Bøger udgivet af Santa Monica Press

From original beachcomber personalities like the Waikiki Beachboys to the rise of Venice Beach as a creative center for music, art, and film, Pop Surf Culture traces the roots of the surf boom and explores its connection to the Beat Generation and 1960s pop culture. Through accounts of key figures both obscure and popular, the book illustrates why surf culture is a vital art movement of the 20th century.Pop Surf Culture includes essays about the popular "beach” movies of the 1950s and '60s, which featured such stars as Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon and the music of Dick Dale & His Del-Tones, Brian Wilson, the Pyramids, Gary Usher, James Brown, and Little Stevie Wonder.Sixties art figures Michael Dormer and Rick Griffin-as well as the surf magazines which promoted their art-are featured alongside the progenitors of "surf music,” from the little known (the Centurians) to the wildly popular (the Beach Boys). Duke Kahanamoku, the Gas House, Gidget, surfing on television, the bohemian surf aesthetic, surf music hot spots, Mickey "Da Cat” Dora . . . the entire spectrum of pop surf culture is covered within these colorfully illustrated pages.

Written with humor and insight, this mixture of history, analysis, and reportage sheds fascinating insider light on the eight-year-old Dogme film movement, examining the subject from multiple perspectives.

The lessons that dogs have to teach us about unconditional love and happiness are presented in this compilation of canine-inspired maxims. Infused with wit and humor, the Zen of dogs is captured in such inspirational bits of wisdom as, "For a dog there is only do or not do," and "Ask yourself, 'What would Lassie do?'" Masterfully designed with whimsical illustrations throughout, this collection of Taoist insights offers a refreshing perspective on living a happier and fuller life.

Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles traces the improbable rise of Los Angeles through the prism of six visionaries who had outsize influence on the city’s growth: Phineas Banning, Harrison Gray Otis, Henry Huntington, Harry Chandler, William Mulholland, and Moses Sherman.In the late 1870s, Los Angeles was a violent, dusty, 29-square-mile pueblo with a few thousand souls, largely unchanged since its founding in 1781. By 1930, its size had swelled to within 96% of its current 468 square miles, housing a staggering 1.2 million people. In just 50 years, L.A. had joined the ranks of other world-class cities.In the tradition of Mike Davis’s classic work City of Quartz, Paul Haddad (Freewaytopia and 10,000 Steps a Day in L.A.) debunks many myths about the City of Angels with a wildly entertaining narrative that sheds new light on the fascinating birth of modern Los Angeles. Power came from a select few, whose triumphs, scandals, and correspondence are well documented in Inventing Paradise, along with other little-known facts about L.A. history, including:How Los Angeles Times chief Harry Chandler pushed eugenics and endorsed “white spots”Henry Huntington’s and Moses Sherman’s trolley systems and the extortion-type practices that led to their expansionWhen Los Angeles was so desperate for water, it hired a miracle worker who promised rainHow L.A.’s power elite peddled the lie that the Owens River used to flow into Los Angeles and rightfully belonged to the cityWhen Los Angeles annexed a city in which monkeys cast votesHow Venice, California, was not the first Venice, CaliforniaWilliam Mulholland’s game-changing construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which raised the city’s population ceiling from 250,000 to 2.5 millionHaddad also covers the heavy costs that came with creating paradise in such a short period of time, including car dependency, environmental problems, and deep-seated inequities between wealthy white Angelenos and people of color due to racist policies. All have left an imprint on present-day Los Angeles.Los Angeles is a city that should not exist—and yet it does. Through Inventing Paradise, Haddad shows readers that Los Angeles is not a paradise found, but a paradise that was willed into existence, owing to the collective vision of these six Gilded Era-born tycoons.

