My Brain is Open

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Erich Leyens, Lotte Andor

This book contains two narratives, each of which offers a clear and moving portrait of how German Jews came to terms with the changes in their lives brought on by the Nazis. Under the Nazi Regime is a powerful study of the destruction of culture and humanity, morality and justice, and the morale of the general population in Hitler's Germany. Erich Leyens, a decorated World War I hero who openly protested the arrival of the Nazis in his hometown, reflects here on his five years of direct experience with the Nazis. Among the questions he explores in his narrative are: How did the pressures of an authoritarian system destroy human relationships and compromise values? How could friends and neighbors, fellow citizens and public officials, undergo such a complete transformation? How could the masses of Germans become disposed to submit unconditionally to the Hitler cult? . In contrast, Lotte Andor's Memoirs of an Unknown Actress focuses on the comical, even absurd side of her experiences as an exile. For Andor, whose promising career as a stage actress was abruptly ended by the Nazis, her emigration from Germany in 1934 brought not only apprehension, pain, and uncertainty, but sometimes unusual joy. Because her commitment to life and humor, Andor was able to make the many very difficult adjustments demanded by emigration, seemingly with ease.

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Roy Blount, Jr

Iconic Virginian, brilliant general, and complex human being---that last aspect of Robert E. Lee has daunted biographers and been disregarded by partisans. Now Roy Blount Jr. combines acute character insight with lively storytelling and full-hearted Southern directness to craft this unique portrait. Fascinated by what made Lee such a charismatic, though reluctant, leader, Blount delves into the influences of Lee's illustrious but scandal-clouded ancestry, his hero-turned-scapegrace father, and his beloved, beautiful, husband-forsaken mother. In 1861 Lee was Lincoln's first choice to lead the Union troops, but his Virginia roots drew him, instead, to Confederate command. Blount vividly conveys Lee's audacity and uncanny successes in battle, and also his humility, his quirky humor (certain jokes in particular), his faults as a communicator, and his sorrowful sense of responsibility for his outnumbered, half-starved army. Robert E. Lee, the first brief biography of this American legend, will appeal to history and military buffs, students of Southern culture, and every reader curious about the makeup of a man born to be a myth.

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Betty Roberts with Gail Wells

"In the 1950s, Betty Roberts did what most of her contemporaries considered audacious and inappropriate when she returned to college as a 32-year-old wife and mother. This was only the start of Roberts' lifetime commitment to overcoming obstacles to women’s equality. With Grit and By Grace follows Betty Roberts' rise from a Depressionera childhood on the Texas plains to become a teacher, lawyer, state legislator, candidate for governor, and eventually Oregon's first woman Supreme Court Justice. In this memoir, Justice Roberts reflects on her role as a mother, wife, and political trailblazer. Her story is important to the history of women's struggles to challenge prevailing stereotypes, but it is also a deeply personal story of a life sometimes stark, sometimes humorous, often exhausting, and always brightened with friendships and family. Her story is a vivid reminder of times too quickly forgotten, when a woman could not keep her own name or stay at a motel alone. Justice Roberts began her career during a politically complex time: the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, sentiment against the Vietnam War was growing, and the nascent women's movement would soon burst on the scene. During her 13 years as a legislator, she was instrumental in the passage of Oregon's first legalized right to abortion and the state's ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, as well as pathbreaking environmental and land-use legislation. Roberts tells her engrossing story with honesty and warmth. With Grit and By Grace is about life's disappointments and promises, its rejections and rewards, and its demand for the determination and commitment that bring success. Politicians, civic leaders, feminists, and anyone interested in Oregon's twentieth-century political history will be fascinated by this recounting of events that influenced the political and social landscape of Oregon and beyond"--Publisher.

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Paquito D'Rivera

"Propelled by jazz-fueled high spirits, Paquito D'Rivera's memoir soars and spins from memory to memory. Beginning with the story of his father - a classical saxophone virtuoso and an educator - and his own fame as a child prodigy, D'Rivera riffs on everything from his childhood nightclub appearances, performing with clowns and exotic dancers, to his search for artistic freedom in Communist Cuba and his hungry explorations of world music after his defection to the United States in 1980. Opinionated, charming, lively, and humorous, like Paquito himself, My Sax Life is a fascinating look at a creative and talented artist."--Jacket.