Showing results by narrator "Gabra Zackman" in All Categories

Who invented reality television, the world’s most dangerous pop-culture genre? And why can’t we look away? In this revelatory, deeply reported account of the rise of “dirty documentary”—from its contentious roots in radio to the ascent of Donald Trump—Emily Nussbaum unearths the origin story of the genre that ate the world, as told through the lively voices of the people who built it. At once gimlet-eyed and empathetic, Cue the Sun! explores the morally charged, funny, and sometimes tragic consequences of the hunt for something real inside something fake.

First published nearly a quarter-century ago and one of the very few short-story collections to win the PEN/Faulkner Award, this is American fiction at its most vital - each narrative a masterpiece of sustained power and seemingly effortless literary grace.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world’s largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into science and our universe. Now, Tyson invites us to go behind the scenes of his public fame by unveiling his candid correspondence with people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers. In this hand-picked collection of 100 letters, Tyson draws upon cosmic perspectives to address a vast array of questions about science, faith, philosophy, life, and of course, Pluto.

Navy SEAL Crash Hawken awakens in a Washington, D.C., hospital to learn that he is the prime suspect in the assassination attempt on a commanding officer. Charged with treason, conspiracy and murder, he is alone - except for Nell Burns. Nell and Crash have a history - as friends, as lovers. And she knows he could not have committed these crimes. Soon they are on the run, determined to uncover what really happened the night of the attempted assassination. But first they have to survive another day.

Good communiation is essential to any healthy relationship, whether it's between spouses, family members, friends, or co-workers. In this book Susan Chapman, a marriage and family therapist and a longtime meditation teacher, explains how mindfulness can be brought to bear in the way we speak and listen to each other so that we can strengthen our connections and better accomplish our goals.

Ten years ago, Liz Palmer left Houston for the beautiful Caribbean island of Cozumel to mend a broken heart, raise her daughter in peace, and attract adventurous tourists with her Black Coral Dive Shop. Unfortunately, her new diving instructor Jerry Sharpe was only employed for two weeks when he vanished and was found dead. Now, Jerry’s twin brother Jonas is seeking answers, leading Liz on an investigation that reveals undeniable passion between them—and uncovers a criminal conspiracy that threatens their lives…

When Rosie and Penn and their four boys welcome the newest member of their family, no one is surprised it's another baby boy. At least their large, loving, chaotic family knows what to expect. But Claude is not like his brothers. One day he puts on a dress and refuses to take it off. He wants to bring a purse to kindergarten. He wants hair long enough to sit on. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.

Noel Townsend loves the life she's built for herself with her husband Drew and her two daughters. After years of running the Keating Hollow inn, Noel finally has hired help and has more time to devote to her new farm and her family. But when her youngest daughter encounters a spirit in their farmhouse, Noel suddenly finds herself in a fight for her life. It's going to take everything she has to get out of this one, along with the love and determination of her devoted husband, Drew Baker.

Maddy Donaldo, homeless at twenty, lives with her dog and makeshift family in the hidden spaces of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. She thinks she knows how to survive and whom to trust until she accidentally witnesses the murder of a young man. Her world is upended as she has to face not only the killer but also the police and then the victim’s parents, who desperately want Maddy to tell them about the life their son led after he left home. And in a desire to save her since they could not save their own son, they are determined to have Maddy reunite with her own lost family.

Lily Easton is a witch who makes a living writing satire for an advice column in Befana Bay’s weekly newspaper. Although she pretends to be jaded in love, it turns out, she’s a romantic at heart. It’s just too bad that she’s fallen for Braxton Kirkwood, a man who’s sworn off love. Frustrated by her lack of love prospects, Lily throws herself into work. But when half-a-dozen witches in Befana Bay start taking Lily’s obviously bad advice, it soon becomes clear her pen is poisoned and is compelling the witches to stalk her favorite eligible bachelor, Braxton Kirkwood.