Ray Elias is a precocious but withdrawn sixteen-year-old growing up in an affluent suburb of New York in the early sixties. Numbed by the assassination of President Kennedy, Ray chances upon a TV documentary about the most recent presidential election and is drawn to the ebullient senator from Minnesota, Hubert Humphrey, who unsuccessfully challenged John Kennedy for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960. With the senator as his newfound hero, Ray fashions a mission for himself: make Humphrey Lyndon Johnson‿s running mate in 1964. To the amazement of his friends and cynical father, Humphrey learns of Ray‿s plan to lobby the delegates and, impressed with his sincerity and ambition, takes Ray under his wing. Ray enters college as the senator is elected vice president, but the relationship unravels when Humphrey becomes an ardent public supporter of the Vietnam War, despite his personal belief in the war‿s futility. As the tension between them grows and their bond deteriorates, Ray is devastated by his loss of faith in Humphrey. However, he finds consolation for his disappointment in Ruth, a spirited classmate from the other side of the tracks who teaches him understanding and empathy. As Ray matures to young adulthood he reconnects with Humphrey‿who has by now achieved a political revival and is mulling a fresh run at the presidency‿and the two reconcile after Humphrey finally acknowledges his breach of Ray‿s trust, and Ray forgives his former mentor. Loosely based on the author‿s real-life relationship with Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Humphrey and Me portrays the often highly emotional journey that comes with embracing our heroes, while set against the backdrop of the tempestuous political eras of the 1960s and ‿70s.

The author of Ventura and Zelzah follows up that critically acclaimed debut novel with Ventura and Winnetka, a stand-alone work that furthers the adventures of Douglas and his friends as they come of age in Southern California‿s San Fernando Valley in the late 1970s. As seniors in high school, the gang spends their final year before college practicing crazy car stunts, getting high, obsessing about girls, passionately listening to the great rock and roll of the ‿60s and ‿70s, arguing about the Dodgers and the Lakers, and partying at the prom in powder blue tuxedos. From a West Hollywood porn theater to a punk rock club in Chinatown to the site of the Manson murders, the Valley boys also begin to spread their wings as they explore the city of Los Angeles, located “just over the hillâ€? from where they live. Like Ventura and Zelzah, the stand-alone Ventura and Winnetka is a funny, poignant, and nostalgic coming-of-age tale about the relationships of teenagers on the verge of adulthood. The re-creation of the Valley culture of the late 1970s is palpable and magical.

Bingo!: 40 Years in the NBA is the memoir of legendary Los Angeles Clippers and sports broadcaster Ralph Lawler. The book covers Lawler's extraordinary life and career, from his childhood in Peoria, Illinois; through his time at Bradley University; to the beginning of his sports announcing career at the Riverside International Raceway; his years spent in Philadelphia with the Flyers, Phillies, and 76ers; his years in San Diego with the Sails and the Chargers; and culminating in his 40-year career with the Clippers. Along the way, basketball and the NBA is the focus of the book, with Lawler's observations and stories about players, coaches, and teams from the 1940s through his retirement at the close of the 2019 season forming the core of the book. Included among the myriad stories and reflections will be his relationships with NBA legend Bill Walton, infamous Clippers owner Donald Sterling, Clippers GM and NBA great Elgin Baylor, and a variety of famous players and coaches from throughout the NBA. As Lawler used to famously say from behind the microphone, "e;Fasten your seatbelts!"e; Bingo! is a fun-filled journey through professional basketball, with plenty of "e;Oh me, Oh my!"e; moments, and the definitive answer to the burning question all NBA fans want to know: Is there any truth to "e;Lawler's Law"e;?

