Download or read book Not Quite What I Was Planning written by Larry Smith and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Deceptively simple and surprisingly addictive, Not Quite What I Was Planning is a thousand glimpses of humanity—six words at a time. One Life. Six Words. What's Yours? When Hemingway famously wrote, "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn," he proved that an entire story can be told using a half dozen words. When the online storytelling magazine SMITH asked readers to submit six-word memoirs, they proved a whole, real life can be told this way too. The results are fascinating, hilarious, shocking, and moving. From small sagas of bittersweet romance ("Found true love, married someone else") to proud achievements and stinging regrets ("After Harvard, had baby with crackhead"), these terse true tales relate the diversity of human experience in tasty bite-sized pieces. From authors Jonathan Lethem and Richard Ford to comedians Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris, to ordinary folks around the world, everyone has a six-word story to tell.

Download or read book Top To Bottom written by Finlay Games and published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This book was released on 2021-04-21 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Radical, honest and timely' FOX FISHER 'Fascinating' ASH PALMISCIANO 'A cracking read' MEG-JOHN BARKER "This book is about my penis. This is my story of going through lower surgery, specifically phalloplasty, and the adventures I have with my changing genitals along the way. Welcome to my journey." After coming out as trans, Finlay Games was adamant lower surgery would not be a part of his transition, but as the years went by, and his gender dysphoria increased, he decided to explore surgical options. Detailing the emotional and physical journey of phalloplasty, this book takes the reader through Finlay's experiences, from the initial decision-making through each stage of the surgery to its completion, recovery and after-care. Describing how he had to relearn his body, sexuality and his relationships, Finlay shares his wealth of advice and tips on donor site options, different types of surgery, the referral process, essential items and resources, and looking after your mental health. Part memoir, part self-help guide, this insightful, witty and deeply honest book highlights the life-changing impact surgery can have for trans people and provides hope to those on a similar journey.

Download or read book Life After COVID 19 written by Parker, Martin and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2020-08-12 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What might the world look like in the aftermath of COVID-19? Almost every aspect of society will change after the pandemic, but if we learn lessons then life can be better. Featuring expert authors from across academia and civil society, this book offers ideas that might put us on alternative paths for positive social change. A rapid intervention into current commentary and debate, Life After COVID-19 looks at a wide range of topical issues including the state, co-operation, work, money, travel and care. It invites us to see the pandemic as a dress rehearsal for the larger problem of climate change, and it provides an opportunity to think about what we can improve and how rapidly we can make changes.

Download or read book The Premonition A Pandemic Story written by Michael Lewis and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times Bestseller For those who could read between the lines, the censored news out of China was terrifying. But the president insisted there was nothing to worry about. Fortunately, we are still a nation of skeptics. Fortunately, there are those among us who study pandemics and are willing to look unflinchingly at worst-case scenarios. Michael Lewis’s taut and brilliant nonfiction thriller pits a band of medical visionaries against the wall of ignorance that was the official response of the Trump administration to the outbreak of COVID-19. The characters you will meet in these pages are as fascinating as they are unexpected. A thirteen-year-old girl’s science project on transmission of an airborne pathogen develops into a very grown-up model of disease control. A local public-health officer uses her worm’s-eye view to see what the CDC misses, and reveals great truths about American society. A secret team of dissenting doctors, nicknamed the Wolverines, has everything necessary to fight the pandemic: brilliant backgrounds, world-class labs, prior experience with the pandemic scares of bird flu and swine flu…everything, that is, except official permission to implement their work. Michael Lewis is not shy about calling these people heroes for their refusal to follow directives that they know to be based on misinformation and bad science. Even the internet, as crucial as it is to their exchange of ideas, poses a risk to them. They never know for sure who else might be listening in.

Download or read book Until Proven Safe written by Nicola Twilley and published by MCD. This book was released on 2021-07-20 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley have been researching quarantine since long before the COVID-19 pandemic. With Until Proven Safe, they bring us a book as compelling as it is definitive, not only urgent reading for social-distanced times but also an up-to-the-minute investigation of the interplay of forces–––biological, political, technological––that shape our modern world. Quarantine is our most powerful response to uncertainty: it means waiting to see if something hidden inside us will be revealed. It is also one of our most dangerous, operating through an assumption of guilt. In quarantine, we are considered infectious until proven safe. Until Proven Safe tracks the history and future of quarantine around the globe, chasing the story of emergency isolation through time and space—from the crumbling lazarettos of the Mediterranean, built to contain the Black Death, to an experimental Ebola unit in London, and from the hallways of the CDC to closed-door simulations where pharmaceutical execs and epidemiologists prepare for the outbreak of a novel coronavirus. But the story of quarantine ranges far beyond the history of medical isolation. In Until Proven Safe, the authors tour a nuclear-waste isolation facility beneath the New Mexican desert, see plants stricken with a disease that threatens the world’s wheat supply, and meet NASA’s Planetary Protection Officer, tasked with saving Earth from extraterrestrial infections. They also introduce us to the corporate tech giants hoping to revolutionize quarantine through surveillance and algorithmic prediction. We live in a disorienting historical moment that can feel both unprecedented and inevitable; Until Proven Safe helps us make sense of our new reality through a thrillingly reported, thought-provoking exploration of the meaning of freedom, governance, and mutual responsibility.

