Books about Crashing from Amazon.com

Mike May spent his life crashing through. Blinded at age three, he defied expectations by breaking world records in downhill speed skiing, joining the CIA, and becoming a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and family man. He had never yearned for vision. Then, in 1999, a chance encounter brought startling news: a revolutionary stem cell transplant surgery could restore May’s vision. It would allow him to drive, to read, to see his children’s faces. But the procedure was filled with gambles, some of them deadly, others beyond May’s wildest dreams. Beautifully written and thrillingly told, Crashing Through is a journey of suspense, daring, romance, and insight into the mysteries of vision and the brain. Robert Kurson gives us a fascinating account of one man’s choice to explore what it means to see–and to truly live.

Praise for the National Bestseller Crashing Through:

“An incredible human story [told] in gripping fashion . . . a great read.”
–Chicago Sun-Times

“Inspiring.”
–USA Today

“[An] astonishing story . . . memorably told . . . May is remarkable. . . . Don’t be surprised if your own vision mists over now and then.”
–Chicago Tribune

“[A] moving account [of] an extraordinary character.”
–People

“Terrific . . . [a] genuinely fascinating account of the nature of human vision.”
–The Washington Post

“Kurson is a man with natural curiosity and one who can feel the excitement life has to offer. One of his great gifts is he makes you feel it, too.”
–The Kansas City Star

“Propulsive . . . a gripping adventure story.”
–Entertainment Weekly

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
Price: $8.56 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Go-Go Years "The Go-Go Years is not to be read in the usual manner of Wall Street classics You do not read this book to see our present situation reenacted in the past, with only the names changed You read it because it is a wonderful description of the way things were in a different time and place." —From the Foreword by Michael Lewis The Go-Go Years is the harrowing and humorous story of the growth stocks of the 1960s and how their meteoric rise caused a multitude of small investors to thrive until the devastating market crashes in the 1970s. It was a time when greed drove the market and fast money was being made and lost as the "go-go" stocks surged and plunged. Included are the stories of such high-profile personalities as H. Ross Perot who lost $450 million in one day, Saul Steinberg’s attempt to take over Chemical Bank, and the fall of America’s "Last Gatsby, " Eddie Gilbert. Praise for The Go-Go Years "Those for whom the stock market is mostly a spectator sport will relish the book’s verve, color, and memorable one-liners." —New York Review of Books "Please don’t take The Go-Go Years too much for granted: as effortlessly as it seems to fly, it is nonetheless an unusually complex and thoughtful work of social history." —New York Times "Brooks’s great contribution is his synthesis of all the elements that made the 1960s the most volatile in Wall Street history … and making so much material easily digestible for the uninitiated." —Publishers Weekly "Brooks … is about the only writer around who combines a thorough knowledge of finance with the ability to perceive behind the dance of numbers ‘high, pure, moral melodrama on the themes of possession, domination, and belonging.’" —Time.
Price: $16.19 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Crashing the Gate is a shot across the bow at the political establishment in Washington, DC and a call to re-democratize politics in America This book lays bare, with passion and precision, how ineffective, incompetent, and antiquated the Democratic Party establishment has become, and how it has failed to adapt and respond to new realities and challenges. The authors save their sharpest knives to go for the jugular in their critique of Republican ideologues who are now running, and ruining, our country. Written by two of the most popular political bloggers in America, the book hails the new movement of the netroots, the grassroots, the unorthodox labor unions, the maverick big donors that is the antidote to old-school politics as usual. Fueled by advances in technology and a hunger for a more authentic democracy, this broad-based movement is changing the way political campaigns are waged and managed. A must-read book for anyone with an interest in the future of American democracy..
Price: $4.42 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Anarchist in the Library is the first guide to one of the most important cultural and economic battlegrounds of our increasingly plugged-in world. Siva Vaidhyanathan draws the struggle for information that will determine much of the culture and politics of the twenty-first century: anarchy or oligarchy, total freedom vs. complete control. His acclaimed book explores topics from unauthorized fan edits of Star Wars to terrorist organizations' reliance on "leaderless resistance," from Napster to Total Information Awareness to flash mobs..
Price: $3.20 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Ralph Nader is one of Americas most passionate and effective social critics, a man Time magazine called the U. S.s toughest customer. Naders work has gone a long way to improve the safety of the cars we drive, the food we eat, and the water we drink. In 2000, when he ran for President on the Green Party ticket, nearly three million people voted for him. In his scathing, honest account of the 2000 presidential race, Nader takes aim at those who have spoiled American democracy. Crashing the Party goes deep inside Naders campaign and reveals: What it takes to run against a two-party juggernaut How old liberal friends turned against him Why the Green Party looks better than ever to progressive Democrats Why Bush and Gore were afraid to let him in on their debates How public interest has been lost to corporate bankrolling..
Price: $3.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