L.A.s Landmark Restaurants:Celebrating the Legendary Locations Where Angelenos Have Dined for Generationsfollows in the footsteps of George Gearys now classic and critically acclaimed book, L.A.s Legendary Restaurants.L.A.s Landmark Restaurantsis an illustrated history of over 50 famous Los Angeles restaurants from throughout the 20th century that were not featured in Gearys first book. The focus in L.A.'s Landmark Restaurantsis on restaurants where Angelenosrather than celebritieshave been dining for generations.Along with recipes made famous by each restaurant,L.A.s Landmark Restaurantscontains profiles of such legendary eateries as Coles, Philippe the Original, Pacific Dining Car, The Original Pantry Cafe, The Victor Hugo, Canters Delicatessen, Sportsmen's Lodge,Mocambo, Naten Als, The Smoke House, Tail o the Pup, The Apple Pan, Valentino,and dozens of other beloved establishments in this beautiful tribute to Los Angeles and its historic restaurants.Each location profiled is illustrated with a collection of historic and contemporary photographs and ephemerasuch as menus, matchbooks, and advertisementsand every entry features a short history of therestaurant, entertaining anecdotes, and such details as the year of opening, address, phone number (both original and current), type of cuisine, and the name of the restaurant's founder.Recipes made famous by the restaurant, updated for todays cook and kitchen by Chef Geary, will satisfy anyone seeking to replicate their favorite dish from these legendary restaurants and their chefs.Truly a love letter to Los Angeles and its world famous cuisine, L.A.s Landmark Restaurantsis sure to bring back treasured memories and knowing smiles from anyone who has dined at these fabled establishments.

In 1868, a New England factory girl sets out to invent a machine that will automate the paper-bag-manufacturing process where she works, while placing her and her fellow female workers on equal pay terms with their male counterparts.Fifteen-year-old Mattie is a mechanic in Columbia Papers all-female bag division. With paper bag sales booming after the Civil War, her boss expands the division by hiring men from his old Army regiment, including the mechanic Frank.Sparks instantly fly between Mattie and Frank, and their budding romance has her walking on airuntil she discovers Franks pay is higher than hers. In fact, all the men receive thirty percent more than their female counterparts. The bosss rationale? Men are inherently better with machines.Determined to prove him wrong, Mattie proposes a bet: If she can build a machine that fully automates their paper-bag-making process, the women will receive equal pay. If she fails, shell resign as mechanic. The boss accepts, with one condition: Frank will also build a machine, and Matties must beat his.Matties determination in the face of overwhelming prejudice in the workplace and, eventually, the courtroom, makes her story an inspiring feminist narrative. Mattie and the Machine also includes the technical challenges that Mattie encounters in taking her invention from initial concept to working prototype.Mattie and the Machine is a fictionalized yet historically accurate account of real-life inventor Margaret Knights fight to obtain recognition as a 19thcentury female inventor (she would eventually be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006), and an entertaining tale filled with romance, competition, treachery, and a feisty and brilliant female heroine who excels in STEM-related tasks.

A city girl emerges from grief and discovers her inner self through a passion for surfing.

The Thrilling and Emotional Memoir from Endurance Horse Racing Legend Sanoma BlakeleyChasing Dreams: The True Story of the Youngest Female Tevis Cup Champion is the incredible, action-packed memoir of Sanoma Blakeley‿s 2019 Tevis Cup championship, won while riding her beloved horse Goober, and the tale of how she became the youngest woman to ever become a Tevis Cup champion. Beginning her endurance riding career at the age of seven, Blakeley writes about the years of training and teamwork required to win the most challenging and famous 100-mile horse race in the world aboard a horse she had originally acquired for free off of Craigslist. Blakeley places readers on the ride with her so that they can experience the thrill of the most exciting horse endurance race in existence. Blakeley and Goober survive narrow mountain trails winding through the Sierra-Nevadas, containing over 19,000 feet of elevation gain; three steep, grueling canyons; crossing the shoulder-high American River; riding at night with only the light of the moon to guide them; temperatures that soared over 115 degrees; and, most excitingly, the final neck-and-neck sprint to the finish against a four-time Tevis Cup champion and world class competitor after 100 miles of some of the most rugged mountain trails in the world. When Blakeley and Goober cross the finish line just a few feet ahead of their competition and Blakeley becomes the youngest woman in history to win the Tevis Cup, a lifetime of hard work that began when the author started training as a small child and who had long dreamed of winning the Tevis Cup was finally rewarded. Chasing Dreams contains action, heartwarming twists, and an epic ending that will leave readers in tears.

