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African Visionaries
In over forty portraits, African writers present extraordinary people from their continent: portraits of the women and men whom they admire, people who have changed and enriched life in Africa. The portraits include inventor, founders of universities, resistance fighters, musicians, environmental activists or writers. African Visionaries is a multi-faceted book, seen through African eyes, on the most impactful people of Africa.
Some of the writers contributing to the collection are: Helon Habila, Virginia Phiri, Ellen Banda-Aaku, Véronique Tadjo, Tendai Huchu, Solomon Tsehaye, Patrice Nganang and Sami Tchak.
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All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes (Maya Angelou’s Autobiography #5)
In 1962 the poet, musician, and performer Maya Angelou claimed another piece of her identity by moving to Ghana, joining a community of “Revolutionist Returnees” inspired by the promise of pan-Africanism. All God’s Children Need Walking Shoes is her lyrical and acutely perceptive exploration of what it means to be an African American on the mother continent, where color no longer matters but where American-ness keeps asserting itself in ways both puzzling and heartbreaking. As it builds on the personal narrative of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Gather Together in My Name, this book confirms Maya Angelou’s stature as one of the most gifted autobiographers of our time.
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Beyonce: Running the World(Hardcover)
As a painfully shy six-year-old singing in her parents’ kitchen back in the late eighties, it was impossible to imagine the meteoric rise that Beyoncé Knowles would go on to achieve.
Fast forward 25 years and not only has she sold 75 million albums, making her one of the most successful recording artists of all time, but she is also an actress, fashion icon, producer and doting mother.
Beyoncé: Running The World is the full story of Houston born-and-bred Beyoncé’s extraordinary life, which saw her join her first pop group at the age of nine before fronting the girl band Destiny’s Child – the biggest-selling female group of all time. After embarking on a solo career in 2003, Beyoncé’s status as a superstar was sealed and to date she has won more than 220 awards internationally and the hearts of millions of fans the world over.
As the world’s biggest star, Beyoncé continues to scale new heights and her latest album, Beyoncé, broke all records after hitting No.1 in more than 100 countries. Echoing the sentiment of her 2011 hit single, she really is running the music world right now.
The most definitive and up-to-date telling of Beyoncé’s story ever written, this book provides an intimate close-up on both her professional and personal life, with the inside story on how she and rapper husband Jay-Z became the biggest power couple on earth. With reports that their marriage was crumbling before the world’s eyes on their 2014 joint tour, On The Run, it pieces together the split rumours that plagued them at every turn and documents exactly how they coped with such intense public scrutiny.
The book also analyses Beyoncé’s role as a mother to young daughter Blue Ivy and explores the hidden heartbreaks of her past, including a tragic miscarriage, a lengthy battle with depression and an agonising rift with her manager father Mathew.
While celebrating Beyoncé’s greatest triumphs Beyoncé: Running The World uncovers the truth behind the headlines, finding out exactly who ‘Queen Bey’ is and what really goes on behind the scenes…
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Bob Marley: The Untold Story
What was it about Bob Marley that made him so popular in a world dominated by rock’n’roll? How is that he has not only remained the single most successful reggae artist ever, but has also become a shining beacon of radicalism and peace to generation after generation of fans across the globe?
On May 11, 1981, a little after 11.30 in the morning, Bob Marley died. The man who introduced reggae to a worldwide audience, in his own lifetime he had already become a hero figure in the classic mythological sense. From immensely humble beginnings and with talent and religious belief his only weapons, the Jamaican recording artist applied himself with unstinting perseverance to spreading his prophetic musical message.
And he had achieved it: only a year earlier, Bob Marley and The Wailers’ tour of Europe had seen them perform to the largest audiences a musical act had up to that point experienced. Record sales of Marley’s albums before his death were spectacular; in the years since his death they have become phenomenal, as each new generation discovers afresh the remarkable power of his music.
Chris Salewicz, who had a sequence of adventures with Bob Marley in Jamaica in 1979, offers us a comprehensive and detailed account of Bob Marley’s life and the world in which he grew up and came to dominate. Never-before-heard interviews with dozens of people who knew Marley are woven through a narrative that brings to life not only the Rastafari religion and the musical scene in Jamaica, but also the spirit of the man himself.
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Cheryl (Hardcover)
Cherylis the definitive biography of the nation’s favourite star. From her Newcastle childhood to her stellar success with Girls Aloud, as a number one solo artist and on TV with The X Factor, Sean Smith tells the true, roller-coaster story of how a cheeky and feisty girl from a grim, working class area became the iconic figure for modern women in Britain today.
Cheryl’s path to fame and fortune has often been difficult, facing the problems drugs and unemployment have brought to those she loves. Now, her turbulent marriage to footballer Ashley Cole is sadly under the spotlight, but, with insight and understanding, Sean Smith reveals the real woman behind the beautiful public face.
