Author: Catherine Newman
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063230917
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
“Catherine Newman sees the heartbreak and comedy of life with wisdom and unflinching compassion. The way she finds the extraordinary in the everyday is nothing short of poetry. She’s a writer’s writer—and a human’s human.”—New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center “We All Want Impossible Things is a riotously funny and fiercely loyal love letter to female friendship. The story of Edi and Ash proves that a best friend is a gift from the gods. Newman turns her prodigious talents toward finding joy even in the friendship’s final days. I laughed while crying, and was left revived. Newman is a comic masterhand and a dazzling philosopher of the day-to-day.”—Amity Gaige, author of Sea Wife “The funniest, most joyful book about dying—and living—that I have ever read.”—KJ Dell'Antonia, author of the New York Times bestselling The Chicken Sisters For lovers of Meg Wolitzer, Maria Semple, and Jenny Offill comes this raucous, poignant celebration of life, love, and friendship at its imperfect and radiant best. Edith and Ashley have been best friends for over forty-two years. They’ve shared the mundane and the momentous together: trick or treating and binge drinking; Gilligan’s Island reruns and REM concerts; hickeys and heartbreak; surprise Scottish wakes; marriages, infertility, and children. As Ash says, “Edi’s memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.” But now the unthinkable has happened. Edi is dying of ovarian cancer and spending her last days at a hospice near Ash, who stumbles into heartbreak surrounded by her daughters, ex(ish) husband, dear friends, a poorly chosen lover (or two), and a rotating cast of beautifully, fleetingly human hospice characters. As The Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack blasts all day long from the room next door, Edi and Ash reminisce, hold on, and try to let go. Meanwhile, Ash struggles with being an imperfect friend, wife, and parent—with life, in other words, distilled to its heartbreaking, joyful, and comedic essence. For anyone who’s ever lost a friend or had one. Get ready to laugh through your tears.
We All Want to Change the World
Author: Tom Waldman
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
ISBN: 1461625793
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
We All Want to Change the World provides a cogent and fascinating evaluation of post-World War II American commercial music and its complex, multi-faceted impact on the world of politics. Tom Waldman offers articulate and compulsively readable insights into such issues as: John Lennon and Yoko Ono's fiercely political period and its decidedly mixed effect on both of their careers and the causes they championed; the violence that erupted over the Sex Pistols' performance of "God Save the Queen" at Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee; Ronald Reagan's misinterpretation of "Born in the USA"; popular song and feminism and gender issues in the political sphere; the recent trend of rock tunes being reworked as campaign songs, such as Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," and Sam and Dave's "Dole Man"; and much more. There is also extensive commentary on the events of September 11th, when many of the biggest names in the history of rock music took part in two benefits to raise money for the victims' families and to lift the spirits of the country.
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
ISBN: 1461625793
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
We All Want to Change the World provides a cogent and fascinating evaluation of post-World War II American commercial music and its complex, multi-faceted impact on the world of politics. Tom Waldman offers articulate and compulsively readable insights into such issues as: John Lennon and Yoko Ono's fiercely political period and its decidedly mixed effect on both of their careers and the causes they championed; the violence that erupted over the Sex Pistols' performance of "God Save the Queen" at Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee; Ronald Reagan's misinterpretation of "Born in the USA"; popular song and feminism and gender issues in the political sphere; the recent trend of rock tunes being reworked as campaign songs, such as Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," and Sam and Dave's "Dole Man"; and much more. There is also extensive commentary on the events of September 11th, when many of the biggest names in the history of rock music took part in two benefits to raise money for the victims' families and to lift the spirits of the country.
