Virginia O'Brien


Book Description

The first book on Virginia O'Brien, the most unique talent under contract to Metro Goldwyn Mayer.




Virginia O'Brien


Book Description

Virginia O'Brien was one of the more unique talents under contract to Metro Goldwyn Mayer. The California native was discovered by MGM's mogul, Louis B. Mayer when he attended a performance of the musical revue Meet the People. It was here that Virginia stopped the show with the deadpan delivery of her solo number. Her appearances in more than a dozen of MGM's musicals were always a highlight. While one can't "stop" a film, Virginia's singular performances are etched in the memory of the fans of MGM's lavish musicals. This is the story of the comedic actress-singer who was fondly known as "Miss Frozen Face."




Duel of the Ironclads


Book Description

A description of the construction, battles, and historical impact of the Civil War battleships, the Monitor and the Virginia, known to Union forces as the Monitor and the Merrimack, focuses on the Battle of Hampton Roads, where it was evident that the age of wooden warships was gone forever. Reprint.




Virginia


Book Description




Handcuffs and Chain Link


Book Description

Handcuffs and Chain Link enters the immigration debate by addressing one of its most controversial aspects: the criminalization both of extralegal immigration to the United States and of immigrants themselves in popular and political discourse. Looking at the factors that led up to criminalization, Benjamin Gonzalez O’Brien points to the alternative approach of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and how its ultimate demise served to negatively reinforce the fictitious association of extralegal immigrants with criminality. Crucial to Gonzalez O’Brien’s account thus is the concept of the critical policy failure—a piece of legislation that attempts a radically different approach to a major issue but has shortcomings that ultimately further entrench the approach it was designed to supplant. The IRCA was just such a piece of legislation. It highlighted the contributions of the undocumented and offered amnesty to some while attempting to stem the flow of extralegal immigration by holding employers accountable for hiring the undocumented. The failure of this effort at decriminalization prompted a return to criminalization with a vengeance, leading to the stalemate on immigration policy that persists to this day.




Success On Our Own Terms


Book Description

Q: How many female CEOs does it take to break the glassceiling? A: That's the wrong question! Numbers alone simply don't tell the real story of how women aredoing in today's corporate world. Success on Our Own Terms does.It's filled with real stories -- stories of ordinary women who aremaking an extraordinary difference in the way corporationswork. Success on Our Own Terms features women of different ages, ethnicbackgrounds, and educational levels. Their combined experiencesoffer a fascinating portrait of how the corporate landscape haschanged for women over the last few decades. This book is filledwith the wisdom of these experiences, from important lessons onnavigating corporate corridors and influencing the system tojuggling work and personal life, helping local communities, andmuch more. Exploring the multidimensional definition of success shared bythese women, this book reveals how they are working hard to reachtheir goals, balance their lives, and make a positive contributionto society. It shows how they --and others like them --aretransforming the organization from the inside out through their ownunique management style, values, vision, and determination. By designing, achieving, and owning their success, women areexploding conventional definitions of their progress in theworkplace. The female voices in Success on Our Own Terms inform,encourage, and inspire us all. "Wonderful, timely, and absolutely refreshing. Reading this bookexcited and inspired me, and reaffirmed my belief that the futurewill be a great place for women." --Sally Helgesen, author of TheFemale Advantage: Women's Ways of Leadership and EverydayRevolutionaries: Working Women and the Transformation of AmericanLife "Virginia O'Brien tells the real story --that 'we are entering anew phase in which women are becoming full participants with men inconducting the nation's business.'. . . It's a heartening read, anda good antidote to media tales of doom and gloom." --Caryl Rivers,coauthor of She Works, He Works: How Two Income Families AreHappier, Healthier, and Better Off "A must read to understand the multidimensional new valuessuccessful women bring to the marketplace of ideas. . . . [Readers]will find themselves, a friend, or a loved one on every page."--Carol R. Goldberg, President of the Avcar Group, Ltd. and formerPresident and COO of Stop & Shop Companies, Inc. "Insightful and informative. This excellent work brings the storiesof successful women executives to the forefront." --Charles E.Rice, Chairman and CEO, Barnett Banks, Inc. "These are inspiring stories, which I highly recommend." --RichardMcCormick, Chairman and CEO, US West, Inc.




At Home in the Heart of Appalachia


Book Description

John O’Brien was raised in Philadelphia by an Appalachian father who fled the mountains to escape crippling poverty and family tragedy. Years later, with a wife and two kids of his own, the son moved back into those mountains in an attempt to understand both himself and the father from whom he’d become estranged. At once a poignant memoir and a tribute to America's most misunderstood region, At Home in the Heart of Appalachia describes a lush land of voluptuous summers, woodsmoke winters, and breathtaking autumns and springs. John O'Brien sees through the myths about Appalachia to its people and the mountain culture that has sustained them. And he takes to task naïve missionaries and rapacious industrialists who are the real source of much of the region's woe as well as its lingering hillbilly stereotypes. Finally, and profoundly, he comes to terms with the atavistic demons that haunt the relations between Appalachian fathers and sons.




The Silver Crown


Book Description

In this gripping and memorable middle grade fantasy from Newbery Medal–winning author Robert C. O’Brien, good and evil are locked in battle and the balance between the two can only be restored by one young girl’s determination to set things right. “It lay beside her on the pillow, shinier than silver, glowing softly, with twinkling blue stones set all around....It did not occur to her to wonder from whom it had come; she was merely aware that it was hers by right.” Ellen awakens one morning with a mysterious silver crown on the pillow beside her. What magic powers it possesses she has not yet discovered, but the sudden changes in her life are unmistakable: her house is burned down, her family has disappeared, and a man in a dark uniform is stalking her. Can Ellen ever find her family? Can she use the power of the silver crown to thwart the powers of darkness? What diabolical force hides inside the mysterious castle in the woods?




The Long Affair


Book Description

As controversial and explosive as it is elegant and learned, this examination of Thomas Jefferson, as man and icon, through the critical lens of the French Revolution, offers a provocative analysis of the supreme symbol of American history and political culture and challenges the traditional perceptions of both Jeffersonian history and the Jeffersonian legacy. 15 illustrations.




Rebel Writers: The Accidental Feminists


Book Description

'Make this your next inspirational read. Trust us, it's Oprah's Book Club worthy' Vice In London in 1958, a play by a 19-year-old redefined women's writing in Britain. It also began a movement that would change women's lives forever. The play was A Taste of Honey and the author, Shelagh Delaney, was the first in a succession of young women who wrote about their lives with an honesty that dazzled the world. They rebelled against sexism, inequality and prejudice and in doing so challenged the existing definitions of what writing and writers should be. Bypassing the London cultural elite, their work reached audiences of millions around the world, paved the way for profound social changes and laid the foundations of second-wave feminism. After Delaney came Edna O'Brien, Lynne Reid-Banks, Charlotte Bingham, Nell Dunn, Virginia Ironside and Margaret Forster; an extraordinarily disparate group who were united in their determination to shake the traditional concepts of womanhood in novels, films, television, essays and journalism. They were as angry as the Angry Young Men, but were also more constructive and proposed new ways to live and love in the future. They did not intend to become a literary movement but they did, inspiring other writers to follow. Not since the Brontës have a group of young women been so determined to tell the truth about what it is like to be a girl. In this biographical study, the acclaimed author, Celia Brayfield, tells their story for the first time.