The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy

Download The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harry N. Abrams
ISBN 13 : 9781419700590
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (5 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy by : Deborah Davis

Download or read book The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy written by Deborah Davis and published by Harry N. Abrams. This book was released on 2011-11-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Arguably the most influential television personality of all time, Ms. Winfrey and her show have had an impact on American culture that cannot be overstated. This beautifully illustrated book explores and celebrates the legacy of the show using written contributions from a stellar group of public figures and images from notable photographers.

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie (Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Digital Edition)

Download The Twelve Tribes of Hattie (Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Digital Edition) PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0385350295
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (853 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Twelve Tribes of Hattie (Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Digital Edition) by : Ayana Mathis

Download or read book The Twelve Tribes of Hattie (Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Digital Edition) written by Ayana Mathis and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The newest Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 selection: this special eBook edition of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis features exclusive content, including Oprah’s personal notes highlighted within the text, and a reading group guide. The arrival of a major new voice in contemporary fiction. A debut of extraordinary distinction: Ayana Mathis tells the story of the children of the Great Migration through the trials of one unforgettable family. In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nine more children whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. She vows to prepare them for the calamitous difficulty they are sure to face in their later lives, to meet a world that will not love them, a world that will not be kind. Captured here in twelve luminous narrative threads, their lives tell the story of a mother’s monumental courage and the journey of a nation. Beautiful and devastating, Ayana Mathis’s The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is wondrous from first to last—glorious, harrowing, unexpectedly uplifting, and blazing with life. An emotionally transfixing page-turner, a searing portrait of striving in the face of insurmountable adversity, an indelible encounter with the resilience of the human spirit and the driving force of the American dream.

Guest of Honor

Download Guest of Honor PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1439169810
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (391 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Guest of Honor by : Deborah Davis

Download or read book Guest of Honor written by Deborah Davis and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-05-08 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Documents the 1901 White House dinner shared by former slave Booker T. Washington and President Theodore Roosevelt, documenting the ensuing scandal and the ways in which the event reflected post-Civil War politics and race relations.

Strapless

Download Strapless PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 9781585423361
Total Pages : 334 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (233 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Strapless by : Deborah Davis

Download or read book Strapless written by Deborah Davis and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2004-05-03 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The subject of John Singer Sargent's most famous painting was twenty-three-year-old New Orleans Creole Virginie Gautreau, who moved to Paris and quickly became the "it girl" of her day. A relative unknown at the time, Sargent won the commission to paint her; the two must have recognized in each other a like-minded hunger for fame. Unveiled at the 1884 Paris Salon, Gautreau's portrait generated the attention she craved-but it led to infamy rather than stardom. Sargent had painted one strap of Gautreau's dress dangling from her shoulder, suggesting either the prelude to or the aftermath of sex. Her reputation irreparably damaged, Gautreau retired from public life, destroying all the mirrors in her home. Drawing on documents from private collections and other previously unexamined materials, and featuring a cast of characters including Oscar Wilde and Richard Wagner, Strapless is a tale of art and celebrity, obsession and betrayal.

Teaching with Fire

Download Teaching with Fire PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 0787969702
Total Pages : 263 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (879 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Teaching with Fire by : Sam M. Intrator

Download or read book Teaching with Fire written by Sam M. Intrator and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2003-10-10 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reclaim Your Fire "Teaching with Fire is a glorious collection of the poetry that has restored the faith of teachers in the highest, most transcendent values of their work with children....Those who want us to believe that teaching is a technocratic and robotic skill devoid of art or joy or beauty need to read this powerful collection. So, for that matter, do we all." ?Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities "When reasoned argument fails, poetry helps us make sense of life. A few well-chosen images, the spinning together of words creates a way of seeing where we came from and lights up possibilities for where we might be going....Dip in, read, and ponder; share with others. It's inspiration in the very best sense." ?Deborah Meier, co-principal of The Mission Hill School, Boston and founder of a network of schools in East Harlem, New York "In the Confucian tradition it is said that the mark of a golden era is that children are the most important members of the society and teaching is the most revered profession. Our jour ney to that ideal may be a long one, but it is books like this that will sustain us - for who are we all at our best save teachers, and who matters more to us than the children?" ?Peter M. Senge, founding chair, SoL (Society for Organizational Learning) and author of The Fifth Discipline Those of us who care about the young and their education must find ways to remember what teaching and learning are really about. We must find ways to keep our hearts alive as we serve our students. Poetry has the power to keep us vital and focused on what really matters in life and in schooling. Teaching with Fire is a wonderful collection of eighty-eight poems from such well-loved poets as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, and Pablo Neruda. Each of these evocative poems is accompanied by a brief story from a teacher explaining the significance of the poem in his or her life's work. This beautiful book also includes an essay that describes how poetry can be used to grow both personally and professionally. Teaching With Fire was written in partnership with the Center for Teacher Formation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Royalties from this book will be used to fund scholarship opportunities for teachers to grow and learn.

Hidden Valley Road

Download Hidden Valley Road PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Anchor
ISBN 13 : 0385543778
Total Pages : 427 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (855 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hidden Valley Road by : Robert Kolker

Download or read book Hidden Valley Road written by Robert Kolker and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • ONE OF GQ's TOP 50 BOOKS OF LITERARY JOURNALISM IN THE 21st CENTURY • The heartrending story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science's great hope in the quest to understand the disease. "Reads like a medical detective journey and sheds light on a topic so many of us face: mental illness." —Oprah Winfrey Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don's work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their twelve children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins--aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony--and they worked hard to play their parts. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the ten Galvin boys, one after another, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all this happen to one family? What took place inside the house on Hidden Valley Road was so extraordinary that the Galvins became one of the first families to be studied by the National Institute of Mental Health. Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization, lobotomy, and the schizophrenogenic mother to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amid profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself. And unbeknownst to the Galvins, samples of their DNA informed decades of genetic research that continues today, offering paths to treatment, prediction, and even eradication of the disease for future generations. With clarity and compassion, bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family's unforgettable legacy of suffering, love, and hope.

Party of the Century

Download Party of the Century PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
ISBN 13 : 0470893575
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (78 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Party of the Century by : Deborah Davis

Download or read book Party of the Century written by Deborah Davis and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2010-06-04 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1966, everyone who was anyone wanted an invitation to Truman Capote's "Black and White Dance" in New York, and guests included Frank Sinatra, Norman Mailer, C. Z. Guest, Kennedys, Rockefellers, and more. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings of the guests, this portrait of revelry at the height of the swirling, swinging sixties is a must for anyone interested in American popular culture and the lifestyles of the rich, famous, and talented.

Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?

Download Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1439177554
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (391 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? by : Touré

Download or read book Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? written by Touré and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-09-13 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we make sense of what it means to be Black in a world with room for both Michelle Obama and Precious? Tour , an iconic commentator and journalist, defines and demystifies modern Blackness with wit, authority, and irreverent humor. In the age of Obama, racial attitudes have become more complicated and nuanced than ever before. Americans are searching for new ways of understanding Blackness, partly inspired by a President who is unlike any Black man ever seen on our national stage. This book aims to destroy the notion that there is a correct or even definable way of being Black. It’s a discussion mixing the personal and the intellectual. It gives us intimate and painful stories of how race and racial expectations have shaped Tour ’s life as well as a look at how the concept of Post-Blackness functions in politics, psychology, the Black visual arts world, Chappelle’s Show, and more. For research Tour has turned to some of the most important luminaries of our time for frank and thought-provoking opinions, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Malcolm Gladwell, Harold Ford, Jr., Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, Chuck D, and many others. Their comments and disagreements with one another may come as a surprise to many readers. Of special interest is a personal racial memoir by the author in which he depicts defining moments in his life when he confronts the question of race head-on. In another chapter—sure to be controversial—he explains why he no longer uses the word “nigga.” Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? is a complex conversation on modern America that aims to change how we perceive race in ways that are as nuanced and spirited as the nation itself.

