Novak Djokovic: The sporting statesman and the rise of Serbia


Chris Bowers - 2014
    Not an easy job, given the lingering resonance of Serbia's role in the 1990s Yugoslav wars in the world’s news bulletins. To this day, the words "Serbia" and "atrocities" are linked in the minds of many. This study of both Djokovic and Serbia paints two powerful portraits. It traces the story of the boy from modest surroundings, telling how he met the woman who not only taught him tennis but how to deal with life as a high-profile icon, charts his battle with illness and his relationship with a volatile father, and how his on-court accomplishments have made his country proud. But it also tells the story of Serbia, pulling no punches about its role in the 1990s wars but offering a sensitive interpretation of the hopes and aspirations of a people with a troubled past. This book weaves together these sporting and geo political strands to present a sensitive portrait of a man and his people, and how determination married with sensitivity can create a sporting statesman.

Running on Faith: The Principles, Passion, and Pursuit of a Winning Life


Jason Lester - 2010
    Read it twice!” —John Ortberg, author and pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church “Running on Faith is a triumph! Jason Lester is proof that as one wise man said, ‘Triumph is when you try and add a little umph!’ Jason Lester shows us ALL that you can achieve whatever you put your mind body and soul into!”—Rev Run, author of Words of Wisdom: Daily Affirmations of Faith from Run’s House to Yours“Jason’s story is a must read! It is a true testimony of the human spirit and confirmation that we all have so much more in us than we may believe. The challenges he conquered will create a shift in your life”—Tyrese Gibson, singer and actor Jason Lester is a disabled ultra-endurance athlete and winner of ESPN’s 2009 ESPY Award for “Best Disabled Male Athlete.” He tells his remarkable story in Running on Faith, offering readers an inspirational guide to overcoming adversity, reaching your goals, and recognizing God’s guiding hand in your life.

Buddhism for Breakups


Meshel Laurie - 2017
    They can stir up horrible emotions and make you want to do crazy things. But when comedian Meshel Laurie faced the end of her nineteen-year marriage, Buddhist philosophy helped her turn her biggest challenge into an opportunity for personal growth and greater happiness.Now Meshel shows readers how Buddhism can be a roadmap for navigating the fear, loneliness and grief of a broken heart. Sharing her own story with humour and honesty, she explains:* how the Buddhist concepts of Emptiness and Impermanence can free us to see things clearly (and calm the heck down!)* how to love without attachment* the difference between loneliness and aloneness* how to work through all those disturbing emotions* how to embrace change* how to harness wisdom and compassion in order to heal.Way cheaper than hours of therapy, Buddhism for Break-ups is your go-to guide for zen!

Circling the Sacred Mountain: A Spiritual Adventure Through the Himalayas


Robert A.F. Thurman - 1999
    Explores Tibetan Buddhism as part of a spiritual and physical journey to Mount Kailash, holiest of the Himalayan mountains, to reach sacred graveyards, majestic monasteries, and meditation caves.

Deathbed Conversions: Finding Faith at the Finish Line


Karen Edmisten - 2013
    It is the mercy of God at work.

The O Manuscript: The Seer, The Magdalene, The Grail


Lars Muhl - 2008
    Lars Muhl was for many years a successful pop star who studied the world’s religions and esoteric knowledge between gigs and recording sessions.  When a nervous-system illness sidelined him in the mid-1990s, he turned in desperation to a spiritual healer who was able to get him back on his feet after a single phone call. Intrigued by this mysterious man, Muhl traveled to southern France to become his apprentice. Together, Muhl and the healer, who is known in the book simply as “The Seer,” embark on an adventure that is part history lesson, part Jedi-style initiation. “My work with The Seer began on Montségur, the holiest site of the Cathars, the medieval French religious sect that was persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church,” notes Muhl.” It was the middle of summer and the hike up the mountain is pretty strenuous. At the same time that The Seer was testing my physical endurance, he was breaking down my emotional resistance. He taught me how to let go of the burdens from my past.”  Towards the end of his apprenticeship, after years of searching for Montségur’s secret cave, Muhl finally stumbles upon it. Inside he finds himself in the presence of “O,” the Messenger of Light; the source of all things; the symbol of ecstatic union. O tells Muhl, “Everything mankind longs for is, and has always been, within his reach. If he would only acknowledge this there wouldn’t be anything else to look for. When this happens mankind will step out of his self-made prison and into reality.”  The O Manuscript is not another book about positive thinking. Throughout his initiation, Muhl was forced to confront his dark side, the shadows that kept him from true health and wellness. “This is my journey,” says Muhl. “Every word of it is true and really happened to me, but it is also meant to be a kind of allegory. The lessons I learned are universal.” Praise for The O Manuscript:“I recommend this amazing story to anyone seeking the path to enlightenment.” —Al Jardine, The Beach Boys  “Lars Muhl tells an extraordinary tale in an extraordinary way…It is a story that, for too long, has been cyring out to be told.” —Henry Lincoln, co-author of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail

