a legendary New Yorker journalist whose vivid writing played a crucial role in opening Western eyes to the realities of life in China. At the height of the Depression, Hahn arrived in Shanghai after a disappointing affair with an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter, convinced she will never love again. After checking in to Sassoon's glamorous Cathay Hotel, Hahn is absorbed into the social swirl of the expats drawn to pre-war China, among them Ernest Hemingway, Martha Gellhorn, Harold Acton, and a colourful gangster named Morris 'Two-Gun' Cohen. But when she meets Zau Sinmay, a Chinese poet from an illustrious family, she discovers the real Shanghai through his eyes: the city of rich colonials, triple agents, opium-smokers, displaced Chinese peasants, and increasingly desperate White Russian and Jewish refugees--places her innate curiosity will lead her to explore first hand. Danger lurks on the horizon, though, as the brutal Japanese occupation destroys the seductive world of pre-war Shanghai, paving the way for Mao Tse-tung's Communists rise to power"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Biographies.; Hahn, Emily, 1905-1997; Hahn, Emily, 1905-1997; Sassoon, Elias Victor, 1881-1961; Cathay Hotel (Shanghai, China); Adventure and adventurers; Aliens; Americans; Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945;

Through the glass ceiling to the stars : the story of the first American woman to command a space mission / by Collins, Eileen(Eileen Marie),1956-author.; Ward, Jonathan H.,author.;
"The long-awaited memoir of a trailblazer and role model who is telling her story for the first time. Eileen Collins was an aviation pioneer her entire career, from her crowning achievements as the first woman to command an American space mission as well as the first to pilot the space shuttle to her early years as one of the Air Force's first female pilots. She was in the first class of women to earn pilot's wings at Vance Air Force Base and was their first female instructor pilot. She was only the second woman admitted to the Air Force's elite Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base. NASA had such confidence in her skills as a leader and pilot that she was entrusted to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster, returning the US to spaceflight after a two-year hiatus. Since retiring from the Air Force and NASA, she has served on numerous corporate boards and is an inspirational speaker about space exploration and leadership. Eileen Collins is among the most recognized and admired women in the world, yet this is the first time she has told her story in a book. It is a story not only of achievement and overcoming obstacles but of profound personal transformation. The shy, quiet child of an alcoholic father and struggling single mother, who grew up in modest circumstances and was an unremarkable student, she had few prospects when she graduated from high school, but she changed her life to pursue her secret dream of becoming an astronaut. She shares her leadership and life lessons throughout the book with the aim of inspiring and passing on her legacy to a new generation."--Provided by the publisher.
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Collins, Eileen (Eileen Marie), 1956-; Air pilots; Astronauts; Women air pilots; Women astronauts;

All fall down : a novel / by Weiner, Jennifer.;
"Allison Weiss has a great job ... a handsome husband ... an adorable daughter ... and a secret. Allison Weiss is a typical working mother, trying to balance a business, aging parents, a demanding daughter, and a marriage. But when the website she develops takes off, she finds herself challenged to the point of being completely overwhelmed. Her husband's becoming distant, her daughter's acting spoiled, her father is dealing with early Alzheimer's, and her mother's barely dealing at all. As she struggles to hold her home and work life together, and meet all of the needs of the people around her, Allison finds that the painkillers she was prescribed for a back injury help her deal with more than just physical discomfort--they help her feel calm and get her through her increasingly hectic days. Sure, she worries a bit that the bottles seem to empty a bit faster each week, but it's not like she's some Hollywood starlet partying all night, or a homeless person who's lost everything. It's not as if she has an actual problem. However, when Allison's use gets to the point that she can no longer control--or hide--it, she ends up in a world she never thought she'd experience outside of a movie theater: rehab. Amid the teenage heroin addicts, the alcoholic grandmothers, the barely-trained "recovery coaches," and the counselors who seem to believe that one mode of recovery fits all, Allison struggles to get her life back on track, even as she's convincing herself that she's not as bad off as the women around her. With a sparkling comedic touch and tender, true-to-life characterizations, All Fall Down is a tale of empowerment and redemption and Jennifer Weiner's richest, most absorbing and timely story yet"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Self-realization in women; Women drug addicts;