It’s autumn in the town of Harrow, but something besides the season is changing there. Because in that town there is an orchard, and in that orchard, seven most unusual trees. And from those trees grows a new sort of apple: strange, beautiful, with skin so red it’s nearly black. Take a bite of one of these apples, and you will desire only to devour another. And another. You will become stronger. More vital. More yourself, you will believe. But then your appetite for the apples and their peculiar gifts will keep growing—and become darker.

For more than 2,000 years, the Heart Sutra has been part of the daily life of millions of Buddhists. This concise text, so rich and laden with meaning, concentrates the very heart of Buddhism into a powerful and evocative teaching on the interdependence of all reality. In Essence of the Heart Sutra, the Dalai Lama masterfully unpacks the Heart Sutra so that any listener can benefit from its teachings - teachings meant to help us release ourselves from suffering and live with true compassion.

While trying to teach her adopted daughter, Reema, how to work with molten glass, Opal receives a letter from Master Magician Zitora Cowan requesting Opal's immediate help. Zitora resigned from the Sitian Council over two years ago to search for her lost sister, and no one has heard from her since. The letter is probably a trick, but Opal refuses to pass up the opportunity to help her mentor, who may be in genuine trouble. Good thing Opal isn't that easy to fool.

Choosing a profession begins with imagining yourself in a career. Now New York Times best-selling author Virginia Morell dives into the adventures of a marine biologist team, allowing a much needed, in-depth look into the field. Becoming a Marine Biologist explores how successful marine biologists curated their careers and what they suggest to young people today who feel called to protect our oceans by studying the sea and its inhabitants.

Every family has its fault lines, and when Maggie gets a call from the ER in Maryland where her older sister lives, the cracks start to appear. Ginny, her sugar-loving and diabetic older sister with intellectual disabilities, has overdosed on strawberry Jell-O. Maggie knows Ginny really can’t live on her own, so she brings her sister and her occasionally vicious dog to live near her in upstate New York. Their other sister, Betsy, is against the idea but as a professional surfer, she is conveniently thousands of miles away. Thus, Maggie’s life as a caretaker begins.

The dramatic story of the 1925 Scopes trial, which captivated the nation and exposed profound divisions in America that still resonate today—divisions over the meaning of freedom, religion, education, censorship, and civil liberties in a democracy.

Akiko Susumu is not what she seems. Her life as a normal teen living in a coastal Canadian town is a complete sham. The old man she lives with is not her grandfather, he's her captor. And Akiko isn't a teen. In fact, she isn't even human. So, when she's sent back to her homeland to steal an ancient samurai sword, she jumps at the chance to secure her freedom, only to get caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the most dangerous crime syndicate in Japan.

Eli and Chelsea lost touch with each other over the years, until Eli bought a house in his father’s hometown of Edilean, Virginia, and invited Chelsea for a visit. She had her own life, and was certain that a childhood friendship couldn't be anything more, but she went nonetheless - and found herself quite unprepared for the changes she saw in Eli. And neither of them were prepared to run into a mystery, with a family that needed to be rescued.

Jane Dorner has two modes: PR Jane, twenty-five, chummy, and eager to sell you a feminist vibrator or a self-care/bereavement subscription box; and Actual Jane, twenty-nine, drifting through mediocre workdays and lackluster dates while paralyzed by her crushing mountain of overdue medical bills. When her job performance is called into question, Jane’s last-ditch effort to preserve her livelihood and pay off her debt is to land a white whale of a client. Enter Cass and Tom—proprietors of a “wellness retreat” based out of a ramshackle country house that may or may not be giving off cult vibes.

Georgia Exler has always been the odd witch out. In a family of accomplished witches, she’s the only one who never uncovered her magical abilities.... Until she moved to Keating Hollow. Heartbroken after her husband of two years is killed, the writer moves to the enchanted town to start over. All she wants to do is write her next book. But when the events in her life start to mimic the newest paranormal romance she’s writing, she starts to wonder if she’s found her magic after all. Only how is she going to give her characters their endings? Everything she writes comes true.