The Women of Windsor: Their Power, Privilege, and Passions


Catherine Whitney - 2006
    Their images have been with us on film and in print for more than a century, like priceless artifacts that call to mind a grander era. Seen at a distance, they appear unknowable. But each is an individual, a real woman, with an extraordinary story to tell. Now, Catherine Whitney reveals what happens behind the palace doors, giving us an intimate glimpse into the private lives of these public figures.Elizabeth, the Queen: Born to duty, adored by her parents, Elizabeth swore as a teenager to serve her country above all else . . . and she has lived up to her promise, even when her crown has been a burden. This once-lively young woman has sacrificed self-interest and personal joy for her subjects for over sixty years. In public, the queen never puts a step wrong. In private, she herself knows she has made many mistakes. She has sacrificed motherhood for majesty, and seen her four children each make errors with devastating consequences. Yet, no matter what happens, the queen perseveres.Elizabeth, the Queen Mother: Hitler was afraid of her, the English people adored her. Her kind, sparkling blue eyes and cheerful manner belied a backbone of steel, and few dared to cross her. She raised her eldest daughter to serve and her youngest daughter to sparkle. But while her love of the people, and of her family, has never been in question, the Queen Mother was made of much sterner stuff than anyone has ever known -- until now.Princess Margaret: Beautiful, talented, vivacious, and complex . . . Margaret was the Diana of her day. But the promise of her youth was destroyed when she was betrayed by her sister, now the queen, who needlessly forced her to give up the man she loved. Troubled and adrift, with only a slight role to fill, Margaret became the object of public ridicule, yet she was something her sister was not: a wonderful mother.Princess Anne: Her father's favorite, arguably the most intelligent of the queen's four children. Yet Anne is forever forced to take second place to her older brother, Charles. Hardworking, hard-headed, and hot-tempered, Anne has been dismissed as an acerbic frump more at home with horses than people, especially in comparison with her ill-fated sister-in-law, Diana. Yet there is a passionate side to this complex woman, one hidden from view.These four women have shaped the world, each in her own way. Now at last their stories can be told.

I Make My Own Rules


L.L. Cool J. - 1997
    I'm an innovator." "Keeping it real ain't about carrying a gun or smoking blunts. It's about being true to yourself and those around you." "Not every child who's abused has to be a negative statistic. I write this book for anyone who thinks they can make it, to show them they can."LL Cool J.Read his story.Learn from his words.Make your own rules.

One Holy Fire: Let the Spirit Ignite Your Soul


Nicky Cruz - 2003
    Stories of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Of masses coming to salvation in Jesus Christ. Of hand-to-hand spiritual warfare. Of the supernatural provision and presence of God’s Spirit in every area of his life and ministry.Cruz also explores the promises in Scripture regarding the Spirit’s work on earth, addressing such questions as What does it mean to “walk in the Spirit”? How does a supernatural God do business in a natural world? Why has the body of Christ been so slow to come to grips with the Spirit’s power and presence?In his first new book in eight years, the renowned author of the phenomenal Christian classic Run Baby Run introduces readers to the Holy Spirit. He challenges them to live according to the Spirit’s moment-by-moment guidance. And he inspires them to open their heart and let the Spirit ignite their soul.

Believe: The Words and Inspiration of Desmond Tutu


Desmond Tutu - 2007
    Inspired by the life and philosophy of one of the 20th centuryas most remarkable humanitarians, this book combines compelling photographs of Archbishop Tutu with quotations from his most inspiring speeches and writings to capture the true essence of his timeless messages of peace, freedom, and love. The book also includes an introduction by Tutu and an in-depth biographical essay by South African writer/novelist Mike Nicol.

Stumbling Toward Enlightenment


Geri Larkin - 1997
    With candor, affection, and earthy wisdom, Larkin shares her experiences as a beginning and continuing Buddhist. This spirituality classic shows any seeker that it's possible to stumble, smile, and stay Zen through it all.

