Biographies & Memoirs

Explore the stories of remarkable lives in our Biographies & Memoirs section at Thryft. Discover firsthand accounts of influential figures and captivating memoirs that'll inspire and educate. Our collection is carefully curated to ensure you find the perfect narrative to delve into.

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Marshall Ulrich

Running On Empty : An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss and a Record Setting Run Across America

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Running On Empty could be a good read for someone who is interested in long-distance running or for those looking to find inspiration in overcoming emotional and physical obstacles. This book is a gripping and emotional journey of an ultramarathon runner, highlighting the grueling reality of being an endurance athlete and the human struggles that often come with it. Ulrich's personal story of grief and healing adds a relatable, emotional aspect to the book, making it a must-read for anyone looking to push their limits.

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Katy Butler

Knocking on Heaven's Door : The Path to a Better Way of Death

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This book could be a good read for someone who is interested in the ethics of end-of-life care. Katy Butler's personal experience with her family allows for an emotional and relatable account of the flaws in our modern healthcare system. Butler's investigation into the Slow Medicine movement and the importance of having difficult conversations about death could give readers a sense of empowerment and a new perspective on the inevitability of death. Overall, Knocking on Heaven's Door is a thought-provoking and insightful read.

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Atul Gawande

Being Mortal : Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End

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"Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande tugs at fundamental truths about human existence with a rare combination of medical insight and compassionate storytelling. If you've ever pondered the inescapable nature of aging and dying, this book not only provides a deep understanding but also offers a heartfelt exploration into how we can better navigate the final chapters of our lives. It's a profound read that could change your perspective on life, death, and the medical journey in between.

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Allan H. Ropper, Brian David Burrell

Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole : Extraordinary Journeys into the Human Brain

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In this gripping book, Dr Allan Ropper takes the reader behind the scenes at Harvard Medical School's neurology unit to show how a seasoned diagnostician faces down bizarre, life-altering afflictions. Like Alice in Wonderland, Dr Ropper inhabits a world where absurdities abound: A figure skater whose body has become a ticking time-bomb, A salesman who drives around and around a roundabout, unable to get off, A college quarterback who can't stop calling the same play, A child molester who, after falling on the ice, is left with a brain that is very much dead inside a body that is very much alive, A mother of two young girls, diagnosed with ALS, who has to decide whether a life locked inside her own head is worth living, How does one begin to treat such cases, to counsel people whose lives may be changed forever? How does one train the next generation of clinicians to deal with the moral and medical aspects of brain disease? Ropper answers these questions by taking the reader into a rarefied world where lives and minds hang in the balance.

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Christopher McDougall

Born to Run : A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

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An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury.In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America's best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall's incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.--back cover

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Martinus Evans

Slow AF Run Club - The Ultimate Guide For Anyone Who Wants To Run

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This book is a game-changer for those who have felt excluded from the running community due to their size, athletic ability, or health issues. Martinus Evans, a marathon runner himself, understands the struggles and doubts that come with being a non-traditional runner. With specialized advice, humor, and personal anecdotes, he encourages readers to embrace their bodies and start running for the sheer joy of it. The Slow AF Run Club is a practical and empowering guide for anyone who wants to run, showcasing that running is for everyone, regardless of their shape or size.

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Anne Boyer

The Undying : A Meditation on Modern Illness

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The Undying is an illuminating exploration of sickness, mortality, and the gendered politics of illness. Through her own experience with cancer, Boyer provides a raw and honest account of the physical and emotional toll of illness on the human body and psyche. She deftly weaves together memoir, criticism, and cultural analysis to offer a nuanced perspective on the cancer industry, quackery, and the pervasive myths surrounding cancer. The Undying is a powerful reminder of the universality of illness and the importance of empathy and understanding in the face of suffering.

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Anne Boyer

The Undying : A Meditation on Modern Illness

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The Undying could be a good read for anyone seeking a deeply personal and thought-provoking exploration of illness and the modern healthcare system. Anne Boyer's memoir delves into the complexities of her own battle with cancer, while also examining societal and cultural attitudes towards illness. It offers a unique perspective on the challenges faced by those living with illness and serves as a powerful critique of the healthcare industry.

