Download or read book My Extraordinary Ordinary Life written by Sissy Spacek and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In her delightful and moving memoir, Sissy Spacek writes about her idyllic, barefoot childhood in a small East Texas town, with the clarity and wisdom that comes from never losing sight of her roots. Descended from industrious Czech immigrants and threadbare southern gentility, she grew up a tomboy, tagging along with two older brothers and absorbing grace and grit from her remarkable parents, who taught her that she could do anything. She also learned fearlessness in the wake of a family tragedy, the grief propelling her "like rocket fuel" to follow her dreams of becoming a performer. With a keen sense of humor and a big-hearted voice, she describes how she arrived in New York City one star-struck summer as a seventeen-year-old carrying a suitcase and two guitars; and how she built a career that has spanned four decades with films such as Carrie, Coal Miner's Daughter, 3 Women, and The Help. She details working with some of the great directors of our time, including Terrence Malick, Robert Altman, David Lynch, and Brian De Palma-who thought of her as a no-talent set decorator until he cast her as the lead in Carrie. She also reveals why, at the height of her fame, she and her family moved away from Los Angeles to a farm in rural Virginia. Whether she's describing the terrors and joys of raising two talented, independent daughters, taking readers behind the scenes on Oscar night, or meditating on the thrill of watching a pair of otters frolicking in her pond, Sissy Spacek's memoir is poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, plainspoken and utterly honest. My Extraordinary Ordinary Life is about what matters most: the exquisite worth of ordinary things, the simple pleasures of home and family, and the honest job of being right with the world. "If I get hit by a truck tomorrow," she writes, "I want to know I've returned my neighbor's cake pan."
Download or read book Extraordinary Ordinary People written by Condoleezza Rice and published by Crown. This book was released on 2011-10-11 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl--and a young woman--trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world, of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community that made all the difference. Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman--and the first black woman ever--to serve as Secretary of State. But until she was 25 she never learned to swim, because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he'd rather shut down the city's pools than give black citizens access. Throughout the 1950's, Birmingham's black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last. But by 1963, Birmingham had become an environment where blacks were expected to keep their head down and do what they were told--or face violent consequences. That spring two bombs exploded in Rice’s neighborhood amid a series of chilling Klu Klux Klan attacks. Months later, four young girls lost their lives in a particularly vicious bombing. So how was Rice able to achieve what she ultimately did? Her father, John, a minister and educator, instilled a love of sports and politics. Her mother, a teacher, developed Condoleezza’s passion for piano and exposed her to the fine arts. From both, Rice learned the value of faith in the face of hardship and the importance of giving back to the community. Her parents’ fierce unwillingness to set limits propelled her to the venerable halls of Stanford University, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become the university’s second-in-command. An expert in Soviet and Eastern European Affairs, she played a leading role in U.S. policy as the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Less than a decade later, at the apex of the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, she received the exciting news--just shortly before her father’s death--that she would go on to the White House as the first female National Security Advisor. As comfortable describing lighthearted family moments as she is recalling the poignancy of her mother’s cancer battle and the heady challenge of going toe-to-toe with Soviet leaders, Rice holds nothing back in this remarkably candid telling.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and published by Crown. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A memoir in bite-size chunks from the author of the viral Modern Love column “You May Want to Marry My Husband.” “[Rosenthal] shines her generous light of humanity on the seemingly humdrum moments of life and shows how delightfully precious they actually are.” —The Chicago Sun-Times How do you conjure a life? Give the truest account of what you saw, felt, learned, loved, strived for? For Amy Krouse Rosenthal, the surprising answer came in the form of an encyclopedia. In Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life she has ingeniously adapted this centuries-old format for conveying knowledge into a poignant, wise, often funny, fully realized memoir. Using mostly short entries organized from A to Z, many of which are cross-referenced, Rosenthal captures in wonderful and episodic detail the moments, observations, and emotions that comprise a contemporary life. Start anywhere—preferably at the beginning—and see how one young woman’s alphabetized existence can open up and define the world in new and unexpected ways. An ordinary life, perhaps, but an extraordinary book.
