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Book The Perfect American

    Book Details:
  • Author : Peter Stephan Jungk
  • Publisher : Other Press (NY)
  • Release : 2004
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 200 pages

Download or read book The Perfect American written by Peter Stephan Jungk and published by Other Press (NY). This book was released on 2004 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "After Disney refuses to acknowledge Dantine's self-professed talent and hard work, he fires the frustrated cartoonist for writing, along with other staff members, an anonymous polemical memorandum regarding Disney's jingoistic politics. Years later, in the late 60s, still deeply wounded by his dismissal, Dantine follows Disney's trail, to capture what makes Walt tick. Dantine wants us to grasp what it is like to live and breathe around the man who thought of himself as "more famous than Santa Claus.""--BOOK JACKET.

Book The Perfect American

    Book Details:
  • Author : Peter Stephan Jungk
  • Publisher : Other Press, LLC
  • Release : 2012-12-04
  • ISBN : 1590515781
  • Pages : 190 pages

Download or read book The Perfect American written by Peter Stephan Jungk and published by Other Press, LLC. This book was released on 2012-12-04 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Perfect American is a fictionalized biography of Walt Disney's final months, as narrated by Wilhelm Dantine, an Austrian cartoonist who worked for Disney in the 40s and 50s, illustrating sequences for Sleeping Beauty. It is also the story of Dantine himself, who desperately seeks Disney's recognition at the risk of his own ruin. Peter Stephan Jungk has infused a new energy into the genre of fictionalized biography. Dantine, imbued with a sense of European superiority, first refuses to submit to Disney's rule, but is nevertheless fascinated by the childlike omnipotence of a man who identifies with Mickey Mouse. We discover Walt's delusions of immortality via cryogenic preservation, his tirades alongside his Abraham Lincoln talking robot, his invitation of Nikita Khruschev to Disneyland once he learns that the Soviet Premier wants to visit the park, his utopian visions of his EPCOT project, and his backyard labyrinth of toy trains. Yet, if at first Walt seems to have a magic wand granting him all his wishes, we soon discover that he is as tortured as the man who tells his story. After Disney refuses to acknowledge Dantine's self-professed talent and hard work, he fires the frustrated cartoonist for writing, along with other staff members, an anonymous polemical memorandum regarding Disney's jingoistic politics. Years later, in the late 60s, still deeply wounded by his dismissal, Dantine follows Disney's trail to capture what makes Walt tick. Dantine wants us to grasp what it is like to live and breathe around the man who thought of himself as more famous than Santa Claus. Walt's wife Lillian, his confidante and perhaps his mistress Hazel, his brother Roy, his children Diane and Sharon, his close and ill-treated collaborators, and famous figures such as Peter Ustinov, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, and Geraldine Chaplin, all contribute to the novel's animation, its feel for the life of the Disney world. This deeply researched work not only provides interesting interpretations of what made Walt Disney a central figure in American popular culture, but also explores the complex expectations of gifted European immigrants who came to the United States after World War II with preconceived notions of how to achieve the American dream.

Book American Pie

    Book Details:
  • Author : Peter Reinhart
  • Publisher : Ten Speed Press
  • Release : 2010-10-27
  • ISBN : 1607740907
  • Pages : 203 pages

Download or read book American Pie written by Peter Reinhart and published by Ten Speed Press. This book was released on 2010-10-27 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Master bread baker Peter Reinhart follows the origins of pizza from Italy to the States, capturing the stories behind the greatest artisanal pizzas of the Old World and the New. Beginning his journey in Genoa, Reinhart scours the countryside in search of the fabled focaccia col formaggio. He next heads to Rome to sample the famed seven-foot-long pizza al taglio, and then to Naples for the archetypal pizza napoletana. Back in America, the hunt resumes in the unlikely locale of Phoenix, Arizona, where Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco has convinced many that his pie sets the new standard in the country. The pizza mecca of New Haven, grilled pizza in Providence, the deep-dish pies of Chicago, California-style pizza in San Francisco and Los Angeles—these are just a few of the tasty attractions on Reinhart's epic tour. Returning to the kitchen, Reinhart gives a master class on pizza-making techniques and provides more than 60 recipes for doughs, sauces and toppings, and the pizzas that bring them all together. His insatiable curiosity and gift for storytelling make American Pie essential reading for those who aspire to make great pizza at home, as well as for anyone who enjoys the thrill of the hunt.

