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In the summer of 1965, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts exploded in a race riot that spanned six days, claimed thirty-four lives, and brought America's struggle with racial oppression into harrowing relief. For Johnny Otis, "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues," the events of that summer would inspire one of the most compelling books to ever explore that fateful August in Watts. Originally published in 1968, Listen to the Lambs grew from a letter Otis wrote to an expatriate friend during the days following the riots. Otis moves back and forth between Watts and his own childhood to reveal an alternative history of the riots. Equal parts memoir, social history, and racial manifesto, Listen to the Lambs is a moving witness of collective turmoil and a people for whom the long-promised American Dream was nowhere to be found.
What motivated John George Haigh to murder at least six people, then dissolve their corpses in concentrated sulphuric acid? How did this intelligent, well-educated man from a loving, strongly religious family of Plymouth Brethren become a fraudster, a thief, then a serial killer? In the latest of his best-selling studies of criminal history, Jonathan Oates reinvestigates this sensational case of the late 1940s. He delves into Haigh's Yorkshire background, his reputation as a loner, a bully and a forger during his years at Wakefield Grammar School, and his growing appetite for the good life which his modest employment in insurance and advertising could not sustain. Then came his move to London and a rapid, apparently remorseless descent into the depths of crime, from deceit and theft to cold-blooded killing. As he follows the course of Haigh's crimes in graphic, forensic detail, Jonathan Oates gives a fascinating inside view of Haigh's attempt to carry through a series of perfect murders. For Haigh intended not only cut off his victims' lives but, by destroying their bodies with acid, literally to remove all traces that they had ever existed.
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This volume presents a social history of life in mid-19th-century Cuba as experienced by George Backhouse (and his wife, Grace), who served on the British Havana Mixed Commission for the Suppression of the Slave Trade. Documented with extracts from the Backhouse's correspondence, diaries and other contemporary papers, Martinez-Fernandez paints a detailed picture of the Cuban slave trade, its role in the sugar industry, and the interrelated contradictions within Cuba's economy, society and politics. The Backhouse story provides addition al insights into important aspects of life in the "male" city of Havana, social antagonisms between Britons and North Americans, interactions with European social circles, religious tension, and the reality of tropical disease. Drama is added to the narrative in the author's description of the tragic and mysterious murder of George Backhouse in August 1855, possibly the result of a slave traders' conspiracy.
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This third instalment is arguably the most important volume of Johnny's memoirs yet, as it firmly establishes him as one of the great ‘thinkers’ of modern times. Johnny shares with us some of his insights into the criminal mind and what drives him in his relentless pursuit of justice and his crusade against evil. The art of boxing, political ideology and gender fluidity all play a part in this latest fascinating chapter of Johnny's experience. In these pages, we get closer to understanding Johnny's 'philosophy of life' when we join him in a 'diversity and inclusion' training course, while at the same time he hunts down "the mixed doner murderer."
The Crowley Millers were the talk of minor league baseball in the 1950s, with crowds totaling nearly 10 times Crowley’s population and earning Crowley the nickname of “The Best Little Baseball Town in the World.” The Best Little Baseball Town in the World: The Crowley Millers and Minor League Baseball in the 1950s tells the fun, quirky story of Crowley, Louisiana, in the fifties, a story that reads more like fiction than nonfiction. The Crowley Millers’ biggest star was Conklyn Meriwether, a slugger who became infamous after he retired when he killed his in-laws with an axe. Their former manager turned out to be a con man, dying in jail while awaiting trial on embezzlement charges. T...
Wacky Wisdom about the Weird and Wonderful Things of Life that bring Refreshment to Your Soul Martin Babb's slightly skewed view of the world makes for engaging, enlightening, and enlivening reading as he waxes eloquent about the weird and wonderful things of life. Amid the humor, you'll find spiritual refreshment for your soul and wisdom for living life as God intended. In this hilarious collection of brief writings about the funnier side of life, you'll find titles like: "It's OK to Sing to Mushrooms, but Never Goose a Moose" "What Would Happen if Beauty Ignored the Beast?" "When Life Gives You Cicadas, Make Earrings" "What Happens When You Squeeze a Chihuahua?" "Did the Pilgrims Drive a Mayflower Subcompact?" "The Best Stage for a Teenager Is the One That's Leaving Town" Each humorous essay is just two or three pages long and concludes with an easy-to-swallow lesson. But you'll hardly feel the lessons for the laughter. Take a much-needed break, put your feet up, relax, and prepare to laugh. Your soul will be hilariously refreshed.
"Robert Miklitsch has convinced me. Sound and music in film noir are every bit as important as the visuals. Siren City drives home this argument with authority and elegance. Highly recommended."---Krin Gabbard, author of Hotter Than That: The Trumpet, Jazz, and American Culture --