From Geto Boys legend and renowned storyteller Scarface, comes a passionate memoir about how hip-hop changed the life of a kid from the south side of Houston, and how he rose to the top-and ushered in a new generation of rap dominance. Scarface is the celebrated rapper whose hits include "On My Block," "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" and "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta" (made famous in the cult film Office Space) . The former president of Def Jam South, he's collaborated with everyone from Kanye West, Ice Cube and Nas, and had many solo hits such as "Guess Who's Back" feat. Jay-Z and "Smile" feat. Tupac. But before that, he was a kid from Houston in love with rock-and-roll, listening to AC/DC and KISS.In Diary of a Madman, Scarface shares how his world changed when he heard Run DMC for the first time; how he dropped out of school in the ninth grade and started selling crack; and how he began rapping as the new form of music made its way out of New York and across the country. It is the account of his rise to the heights of the rap world, as well as his battles with his own demons and depression. Passionately exploring and explaining the roots and influences of rap culture, Diary of a Madman is the story of hip-hop-the music, the business, the streets, and life on the south side Houston, Texas.
It Books
|
9780062302632
|
Print book
So Many Roads
By Browne, David
Fifty years after they first came together and changed the sound of rock 'n' roll, the Grateful Dead remain one of rock's most beloved bands - a musical and cultural phenomenon that spans generations and paved the way for everything from the world of jam bands and the idea of independently released music to social networking. Much has been written about the band, but nothing quite as vibrant and vivid as So Many Roads.Drawing on new interviews with surviving members and people in their inner circle - along with the group's extensive archives and his own research from years of covering the group - David Browne, longtime music journalist and contributing editor at Rolling Stone, does more than merely delve into the Dead's saga. By way of an altogether unique structure - each chapter centered around a significant or pivotal day in their story - he lends this epic musical and cultural story a you-are-there feel unlike any other book written about the band.
Da Capo Press
|
9780306821707
|
Hardcover
Do Not Sell At Any Price
By Petrusich, Amanda
The untold story of a quirky and important subculture: The world of 78rpm records and the insular community that celebrates them - by acclaimed music critic and author Amanda Petrusich, who contributes regularly to Pitchfork, The Oxford American, and The New York Times.Before MP3s, CDs, and cassette tapes, even before LPs or 45s, the world listened to music on 78rpm records - those fragile, 10-inch shellac discs. While vinyl records have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, good 78s are exponentially harder to come by and play. A recent eBay auction for the only known copy of a particular record topped out at $37,100. Do Not Sell at Any Price explores the rarified world of the 78rpm record - from the format's heyday to its near extinction - and how collectors and archivists are working frantically to preserve the music before it's lost forever.
Scribner; Reprint edition
|
9781451667059
|
Hardcover
Your Band Sucks
By Fine, Jon
* A New York Times Summer Reading List selection * A Publishers Weekly Best Summer Book of 2015 * A memoir charting thirty years of the American independent rock underground by a musician who knows it intimately Jon Fine spent nearly thirty years performing and recording with bands that played various forms of aggressive and challenging underground rock music, and, as he writes in this memoir, at no point were any of those bands "ever threatened, even distantly, by actual fame." Yet when members of his first band, Bitch Magnet, reunited after twenty-one years to tour Europe, Asia, and America, diehard longtime fans traveled from far and wide to attend those shows, despite creeping middle-age obligations of parenthood and 9-to-5 jobs, testament to the remarkable staying power of the indie culture that the bands predating the likes of Bitch Magnet--among them Black Flag, Mission of Burma, and Sonic Youth --willed into existence through sheer determination and a shared disdain for the mediocrity of contemporary popular music.
Viking
|
9780670026593
|
Hardcover
The Black Panthers
By Shih, Bryan
October 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party, an organization that remains one of the most misunderstood of the twentieth century. But beyond the labels of "extremist" and "violent" that have marked the party, and behind charismatic leaders like Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, and Eldridge Cleaver were the ordinary men and women who made up the Panther rank and file.In The Black Panthers, photojournalist Bryan Shih and historian Yohuru Williams offer a reappraisal of the party's history and legacy. Through stunning portraits, poignant interviews, and illuminating essays by leading scholars, the book reveals the grit and battle scars of the foot soldiers of the party, some of whom eventually became top party leaders themselves - and the undying love for the people that kept them going.