The Book of Awakening

Download The Book of Awakening PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Red Wheel
ISBN 13 : 1633411672
Total Pages : 458 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (334 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Book of Awakening by : Mark Nepo

Download or read book The Book of Awakening written by Mark Nepo and published by Red Wheel. This book was released on 2020-01-01 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new edition of the #1 NYT’s bestseller by Mark Nepo, who has been called “one of the finest spiritual guides of our time” and “a consummate storyteller.” Philosopher-poet and cancer survivor Mark Nepo opens a new season of freedom and joy—an escape from deadening, asleep-at-the wheel sameness—that is both profound and clarifying. His spiritual daybook is a summons to reclaim aliveness, liberate the self, take each day one at a time, and savor the beauty offered by life's unfolding. Reading his poetic prose is like being given second sight, exposing the reader to life's multiple dimensions, each one drawn with awe and affection. The Book of Awakening is the result of Nepo’s journey of the soul and will inspire others to embark on their own. He speaks of spirit and friendship, urging readers to stay vital and in love with this life, no matter the hardships. Encompassing many traditions and voices, Nepo's words offer insight on pain, wonder, and love. Each entry is accompanied by an exercise that will surprise and delight the reader in its mind-waking ability.

The Art of Southern Charm

Download The Art of Southern Charm PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Diversion Books
ISBN 13 : 1682308340
Total Pages : 230 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (823 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Art of Southern Charm by : Patricia Altschul

Download or read book The Art of Southern Charm written by Patricia Altschul and published by Diversion Books. This book was released on 2017-04-18 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The surprise breakout star of Bravo’s hit reality show, Southern Charm, introduces an essential lifestyle guide as refreshing and fun as a gin martini. “Patricia on #SouthernCharm, like lookin’ in the damn mirror. Cheers queen.”—Lady Gaga Fan-favorite Bravolebrity Patricia Altschul from the primetime show Southern Charm finally brings fans her eagerly anticipated opus on etiquette and living a glamorous Southern lifestyle. Patricia provides advice on every situation, from hosting a memorable cocktail party, to decoding the dress code for any event, to handling a drunken boor at the dinner table, to delivering the perfectly phrased insult—like her now iconic “shameless strumpet.” The Art of Southern Charm takes readers inside the world of Charleston’s most captivating grande dame, who (with Michael the Butler) offers a blueblood’s blueprint for curating and celebrating life at its best. “Some viewers might watch the Bravo reality show Southern Charm to witness the escapades of Charleston’s young elite, but at T&C we watch just to see Patricia Altschul in action . . . She’s the show’s resident expert in decorum, manners, and entertaining.”—Emily Selter, Town & Country “Since Southern Charm premiered in 2014, Mrs. Altschul, 78, has emerged as a tart-tongued matriarch doing the work of a Greek chorus for a cast in which half the members can barely figure out how to get out of bed before noon (and once there, how to proceed without a beer) . . . Some of Mrs. Altschul’s points of view may seem out of touch . . . But her commentary can also be incisive and funny, sparking roundups of her zingers across the internet.”—The New York Times

Finding Inner Courage

Download Finding Inner Courage PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Conari Press
ISBN 13 : 1609255135
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (92 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Finding Inner Courage by : Mark Nepo

Download or read book Finding Inner Courage written by Mark Nepo and published by Conari Press. This book was released on 2011-02-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mark Nepo has been interviewed by Oprah on her Soul Series radio network and his The Book of the Awakening has been featured in O, The Oprah magazine and on the Oprah TV show. In this book, Mark invites readers to explore their own inner core through the stories of ordinary people, political activists, artists, spiritual teachers from a variety of traditions. These are people who have faced themselves, their warts and weaknesses. They have stood by the courage of their convictions in all kinds of moments, great and small. Nepo's insights and commentary are spot on, and help readers relate the stories of others to their own lives. The book is divided into three sectionsfinding our inner core, standing by our inner core, and sustaining the practice of living from that place. Each of the nearly 60 brief essays and stories elucidates and inspires. Nepo's broad range of stories and people, of traditions and insights, offers myriad ways for readers to relate to their own search for courage. The late Howard Zinn said of this book, "A poetic, profoundly thoughtful rumination on how we might live."