Download or read book Distracted written by James M. Lang and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Keeping students focused can be difficult in a world filled with distractions -- which is why a renowned educator created a scientific solution to one of every teacher's biggest problems. Why is it so hard to get students to pay attention? Conventional wisdom blames iPhones, insisting that access to technology has ruined students' ability to focus. The logical response is to ban electronics in class. But acclaimed educator James M. Lang argues that this solution obscures a deeper problem: how we teach is often at odds with how students learn. Classrooms are designed to force students into long periods of intense focus, but emerging science reveals that the brain is wired for distraction. We learn best when able to actively seek and synthesize new information. In Distracted, Lang rethinks the practice of teaching, revealing how educators can structure their classrooms less as distraction-free zones and more as environments where they can actively cultivate their students' attention. Brimming with ideas and grounded in new research, Distracted offers an innovative plan for the most important lesson of all: how to learn.

Download or read book Mindful Moments A Pandemic Memoir of Positivity and Gratitude written by Lisa Mate and published by BookLocker.com, Inc.. This book was released on 2021-11-30 with total page 469 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 2020 we had no idea the challenges that we were to face that year. News of a worldwide Pandemic and ordered shelter in place with only essential services operational spread like wildfire creating uncertainly and fear of the unknown. I am an empath, a seeker of positivity and each day those emotions depleted with every news report and indefinite isolation. I felt the need to hold myself accountable to hang onto that gratitude by sharing our personal journey on social media everyday, and everyday finding the gratitude within those challenges. As with all children, on March 17th, my Autistic son was sent home for remote learning. Their routines disrupted and desperately needed services came to a screeching halt. He requires 1:1 instruction and that became my priority. A few days later, all non essential businesses were closed, indefinitely. The self employed were left with no income until months later when unemployment was approved for us. I am self employed. My husbands office closed and he was working remotely, as were most people, for over a year. My sons Autism requires structure, routine and services to thrive. All of those necessities were gone leaving a confused, scared and anxious child resulting in uncontrollable behaviors that required love, patience and priority. He feared this virus taking me away from him. So much so that his worries effected his entire being. I am his person. I found myself as mom, wife, teacher, therapist, confidant and business owner while my 93 year old mom recuperated from a life threatening surgery in a nursing home. Nursing homes were being hit hard by this virus and taking many loved ones with it. The responsibilities and concerns became overwhelming. Each day I sought out something, anything, to be grateful for. With no where to go we spent a lot of our time outdoors after remote learning. We soaked up the sun, blue skies, hearing the birds chirping, looking for someone, anyone to be out walking, loving sidewalk chalk messages of hope, seeing hearts in window, smiling at fellow walkers while keeping our distance and looking for the helpers. Some days I had to dig deep, very deep, for gratefulness. It was in those moments, days, and months that we worked through the seemingly impossible and missed seeing our loved ones as we watched the world crumble to illness and countless deaths. As my prose merely began as a way to hold MYSELF accountable from falling through the cracks, I found that many not only began following my stories but looking forward to them. So much so that I was encouraged to put them into a book to help others see the positivity in the most challenging of times while navigating isolation and Autism. My goal is help bring the sun into your cloudiest of days through commonality, gratitude, positivity and mindfulness.

Download or read book How Do I Un Remember This written by Danny Pellegrino and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2022-03-08 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Instant New York Times Bestseller From the host of Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino comes a collection of stories you'll be glad didn't happen to you. Think of the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you. Was it the time your high school cheer squad taunted you in front of the entire town? Was it the time your best friend's mom caught you streaking in all your naked, self-conscious glory? What about the time you accidentally threw a tooth at your dry cleaner or took an urn into Kohl's for some holiday shopping? For Danny Pellegrino, the answer is all of the above. Growing up as a closeted gay kid in small-town Ohio wasn't easy, and Danny has the stories to prove it. But coming of age in the 90s still meant something magical to Danny. The music, film, and celebrity moments of his youth were truly iconic, and his love for all things pop culture connected him to a world larger than the one he knew in the suburban Midwest. And through all the pains of growing up, Danny could always look to that world for hope—whether that meant bingeing The Nanny until he had the confidence of Fran Fine, belting out Brandy songs until his heartaches were healed, or watching semi-clothed Ryan Phillippe scenes until his cheeks burned from blushing. With refreshing honesty and jaw-dropping absurdity, Danny invites readers to experience his most formative moments in life—from his hometown in Ohio to his hit podcast and career in entertainment today. How Do I Un-Remember This? is an unfiltered and all-too-relatable glimpse into Danny's life and the heartfelt and hilarious moments that shaped it. Although he wouldn't change them for the world, these stories are—unfortunately—true.