Nation Books
|
9781568585550
|
Print book
The Sci-Fi Movie Guide
By Barsanti, Chris
Once upon a time, science fiction was only in the future. It was the stuff of drive-ins and cheap double-bills. Then, with the ever-increasing rush of new, society-altering technologies, science fiction pushed its way to the present, and it busted out of the genre ghetto of science fiction and barged its way into the mainstream. What used to be mere fantasy (trips to the moon? Wristwatch radios? Supercomputers capable of learning?) are now everyday reality.Whether nostalgic for the future or fast-forwarding to the present, The Sci-Fi Movie Guide: The Universe of Film from Alien to Zardoz covers the broad and widening range of science-fiction movies. From the trashy to the epic, from the classics to today's blockbusters, this cinefile's guidebook reviews nearly 1,000 of the biggest, baddest, and brightest from every age and genre of cinematic and TV science fiction.
Visible Ink Press; Second Edition edition
|
9781578595037
|
Paperback
Runnin' with the Devil
By Monk, Noel
The manager who shepherded Van Halen from obscurity to rock stardom goes behind the scenes to tell the complete, unadulterated story of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and the legendary band that changed rock music.Van Halen's rise in the 1980s was one of the most thrilling the music world had ever seen - their mythos an epic party, a sweaty, sexy, never-ending rock extravaganza. During this unparalleled run of success, debauchery, and drama, no one was closer to the band than Noel Monk. A man who'd worked with some of rock's biggest and most notorious names, Monk spent seven years with Van Halen, serving first as their tour manger then as their personal manager until 1985, when both he and David Lee Roth exited as controversy, backstabbing, and disappointment consumed the band.Throughout Van Halen's meteoric rise and abrupt halt, this confidant, fixer, friend, and promoter saw it all and lived to tell. Now, for the first time, he shares the most outrageous escapades - from their coming of age to their most shocking behavior on the road; from Eddie's courtship and high profile wedding to Valerie Bertinelli to the incredible drug use which would ultimately lead to everyone's demise. Sharing never-before-told stories, Monk paints a compelling portrait of Eddie Van Halen, bringing into focus the unique combination of talent, vision, hardship, and naivet that shaped one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time - and made him and his brother vulnerable to the trappings and failings of fame. Illustrated with dozens of rare photographs from Monk's vaults, Runnin' with the Devil is manna from rock heaven no Van Halen fan can miss.
Dey Street Books
|
9780062474100
|
Hardcover
Keepers
By Schickel, Richard
From a legendary film critic and movie fan extraordinaire, the highlights reel of a life spent at the movies Richard Schickel has seen, by his own estimate, more than twenty thousand films. He has been a reviewer since 1965 (long for Time magazine), has written almost forty books on the subject, and has produced and directed thirty documentaries. He has counted as personal friends many of the leading filmmakers of the twentieth century. Call it "obsession," "lunacy," or a "grand passion" (Schickel grants all three), but there's simply no one who knows film better. Now Schickel gives us the ultimate summing up: a history of film as he's seen - and lived - it, a tour of his favorites, a master class in what makes a film soar or flop.
Knopf Publishing Group
|
9780375424595
|
Hardcover
This Is What a Librarian Looks Like
By Cassidy, Kyle
In 2014, author and photographer Kyle Cassidy published a photo essay on Slate.com called "This is What A Librarian Looks Like," a montage of portraits and a tribute to librarians. Since then, Cassidy has made it his mission to remind us of how essential librarians and libraries are to our communities. His subjects are men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and personal style-from pink hair and leather jackets to button-downs and blazers. In short, not necessarily what one thinks a librarian looks like. The nearly 220 librarians photographed also share their personal thoughts on what it means to be a librarian. This is What A Librarian Looks Like also includes original essay by some of our most beloved writers, journalists, and commentators including Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Nancy Pearl, Cory Doctorow, Paula Poundstone, Amanda Palmer, Peter Sagal, Jeff VanderMeer, John Scalzi, Sara Farizan, Amy Dickinson, and others. Cassidy also profiles a handful of especially influential librarians and libraries.
