Download or read book The Rothman Scandal written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 727 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A powerful family’s media empire is rocked by betrayal and greed in this fast-paced novel from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author. Alexandra Rothman was a smalltown girl from the Midwest—until she married into New York City’s most powerful publishing dynasty. Now she’s the editor-in-chief of the fashion magazine Mode. And nothing will stop her from transforming the crown jewel of the Rothman empire into a global tastemaker. Nothing except her father-in-law’s ruthless ambition—and a terrible secret from Alexandra’s past!

Download or read book The Solomon Scandals second edition written by David H. Rothman and published by David H. Rothman. This book was released on 2023-11-01 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Solomon Scandals is a provocative Washington suspense novel inspired by now-forgotten history. A deadly high-rise collapse happened in Northern Virginia, and a U.S. senator and a Supreme Court justice held stakes in a CIA-occupied building. In the novel, an audacious reporter for a crooked newspaper investigates the darker side of a popular real estate tycoon. One of the tycoon's rickety buildings houses hundreds of workers for a shadowy bureaucracy. The reporter's incendiary discoveries compel him to hide his related memoir for a century to shield those on the scandals' fringes. David H. Rothman's complex tale teems with memorable characters (some caught up in a classic Washington dilemma-friendship vs. duty): --Seymour "Sy" Solomon, the folksy, self-made real estate magnate, buys politicians but does so with far more class than the typical business buccaneer. --George McWilliams is a mysterious editor wealthy enough to have built a mini Versailles. --Wendy Blevin is a powerful but inwardly fragile gossip columnist from an Old Money family that has already suffered its share of tragedies. --Margo Danialson, a B.A. in medieval studies, is unhappily tethered to a corrupt federal agency. --Dr. Rebecca Kitiona-Fenton, a multiracial feminist, outspokenly annotates the newspaper memoir of her white great-granduncle, Jonathan Stone. This second edition of Scandals contains a revealing essay on historical connections, underscoring Rothman's reporting leading to a Congressional investigation and NBC and ABC exposés. Supreme Court ethics controversies make Scandals especially timely. Rothman blends history, ethics, and intrigue. His style is hardboiled and often satirical. Although Scandals includes strong language and some sexist and racist dialogue, Dr. Kitiona-Fenton's endnotes provide additional context in the second edition. Ted Scheinman, reviewing Rothman's first edition for the Washington City Paper, wrote: "We get to relish his chatty first-person narrator spinning characterizations of D.C. with the same dark zeal Hammett held for Frisco or Chandler had for Los Angeles." Kirkus Reviews says the second edition "captures the aura of dark nihilism in some quarters of the political world with great power … This is a riveting work, mordantly insightful and surprisingly entertaining."

Download or read book Scandal and Corruption in Congress written by Michael J. Pomante II and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2022-11-07 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scandal and Corruption in Congress guides readers through the history of corruption in Congress, exploring policies outlawing corruption, attempts to hide unethical behaviour, getting caught, the repercussions of getting caught, and how corruption in the U.S. compares to corruption in other nations.

Download or read book California Rich written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “[A] downright intriguing history . . . chronicling of the creation of the Californian Dream.” —Los Angeles Times Since the Gold Rush, California has represented a land of opportunity for a special breed of American. Heading west in pursuit of sunshine, riches, and elusive dreams, the early mavericks of California set out to make their fortunes—and often succeeded beyond their wildest imaginations. Prospectors became oil tycoons, squatters became cattle barons, and farmers’ wives became grandees of a new rough-hewn society. In California Rich, Stephen Birmingham explores this fascinating social history, showing how the ruling class of California was born and how it evolved a lifestyle that continues to fascinate the world. Its colorful array of characters include: the despotic media mogul William Randolph Hearst; governor and railroad baron Leland Stanford; and real estate magnate James Irvine, who attended business meetings with an entire pack of hunting dogs. In exploring how these self-made millionaires acquired their money—and what they did with it—Birmingham sheds light on the customs and quirks of California wealth, and how the state came to symbolize the easy, opulent life that still entices seekers of fame and fortune today.

