An Unlikely Journey

An Unlikely Journey
Author: Julián Castro
Publisher:
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2018
Genre: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY
ISBN: 9780316421508
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In the spirit of a young Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father, comes a candid and compelling memoir about race and poverty in America. In many ways, there was no reason Julian Castro would have been expected to be a success. Born to unmarried parents in a poverty-stricken neighborhood of a struggling city, his prospects of escaping his circumstance seemed bleak. But he and his twin brother Joaquin had something going for them: their mother. A former political activist, she provided the launch pad for what would become an astonishing ascent. Julian and Joaquin would go on to attend Stanford and Harvard before entering politics at the ripe age of 26. Soon after, Joaquin become a state representative and Julian was elected mayor of San Antonio, a city he helped revitalize and transform into one of the country's leading economies. His success in Texas propelled him onto the national stage, where he was the keynote speaker at the 2012 DNC--the same spot President Obama held three conventions prior--and then to Washington D.C. where he served as the Obama Administration's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. After being shortlisted as a potential running mate for Hillary Clinton, he is now seen by many as a future presidential candidate. Julian Castro's story not only affirms the American dream, but also resonates with millions, who in an age of political cynicism and hardening hearts are searching for a new hero. No matter one's politics, this book is the transcendent story of a resilient family and the unlikely journey of an emerging national icon.

The Unlikely Thru-Hiker

The Unlikely Thru-Hiker
Author: Derick Lugo
Publisher: Appalachian Mountain Club
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2019
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781628421187
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Derick Lugo had never been hiking. He didn't even know if he liked being outside all that much. He certainly couldn't imagine going more than a day without manicuring his goatee. But with a job overseas cut short and no immediate plans, this fixture of the greater New York comedy circuit began to think about what he might do with months of free time and no commitments. He had heard of the Appalachian Trail and knew of its potential for danger and adventure, but he had never seriously considered attempting to hike all 2,192 miles of it. Then again, what could go wrong for a young black man from the city trekking solo through the East Coast backwoods? The Unlikely Thru-Hiker is the story of how an unknowing ambassador of one of the AT's least common demographics, unfamiliar with both the outdoors and thru-hiking culture, sets off with an extremely overweight pack and a willfully can-do attitude to conquer the infamous trail. What follows are eye-opening lessons on preparation, humility, race relations, and nature's wild unpredictability. But this isn't a hard-nosed memoir of discouragement or intolerance. What sets Lugo apart from the typical walk in the woods is his refusal to let any challenge squash his inner Pollyanna. Through it all, he perseveres with humor, tenacity, and an unshakeable commitment to grooming--earning him the trail name "Mr. Fabulous"--that sees him from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine.

An Unconventional Journey..... an Unlikely Choice

An Unconventional Journey..... an Unlikely Choice
Author: Angela L. Walker Franklin Ph.D.
Publisher: WestBow Press
Total Pages: 58
Release: 2014-11-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1490854649
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This is a story of perseverance and awakening. As a child, Angela Walker Franklin faced clear expectations for success from very supportive and engaged parents, yet self-doubt and trepidation continued to raise its ugly head along the way. She was steadfast and determined in her journey, which took several twists and turns until she let go and let God order her steps. This journey evolved into a purpose-driven life that led her to a college presidency in a most unlikely place. The lessons learned along the way have defined her current approach to leadership and should be inspirational to others who are trying to chart their own path.

A Bum Deal

A Bum Deal
Author: Rufus Hannah
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011-08-15
Genre: Alcoholics
ISBN: 9781402260872
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PRAISE for A BUM DEAL "Hannah's recollections of his mental state at the time are almost heartbreaking in their honesty and intensity...remarkable story of personal redemption." -Booklist starred review "Here is the remarkable story behind an American tragedy, a twisted fall into unspeakable exploitation and the hoary depths of human existence followed by a redemptive return to grace."-Steve Lopez, author of The Soloist and LA Times columnist "A remarkable true story of how a chance meeting between two very different men transformed them not only into friends, but humanitarians on a crucial mission. If there was ever a lesson on the nobility of the human spirit, even under the most adverse circumstances, it is found in the pages of this incredible book." -Brian Levin "A Bum Deal: An Unlikely Journey from Hopeless to Humanitarian artfully explains theimportance of understanding homelessness one life at a time. This gritty no-holds-barred memoir juxtaposes acts of unthinkable exploitation with instances of profound and encouraging exhortation." -Neil J. Donovan, Executive Director, National Coalition for the Homeless Rufus Hannah is known to millions around the world, unfortunately, as "Rufus the Stunt Bum" because of his participation in the infamous Bumfights video series. But his story doesn't end there...it is a story of incredible pride and perseverance, and a recovery few could have imagined. Rufus's story is inspiring to anyone who has ever struggled with personal demons and life challenges and wondered where they would find the strength to survive even one more day.

An Unlikely Journey

An Unlikely Journey
Author: Mark Erwin
Publisher:
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2013
Genre: Ambassadors
ISBN: 9780979363184
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Born into a family of wealth and privilege during World War II, Mark Erwin's childhood was less than normal or happy. The son of a free-spirited, socialite mothers who was used to getting whatever she desired, he witnessed her decline into depression, alcoholism, and despair, which almost destroyed the family. This could be called a story of "riches to rags and back to riches," with plenty of life lessons between. "An Unlikely Journey" follows Erwin's miraculous path from a rocky beginning to the curious and extraordinary places and positions neither Mark nor his family and closest friends could have ever envisioned. With no financial resources, little education, and few prospects, he overcame many challenges to achieve success in business, philanthropy, politics, diplomacy, and life, developing along the way a credo to "Make a Difference. Do Good. Have fun."

