"A passionate, deeply felt and altogether personal account of coming to Beethoven in middle age, after a lifetime's immersion in other musical forms. They understand Beethoven's eternal wildness: As well as we may think we know this composer, he constantly surprises and reinvigorates us." -- Tim Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer on classical music, Professor of Music and Journalism at the University of Southern California 
Finally, a Beethoven for our time. In “Journeys With Beethoven,” Kerry Candaele and Greg Mitchell offer a unique and dynamic exploration of the composer’s musical, cultural and political influence, around the world and in America, today. It’s a new kind of adventure story--and expanded in this new 2013 edition. The two longtime rock 'n rollers—Candaele is a writer, musician and filmmaker, Mitchell a journalist and author of twelve previous books—discovered a shared passion for Beethoven later in life, and in this book they probe this deep obsession. Candaele illuminates trips for his new “Following the Ninth” documentary set in Chile, China, Germany, Japan and London (with Billy Bragg), while Mitchell, who is co-producer of the film, travels to famous U.S. venues, screens dozens of films related to Beethoven. He also interviews a leading pianist, Jeremy Denk, and trombonist Joseph Alessi, and others. Five years ago, Candaele set out on a world journey to film the global impact—in freedom struggles, and in inspiring people in their daily lives—of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. He ended up traveling to twelve countries and four continents. His film has drawn raves from The New York Times, Bill Moyers and "All Things Considered," among others. In China he discovered why a student leader played the Ninth over a loudspeaker as the troops moved in to Tiananmen Square. In England, the folk/punk singer, Billy Bragg, talked about writing a new libretto for the Ninth in English. Candaele was there when his version was performed before the Queen. In Japan, the Ninth is performed hundreds of times each December, sometimes with 5000 or 10,000 singers in the chorus, intent on transmitting a message of solidarity between all people. And in a new chapter for this edition, he tells the story of how a young East German woman--and famed conductor Leonard Bernstein--marked the falling of the Berlin Wall, aided by Beethoven. As “Journeys With Beethoven” reveals, the Ninth turns worlds inside out and upside down. In Part II of the book, Greg Mitchell—who as senior editor at the legendary Crawdaddy magazine helped create the first major article about Bruce Springsteen—describes his own journey to Beethoven and his pursuit of all things Ludwig during the past several years via CDs, films, books, lectures, and what he calls the “new LvB delivery systems”: music downloads, YouTube videos, blogs, Web forums, Twitter feeds. He also takes us to some of the dozens of recent concerts he’s attended throughout the northeast United States and in London. He poses questions to experts such as Beethoven biographer Edmund Morris and author Tim Page, besides his very revealing interviews with Denk and Alessi. We learn how Beethoven changed the lives of famous writers and musicians, from William F. Buckley to Leonard Bernstein. Mitchell (who writes the popular new blog, Roll Over, Beethoven) even provides a guide to Beethoven films, from the silent era to “A Clockwork Orange” and “Immortal Beloved.”