Download or read book Carriage Trade written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-12-01 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The suspicious death of a New York retail tycoon reveals dangerous cracks in a family’s foundation in this page-turning novel of wealth, jealousy, betrayal, and murder One of New York’s most elegant and exclusive retail establishments, Tarkington’s has been the preferred shopping experience of Manhattan’s elite for decades. But the unexpected death of founder Silas Tarkington has raised serious doubts about the future of the enterprise, and his daughter, Miranda, must weigh the pros and cons of continuing her father’s legacy. Then, at the reading of Silas’s will, disturbing questions arise about the tycoon’s past and suggestions of a dark, secret life threaten to tear the family apart. For Miranda; her elegant socialite mother, Consuelo; her estranged son, Blazer; and Diana, the fieriest and most recent in the late entrepreneur’s long line of mistresses, the truth could destroy much more than the family business—especially as it becomes more and more likely that Silas’s death was no accident. Author Stephen Birmingham has spent his career documenting the lives of the wealthy and powerful in his bestsellers “Our Crowd” and “The Rest of Us”. Putting his unique inside knowledge of the privileged world of the upper crust to excellent use, he has devised a thrilling story of money, power, deception, and treachery that will keep the reader eagerly turning its pages.

Download or read book New York Magazine written by and published by . This book was released on 1990-11-26 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

Download or read book Certain People written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Our Crowd shares an intimate social history of America’s elite Black society in the 1970s. From New York to Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, DC, Stephen Birmingham met with members of Black America’s upper crust—those old families of money and lineage who send their children to boarding schools and make business alliances over charity dinners. Invited into their homes, he became acquainted with their private world: their traditions and customs, their networks and conflicts, and, of course, their many stories. In Certain People, Birmingham presents a panoramic social history of upper-class Black society, one full of anecdotes and telling observations. From the Palmer Memorial Institute of North Carolina, where the best families sent their children, to the halls of the Johnson Publishing Company, creator of Ebony and Jet magazines, Birmingham provides an intimate glimpse of this exclusive crowd.

Download or read book The Tower of Love written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Back at his family’s New England estate, a man finds a second chance at love—and a devastating truth—in this novel by the author of Young Mr. Keefe. At thirty-one years of age, Hugh Carey has ended both his marriage and his advertising partnership. With his life at loose ends, he’s returned to the family home in Connecticut—that imposing castle built by his grandfather—to take stock and start over. His mother is only too happy to offer her counsel, as she does for Hugh’s sister Patsy. But her reputation as the most effective woman since Lady MacBeth is well earned. Also delighted to have Hugh back is Edrita Everett Smith. She’s the girl next door—and the one who got away. As Hugh and Edrita reconnect, it seems that little has changed, and their old romance is ready to blossom again. But in this quiet, well-heeled suburb, nothing is as simple as it seems. As buried jealousies come to light and new schemes are hatched, Hugh will learn what it truly takes to forge his own path.

Download or read book America s Secret Aristocracy written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An “entertaining and perceptive” history of America’s most exclusive families, from the Brahmins of New England to the Grandees of California (The Washington Post). America has always been a constitutionally classless society, yet an American aristocracy emerged anyway—a private club whose members run in the same circles and observe the same unwritten rules. Here, renowned social historian Stephen Birmingham reveals the inner workings of this aristocracy. He identifies which families in which cities have always mattered, and how they’ve defined America. America’s Secret Aristocracy offers an inside look at the estates, marriages, and financial empires of America’s most powerful families—from the Randolphs of Virginia and the Roosevelts of New York to the Carillos and Ortegas of California. With countless anecdotes about our nation’s elite, including interviews with their modern-day descendants, Birmingham presents colorful portraits that capture the true definition, essence, and customs of America’s aristocracy.

