Showing results for "jack" in Politics & Activism

Books about the Kennedys are legion. Yet missing until now has been the exploration of the bond between Jack and Bobby, and the part that it played in their rise and fall. Richard D. Mahoney gives us Jack and Bobby in all their hubris and humanity, youthfulness and fatalism. Here is American history as it unfolds. The Kennedy Brothers is a fresh and masterful account of the men whose legacy continues to hold the American imagination.

Frank Sinatra desperately wanted to be part of John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s gang. He had his own famed "Rat Pack", made up of hard drinking, womanizing individuals like himself - guys like Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Peter Lawford - but the guy "Ol' Blue Eyes" really wanted to hang with was Lawford's brother-in-law, the real chairman of the board, John F. Kennedy. In Sinatra and the Jack Pack, Michael Sheridan delves deep into the acclaimed singer's relationship with the former president.

Returning to Germany in the aftermath of the Second World War, Fritz Bauer – a gay Jewish lawyer and outspoken critic of Hitler – was determined to reclaim the Germany he had once loved. But he soon saw that the perpetrators of the Holocaust had largely got away with their crimes. Top Nazi officers – mass-murders and cruel sadists – had been given plum jobs at major German companies; held prestigious offices in top universities; were in positions of power as lawyers, judges and political advisors.

As a small boy in Epping Forest, Jack Straw could never have imagined that one day he would become Britain's Lord Chancellor. As one of five children of divorced parents, he was bright enough to get a scholarship to a direct-grant school, but spent his holidays as a plumbers' mate for his uncles to bring in some much-needed extra income. Yet he spent 13 years and 11 days in government, including long and influential spells as Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary. This is the story of how he got there.

Born to Battle examines the Civil War’s complex and decisive western theater through the exploits of its greatest figures: Ulysses S. Grant and Nathan Bedford Forrest. These two opposing giants squared off in some of the most epic campaigns of the war, starting at Shiloh and continuing through Perryville, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga - battles in which the Union would slowly but surely divide the western Confederacy, setting the stage for the final showdowns of this bloody and protracted conflict.

The late 1970s were miserable for America. It was the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate era, a time of high unemployment, ruinous inflation, gasoline lines, communist advances, and bottomed-out US morale. Ronald Reagan’s policies sparked the American renaissance, but the Gipper’s leadership is only part of the story. The economic theory that underpinned America’s success was pioneered by a star professional quarterback turned self-taught intellectual and "bleeding-heart conservative": Jack Kemp.

A CIA station chief, later Jordan's lawyer in Washington, reveals the secret history of a lost peace.

Jack O'Connell possessed an uncanny ability to be at the center of things. On his arrival in Jordan in 1958, he unraveled a coup aimed at the young King Hussein, who would become America's most reliable Middle East ally. Over time, their bond of trust and friendship deepened. His narrative contains secrets that will revise our understanding of the Middle East.

Been there, done that, indeed. Texas-born and Harvard-educated, Jack Valenti led several lives, any one of which could have provided ample material for an unforgettable memoir. As it is, This Time, This Place is the gripping story of a man who saw the terrible face of war; who was in the room as political decisions were made that would benefit or devastate countless lives; and who championed the interest of the vast and globally influential movie industry with tenacity and vision.

The United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1981-1986, John "Jack" Block tells the story of how he rose from a one-room schoolhouse to the White House. Tapped by Ronald Reagan to serve on his Cabinet, Block guided the USDA through one of the most tumultuous and devastating times in recent history for the American farmer: the farm crisis of the 1980s.

A full and poignant portrait of one of the geniuses of the 1960s counterculture. From the creation of the Yippies!; and the tumult of the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests; to the humor and agony of the Chicago conspiracy trial; the scandal of Abbie's 1973 cocaine bust, and his years as a fugitive; to his final struggle with manic-depressive illness, this biography offers an intimate examination of the contradictions that make Abbie Hoffman such a compelling figure - with the information and affection only a brother could bring to the complexities of Abbie's life.

Born and raised by poor, struggling farmers in America's heartland, Harry Truman had become president through his integrity, a little bit of luck, and sheer hard work. He became the leader of the United States at the tail end of the world's deadliest conflict. Thrust into the middle of a world of conflicting ideologies, Truman would be faced with the newest threat to international stability: a ravenous Soviet Union ready to devour the world with its communist philosophies.

This book is an elaborate explanation of MacArthur's life. It is written in an easy-to-follow style that makes you move with the flow of the events of the day. In the book, you will learn almost everything you ever wanted to know about the most decorated army general the US ever had. In particular, you are going to see the factors that influenced MacArthur's life, and the background against which he developed his career.

John Adams didn't cut a dashing figure like George Washington. He was not the darling of France, as was Benjamin Franklin. He was not a wealthy and statuesque plantation owner like Thomas Jefferson. Adams was highly opinionated, blunt, and often tactless in his social interactions. To top it off, he was short, fat, and awkward. This does not sound like the description of a Founding Father we should want to know any better - but that's where you're wrong.

How Lincoln Learned to Read tells the American story from a fresh and unique perspective: how do we learn what we need to know? Beginning with Benjamin Franklin and ending with Elvis Presley, author Daniel Wolff creates a series of intimate, interlocking profiles of notable Americans that track the nations developing notion of what it means to get a good education.

Set against the backdrop of World War II, Nazi uprisings, political unrest in Argentina and Paraguay, and the scourge of leprosy left untreated, Dr. John and Clara Schmidt commit to living a life of service in their fight against poverty, stigma, and social injustice.

History is filled with people who stood up for what they believed in, facing countless adversity but staying strong in their beliefs – and in the end, changing the world. Now, this biography uncovers the lives and legacies of some of the most famous and beloved black influencers, from the incredible Martin Luther King Jr. to Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman. You’ll discover the lives they lived, the hardships they encountered, and the powerful changes they left in their wake.

These are the memoirs of the US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during World War I, abridged for this production in order to focus on the mass deportations and systematic killings of Turkey's Armenian population. This work is a renowned primary source for this Armenian Genocide, a crime since recognized by 29 countries. Ambassador Morgenthau offers detailed profiles of the Turkish leaders with whom he interacts, finding that they are responsible for a "death warrant to a whole race".

Benjamin Franklin tells the story of his life here, as he himself says, for the benefit of his posterity. His autobiography is his longest work, and yet it is only a fragment. It is comprised of four parts written years apart. This production features the first part, composed in 1771.

For a wide variety of reasons, Winston Churchill is one of the most fascinating figures in recent history. His life so definitively embodies the process of becoming a great leader. This book aims to teach those interested in the subject of leadership many lessons Churchill's life has to offer. It begins with a brief overview of the great man's life story, ranging from the aristocratic, but often challenging, circumstances of his birth and early life to the height of his power and his subsequent decline.