“F. Scott Fitzgerald said that there are no second acts in American lives. I have no idea what that means but I believe that in quoting him I appear far more intelligent than I am. I don’t know about second acts, but I do think we get second chances, fifth chances, eighteenth chances. Every day we get a fresh chance to live the way we want.” FINBAR DOLAN is lost and lonely. Except he doesn’t know it. Despite escaping his blue-collar Boston upbringing to carve out a mildly successful career at a Madison Avenue ad agency, he’s a bit of a mess and closing in on forty. He’s recently called off a wedding. Now, a few days before Christmas, he’s forced to cancel a long-postponed vacation in order to write, produce, and edit a Super Bowl commercial for his diaper account in record time. Fortunately, it gets worse. Fin learns that his long-estranged and once-abusive father has fallen ill. And that neither of his brothers or his sister intend to visit. It’s a wake-up call for Fin to reevaluate the choices he’s made, admit that he’s falling for his coworker Phoebe, question the importance of diapers in his life, and finally tell the truth about his past. Truth in Advertising is debut novelist John Kenney’s wickedly funny, honest, at times sardonic, and ultimately moving story about the absurdity of corporate life, the complications of love, and the meaning of family.

(Book). Making it in music has never been easy, but today it's harder than ever before. The digital age has dawned and, with it, the music biz has wholly merged with the entertainment industry. Up-and-comers are immediately faced with a dire choice: alter your art to appease the powers that be or learn to navigate the notoriously grimy underside of the most glamorous profession in the world. Whether you're a self-reliant DIY musician or an aspiring personal manager, Stephen Marcone and David Philp's Managing Your Band Artist Management: The Ultimate Responsibility can help you keep your shirt and maybe just maybe make a buck, all for less than the price of a decent dinner. Now in its sixth edition, Managing Your Band has long since been the standard bearer for aspirants and hardened vets alike. From dive bars to festivals, from branding and merchandising to marketing and publicity, from publishing and licensing to rights and contracts, Marcone and Philp leave no stone unturned in this comprehensive guide to artist management. A lofty claim, eh? No need to take our word for it luminaries in every corner of the industry are willing to testify. To put it mildly, the book has a reputation with record labels. John Butler, Vice President of Promotion at Curb, believes that "Marcone and Philp take on our ever-changing business with a fresh and complete approach. The breadth of information here is as important to veterans as it is to the new entrepreneurs that will power the current and next versions of the music industry." Paul Sinclair, the EVP of Digital Strategy & Innovation at Atlantic, attests that "the 6th edition of Managing Your Band provides an excellent blueprint to follow paths of flexibility and specificity toward a successful career in music. In this book, you find the framework. Implement it well and you have a better shot of finding success with your musical art." Joe Riccitelli, the EVP/GM of RCA, considers the book "a must for new and established managers who may need a brush-up on topics they have forgotten," as "Stephen's & David's vast experience pays off in the 6th edition." Hell, this is "the only book" music mogul Harvey Leeds "took to Israel to teach the Israelis about the international music and entertainment business!" In the end, we think Doc McGhee, the man who whisked Bon Jovi and Motley Crue to superstardom, says it best: "I wish I had something like this when I was starting out!" What more can we say? Pick up the latest edition of Managing Your Band and chase that wild dream!

A timely and important compilation of first-person accounts by black men—including some famous like Russell Simmons, Rev. Al Sharpton, John Legend, along with community leaders known primarily in their respective neighborhoods—this New York Times bestseller describes a defining moment in each of these black men’s lives which motivated them to give back. Reach includes forty first-person accounts from well-known men like the Rev. Al Sharpton, John Legend, Isiah Thomas, Bill T. Jones, Louis Gossett, Jr., and Talib Kweli, alongside influential community organizers, businessmen, religious leaders, philanthropists, and educators. These remarkable individuals are living proof that black men are as committed as ever to ensuring a better world for themselves and for others. Powerful and indispensable to our ongoing cultural dialogue, Reach explodes myths about black men by providing rare, candid, and deeply personal insights into their lives. It’s a blueprint for better community engagement. It’s an essential resource for communities everywhere. Proceeds from the sale of Reach will go to BMe Community, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building caring and prosperous communities inspired by black men. Reach is also a Project of the Kapor Center for Social Impact, one of the founding supporters of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative.

"This book is a true love letter, not only to Jha's own son but also to all of our sons and to the parents--especially mothers--who raise them.” —Ijeoma Oluo, author of So You Want to Talk About Race and Mediocre Beautifully written and deeply personal, this book follows the struggles and triumphs of one single, immigrant mother of color to raise an American feminist son. From teaching consent to counteracting problematic messages from the media, well-meaning family, and the culture at large, the author offers an empowering, imperfect feminism, brimming with honest insight and actionable advice. Informed by Jha's work as a professor of journalism specializing in social justice movements and social media, as well as by conversations with psychologists, experts, other parents and boys--and through powerful stories from her own life--How to Raise a Feminist Son shows us all how to be better feminists and better teachers of the next generation of men in this electrifying tour de force. Includes chapter takeaways, and an annotated bibliography of reading and watching recommendations for adults and children. "A beautiful hybrid of memoir, manifesto, instruction manual, and rumination on the power of story and possibilities of family." —Rebecca Solnit, author of The Mother of All Questions

The Fall of President Tweet By: John F. Hurst Having been defeated in his bid for a third presidential term, Steven Beck decides to seize power, setting off a chain of events that forces the nation’s First Lady and Vice President to undertake extreme measures. The tale of a president who refuses to leave the office, John. F. Hurst’s political satire, The Fall of President Tweet, is a poignant reminder that absolute power corrupts, and that drastic times call for drastic measures.

Politics and the Twitter Revolution: How Tweets Influence the Relationship between Political Leaders and the Public, by John H. Parmelee and Shannon L. Bichard, is the first comprehensive examination of how Twitter is used politically. Surveys and in-depth interviews with political Twitter users answer several important questions, including: Who follows the political leaders on Twitter, and why? How persuasive are political tweets? Is political Twitter use good for democracy? These and other questions are answered from theoretical perspectives, such as uses and gratifications, word-of-mouth communication, selective exposure, innovation characteristics, and the continuity-discontinuity framework. In addition, content analysis and frame analysis illustrate how political leaders' tweets frame their policies and personalities. The findings in Politics and the Twitter Revolution show Twitter to be surprisingly influential on political discourse. Twitter has caused major changes in how people engage politically. Followers regularly take actions that are requested in leaders' tweets, and, in many cases, leaders' tweets shape followers' political views more than friends and family. Other findings raise concerns. For some, Twitter use contributes to political polarization, and there is frequently a disconnect between what followers expect from leaders on Twitter and what those leaders are giving them.