We All Want Impossible Things
Author: Catherine Newman
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063230917
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
“Catherine Newman sees the heartbreak and comedy of life with wisdom and unflinching compassion. The way she finds the extraordinary in the everyday is nothing short of poetry. She’s a writer’s writer—and a human’s human.”—New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center “We All Want Impossible Things is a riotously funny and fiercely loyal love letter to female friendship. The story of Edi and Ash proves that a best friend is a gift from the gods. Newman turns her prodigious talents toward finding joy even in the friendship’s final days. I laughed while crying, and was left revived. Newman is a comic masterhand and a dazzling philosopher of the day-to-day.”—Amity Gaige, author of Sea Wife “The funniest, most joyful book about dying—and living—that I have ever read.”—KJ Dell'Antonia, author of the New York Times bestselling The Chicken Sisters For lovers of Meg Wolitzer, Maria Semple, and Jenny Offill comes this raucous, poignant celebration of life, love, and friendship at its imperfect and radiant best. Edith and Ashley have been best friends for over forty-two years. They’ve shared the mundane and the momentous together: trick or treating and binge drinking; Gilligan’s Island reruns and REM concerts; hickeys and heartbreak; surprise Scottish wakes; marriages, infertility, and children. As Ash says, “Edi’s memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.” But now the unthinkable has happened. Edi is dying of ovarian cancer and spending her last days at a hospice near Ash, who stumbles into heartbreak surrounded by her daughters, ex(ish) husband, dear friends, a poorly chosen lover (or two), and a rotating cast of beautifully, fleetingly human hospice characters. As The Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack blasts all day long from the room next door, Edi and Ash reminisce, hold on, and try to let go. Meanwhile, Ash struggles with being an imperfect friend, wife, and parent—with life, in other words, distilled to its heartbreaking, joyful, and comedic essence. For anyone who’s ever lost a friend or had one. Get ready to laugh through your tears.
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063230917
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
“Catherine Newman sees the heartbreak and comedy of life with wisdom and unflinching compassion. The way she finds the extraordinary in the everyday is nothing short of poetry. She’s a writer’s writer—and a human’s human.”—New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center “We All Want Impossible Things is a riotously funny and fiercely loyal love letter to female friendship. The story of Edi and Ash proves that a best friend is a gift from the gods. Newman turns her prodigious talents toward finding joy even in the friendship’s final days. I laughed while crying, and was left revived. Newman is a comic masterhand and a dazzling philosopher of the day-to-day.”—Amity Gaige, author of Sea Wife “The funniest, most joyful book about dying—and living—that I have ever read.”—KJ Dell'Antonia, author of the New York Times bestselling The Chicken Sisters For lovers of Meg Wolitzer, Maria Semple, and Jenny Offill comes this raucous, poignant celebration of life, love, and friendship at its imperfect and radiant best. Edith and Ashley have been best friends for over forty-two years. They’ve shared the mundane and the momentous together: trick or treating and binge drinking; Gilligan’s Island reruns and REM concerts; hickeys and heartbreak; surprise Scottish wakes; marriages, infertility, and children. As Ash says, “Edi’s memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.” But now the unthinkable has happened. Edi is dying of ovarian cancer and spending her last days at a hospice near Ash, who stumbles into heartbreak surrounded by her daughters, ex(ish) husband, dear friends, a poorly chosen lover (or two), and a rotating cast of beautifully, fleetingly human hospice characters. As The Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack blasts all day long from the room next door, Edi and Ash reminisce, hold on, and try to let go. Meanwhile, Ash struggles with being an imperfect friend, wife, and parent—with life, in other words, distilled to its heartbreaking, joyful, and comedic essence. For anyone who’s ever lost a friend or had one. Get ready to laugh through your tears.
Do We All Want the Same Thing
Author: Dr. Oscar Harris
Publisher: Oscar Harris
ISBN: 196413711X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 281
Book Description
In a rapidly evolving world, conflicts arise in various spheres, including educational settings. "Do We All Want the Same Thing" provides educational professionals with a comprehensive framework for navigating and resolving conflicts effectively. From innovative practices in peace education to the integration of emerging technologies, this book explores diverse strategies aimed at fostering empathy, understanding, and communication skills among educators and students alike.With an emphasis on recognizing our shared humanity as the cornerstone of effective conflict resolution, this book serves as a guide for cultivating peaceful and inclusive communities. By embracing continuous learning and adaptation, educators can navigate new challenges with compassion and wisdom, laying the groundwork for a future where understanding and cooperation triumph over division and discord.
