Lou's Boy


Book Description

Lou birthed all three of her children out of wedlock. They live in a small, conservative town in the hills of western Pennsylvania, where townspeople hold to traditional values. The oldest child, Derek, is a high school student there, and his mothers shameful past has socially hindered him. Now, shes having an affair with one of the more upright citizens of Alton. The scandal brings out the worstfor a few, the bestin the citizens of Alton and further alienates mother and son. Calvin, the elderly school janitor, has failed in his own education. A man of exceptional character, he endeavors to keep the school premises neat and safe to encourage the students at Alton High in their learning. But its his wise counsel that brings Derek through this difficult time. This janitor plays a unique role in Dereks life.




Lou's on First


Book Description

This intimate portrait of Lou Costello (1906-1959) offers a rare look at one of the most talented comedians of all time. Starting in the 1930s, Costello attained enormous fame touring the burlesque circuits with straight man Bud Abbott (1895-1974). Their live skits (including "Who's on First?"), radio programs, and films such as One Night in the Tropics, Buck Privates, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and In the Navy made comic history. Behind the scenes, however, Costello faced numerous crises: a bout with rheumatic fever that left him bedridden for months, the drowning death of his young son, and constant haggles with Universal Studios over its reluctance to adequately finance productions of Abbott and Costello films. Lou's on First goes beyond Costello's clownish persona to explore his Pagliacci nature: the private demons behind the happy public face, the heartbreaking moments in an otherwise storybook marriage, the business ventures soured by unscrupulous managers, and the true nature of the breakup of his twenty-one-year partnership with Bud Abbott.




The Phlunk


Book Description

This intriguing creature with his super long ears can hear each and every word you say - even from outer space! You need never feel alone, from his spoon-shaped planet, the Phlunk is always listening.




Play, Louis, Play!


Book Description

Presents the early life of the famous African American cornet player, describing his humble beginnings on the streets of New Orleans to his emergence as a legend among the biggest jazz clubs of the city.




The Speaker


Book Description




Herd Register


Book Description







1894


Book Description




Man of the Year


Book Description

"Hilarious and poignant" — People Magazine For one 1970’s family, the center may not hold, but it certainly does fold. In 1978 Jimmy Carter mediates the Camp David Accords, Fleetwood Mac tops charts with Rumours, Starsky fights crime with Hutch, and twelve-year-old Lou Cove is uprooted from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Salem, Massachusetts– a backwater town of witches, Puritans, and sea-captain wannabes. After his eighth move in a dozen years, Lou figures he should just resign himself to a teenage purgatory of tedious paper routes, school bullies, and unrequited lust for every girl he likes. Then one October morning an old friend of Lou’s father, free-wheeling (and free-loving) Howie Gordon arrives at the Cove doorstep from California with his beautiful wife Carly. Howie is everything Lou wants to be: handsome as a movie star, built like a god and in possession of an unstoppable confidence. Then, over Thanksgiving dinner, Howie drops a bombshell. Holding up an issue of Playgirl Magazine, he flips to the center and there he is, Mr. November in all his natural glory. Howie has his eye on becoming the next Burt Reynolds, and a wild idea for how to do it: win Playgirl’s Man of the Year. And he knows just who should manage his campaign. As Lou and Howie canvas Salem for every vote in town – little old ladies at bridge club, the local town witch, construction workers on break and everyone in between – Lou is forced to juggle the perils of adolescence with the pursuit of Hollywood stardom. Man of the Year is the improbable true story of Lou’s thirteenth year, one very unusual campaign, and the unexpected guest who changes everything.