Book American Green  The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn

Download or read book American Green The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn written by Ted Steinberg and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2006-03-17 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Ted Steinberg proves once again that he is a master storyteller as well as our foremost environmental historian.”—Mike Davis The rise of the perfect lawn represents one of the most profound transformations in the history of the American landscape. American Green, Ted Steinberg's witty exposé of this bizarre phenomenon, traces the history of the lawn from its explosion in the postwar suburban community of Levittown to the present love affair with turf colorants, leaf blowers, and riding mowers.

Book American Chestnut

    Book Details:
  • Author : Susan Freinkel
  • Publisher : Univ of California Press
  • Release : 2009-04
  • ISBN : 0520259947
  • Pages : 298 pages

Download or read book American Chestnut written by Susan Freinkel and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2009-04 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In prose as strong and quietly beautiful as the American chestnut itself, Susan Freinkel profiles the silent catastrophe of a near-extinction and the impassioned struggle to bring a species back from the brink. Freinkel is a rare hybrid: equally fluid and in command as a science writer and a chronicler of historical events, and graced with the poise and skill to seamlessly graft these talents together. A perfect book."—Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Spook "A spellbinding, heart wrenching, and uplifting account of the American chestnut that asks the vastly important question: Have we learned enough, and do we care enough, to begin healing some of the wounds we've inflicted on the natural world?"—Scott Weidensaul, author of Return to Wild America and Mountains of the Heart "This is a beautifully written account of the passing of one of the botanical wonders of the North American landscape, the American chestnut tree, which was nearly extirpated by a plague that entered the ecosystem and swept these great trees away. Freinkel, a gifted writer whose research is impeccable and whose reporting is topnotch, tells of the impassioned work of scientists over the past century and up to today, trying to bring the American chestnut back from the brink of extinction. Only a person in love with trees could have written this lovely book."—Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone and The Wild Trees "Graceful, provocative, and inspiring. Thoreau would be proud."—Alan Burdick, author of Out of Eden, a 2005 National Book Award finalist "In this beautifully written volume, Susan Freinkel ably describes the marriage of science and passion that is being brought to bear to save this majestic American tree from extinction. The people whose ancestors lived among chestnut trees and their places come alive for the reader, as does the appearance and spread of the blight and the heroes who are struggling with it today. The book concludes with a tantalizing vision of chestnuts in the forests again—a thought of making the world right where it has gone wrong."—Peter H. Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden

Book The Perfect Pass

Download or read book The Perfect Pass written by S. C. Gwynne and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-09-20 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An “excellent sports history” (Publishers Weekly) in the tradition of Michael Lewis’s Moneyball, award-winning historian S.C. Gwynne tells the incredible story of how two unknown coaches revolutionized American football at every level, from high school to the NFL. Hal Mumme spent fourteen mostly losing seasons coaching football before inventing a potent passing offense that would soon shock players, delight fans, and terrify opposing coaches. It all began at a tiny, overlooked college called Iowa Wesleyan, where Mumme was head coach and Mike Leach, a lawyer who had never played college football, was hired as his offensive line coach. In the cornfields of Iowa these two mad inventors, drawn together by a shared disregard for conventionalism and a love for Jimmy Buffett, began to engineer the purest, most extreme passing game in the 145-year history of football. Implementing their “Air Raid” offense, their teams—at Iowa Wesleyan and later at Valdosta State and the University of Kentucky—played blazingly fast—faster than any team ever had before, and they routinely beat teams with far more talented athletes. And Mumme and Leach did it all without even a playbook. “A superb treat for all gridiron fans” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), The Perfect Pass S.C. Gwynne explores Mumme’s leading role in changing football from a run-dominated sport to a pass-dominated one, the game that tens of millions of Americans now watch every fall weekend. Whether you’re a casual or ravenous football fan, this is “a rousing tale of innovation” (Booklist), and “Gwynne’s book ably relates the story of that innovation and the successes of the man who devised it” (New York Journal of Books).

