Ordinary People Extraordinary Stories PDF Download

Author: Karishma Mehta
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 939032727X
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
Eight years ago, Karishma Mehta founded Humans of Bombay, inspired by the single idea- we all want to be heard. From the first shoot, where she traipsed Mumbai's iconic Marine Drive, asking strangers to speak with her, she's brought together a team of storytellers and a community of over 3.2 million people who believe in the power of humanity. This book, a collection of some of the best stories documented over the last 8 years, is Karishma's love letter to the people of India. Every story in this collection is unique, inspirational, and relatable, and offers a glimpse into a country with 1.3 billion beating hearts ... one tale at a time.

Author: Zan Gaudioso
Publisher: Middleway Press
ISBN: 0977924513
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
Through personal experiences, this anthology illuminates how the practice of Nichiren Buddhism has changed people’s lives for the better. These first-person narratives—representing people from all across the country of various ages and ethnic backgrounds—examine the challenges of daily life associated with health, relationships, career, and aging, and the ensuing experiences of hope, success, inspiration, and personal enlightenment that come about as a result of living as Nichiren Buddhists.

Author: Condoleezza Rice
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307888479
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl--and a young woman--trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world, of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community that made all the difference. Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman--and the first black woman ever--to serve as Secretary of State. But until she was 25 she never learned to swim, because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he'd rather shut down the city's pools than give black citizens access. Throughout the 1950's, Birmingham's black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last. But by 1963, Birmingham had become an environment where blacks were expected to keep their head down and do what they were told--or face violent consequences. That spring two bombs exploded in Rice’s neighborhood amid a series of chilling Klu Klux Klan attacks. Months later, four young girls lost their lives in a particularly vicious bombing. So how was Rice able to achieve what she ultimately did? Her father, John, a minister and educator, instilled a love of sports and politics. Her mother, a teacher, developed Condoleezza’s passion for piano and exposed her to the fine arts. From both, Rice learned the value of faith in the face of hardship and the importance of giving back to the community. Her parents’ fierce unwillingness to set limits propelled her to the venerable halls of Stanford University, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become the university’s second-in-command. An expert in Soviet and Eastern European Affairs, she played a leading role in U.S. policy as the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Less than a decade later, at the apex of the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, she received the exciting news--just shortly before her father’s death--that she would go on to the White House as the first female National Security Advisor. As comfortable describing lighthearted family moments as she is recalling the poignancy of her mother’s cancer battle and the heady challenge of going toe-to-toe with Soviet leaders, Rice holds nothing back in this remarkably candid telling.

Author: Jim Sheeler
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143113836
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
Like Everything I Really Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten, or Tuesdays with Morrie, Obit is a wise and deeply moving book that illuminates the human condition. For ten years, Jim Sheeler has scoured Colorado looking for subjects whose stories he will tell for the last time. Most are unknowns, but that doesn't mean they're nobodies. Their obituaries are sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, and chock full of life lessons as taught by the people we all pass on the street every day. And thanks to Sheeler's brilliant and compassionate prose, it's not too late to meet them.

Author: Debra E. Bernhardt
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479802654
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Brings to life the breathtaking and often heartbreaking stories of the workers who built New York City in the Twentieth Century Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives tells the stories of the men and women who built the City—of towering structures and the beam walkers who assembled them; of immigrant youths in factories and women in sweatshops; of longshoremen and typewriter girls; of dock workers and captains of industry. It provides a glimpse of the traditions they carried with them to this country and how they helped create new ones, in the form of labor organizations that provided recent immigrants, often overwhelmed by the intensity of New York life, with a sense of solidarity and security. Astounding in their own right, the book's photographic images, most drawn from seldom-seen labor movement photographers, are complemented by poignant oral histories which tell the stories behind the images. Among the extraordinary lives chronicled are those of Philip Keating, who, seven years after a fellow worker photographed him painting the Queensboro Bridge in 1949, plunged to his death from another worksite; William Atkinson, who broke the color bar at Macy’s and tells of fighting racism at home after fighting fascism abroad during World War II; and Cynthia Long, who fought gender barriers to become, in the late 1970s, an electrician with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3. With narratives at the beginning of each section providing historical context, this book brings the past clearly, emotionally, and fascinatingly alive.

