Art Bio

Laura Jane Grace doesn’t defy rock ‘n’ roll. She defines it. In an inspiring examination of identity and creativity, the founder and frontwoman of notorious punk band Against Me! recounts the story of her extraordinary life, her rise to fame, and the painful but powerful moments that have led her to where she is now. Black Me Out invites listeners to not only hear Grace’s complicated journey through gender dysphoria, addiction, mental health, and artistic integrity, but recognize the universal pursuit of our authentic selves. Track the common journey with a modern icon.

Everyone knows Jackie Chan. Whether it’s from Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, The Karate Kid, or Kung Fu Panda, Jackie is admired by generations of moviegoers for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and mind-bending stunts. In Never Grow Up, the global superstar reflects on his early life, including his childhood years at the China Drama Academy (in which he was enrolled at the age of six), his big breaks (and setbacks) in Hong Kong and Hollywood, his numerous brushes with death (both on and off film sets), and his life as a husband and father.

At the dawn of the 1950s, a promising and dedicated young painter named Helen Frankenthaler, fresh out of college, moved back home to New York City to make her name. By the decade's end, she had succeeded in establishing herself as an important American artist of the postwar period. In the years in between, she made some of the most daring, head-turning paintings of her day and also came into her own as a woman: traveling the world, falling in and out of love, and engaging in an ongoing artistic education.

Truly the voice of a generation, George Carlin gave the world some of the most hysterical and iconic comedy routines of the last 50 years. He perfected the art of making audiences double over with laughter while simultaneously making people wake up to the realities (and insanities) of life in the 20th century. Few people glimpsed the inner life of this beloved comedian, but his only child, Kelly, was there to see it all.

In Bogie & Bacall, William Mann offers a deep and comprehensive look at Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, and the unlikely love they shared. Mann details their early years—Bogart’s effete upbringing in New York City; Bacall’s rise as a model and actress. He paints a vivid portrait of their courtship and twelve-year marriage: the fights, the reconciliations, the children, the affairs, Bogie’s illness and Bacall’s steadfastness until his death. He offers a sympathetic yet clear-eyed portrait of Bacall’s life after Bogie.

A scandalously talented stage performer, a practiced seductress of both men and women, and the flamboyant author of some of the greatest works of 20th-century literature, Colette was our first true superstar. Now, in Judith Thurman's Secrets of the Flesh, Colette at last has a biography worthy of her dazzling reputation.

Tapie se livre comme jamais il ne l'a fait. Deux hommes vrais, dans un dialogue complice, émouvant, sans concession. Un portrait inédit et passionnant. Celui d'un personnage fort en gueule, d'une énergie débordante, intrépide et provocateur. Un autodidacte issu d'un milieu très modeste qui a eu mille vies. Bernard Tapie, l'une des personnalités françaises les plus populaires et authentiques, dont toute la France a suivi les aventures mouvementées et qui aura marqué la politique, le sport, le monde des affaires pendant près de cinquante ans.

During her lifetime, Emily Dickinson did not seek out recognition or attempt to change the world around her, even in the smallest way. A private but not antisocial person, she kept her life’s work, and her innermost feelings, almost entirely to herself. After her death in 1886, it was only the good judgment of her sister Lavinia that preserved the more than 1,700 poems Dickinson had secretly produced. Her poetry was so intensely individual that it immediately captivated a national audience. More than a century later, her special genius continues to surprise readers young and old.

How does a little boy from the London suburbs named Reginald Kenneth Dwight grow up to become one of the biggest pop stars of all time? A lot of talent and a lot of personality! Elton John, as he would later call himself, started playing piano at the age of three. Although he was trained to play classical music, Elton's real love was rock and roll.

Primal desires of human beings drive us to imagine and create. Economic barriers are nonexistent with the creative process. Do not stifle the pioneer attitude. In all fields, it is important to express one's ideas as an individual. The healthy growth of a civilization depends on a society that supports unlimited free expression to explore all avenues of invention. Ideas blossom when a community encourages independent and collaborative research and education.

Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper delves deeply into Michael Jackson's music and talent. From the artist's early days with the Jackson 5, to his stratospheric success as a solo artist, to "Beat It" and "Thriller", "Bad", and "The Man in the Mirror", to his volatile final years, his attempted comeback, and his untimely death, Knopper explores the beguiling and often contradictory forces that fueled Michael Jackson's genius.

Endpapers excavates the extraordinary histories of the author's grandfather and father: the renowned publisher Kurt Wolff, dubbed "perhaps the 20th century's most discriminating publisher" by the New York Times Book Review, and his son Niko, who fought in the Wehrmacht during World War II before coming to America.

Gary Craig, actor, singer, and renowned radio personality, amused audiences on stage, film, television, and radio. Hilarious anecdotes, riotous pranks, and sidesplitting stories regale you with the raucous roots of his radio reign from humble beginnings to his current spectacular ratings on Hartford's beloved WTIC-FM morning show, Craig and Company. Follow his footsteps as an underdog struggling to secure a niche career while reaching for the stars to follow his dreams.

John Denver said, “I have a producer who looks like an accountant, and an accountant who looks like a producer”. Soberly dressed, unflashy, and a trained classical musician, in the golden age of the music business, Milt Okun stood out by not standing out. His legacy does that for him. He discovered and launched John Denver, and mentored him throughout his career. He created arrangements for Peter, Paul and Mary that the trio performed for half a century. He brought Placido Domingo a crossover career that made him an international star beyond the world of opera.

Jonathan Franzen's work raises major questions about the possibilities of contemporary fiction: How does one appeal to a broad mass of mainstream readers on the one hand while persuading connoisseurs, on the other, that one's fiction has is high art? Even more acutely, how did Franzen move from the rage that animates his first two novels to the more generous comic stance of the two later novels, on which his reputation rests?

In 1971, Newsweek heralded The Last Picture Show as "the most impressive work by a young American director since Citizen Kane." Indeed, few filmmakers rivaled Peter Bogdanovich's popularity over the next decade. Riding the success of What's Up, Doc? (1972) and Paper Moon (1973), Bogdanovich became a bona fide celebrity, making regular appearances in his own movie trailers, occasionally hosting late-night television shows, and publicly advocating for mentors John Ford and Howard Hawks.

1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley are two of the most famous and influential dystopian novels ever written. Both books depict a future world in which individual freedom and privacy are subordinated to the demands of a totalitarian state, and citizens are manipulated and controlled through technology, propaganda, and social conditioning. The two novels have often been compared and contrasted, and both are considered to be among the most important works of literature of the 20th century.

Luna, 13 ans, a une passion : mener l'enquête ! Alors quand elle entend parler pour la première fois de Pablo Picasso, un artiste espagnol mondialement connu, elle se lance avec passion dans l'exploration de son œuvre et de sa vie. Encore mieux, elle décide de partager ses découvertes avec le reste du monde grâce à des vidéos !

In 1835, at the age of 13, a young boy walked nearly 300 miles to Paris; he worked odd jobs, and did whatever it took to survive. He eventually learned a craft: box making. Before long, the young boy had earned enough to open his own box-making store.

For over 100 years, L. Frank Baum's classic fantasy series The Wizard of Oz has inspired films, books, and even fan clubs. Despite the success of the series, not a lot has been written about the author L. Frank Baum. This biography looks at both the life and times of L. Frank Baum; it gives insight into what inspired him to write his classic novel and provides a glimpse into his regular life.