Download or read book Condoleezza Rice A Memoir of My Extraordinary Ordinary Family and Me written by Condoleezza Rice and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2010-10-12 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state and New York Times bestselling author of Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom, comes a captivating memoir of her remarkable childhood. Condoleezza Rice’s life began in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950s, a place and time where black people lived in a segregated parallel universe away from their white neighbors. She grew up during the violent and shocking 1960s, when bloodshed became a part of daily life in the South. Rice’s portrait of her parents, John and Angelena, highlights their ambitions and frustrations and shows how much they sacrificed to give their beloved only child the best chance for success. Rice also discusses the challenges of being a precocious child who was passionate about music, ice skating, history, and current affairs. Her memoir reveals with vivid clarity how her early experiences sowed the seeds of her political beliefs and helped her become a vibrant, successful woman. Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Parents and Me is a fascinating and inspirational story for young people, adapted from Condoleeza Rice’s adult sensation Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family. Includes a 16-page photo insert. Praise for Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family: “An origins story . . . memoir is teeming with fascinating detail.” —The New York Times “A thrilling, inspiring life of achievement.” —Publishers Weekly “Surprisingly engrossing . . .” —Daily Beast “Vivid and heartfelt writing . . . Highly recommended.”—Library Journal
Download or read book My Extraordinary Life written by Monica Sucha Vickers and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2013 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through my grandmother's eyes, I can see clearly The way things used to be, The way things ought to be, The way things really are. Ed Cunningham Long ago, my grandma thought I should write a book about my life. For years, I wondered, "What's so special about my life?" I finally got it. I was physically very different. In this book, I tell of my many struggles and many successes. For the first time, I share my innermost thoughts on life as a triple amputee. This book is the story of my life. This book describes the life of a congenital triple amputee who overcomes incredible odds and finds happiness. This life was quite ordinary and yet, the more one reads into the story, it was nothing short of extraordinary.
Download or read book The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of Mark Rodriguez written by Mark Rodriguez and published by . This book was released on 2015-05-30 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever fallen in love? What would happen if you fell in love with God and He loved you back? On May 30, 2014, seventeen-year-old Mark Rodriguez was gunned down in an apparent random act of violence while driving home from his school's graduation. The story made national headlines when it was discovered that Mark had recently blogged that he could not wait to go to Heaven to be with God. Upon reading his private journals, Mark's parents witnessed an amazing, intimate love relationship between a boy and the Creator who made him. They also discovered Mark's premonition that he was going to die, as well as his determination to change the world, one life at a time. This book contains Mark Rodriguez's private journals. They are a window into the extraordinary inner world of a boy who chose to know God intimately, to love others recklessly, and was willing to die sacrificially.
Download or read book The Uncommon Woman written by Susie Larson and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 2008-07-01 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagine yourself in a pool of strong swimmers, all swimming clockwise. You, a Christian woman, are swimming counter-clockwise...counter-cultural, if you will. This book is for the woman who longs to rise up out of the stereotypical behavior of gossip, insecurity, pettiness, and small dreams. She has an unfulfilled desire to be someone who goes against the grain of the common for the sole purpose of living a life with conviction. The woman who reads this book is ready to believe in her deep value, ready to accept her high calling, and ready to make a difference in a world in need of her influence. Go ahead, swim against the stream to become The Uncommon Woman.
Download or read book The Power of an Ordinary Life written by Harvey A. Hook and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2007 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Harvey Hook touches on the legacy each one of us hopes to leave. Hook explores the concept of redemptive action—how each of us can impact the world around us. He uses true-life stories of people in ordinary life who were plunged into remarkable circumstances and achieved extraordinary things. Using both stories that are current and historical—stories of younger and older people alike—this book will appeal to a wide range of people. From these stories, the author derives insights and truths to help others apply themselves to make a difference in this world.
