Entering the U.S. army after fleeing the Great Famine in Ireland, seventeen-year-old Thomas McNulty and his brother-in-arms, John Cole, experience the harrowing realities of the Indian wars and the American Civil War between the Wyoming plains and Tennessee.
By day, he earned thousands of dollars a minute; by night, he spent it on drugs, sex, and extravagant travel. From the binge that sank a 170-foot yacht and racked up a $700,000 hotel bill to the family waiting at home, this is the story of the infamous figure known as the king of Wall Street. In the 1990s, Jordan Belfort, former head of the notorious investment firm Stratton Oakmont, became a prominent name in American finance—a brilliant yet deceitful stockbroker who led his team on a wild ride from Wall Street to a massive Long Island office. In this candid and entertaining autobiography, Belfort recounts a tale of greed, power, and excess that feels almost fictional. Stratton Oakmont transformed microcap investing into a highly profitable venture, with Belfort’s brokers pressuring clients into stock purchases that benefited the firm. However, an insatiable thirst for indulgence, dubious practices, and a fateful partnership with shoe designer Steve Madden would lead Belfort into legal troubles and personal turmoil. As he navigated a chaotic home life with his model wife, two children, and a large staff—while under scrutiny from the SEC and FBI—he lived a life of unrestrained hedonism, ultimately culminating in his dramatic downfall.
This account chronicles Lance Armstrong's dramatic rise and fall. In June 2013, as he faced multimillion-dollar lawsuits, Juliet Macur was present, engaging with his girlfriend and children while capturing Armstrong's narrative. She was one of the few media figures, alongside Oprah Winfrey, to gain extensive one-on-one access to the disgraced athlete. The narrative centers on Armstrong, revealed through personal interviews, yet it is enriched by firsthand accounts from over a hundred witnesses, including family members he had distanced himself from—his adoptive father, grandmother, and aunt. Notably, the recorded testimony of J.T. Neal, a significant father figure in Armstrong's life, adds a poignant layer, as it was captured during Neal's final years battling cancer while Armstrong rose to fame as a cancer survivor. Ultimately, it was Armstrong's former friends, once close to him, who exposed the truth, breaking the silence that had protected both the sport of cycling and its celebrated figure. Through the diverse voices of those who knew Armstrong intimately, Macur crafts a compelling and intricate narrative of his extraordinary ascent to fame and his heartbreaking downfall.
If a gorilla walked out into the middle of a basketball pitch, you'd notice it. Wouldn't you? If a serious violent crime took place just next to you, you'd remember it, right? The Invisible Gorilla is a fascinating look at the unbelievable, yet routine tricks that your brain plays on you.
Most of us are only too aware that, whatever roles we have in today's fast-moving world, much of our success lies in getting others to say 'Yes' to our requests. What many people might not be aware of, though, is the vast amount of research that has been conducted on the influence process. What factors cause one person to say 'Yes' to the request of another? Yes! is full of practical tips based on recent academic research that shows how the psychology of persuasion can provide valuable insights for anyone interested in improving their ability to persuade others - whether in the workplace, at home or even on the internet. It combines the counter-intuition of Freakonomics with the popularising of Does Anything Eats Wasps? For each mini-chapter contains a mystery which is solved in a way that provides food for thought for anyone looking to be more persuasive, and for anyone interested in how the world works.