Download or read book The Road Ahead written by Bill Gates and published by Penguin Group. This book was released on 1996 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this clear-eyed, candid, and ultimately reassuring

Download or read book The Butterfly Years A Journey Through Grief Toward Hope written by Katty Douraghy and published by Katty Douraghy. This book was released on 2021 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this raw, vulnerable memoir, Katty Douraghy chronicles her personal experience through grief after the death of six family members, including her parents and her stepparents, within a very short time frame. The journey through grief is unique and does not follow a set timeline or a clearly defined path. The Butterfly Years infuses hope and lessons learned along the way to show a different perspective on grief and mourning. Whether you are experiencing grief in the early weeks of a loss, or if your grief has transitioned over time to settle deep in your heart, The Butterfly Years reminds us that we are all on the journey through grief and toward hope together.

Download or read book Memoir of a Pandemic written by Brett Giroir and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2023-05-11 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Every American should read this insightful and gripping account to understand all our Nation accomplished in the midst of the worst pandemic in 100 years and the difference one dedicated leader at United States Public Health Service made for millions of Americans." —Former Vice President Mike Pence In January 2020, Admiral Brett P. Giroir, MD, was among the first federal leaders tapped to handle the reintegration of US citizens from Wuhan, China, in the earliest days of what became the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, he was one of the few to see what everyone believed were the only Americans exposed to the novel virus at the time. Ultimately, Giroir would be called to serve on the White House Coronavirus Task Force under President Donald Trump. Rather than an exhaustive and comprehensive history of the pandemic response, this memoir adds to the historical record through personal narrative and by contextualizing several key inflection points. Giroir reflects upon his time on the front lines of the early cruise ship outbreaks and makeshift hospitals to the Situation Room in the White House. He explains the complex backdrop of personalities, policies, and politics that influenced critical decisions as the pandemic developed. In doing so, he also shines a light on the unknown characters who played critical roles in the national COVID response, the personalities and conflicts involved, the intense debates about policies and perceptions, and the decision-making processes that led to our national plan—for better or worse. Giroir concludes that overcoming a pandemic is not as easy as merely replacing a president or “following the science.” The inescapable fact is that the human species will remain vulnerable to pandemics, even more so in the future because of factors both natural and human influenced. Our ability to respond to future pandemics will depend on the adequacy of our preparation, the capabilities and relationships of individual leaders, and the inevitable politics of the day. For now, an important retrospective of what we did, both right and wrong, is imperative.

Download or read book Nothing But the Truth written by Marie Henein and published by Signal. This book was released on 2022-10-04 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER A critically acclaimed, intimate and no-holds-barred memoir by Canada’s top defence lawyer, Nothing But the Truth weaves Marie Henein’s personal story with her strongly held views on society’s most pressing issues. Marie Henein, arguably the most prominent lawyer in the country, has written a memoir that is at once raw, beautiful, and altogether unforgettable. Her story, as an immigrant from a tight-knit Egyptian-Lebanese family, demonstrates the value of strong role models—from her mother and grandmother, to her brilliant uncle Sami who died of AIDS. She learned the value of hard work, being true to herself and others, and unapologetically owning it all. Marie Henein shares here her unvarnished view on the ethical and practical implications of being a criminal lawyer, and how the job is misunderstood and even demonized. Ironically, her most successful cases made her a “lightning rod” in some circles, confirming her belief that much of the public’s understanding of democracy and the justice system is based on popular culture and social media, and decidedly not the rule of law. As she turns fifty and struggles with the corrosive effect becoming invisible has on women, Marie doubles down on being even more highly visible and opinionated as she deconstructs, among other things, the otherness of the immigrant experience (Where are you really from?), the pros and cons of being a household name in this country, opening her own boutique law firm, and the commoditization of women’s previously unpaid labour popularized by the likes of Martha Stewart. Nothing But the Truth is refreshingly unconstrained and surprising—an account by a woman at the top of her game in a male-dominated world.