‘Sean Smith gives a remarkable account of Cheryl’s struggle to the top…A first-rate biography.’ — Sunday Express
Sean Smith is the UK’s leading celebrity biographer whose best-selling books have been translated throughout the world.
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Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney(Hardcover)
The living embodiment of The Beatles and a musical juggernaut without parallel, Paul McCartney is undoubtedly the patriarch of pop. In this authoritative biography, acclaimed author and journalist Howard Sounes creates the most accurate and extensive profile of McCartney ever built, leaving no stone unturned, and no shadow unexplored.
He is the torch-bearer of the Beatles – the greatest band in pop – and one of the most closely studied stars in show business. But surprises and secrets still linger in the life of Sir Paul McCartney.
In FAB, his full story is told for the first time.
Acclaimed author Howard Sounes spent more than two years investigating every aspect of Sir Paul’s life and work, including interviewing over 200 people. The result is the richest and more comprehensive biography of McCartney ever written.
Uniquely, FAB pays equal attention to the story of Paul McCartney both in the Beatles and post-Beatles, creating a unique narrative spanning the arc of the artist’s life. FAB culminates in the sensational human story of Sir Paul’s calamitous marriage to Heather Mills, which is fully revealed for the first time. Sounes proves a judicious critic of the music of an iconic star while also delivering a superb psychological portrait of the man.
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Fela: This Bitch of A Life
“I’ve never met a more fearless, direct, activist, fiercely radical, rebel, courageous warrior, prolific, and gifted person like FELA. I admired his honesty, was often puzzled by his contradictory lifestyle, was in total awe of his musical genius, relished his outrageous sense of humour, deeply treasured his friendship and was absolutely inspired by his fathomless generosity. This Bitch of a Life illustrates an extremely heartbreaking phase in this incredibly gifted master musician’s experiences. It is filled with so many occasions of savage torture on FELA’s soul, being and psyche: trumped up criminal charges, military onslaught, seamless court appearances. Kangaroo-court convictions and imprisonment accompanied by a nauseating inhumanity that caused FELA unimaginable misery.” — Hugh Masekela, Musician and Friend
African superstar, composer, singer, and musician, as well as mystic and political activist, Nigerian Fela Kuti, born in 1938, was controversy personified.
He was swept to international celebrity on a wave of scandal and flamboyance, and when he died of AIDS in 1997, more than a million people attended his funeral. But what was he really like, this man who could as easily arouse violent hostility as he could unswerving loyalty?
Carlos Moore’s unique biography, based on hours of conversation and told in Fela’s first-person vernacular, reveals the icon’s complex personality and tumultuous existence. Moore includes interviews with fifteen of his queens (wives); photos; and an updated discography.
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George: A Memory of George Michael(Hardcover)
George is the story of two extraordinary lives – the private man and the public legend.
Georgios Panayiotou was just eighteen when he decided to adopt the stage name of George Michael. Sometimes his two worlds would collide with shattering consequences.
Bestselling biographer Sean Smith has gone back to the neighbourhoods of North London to trace the astonishing journey of a sensitive but determined boy who grew up to be one of the biggest British pop stars of all time.
Along the way, he talks to those close to George, revealing the real man – funny, articulate, intelligent and generous spirited – who hid behind the powerful image he created.
He reveals the complex relationship with his high-achieving Greek-Cypriot father; the unconditional love of his mother; his teenage relationships with girls; and his first tragic love affair with another man.
George’s career began falteringly with a schoolboy band, exploded with Wham! before he became a solo phenomenon. But at the height of his fame, the world seemed to turn against him. Smith describes his despair at losing the two people who mattered most, how he sought consolation in drugs, his notorious ‘coming out’ and how he ended up in jail.
His health failed him and he died heartbreakingly alone on Christmas Day, 2016.
Affectionate yet honest and moving, George is both a celebration of George Michael’s music and a lasting tribute to a decent and much-loved man.
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John Lennon: The Life
The final word on music’s greatest legend, in which Philip Norman reveals a John Lennon the world has never seen. With ground-breaking insight into the pain, beauty and frustration that shaped the genius of modern music, John Lennon: The Definitive Biography redefines a legend.
John Lennon – the iconic songwriter, composer and one quarter of The Beatles – was a giant of the twentieth century. As the founding member of the world’s most successful group ever, he changed lives. The popularity and significance of The Beatles is beyond comparison in our age – in the UK alone, they released more than 40 number one singles and albums.
But their impact extended well beyond their music. Their clothes, hairstyles, statements, and even their choice of instruments made them trend-setters from the 1960s to this day, while their growing social awareness – reflected in the development of their music – saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.