To Pixar and Beyond

To Pixar and Beyond
Author: Lawrence Levy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2016-11-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 054473419X
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“A delightful book about the creation of Pixar from the inside . . . and like a good Pixar film, it’ll put a smile on your face.” —Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times Winner, Axiom Business Book Award * Fortune Favorite Books of the Year Top Pick * Amazon Best Book of the Year in Business & Leadership After he was dismissed from Apple in the early 1990s, Steve Jobs turned his attention to a little-known graphics company he owned called Pixar. One day, out of the blue, Jobs called Lawrence Levy, a Harvard-trained lawyer and executive with whom he’d never spoken before. He hoped to persuade Levy to help him pull Pixar back from the brink of failure. This is the extraordinary story of what happened next: how Jobs and Levy concocted and pulled off a highly improbable plan that transformed Pixar into the Hollywood powerhouse it is today. Levy offers a masterful firsthand account of how Pixar rose from humble beginnings, what it was like to work so closely with Jobs, and how Pixar’s story offers profound lessons that can apply to our professional and personal lives. To Pixar and Beyond reveals how a struggling computer animation company became one of the greatest entertainment studios of all time. “[A] delightful book about finance, creative genius, workplace harmony, and luck.” —Fortune “Part business book and part thriller—a tale that’s every bit as compelling as the ones Pixar tells in its blockbuster movies.” —Dan Lyons, bestselling author of Disrupted “A natural storyteller . . . an inside look at the business and a fresh, sympathetic view of Jobs.” —Success Magazine

A Quantum Life

A Quantum Life
Author: Hakeem Oluseyi
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2021-08-12
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0349430322
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In this inspiring coming-of-age memoir, a world-renowned astrophysicist emerges from an impoverished childhood and crime-filled adolescence to ascend through the top ranks of research physics. Navigating poverty, violence, and instability, a young James Plummer had two guiding stars-a genius IQ and a love of science. But a bookish nerd was a soft target in his community, where James faced years of bullying and abuse. As he struggled to survive his childhood in some of the country's toughest urban neighborhoods in New Orleans, Houston, and LA, and later in the equally poor backwoods of Mississippi, he adopted the persona of "gangsta nerd"-dealing weed in juke joints while winning state science fairs with computer programs that model Einstein's theory of relativity. Once admitted to the elite physics PhD program at Stanford University, James found himself pulled between the promise of a bright future and a dangerous crack cocaine habit he developed in college. With the encouragement of his mentor and the sole Black professor in the physics department, James confronted his personal demons as well as the entrenched racism and classism of the scientific establishment. When he finally seized his dream of a life in astrophysics, he adopted a new name, Hakeem Muata Oluseyi, to honor his African ancestors. Alternately heartbreaking and hopeful, A QUANTUM LIFE narrates one man's remarkable quest across an ever-expanding universe filled with entanglement and choice.

South Toward Home

South Toward Home
Author: Alice Joyner Irby
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2020-04-04
Genre:
ISBN: 9781734168747
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Southerners love to tell stories. In these twenty-six stories, Alice Joyner Irby recalls her blessed yet turbulent life in and out of the South. Her childhood adventures begin in the 1930s on the Roanoke River in Weldon, a close-knit town in Northeastern North Carolina, where she and her brother, George, kept Granny's boarding house lively with pranks on customers and neighborhood playmates. Every decade brought unforeseen opportunities, painful disruptions, and life-altering choices-from the controversial McCarthy hearings to the heroic school-integration efforts of the 1950s; from the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins when Alice was Director of Admissions at UNCG, to her role within LBJ's Job Corps in Washington, D.C. These were exciting and formative times for the Republic. Alice witnessed all of it-and more.Alice's guiding "celebrities" come to life in South Toward Home. Unconditional love and support from her parents, siblings, and daughter enabled her journey and sustained her resilience. Alice may have been an upstart daredevil who climbed the sheer walls of success in a man's world, but this young Southern woman never entirely left behind the open-hearted, unpretentious people of Halifax County-or the black-delta banks of the timeless Roanoke River.

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert
Author: Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
Publisher:
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2014
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781884527821
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"Rosaria, by the standards of many, was living a very good life. She had a tenured position at a large university in a field for which she cared deeply. She owned two homes with her partner, in which they provided hospitality to students and activists that were looking to make a difference in the world. In the community, Rosaria was involved in volunteer work. At the university, she was a respected advisor of students and her department's curriculum. And then, in her late 30s, Rosaria encountered something that turned her world upside down -- the idea that Christianity, a religion that she had regarded as problematic and sometimes downright damaging, might be right about who God was. That idea seemed to fly in the face of the people and causes that she most loved. What follows is a story of what she describes as a train wreck at the hand of the supernatural. These are her secret thoughts about those events, written as only a reflective English professor could."--Back cover.

An Unlikely Journey

An Unlikely Journey
Author: Frank Stephenson
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2001-11-19
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1462818072
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When geologist Dr. Fred Sager transferred to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, he thought it was too good to be true...he was right. Almost immediately, the project he was assigned to turned into a living nightmare when he stumbles upon an unusual plan by the military, under the Clinton administration, that could bring about mass death and destruction if allowed to proceed. Fred and his boss embark on a dangerous field trip on the island ́s active volcano when a freak storm sends Fred on an unlikely journey. It is during that time that he learns the truth. Upon his return, he is determined to prevent the government from unleashing the terrible consequences of their diabolical plan. But how? Fred´s own disdain for the government certainly tends to get in his way. He works for the same government as the military, but how can he over-ride Washington DC? His new sweetheart says she can help. If true, she ́s not been completely honest with Fred about her past.