"Featuring hundreds of photographs, this fully illustrated, updated, and revised encyclopedic look at the locations of the most famous and infamous pop culture events includes the fascinating history of over a thousand landmarks--as well as their exact location. With up-to-date information for the sites included in Epting's five original titles, plus dozens and dozens of new additions, It Happened Right Here is an amazing portrait of the bizarre, shocking, weird and wonderful moments that have come to define American popular culture"--

Between 1943 and 1944, nearly 50,000 Bulgarian Jews were rescued from the Holocaust, including thousands who had already been rounded up and put on trains bound for death camps in Poland. Dominic Carrillo‿s suspenseful novel Acts of Resistance is based on the true story of this incredibly heroic effort by the citizens of Bulgaria. In Carrillo‿s powerful account, he skillfully weaves together a thrilling tale told by three alternating teenage narrators: Misho, Peter, and Lily. Misho, an 18-year-old Jewish boy, is a prominent archbishop‿s driver, hiding his identity while helping his boss directly challenge the Bulgarian government‿s pro-Nazi policies. Peter, 17, is determined to save his Jewish neighbors by confronting parliament members in the capital, then taking up arms to fight with a partisan rebel communist group. Lily, 19, works for the collaborationist government office in charge of evicting and deporting Jews to concentration camps. When she witnesses the evil results of her desk job, Lily becomes a spy who leaks information to Jewish community leaders in order to prevent further atrocities. As the characters‿ lives become more endangered and their unsung roles in saving Jewish citizens are revealed, the reader is treated to a tension-filled adventure surrounding one of the greatest unknown acts of heroism associated with the Holocaust. Acts of Resistance will have you on the edge of your seat as Misho, Peter, and Lily face and overcome extremely perilous situations, ultimately triumphing as they each help to lead the people of Bulgaria to rise up against the Nazis and save their nearly 50,000-strong Jewish population from extinction.

The Gumshoe and the Shrink is a tale of political intrigue—a detective story and medical mystery set against the backdrop of the closest and most storied presidential election in American history. It’s the never-before-told account of how the craziest private detective in the country uncovered Richard Nixon’s most closely guarded secret—that he was seeing a psychotherapist—and how that discovery put victory out of Nixon’s reach in the 1960 election.At the center of the story is a manic-depressive private eye named Guenther Reinhardt, who in the fall of 1960 set out to destroy Richard Nixon. With Election Day just a few months away, Reinhardt discovered that Nixon was seeing a psychotherapist. And in those days, the only thing worse for a politician than needing to see a “shrink” was actually seeing one.Nixon’s brilliant psychotherapist, Dr. Arnold Hutschnecker, is the other character at the center of this story. Dr. Hutschnecker tried heroically to mold Nixon into the person they both wanted him to be—a man of peace. But like the fictional Dr. Frankenstein, his experiment failed terribly and a monster was created instead.The secret battle for the presidency detailed in The Gumshoe and the Shrink is supported by two key documents that have never been seen before: Guenther Reinhardt’s 12-page confidential report on the relationship between Nixon and Dr. Hutschnecker, and Dr. Hutschnecker’s unpublished memoirs detailing his treatment of Richard Nixon. These documents provide many fascinating insights into their “forbidden” relationship—and into Nixon’s tortured psychology.

For scores of Dodger fans, the years 1977 to 1981 mark the team's glory days, and this sports compendium chronicles the highlights and disappointments that marked those four tumultuous seasons. Told from lifelong fan Paul Haddad's perspective, the story of the Dodgers during this time period is enhanced by transcripts of radio and TV calls that are woven into the personal recollections, capturing famed Dodgers sportscaster Vin Scully at the top of his game. From Jerry Ruess's no-hitter and Rick Monday's epic homer against Montreal to the magical rookie year of Fernando Valenzuela and the 1981 World Series, all of the great Dodger moments are commemorated in great detail. In addition to its portion of the chronological narrative, each chapter contains lists, trivia, sidebars, and interesting statistics that make the exciting culture and fan frenzy that surrounded the Dodgers' last great dynasty come to life.

