My Infamous Life

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My Infamous Life

Author : Albert "Prodigy" Johnson,Prodigy (Musician)
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2012-02-07
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781439103197

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My Infamous Life by Albert "Prodigy" Johnson,Prodigy (Musician) Pdf

"A memoir about a life almost lost and a revealing look at the dark side of hip hop's golden era ... a story of struggle, survival, and hope down the mean streets of New York City"--Dust flap jacket.

E.A.R.L.

Author : DMX,Smokey D. Fontaine
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 354 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2003-10-21
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780060934033

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E.A.R.L. by DMX,Smokey D. Fontaine Pdf

The dark journey of a boy who became a man, the man who became an artist, and the artist who became an icon. A talent for rhyme saved his life, but the demons and sins of his past continue to haunt him. This is the story of Earl Simmons.

H.N.I.C.

Author : Albert Johnson
Publisher : Akashic Books
Page : 129 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2013-07-16
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781617752377

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H.N.I.C. by Albert Johnson Pdf

"A gritty, fast-paced tale of revenge...Tight, terse prose harkens back to pulp fiction of the 1950s...The work is a breath of fresh air from lengthy, trying-too-hard-to-shock street lit and is an excellent choice for all metropolitan collections." --Library Journal (starred review, Pick of the Month) "The urban setting is unnamed but familiar in this brief, bloody tale of wasted lives lived short and hard." --Publishers Weekly "Simultaneously a fast-paced crime drama and an engrossing, unsentimental moral tale, H.N.I.C. peers into the dark heart that underpins the codes of loyalty and friendship, betrayal and vengeance." --Brooklyn Daily Eagle "In a genre that too often places incorrect ebonics in the mouths of black characters and fails to cross the empathy gap to get into their heads, Savile and Prodigy arrive at a seamless voice that is a refreshing take on crime fiction tropes...if tone and texture are what you're looking for in your hardcore literature...H.N.I.C. delivers the goods." --Okayplayer "H.N.I.C. is written by Prodigy himself and shows the extent to which good rappers can make good storytellers." --Brooklyn Based "Ultimately, H.N.I.C. deals on all the right levels and is completely satisfying." --Blackout Book Review "If you don't have this novella in your library collection already, please be on the lookout for this 2013 release, H.N.I.C., penned by Hip Hop artist Prodigy of the group, Mobb Deep." --StreetLiterature.com "The strength of this novella, in addition to its straightforward prose and rapid pacing, rests on the universal theme at its center: loyalty. Loyalty and the bullshit our friends put us through...Like any good work of crime, H.N.I.C. is grounded in such common experiences and, like any good work of crime, it speaks to all of us, despite the fact that very few of us can bypass an alarm system through some computer trickery." --Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together "It tells the...urban tale of deceit, greed and questioned loyalty with just enough drama to keep you turning the pages." --Literary Jewels "A brutal and quick read...custom-made for the big screen." --Charles Tatum's Review Archive Prodigy, from the legendary hip-hop group Mobb Deep, launches Akashic's new Infamous Books imprint with a story of loyalty, vengeance, and greed. Pappy tries to break out of the game before the head of his crew, Black, gets them all killed. Against his better judgment Pappy agrees to do one last job, but only because it's the price of his freedom. He knows his "brother" Black would rather see him dead than let him walk away. Yet he still agrees to do the job because Black isn't the only one who can't be trusted. Further developing the stark realism and uncompromising streetwise narratives of his lyrics, H.N.I.C. cements Prodigy's position as one of the foremost chroniclers of contemporary urban life. Simultaneously a fast-paced crime drama and an engrossing, unsentimental moral tale, H.N.I.C. peers into the dark heart that underpins the codes of loyalty and friendship, betrayal and vengeance. With H.N.I.C., Prodigy inaugurates Infamous Books, a revolutionary partnership that pairs the Infamous Records brand with Brooklyn-based independent publisher Akashic Books. Infamous Books' mission is to connect readers worldwide to crime fiction and street lit authors both familiar and new.