True west : Sam Shepard's life, work, and times / by Greenfield, Robert,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."An intimate portrait of the iconic playwright, actor, and director Sam Shepard, whose wide-ranging and enduring body of work places him at the center of the American canon, from an award-winning biographer. True West is the story of an American icon, a lasting portrait of Sam Shepard as he really was, revealed by those who knew him best. This sweeping biography charts Shepard's long and complicated journey from a small town in southern California to his standing as an internationally known playwright and movie star. The son of an alcoholic father, Shepard crafted a public persona as an authentic American archetype: the loner, the cowboy, the drifter, a stranger in a strange land. Despite his great critical and financial success, he seemed, like so many of his characters, to remain perpetually dispossessed. Much like Robert Greenfield's biographies of Jerry Garcia and Timothy Leary, this book delves deeply into Shepard's life as well as the ways in which his work illuminates it. True West takes readers through the world of downtown theater in lower Manhattan in the early sixties, the jazz scene at the Village Gate, fringe theatre in London in the seventies, Bob Dylan's legendary Rolling Thunder tour, the making of classic films like Zabriskie Point, Days of Heaven, and The Right Stuff, and Broadway productions of Buried Child, True West, and Fool for Love. For this definitive biography, Greenfield interviewed dozens of people who knew Shepard well, many of whom had never before spoken on the record about him. While exploring his relationships with Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Jessica Lange across the long arc of his brilliant career, Greenfield makes the case for Shepard not just as a great American writer but a unique figure who first brought the sensibility of rock 'n' roll to serious theater"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Shepard, Sam, 1943-2017.; Actors; Dramatists, American;

Mayo Clinic on high blood pressure : your personal guide to managing hypertension / by Schwartz, Gary L.,editor.; Mayo Clinic,issuing body.;
An estimated 1.28 billion adults worldwide have hypertension. And about half don't even know they have it. That's because high blood pressure develops with no signs or symptoms ... until it has caused serious damage. Mayo Clinic on high blood pressure offers information and tools to help you keep blood pressure from building to dangerous levels. By taking specific steps, you can live well with high blood pressure -- and even keep it from ever forming. In this book, Gary Schwartz, M.D., tells you how. You'll learn how high blood pressure develops, what puts you at risk, how it's diagnosed and treated, and how to reduce your risk of conditions associated with it. While blood pressure naturally rises with age, it's not guaranteed that you'll develop high blood pressure-even if it runs in your family. And if you have high blood pressure already, you can take action to correct it and improve your health, all with simple, everyday choices. Mayo Clinic on high blood pressure offers a solid understanding of the ways you can control your blood pressure -- and your future. The steps outlined in this book will help you reach a healthy blood pressure level and live well for years to come.
Subjects: Self-instructional works.; Hypertension; Hypertension.; Self-care, Health.;

For the love of a son : a memoir of addiction, loss, and hope / by Oake, Scott,author.; Hingston, Michael,author.;
"Since 2016, Canada has seen more than 40,000 deaths from opioid overdoses. When veteran Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Scott Oake first held his infant son, Bruce, in his arms, he could have never imagined that just 25 years later, Bruce would become part of those staggering numbers. In those early days, Scott, a new father, watched Bruce with awe, marveling at the potential of his funny, charismatic boy. As Bruce got older, though, he struggled to fit in at school and began showing signs of having ADHD, including a streak of impulsiveness that often got him into trouble. Scott and his wife, Anne, did their best to support him, and for a time, he found community and belonging in boxing and local rap battles, but when Bruce was pulled into a world of drugs and gangs, Scott and Anne got a crash course in the reality of loving someone battling substance use disorder. Then one quiet day, Scott got the phone call that haunts everyone: Bruce had accidentally overdosed. At just twenty-five, Scott's vibrant, creative, first-born son was gone forever. It was a loss that could have broken a man, a marriage, a family -- but Scott, Anne, and their younger son Darcy instead turned the worst day of their lives into a way to help the thousands of Canadians struggling with addiction. After nearly a decade of fundraising and battling red tape and political machinations they launched the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre, a free, revolutionary treatment centre staffed by addicts and alcoholics in recovery. For the Love of a Son is the story of a father's unconditional love for his son. It's also a tale of a broken country's failing response to the opioid crisis -- what has been called a national epidemic. Above all, it's the story of a young man who never got to finish growing up and a family who would do anything to give others every possible chance to find their way home"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Oake, Bruce, 1985-2011; Oake, Scott; Drug addicts; Fathers and sons; Parents of drug addicts; Sons; Sons;