Author: Bob Dotson
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101606150
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
“These are remarkable and poignant stories that need to be told.” —Ken Burns More than six million people watch Bob Dotson’s Emmy award-winning segment, American Story, on NBC’s Today Show. For the last four decades, Dotson has traveled the country searching out inspiring individuals who quietly perform everyday miracles. In the process, he has become the treasured cartographer of America’s heart and soul. Today’s news is overwhelmingly grim; it’s also told by journalists who travel in herds as they trail politicians and camp out at big stories. In American Story, Dotson shines a light on America’s neglected corners, introducing readers to the ordinary Americans who have learned to fix what really matters.

Author: Erin O'Neil
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781733338004
Category : Asia
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
Gui Ren is a written Chinese phrase that encompasses the synchronicity of people entering your life with purposeful timing to help guide you through difficult challenges. Erin O'Neil graduated from college with a plane ticket across the globe and her dream job in hand. She had all the building blocks in place for a successful post-graduate career and a thrilling adventure. But when all fell tumbling down on her, and she found herself stranded in Shanghai, China, unemployed and heartbroken, she knew she had a decision to make. Gui Ren is about a young woman's mission to prove that there is always a choice; that it's possible to perceive a devastating loss as an opportunity to grow. It's about the synchronicity of adventure and the people who impacted her life along the way. Erin began to discover meaningful connections and unanticipated friendships as she traveled through China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Gui Ren is about travel, love, vulnerability, and transformation. It is about the places that left her breathless and the people who changed her life forever.

Author: S. Giridhar
Publisher: Westland
ISBN: 9395073241
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
About the Book ‘Two classrooms in this school double up as a night hostel for students whose parents migrate seasonally so that they do not miss school.’ For a large majority of Indian children, their only chance of an education is the government school. For nearly two decades, S. Giridhar has been crisscrossing the country in the course of his work with the Azim Premji Foundation, travelling to remote corners and observing the public education system. In these years, he has met hundreds of government school teachers—profoundly committed to improving the lives of the children in their care. These are teachers who defy all constraints because of a burning belief that every child can learn. Ordinary People, Extraordinary Teachers has emerged from Giridhar’s in-depth study of these inspirational teachers and the ecosystem they function in. Innovative and creative, dogged and resourceful, firm and kind—the government school teacher wears many a hat. This book is a tribute to their commitment and resilience.

Author: Gary Sirak
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
ISBN: 1630479659
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 141

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Book Description
True stories that reveal why hard work and determination still count—and how the promise of America is still very much alive. The book is a collection of compelling stories from people that overcame a variety of adversities to achieve their American Dream. Featuring accounts of people facing a wide variety of challenges and coming from a wide variety of backgrounds, this book will turn skeptics into believers by way of everyday life examples. It instills inspiration and hope—reminding us that no matter the obstacles, this is still the land of opportunity.

Author: Amanda Li
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 1524860875
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
From surviving a plane crash in the jungle to striking against climate change, you won’t believe the incredible stories of the challenges these brave kids from around the world have overcome! Rise Up: Ordinary Kids in Extraordinary Stories features 29 tales of amazing young girls and boys who have achieved the unimaginable. The stories range from triumphing over illness and injury to overcoming bullying. Entries include Sweden's Greta Thunberg, whose youth climate activism sparked a global movement, and Pakistan's Ayesha Farooq, who became Pakistan's first female fighter pilot at age 25. Each incredible story is narrated in an exciting and engaging style, and is combined with visually stunning illustrations by Amy Blackwell. Children can lose themselves in the remarkable true-life tales of ingenuity, courage, and commitment. Practical tips and skills accompany each story, from how to tie useful knots to send coded messages, and how to be more environmentally green to how to survive a shark attack. This useful information provides a springboard for children to apply this knowledge in their own lives. These empowering stories show that no matter who you are, how old you are, and what you do, you can rise to the challenge.