Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

• 

  I Am Spartacus! - Making a Film...

  Kirk Douglas

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  A “lively” memoir by the Hollywood legend about the making of Spartacus, with a foreword by George Clooney (Los Angeles Times).  One of the world’s most iconic movie stars, Kirk Douglas has distinguished himself as a producer, philanthropist, and author of ten works of fiction and memoir. Now, more than fifty years after the release of his enduring epic Spartacus, Douglas reveals the riveting drama behind the making of the legendary gladiator film. Douglas began producing the movie in the midst of the politically charged era when Hollywood’s moguls refused to hire anyone accused of Communist sympathies. In a risky move, Douglas chose Dalton Trumbo, a blacklisted screenwriter, to write Spartacus. Trumbo was one of the “Unfriendly Ten,” men who had gone to prison rather than testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee about their political affiliations. Douglas’s source material was already a hot property, as the novel Spartacus was written by Howard Fast while he was in jail for defying HUAC. With the financial future of his young family at stake, Douglas plunged into a tumultuous production both on- and off-screen. As both producer and star of the film, he faced explosive moments with young director Stanley Kubrick, struggles with a leading lady, and negotiations with giant personalities, including Sir Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, and Lew Wasserman. Writing from his heart and from his own meticulously researched archives, Kirk Douglas, at ninety-five, looks back at his audacious decisions. He made the most expensive film of its era—but more importantly, his moral courage in giving public credit to Trumbo effectively ended the notorious Hollywood blacklist. A master storyteller, Douglas paints a vivid and often humorous portrait in I Am Spartacus! The book is enhanced by newly discovered period photography of the stars and filmmakers both on and off the set.

  Mostra libro

• 

  Ezra & the Law in History and...

  Lisbeth S. Fried

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Discover the real Ezra in this in-depth study of the Biblical figure that separates historical facts from cultural legends. 
   
  The historical Ezra was sent to Jerusalem as an emissary of the Persian monarch. What was his task? According to the Bible, the Persian king sent Ezra to bring the Torah, the five books of the Laws of Moses, to the Jews. Modern scholars have claimed not only that Ezra brought the Torah to Jerusalem, but also that he actually wrote it, and in so doing Ezra created Judaism. Without Ezra, they say, Judaism would not exist. 
   
  In Ezra and the Law in History and Tradition, Lisbeth S. Fried separates historical fact from biblical legend. Drawing on inscriptions from the Achaemenid Empire, she presents the historical Ezra in the context of authentic Persian administrative practices and concludes that Ezra, the Persian official, neither wrote nor edited the Torah, nor would he even have known it. The origin of Judaism, so often associated with Ezra by modern scholars, must be sought elsewhere. 
   
  After discussing the historical Ezra, Fried examines ancient, medieval, and modern views of him, explaining how each originated, and why. She relates the stories told about Ezra by medieval Christians to explain why their Greek Old Testament differs from the Hebrew Bible, as well as the explanations offered by medieval Samaritans concerning how their Samaritan Bible varies from the one the Jews use. Church Fathers as well as medieval Samaritan writers explained the differences by claiming that Ezra falsified the Bible when he rewrote it, so that in effect, it is not the book that Moses wrote but something else. Moslem scholars also maintain that Ezra falsified the Old Testament, since Mohammed, the last judgment, and Heaven and Hell are revealed in it. In contrast Jewish Talmudic writers viewed Ezra both as a second Moses and as the prophet Malachi. 
   
  In the process of describing ancient, medieval, and modern views of Ezra, Fried brings out various understandings of God, God’s law, and God’s plan for our salvation. 
   
  “A responsible yet memorable journey into the life and afterlife of Ezra as a key personality in the history, literature and reflection of religious and scholarly communities over the past 2,500 years. A worthwhile and informative read!” —Mark J. Boda, professor of Old Testament, McMaster Divinity College, professor of theology, McMaster University

  Mostra libro

• 

  The RBG Way - The Secrets of...

  Rebecca Gibian

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Given her incredible tenure as a Supreme Court justice as well as her monumental impact on the modern women’s rights movement, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become one of the most prominent political leaders of today. To complement her judicial significance, she has also become one of the most culturally popular political figures in US history. Not only has her workout routine gone viral (and been detailed in a book by her trainer), but RBG’s story has been featured in multiple critically acclaimed films.  
  
  Organized into three parts and then broken down into more specific chapters within each part, The RBG Way offers wisdom from Justice Ginsburg, based on comments she has made on particular topics of importance. Insight is offered on subjects such as women’s rights, creating lasting partnerships, overcoming hardship, how to be brave, and how to create lasting change. Rebecca Gibian offers her seasoned journalistic perspective to shed light on beliefs that RBG holds strongly, in a manner that is both comprehensive and accessible.

  Mostra libro

• 

  Thank You for Your Service

  David Finkel

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Good Soldiers comes “a panoramic view of postwar life. . . . A book that every American should read” (Jake Tapper, Los Angeles Times). 
   