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
|
9780316393980
|
Print book
The Book of Luke
By Campbell, Luther
The raw and powerful true story of how one man invented Southern Hip-Hop, saved the First Amendment, and became a role model for his disenfranchised Miami neighborhood - living proof that one person can make a difference in the world.A rap artist, wealthy musical entrepreneur, high school coach, and involved, active citizen - Luther Campbell's life is a reflection of modern America. His is a tale that touches on the most pressing issues of our time: sex, creativity versus the corporate bottom line, conservative values and artistic freedom, personal rights, the gangster mentality of music companies, the rise of entrepreneurship, and the power - and responsibilities - of individuals to care for their neighborhoods, their country, and the people around them.
Amistad Press
|
9780062336408
|
Hardcover
The House by the Lake
By Harding, Thomas
A Finalist for the Costa Biography AwardLonglisted for the Orwell PrizeNamed a Best Book of the Year byThe Times (London) * New Statesman (London) * Daily Express (London) * Commonweal magazine In the summer of 1993, Thomas Harding traveled to Germany with his grandmother to visit a small house by a lake on the outskirts of Berlin. It had been her "soul place," she said - a holiday home for her and her family, but also a refuge - until the 1930s, when the Nazis rise to power forced them to leave.The trip was his grandmothers chance to remember her childhood sanctuary as it was. But the house had changed, and when Harding returned once again nearly twenty years later, it was about to be demolished. It now belonged to the government, and as Harding began to inquire about whether the house could be saved, he unearthed secrets that had lain hidden for decades. Slowly he began to piece together the lives of the five families who had lived there: a wealthy landowner, a prosperous Jewish family, a renowned composer, a widow and her children, a Stasi informant. All had made the house their home, and all but one had been forced out.The house had weathered storms, fires and abandonment, witnessed violence, betrayals and murders, and had withstood the trauma of a world war and the dividing of a nation. Breathtaking in scope and intimate in its detail, The House by the Lake is a groundbreaking and revelatory new history of Germany, told over a tumultuous century through the story of a small wooden house.
Picador USA
|
9781250065063
|
Hardcover
Practical Folk Art
By Walton, Stewart And Sally
A celebration of country folk art, with beautiful pieces to make for the home using traditional craft-making techniques such as punched tinware, wood carving, cross stitch and stencil painting.
Lorenz Books
|
9781908991362
|
Hardcover
Rumours of Glory
By Cockburn, Bruce
Following the success of I'm Your Man and Just Kids, legendary Canadian singer and songwriter Bruce Cockburn delivers his long-awaited memoir - a chronicle of faith, fear, and activism that is also a lively cultural and musical tour through the late twentieth century.Award-winning songwriter and pioneering guitarist Bruce Cockburn's life has been shaped by politics, protest, romance, and spiritual discovery. For more than five decades he has toured the globe, visiting far-flung places such as Guatemala, Mali, Mozambique, Afghanistan, and Nepal, performing and speaking out on diverse issues, from native rights and land mines to the environment and Third World debt. His journeys have been reflected in his music and evolving styles: folk, jazz, blues, rock, and worldbeat.
Harper One
|
9780061969126
|
Hardcover
Seduced by Mrs. Robinson
By Gray, Beverly
"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" When The Graduate premiered in December 1967, its filmmakers had only modest expectations attached to what seemed to be a small, sexy, art house comedy adapted from an obscure first novel by an eccentric twenty-four-year-old. There was little indication that this offbeat story--a young man just out of college has an affair with one of his parents' friends and then runs off with her daughter--would turn out to be a monster hit, with an extended run in theaters and seven Academy Award nominations. The film catapulted an unknown actor, Dustin Hoffman, to stardom with a role that is now permanently engraved in our collective memories. And just as it turned the word plastics into shorthand for soulless work and a corporate, consumer culture, The Graduate sparked a national conversation about what came to be called "the generation gap." Now, in time for this iconic film's fiftieth birthday, author Beverly Gray offers up a smart close reading of the film itself and vivid, never-before-revealed details from behind the scenes of the production--including all the drama and decision-making of the cast and crew. For movie buffs and pop culture fans, Seduced by Mrs. Robinson brings to light The Graduate's huge influence on the future of filmmaking, and it explores how this unconventional movie rocked the late sixties world, both reflecting and changing the era's views of sex, work, and marriage.
