Bøger af Samuel Hawley

An L.A. hot rodder with a high school education, a family to support and almost no money, Craig Breedloveset out in the late 1950s to do something big: harness the thrust of a jet in a car. With a growing obsession that would cost him his marriage, he started building in his dad's garage. The car's name: Spirit of America. Through perseverance and endless hard work, Craig completed Spirit and broke the land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats, setting a new mark of 407 mph in 1963. In the early 1970s he turned to rockets and set an acceleration record at Bonneville that stands to this day. He built a jet car in the 1990s, Spirit of America-Sonic Arrow, to go head-to-head against Britain's ThrustSSC to be the first to Mach One. Craig's subsequent crash at 675 mph remains the fastest in history. Even today, at the age of 80, he is going strong with plans for yet another Spirit of America racer. The ultimate goal: 1,000 mph. Ultimate Speed is the authorized biography of Craig Breedlove, a candid revelation of one of motorsports' most interesting figures based primarily on countless hours of interviews with Craig and dozens of people connected to his life.

Bad Elephant Far Stream is an elephant's life story, told from her own perspective, through her own eyes. Inspired by the true story of the elephant Topsy, it begins in the forests of Ceylon in the late 1860s with the capture of a baby elephant known to her own kind as Far Stream. She is taken to America in a ship and sent to the Adam Forepaugh Circus in Philadelphia. There, Far Stream embarks on a new life under the big top, appearing first as "Baby Annie," then, when she grows bigger, as "Topsy." She crisscrosses North America for thirty years with the circus, experiencing hardships, kidnapping, escapes and adventure. But when she comes to outweigh her keepers by a factor of forty-it's hard not to hurt somebody. It's hard not to be labeled as "bad." What is it like to be an elephant in the circus? What does it think? What does it feel? What does it yearn for? Bad Elephant Far Stream takes the reader on a voyage of discovery to find out. Praise for Bad Elephant Far Stream: "This book has haunted me since I read it...Samuel Hawley really displays the magnificent brains, emotional depth (yes, emotional depth), and stunning strength of these amazing creatures." (Pamela Fagan Hutchins, author of the What Doesn't Kill You series) "Meticulously researched and well told...an important story...One of the strengths of the Hawley's book is that it avoids a too-emotional approach, letting the facts of these elephants' lives speak for themselves. Another strength is the feel for the period described. One actually gets a sense of the language and values of the late 19th century....I urge people to read this book." (Stewart McFarlane, author of Of Mice and Zen: Animal Encounters in the Life of a Wandering Buddhist) "Intriguing and haunting...Moving and thought-provoking...an intense and emotional novel. A highly recommended read." (Shalini's Book Reviews) "Well researched, well written and compelling...gripping, heart felt, and filled with compassion." (Lynelle Clark, Aspired Writer) "Far Stream captured my heart immediately...I enjoyed this book so much that I had to research the story further." (The Writers Lounge) "This historically significant novel is one that will stick with me for a long while. It's a must read for those who enjoy this genre." (Pure Jonel: Bibliographic Ramblings of a Bookworm) "I found myself having a hard time putting down the book as I wanted to find out what would happen next. Topsy's story was just that engrossing." (If It Has Words)

At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics an unknown Vancouver runner named Percy Williams shocked the sports world by capturing the 100- and 200-metre gold medals. Some said the feat was a fluke. It was not. In 1929 Percy silenced naysayers by sweeping the US indoor track circuit, then he went on to set a world record in the 100 meters that would stand until the arrival of Jesse Owens. And in between he waged a speed duel with the fleetest men on the planet, a battle for track supremacy and the title "World's Fastest Human". Based on extensive research that included access to Percy's private letters, diary and scrapbooks, this is the first full-length account of this sports legend, one of the most famous Canadians of his day but now largely forgotten. It begins as the Cinderella story of a youth who conquers a sport dominated by American sprinters. Then it gets grittier, for success and fame had a dark side. I Just Ran follows Percy and his janitor-coach Bob Granger as they journey through the world of elite running in the 1920s and 30s -- a world that was not always pretty beneath the veneer of amateurism.

The quest for the land speed record in the 1960s and the epic rivalry between two dynamic American drivers, Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove.