- Table View
- List View
How I Escaped My Certain Fate
by Stewart LeeExperience how it feels to be the subject of a blasphemy prosecution! Find out why 'wool' is a funny word! See how jokes work, their inner mechanisms revealed, before your astonished face! In 2001, after over a decade in the business, Stewart Lee quit stand-up, disillusioned and drained, and went off to direct a loss-making musical, Jerry Springer: The Opera. Nine years later, How I Escaped My Certain Fate details his return to live performance, and the journey that took him from an early retirement to his position as the most critically acclaimed stand-up in Britain, the winner of BAFTAs and British Comedy Awards, and the affirmation of being rated the 41st best stand up ever. Here is Stewart Lee's own account of his remarkable comeback, told through transcripts of the three legendary full-length shows that sealed his reputation. Astonishingly frank and detailed in-depth notes reveal the inspiration and inner workings of his act. With unprecedented access to a leading comedian's creative process, this book tells us just what it was like to write these shows, develop the performance and take them on tour. How I Escaped My Certain Fate is everything we have come to expect from Stewart Lee: fiercely intelligent, unsparingly honest and very, very funny.
How I Got to Be Whoever It Is I Am
by Charles GrodinIn his candid and engaging new book HOW I GOT TO BE WHOEVER IT IS I AM, successful actor, author, and activist, Charles Grodin, looks back at the major events and private moments that have shaped his life. And, since Grodin is one of the best storytellers around, he can't help but entertain while offering insight gained from a wealth of experience.The combination of being impeached as class president by his fifth grade teacher (and then winning many school elections thereafter) with being thrown out of Hebrew School for asking too many questions (only to find a much better teacher as a result) informed Grodin's view of himself and made him adept at dealing with rejection--an important skill for an actor. Grodin's success in plays in high school and adventures in college theater led him to a career in acting, studying with the great teachers like Uta Hagen and Lee Strasberg. Grodin shares behind-the-scenes tales of working on plays like Same Time Next Year and movies like The Heartbreak Kid and Midnight Run--even how close he came to playing the lead in The Graduate. His stories feature the many actors, directors, writers, and producers, with whom he's worked, such as Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Johnny Carson, Orson Welles, Warren Beatty, and other colorful characters. Grodin's greatest work isn't limited to stage and screen, however. He has been an award winning talk show host and commentator on Sixty Minutes II, and he reveals insights about the political and personal side of journalism and some of the larger-than-life characters he's interviewed. Still, it is the personal aspects of Grodin's life that are truly revealing and funny. He shares intimate anecdotes of humorous dating experiences during the carefree 70s along with stories of what it was like to be a young actor then with friends and colleagues like Robert Redford, Gene Wilder, and Dustin Hoffman.But it is Grodin's tales of the lives he's helped save with his relentless advocacy work that make you realize what a great guy Charles Grodin really is. We are lucky that the nice guy his friends call, "Chuck" brings us along to share a little of his journey of how he got to be who he really is!The author is donating 100 percent of his royalties from sales of this book to Mentoring USA, a New York City based nonprofit that forges powerful, transformative connections for young people through the advocacy and involvement of mentors.
How I Learned to Live With Panic: an honest and intimate exploration on how to cope with panic attacks
by Claire Eastham'An electric, warm, comforting and funny handbook on panic and how to cope and live alongside it' Laura Dockrill, author of What Have I Done?Award-winning blogger and author Claire Eastham is an expert on panic. She's not a doctor or an academic, but over a seven-year period, she has experienced 371 panic attacks (and counting), and learnt a thing or two along the way. Part memoir, part guide, How I Learned to Live with Panic is an intimate, honest and ultimately uplifting exploration into panic attacks. In practical thematic chapters Claire covers the crisis points where panic can hit and interviews a host of people - scientists, professors, dieticians, psychologists and people who struggle with panic - to anatomise how it can be managed. Frank, funny and blazing, Claire's story will speak to all those seeking to reclaim their lives.'I wish I had this book when I was 18... It's smart, witty, informative and, importantly, it lets you know that if you have panic attacks too...you are not alone' Dr Sophie Mort, author of A Manual For Being Human
How I Learned to Understand the World: A Memoir
by Hans RoslingThis is a book that contains very few numbers. Instead, it is about meeting people who have opened my eyes.It was facts that helped him explain how the world works. But it was curiosity and commitment that made the late Hans Rosling, author of worldwide bestseller Factfulness, the most popular researcher of our time.How I Learned to Understand the World is Hans Rosling's own story of how a young scientist learned became a revolutionary thinker, and takes us from the swelter of an emergency clinic in Mozambique, to the World Economic Forum at Davos. In collaboration with Swedish journalist Fanny Härgestam, Hans Rosling wrote his memoir with the same joy of storytelling that made a whole world listen when he spoke.
