Keep Breathing Recollections From A 103 Year Old

"When you reach the age of 100, suddenly, even if you did nothing notable, you are a celebrity. Friends, even longtime ones, neighbors and strangers look at you differently. You see and feel it. When perfect strangers find out, they shake your hand, as if, by osmosis, you can transfer the secrets of long life to them." Morrie Markoff only has this advice: Keep Breathing. These are his recollections from the last century beginning in a New York tenement in 1914. Morrie recalls his impoverished beginnings that led to his creative years as a metal sculpture artist and photographer. Although he never set out to achieve any milestones, Los Angeleno Morrie has received media attention for his first gallery showing at age 100, diamond anniversary to his wife Betty, and his first book signing at age 103. Morrie has no plans to take it easy. He only has plans to "Keep Breathing."

"Steve Lopez is insightful, ingenious, and often hilarious as he navigates one of life's biggest questions." --Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Hours Four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and longtime Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez explores the meaning of work and how it defines us in this captivating book that combines memoir, investigatory interviews, and practical application. Grappling with his own decision of whether to retire, Lopez uses his reporter skills not only to look inward but also to interview experts and peers to collect a variety of perspectives as he examines the true nature of a person’s time, identity, and ultimate life satisfaction. In Independence Day, Lopez talks to those who have chosen to extend their working life to its (il)logical extreme--people like Mel Brooks, still working at 94--those who have happily retired and reinvented themselves outside of the constraints of work, and those who would like to retire but can't because of financial constraints. He also turns to professionals on the matter, like two aging scientists, a geriatric specialist, and a psychiatrist, to understand the research-based reasons to retire. With his trademark poignancy, wisdom, and humor, Lopez establishes a useful polemic for himself and others in planning ahead, as he also evaluates questions of identity, financial limitations, and ultimately what to do with your life when the obituary pages are no longer filled with strangers.

Ted Bundy withheld his darkest secrets from police, journalists, and psychologists. While on death row he shared these hidden insights with his closest friends in the Florida State Prison. Finally, a way to make sense of the mysteries regarding all of Bundy's perversions, his biggest influences, his secret dump sites, and what happened to his victims. Using Erving Goffman's concept of dramaturgy, this book is an insider's guide to the reality of what Bundy shared behind-the-scenes with fellow inmates and how he constructed a different identity backstage to what he revealed at the front stage. This work presents the uncensored, multi-layered, graphic details of this most notorious of murder careers, and in doing so provides readers with a comprehensive and authentic account of Ted Bundy.

BOOK DESCRIPTION: Morrie Markoff: The Remarkable Life of America's Oldest Man, Who Lived to 110Discover the extraordinary journey of Morrie Markoff, a man who defied time and expectations, living a vibrant and impactful life for 110 remarkable years. In "Morrie Markoff: The Remarkable Life of America's Oldest Man, Who Lived to 110," readers are invited into the rich tapestry of a life that spanned over a century, witnessing firsthand the profound experiences and insights of a supercentenarian who became a beacon of resilience and wisdom.Born in the bustling streets of New York City in 1914, Morrie's story begins amidst the challenges of early 20th-century America. Growing up in a Jewish family in East Harlem, he faced the hardships of the Great Depression and the personal tragedy of surviving the Spanish flu pandemic, which claimed his brother's life. These formative experiences shaped a man of indomitable spirit and unwavering determination.Morrie's life is a testament to versatility and adaptability. From training as a machinist and navigating the economic turmoil of the Depression to finding love and partnership with Betty Goldmintz, Morrie's narrative is woven with themes of perseverance and passion. Their enduring marriage, lasting over eight decades, saw the couple through numerous historical events, including Morrie's contributions to the war effort during World War II and their subsequent adventures across the globe.An ardent activist, Morrie's political journey led him from membership in the Communist Party USA to a profound disillusionment with Soviet socialism after a revealing trip to the Soviet Union. His evolving perspectives underscore a lifelong commitment to social justice and the relentless pursuit of a better world. These experiences, coupled with his prolific art, bring to light the complexities of a man who continuously sought to reconcile his ideals with the realities he encountered.In his later years, Morrie embraced the role of an artist and a storyteller, channeling his reflections and experiences into sculptures, paintings, and writing. His memoir, "Keep Breathing: Recollections from a 103-year-old," offers a deeply personal account of his century-long journey, filled with candid insights and hard-earned wisdom. Beyond the printed page, Morrie broke new ground as the world's oldest active blogger, sharing his thoughts on life, politics, and the human condition with a global audience."Morrie Markoff: The Remarkable Life of America's Oldest Man, Who Lived to 110" is more than a biography; it is an inspiring chronicle of resilience, creativity, and the relentless pursuit of purpose. Morrie's story is a powerful reminder that age is no barrier to living a full and impactful life. His legacy, captured in these pages, offers a beacon of hope and inspiration for readers of all ages, encouraging us to embrace our passions, stay engaged, and continue to make a difference in the world.

