I spent 34 years writing for daily papers, most of them at the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. I’ve also freelanced for numerous magazines, primarily about music, while hosting a podcast and writing the occasional book. Through it all I’ve had a particular fascination for the music business and its peculiar ways, especially record companies. The industry’s darker side was the subject of my first book way back in 2000, the novel Off The Record, which was a notebook dump of thinly fictionalized war stories I’d accumulated over the years. The record business is the subject of my latest book, too, although it’s a much more positive story.
A century ago, the record industry sent representatives all over the country to do field recordings of vernacular artists playing folk, blues, and early country for “hillbilly” and “race” records (the sort that Rounder would start putting out in the 1970s).
One of these scouts was Ralph Peer from the Victor Talking Machine Company, for which he oversaw 1927’s legendary “Bristol Sessions.” It was the first time that Hall of Fame titans the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers recorded, generally cited as the beginning of the country music industry.
As explained in Barry Mazor’s excellent biography, Peer went on to become one of the giants of the recording and publishing industry, laying the groundwork that pretty much every record label including Rounder has followed since.
This is the first biography of Ralph Peer, the revolutionary A&R man and music publisher who pioneered the recording, marketing, and publishing of blues, jazz, country, gospel, and Latin music, and this book book tracks his role in such breakthrough events as the recording of Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues,” the first country recording sessions with Fiddlin’ John Carson, his discovery of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, the popularizing of Latin American music during World War II, and the postwar transformation of music on the airwaves that set the stage for the dominance of R&B,…
This is a great addition to this author's output, a novel that follows the latest escapades of several characters from his earlier works, Human Punk, White Trash, and Skinheads.
Lots of music and relevant social issues are here and as ever the writing is great. Bursting with cultural references, it’s a working class classic set in the satellite towns of West London.
I am a storyteller, a radio producer, and a psychotherapist. My thirty years as a therapist enabled me to witness the healing that comes from exploring our stories and family history. My clients’ courage inspired me to write my own story. My mother-daughter story explores the interplay of the personal with social movements. In the 1950s, my family was devastated by homophobia and conversion therapy. I am profoundly grateful for the women’s and gay liberation movements of the 1970s, which transformed our lives. Both my mother and I were able to recover from trauma and come to joy, connection, and activism.
Native Country of the Heart is, like my memoir, a mother-daughter story. Queer Chicana feminist Cherríe Moraga intertwines her own story with her mother Elvira from childhood onward. Her resilient mother had a rough life, starting with being hired out as a child by her dad to pick cotton in the California fields. I learned so much about Chicano culture and the Mexican diaspora that we never get in school. One stunning fact: when Dust Bowl survivors came to California, two million Mexicans were repatriated to Mexico to let the white immigrants work the same fields. Moraga beautifully layers her personal story with cultural insights and reflection. I was very moved by Moraga’s grief during the slow loss of Elvira to dementia and her death from Alzheimer's.
Native Country of the Heart: A Mexican American Geography is, at its core, a mother-daughter story. The mother, Elvira, was hired out as a child by her own father to pick cotton in California's Imperial Valley. The daughter, Cherrie L. Moraga, is a brilliant, pioneering, queer Latina feminist. The story of these two women, and of their people, is woven together in an intimate memoir of critical reflection and deep personal revelation.
As a young woman, Elvira left California to work as a cigarette girl in glamorous late-1920s Tijuana, where an ambiguous relationship with a wealthy white man taught her…
I was nervous. Could this sequel match the excellence of Lindy Viandier’s debut memoir? It certainly did.
The author tells us about her pastoral learning curve as she and her husband, Mr. V, settle into their idyllic Burgundian country home. And her enthusiasm is infectious.
Lindy’s descriptions of their animals and local events are charming, exuding gentle humour as she recounts hilarious tales about her quirky neighbours. Equally funny are her stories about Mr. V plus workmates, who attack the renovations of their home with enviable French verve. How Lindy creates her culinary masterpieces in the kitchen with lumps of house raining down on her beats me. And yet she does.