Download or read book The Fred Factor written by Mark Sanborn and published by Crown Currency. This book was released on 2004-04-20 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The true story of a seemingly ordinary mail carrier whose approach to work and life has the power to transform the everyday into the extraordinary “This beloved business classic has inspired millions of people over the years, and today Mark Sanborn’s transformative insights are more timely and necessary than ever.”—Jon Gordon, author of The Energy Bus and co-author of The Coffee Bean Meet Fred. In this small yet powerful book, Mark Sanborn, member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, recounts the story of a USPS carrier who introduced himself one day shortly after Sanborn had moved to a new home in Denver. Fred, however, was no average mailman. As Sanborn came to discover, Fred was the kind of worker who exemplifies everything “right” with customer service. Did people want packages left on the porch or prefer a notice to pick them up at the post office? Fred made sure he knew the answer. When another delivery service left a package at the wrong house, Fred shepherded it safely to the intended recipient. Others might have seen delivering mail as less-than-glamorous work, but Fred seized the chance to find meaning in the mundane, competing with himself every day to find opportunities to make his customers smile. We’ve all encountered people like Fred. In this deeply inspiring book, Sanborn illuminates the four basic principles anyone can use to bring fresh energy and creativity to our work and life: how to make a tangible difference every day, build stronger relationships, create real value for others without spending a penny, and constantly reinvent yourself.
Download or read book Ordinary Work Extraordinary Grace written by Scott Hahn and published by Image. This book was released on 2009-06-03 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A deeply personal introduction to the biblical theology and spirituality of Opus Dei by the bestselling Catholic author Scott Hahn. To conspiracy theorists, Opus Dei is a highly secretive and powerful international organization. To its members, however, Opus Dei is a spiritual path, a way of incorporating the teachings of Jesus into everyday life. In Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace, Scott Hahn, a member of Opus Dei, describes the organization’s founding, its mission, and its profound influence on his life. Hahn recounts the invaluable part Opus Dei played in his conversion from Evangelical Christianity to Catholicism and explains why its teachings remain at the center of his life. Through stories about his job, his marriage, his role as a parent, and his community activities, Hahn shows how Opus Dei’s spirituality enriches the meaning of daily tasks and transforms ordinary relationships. He offers inspiring insights for reconciling spiritual and material goals, discussing topics ranging from ambition, workaholism, friendship, and sex, to the place of prayer and sacrifice in Christianity today. Engaging and enlightening, Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace is at once a moving personal story and an inspiring work of contemporary spirituality.
Download or read book Upgrade Taking Your Work and Life from Ordinary to Extraordinary written by Rana Florida and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2013-09-13 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 7 Key Principles to achieving YOUR business and life goals What could a graffiti artist, eminent neurologist, star athlete, celebrity chef, fashion designer, rocket scientist, and Grammy Award–winning musician possibly have in common? In this groundbreaking new book, Rana Florida shares their formula, giving you the tools to achieve unimaginable success in work and life. Upgrade gathers the best practices, not just from CEOs and business executives but from entrepreneurs, innovative thinkers, and creative leaders. Upgrade includes interviews with Sir Ken Robinson, Dan Pink, Mark Cuban, Andre Agassi, Kenny Scharf, Zaha Hadid, Governor Martin O’Malley, Tory Burch, Tim Brown, and many other leading figures. Despite this cast’s vastly different backgrounds and skills, Florida’s research concludes that there are seven key principles to achieving your business and life goals: Envision the future Find your passion Get creative Design your time Collaborate Take risks Embrace failure Unfortunately, this is exactly what the majority of us don’t do. Instead of developing a real strategy to upgrade and optimize our lives, too many of us just slog through life in a state of “managed dissatisfaction.” But it’s never too late to envision an entirely different future—or to actively upgrade your life. It’s not about finding more time, money, or resources. Anyone can do it. This smart and entertaining guide delves deep into each principle, giving you the insights, tools, and inspiration to take your life from ordinary to extraordinary. Praise for Upgrade “Why ride in coach, when you can upgrade? A must-read for a better journey through life.” Don Tapscott, bestselling author, Wikinomics and Grown Up Digital “Upgrade is an a-ha book that will change how you look at life’s challenges and give you tools to upgrade your life.” Touré, cohost of MSNBC’s The Cycle “Read Upgrade for its stories, examples, and strategies and get ready to live the life you always wanted.” Frank Toskan, founder, M.A.C. Cosmetics “Creative and innovative strategies to upgrade your work and life, with seven simple principles.” Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com, Inc., and New York Times bestselling author of Delivering Happiness “Rana’s perspective on business and life is a fresh new take, breaking the traditional corporate mold. Upgrade is a must-read for anyone not buying into the conventional wisdom.” Ali Velshi, CNN Chief Business Correspondent; anchor, CNN-I World Business Today; and host, CNN Your Money “Upgrade welcomes you to take a fresh approach to everything you do to get the most out of work and life.” Nelly Furtado, Grammy Award–winning musician “If I’m going to listen to anyone’s good advice about how to improve my approach to work and life, it’s Rana’s.” Kate Betts, contributing editor, TIME, and columnist, The Daily Beast "Rana's voice is refreshing--as real as a memoir and a great vessel for this self-help and business book wrapped up in one easily-digestible package." Paper Magazine "A very interesting book." Business Learning Solutions
Download or read book The Parent s Tao Te Ching written by William Martin and published by Da Capo Lifelong Books. This book was released on 2009-09-09 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Classic Taoist wisdom applied to the world of parenting, guiding mothers and fathers to meaningful conversations and relationships with their children. William C. Martin has freshly reinterpreted the Tao Te Ching to speak directly and clearly to the most difficult of modern tasks -- parenting. With its combination of free verse and judicious advice, The Parent's Tao Te Ching addresses the great themes that permeate the Tao and that support loving parent- child relationships: responding without judgment, emulating natural processes, and balancing between doing and being. "A masterpiece. William Martin captures the essence of what it means to raise a child. Urgently needed, this precious book lifts parenting to new heights."-- Judy Ford, author of Wonderful Ways to Love a Child and Wonderful Ways to Be a Family
Download or read book The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man written by Paul Newman and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2023-07-25 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • The raw, candid, unvarnished memoir of an American icon. The greatest movie star of the past 75 years covers everything: his traumatic childhood, his career, his drinking, his thoughts on Marlon Brando, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, John Huston, his greatest roles, acting, his intimate life with Joanne Woodward, his innermost fears and passions and joys. With thoughts/comments throughout from Joanne Woodward, George Roy Hill, Tom Cruise, Elia Kazan and many others. A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TIME and Vanity Fair "Newman at his best…with his self-aware persona, storied marriage and generous charitable activities…this rich book somehow imbues his characters’ pain and joy with fresh technicolor." —The Wall Street Journal In 1986, Paul Newman and his closest friend, screenwriter Stewart Stern, began an extraordinary project. Stuart was to compile an oral history, to have Newman’s family and friends and those who worked closely with him, talk about the actor’s life. And then Newman would work with Stewart and give his side of the story. The only stipulation was that anyone who spoke on the record had to be completely honest. That same stipulation applied to Newman himself. The project lasted five years. The result is an extraordinary memoir, culled from thousands of pages of transcripts. The book is insightful, revealing, surprising. Newman’s voice is powerful, sometimes funny, sometimes painful, always meeting that high standard of searing honesty. The additional voices—from childhood friends and Navy buddies, from family members and film and theater collaborators such as Tom Cruise, George Roy Hill, Martin Ritt, and John Huston—that run throughout add richness and color and context to the story Newman is telling. Newman’s often traumatic childhood is brilliantly detailed. He talks about his teenage insecurities, his early failures with women, his rise to stardom, his early rivals (Marlon Brando and James Dean), his first marriage, his drinking, his philanthropy, the death of his son Scott, his strong desire for his daughters to know and understand the truth about their father. Perhaps the most moving material in the book centers around his relationship with Joanne Woodward—their love for each other, his dependence on her, the way she shaped him intellectually, emotionally and sexually. The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man is revelatory and introspective, personal and analytical, loving and tender in some places, always complex and profound.