In Pork Belly Tacos with a Side of Anxiety, Yvonne Castaneda shares vibrant stories of her childhood growing up in Miami as the daughter of humble immigrants from Mexico and Cuba . . . and how she came to develop an unhealthy relationship with food.To help ease her mami's nervios, Yvonne becomes a perfectionist from a young age, achieving high grades at school and mastering the piano. But as her Cuban family members openly make comments about her awkward desarrollo, or puberty, Yvonne enters a new phase of self-consciousness that begins her obsession with weight.She abandons the piano for the high school cheerleading team, and reinvents herself, becoming both skinny and popular. However, as a first-generation adolescent born in the United States, Yvonne wrestles with the conflict between the cultural norms of her Hispanic/Latino heritage and American societal expectations. Plagued by doubt and low self-esteem, Yvonne begins a vicious cycle of weight gain and loss, as she battles Bulimia Nervosa. Beleaguered by feelings of guilt, shame, and inferiority, she develops anxiety, depression, and a reliance on dangerous coping mechanisms.Ultimately, sage advice from her dear abuela in Guadalajara, Mexico, guides Yvonne to a realization that shifts her perspective of herself and the purpose of her life, providing a foundation for inner peace, and la solucin to her past struggles.

Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles explores how social, economic, political, and cultural demands created the web of expressways whose very form-futuristic, majestic, and progressive-perfectly exemplifies the City of Angels. From the Arroyo Seco, which began construction during the Great Depression, to the Simi Valley and Century Freeways, which were completed in 1993, author Paul Haddad provides an entertaining and engaging history of the 527 miles of road that comprise the Los Angeles freeway system. Each of Los Angeles's twelve freeways receives its own chapter, and these are supplemented by "e;Off-Ramps"e;-sidebars that dish out pithy factoids about Botts' Dots, SigAlerts, and all matter of freeway lexicon, such as why Southern Californians are the only people in the country who place the word "e;the"e; in front of their interstates, as in "e;the 5,"e; or "e;the 101."e; Freewaytopia also explores those routes that never saw the light of day. Imagine superhighways burrowing through Laurel Canyon, tunneling under the Hollywood Sign, or spanning the waters of Santa Monica Bay. With a few more legislative strokes of the pen, you wouldn't have to imagine them-they'd already exist. Haddad notably gives voice to those individuals whose lives were inextricably connected-for better or worse-to the city's freeways: The hundreds of thousands of mostly minority and lower-class residents who protested against their displacement as a result of eminent domain. Women engineers who excelled in a man's field. Elected officials who helped further freeways . . . or stop them dead in their tracks. And he pays tribute to the corps of civic and state highway employees whose collective vision, expertise, and dedication created not just the most famous freeway network in the world, but feats of engineering that, at their best, achieve architectural poetry. Finally, let's not forget the beauty queens-no freeway in Los Angeles ever opened without their royal presence.