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Sally Jenkins, Lance Armstrong

It's Not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

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This book could be a good read for someone looking for inspiration on overcoming life's challenges. The book highlights Lance Armstrong's journey back to life after fighting cancer and winning the Tour de France six times. The most unique and distinctive feature of the book is its focus on triumph over adversity and the resilience of the human spirit. Users may review the book as an inspiring tale of courage and perseverance.

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Novak Đoković

Serve To Win : The 14-Day Gluten-free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence

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This book could be a good read for people who are interested in improving their health and fitness. Novak Djokovic's success story after adopting a gluten-free diet is thoroughly explained, with weekly menus and easy-to-prepare recipes provided. The book offers a unique approach to achieving excellent physical and mental health, focusing on dietary changes. Readers have raved about the positive impact the book has had on their lives and some have even described it as life-changing and a must-read for anyone interested in healthy eating.

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The Book Service

A Life Without Limits : A World Champion's Journey

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In 2007, Chrissie Wellington shocked the triathlon world by winning the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a newcomer to the sport and a complete unknown to the press, Chrissie's win shook up the sport. A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS is the story of her rise to the top, a journey that has taken her around the world, from a childhood in England, to the mountains of Nepal, to the oceans of New Zealand, and the trails of Argentina, and first across the finish line.Wellington's first-hand, inspiring story includes all the incredible challenges she has faced-- from anorexia to near-drowning to training with a controversial coach. But to Wellington, the drama of the sports also presents an opportunity to use sports to improve people's lives.A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS reveals the heart behind Wellington's success, along with the diet, training and motivational techniques that keep her going through one of the world's most grueling events.

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Atul Gawande

Being Mortal : Medicine and What Matters in the End

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Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

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The Emperor of All Maladies is a magnificent, profoundly humane "biography" of cancer—from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the twentieth century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence.The story of cancer is a story of human ingenuity, resilience, and perseverance, but also of hubris, paternalism, and misperception. Mukherjee recounts centuries of discoveries, setbacks, victories, and deaths, told through the eyes of his predecessors and peers, training their wits against an infinitely , resourceful adversary.Riveting, urgent, and surprising, The Emperor of All Maladies provides a fascinating glimpse into the future of cancer treatments. It is an illuminating book that offers hope and clarity to those seeking to demystify cancer.--back cover

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Jonathan Safran Foer

Eating Animals

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Brilliantly synthesizing philosophy, literature, science, memoir and his own detective work, "Eating Animals" explores the many fictions we use to justify our eating habits--from folklore to pop culture to family traditions and national myth--and how such tales can lull us into a brutal forgetting.

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Chrissie Wellington

A Life Without Limits : A World Champion's Journey

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"A Life Without Limits" is an inspiring read for anyone looking for motivation to overcome obstacles and push themselves to their physical and mental limits. Chrissie's remarkable achievement of becoming a world champion Ironman triathlete in only her second event at the Ironman level, and her unwavering determination to bounce back from setbacks, makes this book a must-read for all sports enthusiasts. The book highlights how passion and resilience can triumph over any obstacle and encourages readers to strive for excellence in every aspect of their life.

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Sally Jenkins, Lance Armstrong

It's Not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

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This book could be a good read for individuals who are facing adversity and need inspiration to overcome it. It is a deeply personal memoir of Lance Armstrong’s journey through cancer and how he emerged victorious. The book captures the essence of how the human spirit can overcome any obstacle and make one triumphant. The book’s most unique and distinctive feature is its inspiring and uplifting storyline that can motivate readers to never give up.

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Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Emperor of All Maladies

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A Biography of CancerIn The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee, doctor, researcher and award-winning science writer, examines cancer with a cellular biologist’s precision, a historian’s perspective, and a biographer’s passion. The result is an astonishingly lucid and eloquent chronicle of a disease humans have lived with – and perished from – for more than five thousand years.The story of cancer is a story of human ingenuity, resilience and perseverance, but also of hubris, arrogance and misperception, all leveraged against a disease that, just three decades ago, was thought to be easily vanquished in an all-out ‘war against cancer’. Mukherjee recounts centuries of discoveries, setbacks, victories and deaths, told through the eyes of predecessors and peers, training their wits against an infinitely resourceful adversary.From the Persian Queen Atossa, whose Greek slave cut off her malignant breast, to the nineteeth-century recipient of primitive radiation and chemotherapy and Mukherjee’s own leukemia patient, Carla, The Emperor of All Maladies is about the people who have soldiered through toxic, bruising, and draining regimes to survive and to increase the store of human knowledge.Riveting and magesterial, The Emperor of All Maladies provides a fascinating glimpse into the future of cancer treatments and a brilliant new perspective on the way doctors, scientists, philosophers and lay people have observed and understood the human body for millennia.(front flap)