How I Met My Son
by Yolanda Bogert‘The sky didn’t fall, and our family didn’t fall apart. We just started using different pronouns. Oh, I had to change the name stored in my phone with his number. That was a bit of a pain.’ – Yolanda Bogert Yolanda Bogert, a mum from regional Queensland, made worldwide news when she placed a notice in a Brisbane newspaper in December 2014. It read: ‘A Retraction. In 1995 we announced the arrival of our sprogget, Elizabeth Anne, as a daughter. He informs us that we were mistaken. Oops! Our bad. We would now like to present, our wonderful son – Kai Bogert. Loving you is the easiest thing in the world. Tidy your room.’ In How I Met My Son, Yolanda tells of her son Kai, their loving family, and the laughter and struggles they’ve shared. As a teenage mum, Yolanda formed a close-knit bond with her child. Now, together, Yolanda and Kai deal with issues of acceptance, religion and tradition in a heart warming story of love in transition.
How I Shed My Skin: Unlearning the Racist Lessons of a Southern Childhood
by Jim GrimsleyCritically acclaimed novelist Jim Grimsley looks back at the federally mandated racial integration of his school in 1966, remembering his own first real encounters with black children and their culture. The result is a true and moving personal narrative of race relations.
How I Survived A Chinese 'Re-education' Camp: A Uyghur Woman’s Story
by Gulbahar Haitiwaji Rozenn MorgatGulbahar Haitiwaji is the first Uyghur woman survivor China's barbarous re-education camps to give a personal account of life inside their walls. The camps – redolent of Stalin’s gulag – are ‘home’ to one million Uyghurs, a Turkish-speaking Muslim ethnic group in the western region of Xinjiang. The Chinese Communist Party covets Xinjiang because it is on the ‘new silk roads,' the flagship project of President Xi Jinping. The Chinese Communist Party says the camps are part of ‘the total fight against Islamic terrorism, infiltration and separatism.’ The US Government says that China’s treatment of the Uyghurs amounts to ‘genocide.’ Gulbahar recounts how she was tricked into returning to China and thrown into a nightmare of brainwashing and forced sterialisation, that is wiping a culture off the face of the Earth. Very unusually, she made it out to the West, and has decided to tell her story. This rare account of life in China’s gulag is visceral and internationally important.
How I Won the Yellow Jumper: Dispatches from the Tour de France (Yellow Jersey Cycling Classics Ser.)
by Ned Boulting'Paris, 4 July 2003: My first Tour de France. I had never seen a bike race. I had only vaguely heard of Lance Armstrong. I had no idea what I was doing there. Yet, that day I was broadcasting live on television. I fumbled my way through a few platitudes, before summing up with the words, "...Dave Millar just missing out on the Yellow Jumper." Yes, the Yellow Jumper.'Follow Ned Boulting's (occasionally excruciating) experiences covering the world's most famous cycling race. His story offers an insider's view of what really goes on behind the scenes of the Tour. From up-close-and-personal encounters with Lance Armstrong to bewildered mishaps with the local cuisine, Ned's been there, done that and got the crumpled-looking t-shirt. Eight Tours on from Ned's humbling debut, he has grown to respect, mock, adore and crave the race in equal measure. What's more, he has even started to understand it. Includes How Cav Won the Green Jersey: Short Dispatches from the 2011 Tour de France
How Life Imitates Chess