Future weather [videorecording] / by Deller, Jenny.; Fairweather, Kristin.; Haney-Jardine, Perla,1997-; Ireland, Marin.; Jain, Anubhav.; Madigan, Amy.; Sadler, William,1950-; Taylor, Lili.; Lipstick Pictures (Firm); Virgil Films (Firm);
Editor, Shelby Siegel ; director of photography, Zak Mulligan ; music, Erik Friedlander.Amy Madigan, William Sadler, Perla Haney-Jardine, Lily Taylor, Marin Ireland, Anubhav Jain.Lauduree is a 13-year-old loner, passionate about nature and obsessed with ecological disaster. Greta, her grandmother, is a nurse jaded by alcohol and disappointment. When Lauduree is abruptly abandoned by her dreamer single mom, she decides to take survival into her own hands, forcing her and Greta to rethink their futures.PG.DVD, NTSC region 1, widescreen (16:9) presentation.
Subjects: Abandoned children; Coming-of-age films.; Environmentalists; Feature films.; Grandparent and child; Grandparents as parents;
© c2013., Virgil Films,

The heart guy. [videorecording] / by Bisley, Steve,1951-actor.; Bursill, Tina,1951-actor.; Corser, Rodger,1973-actor.; McElhinney, Hayley,1974-actor.; Acorn Media (Firm),publisher.; Easy Tiger (Firm),production company.; National Nine Network (Australia),production company.;
Writers, Tony McNamara, Liz Doran, Tamara Asmar, Gretel Vella, Timothy Lee, Angela McDonald ; directors, Geoff Bennett, Lucy Gaffy, Ian Watson, Jennifer Leacey, Ben Chessell.Rodger Corser, Hayley McElhinney, Tina Bursill, Steve Bisley, Nicole da Silva.Hugh Knight is a renowned heart surgeon in Sydney, who believes he can live outside the rules. But after an incident involving drugs and alcohol, he is banned from surgery. Forced to work as a local doctor, Hugh retreats to rural Wyhope, his rarely visited hometown, which, he assumes, will be distraction-free. He couldn't be more wrong.14A.DVD ; widescreen presentation ; Dolby Digital stereophonic.
Subjects: Fiction television programs.; Television programs.; Heart surgeons; Physicians; Small cities; Interpersonal relations;
For private home use only.

