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Posts Tagged ‘Biography’

Illusions of Camelot

From the artistic director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet and former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet comes an unforgettable memoir about one artist’s journey from boyhood to ballet.

Peter’s story starts in the pastoral and privileged town of Bedford, New York: a rare enclave 40 miles north of New York City where private schools, country clubs, and families hold their own rules and secrets. Within the town, views of race, morality, and sexuality are unspoken yet evident. Meanwhile, at home, Peter and his family are left to grapple with his father’s alcoholism and untimely death. As a young boy finding his way, Peter soon turns to ballet. Ultimately his passion becomes a beacon, leading him to work at the New York City Ballet as a teenager, living on his own while discovering the pitfalls and pleasures Manhattan has to offer.

Throughout Peter’s deeply personal work, you’ll meet Hattie Lindsay, Peter’s caregiver, whose love for Peter matches her disdain for Henry, the family dog. You’ll step onto the club house floor during ballroom dancing lessons in Bedford, into the studios of the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, and onto the stage in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker as Peter performs the title role of the Nutcracker Prince. For all the laughter these stories offer, gravity is everywhere. Moments by Balanchine’s hospital bedside, or in the AIDS-ravaged ward at Columbia-Presbyterian hospital as a loved one’s life passes away are told with painful honesty and raw hurt.

Peter’s journey takes us to the start of a storied career as a dancer with the New York City Ballet and leaves us with insights into the unique path of an artist and individual shaped by environment, circumstance, and family.

Author: Peter Boal

Hardcover: $24.95 USD (ISBN: 9780825309830)

Ebook: $14.99 USD (ISBN: 9780825308628)

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY/ Personal Memoirs

250 pages

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ANCHORED News!

Thursday, February 3rd, 2022

A great review from Kirkus Review is in for Anchored

Crim reflects on his successful career as a journalist and his perennial struggles with his religious faith.
Crim grew up in Hamilton, Ohio, dreaming of becoming a preacher and following in his father’s footsteps. By the age of 16, he was an evangelist holding crowds in rapt attention, and he was an ordained a minister before he turned 18. He was also plagued by doubts about his faith, reservations that waged within him like an “intellectual war.” He discovered early on that his experience performing, as well as the fact that he “blessed with a good set of pipes,” could translate into a career on the radio. He got his start as a DJ at KLCN in Blytheville, Missouri. Eventually, he branched out into television, landed a job at ABC, and shared an office with Ted Koppel. The author became a notable anchorman in Detroit, a post he would hold for nearly two decades, all while continuing to host popular syndicated radio shows. Notably, Crim was the inspiration for Will Ferrell’s now iconic character, Ron Burgundy. The author candidly discusses not only his impressive professional career, but also his personal life, including his marriage. He furnishes a thoughtful assessment of the ways American journalism has changed, undermined by a “drift toward sensationalism” that has resulted in a diminishment in the public’s trust. Crim’s perch is a rare one—he’s experienced the industry from top to bottom and has witnessed its transformations from the inside. Moreover, Crim’s discussion of his religious faith is admirably forthcoming as well as thoughtful: “The fast-paced, competitive life of television news kept me moving, but I couldn’t outrun my anxieties about God. Sometimes in church, and sometimes in the quiet dark of a restless night, the questions would surface and trouble me.” While the remembrance runs a touch long—it’s overloaded with granular detail—it nonetheless provides an astute peek into the world of American journalism.
A fascinating recollection, edifying and entertaining.

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To learn more about Mort Crim, click here.

John H. Kampmann: Master Builder

Although relatively unknown in modern day San Antonio, John H. Kampmann was an imposing force during his lifetime (1819-1885). Professor Maggie Valentine explores the lasting legacy Kampmann had on the city. Valentine traces his life from his move to Texas, his involvement in the Civil War (he later received a presidential pardon from President Andrew Johnson), to his twenty year career as a Master Builder.

Arriving in Texas in 1848, German immigrant Johann Hermann Kampmann was a practicing craftsman. Often referred to as “the busiest man in town,” he helped change the architectural face of the city, from the adobe Spanish village to a city of stone and mortar.

His clients included names still familiar in the city, including Menger, Steves, Sweet, and Eagar, But his buildings still speak the loudest about his accomplishments: Steves, Eagar (HemisFair), and Sweet (University of the Incarnate Word) Houses; and the Lone Star Brewery (San Antonio Museum of Art).

About: Maggie Valentine

Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825307300)

Ebook: $9.95 (ISBN: 9780825306631)

Biography/Architecture

200 pages

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