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Matt Long, Charles Butler

The Long Run : A New York City Firefighter's Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete

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The Long Run is a must-read for those looking for an uplifting story of perseverance and triumph over adversity. Matt Long’s determination to recover from a debilitating injury and compete in the New York City Marathon is incredibly inspiring. The book provides an honest and raw insight into the psychological and physical challenges he faced, and his love for running as a means of recovery is heartwarming. The Long Run is perfect for anyone looking for a story of hope and resilience.

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Steve Friedman, Scott Jurek

Eat and Run : My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness

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“In pursuing the mental side of endurance, Jurek uncovers the most important secrets any runner can learn.”—Amby Burfoot, author of The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of LifeFor nearly two decades, Scott Jurek has been a dominant force—and darling—in the grueling and growing sport of ultrarunning. Until recently he held the American 24-hour record and he was one of the elite runners profiled in the runaway bestseller Born to Run .In Eat and Run , Jurek opens up about his life and career as a champion athlete with a plant-based diet and inspires runners at every level. From his Midwestern childhood hunting, fishing, and cooking for his meat-and-potatoes family to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, Scott’s story shows the power of an iron will and blows apart the stereotypes of what athletes should eat to fuel optimal performance. Full of stories of competition as well as science and practical advice—including his own recipes— Eat and Run will motivate readers and expand their food horizons.“Jurek’s story and ideas should easily manage to speak to and cheer on anyone seeking to live life as fully as possible.”— Denver Post“A shockingly honest, revealing, and inspiring memoir.”— Trail Runner

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Chris Lear

Running with the Buffaloes : A Season Inside With Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, And The University Of Colorado Men's Cross Country Team

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Top five Best Books About Running, Runner's World Magazine Top three Best Books About Running, readers of Runner's World Magazine(December 2009) In RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES, writer Chris Lear follows the University of Colorado cross-country team through an unforgettable NCAA season. Allowed unparalleled access to team practices, private moments, and the mind of Mark Wetmore--one of the country's most renowned and controversial coaches--Lear provides a riveting look inside the triumphs and heartaches of a perennial national contender and the men who will stop at nothing to achieve excellence. The Buffaloes' 1998 season held great promise, with Olympic hopeful Adam Goucher poised for his first-ever NCAA cross-country title, and the University of Colorado shooting for its first-ever national team title. But in the rigorous world of top-level collegiate sports, blind misfortune can sabotage the dreams of individuals and teams alike. In a season plagued by injury and the tragic loss of a teammate, the Buffaloes were tested as never before. What these men managed to achieve in the face of such adversity is the stuff of legend and glory.With passion and suspense, Lear captures the lives of these young men and offers a glimpse of what drives a gifted runner like Adam Goucher and a great coach like Mark Wetmore. Like Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike, RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES is at once a glowing celebration of a sport and an inspiration to anyone who has ever had the courage to beat the odds and follow a dream.

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Katrina Firlik

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe : A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside

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Katrina Firlik is a neurosurgeon, one of only two hundred or so women among the alpha males who dominate this high-pressure, high-prestige medical specialty. She is also a superbly gifted writer–witty, insightful, at once deeply humane and refreshingly wry. In Another Day in the Frontal Lobe, Dr. Firlik draws on this rare combination to create a neurosurgeon’s Kitchen Confidential–a unique insider’s memoir of a fascinating profession.Neurosurgeons are renowned for their big egos and aggressive self-confidence, and Dr. Firlik confirms that timidity is indeed rare in the field. “They’re the kids who never lost at musical chairs,” she writes. A brain surgeon is not only a highly trained scientist and clinician but also a mechanic who of necessity develops an intimate, hands-on familiarity with the gray matter inside our skulls. It’s the balance between cutting-edge medical technology and manual dexterity, between instinct and expertise, that Firlik finds so appealing–and so difficult to master.Firlik recounts how her background as a surgeon’s daughter with a strong stomach and a keen interest in the brain led her to this rarefied specialty, and she describes her challenging, atypical trek from medical student to fully qualified surgeon. Among Firlik’s more memorable a young roofer who walked into the hospital with a three-inch-long barbed nail driven into his forehead, the result of an accident with his partner’s nail gun, and a sweet little seven-year-old boy whose untreated earache had become a raging, potentially fatal infection of the brain lining.From OR theatrics to thorny ethical questions, from the surprisingly primitive tools in a neurosurgeon’s kit to glimpses of future techniques like the “brain lift,” Firlik cracks open medicine’s most prestigious and secretive specialty. Candid, smart, clear-eyed, and unfailingly engaging, Another Day in the Frontal Lobe is a mesmerizing behind-the-scenes glimpse into a world of incredible competition and incalculable rewards.