Return to the river : reflections on life choices during a pandemic / by Pelzer, David J.,author.;
From #1 international bestselling author, speaker, and humanitarian Dave Pelzer comes the next chapter in his life--how, after spending decades saving others in the military, as a fire captain, and an internationally acclaimed advocate, he needs to confront a way to save himself. On the surface, Dave Pelzer's life seems like an action movie--he's walked the red carpet with celebrities and stood shoulder to shoulder with soldiers in Iraq; he's flown top-secret missions for the U.S. Air Force, obtaining the rank of chief, and battled wildfires in California as a volunteer fire captain. And now--on the eve of the 50-year anniversary of this rescue from horrific childhood of abuse and into the safety of the foster care system--he reflects on the battles he's fighting in his own heart. From a lifetime spent serving and saving others, can he learn how to serve and save himself? Banished to his basement at age five, Dave Pelzer had cried a river of tears before most children learned to tie their shoes. His now classic books, A Child Called "It" and The Lost Boy, chronicled how he was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who nearly killed him multiple times. But despite the odds stacked against him, he rose to become a #1 New York Times bestselling author, inspirational speaker, and internationally recognized humanitarian. After fighting for years to vanquish his pain and to channel it into service for others, Pelzer sifts through the psychological rubble of a life that has seemingly crumbled around him. What he shares is deeply transformative and unflinchingly honest. In his struggle to simply survive, he never learned how to just be. Reeling from the loss of a love--and a broken spirit--Pelzer must reconcile his life choices and free himself of blame and shame to find peace and renewed purpose. Amidst the towering redwood trees and the serenity of his childhood utopia of the Russian River, Pelzer reflects on having the courage to move forward in your life, the peace to accept yourself, the vulnerability to strip yourself of facades, and to find the tenacity to carry on when life doesn't turn out the way you planned. For anyone who has been hurt, victimized, or feels alone, there is hope and there is always a way to rewrite your own story. Pelzer's soulful and inspiring story will remind you to keep your faith, live with gratitude, and find the well of resilience deep within you.
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Pelzer, David J.; Adult child abuse victims; Choice (Psychology); COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-; Resilience (Personality trait); Self-acceptance.; Self-esteem.; Self-realization.;

Reagan : an American journey / by Spitz, Bob,author.;
"From New York Times bestselling biographer Bob Spitz, a full and rich biography of an epic American life, capturing what made Ronald Reagan both so beloved and so transformational. More than five years in the making, based on hundreds of interviews and access to previously unavailable documents, and infused with irresistible storytelling charm, Bob Spitz's Reagan stands fair to be the first truly post-partisan biography of our 40th President, and thus a balm for our own bitterly divided times. It is the quintessential American triumph, brought to life with cinematic vividness: a young man is born into poverty and raised in a series of flyspeck towns in the Midwest by a pious mother and a reckless, alcoholic, largely absent father. Severely near-sighted, the boy lives in his own world, a world of the popular books of the day, and finds his first brush with popularity, even fame, as a young lifeguard. Thanks to his first great love, he imagines a way out, and makes the extraordinary leap to go to college, a modest school by national standards, but an audacious presumption in the context of his family's station. From there, the path is only very dimly lit, but it leads him, thanks to his great charm and greater luck, to a solid career as a radio sportscaster, and then, astonishingly, fatefully, to Hollywood. And the rest, as they say, is history. Bob Spitz's Reagan is an absorbing, richly detailed, even revelatory chronicle of the full arc of Ronald Reagan's epic life - giving full weight to the Hollywood years, his transition to politics and rocky but ultimately successful run as California governor, and ultimately, of course, his iconic presidency, filled with storm and stress but climaxing with his peace talks with the Soviet Union that would serve as his greatest legacy. It is filled with fresh assessments and shrewd judgments, and doesn't flinch from a full reckoning with the man's strengths and limitations. This is no hagiography: Reagan was never a brilliant student, of anything, and his disinterest in hard-nosed political scheming, while admirable, meant that this side of things was left to the other people in his orbit, not least his wife Nancy; sometimes this delegation could lead to chaos, and worse. But what emerges as a powerful signal through all the noise is an honest inherent sweetness, a gentleness of nature and willingness to see the good in people and in this country, that proved to be a tonic for America in his time, and still is in ours. It was famously said that FDR had a first-rate disposition and a second-rate intellect. Perhaps it is no accident that only FDR had as high a public approval rating leaving office as Reagan did, or that in the years since Reagan has been closing in on FDR on rankings of Presidential greatness. Written with love and irony, which in a great biography is arguably the same thing, Bob Spitz's masterpiece will give no comfort to partisans at either extreme; for the rest of us, it is cause for celebration"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Reagan, Ronald.; Presidents; Governors; Motion picture actors and actresses;

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