Alcoholic. Epileptic. Technically challenged. Described as all this and worse, Jimmy Reed nevertheless overcame these roadblocks to become perhaps the most successful R&B/pop crossover artist of the '50s. In "Big Boss Man," musicians, family members, and those whose lives Reed touched offer revealing and heart-wrenching insights into this now-revered bluesman. Although Reed's alcoholism was no secret, its effect on his musicianship is less understood -- this and more is explored in this comprehensive biography of a classic bluesman.

Brothers Ray and Billy desperately need their new job with the local crime boss. They've got a drunken, aging father and an overworked sister. This is their shot for something better for their family. But then Billy impulsively brings home a Russian prostitute. And the Big Bossman comes looking for her. "A cross between David Mamet and the Marx Brothers ... Ullian's comedy flirts with all kinds of allegorical possibilities ... a suitably flaky style, an oddball naturalism that plays against the absurdities in the dialogue ... bland spoofery, improbable dialogue laced with specific detail and monologues like verbal jazz riffs ... Ullian has a distinctive voice." -Marianne Evett, The Cleveland Plain Dealer About the plays of Peter Ullian: "Singularly satisfying, winning, heart rending, punchy, button-pushing, irresistible. The sense of new blood entering the mainstream achieves the palpably energizing force of a transfusion." -New York Times "Quirky, crackling prose." -The Village Voice "Without apology. Taut, absorbing. Great style and crisp wit." -Variety "Courageous, intensely empathetic characters ... very poignant ... and truthful." -The Chicago Tribune

"Big Boss Man: My Adventures in Mismanagement" is a book about the trials and tribulations of the everyday worker bee. This book follows the misadventures of the author, Josef Bastian, as he humorously documents his working life all the way from high school into his professional career.

"Big Boss Man: My Adventures in Mismanagement" is a book about the trials and tribulations of the everyday worker bee. This book follows the misadventures of the author, Josef Bastian, as he humorously documents his working life all the way from high school into his professional career.

The medium line college, office & school exercise notebook of "Big Boss Man" cover.

The Medium Line college, office & school exercise notebook of "Big Boss Man" cover.

A breakthrough examination of the professional wrestling, its history, its fans, and its wider cultural impact The Squared Circle grows out of David Shoemaker’s writing for Deadspin, where he started the column “Dead Wrestler of the Week” (which boasts more than 1 million page views)—a feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young because of the abuse they subject their bodies to—and his writing for Grantland, where he covers the pro wrestling world, and its place in the pop culture mainstream. Shoemaker’s sportswriting has since struck a nerve with generations of wrestling fans who—like him—grew up worshipping a sport often derided as “fake” in the wider culture. To them, these professional wrestling superstars are not just heroes but an emotional outlet and the lens through which they learned to see the world. Starting in the early 1900s and exploring the path of pro wrestling in America through the present day, The Squared Circle is the first book to acknowledge both the sport’s broader significance and wrestling fans’ keen intellect and sense of irony. Divided into eras, each section offers a snapshot of the wrestling world, profiles some of the period’s preeminent wrestlers, and the sport’s influence on our broader culture. Through the brawling, bombast, and bloodletting, Shoemaker argues that pro wrestling can teach us about the nature of performance, audience, and, yes, art. Full of unknown history, humor, and self-deprecating reminiscence—but also offering a compelling look at the sport’s rightful place in pop culture—The Squared Circle is the book that legions of wrestling fans have been waiting for. In it, Shoemaker teaches us to look past the spandex and body slams to see an art form that can explain the world.