Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in All Categories

Political provocateur Bill Maher tells it like it is in a useful and hilarious guide for the many Americans who want to do more here at home to help in the war effort, but are at a loss as to how. Says Maher, "Traveling the country, I find that people want to do more here at home, but are at a loss as to what. Even when the government issues a Terrorism Advisory, it's maddeningly vague - 'Terrorist alert today! Code Burnt Orange!' 'And what?' I always want to ask, "Bring a sweater?'"

In 1980, at the age of 31, Brandon Tartikoff became president of NBC Entertainment; he was the youngest person ever to hold such a position. When he left NBC in 1991, he had held the job longer than anyone and NBC had attained a streak of dominance never equaled, after finishing first in the Nielsen ratings 68 weeks in a row. In The Last Great Ride, Mr. Tartikoff chronicles television history in this insightful and sometimes hilarious account of what goes into the job of providing viewers with 24-hour-a-day programming.

The visitors Whitley Strieber described in his best seller Communion have not gone away. They have remained to inhabit the former skeptic's new vision of a universe that is magnificent, mysterious, and fiercely alive. They were buried under denial and false assurance, but now they are emerging and are nothing less than agents of his transformation - and perhaps the transformation of our world.

When a nuclear-empowered Iran begins throwing its weight around the Persian Gulf, the U.S. uneasily stands by, its military weakened by years of budget cuts and unpopular, inconclusive police actions. But the new President realizes there is one weapon he can use: the newest secret cell of the CIA's Intelligence Support Agency, code-named Future Flight.

In the same vivid, eloquent style that earned Ronald Reagan the designation "the Great Communicator," Peggy Noonan delivers a candid portrait of the Reagan White House in this stylish, sensitive memoir that pursues the question, "Who's running things here anyway?"

She is the most popular novelist in history. Yet the drama and torment of Agatha Christie's private life remains a mystery even to her most ardent fans. She made no secret of her disdain for the press and for those who wished to intrude on her private life. In this immensely listenable and intimate biography, best-selling author Richard Hack reveals the romance, scandal, and betrayal that drove one of the 20th century's most celebrated literary figures.

Is verbal abuse ruining your business, your personal life, or even your physical and emotional health? With a little help from Suzette Haden Elgin, you won't have to put up with it anymore. She'll show you how to create an environment in which verbal abuse almost never happens, and how to take complete control of your language behavior. Once you've mastered the techniques, you'll be able to defuse a verbal attack before it can even be completed, and deal effectively with the rare attack that cannot be avoided.

They looked like a slightly mischievous version of the all-American couple: a handsome army veteran and his gorgeous artist girlfriend. Zackery Bowen, after completing his tour of Iraq, came home to New Orleans, and in two weeks before Hurricane Katrina, he met Addie Hall. Their improvised, hard-partying endurance during and after the storm inspired news outlets around the world to feature the couple as the personification of the indomitable spirit of New Orleans. But beneath the surface, trouble was brewing.

Based on interviews with Lansky's family, his close friends and criminal associates, law enforcement experts, and using previously unpublished documents written by Lansky himself, this is both the biography of a mob boss and a social history of American crime.

George Dawson was a slave's grandson who learned to read at age 98 and lived to the age of 103. In this remarkable memoir, he reflects on his life and shares valuable lessons in living, as well as a fresh, firsthand view of America during the entire sweep of the twentieth century. Dawson's irresistible voice and view of the world are captured here as he offers insights into humanity, history, hardships, and happiness. From segregation and civil rights to many other defining moments in history, George Dawson's account and assessment of the last century inspires listeners.

Catch a glimpse inside the mind of one of the most notorious murderers in recent memory - Lyle Menendez. The cold-blooded murder of Jose and Kitty Menendez shocked the nation. At first it seemed to be the work of the mob, but it soon became apparent that the murderers were their sons Lyle and Erik. Their first trial started a media frenzy and was filled with lurid details, but these never clearly explained why the brothers killed their parents.

Herodotus, the fifth-century chronicler, scarcely figured in the curriculum when famed Polish writer and traveler Ryszard Kapuscinski attended university in the 1950s. Ryszard became a foreign correspondent who hoped to go abroad, perhaps to Czechoslovakia. Instead, he was sent to India—the first stop on a decades-long tour of the world. His only companion on his travels was a volume of Herodotus. In his journey across continents, Kapuscinski discovers his life's work: to understand and describe the non-Western world, in all its variety, through his still-virginal Western eyes.

With blithe humor and bright style, Storace conjures up anarchic cities and idyllic towns and harbors where the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires continue to maintain a presence. This program includes an exclusive interview with the author who discusses her work and answers questions about her life in Greece.

Arthur Pendragon is king! With the great sword Caliburn in his hand and Merlin the enchanter at his side, Arthur comes out of hiding to claim the crown he was born to wear. Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise. But Merlin, Arthur's protector, sees the glories and horrors that await the new king. Sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause—Arthur's own half-sister—ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven.

Suffering from writer's block? Wish you were more inventive? Perhaps, like most of us, you were taught to think vertically - to solve problems by going from one logical step to the next. In this international best seller, Dr. de Bono shows how lateral thinking can free your creative mind. Learn to hone your thinking skills and discover powerful yet simple techniques to help you generate idea after idea.

Millions of American baseball fans know, with absolute certainty, that umpires are simply overpaid galoots who are doing an easy job badly. Millions of American baseball fans are wrong. As They See 'Em is an insider's look at the largely unknown world of professional umpires, the small group of men (and the very occasional woman) who make sure America's favorite pastime is conducted in a manner that is clean, crisp, and true.

Mark Kurlansky, winner of the James Beard Award for Excellence in Food Writing, leads us on a mouthwatering culinary tour around the world and through history and culture from the fifth century B.C. to the present day. This wonderful collection contains essays by Plato on the art of cooking, Pablo Neruda on french fries, and many other writers on the passions of cuisine.

For decades, a quartet of Chinese women who have emigrated to San Francisco gather to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk — they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Over the years, their stories have informed the lives of four daughters who feel the weight of family and world history on their shoulders.

Provocative to some, stimulating to others, boring to jaded sophisticates, this is a book that must be heard—although it can aslo be thrown with great effect.

> The Wonderful O tells of a man named Black who despised the letter "O". He deleted it from his language and omitted it from his words. Opals, moonstones, owls and oaks could not possibly be his items of choice. He preferred emeralds, rubies, sapphires and maps. At least they had no "O". Soon he wanted his entire village to omit the letter "O". But the villagers found words they would not do without HOPE, LOVE, VALOR, and the most important one of all.