Sunday, June 28, 2009

Book Festival Hosts Pulitzer Prize Winner


The Third Annual African-American Book Festival features author Annette Gordon-Reed, among others.
Prominent writer Annette Gordon-Reed, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family," was one of several authors who spoke Saturday during the well-attended African American Book Festival in East Austin.

The third annual festival was held at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center and the Carver Branch of the Austin Public Library. Carla Harris, an executive at Morgan Stanley, and fiction writer Bernice McFadden were among speakers at the six-hour festival. MORE
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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Books Written By Micheal Jackson


There may be thousands of books written about Michael Jackson, but only three have ever been written by Micheal Jackson. Below are the three books that Michael Jackson wrote and are featured here as a tribute to his legacy.

Please note that the information given regarding the publisher, year of publication, ISBN number, and number of pages refers to the U.S. version and there may be differences in other versions.
Moonwalk
'Moonwalk', by Michael Jackson, will always be a classic must-read for any MJ fan. Published in 1988, this autobiography was written by Michael after being encouraged to do so by his friend, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. It is an account of his life up until 1988 when he still lived at Hayvenhurst, his Encino, California home. This wonderful book, written in an upbeat tone, has 6 chapters and includes beautiful color and black and white photos. Michael dedicated it to Fred Astaire.

Publisher: DoubleDay (division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., New York, USA)
Year of publication: 1988
ISBN number: 0-7493-1338-2
Number of pages: 283
Languages the book is available in: English, Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish (publisher: Plaza & Janés)


Dancing The Dream
'Dancing The Dream', by Michael Jackson, published in 1992 and dedicated to Michael's mother is an extraordinary book and very dear to Michael's heart. It is filled with inspirational essays and poems written by Michael himself. The writing is lovely and every time you read a passage or poem you can see new dimensions and find more to think about. The poetry and prose are complex and thought provoking and every bit as moving as any song or melody we love by Michael. The book has lovely color and black and white photos with an amazing introduction by Elizabeth Taylor. Many people have reported reading some of the poems aloud to others and winning great acclaim and new Michael Jackson fans each time.

Publisher: DoubleDay (division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., New York, USA)
Year of publication: July 1992
ISBN number: 0-385-42277-6
Number of pages: 149
Languages the book is available in: English, Chinese, German


Moonwalker - The Storybook
'Moonwalker Storybook', a 74-page book illustrated with scenes from the screenplay by David Newman. Michael, Katy, Sean and Zeke are four good friends enjoying a game of soccer when their lives are suddenly endangered by the diabolical Mr. Big, an evil mastermind who kidnaps Katy and is determined to destroy anything or anyone standing in the way of his evil dreams - even Michael. Speeding cars, hot dancing and amazing chases are all part of the fun and excitement of 'Moonwalker'. A movie to remember and a story you'll want to read again and again. Actually a great find for all the "Moonwalker-lovers" since the book has been out of print for many years now.

Publisher: Doubleday (division of The Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., New York, USA)
Year of publication: 1988
ISBN number: 0-385-26154-3
Number of pages: 74
Languages the book is available in: English, Japanese
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Satchel :The Life and Times of an American Legend

This Baseball Patriarch Could Really Pitch Himself

How fast could Satchel Paige throw a baseball? It’s hard to know because there were no radar guns to measure ball velocity when Leroy Paige, better known as Satchel, became a pitching star of the Negro Leagues in the 1930s. In his discerning, empathetic and hype-free new Paige biography, Larry Tye cites the eyewitness account of one of the white reporters who finally began paying attention to Paige in 1934: “All you can see is something like a thin line of pipe smoke.”
When asked if he threw that fast consistently, Paige, who would become famed for choice aphorisms, replied: “No, sir. I do it all the time.”
How many teams did he play for? In another of the authoritative assessments that enliven “Satchel” Mr. Tye weighs the amount of barnstorming done by Paige and notes that this tireless, Bunyanesque athlete found places to play no matter what the season. MORE
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The Secret Olivia Told Me Is Worthy of a Second Look