In a prose that is so beautiful it is poetry, we see the world of growing up and going somewhere through the dust and heat of Fresno's industrial side and beyond: It is a boy's coming of age in the barrio, parochial school, attending church, public summer school, and trying to fall out of love so he can join in a Little League baseball team. His is a clarity that rings constantly through the warmth and wry reality of these sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic, always human remembrances.

One of the most inspiring stories in wrestling history, Cheating Death, Stealing Life sees Eddie Guerrero recount his saga in remarkably candid fashion, chronicling a life of heartbreaks and painful personal struggles in frank, graphic detail. Guerrero was born into Mexico's first family of sports entertainment, and his life story spans three generations of the wrestling business. His father, Gory Guerrero, was among the greatest legends of lucha libre—Mexican wrestling. Before Eddie was twenty, he was competing in the border town of Juarez, going on to work throughout Mexico. The family name made him an instant sensation but also cast a large shadow from which he would spend years trying to emerge. Paired with the late Art Barr, Guerrero cofounded what became the most hated—and popular—tag team in lucha libre, the infamous Los Gringos Locos. Cheating Death, Stealing Life offers a no-holds-barred glimpse behind the curtain into the secret world of wrestling, from the harsh realities of a lifetime spent in hotels and rental cars, to the politics that permeate the dressing room. Of course, tight-knit friendships are also forged. Guerrero tells of his personal bonds with such Superstars as Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko. It's also the story of Guerrero's private struggle, of a son caught in the shadow of a larger-than-life father and three older brothers, of a marriage that reached the brink of disintegration before being reborn as a more powerful and fulfilling relationship. Throughout, Eddie Guerrero pulls no punches describing his battles with self-doubt and inner darkness. In the end, Cheating Death, Stealing Life is a story of great courage and personal redemption, of Guerrero's bravery in facing his disease and fighting to become a better man in every light.

The Story Behind the Mafia Murder that Riveted New York On the afternoon of February 10, 1979, Theresa Ferrara took a phone call at Apple Hair Cutters on Long Island, New York. Then she headed out the door-"to make an easy $10,000," as she told her niece. She said she'd be back in ten minutes. That was the last time anyone ever saw her alive. The FBI ruled it a homicide. But what really happened to Theresa Ferrara? Was she killed over her involvement in the Mafia's legendary Lufthansa Heist-the biggest in history? Was she murdered in connection to her rumored informing on New York drug dealers? Or was it something else entirely? Was she even dead? Looking for Closure chronicles her niece's courageous and decades-long journey to uncover the truth behind her beloved aunt's mysterious disappearance-and the partial remains that turned up three months later, identified as Theresa's. Using police and court records, newspaper reports, interviews and new forensics technology, Maria Stewart pushes for a renewed investigation into the case. And she discovers the incredible secrets behind a life she thought she knew. Through it all, this real-life thriller provides important new details on the case that riveted the papers and served as inspiration for characters in the movies "Goodfellas" and "Ten Million Dollar Getaway." Stewart examines every possible lead-from mysterious phone calls purporting that Theresa was still alive to a psychic's intriguing statements. But what she discovers could be even more shocking than she imagined possible.

A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.