Detailed biography of the St. Louis senator as a moderate liberal in a conservative state, from a promising attorney to contributions in environmental and social legislation. Known for his successful bipartisanship, he was the Democratic nominee for Vice-President in 1972 until personal problems were revealed.

Don't Call Me Jupiter is a true-story memoir about an All-American family that becomes all hippied out. It's about the pros and cons that kids growing up in hippie environments encountered and how their early experiences continue to shape them later in life. This "First Family" story begins in 1961 in Cincinnati, Ohio with Dr. Sabin as they're selected to demonstrate the oral vaccine for polio. They are the paragon of midwestern, conservative, white-bread, Catholic idealism. And yet, led by an eccentric mother, the Martha Stewart of hippies, the family transforms into a clan of liberal, pot-smoking, psychedelic-bus-tripping, nature-loving California free spirits. Told through the wide-eyes of a middle child; a reluctant hippie kid who loves his family as much as he is embarrassed by them, this is a hilarious book about abandonment. Climb aboard their magic yellow bus for an unforgettable ride with colorful characters caught in situations that will make you laugh, cry, and cringe. Don't Call me Jupiter is a page-turning ride down memory lane when many parents went in search of themselves and lost their children along the way. "Growing up in this era was groovy and far out. We believed in the power of the people. We felt we could save the whales and make the world a better place. But there was bad craziness too."The '60s were a pivotal time. It revolutionized the way people looked at the world and their place in it. People challenged tradition, experimented with new lifestyles - and drugs. The very definition of family was stretched. Many people share unforgettable memories connected to the hippie movement and want to know how it's affecting them today. What was gained? What was lost? Are any of our adult disorders and anxiety tied to our unusual childhoods? This book presents a strong case in favor of the "fuck yea - of course it does!"In this first book of three in the series, you'll get an intimate understanding of the main characters, the changes they embrace, and how it affects their decisions and behaviors. Years later, this disbanded group is forced back together to deal with a family crisis. Similar memories about surviving dysfunctional families include: Running with Scissors, The Glass Castle, Let's Pretend this Never Happened, The Liar's Club, This Boy's Life, and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. It's like a 70's version of Shameless but with less booze, more weed, and way more hallucinogenics. This book needs to be read because it expands our understanding of the hippie movement and its continuing impact on society. Don't Call Me Jupiter provides an accurate, visceral, entertaining, real-life perspective into the ups and downs of surviving a hippie childhood.

Abdi Nor Iftin first fell in love with America from afar. As a child, he learned English by listening to American pop and watching action films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. When U.S. marines landed in Mogadishu to take on the warlords, Abdi cheered the arrival of these Americans, who seemed as heroic as those of the movies. Sporting American clothes and dance moves, he became known around Mogadishu as Abdi American, but when the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab rose to power in 2006, it became dangerous to celebrate Western culture. Desperate to make a living, Abdi used his language skills to post secret dispatches, which found an audience of worldwide listeners. Eventually, though, Abdi was forced to flee to Kenya. In an amazing stroke of luck, Abdi won entrance to the U.S. in the annual visa lottery, though his route to America did not come easily. Parts of his story were first heard on the BBC World Service and This American Life. Now a proud resident of Maine, on the path to citizenship, Abdi Nor Iftin's dramatic, deeply stirring memoir is truly a story for our time: a vivid reminder of why America still beckons to those looking to make a better life.

Fifth-grader Patrick can’t read, but when the new girl next door encourages him to overcome his fears and try, he starts believing he isn’t so stupid after all Patrick Lowe has always loved imagining his own fantastic stories of brave knights and dragons. Unfortunately, every time he tries to read, his father’s voice pops up in his head telling him he’s stupid, and the words on the page suddenly become too blurry to see. By his fifth grade year, Patrick has stopped trying to read altogether. He doesn’t think he needs any friends, but his new next-door neighbor Celina just won’t leave him alone. As Patrick and Celina slowly become friends, Celina starts reading The Sword and the Stone to him every afternoon. Patrick is entranced by this mythical world of white knights and vicious beasts, magic and adventure, but no matter how hard he tries, he himself still cannot read. But when Celina betrays his trust, Patrick finds himself betting to the class bully that he can read a story to the entire school. Patrick is determined to show everyone that he’s no dummy, but can he get past his own fears and finally learn to read?

For more than 50 years, from 1929 into the 1980s, Jock Semple was the heart and soul of the Boston Marathon. He was a top runner (nine times he finished in the top ten in 30s and 40s,) a trainer of marathon champions, including John J. Kelley, Bill Rodgers, Patti Catalano, and co-director of the race. "Just Call Me Jock" captures the color and passion of Jock's love for the Boston Marathon, including his side of the Kathrine Switzer "Great Chase," when in 1967 Jock sought to retrieve the official Boston Marathon number he had assigned Kathrine "by mistake," in an era when women were not permitted by the rules to compete. Jock pursued Kathrine down the road, as the legion of press photographers clicked away, and in turn he made himself "infamous," while making Kathrine "famous." The book tells how Jock made up with Kathrine and became a avid supporter of women's running. Published again for a new generation of runners and readers on the 50th anniversary of the "Great Chase," the book is designed to support the Barb's Beer Foundation (a 501c3) dedicated to finding a cure for lung cancer in the name of Barb Murphy, a Boston Marathon runner and late wife of the book's co-author, Tom Murphy. See more about the book and the lung cancer campaign at barbsbeer.org.

The story of Leilani Muir, whose abusive mother had her institutionalized at the age of 11 as mentally defective. She was questioned by the Alberta Eugenics Board and was subsequently sterilized. She discusses her attempts to have that operation reversed and the lawsuit she eventually launched against the Alberta government.

Internationally beloved opera star Deborah Voigt recounts her harrowing and ultimately successful private battles to overcome the addictions and self-destructive tendencies that nearly destroyed her life. Call Me Debbie is one of the most electrifying performances of Deborah Voigt’s life. The brilliantly gifted opera soprano takes us behind the velvet curtains to tell her compelling story—a tale of success, addiction, music, and faith as dramatic as any role she has performed. For the first time, she talks about the events that led to her dangerous gastric bypass surgery in 2004 and its shocking aftermath: her substantial weight loss coupled with the “cross addiction” that led to severe alcoholism, frightening all-night blackouts, and suicide attempts. Ultimately, Voigt emerged from the darkness to achieve complete sobriety, thanks to a twelve-step program and a recommitment to her Christian faith. Colored by hilarious anecdotes and juicy gossip that illuminate what really goes on backstage, Voigt paints diverting portraits of the artists with whom she’s worked, her most memorable moments onstage, and her secrets to great singing. She also offers fascinating insight into the roles she’s played and the characters she loves, including Strauss’s Ariadne and Salome, Puccini’s Minnie, and Wagner’s Sieglinde, Isolde, and Brünnhilde, sharing her intense preparation for playing them. Filled with eight pages of color photos, Call Me Debbie is an inspirational story that offers a unique look into the life of a modern artist and a remarkable woman.

I hate that wall, Every time I go for a bike-ride, Mum says, "Stay within the walls". So I ride around in circles. Like a circus animal. It's a prison. A prison for kids.Dumb things become important when you're old. At least that's what Tom reckons- like living in a guarded gated community, filling the three spare rooms with a bottle top collection or secretly belly dancing while everyone's out. When Tom meets Cleo the snake charmer, together they break-out, discover a bull that hasn't become a hamburger, visit tom's forbidden grandfather and catch and boil yabbies by Murchison Creek. Another funny, quirky adventure about friendship, families and saving the world, from popular award-winning storyteller Steven Herrick.