Publisher: Oscar Harris
ISBN: 196413711X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 281
Book Description
In a rapidly evolving world, conflicts arise in various spheres, including educational settings. "Do We All Want the Same Thing" provides educational professionals with a comprehensive framework for navigating and resolving conflicts effectively. From innovative practices in peace education to the integration of emerging technologies, this book explores diverse strategies aimed at fostering empathy, understanding, and communication skills among educators and students alike.With an emphasis on recognizing our shared humanity as the cornerstone of effective conflict resolution, this book serves as a guide for cultivating peaceful and inclusive communities. By embracing continuous learning and adaptation, educators can navigate new challenges with compassion and wisdom, laying the groundwork for a future where understanding and cooperation triumph over division and discord.
What We Really Want
Author: Rev. Shirley Leighton
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1483604608
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 71
Book Description
The First Faith of the Future is designed in an attempt to free you from the prison of belief in dogmatic systems which strip you of your personal power. The goal of all religions began with the desire in the hearts of men and women to know God and to feel His protection from higher dimensions. Sadly enough, many of the resulting dictates have reduced the human family to slavery, while satisfying the egocentric needs of church leaders. Your pleas of help may rarely appear to reach any kind of assistance, but the truth is that we are always divinely connected, protected, and directed. Believe it! What do we really want, anyway? We can acquire the riches of the physical, material world only to discover that we are empty that they havent fulfi lled our needs at all. Only after owning assets which we gladly discard for peace of mind can a person understand that emptiness (often called the existential vacuum.) Life can have no meaning without the spiritual dimensions which are necessary for us to feel like our real selves. What makes your heart beat? What force breathes your body for you? All the many systems of our bodies which continue to function without our help ask the question of the mystery which sustains a human life. How do we explain our beingness without a connection to the Divine? The faith we need to develop is in answer to these puzzling questions. Creative and loving, making our future days by our attitudes today, we need to be grateful for the sustenance of our heavenly parents who love us, whether we understand the whole picture or not. It is all a divine comedy drama farce or tragedy. What do we want our lives to be? God is always present when were aware. The sense of connection within our own hearts and souls allows us companionship and security above and beyond all else. That will never be taken from us, since it is inviolate and ours to be treasured by ourselves forever.
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1483604608
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 71
Book Description
The First Faith of the Future is designed in an attempt to free you from the prison of belief in dogmatic systems which strip you of your personal power. The goal of all religions began with the desire in the hearts of men and women to know God and to feel His protection from higher dimensions. Sadly enough, many of the resulting dictates have reduced the human family to slavery, while satisfying the egocentric needs of church leaders. Your pleas of help may rarely appear to reach any kind of assistance, but the truth is that we are always divinely connected, protected, and directed. Believe it! What do we really want, anyway? We can acquire the riches of the physical, material world only to discover that we are empty that they havent fulfi lled our needs at all. Only after owning assets which we gladly discard for peace of mind can a person understand that emptiness (often called the existential vacuum.) Life can have no meaning without the spiritual dimensions which are necessary for us to feel like our real selves. What makes your heart beat? What force breathes your body for you? All the many systems of our bodies which continue to function without our help ask the question of the mystery which sustains a human life. How do we explain our beingness without a connection to the Divine? The faith we need to develop is in answer to these puzzling questions. Creative and loving, making our future days by our attitudes today, we need to be grateful for the sustenance of our heavenly parents who love us, whether we understand the whole picture or not. It is all a divine comedy drama farce or tragedy. What do we want our lives to be? God is always present when were aware. The sense of connection within our own hearts and souls allows us companionship and security above and beyond all else. That will never be taken from us, since it is inviolate and ours to be treasured by ourselves forever.