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Sherwin B. Nuland

Doctors : The Biography of Medicine

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Doctors is a great read for those interested in understanding how medicine has advanced through the centuries. Sherwin B. Nuland offers fascinating life portraits of some of the greatest medical innovators and pioneers, including Hippocrates and Andreas Vesalius. What makes this book unique is that it shows how these medical professionals were products of their own times and places, and how their work has influenced modern medicine. If you're interested in medical history or just curious about the development of medicine, this book is a must-read.

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Kay Redfield Jamison

An Unquiet Mind : A Memoir of Moods and Madness

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"An Unquiet Mind is a fascinating memoir that explores the author's experience with bipolar disorder. It offers readers a unique perspective from both the doctor and patient standpoint, making it a valuable read for anyone looking to understand the condition better. The book is written with candidness and courage, showcasing the author's aptitude for delivering complex information with clarity. If you're interested in learning more about this condition or looking for inspiration and hope, this book is definitely worth your time."

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Sally Magnusson

Where Memories Go : Why dementia changes everything - as heard on BBC R4 Book of the Week

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This book began as an attempt to hold on to my witty, storytelling mother with the one thing I had to hand. Words. Then, as the enormity of the social crisis my family was part of began to dawn, I wrote with the thought that other forgotten lives might be nudged into the light along with hers. Dementia is one of the greatest social, medical, economic, scientific, philosophical and moral challenges of our times. I am a reporter. It became the biggest story of my life. - Sally MagnussonRegarded as one of the finest journalists of her generation, Mamie Baird Magnusson's whole life was a celebration of words - words that she fought to retain in the grip of a disease which is fast becoming the scourge of the 21st century. Married to writer and broadcaster Magnus Magnusson, they had five children of whom Sally is the eldest. As well as chronicling the anguish, the frustrations and the unexpected laughs and joys that she and her sisters experienced while accompanying their beloved mother on the long dementia road for eight years until her death in 2012, Sally Magnusson seeks understanding from a range of experts and asks penetrating questions about how we treat older people, how we can face one of the greatest social, medical, economic and moral challenges of our times, and what it means to be human.An extraordinary and deeply personal memoir, a manifesto and a call to arms, in one searingly beautiful narrative.Find out more about the book and dementia at Facebook.com/WhereMemoriesGo

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Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Dobbins

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised

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Recommendation: 1. This book is a must-have for anyone serious about bodybuilding. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a seven-time winner of the Mr. Olympia title, provides a comprehensive guide that covers everything from weight training techniques to nutrition and injury prevention. With detailed photos of bodybuilding's newest stars, this book will inspire and educate you on your journey to achieving your personal best. 2. If you are looking to take your fitness to the next level, this book is an essential resource. Written by the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger, it offers the latest advancements in weight training and bodybuilding competition. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced athlete, this comprehensive guide has something for everyone. Don't miss out on expert tips and techniques from one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.

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Jerome Groopman

Measure of Our Days : New Beginnings at Life's End

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The Measure of Our Days could be a good read if you're interested in personal stories of people navigating through illness and end-of-life experiences. Dr. Groopman provides a unique perspective as both a physician and a patient himself, making the stories more personal and engaging. The book's most distinctive feature is its ability to reveal the spiritual and emotional journey of not just the patients but also the physicians, and how they come to terms with the meaning of life and death.

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John Little, Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee The Art of Expressing the Human Body

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This book is a must-read for martial arts enthusiasts who want to achieve physical perfection like Bruce Lee. It unveils and documents Lee's unique and intensive conditioning regime that made him one of the most striking figures on both the big screen and in martial arts. It is a treasure trove of his insight into nutrition, aerobics, isometrics, stretching and weight training. The training routines presented in the book are easy-to-follow and simple-to-understand, making it a valuable source book for those seeking dramatic improvement in their health, physique, and conditioning.