by Garry Kasparov____*THE STRATEGIES BEHIND A SUCCESSFUL LIFE FROM THE LEGENDARY GRANDMASTER AND ADVISOR TO NETFLIX'S THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT, NOW WITH A NEW FOREWORD*'In this book, chess is a teacher, and I aim to show it is a great one.' For over twenty years, Garry Kasparov dominated the world of chess. As the youngest ever undisputed World Champion, known for confounding his opponents at every move and breaking record after record, Kasparov was asked the same question time and time again: what makes a champion? Drawing on a wealth of revealing and instructive stories, from the most intense moments of his greatest games to the world-changing decisions of history's greatest strategists such as Winston Churchill and Steve Jobs, Kasparov reveals the strategic ways of thinking that always give a player - in the game of life as well as chess - the edge.PRAISE FOR GARRY KASPAROV'I've never seen someone with such a feel for dynamics in complex positions' - Magnus Carlsen, World Chess Champion'There is nothing in chess he has been unable to deal with' - Vladimir Kramnik, Chess Grandmaster'Mr. Kasparov is not only one of the world's smartest men, he is also among its bravest.' - Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch
How The Light Gets In: My Journey with Depression
by Mary McEvoyMary McEvoy, one of Ireland's best-loved actresses, lived for many years with undiagnosed depression. From the outside looking in, she was a successful, confident woman, making strides in her career, happy in her personal life. Yet, behind the scenes, there were times when she was so crippled with despair that the least she could do was to make it out of bed.Here, for the first time, Mary describes the true nightmare behind the façade, and how, since diagnosis, she has learned to cope, and deepened in wisdom through the experience.She traces the roots of her depression - a condition which, for a long time, she felt like she had no right to own, given that she experienced a happy childhood in a loving family. Yet key negative incidents in her early life would have a profound shape on what followed.She also looks at the broader question as to why depression is so prevalent today, and questions the modern obsession with perfection and youth, offering her 'least you can do' philosophy as a welcome antidote. She shares her insights into how a person can not only learn to cope with depression, but ultimately live life to its full potential - whatever that is.Bravely recounted and full of down-to-earth wisdom and honesty, How The Light Gets In is a book that shines a light into dark places.
How Many Camels Are There in Holland?: Dementia, Ma And Me
by Phyllida LawThe charming, funny successor to the hugely popular ‘Notes to my Mother-in-Law’, from the inimitable Phyllida Law.
How New York Breaks Your Heart
by Bill HayesBill Hayes's critically acclaimed memoir Insomniac City provided a first look at his unique street photography. Now he presents an exquisite collection that captures the full range of his work and the magic of chance encounters in New York City. Hayes's "frank, beautiful, bewitching" street photographs "unmask their subjects' best and truest selves" (Jennifer Senior, New York Times): A policeman pauses at the end of a day. Cooks sneak in cigarette breaks. A pair of movers plays cards on the back of a truck. Friends claim the sidewalk. Lovers embrace. A flame-haired girl gazes mysteriously into the lens. And park benches provide a setting for a couple of hunks, a mom and her baby, a stylish nonagenarian . . . How New York Breaks Your Heart reveals ordinary New Yorkers at their most peaceful, joyful, distracted, anxious, expressive, and at their most fleeting--bringing the texture of the city to vivid life. Woven through with Hayes's lyric reflections, these photos will, like the city itself, break your heart by asking you to fall in love.
How Not To Be a Boy
by Robert WebbRULES FOR BEING A MAN Don't Cry; Love Sport; Play Rough; Drink Beer; Don't Talk About Feelings But Robert Webb has been wondering for some time now: are those rules actually any use? To anyone? Looking back over his life, from schoolboy crushes (on girls and boys) to discovering the power of making people laugh (in the Cambridge Footlights with David Mitchell), and from losing his beloved mother to becoming a husband and father, Robert Webb considers the absurd expectations boys and men have thrust upon them at every stage of life. Hilarious and heartbreaking, How Not To Be a Boy explores the relationships that made Robert who he is as a man, the lessons we learn as sons and daughters, and the understanding that sometimes you aren't the Luke Skywalker of your life - you're actually Darth Vader.