Damon DiMarco's Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11 (20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition), eternally preserves a monumental tragedy in American history through the voices of the people who were in New York City on that fateful day. At the same time, the individuals featured in the book speak to the myriad ways by which Americans rose to meet the challenges presented by 9/11, and celebrates the many heroes that are found within its pages. In the tradition of Studs Terkel, DiMarco's literary time capsule includes a wide variety of viewpoints, including: The small group of people who miraculously made it safely down from the 89th floor of Tower 1, the New York Times reporter who desperately fought her way through the fleeing crowds to get back into Lower Manhattan, the paramedic who set up a triage area 200 yards from the base of the Towers before they collapsed, and the bereaved citizens of New York City who struggled to get on with their lives in the days and months following the tragic event, among dozens of others. The original edition of Tower Stories was one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed books on 9/11 ever published, and for this 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, DiMarco has conducted additional interviews that offer a contemporary perspective on the 9/11 tragedy. The individuals DiMarco interviewed for the new edition include: * Alice Greenwald (President and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) * Father Jim Martin (New York Times bestselling author) * Tom Haddad (survivor of the 89th floor, Tower 1) * Stephen Adly Guirgis (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright). The 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition of DiMarco's moving oral history preserves all of the voices from the original edition for generations to come, while offering new insights that benefit from twenty years of reflection on the world-shattering event. The voices in Tower Stories are in turn haunting and heartbreaking, always emotional, yet ultimately heroic. It's no wonder that MSNBC called Tower Stories "e;Arguably the most successful attempt at capturing the enormity of the events of 9/11,"e; while Publishers Weekly wrote that "e;DiMarco's contribution to the memory of that horrific day is enormous; the testimonies collected here form a one-of-a-kind account."e;

Capturing such quintessentially American pastimes as baseball and road trips in one fascinating work, the updated and expanded third edition of Chris Epting's Roadside Baseball chronicles more than 500 important events in baseball history with detailed descriptions of the event and information on each location. Packed with historical data, trivia, photographs, and baseball lore, entries include the birthplaces of baseball legends, ballparks, museums and halls of fame, final resting places, and many locations that are no longer standing. From out-of-the-way spots to the most popular stadiums in the U.S. and Canada, no site is too small or insignificant to be included in this comprehensive guide. The third edition of Roadside Baseball includes hundreds of newly discovered landmarks, including the former locations of stadiums that have been torn down since the last edition of the book (Yankee stadium, Shea stadium, Tiger stadium, etc.), information on the Negro Leagues Baseball Marker project which has placed headstones around the country to honor forgotten African-American ballplayers, new exhibits at existing MLB parks, and suggested daytrip itineraries located near your favorite stadiums. Other new entries include the actual diamond used for the classic film, The Sandlot; the exact location where Mickey Mantle's legendary 565-foot blast landed; the baseball field in Orange County, California where many believe Babe Ruth hit the longest home run of his career against the great Walter Johnson (along with extremely rare photos of Ruth both batting and pitching during that very game); the newly marked location in Kekionga, Indiana where the first major league game was played in 1871; all 29 markers along the new "e;Hot Springs Baseball Trail"e; celebrating baseball history in Arkansas; and Heckscher Fields in Central Park, New York, where Larry David's softball team played in an episode of "e;Curb Your Enthusisam."e;Entries from the previous edition include the Buckminster Hotel in Boston, where the Black Sox planned their fix of the 1919 World Series; the original little league field and museum in Williamsport, Pennsylvania; the birthplace of Jackie Robinson; the place where Mickey Mantle was discovered by a scout from the New York Yankees; and the site of the original Wrigley Field, erected in Los Angeles in 1925. The third edition of Roadside Baseball is the most comprehensive book ever written on the locations of baseball landmarks, and the perfect gift for baseball fans of all ages!

For over fifty years, the American Film Institute has flourished as one of America's great cultural entities. Its graduates, faculty, supporters, and trustees have included such acclaimed individuals as Steven Spielberg, Maya Angelou, Gregory Peck, Meryl Streep, Les Moonves, Patty Jenkins, David Lynch, Jane Fonda, Edward James Olmos, Shonda Rhimes, James L. Brooks, Michael Nesmith, Sir Howard Stringer, and many other respected leaders in the worlds of film, television, digital media, and philanthropy. Written in a unique memoir style, Becoming AFI: 50 Years Inside the American Film Institute offers a candid look at how this remarkable organization has brought together aspiring filmmakers, outstanding educators, and visionary artists. The book details AFI's journey to becoming the foremost national champion for moving images as a vibrant art form and a critical component of America's cultural history. AFI's story is chronicled through in-depth essays written by those who have been involved in its adventures, growth, and successes: from its early years under George Stevens Jr.'s direction at the legendary Greystone mansion and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; through its period of incredible growth, under Jean Picker Firstenberg's guidance, as an influential cultural institution at its landmark Hollywood campus; to its continued years of excellence under Bob Gazzale's dynamic leadership. Becoming AFI provides an insightful, behind-the-scenes look at how AFI-with passionate determination-overcame the hurdles of advancing technology, political shifts, and new audience dynamics to turn its aspirations into a substantial and highly successful organization. A tireless advocate of moving images as one of America's most popular art forms, AFI is maturing into one of the world's most respected educational and cultural institutions.