Diary of a Madman
By Scarface,
From Geto Boys legend and renowned storyteller Scarface, comes a passionate memoir about how hip-hop changed the life of a kid from the south side of Houston, and how he rose to the top-and ushered in a new generation of rap dominance. Scarface is the celebrated rapper whose hits include "On My Block," "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" and "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta" (made famous in the cult film Office Space) . The former president of Def Jam South, he's collaborated with everyone from Kanye West, Ice Cube and Nas, and had many solo hits such as "Guess Who's Back" feat. Jay-Z and "Smile" feat. Tupac. But before that, he was a kid from Houston in love with rock-and-roll, listening to AC/DC and KISS.In Diary of a Madman, Scarface shares how his world changed when he heard Run DMC for the first time; how he dropped out of school in the ninth grade and started selling crack; and how he began rapping as the new form of music made its way out of New York and across the country. It is the account of his rise to the heights of the rap world, as well as his battles with his own demons and depression. Passionately exploring and explaining the roots and influences of rap culture, Diary of a Madman is the story of hip-hop-the music, the business, the streets, and life on the south side Houston, Texas.
So Many Roads
By Browne, David
Fifty years after they first came together and changed the sound of rock 'n' roll, the Grateful Dead remain one of rock's most beloved bands - a musical and cultural phenomenon that spans generations and paved the way for everything from the world of jam bands and the idea of independently released music to social networking. Much has been written about the band, but nothing quite as vibrant and vivid as So Many Roads.Drawing on new interviews with surviving members and people in their inner circle - along with the group's extensive archives and his own research from years of covering the group - David Browne, longtime music journalist and contributing editor at Rolling Stone, does more than merely delve into the Dead's saga. By way of an altogether unique structure - each chapter centered around a significant or pivotal day in their story - he lends this epic musical and cultural story a you-are-there feel unlike any other book written about the band.
Do Not Sell At Any Price
By Petrusich, Amanda
The untold story of a quirky and important subculture: The world of 78rpm records and the insular community that celebrates them - by acclaimed music critic and author Amanda Petrusich, who contributes regularly to Pitchfork, The Oxford American, and The New York Times.Before MP3s, CDs, and cassette tapes, even before LPs or 45s, the world listened to music on 78rpm records - those fragile, 10-inch shellac discs. While vinyl records have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, good 78s are exponentially harder to come by and play. A recent eBay auction for the only known copy of a particular record topped out at $37,100. Do Not Sell at Any Price explores the rarified world of the 78rpm record - from the format's heyday to its near extinction - and how collectors and archivists are working frantically to preserve the music before it's lost forever.
Your Band Sucks
By Fine, Jon
* A New York Times Summer Reading List selection * A Publishers Weekly Best Summer Book of 2015 * A memoir charting thirty years of the American independent rock underground by a musician who knows it intimately Jon Fine spent nearly thirty years performing and recording with bands that played various forms of aggressive and challenging underground rock music, and, as he writes in this memoir, at no point were any of those bands "ever threatened, even distantly, by actual fame." Yet when members of his first band, Bitch Magnet, reunited after twenty-one years to tour Europe, Asia, and America, diehard longtime fans traveled from far and wide to attend those shows, despite creeping middle-age obligations of parenthood and 9-to-5 jobs, testament to the remarkable staying power of the indie culture that the bands predating the likes of Bitch Magnet--among them Black Flag, Mission of Burma, and Sonic Youth --willed into existence through sheer determination and a shared disdain for the mediocrity of contemporary popular music.