Book Future Perfect

    Book Details:
  • Author : Howard Bruce Franklin
  • Publisher : Rutgers University Press
  • Release : 1995
  • ISBN : 9780813521527
  • Pages : 412 pages

Download or read book Future Perfect written by Howard Bruce Franklin and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Critics, science fiction writers, scientists, and scholars throughout the world hailed the original publication of Future Perfect in 1966 as a book that would transform our evaluation of science fiction and our understanding of American culture. The praise has proved well founded, for Future Perfect has been more responsible than any other single work for the recognition of the value and significance of science fiction.

Book I Broke the Chain

Download or read book I Broke the Chain written by Mari Neli Bejarano Beltran and published by BookLogix. This book was released on 2014-12-17 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When desperate family circumstances in Colombia send young Mari and her sisters to an orphanage for adoption, her biological family thought they would have a better life in America. However, no one could have anticipated the awful reality that awaited them, shattering all images of the American dream. Terrifying living conditions and appalling abuse drove Mari down a dark path to violent outbursts, anger management issues, promiscuity, and drug addiction in an attempt to find an escape any way possible. In spite of these overwhelming circumstances, she changed the course of her life and, through God’s love, not only found herself but the strength and faith to break the chains of abuse.

Book One Perfect Day

    Book Details:
  • Author : Rebecca Mead
  • Publisher : Penguin
  • Release : 2008-07-29
  • ISBN : 1440634025
  • Pages : 257 pages

Download or read book One Perfect Day written by Rebecca Mead and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2008-07-29 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Astutely observed and deftly witty, One Perfect Day masterfully mixes investigative journalism and social commentary to explore the workings of the wedding industry-an industry that claims to be worth $160 billion to the U.S. economy and which has every interest in ensuring that the American wedding becomes ever more lavish and complex. Taking us inside the workings of the wedding industry-including the swelling ranks of professional event planners, department stores with their online registries, the retailers and manufacturers of bridal gowns, and the Walt Disney Company and its Fairy Tale Weddings program-New Yorker writer Rebecca Mead skillfully holds the mirror up to the bride's deepest hopes and fears about her wedding day, revealing that for better or worse, the way we marry is who we are.

Book The Disney Version

Download or read book The Disney Version written by Richard Schickel and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-09-01 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The single most illuminating work on America and the movies” (The Kansas City Star): the story of how a shy boy from Chicago crashed Hollywood and created the world’s first multimedia entertainment empire—one that shapes American popular culture to this day. When Walter Elias Disney moved to Hollywood in 1923, the twenty-one-year-old cartoonist seemed an unlikely businessman—and yet within less than two decades, he’d transformed his small animation studio into one of the most successful and beloved brands of the twentieth century. But behind Disney’s boisterous entrepreneurial imagination and iconic characters lay regressive cultural attitudes that, as The Walt Disney Company’s influence grew, began to not simply reflect the values of midcentury America but actually shape the country’s character. Lauded as “one of the best studies ever done on American popular culture” (Stephen J. Whitfield, Professor of American Civilization at Brandeis University), Richard Schickel’s The Disney Version explores Walt Disney’s extraordinary entrepreneurial success, his fascinatingly complex character, and—decades after his death—his lasting legacy on America.

Book The American Dream

Download or read book The American Dream written by Shing Yin Khor and published by Zest Books. This book was released on 2019-08-06 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a child growing up in Malaysia, Shing Yin Khor had two very different ideas of what “America” meant. The first looked a lot like Hollywood, full of beautiful people and sunlight and freeways. The second looked more like The Grapes of Wrath - a nightmare landscape filled with impoverished people, broken-down cars, barren landscapes, and broken dreams. Those contrasting ideas have stuck with Shing ever since, even now that she lives and works in LA. The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 is Shing’s attempt to find what she can of both of these Americas on a solo journey (small adventure-dog included) across the entire expanse of that iconic road, beginning in Santa Monica and ending up Chicago. And what begins as a road trip ends up as something more like a pilgrimage in search of an American landscape that seems forever shifting, forever out of place.