Download or read book Samantha Watkins written by Aurélie Venem and published by AmazonCrossing. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Young librarian Samantha Watkins has always been perfectly content with her humdrum existence. Never easily fitting in with anyone anywhere, she feels most at ease in silence, among stacks of books. Sam believes in leaving fantasy and drama to the characters in her beloved novels. But one night when she leaves work late, she finds herself center stage in a tale of vengeance and terror. Samantha is rescued from a gang of vampires by Phoenix, a mysterious and otherworldly man. Suddenly her paranormal adventures take a far more extraordinary turn than any story she's ever read. Phoenix, her savior, is actually a vampire as well, tasked with stopping his peers from killing. With no possibility of returning to her former life, Sam becomes his assistant. Together they investigate a series of mysterious disappearances and attempt to save the human race from a horrible fate. Battling vampires thrills and empowers Sam, but where does she stand with supernatural Phoenix? Could Phoenix, through their work together, become a different man?
Download or read book PostSecret written by Frank Warren and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2005-11-29 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The project that captured a nation's imagination. The instructions were simple, but the results were extraordinary. "You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything -- as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before. Be brief. Be legible. Be creative." It all began with an idea Frank Warren had for a community art project. He began handing out postcards to strangers and leaving them in public places -- asking people to write down a secret they had never told anyone and mail it to him, anonymously. The response was overwhelming. The secrets were both provocative and profound, and the cards themselves were works of art -- carefully and creatively constructed by hand. Addictively compelling, the cards reveal our deepest fears, desires, regrets, and obsessions. Frank calls them "graphic haiku," beautiful, elegant, and small in structure but powerfully emotional. As Frank began posting the cards on his website, PostSecret took on a life of its own, becoming much more than a simple art project. It has grown into a global phenomenon, exposing our individual aspirations, fantasies, and frailties -- our common humanity. Every day dozens of postcards still make their way to Frank, with postmarks from around the world, touching on every aspect of human experience. This extraordinary collection brings together the most powerful, personal, and beautifully intimate secrets Frank Warren has received -- and brilliantly illuminates that human emotions can be unique and universal at the same time.
Download or read book Ordinary Mary s Extraordinary Deed written by Emily Pearson and published by Gibbs Smith. This book was released on 2002-04-29 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This illustrated children’s book celebrates the extraordinary potential of ordinary deeds—showing how one child’s act of kindness can change the world One ordinary day, Ordinary Mary stumbles upon some ordinary blueberries. When she decides to pick them for her neighbor, Mrs. Bishop, her thoughtful act starts a chain reaction that multiplies around the world. Mrs. Bishop makes blueberry muffins and gives them to her paperboy and four others—one of whom is Mr. Stevens, who then helps five different people with their luggage—one of whom is Maria, who then helps five other people—and so on, until the deed comes back to Mary.
Download or read book This Life I Live written by Rory Feek and published by HarperChristian + ORM. This book was released on 2017-02-14 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: **NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** Her story. His story. The love story of Joey and Rory. By inviting so many into the final months of Joey’s life as she battled cancer, Joey and Rory Feek captured hearts around the world with how they handled the diagnosis; the inspiring, simple way they chose to live; and how they loved each other every step of the way. But there is far more to the story. “My life is very ordinary,” says Rory. “On the surface, it is not very special. If you looked at it, day to day, it wouldn’t seem like much. But when you look at it in a bigger context—as part of a larger story—you start to see the magic that is on the pages of the book that is my life. And the more you look, the more you see. Or, at least, I do.” In this vulnerable book, he takes us for the first time into his own challenging life story and what it was like growing up in rural America with little money and even less family stability. This is the story of a man searching for meaning and security in a world that offered neither. And it’s the story of a man who finally gives it all to a power higher than himself and soon meets a young woman who will change his heart forever. In This Life I Live, Rory Feek helps us not only to connect more fully to his and Joey’s story but also to our own journeys. He shows what can happen when we are fully open in life’s key moments, whether when meeting our life companion or tackling an unexpected tragedy. He also gives never-before-revealed details on their life together and what he calls “the long goodbye,” the blessing of being able to know that life is going to end and taking advantage of it. Rory shows how we are all actually there already and how we can learn to live that way every day. A gifted man from nowhere and everywhere in search of something to believe in. A young woman from the Midwest with an angelic voice and deep roots that just needed a place to be planted. This is their story. Two hearts that found each other and touched millions of other hearts along the way.