How Not to Be a Professional Racing Driver
by Jason Plato'HILARIOUS AND OUTRAGEOUS' CHRIS EVANSTHE FULL-THROTTLE MEMOIR FROM ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHARACTERS IN UK MOTOR RACINGTwo-time championship-winning and record-breaking racing driver, Jason Plato is a living, breathing example of what you shouldn't do if you want to become a professional racing driver:DO NOT: · Steal a JCB in Monaco and end up in prison there - twice· Kill Bernie Ecclestone (almost)· Choose fags and booze over the gym· Give Prince Charles the finger on the M42 · Make enemies with a 6ft 6" rival who is a black belt in everythingSince joining the Williams Touring Car team in 1997 he has had more race wins than Lewis Hamilton and Stirling Moss, competed in more races than Jenson Button and set the largest number of fastest laps ever. But he's also a rule breaker who has had more than his fair share of near-death experiences, drunken escapades and more. And yet he's still racing. There is nothing sensible, predictable or considered about Jason, but this is how he became a racing legend.'As entertaining as watching him drive, a cracking read!' Sir Chris Hoy 'Jason Plato is one of the most gifted racing drivers of his generation!' Damon Hill
How Not To Be A Boy
by Robert WebbTHE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERRULES FOR BEING A MANDon't Cry; Love Sport; Play Rough; Drink Beer; Don't Talk About Feelings But Robert Webb has been wondering for some time now: are those rules actually any use? To anyone? Looking back over his life, from schoolboy crushes (on girls and boys) to discovering the power of making people laugh (in the Cambridge Footlights with David Mitchell), and from losing his beloved mother to becoming a husband and father, Robert Webb considers the absurd expectations boys and men have thrust upon them at every stage of life. Hilarious and heartbreaking, How Not To Be a Boy explores the relationships that made Robert who he is as a man, the lessons we learn as sons and daughters, and the understanding that sometimes you aren't the Luke Skywalker of your life - you're actually Darth Vader.
How Not To Be A Boy (PDF}
by Robert WebbTHE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERRULES FOR BEING A MANDon't Cry; Love Sport; Play Rough; Drink Beer; Don't Talk About Feelings But Robert Webb has been wondering for some time now: are those rules actually any use? To anyone? Looking back over his life, from schoolboy crushes (on girls and boys) to discovering the power of making people laugh (in the Cambridge Footlights with David Mitchell), and from losing his beloved mother to becoming a husband and father, Robert Webb considers the absurd expectations boys and men have thrust upon them at every stage of life. Hilarious and heartbreaking, How Not To Be a Boy explores the relationships that made Robert who he is as a man, the lessons we learn as sons and daughters, and the understanding that sometimes you aren't the Luke Skywalker of your life - you're actually Darth Vader.
How (Not) To Be Strong: The inspirational instant Sunday Times Bestseller from the legendary Lioness
by Alex ScottAn inspiring memoir of finding strength and resilience from the former England Lioness.From the football cages of East London to broadcasting to millions, the engine powering Alex Scott's remarkable journey has always been her resilience. But thanks to a 'push-through mentality' the world has only ever seen the 'strong' side of Alex. Now, she is ready to lower the shield.In her candid memoir How (Not) to Be Strong, Alex shares the lessons that have shaped her, from finally confronting the legacy of a tumultuous childhood to tarnished truth behind the gleaming football trophies.With raw honesty, Alex shows how she's tackled life's challenges and that sometimes the strongest thing you can do is show your most vulnerable side to the world.
How Not to Grow Up: A Coming of Age Memoir. Sort of.
by Richard HerringComedian Richard Herring has a major problem. He's about to turn 40 and hasn't seen it coming. He's not married, doesn't have a proper job or 2.4 children. But now, finally, it looks as if the world expects him to be a grown up - and he's completely unprepared for it.As the momentous and terrifying event approaches (his birthday), Richard notices a steep decline in his own behaviour. Inexplicably he begins to behave more childishly - hanging out with 22-year-olds, developing an unhealthy addiction to Flumps and even getting into a ludicrous fight.How Not to Grow Up is the funny story of how a self-confessed perpetual Big Kid deals with his greatest fear - getting older - and is the perfect book for everyone who, deep down, still thinks that they're 18.
How Not to Travel the World: Adventures of a Disaster-Prone Backpacker
by Lauren JuliffWhen Lauren left to go travelling, she thought she would instantly become a glamorous backpacker. But after being mugged, scammed, caught up in a tsunami and experiencing a very unhappy ending during a massage, she realised that learning how NOT to travel the world was the most enlightening experience she could have hoped for.
How now?: Britain's Favourite Dairy Farmer
by Roger EvansShropshire dairy farmer Roger Evans continues to delight his fans with his daily highlights from the farm and his views on everything from how to manage a happy milking herd to the state of the local wildlife and the views of the rural community in his local bar. Funny, topical and informative farmer’s diary.
How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son Of Privilege Learns To Live Like Everyone Else (Thorndike Biography Ser.)
by Michael GillA candid, moving and inspirational memoir about a high-flying business man who is forced to re-evaluate his life and values when he suddenly loses everything and goes to work in Starbucks.
