Books about Star crossed from Amazon.com

Kingdom of Fear is billed as a memoir, but in essence, all of Hunter S. Thompson's books could fit into this category since his life and work have always been tightly bound together by a mythology largely of his own making. (After all, this is the man who, before earning a single dollar as a writer, began meticulously saving a copy of every letter he ever sent.) Still, this is certainly an unconventional memoir, but then what would you expect from the father of gonzo journalism? In these pages Thompson manages to dig deep and reveal a few "loathsome secrets" without offering the kind of personal details he has always avoided. His childhood, for instance, is basically summed up in a sentence: "I look back on my youth with great fondness, but I would not recommend it as a working model to others." He does, however, reflect upon his considerable legacy, including his well-known, and admittedly exaggerated, use of controlled substances ("The brutal reality of politics alone would probably be intolerable without drugs"), as well as offer assessments of his own work, such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ("It's as good as The Great Gatsby and better than The Sun Also Rises").

In this collection of twisted parables and outlaw adventures, Thompson writes about his early run-ins with agents of authority and the lessons learned; his stint in the Air Force and the beginning of his journalism career; his unsuccessful, though illuminating, bid for Sheriff of Aspen, Colorado in 1970 as the Freak Power candidate; the casualties and unintended consequences thus far in the War on Terror; and numerous examples of present-day injustice and hypocrisy--all with his characteristic mix of brutal frankness laced with humor. He also offers his own take on state of the Union: "The prevailing quality of life in America--by any accepted methods of measuring--was inarguably freer and more politically open under Nixon than it is today in this evil year of Our Lord 2002." Thompson continues to make even the most deadly serious subject matter endlessly entertaining. --Shawn Carkonen.
Price: $9.02 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Thorough, expansive, and meticulously researched, General James B. McPherson: The Star-Crossed Knight of the Union by author and historian Thomas Waldsmith offers the biography of a young general who by his courage, ambition and fortitude rose to command an entire army and whose death was felt deeply by friend and foe alike. First as a brigadier general, then as a Corps commander, and eventually the general of the entire Army of the Tennessee, James B. McPherson was an integral part in the success of Grant's military campaigns. His participation included the battles of Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, and Vicksburg. Told through narratives, personal letters, and recorded correspondences from his comrades, military peers, and ordinary soldiers, this definitive and comprehensive guide is broken into twenty-three manageable chapters and shares the story of a great son of the State of Ohio..
Price: $18.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Patricia Kelley has been raised a proper British lady--but she's become a stowaway Her father is dead, and her future in peril. To claim the estate that is rightfully hers, she must travel across the seas to Barbados, hidden in the belly of merchant ship.

It is a daring escapade, and the plan works--for a time. But before she knows it, Patricia's secret is revealed, and she is torn between two worlds. During the day, she wears petticoats, inhabits the dignified realm of ship's officers, and trains as a surgeon's mate with the gentle Aeneas MacPherson; at night she dons pants and climbs the rigging in the rough company of sailors. And it is there, alongside boson's mate John Dalton, that she feels stunningly alive.

In this mesmerizing novel of daring, adventure, tragedy, and romance, Patricia must cross the threshold between night and day, lady and surgeon, and even woman and man. She must be bold in ways beyond her wildest dreams and take risks she never imagined possible. And she must fight for her life--and her love..
Price: $6.47 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"Oberg combines the sleuthfullness of a detective with the pacing of a storyteller "­­Nasawatch.com

In Star-Crossed Orbits, space veteran and bestselling author James Oberg combines riveting personal memoir with topnotch investigative journalism to tell the untold story of the U.S.­Russian space alliance. With unparalleled access to official Russian archives, facilities, and key individuals, he describes the strengths and weaknesses that each side of the alliance brings to the table.

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Price: $2.24 [Notify me when price goes down.]