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Small acts of courage : a legacy of endurance and the fight for democracy / by Velshi, Ali,author.;
"A captivating family history that illustrates how small actions can have an outsized political impact. Small acts of courage matter. Sometimes, they change the world. Our history books are filled with the stories of those who fought for democracy and freedom -- for idealism itself-against all odds, from Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. These iconic struggles for social change illustrate the importance of engagement and activism, and offer a template for the battles we are fighting today. But using the right words is often easier than taking action; action can be hard, and costly. More than a century ago, MSNBC host Ali Velshi's great-grandfather sent his seven-year-old son to live at Tolstoy Farm, Gandhi's ashram in South Africa. This difficult decision would change the trajectory of his family history forever. From childhood, Velshi's grandfather was imbued with an ethos of public service and social justice, and a belief in absolute equality among all people -- ideals that his children carried forward as they escaped apartheid, emigrating to Kenya and ultimately Canada and the United States. In Small Acts of Courage, Velshi taps into 125 years of family history to advocate for social justice as a living, breathing experience -- a way of life more than an ideology. With rich detail and vivid prose, he relates the stories of regular people who made a lasting commitment to fight for change, even when success seemed impossible. This heartfelt exploration of how we can breathe new life into the principles of pluralistic democracy is an urgent call to action -- for progress to be possible, we must all do whatever we can to make a difference"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Velshi, Ali.; Canadians; Immigrants; Muslims; Television journalists; Television personalities;

Water confidential : witnessing justice denied--the fight for safe drinking water in Indigenous and rural communities in Canada / by Blacklin, Susan,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."In Water Confidential, Susan Blacklin (formerly Sue Peterson) revisits the important work of her late ex-husband, Dr. Hans Peterson. Beginning in 1996, Peterson, growing frustrated with his work in government funded research in Saskatchewan, brought attention to the desperate need for equal access to safe drinking water after a health inspector encouraged him to visit the Yellow Quill First Nation. In response to the issue, he developed biological technology for effective water treatment, still in use today. Peterson and Blacklin joined forces with scientists from around the world to establish the registered national charity, the Safe Drinking Water Foundation. The SDWF developed accredited education programs for schools across Canada, while also educating the general public and Water Treatment Operators from Indigenous communities. Advocacy became a high priority when they discovered a variety of challenges to their mission, including questionable government practices that were blocking the reality of safe drinking water in First Nations communities. As committed activists, it became their life's work to ensure that access to Peterson's technology was available to all rural and First Nations communities. Thirty years later, the majority of First Nations communities in Canada continue to face atrocious health issues as a result of unsafe drinking water. Blacklin, now retired, shares her deep concerns at the indifference, corruption, and lack of due diligence from all levels of government in response to the safe water movement. She echoes the work of the SDWF stating that Canada needs to implement federal drinking water regulations, and that a responsible government should use rather than abuse science when accurately determining Boil Water Advisories and addressing the deplorable state of access to potable water. In this passionate and timely memoir, Blacklin shares her experiences with fundraising, activism and lobbying work. She reveals the complexities of negotiating between cultures, communities and the provincial and federal government. Blacklin emphasizes that ensuring safe drinking water to each and every First Nations community should be the top priority toward reconciliation with Indigenous people of Canada."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Blacklin, Susan.; Drinking water; Drinking water; Human rights workers; Right to water; Water quality management; Water-supply; First Nations; First Nations;

The godmother : murder, vengeance, and the bloody struggle of mafia women / by Nadeau, Barbie Latza,author.;
"The untold stories of the women who have risen to prominence and notoriety in Italy's mafia-many more ruthless than the fathers and husbands they replaced-and the octogenarian murderer who decades ago blazed a bloody trail for them to follow. In 1955 in a public market outside Naples, Italy, a pregnant teenage widow named Assunta "Pupetta" Maresca encounters the man she believes to be her husband's killer. Minutes later, police find the man dead, riddled with an astonishing 29 bullets. Pupetta is arrested and convicted for his death. "I killed for love," she declares in court, "and I'd do it again!" It is the middle of the twentieth century. Italy is impoverished after the war. Criminal organization are springing up where governments fail their citizens. Women are considered adjunct to the growth of the criminal class; they are mothers who train sons in the primacy of blood feuds, or they are daughters and sisters who deliver messages for imprisoned male relatives. But Pupetta changes that. She is heralded "Lady Camorra," and in prison she takes on legendary stature, with films and TV shows produced to capitalize on her outlaw image. The crime and even the killing does not stop there for Pupetta, and though she is arguably the first mafia godmother, she is not the worst. Some of the women who follow in her footsteps will meet terrible fates; others will lead their clans. But if CNN correspondent and Daily Beast Rome bureau chief makes one thing clear in The Godmother, it's that as women seize ever more control of Italy's criminal underworld, they are proving themselves more vicious, cunning and cutthroat than the men they replace."--
Subjects: True crime stories.; Mafia; Women and the mafia;