For the last forty years the label "black voter" has been virtually synonymous with "Democrat" but a new generation of voters is changing that. In her provocative new book Party Crashing, political commentator Keli Goff introduces America's newest swing voter. Like soccer moms and Nascar dads before them, young, black voters born after the Civil Rights Movement are becoming increasingly up for grabs, politically speaking.

While the politics of their parents and grandparents were shaped by the Civil Rights Movement, Goff notes that the politics of her peers, members of the post-Civil Rights generation, have been shaped by a number of cultural influencers that transcend race; from "The Cosby Show," to icons such as Oprah Winfrey, and the tragedy of 9/11. Civil rights has long been the defining political issue for black Americans but for this emerging generation of black voters, civil rights is now one issue among many that define their politics. As a result, they are challenging the idea that one's skin color should color one's political identity, and they are also challenging the idea that they should be Democrats.

Since the support of black Americans has been crucial to the success of democratic candidates--from Presidents Kennedy to Clinton--this shift could be one of the most important developments in modern politics, arguably as important as the Civil Rights movement itself. Along with the political shift occurring, Goff also examines the cultural shift that is taking place on a wide range of issues including: gay marriage, hip-hop, and the emergence of what Goff calls "Generation Obama."

Through in-depth interviews with young, black voters, groundbreaking survey research, and conversations with a range of high profile Americans--from Colin Powell to Russell Simmons--Party Crashing explores the issues and people who have helped shape the politics of the post-Civil Rights Generation, and how this generation is reshaping America..
Price: $2.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Stacy Friedman has just had the most amazing summer of her life. At camp, she and her best friend, Lydia, met a girl who trained them in all things cool. Equipped with this new knowledge, they're set to make an unforgettable back-to-school debut.

Unfortunately, Stacy and Lydia aren't the ones turning heads at Jefferson Junior High. Everyone clamors around their other best friend, Kelly, who has transformed from not-so-cool to so-very-cool in three months. Stacy and Lydia are happy for her, but shocked when Kelly gets super cozy with Kym and her popular clique, The Chicas. Worst of all, Stacy and Lydia are the only ones NOT invited to Eben's Hollywood-themed bar mitzvah.

But Stacy refuses to accept their social blacklisting and decides they should crash Eben's bar mitzvah. Before the party ends, Stacy and Lydia will have gone undercover, posed for paparazzi, and faced off with the Chicas. They'll also find out exactly who their true friends are...and aren't..
Price: $4.40 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Holly Hollan's personal journey into the trhoes of Bipolar (formely called manic-depression) will leave readers with an intimate understanding of the disorder, and a hopeful way to cope with the future. Hollan uses Soaring & Crashing to bring readers into an account of her life with Bipolar. She travels through a troubled childhood, and into an equally tumultuous adulthood, illustrating the ups and downs of this often misunderstood and stigmatized condition. Ultimately, readers will be confronted with the knowledge that those coping with mental illness lead purposeful and full lives, and although the challenges faced by those with bipolar may be of a different nature than those of the general population, in the end we are all simply riding the roller coaster of life. Soaring & Crashing is an honest, soulful account of one woman's journey to the borders of her mind, and will prove an exciting, moving read for anyone willing to jump on that roller coaster and hang on until the end!.
Price: $15.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]