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Oliver Sacks

Awakenings

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This book is a must-read for anyone who is fascinated by the power of medicine to transform lives. Dr. Oliver Sacks takes you on a journey into the world of his patients who were trapped in a trance-like state for decades. Through his vivid storytelling, you will witness the incredible effects of the then-new drug L-DOPA, which awakens these individuals to a world they never knew had changed. Get ready to be moved and inspired by this remarkable true story of hope and resilience.

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In His Image.

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Sorry! Book description for this title is not available.

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Masha Gessen

Blood Matters - From Inherited Illness To Designer Babies, How The World And I Found Ourselves In The Future Of The Gene

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Recommendation: Blood Matters offers a unique exploration of the role that genetics can play in shaping one's identity. With personal anecdotes woven throughout scientific explanations, Gessen's book is a must-read for anyone interested in how genetic testing is changing our understanding of health and self.

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Marilee Strong

A Bright Red Scream - Self-Mutilation And The Language Of Pain

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As groundbreaking as REVIVING OPHELIA and Hope Edelman's MOTHERLESS DAUGHTERS, A BRIGHT RED SCREAM is a compelling investigation of why so many people deliberately hurt themselves and what can be done to help them. This is an illness that was outed on a global scale when Princess Diana admitted hurting herself deliberately, and it continues to be practised mainly by middle-class women who start in their teens and self-harm throughout their lives. Most cutters are women who have been emotionally, sexually, or physically abused as children, but Strong's research shows that self- mutilation appears in other groups. There are powerful first-person stories, in which cutters describe their ritualistic methods and somewhat addictive cravings for seeing their own blood. Though research is in its infancy, therapists say there are now promising treatments -- from medication to intensive psychotherapy -- for the millions of 'cutters'. Strong reveals what the afflicted and those close to them can do to start a process of healing.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Dobbins

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised

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From elite bodybuilding competitors to gymnasts from golfers to fitness gurus anyone who works out with weights must own this book a book that only Arnold Schwarzenegger could write a book that has earned its reputation as the bible of bodybuilding Inside Arnold covers the very latest advances in both weight training and bodybuilding competition with new sections on diet and nutrition sports psychology the treatment and prevention of injuries and methods of training each illustrated with detailed photos of some of bodybuilding s newest stars Plus all the features that have made this book a classic are here Arnold s tried and true tips for sculpting strengthening and defining each and every muscle to create the ultimate buff physique The most effective methods of strength training to stilt your needs whether you re an amateur athlete or a pro bodybuilder preparing for a competition Comprehensive information on health nutrition and dietary supplements to help you build muscle lose fat and maintain optimum energy Expert advice on the prevention and treatment of sports related injuries Strategies and tactics for competitive bodybuilders from selecting poses to handling publicity The fascinating history and growth of bodybuilding as a sport with a photographic Bodybuilding Hall of Fame And of course Arnold s individual brand of inspiration and motivation throughout Covering every level of expertise and experience The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding will help you achieve your personal best With his unique perspective as a seven time winner of the Mr Olympia title and all international film star Arnold shares his secrets to dedication training and commitment and shows you how to take control of your body and realize your own potential for greatness

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Jacques Steinberg

You Are an Ironman : How Six Weekend Warriors Chased Their Dream of Finishing the World's Toughest Triathlon

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A "New York Times" bestselling author takes readers inside the Ironman triathlon.As he did so masterfully in his "New York Times" bestseller, "The Gatekeepers, " Jacques Steinberg creates a compelling portrait of people obsessed with reaching a life-defining goal. In this instance, the target is an Ironman triathlon-a 2.4-mile open-water swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride, then finally a 26-mile marathon run, all of which must be completed in no more than seventeen hours.Steinberg focuses not on the professionals who live off the prize money and sponsorships but on a handful of triathletes who regard the sport as a hobby. Vividly capturing the grueling preparation, the suspense of completing each event of the triathlon, and the spectacular feats of human endurance, Steinberg plumbs the physical and emotional toll as well as the psychological payoff on the participants of the Ford Ironman Arizona 2009. His "You Are an Ironman" is both a riveting sports narrative and a fascinating, behind-the scenes study of what makes these athletes keep going..

