DescriptionAccomplished poet and writer Jerome Washington offers an unforgettable glimpse of prison life. You'll meet Cleanhead: thief, con artist, and disciple of Dale Carnegie; Shing-a-Ling, a pimp on a mission to become literate; Sugar-Ditch Pearl and his lover Rex, who are spending their honeymoon in the exercise yard lifting weights; and Juanito, caught in a laughing jag while being bludgeoned to death by the guards. Iron House is a portrait of a culture where brutality is the norm and moments of kindness are few and treasured.
DescriptionBenjamin Franklin's wide range of activities and interests opened the doors of the world to him. Printer, inventor, philosopher, ambassador, champion of liberty - his influence has been felt by every American generation. At one time, Franklin was appointed postmaster of Philadelphia and succeeded in making a profit out of it. He organized the citizenry to pave and light the streets, started a fire brigade and a fire insurance company, founded a lending library, helped build a hospital, and got and academy underway that later became the University of Pennsylvania. And to everything he touched, including this autobiography, Franklin brought originality and wit.
DescriptionSince her death at the age of 19 in 1431, Joan of Arc has maintained a remarkable hold on our collective imagination. During the tumultuous Hundred Years War between England and France, a young peasant girl nicknamed "The Maid" (La Pucelle) followed he…
DescriptionEsteemed British journalists Peter Pagnamenta and Momoko Williams penned this tale of bittersweet love during a tumultuous time. This true story is drawn from the more than 800 letters a British officer and his Japanese lover exchanged over four decades.
DescriptionThe descendants of Richard and Anne Lee have occupied a preeminent place in American history. They were among the first families of Virginia. Two were signers of the Declaration of Independence; several others distinguished themselves during the Revolutio…
DescriptionSeven years in the making and meticulously researched - Gabler is the first writer to be given complete access to the Disney archives - this is the full story of a man whose work left an ineradicable brand on our culture but whose life has largely been en…
DescriptionA serious illness destroyed Helen Keller's sight and hearing before she reached the age of two. At seven, she was introduced to Ann Sullivan, the beloved teacher and friend who helped Helen to make contact with her world. Through sheer determination and resolve, Helen learned to speak, read, and write, and prepared herself for entry into prep school by the age of 16. She later enrolled at Radcliffe and graduated with honors. Her motto: "There are no handicaps, only challenges."…
DescriptionHere is the gritty, powerful story of Thomas Sowell's life-long education in the school of hard knocks, a journey that took him from Harlem to the Marines, the Ivy League, and a career as a controversial writer, teacher, and economist in government and pr…
DescriptionGrowing up in Brooklyn in the 1930s and 1940s I never saw a dirt field. Everything was cement. And the only thing we could do - we had two choices: either go in the schoolyard and play ball or hang around on the corner and get in trouble. So, we played basketball all our lives. (Nat Militzok, former New York Knick) Back in 1946, when the National Basketball League was known as the Basketball Association of America, all the players were white, many of them from poor, immigrant neighborhoods; the color barrier was not broken in the NBA until the 1950-51 season. Producer Joe Richman talked to some of the men who were there at the beginning. This is their story, as originally heard on National Public Radio's All Things Considered .
DescriptionFreire gives a historical and sociological look at the effects a defeated psychology can have on the tide of politics, life, and freedom. Through his analysis Freire shows the way to salvation, paved with democracy and liberty, and importantly, shows us there is still a place for optimists and dreams in today's world.