The author has an exceptionally lyrical style. Words flow effortlessly as she creates a literary framework that invites the reader into her world. Together, we learn, laugh, and celebrate the delicious recipes she…
I’ve devoured historical fiction ever since that first Johnny Tremain paperback, but I started writing historical fiction after a Master’s in International Economics helped me to better understand world events. What gives those historical events relevance today are the stories we tell about the negotiation of power. I am all for revisiting the power dynamic to win better quality of life for those most marginalized. I’ve been digging into labor history for my latest work in progress and it is fascinating and inspiring. I may write about 19th-century Scottish peasants and Chicago printers, but I also want today’s marginalized populations to see their struggles similarly celebrated.
This book blasted a crater in my chest when I read it last year. A complete surprise, as who among us has heard of the Copper Country Strike of 1913-14? Yet it was the first unionized strike in the region, and had a complicated effect on Michigan, the mining industry, and the lives of those who stood up to the rich mine owners. This book gives us such intimate details of the cost of standing up for one’s dignity and safe working conditions that it felt as important as today’s news. From the woman at the heart of the novel to the network of labor unions she pulled together, to the tragedies experienced by this small town, I loved it and cherished the inspiration for today’s fights.
From the bestselling and award-winning author of The Sparrow comes “historical fiction that feels uncomfortably relevant today” (Kirkus Reviews) about “America’s Joan of Arc”—the courageous woman who started a rebellion by leading a strike against the largest copper mining company in the world.
In July 1913, twenty-five-year-old Annie Clements has seen enough of the world to know that it’s unfair. She’s spent her whole life in the mining town of Calumet, Michigan, where men risk their lives for meager salaries—and have barely enough to put food on the table for their families. The women labor in the houses of the…
I’m a student of biography. Artists, musicians, and comedians are what I read about. I crave to know what makes a great artist tick, how their ideas develop, and why they choose to pursue their craft at huge personal expense. I’m motivated to write more of my own. These biographies are informative, entertaining, and engaging reads, well worth your time. It’s a challenging and frustrating process to tell an artist’s story. Yet their roots, their influences, and how they shake up popular culture make for greater insight into our humanity. Artists take risks and I’m always impressed by the boldness of their vision.
I love to read biographies that are detailed, critical, and smart. Considering the number of biographies available about music legend Hank Williams, Ribowsky’s informative style and sensible writing strips away the veil of myth and gets down to contextual facts. His biography of Williams tells the story most people already know, yet he creates a fresh, vibrant tale of a truly great musician, troubled by poor health, an oppressive mother, and a drinking problem that took him to the edge. Ribowsky puts all of Williams’s quirks into perspective by writing a well-rounded and empathetic biography that leaves all others in the dust.
After he died in the back seat of a Cadillac at the age of twenty-nine, Hank Williams-a frail, flawed man who had become country music's first real star-instantly morphed into its first tragic martyr. Having hit the heights with simple songs of despair, depression and tainted love, he would become in death a template for the rock generation to follow.
Mark Ribowsky weaves together the first fully realised biography of Williams in a generation. Examining his music while re-creating days and nights choked in booze and desperation, he traces the rise of this legend-from the dirt roads of Alabama to…
I'm clinical psychology professor at UMass Boston and expert on mentoring relationships. When I was a senior in high school, my dad left behind thirty years of marriage, four kids, and a complicated legal and financial history to start a new life. I couldn't fully comprehend the FBI investigation that forced his departure—any more than I could've fathomed the fact that my classmate Jim Comey would eventually lead that agency. I was also reeling from a discovery that my dad had “shortened” his name from Rosenzweig to Rhodes, a common response to anti-Semitism. It was during that period that I experienced the benefits of mentors and the joy of books about hidden agendas and subtexts.
