Braver Than I Thought


Book Description

Meet people who have had a profound impact on our world while bearing the physical and emotional scars born out of struggles and suffering, transforming their stories from pain to power in this inspirational middle grade nonfiction book about overcoming challenges. Magazine spreads and Hollywood hits showcase stars with perfect skin, perfect faces, perfect hair, perfect lives, perfect everything. But what if this absence of scars—the hidden and physical—is really a lie? And what if, underneath all that perfection, something far more powerful and authentic is waiting to be seen, shown, and heard? In Braver Than I Thought, kids discover the true stories of remarkable people whose scars have been a part of their journey, who have helped them become the world-shakers and game-changers that they are! The engaging and high-interest stories include Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman, war veteran and now-senator Tammy Duckworth, and beyond-belief rock climber extraordinaire Aron Ralston, who all endured intense trauma that led to pronounced scars, but also helped them forge purposeful identities as they came to peace with their bodies. Readers will find that whatever the physical, mental, or emotional challenges that we face, it is not the end of a story, but rather the beginning of a new one.




Alex Zanardi


Book Description

The racing world held its collective breath in 2001 when Alex Zanardi lost both his legs in a horrifying accident at the Lausitzring in Germany. The racing world held its breath again 19 months later while witnessing his incredible return to racing. In Alex Zanardi - My Sweetest Victory Zanardi takes us from his childhood in Italy through his hard-fought racing success to the moving story of perseverance and love that motivated his recovery. Along the way, Zanardi presents the triumphs and setbacks in his racing career, culminating in back-to-back CART championships for 1997 and 1998. In riveting detail, Zanardi relates his terrible accident, the long path to recovery and his return to Lausitzring to complete the 13 laps he didn't finish in 2001. Alex Zanardi - My Sweetest Victory is an inspiring book about how personal strength and passion can triumph over even the most challenging circumstances -- an autobiography whose significance extends far beyond the world of motorsports.




Rapid Response


Book Description

Originally published to great acclaim in 2006, Dr. Stephen Olvey’s memoir Rapid Response makes a long-awaited return to print — complete with new text and an afterword by Dario Franchitti — at the same time as the release of a documentary feature film of the same title. This book is the compelling story of the author’s often tragic, sometimes funny, and frequently frustrating journey through the volatile world of professional motorsports. Along the way, he introduces many of the characters — geniuses, good guys, bad guys — that he has encountered during his quest to save lives and make motorsports safer. Among the racing legends with whom Dr. Olvey has worked — and who have their places in this book — are Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, A.J. Foyt, Graham Hill, Nigel Mansell, Rick Mears and Al Unser Jr. Dr. Olvey attended his first race, the 1955 Indianapolis 500, at the impressionable age of 11, and saw his favourite driver, Bill Vukovich, killed in a fiery crash while leading. He began working at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway while attending medical school, making his first professional appearance there in 1966, when his first on-track rescue involved Graham Hill in his rookie year. Dr. Olvey organised the first traveling medical team in motorsports and was eventually joined by long-time colleague and friend, Dr. Terry Trammell. Continuing to work together over several decades, Dr. Olvey and Dr. Trammell have used their study of the cause and effect of racing crashes and injuries to make significant advances in safety, with many lives saved and serious injuries avoided. The writer of the foreword is Alex Zanardi, whose life Dr. Olvey helped to save after a violent accident in Germany in 2001, and who subsequently returned not only to motorsports, but also to handcycling, becoming a three-time Paralympic gold medalist.




I just made the tea - Tales of 30 years inside Formula 1


Book Description

This memoir looks at Formula 1 from a very unusual viewpoint. Di Spires did more than ‘just make the tea’ when she worked in the world’s Formula 1 paddocks. As well as drivers, team owners, mechanics and sponsors, she encountered personalities from every walk of life, from royalty to criminals on the run. Her candid stories range from the hilarious to the tragic and provide a unique perspective on Formula 1.