Download or read book Hotchkiss written by Ernest Kolowrat and published by New Amsterdam Books. This book was released on 1998-05-01 with total page 600 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How has the Hotchkiss School managed to accommodate a hundred years of unprecedented change—a century during which horse-and-buggy trails have become less familiar than the fiery trails of space-bound vehicles, and Victorian propriety has yielded to unabashed self-expression? The short answer—carefully; certainly not without considerable tension and the constant need to mediate between the forces of tradition and innovation. Oh yes, also by following the golden rule: do not disturb the cherished memories of alumni—and, more recently, of alumnae as well.

Download or read book The Auerbach Will written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-12-01 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A poignant and unforgettable rags-to-riches family saga following three generations of a remarkable clan from downtown ghetto to Park Avenue opulence Marrying Jack Auerbach was Essie Litsky’s salvation, enabling her to break free of her strict Russian-Jewish immigrant parents and escape New York’s poor, dirty, overcrowded Lower East Side. Together with her husband, Essie amassed a fortune that dwarfed their wildest dreams: She was living in a grand mansion on Park Avenue, collecting priceless art, even conferring with a US president. But money could never buy the affection of family or compensate for the true love Essie let slip away. And now, as she nears the end of her life, she must contend with blackmail and heartless legal assaults coming at her from all sides, the result of the ugly, persisting greed of her own children and grandchildren. But Essie is not dead yet, and those who underestimate the remarkable old woman are in for a shocking and powerful surprise. In this New York Times bestseller, Stephen Birmingham, acclaimed chronicler of the lives of the super-rich and author of “Our Crowd”, introduces three generations of a singular family as it moves from poverty to privilege over the course of a cataclysmic century, led by one of the most endearing and unforgettable heroines in modern American fiction.

Download or read book A Writer Writes written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2022-11-15 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A memoir by the New York Times–bestselling author and longtime chronicler of America’s wealthy elite. Born in Connecticut in 1929 and educated at Williams College, Stephen Birmingham went on to create a literary niche with his numerous nonfiction works about New York’s—and the nation’s—upper class, particularly focusing on Jewish, African American, and Irish communities, as well as old-money WASPs. He also drew on his “intimate knowledge of the private lives of the rich and famous” to write bestselling works of fiction such as The Auerbach Will (The New York Times Book Review). In this book, Birmingham’s attention is turned to his own life, both personal and professional, allowing us to learn about the man who created such compelling portraits of glittering parties, exclusive addresses, and, in some cases, rags-to-riches sagas that epitomize the American dream—and the American struggle. In the end, his story is as fascinating as those of the aristocrats he documented. “When it comes to the folkways of the rich, the powerful, and the privileged, Stephen Birmingham knows what he’s talking about.” —Los Angeles Times

Download or read book The Golden Dream written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Our Crowd offers an anecdote-filled tour of the most exclusive suburbs of 1970s America. In this charming and insightful inquiry, Stephen Birmingham investigates the nesting habits, enjoyments, and frustrations of American suburban life in the seventies. He explores the social organism that is the American suburb—from Scottsdale, Arizona, to New York’s Westchester County, along with the tawny suburbs surrounding the mighty industrial cities that fringe the Great Lakes. Birmingham spoke with householders great and small, gleaning their private views of the suburban experience. Almost all of them arrived in the suburbs with a dream. The reality they found was often less than they envisioned. Along with swimming pools and manicured lawns come soaring property taxes, status contests, and old-world prejudices colliding with new neighbors. “Gossipy, chatty [Stephen Birmingham] thrusts his line into the waters of suburban social life, catching a lot of trivia about country clubs and trends.” —The Christian Science Monitor

Download or read book Life at the Dakota written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-12-01 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the Manhattan building and its famous tenants, from Lauren Bacall to John Lennon, by the New York Times–bestselling author of “Our Crowd”. When Singer sewing machine tycoon Edward Clark built a luxury apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in the late 1800s, it was derisively dubbed “the Dakota” for being as far from the center of the downtown action as its namesake territory on the nation’s western frontier. Despite its remote location, the quirky German Renaissance–style castle, with its intricate façade, peculiar interior design, and gargoyle guardians peering down on Central Park, was an immediate hit, particularly among the city’s well-heeled intellectuals and artists. Over the next century it would become home to an eclectic cast of celebrity residents—including Boris Karloff, Lauren Bacall, Leonard Bernstein, singer Roberta Flack (the Dakota’s first African-American resident), and John Lennon and Yoko Ono—who were charmed by its labyrinthine interior and secret passageways, its mysterious past, and its ghosts. Stephen Birmingham, author of the New York society classic “Our Crowd”, has written an engrossing history of the first hundred years of one of the most storied residential addresses in Manhattan and the legendary lives lived within its walls.