The Black Panthers
By Shih, Bryan
October 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party, an organization that remains one of the most misunderstood of the twentieth century. But beyond the labels of "extremist" and "violent" that have marked the party, and behind charismatic leaders like Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, and Eldridge Cleaver were the ordinary men and women who made up the Panther rank and file.In The Black Panthers, photojournalist Bryan Shih and historian Yohuru Williams offer a reappraisal of the party's history and legacy. Through stunning portraits, poignant interviews, and illuminating essays by leading scholars, the book reveals the grit and battle scars of the foot soldiers of the party, some of whom eventually became top party leaders themselves - and the undying love for the people that kept them going.
The Sci-Fi Movie Guide
By Barsanti, Chris
Once upon a time, science fiction was only in the future. It was the stuff of drive-ins and cheap double-bills. Then, with the ever-increasing rush of new, society-altering technologies, science fiction pushed its way to the present, and it busted out of the genre ghetto of science fiction and barged its way into the mainstream. What used to be mere fantasy (trips to the moon? Wristwatch radios? Supercomputers capable of learning?) are now everyday reality.Whether nostalgic for the future or fast-forwarding to the present, The Sci-Fi Movie Guide: The Universe of Film from Alien to Zardoz covers the broad and widening range of science-fiction movies. From the trashy to the epic, from the classics to today's blockbusters, this cinefile's guidebook reviews nearly 1,000 of the biggest, baddest, and brightest from every age and genre of cinematic and TV science fiction.
Runnin' with the Devil
By Monk, Noel
The manager who shepherded Van Halen from obscurity to rock stardom goes behind the scenes to tell the complete, unadulterated story of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and the legendary band that changed rock music.Van Halen's rise in the 1980s was one of the most thrilling the music world had ever seen - their mythos an epic party, a sweaty, sexy, never-ending rock extravaganza. During this unparalleled run of success, debauchery, and drama, no one was closer to the band than Noel Monk. A man who'd worked with some of rock's biggest and most notorious names, Monk spent seven years with Van Halen, serving first as their tour manger then as their personal manager until 1985, when both he and David Lee Roth exited as controversy, backstabbing, and disappointment consumed the band.Throughout Van Halen's meteoric rise and abrupt halt, this confidant, fixer, friend, and promoter saw it all and lived to tell. Now, for the first time, he shares the most outrageous escapades - from their coming of age to their most shocking behavior on the road; from Eddie's courtship and high profile wedding to Valerie Bertinelli to the incredible drug use which would ultimately lead to everyone's demise. Sharing never-before-told stories, Monk paints a compelling portrait of Eddie Van Halen, bringing into focus the unique combination of talent, vision, hardship, and naivet that shaped one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time - and made him and his brother vulnerable to the trappings and failings of fame. Illustrated with dozens of rare photographs from Monk's vaults, Runnin' with the Devil is manna from rock heaven no Van Halen fan can miss.
Keepers
By Schickel, Richard
From a legendary film critic and movie fan extraordinaire, the highlights reel of a life spent at the movies Richard Schickel has seen, by his own estimate, more than twenty thousand films. He has been a reviewer since 1965 (long for Time magazine), has written almost forty books on the subject, and has produced and directed thirty documentaries. He has counted as personal friends many of the leading filmmakers of the twentieth century. Call it "obsession," "lunacy," or a "grand passion" (Schickel grants all three), but there's simply no one who knows film better. Now Schickel gives us the ultimate summing up: a history of film as he's seen - and lived - it, a tour of his favorites, a master class in what makes a film soar or flop.
This Is What a Librarian Looks Like
By Cassidy, Kyle
In 2014, author and photographer Kyle Cassidy published a photo essay on Slate.com called "This is What A Librarian Looks Like," a montage of portraits and a tribute to librarians. Since then, Cassidy has made it his mission to remind us of how essential librarians and libraries are to our communities. His subjects are men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and personal style-from pink hair and leather jackets to button-downs and blazers. In short, not necessarily what one thinks a librarian looks like. The nearly 220 librarians photographed also share their personal thoughts on what it means to be a librarian. This is What A Librarian Looks Like also includes original essay by some of our most beloved writers, journalists, and commentators including Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Nancy Pearl, Cory Doctorow, Paula Poundstone, Amanda Palmer, Peter Sagal, Jeff VanderMeer, John Scalzi, Sara Farizan, Amy Dickinson, and others. Cassidy also profiles a handful of especially influential librarians and libraries.
