Karate just got real! Sonny Leads is a black belt with something to prove to himself, and to the world. He's oozing with talent, but he can't seem to put it together when it matters most. So he takes the advice of a coach and follows his dream to train with the best in Japan. Before anything can go right, though, everything goes wrong. In the dojo. At his new Japanese home. Even in front of a cute university student named Haruka. Does Sonny have the fighting spirit needed to survive Japan? He'd better. Because real karate isn't for pretenders.

**Winner of the American Book Award (2023)** ​**Longlisted for the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award (2023)** The long-awaited first full biography of legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins Sonny Rollins has long been considered an enigma. Known as the “Saxophone Colossus,” he is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz improvisers of all time, winning Grammys, the Austrian Cross of Honor, Sweden’s Polar Music Prize and a National Medal of Arts. A bridge from bebop to the avant-garde, he is a lasting link to the golden age of jazz, pictured in the iconic “Great Day in Harlem” portrait. His seven-decade career has been well documented, but the backstage life of the man once called “the only jazz recluse” has gone largely untold—until now. Based on more than 200 interviews with Rollins himself, family members, friends, and collaborators, as well as Rollins’ extensive personal archive, Saxophone Colossus is the comprehensive portrait of this legendary saxophonist and composer, civil rights activist and environmentalist. A child of the Harlem Renaissance, Rollins’ precocious talent landed him on the bandstand and in the recording studio with Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, or playing opposite Billie Holiday. An icon in his own right, he recorded Tenor Madness, featuring John Coltrane; Way Out West; Freedom Suite, the first civil rights-themed album of the hard bop era; A Night at the Village Vanguard; and the 1956 classic Saxophone Colossus. Yet his meteoric rise to fame was not without its challenges. He served two sentences on Rikers Island and won his battle with heroin addiction. In 1959, Rollins took a two-year sabbatical from recording and performing, practicing up to 16 hours a day on the Williamsburg Bridge. In 1968, he left again to study at an ashram in India. He returned to performing from 1971 until his retirement in 2012. The story of Sonny Rollins—innovative, unpredictable, larger than life—is the story of jazz itself, and Sonny’s own narrative is as timeless and timely as the art form he represents. Part jazz oral history told in the musicians’ own words, part chronicle of one man’s quest for social justice and spiritual enlightenment, this is the definitive biography of one of the most enduring and influential artists in jazz and American history.

"Let's call it what it is, before Britney, before Madonna, there was only Cher." - Gene Simmons, KISS. Rightfully coined the "Goddess of Pop", Cher has conquered music, film and television during her 50-year showbiz career, selling 100-million records, grossing $650-million on tour, drawing $700-million at the U.S. Box Office and winning Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. She is one-half of highly-successful duo Sonny & Cher, a multi-million-selling doll, multi-million-selling fitness icon, hit songwriter, enduring sex symbol, award-winning television producer, film director, video director, award-winning fashion icon, author, model, humanitarian, mother, daughter, and of course the idol of a highly diverse fan base. Contents: The Cher Story I. 1946 - 1969: I Got You Babe -- Sonny & Cher Top The Charts II. 1970 - 1980: Living In A House Divided -- TV's Sonny & Cher Separate III. 1981 - 1995: Working Girl -- Cher Earns Hollywood Acclaim IV. 1998 - 2016: Believe -- Cher Claims Her Goddess Of Pop Title The Cher Discography I. Studio Albums II. Compilation Albums III. Live Albums IV. Soundtrack Albums V. Singles; Songs Written By Cher The Cher Filmography I. Films II. Television Series' & Specials III. Music Videos Cher's Tours Cher's Awards Cher's Relationships Cher Q&A What Other Stars Say About Cher.

The Cher Bible, Vol. 1: Essentials "Let's call it what it is, before Britney, before Madonna, there was only Cher." - Gene Simmons, KISS. Rightfully coined the "Goddess of Pop", Cher has conquered music, film and television during her 50-year showbiz career, selling 100-million records, grossing $650-million on tour, drawing $700-million at the U.S. Box Office and winning Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. She is one-half of highly-successful duo Sonny & Cher, a multi-million-selling doll, multi-million-selling fitness icon, hit songwriter, enduring sex symbol, award-winning television producer, film director, video director, award-winning fashion icon, author, model, humanitarian, mother, daughter, and of course the idol of a highly diverse fan base. Contents: The Cher Story I. 1946 - 1969: I Got You Babe -- Sonny & Cher Top The Charts II. 1970 - 1980: Living In A House Divided -- TV's Sonny & Cher Separate III. 1981 - 1995: Working Girl -- Cher Earns Hollywood Acclaim IV. 1998 - 2016: Believe -- Cher Claims Her Goddess Of Pop Title The Cher Discography I. Studio Albums II. Compilation Albums III. Live Albums IV. Soundtrack Albums V. Singles Songs Written By Cher The Cher Filmography I. Films II. Television Series' & Specials III. Music Videos Cher's Tours Cher's Awards Cher's Relationships Cher Q&A What Other Stars Say About Cher The Cher Bible, Vol. 2: Timeline "She's been in our lives every decade. She kind of grew up with us." - Cyndi Lauper Cher started her career as a backing vocalist for Phil Spector's iconic Wall of Sound, before shooting to superstardom herself with the sixties anthem I Got You Babe. Cher mastered folk-rock, achieved three US #1's during the singer-songwriter era of the 1970's, whilst having a glittering television career. She made her mark on disco, Broadway and the 1980's hair metal scene and earned the highest acting honor available. Cher absolutely conquered the 1990's dance scene whilst in her 50's, and was given the Goddess Of Pop title in her 60's. Along the way, Cher has knocked The Beatles off #1, had five US Hot 100 hits simultaneously, appeared on the Live Aid stage, had US#1 movies with Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson, attended Madonna's wedding in a purple wig, called David Letterman an "asshole", inaugurated Disneyland, had the highest-grossing female tour of all-time, had hits in six decades and held Lady Gaga's meat purse. She's done it all. She's Cher - The Goddess of Pop... Contents: A timeline of Cher's career from 1963 to 2016.

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