Commissary Kitchen

Author : Albert "Prodigy" Johnson,Kathy Iandoli
Publisher : Kingston Imperial
Page : 118 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2016-10-11
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0997146230

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Commissary Kitchen by Albert "Prodigy" Johnson,Kathy Iandoli Pdf

“Ultimately, these aren't recipes you're likely to try at home ― though they might be just the thing when your refrigerator is bare.” ― NPR Books Simple recipes for a complex world. Here's what you get at the Commissary Kitchen: - Clean Hands Sweet Potato Pie - Spicy Seafood - Don’t Be Salty Chicken Ramen - Barbecue Salmon - Vegetarian Curry And a lot more. In the Fall of 2016, rapper Prodigy released his Commissary Kitchen cookbook as a long-awaited addendum to his critically acclaimed 2011 memoir My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep’s Prodigy. Originally, Prodigy’s vision for Commissary Kitchen was to highlight the bare bones prison conditions to which inmates are subjected to and forcibly requiring a broad scope of ideas when it comes to the limited nutrition provided from food purchased within the commissary. The conversation was taken to Harvard, MIT, and Yale, with televised appearances on NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, TMZ, and a lengthy discussion with legendary radio personality Angie Martinez during the Barnes & Noble book launch, as well as a food truck at the renowned Smorgasburg. In My Infamous Life, Prodigy detailed his mindset and need for self-reflection while imprisoned, but took it a step further with Commissary Kitchen by using recipes to tell the stories of life in prison, as he grappled with staying healthy as a quiet sufferer of the SS Type of Sickle Cell Anemia, by far the most fatal. Prodigy surrendered to the disease in 2017, though much like his music, his impact lives on forever. As the world became entrenched in a global pandemic this book provides a glimpse of ways to survive under meager conditions. Once again Commissary Kitchen proves useful, as what was once a prison and college dormitory favorite can now be applied to most human lives in search of fun and moderately healthy recipes using well-preserved items like canned goods with simple appliances and utensils. From omelets to black bean curry, simple sauces and reductions, there’s plenty to pull from Commissary Kitchen as our current need is to stretch our food supply as far and most affordable as possible ―especially with escalating unemployment rates. Prodigy’s initial intent was to save lives, and here he’s doing it again. Commissary Kitchen is much more than a fun gift book; it’s an essential survival guide for these uncertain times. Rest In Peace, Prodigy.

Zippy and Me

Author : Ronnie Le Drew,Duncan Barrett,Nuala Calvi
Publisher : Unbound Publishing
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2019-07-25
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781783527007

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Zippy and Me by Ronnie Le Drew,Duncan Barrett,Nuala Calvi Pdf

Over the course of almost half a century, puppeteer Ronnie Le Drew has worked with the greats – from David Bowie in Labyrinth to Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol. But the role that defined his career was Rainbow’s Zippy, who he operated for more than twenty years. Zippy and Me is the first time a Rainbow insider has told the true story of what went on under the counter and inside the suits: the petty squabbles between performers, wrangling with TV executives, and scandals such as the 'love triangle' between musicians Rod, Jane and Freddy. Not to mention the now infamous X-rated episode shot for an ITV Christmas party, which subsequently found its way to the Sun. Interweaved with the dirt on what really went on behind the scenes is the story of Rainbow’s heyday in the 1970s and 80s, when its stars found themselves catapulted into an exciting showbiz world – scooping a BAFTA award and even performing for the queen – and the story of a young lad from a south London council estate who defied his parents' protests to became one of the most respected puppeteers of all time.

