Böcker av Greg Lawrence

Palermo, Sicily, 1993. Returning home from church after her mother has failed to collect her, twelve-year-old Francesca Ambrosino discovers her parents brutally murdered. Vincent and Angelica Ambrosino were slaughtered by Vincent's employer, Cosa Nostra Godfather Salvatore "Toto" Riina, as part of a cleansing within his organization to stave off prosecution from the Italian government. Francesca flees to the home of her aunt, who places her in a Catholic girls school within a convent to protect her from her father's enemies. But in the convent, Francesca is anything but safe. After escaping to pursue her studies at the Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, she exacts revenge on her tormentor. Ultimately, she migrates to America and obtains a doctorate in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania. Living alone within modest means as a curator for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Francesca is determined to create a life free of financial concern. When a famous Rembrandt painting is loaned to her museum, she hatches a foolproof plan. Logar Province, Afghanistan, July 2009. Connor Knight, a Special Forces Army Ranger, fights through an untenable combat position as he and his twelve Operational Detachment team members are under siege, outnumbered ten to one, in a tiny Afghan village. Only two of the team survive. Six years later, those survivors-Knight himself and Denton Martinez-operate a private security firm in Philadelphia. The mundane tasks of babysitting the rich are a long way from their combat tours in Afghanistan, and they, like Francesca, wrestle with their future and their past as they seek to make a more fulfilling life for themselves. When Francesca approaches Connor with her plan, danger and love intersect, and everything changes for both of them in unexpected ways as they navigate the worlds of art, forgery, and organized crime.

History remembers Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as the consummate first lady, the nation's tragic widow, the tycoon's wife, and, of course, the quintessential embodiment of elegance. Her biographers, however, tend to skip over an equally important stage in her life: her almost two-decade-long career as a book editor, publishing authors as diverse as Diana Vreeland, Louis Auchincloss, George Plimpton, Dorothy West, Naguib Mahfouz, and even Michael Jackson.Greg Lawrence, who had three of his books edited by Jackie, draws from interviews with more than 125 of her former collaborators and acquaintances to examine one of the twentieth century's most enduring subjects of fascination through a new angle: her previously untouted skill in the career she chose. Away from the public eye, Jackie found fulfillment and quietly defined life on her own terms.

Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb are the longest-running song-writing partnership in Broadway history, having first joined forces in 1962. The creators of such groundbreaking musicals as Chicago, Cabaret, and Kiss of the Spider Woman, Kander and Ebb have helped to push American musical theater in a more daring direction, both musically and dramatically. Their impact on individual performers has been great as well, starting with the handpicked star of their first musical: an untested nineteen-year-old named Liza Minnelli (who writes of this experience in her introduction).Colored Lights covers the major shows of Kander and Ebb's partnership, from Flora, the Red Menace (starring a then-unknown Liza) to The Visit, their newest show, which is set to star another Kander and Ebb favorite, Chita Rivera. The pages and musicals in between reveal what has made theirs such an important and long-lived musical partnership--and one so valued by the artists they have worked with. In recounting the genesis and controversies of Cabaret, reflecting on the superstar mentality of such artists as Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, and recalling their work with Bob Fosse on Chicago (as well as their thoughts on the Oscar-winning film version), John Kander and Fred Ebb provide a history not only of their own lives but also of the American musical theater of the late twentieth century.

The premise of this book is that the role of government is to look to the well-being of the people and to maintain and improve the quality of the environment. In other words, government is animal husbandry and ecosystem management - it is applied biology. Following this line the author examines the physical and mental needs of human beings, including the special needs of children, and how governments might best provide for these needs. He then brings a biologist's eye to the requirements for a healthy society; crime and punishment; and gods and religion. The responsibility of governments as ecosystem managers is explored by examining the ability of the world to produce enough food to feed itself, both now and in the future: environmental problems and abuses that are and will limit food production, from both the land and the sea, are identified. Potential "e;nightmare scenarios"e; arising from global warming and climate change, population increase, acidic and oxygen-deficient oceans and the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are examined.

A poignant and revealing memoir from a legendary entertainer. Donna McKechnie began her love affair with dance as a child in Detroit. At fifteen, she ran away from home to join a touring dance troupe, and in 1961, she was cast in the Broadway smash hit How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. She soon won acclaim as Michael Bennett's show-stopping muse in Promises, Promises and Company. In 1975, with her Tony-winning performance in Michael Bennett's masterpiece, A Chorus Line, McKechnie vaulted to stardom as a unique Broadway "e;triple threat"e; who could do it all -- dance, sing, and act. Moving among the circles of artists, dancers, and musicians who inspired and challenged her in myriad ways, McKechnie writes about the trajectory of her career as it intertwined with and influenced her personal life and the lives of those around her. Recounting her dazzling career, McKechnie also reveals the dark side of fame: from her parents' troubled relationship to a searing account of her own marriage to Michael Bennett and her inspiring triumphs over depression and the rheumatoid arthritis that nearly ended her career. With affectionate reminiscences of Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, Stephen Sondheim, Fred Astaire, and many other well-known friends, McKechnie exhibits all the warmth, sensitivity, and verve that have endeared her to legions of fans over the years. Filled with behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes, Time Steps is a candid, funny, and deeply personal memoir by a vivacious woman with an indomitable spirit and an illustrious, ongoing career.