Do We Really Want Strong and Healthy Children?/Woman & Mother
Author: Jesper Juul
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1477226028
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 80
Book Description
Do we really want strong and healthy children In this essay Jesper Juul is asking not only parents but also institutions, policy-makers and experts to take a serious look at what they want with our children and youth because rhetoric and practice seem to contradictive. Jesper Juul is also making clear what a strong and healthy child is and the enormous impact it would have on our societies if we decided to prioritize mental and social health. Woman & Mother In this essay Jesper Juul is investigating the role and self-image of women and mothers and expresses his worries that pat of womens mindset as well as behavior is self-destructive. The central section for parents is called What really happens to nice girls where the author is challenging our present values related to the education and upbringing of girls and young women.
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1477226028
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 80
Book Description
Do we really want strong and healthy children In this essay Jesper Juul is asking not only parents but also institutions, policy-makers and experts to take a serious look at what they want with our children and youth because rhetoric and practice seem to contradictive. Jesper Juul is also making clear what a strong and healthy child is and the enormous impact it would have on our societies if we decided to prioritize mental and social health. Woman & Mother In this essay Jesper Juul is investigating the role and self-image of women and mothers and expresses his worries that pat of womens mindset as well as behavior is self-destructive. The central section for parents is called What really happens to nice girls where the author is challenging our present values related to the education and upbringing of girls and young women.
So You Want to Talk About Race
Author: Ijeoma Oluo
Publisher: Seal Press
ISBN: 1541619226
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 222
Book Description
In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a revelatory examination of race in America Protests against racial injustice and white supremacy have galvanized millions around the world. The stakes for transformative conversations about race could not be higher. Still, the task ahead seems daunting, and it’s hard to know where to start. How do you tell your boss her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law hang up on you when you had questions about police reform? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend? In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from police brutality and cultural appropriation to the model minority myth in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race, and about how racism infects every aspect of American life. "Simply put: Ijeoma Oluo is a necessary voice and intellectual for these times, and any time, truth be told." ―Phoebe Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of You Can't Touch My Hair
Publisher: Seal Press
ISBN: 1541619226
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 222
Book Description
In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a revelatory examination of race in America Protests against racial injustice and white supremacy have galvanized millions around the world. The stakes for transformative conversations about race could not be higher. Still, the task ahead seems daunting, and it’s hard to know where to start. How do you tell your boss her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law hang up on you when you had questions about police reform? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend? In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from police brutality and cultural appropriation to the model minority myth in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race, and about how racism infects every aspect of American life. "Simply put: Ijeoma Oluo is a necessary voice and intellectual for these times, and any time, truth be told." ―Phoebe Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of You Can't Touch My Hair
All We Want
Author: Michael Harris
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0385695225
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Our lives are defined by a story of endless growth and consumption. Now a climate crisis demands that we change. Can we write new stories? In All We Want, award-winning author Michael Harris dismantles our untenable consumer culture and delivers surprising, heartwarming alternatives. Drawing on the wisdom of philosophers, scientists, and artists, Harris uncovers three realms where humans have always found deeper meaning: the worlds of Craft, the Sublime, and Care. Past attempts to blunt our impact on the environment have simply redirected our consumption—we bought fuel-efficient cars and canvas tote bags. We cannot, however, buy our way out of this crisis. We need, instead, compelling new stories about life's purpose. Part meditation and part manifesto, All We Want is a blazing inquest into the destructive and unfulfilling promise of our consumer society, and a roadmap toward a more humane future.
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0385695225
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Our lives are defined by a story of endless growth and consumption. Now a climate crisis demands that we change. Can we write new stories? In All We Want, award-winning author Michael Harris dismantles our untenable consumer culture and delivers surprising, heartwarming alternatives. Drawing on the wisdom of philosophers, scientists, and artists, Harris uncovers three realms where humans have always found deeper meaning: the worlds of Craft, the Sublime, and Care. Past attempts to blunt our impact on the environment have simply redirected our consumption—we bought fuel-efficient cars and canvas tote bags. We cannot, however, buy our way out of this crisis. We need, instead, compelling new stories about life's purpose. Part meditation and part manifesto, All We Want is a blazing inquest into the destructive and unfulfilling promise of our consumer society, and a roadmap toward a more humane future.