After Further Review

Author : Mike Pereira,Rick Jaffe
Publisher : Triumph Books
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2016-09-15
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781633195905

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After Further Review by Mike Pereira,Rick Jaffe Pdf

A former NFL ref and acclaimed rules expert shares his insights and thoughts on the rules of the sport Only recently in the world of NFL media have "rules experts" become an essential part of a fan's viewing experience. As the league continues to implement rule changes that have more and more of an impact on games and, sometimes, the final outcome, it's become imperative that fans understand the rules and how they're applied. But often, they need help. Mike Pereira, hired by Fox Sports in 2010 as the rules expert for both the NFL and college football, was not only the first to rise to prominence in the role, but he is consistently lauded as being the best by his peers and even rival media networks. Viewers have come to rely on Pereira, the former vice president of NFL officiating, to provide entertaining, informative, and reliable explanations of the league's often baffling and controversial rulings during games. Now, Pereira digs a little deeper and gives NFL fans and casual viewers alike insight into NFL rules, their applications, and some of the most controversial calls in recent memory, in terms both can understand. In this book, Pereira draws on professional experience and his personal life, both his years of work at the pinnacle of the officiating world and his upbringing as the child of longtime official, Al Pereira.

My Life in the Purple Kingdom

Author : BrownMark
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
Page : 167 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2022-05-31
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781452963570

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My Life in the Purple Kingdom by BrownMark Pdf

From the young Black teenager who built a bass guitar in woodshop to the musician building a solo career with Motown Records—Prince’s bassist BrownMark on growing up in Minneapolis, joining Prince and The Revolution, and his life in the purple kingdom In the summer of 1981, Mark Brown was a teenager working at a 7-11 store when he wasn’t rehearsing with his high school band, Phantasy. Come fall, Brown, now called BrownMark, was onstage with Prince at the Los Angeles Coliseum, opening for the Rolling Stones in front of 90,000 people. My Life in the Purple Kingdom is BrownMark’s memoir of coming of age in the musical orbit of one of the most visionary artists of his generation. Raw, wry, real, this book takes us from his musical awakening as a boy in Minneapolis to the cold call from Prince at nineteen, from touring the world with The Revolution and performing in Purple Rain to inking his own contract with Motown. BrownMark’s story is that of a hometown kid, living for sunny days when his transistor would pick up KUXL, a solar-powered, shut-down-at-sundown station that was the only one that played R&B music in Minneapolis in 1968. But once he took up the bass guitar—and never looked back—he entered a whole new realm, and, literally at the right hand of Twin Cities musical royalty, he joined the funk revolution that integrated the Minneapolis music scene and catapulted him onto the international stage. BrownMark describes how his funky stylings earned him a reputation (leading to Prince’s call) and how he and Prince first played together at that night’s sudden audition—and never really stopped. He takes us behind the scenes as few can, into the confusing emotional and professional life among the denizens of Paisley Park, and offers a rare, intimate look into music at the heady heights that his childhood self could never have imagined. An inspiring memoir of making it against stacked odds, experiencing extreme highs and lows of success and pain, and breaking racial barriers, My Life in the Purple Kingdom is also the story of a young man learning his craft and honing his skill like any musician, but in a world like no other and in a way that only BrownMark could tell it.

Life

Author : Keith Richards
Publisher : Little, Brown
Page : 576 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2010-10-26
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0316128562

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Life by Keith Richards Pdf

The #1 New York Times bestselling autobiography of the guitarist, songwriter, singer, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Ladies and gentlemen: Keith Richards. With The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the songs that roused the world, and he lived the original rock and roll life. Now, at last, the man himself tells his story of life in the crossfire hurricane. Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records, learning guitar and forming a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones. The Rolling Stones's first fame and the notorious drug busts that led to his enduring image as an outlaw folk hero. Creating immortal riffs like the ones in "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Honky Tonk Women." His relationship with Anita Pallenberg and the death of Brian Jones. Tax exile in France, wildfire tours of the U.S., isolation and addiction. Falling in love with Patti Hansen. Estrangement from Jagger and subsequent reconciliation. Marriage, family, solo albums and Xpensive Winos, and the road that goes on forever. With his trademark disarming honesty, Keith Richard brings us the story of a life we have all longed to know more of, unfettered, fearless, and true.

