A product of a profound journey of self-knowledge, and a reckoning with all that your will can get you and all that it can leave behind, in this memoir, one of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life. Will Smith's transformation from a West Philadelphia kid to one of the biggest rap stars of his era, and then one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood history, is an epic tale-- but...

"The first English-language biography of Astrid Lindgren provides a moving and revealing portrait of the beloved Scandinavian literary icon whose adventures of Pippi Longstocking have influenced generations of young readers all over the world. Lindgren's sometimes turbulent life as an unwed teenage mother, outspoken advocate for the rights of women and children, and celebrated editor and author is chronicled in fascinating detail by Jens Andersen,...

"Uses the English-born Hollywood star as a lens through which to examine the social changes that have yielded what we now call celebrity culture"--

A single-volume edition of a classic biographical work traces Hitler's life and addresses key questions about the nature of Nazi radicalism, the Holocaust, and the factors that enabled European society to permit his atrocities.

Legendary talk show host Dick Cavett shares his reflections and reminiscences about Hollywood legends, American cultural icons, and the absurdities of everyday life. On his talk show, Cavett welcomed the leading figures from film, music, theater, literature, comedy, and politics, and engaged them in conversation that made viewers feel that the discussion was taking place in their own living rooms. Here he introduces us to the fascinating characters...

"The Last Viking tells the dramatic story of King Harald Hardrada of Norway, one of the greatest warriors to have ever lived. Drawing on original source material, Don Hollway recreates the violence and drama of the late Viking era in a gripping chronicle that transports the reader from the frozen wastelands of Scandinavia to the glittering opulence of the Byzantine empire and then finally to a muddy field of rural England. King Harald III (called...

As he was composing what was to become his most enduring and popular book, E. B. White was obeying that oft repeated maxim: "Write what you know." Helpless pigs, silly geese, clever spiders, greedy rats, White knew all of these characters in the barns and stables where he spent his favorite hours. Painfully shy his entire life, "this boy," White once wrote of himself, "felt for animals a kinship he never felt for people." It is all the more impressive,...

Richard Pryor was arguably the single most influential performer of the second half of the twentieth century, and certainly he was the most successful black actor/comedian ever. Controversial and somewhat enigmatic in his lifetime, Pryor's performances opened up a new world of possibilities, merging fantasy with angry reality in a way that wasn't just new--it was heretofore unthinkable. His childhood in Peoria, Illinois, was spent just trying to survive....

"Brilliant. Agnostic. Prejudiced. Gregarious. Bullying. Loyal friend. Heavy drinker. One of the most learned scholars of his generation. A controversial Christian apologist. Author of a children's fantasy that has sold millions upon millions of copies. And, after his death, almost a cult figure. C. S. Lewis was an incredibly complicated man, and, as revealed in this splendid biography, a mystery to those who knew him best. "I know of no modern biographer...

The Turbulent sea recounts Li's escape to America and the shocking, cruel racism he not only endured by observed nationwide. His fantasy of a fair and free United States is challenged by the behavior of law enforcement, government, and even his college peers whose permissive sexual mores and disregard for outsiders leave young Charles with a heartbreaking feeling of disappointment and loneliness. As in the case of so many immigrants worldwide who...