The punk rock scene of the 1970s and '80s in Southern California is widely acknowledged as one of the most vibrant, creative periods in all of rock and roll history. And while many books have covered the artists who contributed to the music of that era, none have exclusively focused on the vitality and influence of the women who played such a crucial role in this incredibly dynamic and instrumental movement. We Were Going to Change the World captures the stories of women who were active in the SoCal punk rock scene during this historic time, adding an important voice to its cultural and musical record. Through exclusive interviews with musicians, journalists, photographers, and fans, Stacy Russo has captured the essence of why these women were drawn to punk rock, what they witnessed, and how their involvement in this empowering scene ended up influencing the rest of their lives. From such hugely influential musicians and performers as Exene Cervenka, Alice Bag, Kira, Phranc, Johanna Went, Teresa Covarrubias, and Jennifer Precious Finch, to such highly regarded journalists, DJs, and photographers as Ann Summa, Jenny Lens, Kristine McKenna, Pleasant Gehman, and Stella, to the fans and scenesters who supported the bands and added so much color and energy to the scene, We Were Going to Change the World is an important oral history of the crucial contributions women injected into the Southern California punk rock scene of the 1970s and '80s. Empowering, touching, and informative, Stacy Russo's collection of interviews adds a whole new dimension to the literature of both punk rock and women's studies.

M-G-M: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot is the illustrated history of the soundstages and outdoor sets where Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced many of the world's most famous films. During its Golden Age, the studio employed the likes of Garbo, Astaire, and Gable, and produced innumerable iconic pieces of cinema such as The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain, and Ben-Hur.It is estimated that a fifth of all films made in the United States prior to the 1970s were shot at MGM studios, meaning that the gigantic property was responsible for hundreds of iconic sets and stages, often utilizing and transforming minimal spaces and previously used props, to create some of the most recognizable and identifiable landscapes of modern movie culture.All of this happened behind closed doors, the backlot shut off from the public in a veil of secrecy and movie magic. M-G-M: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot highlights this fascinating film treasure by recounting the history, popularity, and success of the MGM company through a tour of its physical property.Featuring the candid, exclusive voices and photographs from the people who worked there, and including hundreds of rare and unpublished photographs (including many from the archives of Warner Bros.), readers are launched aboard a fun and entertaining virtual tour of Hollywood's most famous and mysterious motion picture studio.

Fair Foods is an illustrated cookbook featuring the recipes of the most popular and offbeat food served at state and county fairs across the USA.Packed with 120 original recipes created by award-winning chef, best-selling author, and renowned educator George Geary, Fair Foods includes such state and county fair classics as Texas Maple Bacon Donuts, The World’s Gooiest Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting, Aztec Hot Chocolate, Witch’s Brew, Caramel Kettle Corn, Fried Sweet Potato Sticks, Ten-Pound Cheesebuns, Cheesecake on a Stick, Chocolate-Encased Bacon, Fried Coca-Cola, Fried Guacamole, Fried Oreo Cookies, BBQ Turkey Legs, Bacon-Wrapped Chicken and Waffles, Blue Ribbon Chili, Pork Chop on a Stick, and Spicy Peanut Butter and Jelly Burgers.Each page in Fair Foods is lavishly illustrated with both vintage and contemporary photographs of America’s most beloved fair foods, as well as fun and lively images of rides and attractions and nostalgic ephemera. Fair Foods is not only mouthwateringly addictive, it also captures the joy and spirit of America’s greatest state and county fairs.