Most Dope

Author : Paul Cantor
Publisher : Abrams
Page : 369 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2022-01-18
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781647005221

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Most Dope by Paul Cantor Pdf

The first biography of rapper Mac Miller, the Pittsburgh cult favorite–turned–rap superstar who touched the lives of millions before tragically passing away at the age of 26—now in paperback Malcolm James McCormick was born on January 19, 1992. He began making music at a young age and by 15 was already releasing mixtapes. One of the first true viral superstars, his early records earned him a rabid legion of die-hard fans—as well as a few noteworthy detractors. But despite his undeniable success, Miller was plagued by struggles with substance abuse and depression, both of which fueled his raw and genre-defying music, yet ultimately led to his demise. Through detailed reporting and interviews with dozens of Miller’s confidants, Paul Cantor brings you to leafy Pittsburgh, seductive Los Angeles, and frenzied New York, where you will meet Miller’s collaborators, producers, business partners, best friends, and even his roommates. Traveling deep into Miller’s inner circle, behind the curtain, the velvet ropes, and studio doors, Most Dope tells the story of a passionate, gifted young man who achieved his life’s ambition, only to be undone by his personal demons. Most Dope is part love letter, part cautionary tale, never shying away from the raw, visceral way Mac Miller lived his life. Praise for Most Dope "A tender, studious remembrance." —The New York Times Book Review "An insightful exploration of his life . . . painstakingly reported by Cantor, who interviewed more than 100 people during a three-year process." —USA Today "An inside look at Miller's life through the eyes of his friends and industry peers, tracking the musician's life journey as he quickly ascended the ranks." —Daily Beast

My Life in E-flat

Author : Chan Parker
Publisher : Univ of South Carolina Press
Page : 234 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2021-11-25
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781643362786

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My Life in E-flat by Chan Parker Pdf

A memoir of the Jazz Age and a life profoundly influenced by it My Life in E-flat is the remarkable memoir of a woman who witnessed some of the most important movements in the history of jazz. Through her autobiography, Chan Parker provides intimate insights into the music and into life with Charlie Parker, the key figure in the development of bebop and one of the most important of all jazz musicians. Born Beverly Dolores Berg in New York City at the height of the Jazz Age, Parker's father was a producer of vaudeville shows and her mother was a dancer in Florenz Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic. Parker became part of the jazz culture as a nightclub dancer and later as the wife of jazz saxophonists Charlie Parker and then Phil Woods. In a moving and candid portrait of Charlie Parker, the author describes in harrowing detail a man of incredible talent besieged with addictions and self-destructiveness. She painfully recounts his death at the age of 35 while married to her and its effect on her life as well as on the musical world. Parker's honest portrait of one of the most gifted musicians in jazz provides unique insight into the history of the music and the difficulties faced by African American performers during the 1940s. Parker also reflects on her struggle to find her own voice and on her work with Clint Eastwood on the film biography of Charlie Parker, Bird (1988).

My Way of Life

Author : Joan Crawford
Publisher : Graymalkin Media
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2017-02-28
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781631681097

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My Way of Life by Joan Crawford Pdf

From “Grand Hotel” to “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?,” Joan Crawford played some of the finest parts Hollywood had to offer, establishing a reputation as the most spectacular diva on the silver screen. Even when the cameras quit rolling, her life never stopped being over-the-top. In My Way of Life, a cult classic since it was first published in the early 1970’s, Crawford shares her secrets. Part memoir, part self-help book, part guide to being fabulous, My Way of Life advises the reader on everything from throwing a small dinner party for eighteen to getting the most out of a marriage. Featuring tips on fashion, makeup, etiquette and everything in between, it is an irresistible look at a bygone era, when movie stars were pure class, and Crawford was at the top of the heap.