The lonely century : how to restore human connection in a world that's pulling apart / by Hertz, Noreena,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."An economist takes on the most urgent social issue of our time, exploring the evolution of the global loneliness crisis, the sweeping impact of social isolation during the coronavirus, and the opportunities a post-Covid world presents to reverse these trends-by finding new ways to reconnect with each other, our communities, and even our democracy. Even before the global pandemic brought terms like "social distancing" into the vernacular, loneliness was well on its way to becoming the defining trait of the twenty-first century. Today, nearly half of adults in the United States report feeling lonely, and more than twenty percent of millennials say they have "no friends at all." All around us, the fabric of community is unraveling. And technology isn't the lone culprit. Rather, the crisis stems from the dismantling of civic institutions, the radical reorganization of the workplace, mass urban migration, and decades of neoliberal policies that placed self-interest above the collective good. On one hand, the prolonged period spent under lockdown has accelerated these trends: from remote work to contactless commerce to the hollowing out of shared public spaces. On the other, it has sharpened our awareness of the toll isolation takes on our families, our communities, and our mental health. This is not merely a mental health crisis. Loneliness increases our risk of heart disease, cancer, and dementia. Statistically, it's as bad for our health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. It's also an economic crisis, costing us billions annually. And it's a political crisis, as feelings of marginalization fuel divisiveness and extremism around the world. In The Lonely Century, readers accompany Hertz as she "rents a friend" in Manhattan, attends a "how to read a face" class at an Ivy League university, and meets Japanese nursing home residents who knit bonnets for their robot caregivers. Along the way, she urges us to ask ourselves what kind of world we want to create, post-pandemic: one where we retreat further into our self-isolating bubbles and remain ever-fearful of others, or one where we are more committed to reconnecting with one another, and with the democratic process itself. From compassionate AI to new models for urban living to the ingenuity unleashed in finding new ways to stay connected in the era of social distancing, The Lonely Century offers a hopeful vision for how to heal our fractured communities and restore connection in our lives. In the wake of Covid-19, this is not only more urgent, but more possible than ever"--
Subjects: Interpersonal relations.; Loneliness; Social media; Loneliness;

Money for nothing : the scientists, fraudsters, and corrupt politicians, who reinvented money, panicked a nation, and made the world rich / by Levenson, Thomas,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Money for Nothing chronicles the moment when the needs of war, discoveries of natural philosophy, and ambitions of investors collided. It's about how the Scientific Revolution intertwined with finance to set England--and the world--off in an entirely new direction. At the dawn of the eighteenth century, England was running out of money due to a prolonged war with France. Parliament tried raising additional funds by selling debt to its citizens, taking in money now with the promise of interest later. It was the first permanent national debt, but still they needed more. They turned to the stock market--a relatively new invention itself--where Isaac Newton's new mathematics of change of time, which he applied to the motions of the planets and the natural world, were fast being applied to the world of money. What kind of future returns could a person expect on an investment today? The Scientific Revolution could help. In the hub of London's stock market--Exchange Alley--the South Sea Company hatched a scheme to turn pieces of the national debt into shares of company stock, and over the spring of 1720 the plan worked brilliantly. Stock prices doubled, doubled again, and then doubled once more, getting everyone in London from tradespeople to the Prince of Wales involved in a money mania that consumed the people, press, and pocketbooks of the empire. Unlike science, though, with its tightly controlled experiments, the financial revolution was subject to trial and error on a grand scale, with dramatic, sometimes devastating consequences for people's lives. With England at war and in need of funds and "stock-jobbers" looking for any opportunity to get in on the action, this new world of finance had the potential to save the nation-- but only if it didn't bankrupt it first"--
Subjects: Debts, Public; Stock exchanges;

Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old Thoughts on Aging as a Woman [electronic resource] : by Shields, Brooke.aut; Bertsche, Rachel.; cloudLibrary;
From generational icon Brooke Shields comes an intimate and empowering exploration of aging that flips the script on the idea of what it means for a woman to grow older Brooke Shields has spent a lifetime in the public eye. Growing up as a child actor and model, her every feature was scrutinized, her every decision judged. Today Brooke faces a different kind of scrutiny: that of being a “woman of a certain age.” And yet, for Brooke, the passage of time has brought freedom. At fifty-nine, she feels more comfortable in her skin, more empowered and confident than she did decades ago in those famous Calvin Kleins. Now, in Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old, she’s changing the narrative about women and aging. This is an era, insists Brooke, when women are reclaiming agency and power, not receding into the shadows. These are the years when we get to decide how we want to live—when we get to write our own stories. With remarkable candor, Brooke bares all, painting a vibrant and optimistic picture of being a woman in the prime of her life, while dismantling the myths that have, for too long, dimmed that perception. Sharing her own life experiences with humor and humility, and weaving together research and reporting, Brooke takes aim at the systemic factors that contribute to age-related bias. By turns inspiring, moving, and galvanizing, Brooke’s honesty and vulnerability will resonate with women everywhere, and spark a new conversation about the power and promise of midlife.General adult.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Women's Health; Entertainment & Performing Arts; Women;
© 2025., Flatiron Books,

The aviator and the showman : Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the marriage that made an American icon / by Shapiro, Laurie Gwen,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The riveting and cinematic story of a partnership that would change the world forever. In 1928, a young social worker and hobby pilot named Amelia Earhart arrived in the office of George Putnam, heir to the Putnam & Sons throne and hitmaker, on the hunt for the right woman for a secret flying mission across the Atlantic. A partnership -- professional and soon otherwise -- was born. The Aviator and the Showman unveils the untold story of Amelia's decade-long marriage to George Putnam, offering an intimate exploration of their relationship and the pivotal role it played in her enduring legacy. Despite her outwardly modest and humble image, Amelia was fiercely driven and impossibly brave, a lifelong feminist and trailblazer in her personal and professional life. Putnam, the so-called "PT Barnum of publishing" was a bookselling visionary -- but often pushed his authors to extreme lengths in the name of publicity, and no one bore that weight more than Amelia. Their ahead-of-its time partnership supported her grand ambitions -- but also pressed her into more and more treacherous stunts to promote her books, influencing a certain recklessness up to and including her final flight. Earhart is a captivating figure to many, but the truth about her life is often overshadowed by myth and legend. In this cinematic new account, Laurie Gwen Shapiro emphasizes Earhart's human side, her struggles, and her authentic aspirations, the truths behind her brave pursuits and the compromises she made to fit into societal expectations. With a trove of new sources including undiscovered audio interviews from those closest to Amelia, Amelia and George presents her as a multifaceted woman -- complete with flaws, desires, and competitive drive. It is a gripping and passionate tale of adventure, colorful characters, hubris, and a complex and a vivid portrait of a marriage that shaped the trajectory of an iconic life"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Earhart, Amelia, 1897-1937; Putnam, George Palmer, 1887-1950; Domestic relations.; Publishers and publishing; Women air pilots;

Over the influence : a memoir / by JoJo,1990-author.;
"Joanna Levesque, better known as "JoJo", knew she was her family's ticket to financial freedom. Born in Foxborough, MA, to parents who self-identified as addicts, her smooth voice captured the attention of a record label exec when she was just twelve years old. That exec put the machine in motion, and JoJo would go on to be the face for the ever-more-popular hip hop and R&B sounds of the early aughts. She'd be the kind of star young girls could relate to as they dressed up for dances and football games. In 2004, you couldn't leave the house without hearing her hit single "Leave (Get Out)". Nearly two decades later, she remains the youngest-ever solo artist to have a debut #1 single in the U.S. But what happened to JoJo? That's the first question Google suggests when you search for her name. In this debut memoir, JoJo mines diary entries, photos, song lyrics, and conversations with loved ones to share what really happened. From growing up in a broken home to being raised by a broken music industry, to tales from her darkest ten years, when a marathon lawsuit with her music label prompted a period of proper rebellion, complete with drugs, drinking, sex, and complicated relationships, JoJo holds nothing back in these pages. She also interrogates how race intersected with her career, her relationships, and the public's perception of her, reflecting on how operating with a victim mentality left her feeling stuck in her ability to move forward in life and as an artist. By sharing her story in the tradition of other child stars like Drew Barrymore and Jennette McCurdy, JoJo hopes to help readers who see themselves in her journey see the light sooner -- and avoid making the same mistakes she did. As intimate as it is inspiring, and as refreshing as it is revelatory, this breathtakingly candid memoir is JoJo's chance to finally tell her story in her own words for the first time"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; JoJo, 1990-; Actresses; Singers;