How Sweet It Is: Defending the American Dream
by Winsome Earle-SearsThe first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia reveals in her memoir how her Christian faith, unwavering patriotism, and fervent commitment to conservative principles propelled her to serve and sacrifice for her country and a better future. Winsome Earle-Sears sent shock waves across Virginia and the country at large when she pulled off her stunning upset victory in November 2021 and became the first woman lieutenant governor of Virginia and the first Black woman, the first naturalized female citizen, and first female veteran elected to statewide office. She earned intense national coverage because of her unwavering support for Second Amendment rights and her strong commitment to education opportunity for all students. Now in her memoir, How Sweet It Is, Winsome will tell her story and explain how she arrived at that historic moment in time. A devout Christian, Winsome is also a true believer in the promise of the American Dream. Her father was approved to immigrate to the U.S.A. and left Jamaica, arriving in America on August 11, 1963, with only $1.75 in his pocket. Winsome joined him when she was just six years old, and ever since she has never ceased enthusiastically bucking conventions, defying expectations, and charging straight toward challenges. Winsome&’s remarkable story is one of faith and family, personal loss and perseverance, philanthropy and patriotism, service and sacrifice. But through it all, her Christian faith sustained her, drove her, and compelled her to give back to her community and her country. Her unyielding belief in the fundamental righteousness of America stands in stark opposition to the increasingly pervasive ideologies that are dividing the country. In How Sweet It Is, Winsome encourages Americans to never stop fighting for their country and shows them how to chart a new path forward.
How They Choked: Failures, Flops, and Flaws of the Awfully Famous
by Georgia BraggEveryone makes mistakes. Sometimes, epic failures even lead to super successes . . . sometimes they become deep dark secrets. But remember-to fail is human, to laugh about our shortcomings divine. From Montezuma II's mistaking a conqueror for a god to Isaac Newton turning from science to alchemy to J. Bruce Ismay's jumping the lifeboat line on the Titanic, How They Choked knocks fourteen famous achievers off their pedestals to reveal the human side of history.Successful “failures” include:Marco Polo Queen Isabella of Spain Montezuma II Ferdinand Magellan Anne Boleyn Isaac Newton Benedict Arnold Susan B. Anthony George Armstrong Custer Thomas Alva Edison Vincent Van Gogh J. Bruce Ismay “Shoeless Joe” Jackson Amelia M. Earhart
How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life
by Lilly Singh*Winner of the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards: Non-Fiction Book of the Year!*The official debut book from YouTube phenomenon Lilly Singh.'The ultimate no-nonsense manual for millennials how how to make it to the top' Marie ClaireFrom actress, comedian and YouTube sensation Lilly Singh (aka Superwoman) comes the definitive guide to being a BAWSE - a person who exudes confidence, reaches goals, gets hurt efficiently, and smiles genuinely because they've fought through it all and made it out the other side. Told in her hilarious, bold voice that's inspired over 9 million fans, and using stories from her own life to illustrate her message, Lilly proves that there are no shortcuts to success. WARNING: This book does NOT include hopeful thoughts, lucky charms, and cute quotes. That's because success, happiness and everything else you want in life needs to be fought for - not wished for. In Lilly's world, there are no escalators. Only stairs.
How to Be a Beta Male
by Robert CramptonFrom rom coms to wrestling and fatherhood to fist fights, Robert Crampton's How to Be a Beta Male is a brilliantly funny and sometimes moving insight into being a modern-day bloke.Robert Crampton has been writing his Beta Male column for The Times since 2001. A much-loved weekly insight into modern masculinity – whatever that might mean – Beta Male strives to unlock the secrets of contemporary relationships in all their frequent glory, occasional frustration and on-going complexity. While by his own admission totally failing in this task, Crampton is at any rate amusing as he goes about his business, as his legions of loyal fans would attest.How to be a Beta Male is a carefully curated selection, bursting with observational nuggets on the minutiae of daily domestics and disasters in the Crampton household, and offering the very best of a sixteen-year-long account of what it is to be a beta male married to an alpha female. From his attempts at DIY to disciplining their children to trying once in a while to put his foot down to getting involved in a punch-up in the street in her defence, Robert continues to fail to impress his wife but always delights his readers.It's a very smart, extremely funny and yet surprisingly sensitive exploration of the trials, tribulations – and, ultimately, triumphs – of not being young, free and single.