The Book of Soul

Download The Book of Soul PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : St. Martin's Essentials
ISBN 13 : 1250263026
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (52 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Book of Soul by : Mark Nepo

Download or read book The Book of Soul written by Mark Nepo and published by St. Martin's Essentials. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "It's easy in these times to allow ourselves to slip into resignation, isolation, or despair. The Book of Soul is an antidote." —Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global and Founder, Huffington Post "I recommend The Book of Soul for all of us wanting to stay connected to a deeper purpose." —Melinda Gates, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Moment of Lift "There is much to explore and savor in this [new] book [by] this incredibly talented writer, storyteller, poet, and teacher. The spiritual practitioner will rejoice in Nepo’s uncanny ability to consistently stretch our minds and souls with fresh musings." —Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice "I love all Mark’s books because of his deep insights and his amazing way with words, but there’s something truly special about this one. It feels like a compilation of the best and most profound ideas from his work. I want to savor each and every chapter." —Katy Koontz, Editor, Unity Magazine A powerful new book of spiritual awakening from #1 New York Times bestselling author Mark Nepo In The Book of Soul, Mark Nepo, the bestselling author of The Book of Awakening, offers a powerful guide to inhabiting an authentic and wholehearted life. After we are physically born, we must be spiritually born a second time, a process that takes place through the labor of a lifetime as we develop into more fully realized beings. The Book of Soul delves into the spiritual alchemy of that transformation in all its mystery, difficulty, and inevitability. The book is divided into four sections that mark the passages we all face: enduring our Walk in the World, until we discover Our True Inheritance, which allows us to live in the open by Widening Our Circle, as we Help Each Other Stay Awake. The Book of Soul is a piercing guide, replete with beautiful truths and startling insight, that leads us deeply into the process of transformation.

The Triumph of the Therapeutic

Download The Triumph of the Therapeutic PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226716465
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (267 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Triumph of the Therapeutic by : Philip Rieff

Download or read book The Triumph of the Therapeutic written by Philip Rieff and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1987-03-15 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Philip Rieff has become out most learned and provocative critic of psychoanalytic thinking and of the compelling mind and character of its first proponent. Rieff's Freud: The Mind of the Moralist remains the sharpest exegesis yet to be done on the moral and intellectual implications of Freud's work. It was a critical masterpiece, worthy of the man who inspired it; and it is now followed by a work that suffers not at all in comparison. No review can do justice to the richness of The Triumph of the Therapeutic."—Robert Coles, New York Times Book Review "A triumphantly successful exploration of certain key themes in cultural life. Rieff's incidental remarks are not only illuminating in themselves; they suggest whole new areas of inquiry."—Alasdair MacIntyre, Guardian

The Education of Little Tree

Download The Education of Little Tree PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : UNM Press
ISBN 13 : 0826316948
Total Pages : 236 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (263 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Education of Little Tree by : Forrest Carter

Download or read book The Education of Little Tree written by Forrest Carter and published by UNM Press. This book was released on 2001-08-31 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Education of Little Tree has been embedded in controversy since the revelation that the autobiographical story told by Forrest Carter was a complete fabrication. The touching novel, which has entranced readers since it was first published in 1976, has since raised questions, many unanswered, about how this quaint and engaging tale of a young, orphaned boy could have been written by a man whose life was so overtly rooted in hatred. How can this story, now discovered to be fictitious, fill our hearts with so much emotion as we champion Little Tree’s childhood lessons and future successes? The Education of Little Tree tells with poignant grace the story of a boy who is adopted by his Cherokee grandmother and half-Cherokee grandfather in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee during the Great Depression. “Little Tree,” as his grandparents call him, is shown how to hunt and survive in the mountains and taught to respect nature in the Cherokee Way—taking only what is needed, leaving the rest for nature to run its course. Little Tree also learns the often callous ways of white businessmen, sharecroppers, Christians, and politicians. Each vignette, whether frightening, funny, heartwarming, or sad, teaches our protagonist about life, love, nature, work, friendship, and family. A classic of its era and an enduring book for all ages, The Education of Little Tree continues to share important lessons. Little Tree’s story allows us to reflect on the past and look toward the future. It offers us an opportunity to ask ourselves what we have learned and where it will take us.