We Want What We Want
Author: Alix Ohlin
Publisher: House of Anansi
ISBN: 1487004907
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 182
Book Description
Thirteen glittering, surprising, and darkly funny stories of people testing the boundaries of their lives, from two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist Alix Ohlin. In the mordantly funny “Money, Geography, Youth,” Vanessa arrives home from a gap year volunteering in Ghana to find that her father is engaged to her childhood best friend. Unable to reconcile the girl she went to dances with in the eighth grade and the woman in her father’s bed, Vanessa turns to a different old friendship for her own, unique diversion. In the subversive “The Brooks Brothers Guru,” Amanda drives to upstate New York to rescue her gawky cousin from a cult, only to discover clean-cut, well-dressed men living in a beautiful home, discussing the classics and drinking cocktails, moving her to wonder what freedoms she might be willing to trade for a life of such elegant comfort. And in “The Universal Particular,” Tamar welcomes her husband’s young stepcousin into her home, only to find her cool suburban life knocked askew in ways she cannot quite understand. Populated with imperfect families, burned potential, and inescapable old flames, the stories in We Want What We Want are, each one, diamond-sharp — sparkling with pain, humour, and beauty.
Publisher: House of Anansi
ISBN: 1487004907
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 182
Book Description
Thirteen glittering, surprising, and darkly funny stories of people testing the boundaries of their lives, from two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist Alix Ohlin. In the mordantly funny “Money, Geography, Youth,” Vanessa arrives home from a gap year volunteering in Ghana to find that her father is engaged to her childhood best friend. Unable to reconcile the girl she went to dances with in the eighth grade and the woman in her father’s bed, Vanessa turns to a different old friendship for her own, unique diversion. In the subversive “The Brooks Brothers Guru,” Amanda drives to upstate New York to rescue her gawky cousin from a cult, only to discover clean-cut, well-dressed men living in a beautiful home, discussing the classics and drinking cocktails, moving her to wonder what freedoms she might be willing to trade for a life of such elegant comfort. And in “The Universal Particular,” Tamar welcomes her husband’s young stepcousin into her home, only to find her cool suburban life knocked askew in ways she cannot quite understand. Populated with imperfect families, burned potential, and inescapable old flames, the stories in We Want What We Want are, each one, diamond-sharp — sparkling with pain, humour, and beauty.
What Women Really Want
Author: Kellyanne Conway
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743281764
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
An invigorating and inspiring take on the new ways American women are changing and improving our culture and the way we live from Kellyanne Conway, counselor to president Donald Trump, and Celinda Lake, a leading political strategist for the Democratic party. Women are the most powerful force reshaping the future of America. There is a newly defined unified power base among women that crosses all the usual lines of division—politics, race, religion, age, and class—heralding the most significant change in American culture in the past century. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to president Donald Trump and president and CEO of The Polling Company, Inc. and Celinda Lake, a leading political strategist for the Democratic party—two of the most prominent trend-spotters and analysts in America—demonstrate how women are rejecting outdated traditions in order to get what they want and need. They are breaking the old rules about when and whether to marry and have children, living fully and equally as singles, and creating flexible, inclusive workplaces that don’t sacrifice family or sanity. They are controlling $5 trillion annually as the primary purchasers of homes, cars, appliances, and electronics. They are making their mark at ages twenty, forty, sixty, and beyond, drawing strength, inspiration, and intellectual stimulation from other women. Using the eye-opening results of interviews, focus groups, and polls (three of which were created especially for this book), Conway and Lake—who often fall on opposite sides of the country’s most polarizing debates—come together to seek out what women buy, what they believe, how they work, how they live, what they care about, what they fear, and what they really want. By delving beneath the hot-button issues, Lake and Conway discovered common causes with which women are inventing a new age of opportunity—doing it their way and, in the process, improving life for all Americans.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743281764
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