Being Better


Book Description

Practical answers to the urgent moral questions of our time from the ancient philosophy of Stoicism Twenty-three centuries ago, in a marketplace in Athens, Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, built his philosophy on powerful ideas that still resonate today: all human beings can become citizens of the world, regardless of their nationality, gender, or social class; happiness comes from living in harmony with nature; and, most important, humans always have the freedom to choose their attitude, even when they cannot control external circumstances. In our age of political polarization and environmental destruction, Stoicism’s empowering message has taken on new relevance. In Being Better, Kai Whiting and Leonidas Konstantakos apply Stoic principles to contemporary issues such as social justice, climate breakdown, and the excesses of global capitalism. They show that Stoicism is not an ivory-tower philosophy or a collection of Silicon Valley life hacks but a vital way of life that helps us live simply, improve our communities, and find peace in a turbulent world.




The Inner Critic


Book Description

Where is your life path calling you? What areas need to be fulfilled within you? Are you allowing the inner critic to deter you from your destiny? From your wholeness? Nobody can walk the path for you; it’s something you must do on your own. Many people are afraid, and through disbelief, allow fear to paralyze them. They don’t want to venture on the path before them. This causes many difficult dilemmas that fuel unrealized dreams: complacency, mediocrity, stagnation of the soul, excuse making, and feeling like a victim. The Inner Critic, by author Montriel V. Jamari, offers a fascinating look at the psychology of the inner voice inside us all. Touching on family history, attachment, race, cultural issues and personal stories, The Inner Critic invites us to create a different story other than the one that has been told about us. He addresses where the voice comes from, why it’s so powerful, and how it influences our life’s path. Through Montriel’s personal stories, experiences and his work as a therapist, The Inner Critic seeks to understand and find ways of silencing the negative voice and placing the power of choice back into our hands. The Inner Critic offers hope and encouragement through the guidance of simple, yet profound, questions helping us to author a new narrative for ourselves.




Popular Mechanics


Book Description

Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.




My Greatest Defeat


Book Description

My Greatest Defeat is a collection of honest and revealing insights into 20 of the greatest living racing drivers, legends of the worlds of Formula 1, Indycar, NASCAR, Le Mans and Rally. Interviews conducted specially for this book are with (in alphabetical order) Mario Andretti, Derek Bell, Emerson Fittipaldi, Dario Franchitti, Jeff Gordon, Mika Häkkinen, Damon Hill, Jimmie Johnson, Tom Kristensen, Niki Lauda, Sebastien Loeb, Felipe Massa, Rick Mears, Emanuele Pirro, Alain Prost, Carlos Sainz, Jackie Stewart, Bobby Unser, Ari Vatanen and Alex Zanardi. Here are five highlights… Dario Franchitti — The Indycar champion talks of the deaths of the friends that book-ended his career in racing, the heartbreak that each caused and the aftermath of accidents that affected the physical functioning of his brain. Jeff Gordon — One of the all-time NASCAR greats, he looks back on his many championships, admitting that today he cannot view a single one with anything but regret as family relationships were soured and stretched to breaking point. Jimmie Johnson — One of the greatest stock car drivers in history, Johnson was at one time considered a reckless outcast. He reflects on the little-known crash that almost killed him and changed his mindset forever. Niki Lauda — A racer who needs no introduction, Niki Lauda discusses the loss of one of his aircraft over Thailand in which all on board were killed; for eight months he fought to clear the name of his pilots and change aircraft safety forever. Alex Zanardi — In a deep and revealing conversation, the Paralympic gold medalist, who lost both legs in an Indycar accident, discusses how we decipher between our passion and our ambition and how childhood dreams affect our adult decisions. Striking portrait artworks come from a revered artist in modern comic book design, Giuseppe ‘Cammo’ Camuncoli, who is renowned for the dark, brooding style that has seen him become a staple in the Vertigo, DC and Marvel stables.




Everything You Didn't Need to Know About the USA


Book Description

America’s only self-declared emperor, the "old soldier" who wouldn’t die, the greatest carpetbagger — these are just a few of the fanciful real-life characters profiled in this inexhaustible trivia book. The author covers a happily wide range of subjects, from "the greatest slot machine cheat" who defied odds of 230,000 to 1, to the comic confusion of "US" with "Uncle Sam," to the "American town names to give you the creepy crawlies" like Black Gnat, Kentucky. Meticulously fact-checked, this book brings the minutiae of a culture and country into sharp focus. The perfect road-trip companion, Everything You Didn't Need to Know About the USA is crammed with weird and wacky facts about every state in the union.




Popular Mechanics


Book Description

Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.