Creative Biography

When nine-year-old Booker T. Washington was finally freed from slavery, he soon discovered that freedom had a price, and that he had to work, and work hard, to make his way in the world. After years of study and struggle, Washington became a teacher at what would become the famed Tuskegee Institute. Built from the ground up by Washington, his students, and his staff, Tuskegee became one of the finest schools for black students in the nation. More than one hundred years later, it still is.

Taken from her family in Africa at the age of seven, Phillis Wheatley arrived in Boston as a slave in 1761. After she was purchased by the Wheatley family, Phillis quickly learned to speak and read English. The bright young girl soon began writing poetry. By 1771, her poems had been published in newspapers all over the colonies, and critics were praising the "extraordinary negro poetess." In this engaging biography, author Maryann Weidt tells the story of how a young slave girl in revolutionary Boston became an internationally famous poet and the first black American to publish a book.

In this uniquely accessible nonfiction work for young listeners, Chef Flynn McGarry, who at an early age discovered a passion for food and cooking and has since gone on to receive wide-acclaim as a chef, shares his insights and explores the elements of creativity as he encourages young listeners to mix passion, hard work, and their own unique perspective to achieve results that might just be life-changing.

What were the first words you spoke this morning? You possess the most powerful life changing tool known to mankind that will change your life! That tool is words. This dynamite power is yours and yours alone. No one, not even God can take that away from you. When I discovered this powerful tool, I began to build bridges to freedom from circumstances that were meant to kill and destroy me. It was my words that brought the destruction, and it was my words that restored my life, as I crossed the bridge over circumstances that looked like raging rivers and deep canyons.

Chefs at top restaurants face competing pressures to deliver complex and creative dishes, and navigate market forces to run a profitable business in an industry with exceptionally high costs and low profit margins. Creating a distinctive and original culinary style allows them to stand out in the market, but making the familiar food that many customers want ensures that they can stay in business.

Andy was born into a family with a loving mother and a violent father. His mother was his rock, his safe place, the person he cherished most. Soon after he graduated high school, she was hit and killed by a drunk driver. Plunged into a deep depression, he spent the next two decades running away from his pain. Eventually, his pain caught up with him. He was forced to confront it once and for all. What he discovered in his healing process is that suffering can be a profound source of guidance and comfort. For much of his life, sadness sabotaged and crippled him. But he learned to transform it into vulnerability and then action.

In Buddha and the Dancing Girl, Catherine Ann Jones generously shares experiences most of us will never have: acting on the stage and screen, living for years in a South Indian hut, writing award-winning plays and screenplays, and lecturing internationally. Yet her memoir offers a deeper gift: spiritual and psychological wisdom distilled from a lifetime of reflection

In this raw and revealing memoir, Lisa LeBlanc pulls back the curtain on her life as the youngest child growing up in a large farm family influenced by religious legalism. You will get a dose of hope when you listen to Lisa May LeBlanc narrate the story of her journey to hope and healing from trauma-induced mental illness.

From their promising beginnings at Stanford to their founding of Google and beyond, this fascinating biography charts the extraordinary rise of tech duo Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

Transporting listeners back to a dramatic time in the late 1800s, Dobrow spotlights a trio of men who reshaped our image of the West and earned national fame: John M. Burke of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, Tody Hamilton of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, and Moses P. Handy of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Drawing on scores of original source materials, Dobrow brings to light the surprisingly sophisticated techniques of these Gilded Age press agents.

Eli Whitney’s love of inventing and pondering new ideas made him one of America’s greatest inventors. Best known for inventing the cotton gin, one of the most important American inventions of the century, he changed cotton production forever. A few years later, Whitney invented machines to make muskets that were identical. The first mass-manufacturing business in the country, his musket factory revolutionized the way Americans made things.

Many people - perhaps four out of five or more - are dissatisfied with their jobs. Why not pursue a dream? It’s up to you to create your custom-tailored career and define success your way. But how? Combine your burning passion with drive, determination, strategy, and commitment to pay it forward; find and nurture mentor support, stay steady on your path, and see the fireworks. Success on Your Own Terms will show you exactly how to do it.

Discover the lessons from Walt Disney that can transform your business and your life! He was a visionary, a legend, and a folk hero of the 20th century who revolutionized the entertainment industry in a way that that nobody thought possible. He transformed animation into an art form and built a synergistic empire which combined television, music and theme parks. He was Walt Disney.

Revlon's C.E.O., financier Ronald O. Perelman is one of the richest men in America. Watched by the financial community with interest, Perelman has built a personal business empire worth an estimated $6 billion over the past 15 years. Linked to society's most dazzling beauties, Perelman owns palatial estates in Palm Beach, East Hampton, Manhattan, Sun Valley and Bel Air, as well as an impressive art collection, a fleet of automobiles and two G-4 jets.

Durante años, el tema de la Compañía Británica de las Indias Orientales ha fascinado a historiadores, así como a economistas, antropólogos, sociólogos y otros tipos de estudiosos. Algunos consideran que la Compañía es un ejemplo perfecto de un imperio que drena los recursos de las personas desfavorecidas y destruye sus culturas enteras en un abrir y cerrar de ojos.

Tired of being bullied? Are you faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles? David was, too, and you can learn from his experience. The Bible tells the story of David and Goliath, which, though it occurred thousands of years ago, still has important lessons for us today. David was the prototypical underdog. This book breaks down David's strategies, gives real-world examples of their applications, and offers guidance on how to use David's successful underdog strategies in your own life.

Clarence had seen tragedies and experienced physical abuse and brutality but was nonetheless fortunate enough to escape from of a war zone that was devastated by angry men who were searching to find identity in a nation filled with generational anger, hatred, and greed. Stories of ancestral war and tribal conflict left unresolved by their forefathers and elders returned to haunt their children, creating what would become the deadliest human catastrophe in the West African region.

Retired US Air Force captain Mark David Gibson makes his debut as an author with his memoir, Served in Silence. Join Mark as he takes you on his journey before, during, and after the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Walk right alongside Mark as he shares his story of guilt, shame, and secrecy, and draw inspiration as you witness him create a new life grounded in love, authenticity, and purpose. Served in Silence speaks to the heart of anyone struggling to live authentically and aims to inspire listeners to be brave and live firmly in their truth.

If you’re a sneaker head, you know him as the Savior of Nike. If you’ve watched Air you saw Matt Damon’s portrayal of the man who discovered Michael Jordan and how he revolutionized the payment structure of endorsements for athletes. Legends and Soles tells Sonny’s story – his blind-sided firing by Nike Chairman Phil Knight, the landmark 2021 Supreme Court decision that upended big-time college sports, the countless days and nights of watching athletes compete, and so much more that only Sonny can retell.

In the winter of 2020, Annabel Abbs experienced a series of bereavements. As she grieved, she kept busy by day, but at night sleep eluded her. And yet her sleeplessness led to a profound and unexpected discovery: her Night Self. As the night transformed into a place of creativity and liberation, Annabel found she wasn't alone. From the radical fifteenth-century philosopher Laura Cereta and subversive artist Louise Bourgeois, to Virginia Woolf and the activist Peace Pilgrim, women have long found sanctuary, inspiration and courage in darkness.