The Patient's Voice

Download The Patient's Voice PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : F.A. Davis
ISBN 13 : 080364471X
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (36 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Patient's Voice by : Jeanine Young-Mason

Download or read book The Patient's Voice written by Jeanine Young-Mason and published by F.A. Davis. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: See the world through a patient’s eyes…from other side of illness. Pause to see the world beyond the scientific and clinical. Each chapter in the book provides a brief memoir recounting an experience of illness, written either by the patient, a member of the patient’s family, or an advocate for the patient within the medical, legal, or judicial system. As you share their experiences, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the importance of holistic, patient-centered care. Reviews of the 1st Edition… “...powerful stories...shed light on care giving, spiritual growth, altered self-concept and other aspects of chronic illness.”—ALS Newsletter on the Web “...speak about the most important things clearly, strongly as possible...to do anything else is precious waste of time.”—UMass Magazine “...these accounts...are deep reflections about living with afflictions, relationships, and interactions with the healthcare system.”—Nursing Spectrum "The Patient's Voice: Experiences of Illness is an outstanding collection of autobiographical essays. The 16 narratives, solicited specifically for this book, are skilfully written by both children and adults. The narratives themselves are intensely personal and powerful accounts of self understanding and human triumph over acute physical and psychiatric illness, and chronic disability. As the author notes in her preface, the contributors to The Patient's Voice are "known for their writing ability and the quality of their perceptions" (p. ix).This is a modest description, however, for the contributors are talented writers indeed."- Cathy Lysack, Wayne State University, Detroit MI

Reduced to Joy

Download Reduced to Joy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cleis Press
ISBN 13 : 1936740575
Total Pages : 157 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (367 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Reduced to Joy by : Mark Nepo

Download or read book Reduced to Joy written by Mark Nepo and published by Cleis Press. This book was released on 2013-08-13 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mark Nepo is emerging as one of the truly significant writers and thinkers of today. Nepo has a singular way of distilling great truths down to their essence. Moreover, during his cancer journey, Nepo relied on the power of expression and the writing process to keep him tethered to life. In Reduced to Joy, Mark Nepo explores the places where pain and joy are stitched to resilience, uncovering them with deep wisdom, poetic passages and personal revelations. Nepo reminds us all of the secret and sacred places within, forgotten in the noise and chatter of our busy distracted 21st Century lives. Reduced to Joy is a lesson in stillness, in standing in the mystery and, above all, in the work of love.

First Steps

Download First Steps PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : HarperCollins
ISBN 13 : 0062938517
Total Pages : 389 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (629 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis First Steps by : Jeremy DeSilva

Download or read book First Steps written by Jeremy DeSilva and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the W.W. Howells Book Prize from the American Anthropological Association and named one of the best science books of 2021 by Science News “DeSilva takes us on a brilliant, fun, and scientifically deep stroll through history, anatomy, and evolution, in order to illustrate the powerful story of how a particular mode of movement helped make us one of the most wonderful, dangerous and fascinating species on Earth.”—Agustín Fuentes, Professor of Anthropology, Princeton University and author of Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being “Breezy popular science at its best. . . . Makes a compelling case overall.”—Science News Blending history, science, and culture, a stunning and highly engaging evolutionary story exploring how walking on two legs allowed humans to become the planet’s dominant species. Humans are the only mammals to walk on two, rather than four legs—a locomotion known as bipedalism. We strive to be upstanding citizens, honor those who stand tall and proud, and take a stand against injustices. We follow in each other’s footsteps and celebrate a child’s beginning to walk. But why, and how, exactly, did we take our first steps? And at what cost? Bipedalism has its drawbacks: giving birth is more difficult and dangerous; our running speed is much slower than other animals; and we suffer a variety of ailments, from hernias to sinus problems. In First Steps, paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva explores how unusual and extraordinary this seemingly ordinary ability is. A seven-million-year journey to the very origins of the human lineage, First Steps shows how upright walking was a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human—from our technological abilities, our thirst for exploration, our use of language–and may have laid the foundation for our species’ traits of compassion, empathy, and altruism. Moving from developmental psychology labs to ancient fossil sites throughout Africa and Eurasia, DeSilva brings to life our adventure walking on two legs. Delving deeply into the story of our past and the new discoveries rewriting our understanding of human evolution, First Steps examines how walking upright helped us rise above all over species on this planet. First Steps includes an eight-page color photo insert.