The first young adult novel translated from Russian, a brave coming-out, coming-of-age story. In June 2013, the Russian government passed laws prohibiting "gay propaganda," threatening jail time and fines to offenders. That same month, in spite of these harsh laws, a Russian publisher released PLAYING A PART, a young adult novel with openly gay characters. It was a brave, bold act, and now this groundbreaking story has been translated for American readers.In PLAYING A PART, Grisha adores everything about the Moscow puppet theater where his parents work, and spends as much time there as he can. But life outside the theater is not so wonderful. The boys in Grisha's class bully him mercilessly, and his own grandfather says hateful things about how he's not "masculine" enough. Life goes from bad to worse when Grisha learns that Sam, his favorite actor and mentor, is moving: He's leaving the country to escape the extreme homophobia he faces in Russia. How Grisha overcomes these trials and writes himself a new role in his own story is heartfelt, courageous, and hopeful.

Learn the secrets of great communicators, professional speakers, and C-level executives “Gina is a maestro of public speaking! She coached me for my TED talk, and I am forever grateful to her for giving me the technical and emotional training I needed to take the stage.” —Susan Cain, bestselling author of Quiet “Gina is an incredible coach who’ll increase your impact when presenting in an executive setting—or any professional interaction. But she can’t be everywhere, so this book is the next best thing! A must-read.” —Greg Behar, CEO of Nestle Science and Health Every body tells a story. From the moment an actor steps on stage, an audience collectively feels whether his or her performance is authentic, forced, or over the top. Business professionals are also performers—and the workplace is their stage. In Play the Part, executive communication consultant Gina Barnett brings the same techniques actors use to bear on all types of presentation and communication situations, from the board room to the conference stage. She reveals how the body affects our communication and thought patterns and how to align these consistently for maximum success. Featuring practical exercises, she shows you how to develop presence and become more intuitive, so you can navigate challenging communication situations with optimal results. You worked hard to earn your title. Now it’s time to play the part.

"One of the funniest voices in the inspirational genre."--Booklist Lucetta Plum is an actress on the rise in New York City, but is forced to abandon her starring role when a fan's interest turns threatening. Lucetta's widowed friend, Abigail Hart, is delighted at the opportunity to meddle in Lucetta's life and promptly whisks her away to her grandson's estate to hide out. Bram Haverstein may appear to simply be a somewhat eccentric gentleman of means, but a mysterious career and a secret fascination with a certain actress mean there's much more to him than society knows. Lucetta, who has no interest in Abigail's matchmaking machinations, has the best intentions of remaining cordial but coolly distant to Bram. But when she can't ignore the strange and mysterious things going on in his house, it'll take more than good intentions to keep her from trying to discover who Bram is behind the part he plays.

The national bestselling author of A Natural History of the Senses tackles the realm of creativity, by exploring one of the most essential aspects of our characters: the ability to play. "Deep play" is that more intensified form of play that puts us in a rapturous mood and awakens the most creative, sentient, and joyful aspects of our inner selves. As Diane Ackerman ranges over a panoply of artistic, spiritual, and athletic activities, from spiritual rapture through extreme sports, we gain a greater sense of what it means to be "in the moment" and totally, transcendentally human. Keenly perceived and written with poetic exuberance, Deep Play enlightens us by revealing the manifold ways we can enhance our lives.

Covering a forty year period from first leaving Central School of Speech and Drama until his early death at the age of 61, Playing a Part is a full career book of "a very fine actor" who would delight audiences as a sensitive lover or as a haunted murderer.

This book will be very beneficial to you if you are looking to get into the art of acting. Regardless of whether you are new to the game, and just started acting last year, or have been acting for a very long time, this book has been extremely helpful and guiding to anyone with questions. It has personalized practices, which do not require multiple people and is tailored to your specific focus in the acting world. The book is great mentor to the art that you are already crafting.

An introduction for parents who wish to teach their young children (ages 2-7) to play chess.

Contains everything you need to put on your own play with your friends, including how to write a script, design a set, make costumes, and act a part.

Beth and the Bracelets is a picture book with a difference. On one hand, it is about the Monday morning after a little girl is not invited to a birthday party. However, it is also about emotional overload, dealing with a complicated life and ultimately about the hope adults can give to children who are different. I wrote it from the perspective that Beth has autism, however it is never spelled out. People who have interactions with those on the spectrum will see it. Beth has her own cushion, her own spot at the library, and a safe place she can go if she is overwhelmed. The exclusion of her from the party and the swirling vortex are two very powerful autism identifiers for me too. When I read Beth and the Bracelets to a focus group (ok, it was just my friends' children) they related Beth's differences to their own situations. One little girl thought Beth had anxiety, like she herself has. My son thought Beth had a special brain like his. It made me realise that Beth is a character that all children can relate to on some level. Whether seeing themselves in her or someone they know, they all "got" her. Books like Beth and the Bracelets are desperately needed for children. There are books out there about Autism but most have what I call a "Full House" ending. Y'know, the ending where we all learned something and everything is just great now. They are trying to teach and have a 'message'. These stories feel disingenuous and kids pick it up in a heartbeat. Life is not all smiles at the end of the book for children with Autism, it's still complex and hard.

Soccer fans around the world adore the offensive style of play based on fast passing combinations, spectacular dribblings, and the art of beautifully shot goals. The question regarding this style of game is how to coach your team to embrace fast attacking soccer. How do you shape your training to cover all the technical and tactical basics? Peter ......