John Bonner is sure that anytime now he will recover from the sting of his recent separation from his wife. And he’s begun to wonder if he truly wants to spend the rest of his days running the family scrap-metal business, an operation where his employees are likely to have made the very license plates they now shred. His sister, Octavia, has just returned to Ohio from Boston to nurture the pain of her own broken relationship, and she is more certain: Following in the footsteps of their imperious father is a recipe for emotional disaster. But then two of John’s more eccentric workmen discover thousands of dollars stashed in the trunk of a car, the remains of a drug deal gone bad. The question of what to do with this unexpected cash draws John and his sister into the lives of their newfound collaborators, and sends them all on a surprising journey of high jinx and the heart. In The Metal Shredders, Nancy Zafris offers up a refreshingly wise, offbeat, and thoroughly convincing look at blue-collar America. Hers is a world rich in humor, steeped in closely held traditions, and filled with gently endearing, slightly crazed characters trying to discover just who they are. In the process they discover much about love, loyalty, family obligation, class—and yes, scrap.

John Bonner is trying hard to cope with his new role as exploiter of a motley crew of low-paid workers at his prosperous family business. John Bonner & Son Metal Shredders is where cars go to die-mashed into scrap by a mouthful of high-speed 255-pound magnesium teeth. John works with his sister, and the two bond over their romantic histories-which resemble scrap heaps as well. Then, one fateful night, a hidden stash of drug money turns up in a Ford LTD trunk with an extremely unpleasant smell. Now John has to launder the cash-literally-and figure out what to do with it. And what to do about a lot of things. Because this is not where he wants to die...

John Bonner is sure that anytime now he will recover from the sting of his recent separation from his wife. And he’s begun to wonder if he truly wants to spend the rest of his days running the family scrap-metal business, an operation where his employees are likely to have made the very license plates they now shred. His sister, Octavia, has just returned to Ohio from Boston to nurture the pain of her own broken relationship, and she is more certain: Following in the footsteps of their imperious father is a recipe for emotional disaster. But then two of John’s more eccentric workmen discover thousands of dollars stashed in the trunk of a car, the remains of a drug deal gone bad. The question of what to do with this unexpected cash draws John and his sister into the lives of their newfound collaborators, and sends them all on a surprising journey of high jinx and the heart. In The Metal Shredders, Nancy Zafris offers up a refreshingly wise, offbeat, and thoroughly convincing look at blue-collar America. Hers is a world rich in humor, steeped in closely held traditions, and filled with gently endearing, slightly crazed characters trying to discover just who they are. In the process they discover much about love, loyalty, family obligation, class—and yes, scrap.

Master shredder Dave Martone brings exciting heavy metal shred guitar techniques to the blues in this book and DVD. Tap into the soulful, emotion-filled heart of the blues while you put the pedal to the metal and SHRED! Dave covers all of the most important techniques, including sweep picking, tapping, hybrid picking, and string skipping, and provides lots of fun licks to play in standard music notation and TAB. Easy-to-read neck diagrams make learning chords, scales, and arpeggios effortless. The included DVD is hosted by Dave and features his unique, entertaining, and clear approach to expressing technical and musical ideas. Shredding the Blues is a must have for any serious shredder and will lead you to shredding the blues in a way that will impress musicians and audiences alike.

"Shredding guitar workout : heavy metal meets the thinking shredder's technical practice".

J. S. Bach is one of the greatest composers and most virtuosic musicians of all time. His amazing compositions are technically demanding, which make them the perfect match for heavy metal shred guitar. Shredding Bach introduces you to the unique style of this musical master and stretches your playing to the limits. It shows you all the essential techniques to play Bach's music on your electric guitar, including sweep picking, tapping, legato, and rapid alternate picking. Every example has been arranged to be as true and accurate to the original compositions as possible, with only minor adjustments made to accommodate the guitar and shred style. The DVD features German Schauss demonstrating examples from the book. The accompanying CD features all of the examples recorded at multiple speeds to help you practice and to get you on your way to mastering Bach's challenging compositions.

When you drop your Diet Coke can or yesterday's newspaper in the recycling bin, where does it go? Probably halfway around the world, to people and places that clean up what you don't want and turn it into something you can't wait to buy. In Junkyard Planet, Adam Minter--veteran journalist and son of an American junkyard owner--travels deep into a vast, often hidden, five-hundred-billion-dollar industry that's transforming our economy and environment. With unmatched access to and insight on the waste industry, and the explanatory gifts and an eye for detail worthy of a John McPhee or a William Langewiesche, Minter traces the export of America's junk and the massive profits that China and other rising nations earn from it. What emerges is an engaging, colorful, and sometimes troubling tale of how the way we consume and discard stuff fuels a world that recognizes value where Americans don't. Junkyard Planet reveals that Americans might need to learn a smarter way to take out the trash.