Edmund Hillary: A Biography by Michael Gill is an insightful and illuminating profile of New Zealand mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary - who made the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 alongside Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, and went on to dedicate his life's work to building schools and hospitals in the Himalaya.
In his fifties, Michael Gates Gill had it all: a big house, a loving family, and a six-figure salary. By sixty, he had lost everything: downsized at work, divorced at home, and diagnosed with a slow-growing brain tumor, Gill had no money, no insurance, and no prospects. He took a job at Starbucks, and for the first time in his life, he was a minority--the only older white guy working with a team of young African-Americans. He was forced to acknowledge his prejudices and admit that his new job was hard. And his younger coworkers, despite half the education and twice the personal difficulties, were running circles around him. Crossing over the Starbucks bar was the beginning of a transformation that cracked his world wide open. When all of his defenses and the armor of entitlement had been stripped away, a humbler, happier and gentler man remained.--From publisher description.
A riches-to-rags story about a former advertising executive who, after losing his high-paying job and developing a brain tumor, took a job at Starbucks under a young African-American manager, whose positive character and disadvantaged background helped the author heal and understand the value of respecting others.
A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else
A former advertising executive relates how, after losing his job and developing a brain tumor, he took a job at Starbucks and learned the value of respect through his boss, a young African-American manager of positive character
A brain tumor survivor shares lessons for surviving unanticipated life challenges, from taking leaps of faith and overcoming pride to treating others with respect and minimizing one's reliance on technology.
The story follows Ken Follet, an ordinary man turned vengeful after the tragic abduction and murder of his daughter's children. As his daughter struggles with the aftermath, Ken's grief transforms into a dark desire for revenge upon the release of the only man convicted in connection with the crimes. Embracing a newfound affinity for violence, he embarks on a path of retribution, leading to a dramatic and unsettling exploration of justice and morality.
Sixteen-year-old "Jacqueline 'Jacky' Johnson inherits a jetpack with a mysterious power source. Along with her brother Chuck and their cat, she must protect her home from a threat that may just be from outer space"--Back cover.
In this exciting first-hand account of an unexpected cinematic discovery, Michael Gates delves into the history behind a hoard of silent films found buried beneath the permafrost of an Arctic gold rush town. In 1978, hundreds of reels of silent films were unearthed from beneath the demolished site of an old hockey arena in Dawson City, Yukon. Author Michael Gates witnessed the cinematic discovery of these once-lost films--and in this book excavates and illuminates the history of a gold rush town like no other. An event in the most unlikely of places and circumstances, the Klondike gold rush was unique in the history of Canada and the development of the North. Dawson City, the "Paris of the North," was the hub of the Klondike gold rush 125 years ago. There were more saloons, gambling halls and theatres than there were places serving food, and the live theatre was at the centre of it all. Discover the icons who went from the Klondike to Hollywood: Robert Service, Jack London, Charlie Chaplin, Alexander Pantages, Sid Grauman, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Marjorie Rambeau and more. Join Gates on this cinematic journey as he ponders the question: Did the Klondike help make Hollywood, or did Hollywood make the Klondike? Crafted from Gates's first-hand experience and extensive research, Hollywood in the Klondike casts a spotlight on an exciting piece of Canadian history.