Check-raising the Devil


Mike Matusow - 2009
     2.  Fascinating Memoir:  This book has it all: high stakes gambling, drugs, jail, psychotic episodes and debilitating depression and mental illness, plus the depths of despair and heights of victory.  3.  Very High Profile:  Mike Matusow is one of the most recognizable and followed players in poker today.  Yahoo's online search engine identifies over 1.1 million websites that provide content about Mike Matusow.  His weekly online video show "The Mouthpiece" at CardPlayer.com, averages over 2,000 viewers per day. 4.  Super Popular Subject: Poker is the third most watched sport on cable television, behind auto racing and football. 5.  Secondary Market Possibilities: The National Institute of Mental Health estimates there are 5.7 million people in the U.S. that have bipolar disorder and the CDC estimates 1.6 million elementary school children have been diagnosed ADHD.Get Ready for a Wild Ride… Hang on tight as Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, poker player extraordinaire, takes you with him on a breathtaking, true-life roller coaster ride from his humble beginnings in a trailer park to a rock and roll lifestyle full of hot women, sex, wild drug-filled parties and million-dollar wins and losses. Yet behind the glamour and glory of his high-stakes poker career lurked the flip side: a person torn between two debilitating mental illnesses?—?bipolar disorder and ADHD. To dig himself out of depression and suicidal despair, Matusow turned to dangerous street drugs to self-medicate a problem he didn’t understand, and spiraled deeper into the darker world of addiction, police narcotic stings, and jail time. In this revealing and tumultuous autobiography, the combustible Matusow holds nothing back. You’ll get a mouthful of the man behind the infamous Matusow Meltdowns seen on national TV. Riveting, exhilarating, sexy, sometimes shocking and always fascinating, this voyeur’s look into the world of high-stakes poker, mental illness, and ultimately, Matusow’s inspiring redemption, will keep you glued to your seat until the very last page!

The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out


Ogyen Trinley Dorje - 2012
    In these chapters, he shares his vision for bringing social action into daily life, on a scale we can realistically manage through the choices we make every day—what to buy, what to eat, and how to relate honestly and bravely with our friends and family and coworkers. His fresh and encouraging perspective shows us that we have the strength to live with kindness in the midst of the many challenges we face as socially and environmentally conscious beings. Because he sees the world through the lens of the interdependence of all beings, he sees that humans can change social and environmental problems by changing their attitudes and actions. And so, he shows ways that we can change our world by changing ourselves—by examining our own habits of consumption and by being willing to look into how our food reaches our table and how the products we buy are made. In his chapter on gender, he points out that we don’t have to label others according to a social construct. If his viewpoint seems optimistic, it is—and it’s also demanding. The Karmapa calls on us to open our mind and heart to the innumerable connections we share with others—in our families, communities, social systems, and on our planet. Thanks to the depth of his spiritual training, and the breadth of his curiosity about the world and his love for it, he presents a relevant framework for understanding what it means to be human now—and why it’s imperative that we concern ourselves with the well-being of all others. He points to a world we can create through our own effort, using a resource we already have in abundance—the basic nobility of our human heart.

I Live for This! Baseball's Last True Believer


Bill Plaschke - 2007
    At seventy-nine, after twenty years of managing and fifty-seven years with one franchise, this Hall of Famer still suits up in Dodger Blue every day. He also keeps a travel schedule that would dizzy the most frequent of frequent fliers. The embodiment of the American dream, Lasorda went from a scrawny, overlooked Italian kid of average ability to become one of the world’s most recognizable baseball faces. And he fought for it every step of the way.In I Live for This Bill Plaschke strips the veneer from one of baseball’s last living legends to show how grit and determination really can transform a life. We think we know this jovial manager from the rah-rah style that has always raised eyebrows in the world of baseball. Some view him as an anachronism. Some love him like Santa Claus. But there’s one thing they all agree on: Lasorda is a success.With gleaming insight and remarkable candor, Plaschke takes us inside the day-to-day world of this baseball great to reveal a side of Lasorda that few people really know. And along the way, we’re treated to some of the most outrageous stories in sports. We also discover Lasorda’s unshakable opinions about what plagues baseball today.Bravely and brilliantly, I Live for This dissects the personality to give us the person. In the end we’re left with an indelible portrait of a legend that, if Lasorda has anything to say about it, we won’t ever forget.

The Road Unseen


Peter Jenkins - 1985
    In this book, Peter and Barbara tell of their spiritual journey, until now, an untold story. Their walk across America, although an exhilarating adventure, was also an exhausting test that pushed them to the edge of their physical and spiritual endurance. The numerous dramatic circumstances, as well as the more mundane daily challenges to find food, water, and shelter, became a crucible for their faith.