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Paul W. Brand, Philip Yancey

The Gift of Pain : Why We Hurt and What We Can Do About It

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Recommendation: - This book is an eye-opening exploration of the purpose and significance of pain in our lives. Dr. Paul Brand, a renowned surgeon, shares his personal experiences and research on pain, offering a fresh perspective on its role in our wellbeing. If you're open-minded and seeking a deeper understanding of the complexities of pain, this book will challenge your preconceptions and leave you with a profound appreciation for the gift of pain.

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Dean Karnazes

50/50 - Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons In 50 Days -- And How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!

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Discover the secrets for super endurance -- from one of the fittest men on the planet!Dean Karnazes has run 350 continuous miles through three sleepless nights, ordered pizza during long runs, and inspired fans the world over with his adventures. So what does a guy like this do when he wants to face the ultimate test of endurance? He runs 50 marathons in 50 states-in 50 consecutive days.With little more than a road map and a caravan packed with fellow runners and a dedicated crew, Dean set off on a tour that took him through a volcanic canyon in Maui in high humidity and 88-degree heat; to an elevation gain of almost 4,000 feet at the Tecumseh Trail Marathon in Bloomington, Indiana; to a severed moose leg found alongside an Anchorage, Alaska, trail that compelled him to sprint for safety.Now in this heart-pounding book, Dean reveals how he pulled off this unfathomable feat with a determination that defied all physical limitations. But Dean goes beyond the story of the Endurance 50 marathons to share his invaluable secrets and advice for athletes of all levels. These are the tips that kept Dean going during the 1,310 miles he covered and 160,000 calories he burned-while averaging sub-four-hour marathons and often sleeping fewer than four hours each night. Learn how to:Recover more quicklyAdapt to extreme conditionsPrevent muscle cramps and overheatingPace yourself when you "hit the wall"Stay motivated.Packed with practical advice and including training regimens, 50/50 will inspire you no matter what your fitness goal is, whether it's simply walking around the block, running a 10K, or completing yet another Ironman.

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Maureen Mylander, Patch Adams

Gesundheit! : Bringing Good Health to You, the Medical System, and Society Through Physician Service, Complementary Therapies, Humor, and Joy

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Gesundheit! is a heartwarming story of social revolutionist, Patch Adams' lifetime quest to transform the healthcare system. Through his non-profit home-based medical practice, Gesundheit Institute, Adams treats thousands of people for free and aims to offer a full-scale hospital open to anyone in the world free of charge. The book inspires readers with Adams' positive vision and plan for the future of healthcare. The most unique and distinctive feature of the book is the author's emphasis on healing as a loving, creative, and humorous human exchange rather than a business transaction. Recommended for those concerned with the inaccessibility of affordable, quality health care, and who believe in the power of empathy, human connection, and laughter to heal.

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Allen Shawn

Wish I Could Be There : Notes from a Phobic Life

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Allen Shawn is afraid of many things, including heights, water, fields, parking lots, tunnels, and unknown roads. He avoids taking subways, using elevators, or crossing bridges—in short, he is agoraphobic, which means he is afraid of both public spaces and of any form of isolation. part memori, part scientific inquiry, part meditation, Wish I Could Be There is a brave book about the experience of being afraid.The search to understand his own crippling condition led Shawn into the world of people who study brains and human behavior; at the same time, he looked back to clues from his own childhood. He grew up in one of America's premier literary families; his father was William Shawn, editor of The New Yorker for thirty-five years, and his brother is the distinguished playwright and actor Wallace Shawn. He also has a twin sister who is autistic and who was sent to live in a special home when they were eight. His father led a double life that introduced strict taboos into the household.As he looks at his own life for the sources of his phobias, Shawn also talks to professionals who are trying to decode the ways the human brain—and mind—works. These include researchers who are mapping the physiology of fear and psychologists and psychiatrists still wrestling with the mystery of how we form and change our habits of thought and behavior. Shawn deftly moves back and forth between science and personal history as he tries to solve the psychological and biological puzzles that have plagued him for so long. In doing so, he offers poignant insights into the role of pain, the nature of fear, and the definition of normality. We can all find ourselves in some part of his story.Allen Shawn's droll, probing, and honest book explores the mystery of the many ways we become who we are, whether through our upbringing, our genetic makeup, or our own choices. From inside the isolation of fear, he confronts the universal struggle to face our demons.

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