Following the painful collapse of The Beatles, John came out a wiser but angrier person. Together with his wife Yoko Ono, he attempted to transform the world through non-musical means. Their bed-in in Amsterdam and Montreal, their black bag appearances on stage, their innocent flirting with political activists and radicals, all received massive media attention. These events were in search of world peace.
John Lennon was shot dead by a mentally disturbed fan outside his New York apartment building on December 8, 1980.
Featuring previously unseen photographs, this truly is the definitive John Lennon.
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Learning to Fly-Victoria Beckham(Hardcover)
From the time when, as an eight-year-old girl, she saw the movie Fame, Victoria wanted to be a star. There was a line from the title song that stayed with her – ‘I’m gonna live forever, I’m gonna learn how to fly’. With this extraordinary book she gives us the chance to follow her on her journey from lonely teenager to international star; to fly alongside her. At heart is an uplifting story of tenderness and passion, but kidnap threats and media lies have often turned the dream into a nightmare. Incredibly frank and told with coruscating humour, Victoria’s autobiography describes her extraordinary life as it really is. LEARNING TO FLY is more compelling than any novel.
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Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My Great-Granddaughter (Hardcover)
Sidney Poitier is one of the most revered actors in the history of Hollywood. He has overcome enormous obstacles in extraordinary times and is a role model for many Americans because of his convictions, bravery, and grace. Poitier reflects on his amazing life in Life Beyond Measure, offering inspirational advice and personal stories in the form of extended letters to his great-granddaughter. Writing for all who admire his example and who search for wisdom only a man of great experience can offer, this American icon shares his thoughts on love, faith, courage, and the future.
Poitier draws upon the perspective and wisdom gained from his memories as a poor boy in the Bahamas, his experience of racism coming to the United States, falling in love and raising a family, breaking the race barrier in theater and film during the Civil Rights Era, achieving stardom and success in Hollywood, and being a diplomat and humanitarian. He reflects on the deepest questions and the significant passages of his life, the virtues that helped him through tough times, and the sense of purpose and history that strengthened him. He emphasizes the importance of the role of faith in a technological age, as well as our responsibility to the earth and future generations. Throughout, Poitier shares stories about the people of courage he has met along the way and the meaning of life in the face of death.
Life Beyond Measure is the perfect book to inspire readers to live the fullest life with integrity, from one of our most respected celebrities and a national treasure.
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Madonna: An Intimate Biography (Hardcover)
Madonna!
Megastar. Lover. Mother. Opportunist. Chameleon. Role model.
She’s all of these things…and more.
Yet, who is she, really?
In Madonna: An Intimate Biography, author J. Randy Taraborrelli’s scrupulously researched and completely balanced unauthorized biography of one of the world’s most celebrated entertainers, the reader is allowed to draw his or her own conclusions. Indeed, the portrait bestselling author Taraborrelli paints here is of a truly complex woman, one who is driven and determined to succeed at any cost, yet who displays remarkable vulnerability when it comes to matters of the heart.
It is significant that Madonna: An Intimate Biography is the first such book written about the star in over a decade, because in the past ten years the ever-changing Madonna has gone through her biggest transformation yet — from tempestuous sex goddess to happily married mother. Amazingly, as she launches her first worldwide tour in eight years, she is now — at forty-something — enjoying one of the most successful periods of her groundbreaking career.
Whereas other books about Madonna have been based on previously published material, Madonna: An Intimate Biography is the result of ten years of exclusive interviews with people who are speaking publicly about her for the first time, including close friends, business associates and even family members. Since Taraborrelli interviewed the star herself early in her career, he is now able to draw from such firsthand experiences to place her success story in perspective and provide new, stunning insights. The true Madonna, as presented here, is not merely a sensation-seeking tabloid vixen, but a flesh-and-blood woman with human foibles and weaknesses — as well as great strengths and ambitions.
For the first time, the reader learns about the complex nature of her difficult relationship with her father, and how the two finally found one another after years of estrangement; how Warren Beatty broke her heart, and why the two never wed; how she and John Kennedy, Jr., became romantically involved, his mother’s reaction to the prospect of Madonna as a daughter-in-law and why it could never have worked out; the truth of her relationships with the fathers of her two children and how, as a loving and attentive mother, she has evolved into a surprisingly different woman…and what the future holds for her.
Madonna: An Intimate Biography is a truly explosive and definitive account of the life of an entertainer who is undoubtedly one of the most popular, trendsetting figures of our time. Full of amazing disclosures about her private life and public career, New York Times bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli’s latest work reveals Madonna in a new — and surprisingly inspiring — way. Not only a feast for fans, this book is great entertainment for anyone who enjoys a remarkable story, stirringly told.
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