And after all : a fan history of Oasis / by Locker, Melissa,author.;
"This oral history documents the story of Oasis as told by the fans who were there. Discover never-before-seen perspectives charting the rise, fall, and rise again of Liam and Noel Gallagher and the British rock band whose music defined a generation. A few years after Definitely Maybe topped the charts, with "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" established as one of the UK's bestselling albums of all time, and Oasis the reigning rulers of British rock, Noel Gallagher did the unthinkable: he broke up the band. After a string of public spats, Noel announced that he "simply could not go on working" with his brother Liam "a day longer." Fifteen years later, the brothers announced a truce. The news sent fans into a frenzy, ticket prices soared, and Definitely Maybe was back on the top of the charts. That's because for a generation of music lovers around the world, Oasis really mattered. Their combination of earthy lyrics, brazen attitude, and earworm-worthy tunes set against a backdrop of working-class experience made them relatable, memorable, and important. And After All gives the mic to the fans that launched Oasis to stratospheric fame and takes a deep dive into the band's formation, history, and reunion. Through the lens of the fans who were there for all the songs, feuds, and incredible shows, journalist Melissa Locker examines the path Oasis charted as they cemented their place in modern rock history. Voices in this fan history include the band's earliest PR person, superfan memorabilia collectors, musicians who toured with Oasis in the early days, concertgoers from some of the band's most legendary performances, official Fan Club leadership, couples who met because of the band, the DJ who inspired Noel to dare Liam to call him and may have kick-started the reunion, among many others. Their personal stories about the music, the concerts, and the band come together in a mosaic that depicts Oasis's enduring legacy"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Oral histories.; Oasis (Musical group); Rock concerts; Rock music fans.;

In the light of dawn : the history and legacy of a Black Canadian community / by Carter, Marie,1953-author.; Cooper, Afua,writer of foreword.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Illuminating two hundred years of lost Black history through the lens of an iconic abolitionist settlement. In the Light of Dawn shares the compelling story of how the iconic Dawn Settlement -- now largely within the boundaries of Dresden, Ontario -- shaped (and was shaped by) a broader course of international events along a 200-year continuum of resistance and contribution. Using a geographic approach, the book reveals that the town's size, scope, and importance eclipses its previous narrow interpretations as a "failed" utopian colony at a terminus of the Underground Railroad led by the Reverend Josiah Henson (the "real Uncle Tom" of Harriet Beecher Stowe's landmark anti-slavery novel). Beyond Henson, Dawn's history contains familiar figures like Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks as well as a pantheon of lesser known but equally important Black leaders including Dennis Hill, William Whipper, William Carter, and Hugh Burnett. The trajectories of Dawn's residents often intersect with pivotal international events from the time of the fur trade to the modern Civil Rights movement. Activism from 19th-century Pennsylvania's Black Elite and other major American centres run like a golden thread through successive generations in Dawn, resulting in landmark actions such as the challenge to segregation of private businesses and publicly funded schools. Dawn's people not only resisted slavery and oppression but also made successful and lasting contributions to the growth of local communities and wider society. Far from being a failed colony, the Dawn Settlement emerges as a vibrant community of racial and economic diversity, where people of agency and ability influenced wider societal change. In the Light of Dawn presents an expansive yet nuanced account of a small rural town that challenges traditional notions of Black History and the contributions of early Black pioneers, leaving behind an enduring legacy. Marie Carter is a lifelong resident of Dresden, Ontario, where she researches and writes about the history of her community, the former Dawn Settlement area. Her eclectic career has included graphic artist, reporter-photographer for community newspapers and church press, and rural organizer of outreach to migrant agricultural workers"--
Subjects: Black people; Black Canadians;

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