The Secret Olivia Told Me, a picture book about a friend who spills a secret and watches it spin out of control, published by Just Us Books, illustrated by Nancy Devard and written by N. Joy, won a 2008 Coretta Scott King Honor Book award for illustration.
This is the first Coretta Scott King Honor Book award for Just Us Books, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, as well as the first for Nancy Devard.
“Nancy is a talented artist who brings a distinct and fresh approach to the books she illustrates,” says Wade Hudson, president and CEO, Just Us Books. “We’re excited for her and proud of this distinct accomplishment that she earned so early in her publishing career.”
A native of West Philadelphia, Nancy Devard began drawing at age three. She earned a BA in Electrical Engineering Technology and minored in art at Temple University. After a brief career in engineering, she turned her talents to her true passion: art. She worked for Hallmark as a staff illustrator in its Mahogany division, and has illustrated two books for the educational market. The Secret Olivia Told Me is her first trade picture book. Devard created the silhouetted illustrations featured in The Secret Olivia Told Me using Adobe Illustrator. A versatile artist, she also paints and does graphic design. MORE
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Saturday, June 13, 2009

Michael Thomas Wins Literary's Largest Fiction Award For Man Gone Down


Debut Novelist Michael Thomas Wins EU100,000 Irish Book Award

U.S. author Michael Thomas won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for his debut novel, collecting 100,000 euros ($140,880) in what is billed as the world’s richest prize for a single work of fiction.

Thomas was honored at a reception at Dublin’s Mansion House today for “Man Gone Down,” about a once-promising Harvard student who is now broke and trying to raise money to keep his family together.

The unnamed African-American first-person narrator “will stay with readers for a long time,” the judges said in a statement. “He lingers because this extraordinary novel comes to us from a writer of enthralling voice and startling insight.”

Boston-born Thomas, who now lives in New York with his wife and three children, overcame competition from seven other finalists, including Junot Diaz for “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” which has already won a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Critics Circle award, and David Leavitt for “The Indian Clerk.”

In all, there were four Americans on the shortlist, as well as authors born in France, India, Norway and Pakistan. The only other U.S. writer to win the award was Edward P. Jones in 2005 for “The Known World.” MORE
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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Attica Locke's Black Water Rising


New Voices: Author Attica Locke
The author is out with a mystery about a young black lawyer who gets entangled in a murder case.
The book: Black Water Rising, Harper, 427 pp., $25.99.

What it's about: In 1981, a young black attorney gets entangled in a murder case after he rescues a white woman from the waters of a Houston bayou.

Why it's notable: The opening scenes are inspired by an actual event: When she was 10, Locke's family was on a boat trip on the bayou when they heard a woman scream, and then shots were fired. MORE
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Mildred Riley, 91 and Still Writing


Author Mildred Riley Believes in Keeping Fantasies Alive
Twenty years ago, a publisher rejected Mildred Riley’s romance novel about African-Americans because “black people don’t read.”
Riley, a retired psychiatric nurse, knew otherwise and proved the publisher wrong. Now 91, she just published her 13th romance novel featuring African-American characters.

Like the happy endings of her stories, Riley inspires a sense of optimism and possibility.“When I retired, I said, ‘I’m going to write a book and I’m going to take flying lessons.’ Everyone cracked up when they heard,” she said, laughing. “I didn’t follow through on the flying lessons, and at 91, I don’t think I’d pass the physical. But I’ll keep writing as long as I’m able.”

Looking 20 years younger than her age, Riley is likely to be penning many more stories. With the publication last month of the paperback “All I’ll Ever Need” and the e-book “Fit to Be Tied,” she’s now editing “The Doctor’s Wife,” her 14th book, which, like the others, reflects her curiosity about the human heart and experience.
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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Book News: Red and Me by Bill Russell


RED AND ME
My Coach, My Lifelong Friend

Bill Russell knew his personal power and how to use it. In that sense, he was his father’s son, inspired by the independence, self-confidence and strength he had observed growing up. Russell would say that his father always had “a plan,” meaning he was always a step or two ahead of everyone else. In basketball, Russell demonstrated the same gift and thus reconceptualized the game. Defense had once been an afterthought; Russell saw it as the key to offense and a builder of team morale. Players were told never to leave their feet on defense; with Russell’s advent, jumping to block a shot became an accepted part of the game. Big men were thought to lack mobility; for Russell, finesse and footwork became more important than strength. At his core, Russell knew that he was different from other players — that he was an innovator and that his very identity depended on dominating the game.MORE
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