Download or read book The COVID Bride written by Sara La Chapelle and published by . This book was released on 2022-01-09 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does a Southern Belle plan the perfect wedding in the midst of COVID? By conquering one catastrophe after the next. The COVID Bride is the hilarious, straight-talking wedding guide that could put a '90s rom-com to shame. Determined not to cancel her special day, Sara La Chapelle threw her fancy wedding checklists out the window and hit the ground running. Laugh along with her as you learn how to plan the wedding of your dreams-no matter what it takes-all while maintaining the poise and grace of a true Southerner. Loaded with first-hand advice you won't get anywhere else, The COVID Bride is the ideal resource for brides in the post-pandemic wedding boom. So pour a glass of wine and hang on tight as Sara grits her teeth and smiles her way through the wild bridal ride you won't want to miss.

Download or read book The Contagion Next Time written by Sandro Galea and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A better and healthier time to be alive than ever -- An unhealthy country -- An unhealthy world -- Who we are, the foundational forces -- Where we live, work, and play -- Politics, power, and money -- Compassion -- Social, racial, and economic justice -- Health as a public good -- Understanding what matters most -- Working in complexity and doubt -- Humility and informing the public conversation.

Download or read book Nightmare Scenario written by Yasmeen Abutaleb and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-06-29 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Instant #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller From the Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta—the definitive account of the Trump administration’s tragic mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the chaos, incompetence, and craven politicization that has led to more than a half million American deaths and counting. Since the day Donald Trump was elected, his critics warned that an unexpected crisis would test the former reality-television host—and they predicted that the president would prove unable to meet the moment. In 2020, that crisis came to pass, with the outcomes more devastating and consequential than anyone dared to imagine. Nightmare Scenario is the complete story of Donald Trump’s handling—and mishandling—of the COVID-19 catastrophe, during the period of January 2020 up to Election Day that year. Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta take us deep inside the White House, from the Situation Room to the Oval Office, to show how the members of the administration launched an all-out war against the health agencies, doctors, and scientific communities, all in their futile attempts to wish away the worst global pandemic in a century. From the initial discovery of this new coronavirus, President Trump refused to take responsibility, disputed the recommendations of his own pandemic task force, claimed the virus would “just disappear,” mocked advocates for safe-health practices, and encouraged his base and the entire GOP to ignore or rescind public health safety measures. Abutaleb and Paletta reveal the numerous times officials tried to dissuade Trump from following his worst impulses as he defied recommendations from the experts and even members of his own administration. And they show how the petty backstabbing and rivalries among cabinet members, staff, and aides created a toxic environment of blame, sycophancy, and political pressure that did profound damage to the public health institutions that Americans needed the most during this time. Even after an outbreak in the fall that swept through the White House and infected Trump himself, he remained defiant in his approach to the virus, very likely costing him his own reelection. Based on exhaustive reporting and hundreds of hours of interviews from inside the disaster zone at all levels of authority, Nightmare Scenario is a riveting account of how the United States government failed its people as never before, a tragedy whose devastating aftershocks will linger and be felt by generations to come.

Download or read book Navigating the Pandemic written by Teresa Schreiber Werth and published by Page Publishing Inc. This book was released on 2021-08-19 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ABOUT THE BOOK After reading the draft manuscript of this book, Rev. Mary Ramerman astutely observed, “When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, we were asked to observe social distance and stay home. Vacations, weddings, trips to the mall, dinners out, and baseball games all ended. We were literally sent to our rooms to reflect on how we lived our lives and what mattered most to us.” The collective wisdom presented in this anthology provides answers to those two important questions. Writers offer a wealth of ideas, shared wisdom, action steps, inspiring stories, and candid looks at real-life situations. The reader will find insights that come from the other side of pain, in people and events affirming hope, perseverance and resilience, as well as a candid record of life in the early days of this pandemic and the challenges before us.

Download or read book House Lessons written by Erica Bauermeister and published by Sasquatch Books. This book was released on 2020-03-24 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Real Simple Best Book of the Year A deeply moving story of an epic home renovation in the Pacific Northwest—from New York Times–bestselling author of The Scent Keeper In this mesmerizing memoir-in-essays, Erica Bauermeister renovates a trash-filled house in eccentric Port Townsend, Washington, and in the process takes readers on a journey to discover the ways our spaces subliminally affect us. A personal, accessible, and literary exploration of the psychology of architecture, as well as a loving tribute to the connections we forge with the homes we care for and live in, this book is designed for anyone who’s ever fallen head over heels for a house. It is also a story of a marriage, of family, and of the kind of roots that settle deep into your heart. Discover what happens when a house has its own lessons to teach in this moving and insightful memoir that ultimately shows us how to make our own homes (and lives) better. “ . . . for anyone who has wondered where home is and how to find it, fix it, love it, and leave it for later as well.” —Laurie Frankel, New York Times–bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is