Sweat the Technique

Author : Rakim
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2019-09-24
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780062850256

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Sweat the Technique by Rakim Pdf

On the heels of Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize, as the world begins to recognize the creative side of Hip-Hop, comes a writing guide from a musician and "The greatest MC of all time," Rakim. The musician and Hip Hop legend—hailed as “the greatest MC of all time” and compared to Thelonious Monk—reimagines the writing handbook in this memoir and guide that incorporates the soulful genius, confidence, and creativity of a master artist. When he exploded on the music scene, musical genius Rakim was hailed for his brilliant artistic style, adding layers, complexity, depth, musicality, and soul to rap. More than anyone, Rakim has changed the way MCs rhyme. Calm on the mic, his words combine in a frenzy of sound, using complicated patterns based on multisyllabic rhymes and internal rhythms. Rakim can tell a story about a down-on-his-luck man looking for a job and turn it into an epic tale and an unforgettable rhyme. He is not just a great songwriter—he’s a great modern writer. Part memoir, part writing guide, Sweat the Technique offers insight into how Rakim thinks about words, music, writing, and rhyming as it teaches writers of all levels how to hone their craft. It is also a rare glimpse into Rakim’s private life, full of entertaining personal stories from his youth on Long Island growing up in a home and community filled with musiciansto the clubs of New York and the studios of Los Angeles during his rise to the top of popular music. Rakim celebrates the influences that shaped his development, including the jazz music of John Coltrane and the spirituality of the streets, and shares anecdotes spotlighting personalities such as L. L. Cool J. and Dr. Dre, among others. Filled with valuable lessons for every writer, Sweat the Technique reveals the heart and mind of an artist and his love for great storytelling, and always, the words.

Newspaper Titan

Author : Amanda Smith
Publisher : Knopf
Page : 721 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2011-09-06
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780307701510

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Newspaper Titan by Amanda Smith Pdf

From the author of Hostage to Fortune; The Letters of Joseph P. Kennedy ("Superb" —Michael Beschloss; "Remarkable" —Arthur Schlesinger), the galvanizing story of Eleanor Medill (Cissy) Patterson, celebrated debutante and socialte, scion of the Chicago Tribune empire, and the twentieth century's first woman editor in chief and publisher of a major metropolitan daily newspaper, the Washington Times-Herald. She was called the most powerful woman in America, surpassing Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Clare Boothe Luce, and Dorothy Schiff. Cissy Patterson was from old Republican stock. Her grandfather was Joseph Medill, firebrand abolitionist, mayor of Chicago, editor in chief and principal owner of the Chicago Tribune, and one of the founders of the Republican Party who delivered the crucial Ohio delegation to Abraham Lincoln at the convention of 1860. Cissy Patterson's brother, Joe Medill Patterson, started the New York Daily News. Her pedigree notwithstanding, Cissy Patterson came to publishing shortly before her forty-ninth birthday, in 1930, with almost no practical journalistic or editorial experience and a life out of the pages of Edith Wharton (or more likely the other way around: shades of Cissy are everywhere in the Countess Olenska). Amanda Smith writes that in the summer of 1930, Cissy Patterson, educated at the turn of the century at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, for a vocation of marriage and motherhood and a place in society, took over William Randolph Hearst's foundering Washington Herald and began to learn what others believed she could never grasp—how to run and build up a newspaper. She vividly lived out the Medill family's editorial motto (at least in spirit): "When you grandmother gets raped, put it on the front page." Patterson soon bought from Hearst the Herald's evening sister paper, the Washington Times, merged the two, and became editor, publisher, and sole proprietor of a big-city newspaper, a position almost unprecedented in American history. The effect of the merger was "electric"... By 1945, the Washington Times-Herald, with ten daily editions, was clearing an annual profit of more than $1 million. Amanda Smith, in this huge, fascinating biography gives us the (infamous) life and monumental times of Cissy Patterson, scourge of liberals, advocate of appeasing Hitler, lover of poodles, and hater of FDR. Here is her twentieth-century Washington: its politics and society, scandals and feuds, and at the center—the fierce newspaper wars that consumed and drove the country's press titans, as Patterson took the Washington Times-Herald from a chronic tail-ender in circulation and advertising, ranked fifth in the town, and made it into the most widely read round-the-clock daily in the national's capital, deemed by many to be "the damndest newspaper to ever hit the streets."