An invigorating and inspiring take on the new ways American women are changing and improving our culture and the way we live from Kellyanne Conway, counselor to president Donald Trump, and Celinda Lake, a leading political strategist for the Democratic party. Women are the most powerful force reshaping the future of America. There is a newly defined unified power base among women that crosses all the usual lines of division—politics, race, religion, age, and class—heralding the most significant change in American culture in the past century. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to president Donald Trump and president and CEO of The Polling Company, Inc. and Celinda Lake, a leading political strategist for the Democratic party—two of the most prominent trend-spotters and analysts in America—demonstrate how women are rejecting outdated traditions in order to get what they want and need. They are breaking the old rules about when and whether to marry and have children, living fully and equally as singles, and creating flexible, inclusive workplaces that don’t sacrifice family or sanity. They are controlling $5 trillion annually as the primary purchasers of homes, cars, appliances, and electronics. They are making their mark at ages twenty, forty, sixty, and beyond, drawing strength, inspiration, and intellectual stimulation from other women. Using the eye-opening results of interviews, focus groups, and polls (three of which were created especially for this book), Conway and Lake—who often fall on opposite sides of the country’s most polarizing debates—come together to seek out what women buy, what they believe, how they work, how they live, what they care about, what they fear, and what they really want. By delving beneath the hot-button issues, Lake and Conway discovered common causes with which women are inventing a new age of opportunity—doing it their way and, in the process, improving life for all Americans.
Like Vanessa
Author: Tami Charles
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
ISBN: 1580898998
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
Middle graders will laugh and cry with thirteen-year-old Vanessa Martin as she tries to be like Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America. In this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin's real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with a mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa's view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own self-worth is more than the scores of her talent performance and her interview answers, and that she doesn't need a crown to be comfortable in her own skin and see her own true beauty. "It's such an honor to be the focal point of this wonderful book! Without a doubt, it will be inspiring to a new generation of young, talented girls well on their way to promising careers." --Vanessa Williams, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist, New York Times Best-Selling Author, Fashion Designer and star of Television, Film and the Broadway Stage "Like Vanessa has it all and then some! Gritty, poetic, emotionally true, Tami Charles wrings out every hope, every stumble and every triumph of a girl on an uneasy road to possessing her self, her strength and her own beauty. An unforgettable debut." --Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven ♦ "This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances."— Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW ♦ "Charles evades the clichés and imbues Vanessa with an inner life that's so real and personal it's hard to deny the charm, heartbreak, and triumph of her story. . . . Superb."— Booklist STARRED REVIEW ♦ "Like Vanessa is an emotionally potent, engaging young adult story with a heroine whom it is impossible not to root for. The life lessons that Nessy learns are relevant and worthwhile for everyone."— Foreword Reviews STARRED REVIEW
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
ISBN: 1580898998
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
Middle graders will laugh and cry with thirteen-year-old Vanessa Martin as she tries to be like Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America. In this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin's real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with a mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa's view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own self-worth is more than the scores of her talent performance and her interview answers, and that she doesn't need a crown to be comfortable in her own skin and see her own true beauty. "It's such an honor to be the focal point of this wonderful book! Without a doubt, it will be inspiring to a new generation of young, talented girls well on their way to promising careers." --Vanessa Williams, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist, New York Times Best-Selling Author, Fashion Designer and star of Television, Film and the Broadway Stage "Like Vanessa has it all and then some! Gritty, poetic, emotionally true, Tami Charles wrings out every hope, every stumble and every triumph of a girl on an uneasy road to possessing her self, her strength and her own beauty. An unforgettable debut." --Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven ♦ "This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances."— Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW ♦ "Charles evades the clichés and imbues Vanessa with an inner life that's so real and personal it's hard to deny the charm, heartbreak, and triumph of her story. . . . Superb."— Booklist STARRED REVIEW ♦ "Like Vanessa is an emotionally potent, engaging young adult story with a heroine whom it is impossible not to root for. The life lessons that Nessy learns are relevant and worthwhile for everyone."— Foreword Reviews STARRED REVIEW