Kirjahaku

The definitive biography of Chuck Berry, legendary performer and inventor of rock and roll Best known as the groundbreaking artist behind classics like "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene," "You Never Can Tell" and "Roll Over Beethoven," Chuck Berry was a man of wild contradictions, whose motives and motivations were often shrouded in mystery. After all, how did a teenage delinquent come to write so many songs that transformed American culture? And, once he achieved fame and recognition, why did he put his career in danger with a lifetime's worth of reckless personal behavior? Throughout his life, Berry refused to shed light on either the mastery or the missteps, leaving the complexity that encapsulated his life and underscored his music largely unexplored--until now. In Chuck Berry, biographer RJ Smith crafts a comprehensive portrait of one of the great American entertainers, guitarists, and lyricists of the 20th century, bringing Chuck Berry to life in vivid detail. Based on interviews, archival research, legal documents, and a deep understanding of Berry's St. Louis (his birthplace, and the place where he died in March 2017), Smith sheds new light on a man few have ever really understood. By placing his life within the context of the American culture he made and eventually withdrew from, we understand how Berry became such a groundbreaking figure in music, erasing racial boundaries, crafting subtle political commentary, and paying a great price for his success. While celebrating his accomplishments, the book also does not shy away from troubling aspects of his public and private life, asking profound questions about how and why we separate the art from the artist. Berry declined to call himself an artist, shrugging that he was good at what he did. But the man's achievement was the rarest kind, the kind that had social and political resonance, the kind that made America want to get up and dance. At long last, Chuck Berry brings the man and the music together.

There's a murder in the heart of Manhattan, a simple corpse... stretched out upon a bench in Herald Square Park. On any other day, in any other city, the bloody slaying would be a sidebar of filler news for the networks to bury.But this was Christmas in the city that never slept, the Big Shiny Apple... a 24-hour media show of spectacular brilliance. At the center of the universe, the King of Christmas, Mr. Jolly Old Santa Claus didn't end up dead in broad daylight.The Mayor knew the murder was a real tourist killer, a heartbreak story that could destroy the biggest shopping season of the year. Thus, with City Hall wanting answers, the Police Commissioner is leaning on his men for answers.Enter the tough talking, street savvy, Puerto Rican Lieutenant, Rico Martinez, and his crackerjack Irish Sergeant, Mike Murphy. Dispatched to the scene to hunt down leads, they are intent on cracking the case.What nobody expected was a parallel FBI Serial Killer Task Force investigation into similar murders. When the agencies come together, it doesn't take long for everyone to figure they're hunting the same psychotic, diabolical lunatic who's already on police radar.In a rush against time... New York's Finest must break out the killer's Naughty List, and hunt down the monster intent on ruining Christmas.Lock the doors, close the blinds, and run for your life. It's gonna be a merry, scary Christmas.Called 'The 'Scariest book since The Exorcist', Smith hits a home run with this debut psychological thriller.

Monsters In The Woods... is scare you out of your mind fiction. It's Harry Potter meets The Thing. It's a tale for those with enormous imaginations I want you uncomfortable, biting the tips of your fingernails down to their bloody nubs, perchance grinding your teeth in a fit of vicious nerves.That's bliss for me, watching as you shift your eyeballs from side to side, a nervous glance, a terrified expression planted on your face. That's where I need you, horrified of an explainable thud beneath the bed, a movement in the back of the closet... a thump out in the darkness, just beyond the window.That being said, I should note this tale has roots in reality. It's about a reptilian race of beings randomly documented throughout our legendary records. This story speaks of what if and oh my It pokes holes at the ridiculous notion that Human Beings are the only intelligent species living on Earth. Not long ago, I happened across a Hopi Legend that spoke of a race of reptilians said to have lived hundreds of feet below downtown Hollywood.Many claimed it was the stuff of science fiction.When I first heard of the lizard people and their existence during a trip to the UFO Congress' Annual Symposium in Arizona, I had to wonder... could there really be something to this tale? With billions of planets in the universe, couldn't there be alien life out there, and if so, why is it so fundamentally insane to suppose they've come here and live among us?In 1955 Indiana, there was an encounter with something called The Green Clawed Beast. The story went that two friends were swimming the Ohio River and came upon a creature, pulling one of them under the waterline. With her friend looking on, Miss Darwin Johnson struggled back to the surface kicking and thrashing for dear life. She claimed to have escaped from a green hairy claw, and sure enough, a jade hand-print was found on her leg that couldn't be washed off her skin for days.What the heck... you might say?I know, I know, it sounded crazy to me, too... but the story didn't end there.Within days, both girls were visited by peculiar men dressed in black suits who ordered them to renounce any and all knowledge of the incident. Sound familiar? The Men in Black have been fictionalized by Hollywood, with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones making a joke of the entire subject. But the reality is they do exist. And yet, if you type Men in Black into your browser the official Wikipedia page is all about the movie. That's how the ruling powers want it; they want you believing it's not real. You see, there is a systematic machine in place to hide, manipulate and cover up the facts.But the stories just go on.Later in 1955, another family, the Suttons, were busy entertaining a guest when their home was invaded by 'creatures from another world'. The story went that their guest, Billy Ray Taylor, had stepped outside to fetch water from a pump when he saw strange lights in the sky. Shortly after, the farmhouse was invaded by green creatures with skinny legs and clawed hands.The Green Goblins attacked the house and were fought off with guns.Similar tales continue across America.This, dear reader... Monsters in the Woods is JUST ONE incident with reatures from outer space.

There's a war brewing, humanity is fighting for survival against the scourge of a reptilian race. But only the pure blood of innocent kids can save Mother Earth. In touch with a distant galaxy, one young boy must enlist the help of other kids to fight the beasts in another dimension. Picking up special powers in a distant alien world, the boys must be readied for the fight to save the universe. With magic, super powers, Cyclops and extraterrestrial life, a battle for Destiny has begun in the small New York town of New Windsor during one of the worst blizzards ever to hit the northeast.

The definitive biography of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, with fascinating findings on his life as a Civil Rights activist, an entrepreneur, and the most innovative musician of our time Playing 350 shows a year at his peak, with more than forty Billboard hits, James Brown was a dazzling showman who transformed American music. His life offstage was just as vibrant, and until now no biographer has delivered a complete profile. The One draws on interviews with more than 100 people who knew Brown personally or played with him professionally. Using these sources, award-winning writer RJ Smith draws a portrait of a man whose twisted and amazing life helps us to understand the music he made.The One delves deeply into the story of a man who was raised in abject-almost medieval-poverty in the segregated South but grew up to earn (and lose) several fortunes. Covering everything from Brown's unconventional childhood (his aunt ran a bordello), to his role in the Black Power movement, which used "Say It Loud (I'm Black and Proud)" as its anthem, to his high-profile friendships, to his complicated family life, Smith's meticulous research and sparkling prose blend biography with a cultural history of a pivotal era.At the heart of The One is Brown's musical genius. He had crucial influence as an artist during at least three decades; he inspires pity, awe, and revulsion. As Smith traces the legend's reinvention of funk, soul, R&B, and pop, he gives this history a melody all its own.