My Life So Far (with Bonus Content)

Author : Jane Fonda
Publisher : Random House
Page : 636 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2005-04-05
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781588364784

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My Life So Far (with Bonus Content) by Jane Fonda Pdf

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover Jane Fonda, in her own words—and now experience the story of her life in the HBO documentary Jane Fonda in Five Acts. “To hold this book in your hands is to be astonished by how much living can be packed into sixty-plus years.”—Los Angeles Times America knows Jane Fonda as actress and activist, feminist and wife, workout guru and role model. In this extraordinary memoir, Fonda shows that she is much more. From her youth among Hollywood’s elite to her film career and her activism today, Fonda reveals intimate details and personal truths she hopes “can provide a lens through which others can see their lives and how they can live them a little differently.” Surprising, candid, and wonderfully written, My Life So Far is filled with insights into the personal struggles of a woman living a remarkable life. “In the process of writing this book I discovered there were clear, broad, even universal themes that ran through my life, a coherent arc to my journey that, if I could be truthful in the telling, might provide a road map for other women as they face the challenges of relationships, self-image, and forgiveness. What I did not anticipate was how my journey would also resonate with men.”—From the Introduction This eBook includes the full text of the book plus the following additional content: • 50 new photos from Jane Fonda’s personal and family archives, many often never seen in public • A free chapter from Jane Fonda’s Prime Time Praise for My Life So Far “[A] sisterly, enveloping memoir . . . an intimate, haunting book that might as well be catnip from its ever controversial author.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “Terrific . . . rich . . . unexpectedly quite moving.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Fiercely intelligent, detailed, probing, rigorously revealing.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “Fonda possesses a raw and affecting candor. . . . Her honesty [is] a force.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “A fearless book . . . fascinating.”—Chicago Sun-Times “Truly compelling.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Riveting.”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer

My Own Blood

Author : Ashley Bristowe
Publisher : Random House Canada
Page : 426 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2021-04-06
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9780735278165

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My Own Blood by Ashley Bristowe Pdf

Mothering under normal circumstances takes all you have to give. But what happens when your child is disabled, and sacrificing all you've got and more is the only hope for a decent future? Full of rage and resilience, duty and love, Ashley Bristowe delivers a mother's voice like no other we've heard. When their second child, Alexander, is diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, doctors tell Ashley Bristowe and her husband that the boy won't walk, or even talk--that he is profoundly disabled. Stunned and reeling, Ashley researches a disorder so new it's just been named--Kleefstra Syndrome--and she finds little hope and a maze of obstacles. Then she comes across the US-based "Institutes," which have been working to improve the lives of brain-injured children for decades. Recruiting volunteers, organizing therapy, juggling a million tests and appointments, even fundraising as the family falls deep into debt, Ashley devotes years of 24/7 effort to running an impossibly rigorous diet and therapy programme for their son with the hope of saving his life, and her own. The ending is happy: he will never be a "normal" boy, but Alexander talks, he walks, he swims, he plays the piano (badly) and he goes to school. This victory isn't clean and it's far from pretty; the personal toll on Ashley is devastating. "It takes a village," people say, but too much of their village is uncomfortable with her son's difference, the therapy regimen's demands and the family's bottomless need. The health and provincial services bureaucracy set them a maddening set of hoops to jump through, showing how disabled children and their families languish because of criminally low expectations about what can be done to help. My Own Blood is an uplifting story, but it never shies away from the devastating impact of a baby that science couldn't predict and medicine couldn't help. It's the story of a woman who lost everything she'd once been--a professional, an optimist, a joker, a capable adult--in sacrifice to her son. An honest account of a woman's life turned upside down.