Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?


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Kensuke's Kingdom


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A young boy is stranded on a small island with a mysterious man who shows him how to survive in this adventure story by the acclaimed author of War Horse. When Michael’s father loses his job, he buys a boat and convinces Michael and his mother to sail around the world. It’s an ideal trip—even Michael’s sheepdog can come along. It starts out as the perfect family adventure—until Michael is swept overboard. He’s washed up on an island, where he struggles to survive. Then he discovers that he’s not alone. His fellow-castaway, Kensuke, is wary of him. But when Michael’s life is threatened, Kensuke slowly lets the boy into his world. The two develop a close understanding in this remote place, but the question of rescue continues to divide them. Praise for Kensuke’s Kingdom “[A] poignant adventure story . . . This well-crafted story has all the thrills and intrigues of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet . . . and Theodore Taylor’s The Cay . . . and it will resonate with the same audience.” —School Library Journal “Highly readable.” —Booklist




The Broken Road


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From the daughter of one of America's most virulent segregationists, a memoir that reckons with her father George Wallace's legacy of hate--and illuminates her journey towards redemption. Peggy Wallace Kennedy has been widely hailed as the “symbol of racial reconciliation” (Washington Post). In the summer of 1963, though, she was just a young girl watching her father stand in a schoolhouse door as he tried to block two African-American students from entering the University of Alabama. This man, former governor of Alabama and presidential candidate George Wallace, was notorious for his hateful rhetoric and his political stunts. But he was also a larger-than-life father to young Peggy, who was taught to smile, sit straight, and not speak up as her father took to the political stage. At the end of his life, Wallace came to renounce his views, although he could never attempt to fully repair the damage he caused. But Peggy, after her own political awakening, dedicated her life to spreading the new Wallace message--one of peace and compassion. In this powerful new memoir, Peggy looks back on the politics of her youth and attempts to reconcile her adored father with the man who coined the phrase “Segregation now. Segregation tomorrow. Segregation forever.” Timely and timeless, The Broken Road speaks to change, atonement, activism, and racial reconciliation.




Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?


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In 1957 "Peggy Sue," by newcomer Buddy Holly and The Crickets, rose to #3 on the charts, quickly generating a gold record. Sung by hundreds of artists from Connie Francis to John Lennon, it would become a classic. By 2015 it positioned music legend Buddy Holly in Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 30 Songwriters of All Time. Only a single red rose left at Buddy's grave each year gave fans a clue "the girl next door" was real. Peek over a teenager's shoulder as she writes in her diary about falling in love with a musician and the world of rock 'n roll. When she is immortalized in song, watch as the world falls in love with "Peggy Sue." Because she was there Peggy Sue can narrate one of the most compelling stories in music history, including "the day the music died." She rips rumors apart, shares scores of personal photos, and unveils intimate details never revealed in book or film. Follow young Peggy Sue through her confusion about love and devotion, her prophetic nightmares of impending doom, a plane crash that shattered her future, and the surprising circumstances of the accident's aftermath. Then accompany Peggy Sue on a rocket ride to Hollywood where The Crickets build a new identity working with rock 'n roll greats like Bobby Vee, the Everly Brothers, and Roy Orbison. Stay with her as she struggles to escape from a life drawn by fate, to an unyielding determination "to keep the music alive." Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue tells a story of lost innocence, dreams, tragedy, and destiny.




The Girl in the Song


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The Girl in the Song tells the stories of 50 women who have inspired classic rock songs. Who was Emily in Pink Floyd's See Emily Play? What happened to Suzanne Verdal, immortalised in Leonard Cohen's Suzanne? Did life change for Prudence Farrow after John Lennon penned Dear Prudence? And whatever happened to 'the girl with mousy hair', an ex-girlfriend Bowie sings about in Life on Mars? This fascinating book explains how each song came about, when it was released, the impact it had on the charts and then gives a mini-biography of the song's muse. Suzanne Verdal was living a bohemian lifestyle by the river in Montreal when Cohen wrote his poem Suzanne, which he subsequently set to music. Later in life she tried to get in touch with the star who blanked her backstage at a gig. She was last heard of living in a car in California. Apart from songs, the book features sidebars on the performers who wrote about the women in their life - Syd Barrett famously included four girls in the same song. Other examples include:Under My Thumb - The Rolling Stones (Chrissie Shrimpton),She's Leaving Home - The Beatles, Layla - Derek and the Dominoes (Patti Boyd), Peggy-Sue - Buddy Holly (Peggy-Sue Gerron), Maggie May - Rod Stewart, Light of Day - Bruce Springsteen (Julianna Phillips), Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond (Caroline Kennedy).




Jackie Coogan


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A revealing biography of the little-known private life of this famous child star whose family set the style for many other 'stage' parents who found fame and fortune through their child's stardom. It is also the rare instance when one major child star (Baby Peggy) employs her own hard-won insight in exploring the career and family woes of the most famous child star of the them all. This is the first published study of Coogan's life.




The New Year's Party


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Indirectly causing the death of P. J., who had a bad heart, the attendants at Reenie's Christmas party agree to hide the body and the truth until someone begins to hunt down and kill each in turn.




Practice to Deceive


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"A man is murdered on a sleepy island, and three people are accused of murdering him: an aging beauty queen, her guitar-teacher lover, and the widow"--




The Story of Junk


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Witty, terrifying, and utterly cool, Yablonsky’s roman à clef is a searing, hyperreal account of the heroin underground in 1980s Manhattan Told with dark humor and unremitting honesty, Linda Yablonsky’s riveting first novel explores the New York art and postpunk music world of the early 1980s from deep within. Set in motion by the appearance of a federal agent, the tale follows two women on a dangerous and seductive journey through a bohemia where hard drugs, extreme behavior, intense friendships, and the emergence of AIDS profoundly alter their lives.




The Slave Across the Street


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While more and more people each day become aware of the dangerous world of human trafficking, many people in the U.S. believe this is something that happens to foreign women men and children not something that happens to their own children and neighbors. They couldn't be more wrong. In this powerful true story. Theresa Flores shares how her life as an All American, 15-years-old teenager was enslaved into the dangerous world of sex trafficking-all while living at home with unsuspecting parents in an upper-middle class suburb of Detroit. Her story peels the cover off of this horrific criminal activity and gives dedicated activists as well as casual bystanders a glimpse into the underbelly of human trafficking Even more importantly, Theres's story and expertise as a counselor and licensed social worker help identify red flags that could prevent her plight from becoming the fate of an unsuspecting teenager. She discusses how she healed the wounds of sexual servitude and offers advice to parents and professionals through prevention tips, education and significant information on human trafficking in modern day America. With insights and perspectives from a doctor, a friend and her own brother, Theres's memoir provides a well-rounded portrait of the dark world of human trafficking and serves as a reminder of the most important clement to overcoming slavery: hope. Book jacket.