Unchain My Heart

On July 5, 1961 Ray Charles . . . walked into Bell Sound Studios . . . and recorded four songs in one session. [One of those songs was] "Unchain My Heart." . . . In many ways "Unchain My Heart" was the story of Ray's life. Ray lived it. [This is] the incredible story of the man who wrote the song "Unchain My Heart," Bobby Sharp. Bobby lived it. This book will take you through a time period that was paramount to the history of American music . . . and through locales like Tin Pan Alley, Destiny Recording Studios, and Harlem. You'll hear names like Joe Cocker, Dick Clark, Sarah Vaughan, Ruth Brown, and Mr. Sammy Davis, Jr. You will read about the music industry putting out some of its finest records at a time when its business practices were at their worst. . . . And yet, when you reach the last page, you'll probably realize, like I did, that this is not a story about music nor is it a songwriter's story. This is a story about men, women, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. It is a story about family and friends and how you are never alone if you have them. In short, it is a story about life and how life is not a burden...if you live it. -Tony Gumina

Thom Jones made his literary debut in The New Yorker in 1991. Within six months his stories appeared in Harper's, Esquire, Mirabella, Story, Buzz, and in The New Yorker twice more. "The Pugilist at Rest" - the title story from this stunning collection - took first place in Prize Stories 1993: The O. Henry Awards and was selected for inclusion in Best American Short Stories 1992. He is a writer of astonishing talent. Jones's stories - whether set in the combat zones of Vietnam or the brittle social and intellectual milieu of an elite New England college, whether recounting the poignant last battles of an alcoholic ex-fighter or the hallucinatory visions of an American wandering lost in Bombay in the aftermath of an epileptic fugue - are fueled by an almost brutal vision of the human condition, in a world without mercy or redemption. Physically battered, soul-sick, and morally exhausted, Jones's characters are yet unable to concede defeat: his stories are infused with the improbable grace of the spirit that ought to collapse, but cannot. For in these extraordinary pieces of fiction, it is not goodness that finally redeems us, but the heart's illogical resilience, and the ennobling tenacity with which we cling to each other and to our lives. The publication of The Pugilist at Rest is a major literary event, heralding the arrival of an electrifying new voice in American fiction, and a writer of magnificent depth and range. With these eleven stories, Thom Jones takes his place among the ranks of this country's most important authors.

A deeply personal memoir of the private Ray Charles - the man behind the legend - by his eldest son. Ray Charles is an American music legend. A multiple Grammy Award-winning composer, pianist, and singer with an inimitable vocal style and a catalog of hits including "What I Say," "Georgia on My Mind," "Unchain My Heart," "I Can't Stop Loving You," and "America the Beautiful," Ray Charles's music is loved by fans around the world. Now his eldest son, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., shares an intimate glimpse of the man behind the music, with never-before-told stories. Going beyond the fame, the concerts, and the tours, Ray Jr. opens the doors of his family home and reveals their private lives with fondness and frankness. He shares his father's grief and guilt over his little brother's death at the age of five — as well of moments of personal joy, like watching his father run his hands over the Christmas presents under their tree while singing softly to himself. He tells of how Ray overcame the challenges of being blind, even driving cars, riding a Vespa, and flying his own plane. And, in gripping detail, he reveals how as a six-year-old boy he saved his father's life one harrowing night. Ray Jr. writes honestly about the painful facts of the addiction that nearly destroyed his father's life. His father's struggles with heroin addiction, his arrests, and how he ultimately kicked the drug cold turkey are presented in unflinching detail. Ray Jr. also shares openly about how, as an adult, he fell victim to the same temptations that plagued his father. He paints a compassionate portrait of his mother, Della, whose amazing voice as a gospel singer first attracted Ray Charles. Though her husband's drug use, his womanizing, and the paternity suits leveled against him constantly threatened the stability of the Robinson home, Della exhibited incredible resilience and inner strength. Told with deep love and fearless candor, You Don't Know Me is the powerful and poignant story of the Ray Charles the public never saw — the father and husband and fascinating human being who also happened to be one of the greatest musicians of all time.

Medical research made huge strides in treating heart disease in the 20th century, from drug-eluding stents to automatic internal defibrillators. Public awareness of the dangers of heart disease has never been more pervasive. Now, though, ten years into a new millennium, scientists are gearing up for the next great challenges in tackling this pervasive condition. Cell therapy is going to be a key weapon in the fight against heart disease. It has the potential to address many cardiovascular conditions. From heart failure to atrioventricular nodal dysfunction, the young but promising field of cell therapy is set to play a significant role in developing the cures that the upcoming decades of hard work will yield. Regenerating the Heart: Stem Cells and the Cardiovascular System organizes the field into a digestible body of knowledge. Its four sections cover mechanical regeneration, electrical regeneration, cardiac tissues and in vivo stem cell therapies. An array of talented researchers share the fruits of their labors, with chapters covering such crucial issues as the cardiogenic potential of varying stem cell types, the ways in which they might be used to tackle arrhythmias, their possible application to biological replacements for cardiac tissues such as valves, and the varying approaches used in the in vivo evaluation of stem cell therapies, including methods of delivering stem cells to the myocardium. This comprehensive survey of an area of research with such exciting potential is an invaluable resource both for veteran stem cell researchers who need to monitor fresh developments, and for newly minted investigators seeking inspirational examples.

Despite the physical abuse, Cecie could not let Mike go, she would always find a way of going back to him because his love for her was exceptional, something that she had never experienced in her life. She tried everything but felt like it was in her hands to fix him and help him heal from all the past experiences and the abuse he had experienced. She forgot about her own problems because her living, and breathing depended on his soul surviving the demons he was going through in his life. Nobody had ever loved him so she had the burden to love him even beyond death . The pains were nothing to her than to see the love of her love suffer. She felt it was her duty to look after him, she believed she was the only one who was able to fix him. But was is worth it?

Hate the Sin. Love the Sinner!! Haven of the Gods has been created keeping in mind the various aspects of Man deemed fallen due to Wrath, as one of the deadliest of Sins, in the bible. The stories have been curated keeping the Gods in mind, from ancient times. Medusa, Aphrodite, Helen, and Sappho, with similarities drawn with the characters, in the book. One will need to look much deeper than the surface, to understand how the gods and goddesses have been portrayed in the stories. Their similarities mapped with the human characters. The Gods are being used as metaphors, to humanise the stories. Prometheus has been characterized as all the perpetrators who are featured in the stories. Zeus is played by Zorawar Singh. The human character who brings justice at the end. The stories are simply drawn and enjoyable to read. I have tried to draw upon the deification of humanness and have tried to show the characters in their nakedness.