  No journalist has reckoned with the psychology of war as intimately as David Finkel. In The Good Soldiers, his bestselling account from the front lines of Baghdad, Finkel embedded with the men of the 2-16 Infantry Battalion as they carried out the infamous “surge”. Now, in Thank You for Your Service, Finkel tells the true story of those men as they return home and struggle to reintegrate—both into their family lives and into American society at large. 
   
  Finkel is with these veterans in their most intimate, painful, and hopeful moments as they try to recover. He creates an indelible portrait of what life after war is like for these soldiers, their families and friends, and for the professionals who are truly trying, and to a great degree failing, to undo the damage that has been done.  
   
  Thank You for Your Service offers nuanced and complete explorations two essential questions: When we ask young men and women to go to war, what are we asking of them? And when they return, what are we thanking them for? 
   
  A National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist 
   
  A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year

  Mostra libro

• 

  Trying to Be Good - the healing...

  Emelia Symington Fedy

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  TRYING TO BE GOOD: The Healing Powers of Lying, Cheating, Stealing and Drugs by popular radio host, theatre-maker, online personality and storyteller - Emelia Symington Fedy is her dark and comical story of her addiction to self-help and absolutely obsessive odyssey to find inner peace at all costs. A ruthless inquiry into her own demons, Emelia never lets herself off the hook on her search; and after a lifetime of misadventures, spending close to $90,000 grand and two decades hunting down shamans, hypnotists, soul advisors and online gurus; turning to drugs, bad sex, vaginal weightlifting classes, crystal bowl regression ceremonies and cosmic dolphins trying to fill the void- her spiritual reckoning finally came when the death of her mom coincided with the birth of her first child. Rocked with grief, Emelia had no choice but to quit her life-long quest for contentment. She quit drugs. She quit yoga. She quits the search. And in turning towards her pain, Emelia finally finds what she’s been longing for her whole life. She can’t escape. She’s here. She can feel it all. Reviews:Emelia Symington Fedy’s riveting new podcast of her book is a vividly evocative story of a life lived with deep feeling.  Like two standouts of this style, North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, this is storytelling that draws the listener in with gorgeous writing and a deliciously raw honest voice and heart. She is so good. " - Cathy Jones (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) "I laughed. I cried. To say that Emelia's material is self-deprecating is an understatement. And it is through her brutal honesty that her stories, filled with unforgettable details, characters, and images, come to life, providing us with a mirror in which we too can look directly at our imperfect, vulnerable reflection and celebrate the tragedy, beauty, and joy of our own existence. " - Carmen Aguirre (Best Selling Author and Canada Reads Winner of Something Fierce and Best Selling Author of Mexican Hooker #1)."It's a very moving experience to have the author, Emelia Symington-Fedy read her memoir aloud. As if we were all in the room with her, going on the journey of our own self-discovery together. Emelia does not shy away from the dark or the truth and that is what makes her storytelling so unique. She is cracking open her heart to share with all of us, and what a pleasure it is to be included in the experience." – (Juno Rinaldi, Star of Workin’ Moms, CBC)"TTBG is a heart-wrenching, head-nodding revelation. Emelia shares her deepest truths with searing clarity, unrelenting honesty, and a remarkable openness that makes me want to listen forever. This book is an unexpectedly enchanting guide for how to live through our most challenging moments with heart, honesty and total presence with the true grit of life." – (Dr. Jane Hansen)

  Mostra libro

• 

  Ishiro Honda

  Steve Ryfle

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  “An appreciation of Japanese fantasy-film history through the eyes of a filmmaker whose name is obscure but populism remains influential.” —Chicago Tribune Ishiro Honda, arguably the most internationally successful Japanese director of his generation, made an unmatched succession of science fiction films that were commercial hits worldwide. From the atomic allegory of Godzilla and the beguiling charms of Mothra to the tragic mystery of Matango and the disaster and spectacle of Rodan, The Mysterians, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Honda’s films reflected postwar Japan’s anxieties and incorporated fantastical special effects, a formula that created an enduring pop culture phenomenon. Now, in the first full account of this overlooked director’s life and career, Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski shed new light on Honda’s work and the experiences that shaped it—including his days as a reluctant Japanese soldier, witnessing the aftermath of Hiroshima, and his lifelong friendship with Akira Kurosawa. The book features close analysis of Honda’s films (including, for the first time, his rarely seen dramas, comedies, and war films) and draws on previously untapped documents and interviews to explore how creative, economic, and industrial factors impacted his career. Fans of Godzilla and tokusatsu (special effects) film, and of Japanese film in general, will welcome this in-depth study of a highly influential director who occupies a uniquely important position in science fiction and fantasy cinema, as well as world cinema.“Provides the reader with a lasting sense of the man—his temperament, values, philosophies, dreams, and disappointments?behind some of cinema’s most beloved characters.” —Film Comment

  Mostra libro