Journeys With Beethoven: Following the Ninth, and Beyond

Arts & Photography

Mitchell, Greg

Candaele, Kerry

Music

Sinclair Books

"Greg Mitchell and Kevin Gosztola have provided, from the start, some of the most important coverage of WikiLeaks and Bradley Manning. They have shone a bright light on Manning’s courageous whistle-blowing and brutal incarceration--and now in this timely and vital book they raise many serious questions surrounding all of that, and the new legal maneuvers against him." -- DANIEL ELLSBERG The first book of its kind, "Truth and Consequences" probes not just the life and worldwide impact of Bradley Manning--the U.S. Army private accused of leaking classified information to WikiLeaks--but also the current legal proceedings against him. This new edition updates the Manning case, and events surrounding it, right up to the start of his trial in early June 2013. The dramatic and often surprising story is written by the two reporters who have followed his case, from the beginning, perhaps more closely than any other journalists. The book--also available as an e-book--could not be more timely and closely observed. Kevin Gosztola was one of the few reporters to attend most of the key hearings since December 2011. Manning faces a life sentence for allegedly "aiding the enemy." His incarceration, often under inhumane conditions, and legal case have inspired international attention and protest. "Truth and Consequences" is written by award-winning author Greg Mitchell, whose daily blog on WikiLeaks for The Nation magazine and book "The Age of WikiLeaks" gained a wide following, and Kevin Gosztola, who writes for a popular blog at Firedoglake.com, "The Dissenter." The new book includes most of Mitchell's earlier volume, "Bradley Manning" as Part I -- and then an equally in-depth Part II by Gosztola on all of the legal moves against Manning. Now, in the second edition, they bring the story fully up to date. Can Manning get a fair trial? Will he? Will Julian Assange's legal problems get much worse if he is personally tied to Manning? This book raises provocative issues that must be addressed. The book traces Manning from his childhood in Oklahoma to Baghdad, where he was arrested in May 2010 and charged with sending to WikiLeaks explosive secret reports relating to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and diplomatic cables exposing sensitive U.S. relations around the world. Then they probe the controversy that swirled around Manning's harsh treatment in the brig at the Marine base in Quantico, Va., and demonstrations all over the world -- even as some pundits and politicians in the U.S. called for Manning's execution. The book then follows the Manning story right up to June 2013, as Gosztola analyzes the legal maneuvering and Mitchell probes the weak media coverage and other issues.

Truth and Consequences: The U.S. vs. Bradley Manning

Biographies & Memoirs

Gosztola, Kevin

Leaders & Notable People

~~A New York Times "Notable Book." The year 1950 was a time of absolute trauma for America. The Korean War began, and the Communists completed their takeover of China. The Rosenbergs were arrested as spies for the Soviet Union, which had recently tested its first atomic bomb. Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Hollywood blacklist were making headlines across the country. And it was a year that produced one of the most notorious, and influential, election contests in America's history. In California, two prominent members of Congress, Richard Nixon and Helen Gahagan Douglas, squared off for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was a dynamic thirty-seven-year-old lawyer of moderate means who had just helped send Alger Hiss to jail; she was a rich and beautiful former actress turned progressive Democrat--a pioneering female activist in Congress who attempted to become one of the first women elected to the Senate. In a climate of Red hysteria, Nixon's chief election strategy was smearing Douglas as a Communist sympathizer. She was, he said, "pink right down to her underwear." The acclaimed "Tricky Dick and the Pink Lady"--first published by Random House, now available in this new edition--and also for the first time as an e-book--is the first book to present a full-length portrait of the campaign widely remembered as one of the dirtiest ever, and pivotal in the history of sexual politics. Greg Mitchell draws on a wealth of original documents--including shocking, never-before-published letters and memos by Nixon and his tenacious campaign manager Murray Chotiner--that he discovered at the National Archives. In an engrossing blow-by-blow narrative featuring Earl Warren, Eleanor Roosevelt, William Randolph Hearst, Cecil B. De Mille, Melvyn Douglas (the candidate's husband), Harry Truman, and future presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Reagan, Mitchell vividly captures the sensational 1950 race: the cunning tactics of a young Nixon that first earned him the indelible nickname "Tricky Dick"; the challenges and criticism Douglas faced as a woman in politics; and the paralyzing fear that marked the dawn of the McCarthy era and blacklisting in the movies, television, and radio. The book is full of startling anecdotes--for example, JFK backing Nixon in the race-- humorous incidents, and newly uncovered "dirty tricks." Mitchell was the first writer allowed to probe Nixon's papers on this campaign. "A fair, compelling, and convincing account of a dark period of American history." -- The Economist "An instructive reminder of how bad things really were in the good old days." -- The Washington Post "A history of politics most slimy that is also a page-turner." -- Entertainment Weekly (Rating: A-) "An extremely readable primer on a pivotal episode in Nixon's rise to national prominence and power." -- Los Angeles Times "Mitchell is skilled at political storytelling." -- The Boston Globe ____

Tricky Dick and the Pink Lady: Richard Nixon vs. Helen Gahagan Douglas, 1950

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

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