biography

A memoir from a Latino Silicon Valley entrepreneur who taught himself to code at age thirteen, became Facebook's youngest ever employee at seventeen, and eventually became an product manager and founder-in-residence at Google.

In September 2019, ESPN's The Undefeated website (now Andscape) began a season-long series of articles on the emergence of Black quarterbacks in the NFL. The first article in the series was Jason Reid's enormously popular, Welcome to the Year of the Black Quarterback. The series culminated with an hour-long television program in February 2020, hosted by Reid himself. The Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America will expand on Reid's piece--as well as the entire series--and chronicle the shameful history of the treatment of Black players in the NFL and the breakout careers of a thrilling new generation of Black quarterbacks. Intimate portraits of Colin Kaepernick, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Kyler Murray feature prominently in the book, as well as the careers and legacy of beloved NFL players such as Doug Williams and trailblazing pioneers Marlin Briscoe and Eldridge Dickey. Reid delves deeply into the culture war ignited by Kaepernick's peaceful protest that shone a light on systemic oppression and police brutality. Fascinating and timely, this page-turning account will rivet fans of sports, cultural commentary, and Black history in America.

In a work of narrative nonfiction filled with romance and high-seas adventure, a historian and journalist charts the life of Sarah Kidd, who secretly aided and abetted her infamous husband, pirate Captain Kidd, from within the strictures of polite society in seventeenth - and eighteenth - century New York.

None of This Rocks chronicles a turbulent life that has informed Trohman?s music and his worldview. His mother suffered from mental illness and multiple brain tumors that eventually killed her. His father struggled with that tragedy, but was ultimately a supportive force in Trohman?s life who fostered his thirst for knowledge. Trohman faced antisemitism in small-town Ohio, and he witnessed all levels of misogyny, racism, and violence amid the straight edge hardcore punk scene in Chicago. Then came Fall Out Boy. From the guitarist?s very first glimpses of their popular ascension, to working with his heroes like Anthrax?s Scott Ian, to writing for television with comedian Brian Posehn, Trohman takes readers backstage, into the studio, and onto his couch. He shares his struggles with depression and substance abuse in a brutally honest and personal tone that readers will appreciate.

A seasoned medical technician and union leader tells the story of New York City's darkest days during one of the greatest challenges the city's medical first responders have ever faced--the COVID-19 pandemic.

One afternoon, actor Zachary Levi couldn't bring himself to open his front door. Where are you going, Zac? Where are you taking us? What are we doing here? But he wasn't worried about what other people might do to him, he was worried about what he might do to himself. And that realization terrified him. Here, Zac shares his story of grappling with a lifetime of sometimes crippling anxiety and depression, including a one-month stint in a trauma therapy center. With honesty and humor, he relates his healing journey to mental health, and shares valuable lessons and insights he gained along the way. Through sharing his experiences, Zac hopes his listeners will come to believe what he had to discover for himself: that they can choose a lifestyle of wellness, receive love from others, and learn to love themselves.

Detailing his experiences as a young, queer Mexican American in 1970s Los Angeles, the legendary guitarist, who was part of three groundbreaking and influential groups--Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Cramps and The Gun Club--presents this memoir of personal transformation, addiction and recovery, friendship, and belonging.

Brian Johnson was born to a steelworker and WWII veteran father and an Italian mother, growing up in New Castle Upon Tyne, England, a working-class town. He was musically inclined and sang with the church choir. By the early '70s he performed with the glam rock band Geordie, and they had a couple hits, but it was tough going. So tough that by 1976, they disbanded and Brian turned to a blue-collar life. Then 1980 changed everything. Bon Scott, the lead singer and lyricist of the Australian rock band AC/DC died at 33. The band auditioned singers, among them Johnson, whom Scott himself had seen perform and raved about. Within days, Johnson was in a studio with the band, working with founding members Angus and Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams, and Phil Rudd, along with producer Mutt Lange. When the album, Back in Black, was released in July--a mere three months after Johnson had joined the band--it exploded, going on to sell 50 million copies worldwide, and triggering a years-long worldwide tour. It has been declared "the biggest selling hard rock album ever made" and 'the best-selling heavy-metal album in history.' The band toured the world for a full year to support the album, changing the face of rock music--and Brian Johnson's life--forever.

Having worked as a nurse, a pastor, and a community organizer in St. Louis, Missouri, Cori Bush hadn't initially intended to run for political office. But when protests in Ferguson erupted in 2014, Bush found herself on the frontlines, providing medical care and protesting violence against Black lives. Encouraged by community leaders to run for office, and compelled by an urgency to prevent her children and others from becoming social media hashtags, Bush campaigned persistently while navigating myriad personal challenges--and ultimately rose to unseat a twenty-year incumbent to become the first Black woman to represent her state in Congress. The Forerunner is the raw and moving account of a politician and activist whose life experiences, though underrepresented in the halls of Congress, reflect some of the same realities and struggles that many Americans face in their everyday lives. Courageously laying bare her experience as a minimum-wage worker, a survivor of domestic and sexual violence, and an unhoused parent, Congresswoman Bush embodies a new chapter in progressive politics that prioritizes the lives and stories of those most politically vulnerable at the core of its agenda. A testament to the lasting legacy of the Ferguson Uprising and an unflinching examination of how the American political system is so deeply intertwined with systemic injustice, The Forerunner is profoundly relatable and inspiring at its heart. At once a stirring and emotionally wrought personal account and a fierce call to action, this is political memoir the likes of which we've never seen before.

Created from more than forty hours of intimate conversations with Se?n O?Hagan, it is a profoundly thoughtful exploration, in Cave?s own words, of what really drives his life and creativity. The book examines questions of faith, art, music, freedom, grief, and love. It draws candidly on Cave?s life, from his early childhood to the present day, his loves, his work ethic, and his dramatic transformation in recent years. From a place of considered reflection, Faith, Hope and Carnage offers ladders of hope and inspiration from a true creative visionary.