Download or read book Barbara Greer written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Our Crowd comes this suspenseful novel of a suburban marriage—and the betrayal that threatens to tear it apart. Barbara Greer is the blue-chip product of an old money Connecticut family. But she leaves the world of New England society behind when she marries Carson, a solidly middle-class salesman from the Pennsylvania town her family has always owned. Her new suburban life in Locustville is peaceful, quaint, and terribly dull. Barbara has suddenly become another bored housewife longing for a little intrigue. But on a trip back home, she finds more than she bargained for . . . In his acclaimed social histories, Stephen Birmingham offered a revealing view into the rarefied world of America’s upper classes. Now he brings his eye for human drama and telling detail to this intimate portrait of a woman caught between two worlds.

Download or read book The Right Places written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-05-14 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed chronicler of America’s upper classes reveals their preferred enclaves and secret hideaways across the country. Where are the “Right Places,” those exclusive locations where the privileged live and play? You may be in for a surprise. For as Stephen Birmingham shows, in the same witty, penetrating style that characterizes his other studies of the elite, the right places could be just about anywhere, from exclusive chalets in Sun Valley, Idaho, to the traditionally swank estates of Fairfield County, Connecticut, to the nascent avant-garde art scene in Kansas City, Missouri. Birmingham goes to great lengths to unveil these privileged locales: the secret hideaway of Maria Callas after Aristotle Onassis deserted her for Jacqueline Kennedy; Elizabeth Taylor’s habits at home, including her favorite recipe for chili; and more. With colorful anecdotes and intimate details, Birmingham gives us a glimpse into the private worlds of the very rich.

Download or read book The Jews in America Trilogy written by Stephen Birmingham and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-06-28 with total page 672 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three New York Times bestsellers chronicle the rise of America’s most influential Jewish families as they transition from poor immigrants to household names. In his acclaimed trilogy, author Stephen Birmingham paints an engrossing portrait of Jewish American life from the colonial era through the twentieth century with fascinating narrative and meticulous research. The collection’s best-known book, “Our Crowd” follows nineteenth-century German immigrants with recognizable names like Loeb, Sachs, Lehman, Guggenheim, and Goldman. Turning small family businesses into institutions of finance, banking, and philanthropy, they elevated themselves from Lower East Side tenements to Park Avenue mansions. Barred from New York’s gentile elite because of their religion and humble backgrounds, they created their own exclusive group, as affluent and selective as the one that had refused them entry. The Grandees travels farther back in history to 1654, when twenty-three Sephardic Jews arrived in New York. Members of this small and insulated group—considered the first Jewish community in America—soon established themselves as wealthy businessmen and financiers. With descendants including poet Emma Lazarus, Barnard College founder Annie Nathan Meyer, and Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo, these families were—and still are—hugely influential in the nation’s culture, politics, and economics. In “The Rest of Us,” Birmingham documents the third major wave of Jewish immigration: Eastern Europeans who swept through Ellis Island between 1880 and 1924. These refugees from czarist Russia and Polish shtetls were considered barbaric, uneducated, and too steeped in the traditions of the “old country” to be accepted by the well-established German American Jews. But the new arrivals were tough, passionate, and determined. Their incredible rags to riches stories include those of the lives of Hollywood tycoon Samuel Goldwyn, Broadway composer Irving Berlin, makeup mogul Helena Rubenstein, and mobster Meyer Lansky. This unforgettable collection comprises a comprehensive account of the Jewish American upper class, their opulent world, and their lasting mark on American society.