The Book of Luke
By Campbell, Luther
The raw and powerful true story of how one man invented Southern Hip-Hop, saved the First Amendment, and became a role model for his disenfranchised Miami neighborhood - living proof that one person can make a difference in the world.A rap artist, wealthy musical entrepreneur, high school coach, and involved, active citizen - Luther Campbell's life is a reflection of modern America. His is a tale that touches on the most pressing issues of our time: sex, creativity versus the corporate bottom line, conservative values and artistic freedom, personal rights, the gangster mentality of music companies, the rise of entrepreneurship, and the power - and responsibilities - of individuals to care for their neighborhoods, their country, and the people around them.
The House by the Lake
By Harding, Thomas
A Finalist for the Costa Biography AwardLonglisted for the Orwell PrizeNamed a Best Book of the Year byThe Times (London) * New Statesman (London) * Daily Express (London) * Commonweal magazine In the summer of 1993, Thomas Harding traveled to Germany with his grandmother to visit a small house by a lake on the outskirts of Berlin. It had been her "soul place," she said - a holiday home for her and her family, but also a refuge - until the 1930s, when the Nazis rise to power forced them to leave.The trip was his grandmothers chance to remember her childhood sanctuary as it was. But the house had changed, and when Harding returned once again nearly twenty years later, it was about to be demolished. It now belonged to the government, and as Harding began to inquire about whether the house could be saved, he unearthed secrets that had lain hidden for decades. Slowly he began to piece together the lives of the five families who had lived there: a wealthy landowner, a prosperous Jewish family, a renowned composer, a widow and her children, a Stasi informant. All had made the house their home, and all but one had been forced out.The house had weathered storms, fires and abandonment, witnessed violence, betrayals and murders, and had withstood the trauma of a world war and the dividing of a nation. Breathtaking in scope and intimate in its detail, The House by the Lake is a groundbreaking and revelatory new history of Germany, told over a tumultuous century through the story of a small wooden house.
Practical Folk Art
By Walton, Stewart And Sally
A celebration of country folk art, with beautiful pieces to make for the home using traditional craft-making techniques such as punched tinware, wood carving, cross stitch and stencil painting.
Rumours of Glory
By Cockburn, Bruce
Following the success of I'm Your Man and Just Kids, legendary Canadian singer and songwriter Bruce Cockburn delivers his long-awaited memoir - a chronicle of faith, fear, and activism that is also a lively cultural and musical tour through the late twentieth century.Award-winning songwriter and pioneering guitarist Bruce Cockburn's life has been shaped by politics, protest, romance, and spiritual discovery. For more than five decades he has toured the globe, visiting far-flung places such as Guatemala, Mali, Mozambique, Afghanistan, and Nepal, performing and speaking out on diverse issues, from native rights and land mines to the environment and Third World debt. His journeys have been reflected in his music and evolving styles: folk, jazz, blues, rock, and worldbeat.
Seduced by Mrs. Robinson
By Gray, Beverly
"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" When The Graduate premiered in December 1967, its filmmakers had only modest expectations attached to what seemed to be a small, sexy, art house comedy adapted from an obscure first novel by an eccentric twenty-four-year-old. There was little indication that this offbeat story--a young man just out of college has an affair with one of his parents' friends and then runs off with her daughter--would turn out to be a monster hit, with an extended run in theaters and seven Academy Award nominations. The film catapulted an unknown actor, Dustin Hoffman, to stardom with a role that is now permanently engraved in our collective memories. And just as it turned the word plastics into shorthand for soulless work and a corporate, consumer culture, The Graduate sparked a national conversation about what came to be called "the generation gap." Now, in time for this iconic film's fiftieth birthday, author Beverly Gray offers up a smart close reading of the film itself and vivid, never-before-revealed details from behind the scenes of the production--including all the drama and decision-making of the cast and crew. For movie buffs and pop culture fans, Seduced by Mrs. Robinson brings to light The Graduate's huge influence on the future of filmmaking, and it explores how this unconventional movie rocked the late sixties world, both reflecting and changing the era's views of sex, work, and marriage.