This classic short story by Flannery O'Connor follows a family on a road trip through the South.
Included on the journey is the manipulative and deceitful grandmother, who somehow convinces the family to take a detour to visit an old plantation home that she remembers from her childhood. The consequences of this detour are chilling.
Spoiler alert, but in the context of the ongoing investigations of our former President, one of the passages really struck a chord, “I found out the crime don't matter. You can do one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car, because sooner or later you're going to forget what it was you done and just be punished for it”
An essential collection of classic stories that established Flannery O’Connor’s reputation as an American master of fiction—now with a new introduction by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Groff In 1955, with the title story and others in this critical edition, Flannery O’Connor firmly laid claim to her place as one of the most original and provocative writers of her generation. Steeped in a Southern Gothic tradition that would become synonymous with her name, these stories show O’Connor’s unique view of life—infused with religious symbolism, haunted by apocalyptic possibility, sustained by the tragic comedy of human behavior, confronted by the…
Who Are Your People is an empowering and enlightening book that serves as a powerful tool for encouraging African American or Black children to know and appreciate their history and culture.
Through vivid storytelling and historical accounts, Sellers takes readers on a journey that highlights the significant events and contributions of influential African Americans throughout history. From civil rights leaders to cultural icons, the book pays homage to individuals who have paved the way for progress and change.
By showcasing these remarkable individuals and their achievements, Sellers instills a sense of pride and inspires young readers to embrace their heritage with confidence and appreciation. The book serves as a reminder of the resilience and strength of the African American community, fostering a deep connection to their history and a desire to carry on the legacy of those who came before them.
This inspiring picture book by New York Times bestselling author Bakari Sellers is a tribute to the family and community that help make us who we are. Perfect for sharing and gifting.
When you meet someone for the first time, they might ask, "Who are your people?" and "Where are you from?"
Children are shaped by their ancestors, and this book celebrates the village it takes to raise a child.
In the vein of I Am Enough and Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, this powerful picture book with beautiful illustrations by Reggie Brown is a joyful recognition of the…
I picked this one up for $1 at the Clearwater Public Library. Boy am I glad I did!
Patoski’s Willie Nelson biography is a thorough, delightful read that really captures Nelson as an artist, a human being, and a visionary—a cultural juggernaut whose tremendous impact on American music extends well beyond songwriting and performing such as his annual 4th of July Picnics and founding of Farm Aid.
Even more remarkable to me is the fact that Willie has made 15 (and counting) more years of history since the book’s original publication. I’m looking forward to Volume II.
From his first performance at the age of five, Willie Nelson has been driven to make music and live life on his own terms. But though he is a songwriter of exceptional depth - CRAZY was one of his classics - Willie found success only after abandoning Nashville and moving to Austin, Texas, where he created an instantly recognisable new country music. A craggy-faced, pot-smoking philosopher-romantic easily identified by his signature bandanna, pigtails and battered guitar, Wilie Nelson is one of America's greatest country singers. Joe Nick Patoski draws on more than one hundred interviews with Willie and his family,…
I’ve been reading and writing horror for more than forty years and am prolific in both aspects. Show me a book with a tentacle and I’ll show you my newest purchase.
Can we even talk about tentacle horror without a mention of the master, Lovecraft? Some of his best work is included in this collection, and it is the base that all other tentacle horror is founded form. Heck, all horror for that matter. You have to start at the beginning in order to move forward. Right?
Let your imagination sink deep into more than a dozen classic tales of dark horror by H. P. Lovecraft.
The stories of H. P. Lovecraft have been a source of fascination for readers since they were published in the early twentieth century, and legions of fans continue to reinvent his dark and fantastical world to this day. This collection of short stories by the master of the macabre contains more than twenty of his most popular works, including "The Call of Cthulhu," "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," and "The Dunwich Horror." Each story will leave the reader feeling unsettled and uncertain,…