Book Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot

Download or read book Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot written by Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2001 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three Latin American writers quote, dissect and review this character in a cultural critique that combines analysis with humor and a relentless self-criticism.

Book Walt Disney

Download or read book Walt Disney written by Marc Eliot and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This biography of the man behind the magic reconciles the private 'monster' with the artistic genius of popular culture by showing that the disturbing problems of his own life provided the rich, dark side of the animated movies.

Book Oscar s American Dream

Download or read book Oscar s American Dream written by Barry Wittenstein and published by Schwartz & Wade. This book was released on 2020-10-13 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you want to see 20th century American history unfold before your eyes, stand on a city street corner and watch it change! It all starts when an immigrant named Oscar opens a barber shop... When Oscar lands on Ellis Island, he has only a suitcase and a down payment in his hands. And he has a dream-- to own his own barbershop. After it opens on the corner of Front St. and Second Ave, Oscar's barbershop becomes a beloved local fixture... until the day Oscar decides to move on and become a subway conductor. Over the years, this barbershop will change hands to become a lady's clothing store, then a soup kitchen. A coffee shop follows, then the space becomes an army recruitment center, then a candy shop. As the years pass and the world changes, the proud corner store stands tall, watching American history unfold around it. Barry Wittenstein and debut husband-and-wife illustration team Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell tell the rich, fascinating story of key moments in American history, as reflected through the eyes--and the patrons--of the corner store.

Book A More Perfect Union

    Book Details:
  • Author : Jesse L. Jackson Jr.
  • Publisher : Archway Publishing
  • Release : 2021-11-12
  • ISBN : 1665704632
  • Pages : 590 pages

Download or read book A More Perfect Union written by Jesse L. Jackson Jr. and published by Archway Publishing. This book was released on 2021-11-12 with total page 590 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Race, from the beginning and more than any other element, has shaped America's institutions, its economics, politics, laws, social structures, and political attitudes. Congressman Jackson considers race to be the focal point of America through the language of the economy because "the economy is the hearing aid through which Americans hear all political dialogue." In this thought provoking work, Jackson provides ample documentation and insightful analysis of the inextricable link between race and economics. More important Jackson proposes a radical economic strategy and program of new human rights that would build A More Perfect Union for all Americans and put them in a better position to come to grips with this enduring American legacy.

Book Martini Book

    Book Details:
  • Author : Sally Ann Berk
  • Publisher : Black Dog & Leventhal
  • Release : 2007-05-01
  • ISBN : 1603763570
  • Pages : 398 pages

Download or read book Martini Book written by Sally Ann Berk and published by Black Dog & Leventhal. This book was released on 2007-05-01 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Martini Book includes dozens of delicious new recipes and even more useful information on creating flawless versions of our most popular and enduring cocktail.BR /> It's classic, sublime, and America's favorite indulgence? the martini. As the symbol for sophistication and "cool," it stands alone. The traditional "dry martini," made with gin and a hint of vermouth, may be the starting point but The Martini Book takes it to the next level, offering hundreds of modern twists in addition to the tried and true original. Make no mistake, the classic versions of the drink are here, complete with tips for making them perfectly every time. But for those who are more adventurous or looking to expand their drink repertoire, new recipes include the Flirtini, the GreenTeani, the Frosty Mango Martini, the Ginger Snap Martini, and many, many more. There is also practical information on stirring and shaking, a list of essential bar tools (including glassware), and a list of must-have ingredients for any home bar. The beautiful full-color photographs provide inspiration and a guide to making drinks that are as beautiful as they are satisfying.

Book 50 Great American Places

    Book Details:
  • Author : Brent D. Glass
  • Publisher : Simon and Schuster
  • Release : 2016-03-15
  • ISBN : 1451682034
  • Pages : 320 pages

Download or read book 50 Great American Places written by Brent D. Glass and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Profiles fifty sites across the United States that trace the cultural history of the country, discussing the people and events that led to each site's importance, from the National Mall in D.C. to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.