10,000 Steps a Day in L.A.: 52 Walking Adventures is for urban adventurers with a passion for healthy living who are also hungry to explore L.A.s hidden, unsung, and sometimes quirky side. This unique guidebook provides everything readers need to venture out and tackle the citys 500 square miles.The book is based on a concept that first took hold in Japanthat if people walked 10,000 steps each day, they would burn 20 percent of their caloric intake through that activity alone. Now an ingrained part of the American lifestyle, the 10,000 steps phenomenon is taking the country by storm; it is now a recognized daily goal by a number of major insurance companies like Kaiser Permanente and health institutes such as the World Health Organization, the U.S. Center for Disease Control, the U.S. Surgeon General, and the American Heart Foundation.In this first-ever book to explore the 10,000 steps concept in the City of Angels, these walks take readers through the terrain that makes Los Angeles the envy of many a metropolisbeaches, mountains, rivers, and reservoirs, not to mention the nations largest urban park, Griffith Parkall while immersing them in the citys history and lore, offbeat locales, and popular landmarks.10,000 Steps a Day in L.A. promises three things: 10,000 steps in each walk, a blueprint for doing it each weekend of the year (52 walks equals a years worth of weekends), and a sense of fun and discovery about L.A. that will only make the 10,000 steps goal that much easier to attain. Readers need bring only their feetpedometers optional.

Flowing with the Pearl River: Autobiography of a Red China Girl is a young adult memoir about Amy Chan Zhou and her family's struggles to survive in China from the time the Communists took power in 1949 through the end of the Mao era in 1976. Narrated through the eyes and voice of Chan Zhou, Flowing with the Pearl River is an insightful, accurate, and in-depth look at the devastating impact the many political campaigns and revolutions had on multiple generations of her family. As the Communists take control of the country in 1949, we follow the harrowing experiences of Chan Zhou's great-grandparents, grandparents, father, and mother during the branding of landlords, business owners, and scholars as "bad elements" and "class enemies." The author and her family members were among those whose lives were shattered and who suffered from the political campaigns and revolutions.The struggles continue as the Communist political leaders pit people against people and breed fear and distrust by coercing informants to turn on innocent citizens, forcing re-education in labor camps and instigating the Cultural Revolution. Chan Zhou's personal observations and emotional experiences are at the heart of the story from her childhood and middle school years in China to her father's escape to Hong Kong and Chan Zhou's eventual immigration to the United States at age 14. Chan Zhou's childhood stories as a wild child growing up in the countryside with primitive conditions are marked by the family's everyday struggle to obtain food, the hardship that resulted when Chan Zhou's school became a child labor camp, and the horror of attending "public denouncing" meetings and witnessing relatives being tortured on a stage. However, Chan Zhou's childhood also featured rural beauty and the simple joys of raising farm animals or catching fish in a local river. When Chan Zhou sells vegetables in the black market, she is accused of being a "little capitalist trader"; the death of Mao ultimately saves her from being sent to a detention center, and her family's destiny is forever altered by Deng Xiaoping's reform that allowed Chan Zhou's family to reunite in Hong Kong and their subsequent immigration to the USA.A blend of Wild Swans and The Red Scarf Girl, Flowing with the Pearl River presents rich and detailed depictions of one family's painful experiences during Communism and the Cultural Revolution in China. It is a comprehensive and vividly accurate portrayal of the impact of those events on Chinese culture and society that remains largely unknown to modern readers and risks being forgotten. Flowing with the Pearl River aims to ensure that this history and the memories of millions of families similar to Chan Zhou's remain alive and remembered for eternity.