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#Just glad I made the decision to change out of my pyjamas before tackling it that could have been messy
the-busy-ghost · 2 years
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Ah yes, nothing better when you’re sleep deprived than wrestling a dirty sash and case window at 1AM, three stories up. 
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thr-333 · 4 years
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Just Another Class Trip :)  Part 2
Marinette sacrifices Adrien and then steals his alter ego.
First<>Next
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With the help of the staff Marinette is directed to the room she will be sharing with Chloe and Kagami. It was meant to be two to a room, but yada yada Lila yada yada medical condition yada yada tears= Lila gets her own room.
“Marinette,” Kagami spots her first, rising from the couch.
“Mari!” Chloe vaults over the couch and hug tackles her, Marinette barely moves an inch, “You should have heard all the shit Lila was saying on the way here, you’d think it be enough she got the class to leave you behind!”
“Perhaps it’s best if you do not,” Kagami pulls Chloe off her, “You didn’t answer your phone,”
“Flat,”
“Bags?”
“Stolen,”
“Lila?”
“Probably,”
“Well lucky for you housekeeping dropped this by earlier,” Chloe hands her a box, inside filled with essential items, tooth brush, hair brush, even a pair of pyjamas, along with a note
‘Courtesy of the Waynes, for Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng’
“Must be a generic package,” She had shrugged off the bellhops earlier saying her bags were lost.
“Well since you don’t have to unpack, help me with this,” Chloe leads her over to their kitchen that might actually be bigger than her houses.
On the counter beauty products are lined up along with random ingredients.
“We’re making face masks!”
“Correction, Chloe is making face masks,” Kagami scolds, “I argued that sleep would be more effective,”
“And yet you didn’t go to sleep,” Chloe teases, mashing up avocado.
“Well not without you,” Kagami smirks, making Chloe blush, but it’s not like her to back down.
“Awe, you’d wait for me~” Chloe relishes in the blush dusting Kagami's cheeks.
Marinette dry heaves, wondering how long they were going to keep pretending to flirt like this, each too stubborn to back down. They have been doing this more and more recently, great that they were more comfortable around each other but…
“How about we go to bed,” Marinette disturbs their challenging stares.
“Not without Kagami,”
“I already used that one,”
“I never said we’d use the bed for sleeping~”
“Hey!” Her exclamation doesn't get them to drop their staring contest, “Do either of you know what room Adrien is in?”
“End of the hall,” They both answer, not looking at her.
“Great,” Marinette hastily grabs her bag and the box, she could get ready in Adrien's room, away from the weirdness.
She practically runs down the hall, ignoring her Kwami’s snickering.
“Mari!” Adrien throws the door open for her, “Did everything go ok, you didn’t answer your phone, you look upset,”
“Sorted everything out with security no problems, Phones dead, Bag stolen,” She plops down on the couch next to Nino, “Chlo and Kags are driving me crazy,”
“How long have you been back?” She looks down at her watch.
“Three minutes,”
“Are they doing that thing again?” Adrien, Kwami bless him hands her a mug of coffee.
“Yep,” She takes a sip from the mug, she retracts that blessing “Betrayal! This isn’t coffee!”
“It’s hot chocolate,” Adrien is in the kitchen fixing another mug, “You need to go to bed, and coffee will keep you up,”
No she needed to go on patrol, and a coffee is vital to her surviving it.
“What’s up with Chloe and Kagami?” Nino takes off his headphones.
“They started teasing each other by jokingly flirting but their both too stubborn to back down," Marinette sighs, downing half the mug of hot chocolate so she can get herself a damn coffee, "So they get uncomfortable then we get uncomfortable and its overall very uncomfortable,”
“I think it’s kind of funny,” Adrien sits down next to her, mug in hand.
“It would be if they both weren’t horrible at flirting,” She steals the mug away from him taking a sip.
That is not coffee, that is sugar disguised as a liquid
“That’s the funny part,” Adrien smiles as she hands back the mug,
“Touche Agreste, Touche,”
“If you wanted you could sleep in my room,” Nino offers, oh so innocently.
“Thank’s Nino, but I would rather Alya not kill me,”
“Nah dude, I was going to stay with Alya anyway Madame Bustier wont mind,” Yeah their teacher really should learn not to trust teenagers, "So you can have my room,”
“Nino you are a godsent,”
Nino cleans up his few thrown about items and bids them adieu. Marinette was glad they could still talk, maybe they were even still friends. When you have the devil in one ear and her loyal sidekick in the other it is actually kind of impressive they still have a friendly relationship.
“So how’s your day been?” Marinette gathers up the strength to start a conversation after making her own coffee, and her mouth was only very burnt from chugging a hot drink.
“Good, Chloe took us to a supermarket, I brought a bunch of american snacks!”
Indeed he had, Marinette watches in mild horror as he plops bags full of junk food in front of her.
“I didn’t realise we were feeding an army,” Adrien starts rooting through the bags, “If a super villain comes after you because you brought all their favourite snacks in Gotham I’m not protecting you,”
“I’d just share with them,” Adrien hums, chomping down on a chocolate bar.
“... Yeah that could work,” Dear Kwami I have to protect this sunshine child,  “Maybe,”
“Oi, don’t eat too much, I don't want to have to re tailor your outfit for the runway,” She teases, regretting it immediately as Adrien's shoulders sag.
“Sorry,”
“Adri I’m kidding,”  She places a hand on his shoulder smiling gently, “I already made the measurements a bit bigger so you’re good.
“Have I ever told you you’re the best?”
“Not enough you haven't,” Marinette huffs in mock offence, “Now eat,”
She shoves the chocolate bag in his face, getting it all over his cheek. They both start laughing as Adrien tries to get his revenge. They end up falling off the couch, Marinette on top of him. Adrien is blushing a bright red, Marinette just grins and shoves the chocolate in his face before getting up.
She could almost laugh at how her younger self would react to that. It wasn't as if she didn’t like Adrien, well maybe not in that way anymore, she honestly hadn't put that much thought into it lately. Things just got busy she supposed, Akumas got harder, then she became the guardian, she started her fashion career. Actually her fashion career might be at fault.
Gabriel had started lending Adrien to model for her more and more. The man stepping further and further back from the fashion world, or the world in general, over the years for whatever the reason. At first she had been a blushing mess around Adrien, not directing him properly and making her work suffer for it. Overtime she had learnt how to handle it, getting less flustered every time they worked together. Now that she thought about it, when she had revealed her identity as MDC Adrien didn’t seem surprised; maybe her work attitude had bled into her regular life well before then.
Marinette is washing the chocolate off when a knock sounds at the door. Neither feel like walking to it so shout out ‘come in’. That turned out to be a mistake as Lila bursts into the room. How were they supposed to know Lila would actually knock?!
“Marinette you slut!” Lila all but screeches.
“Lila, you don’t have an audience and neither of us believe you,” Marinette comes out of the bathroom, already bored of the conversation she really needed to go, Lila and Marinette both.
“Well just wait, tomorrow the whole class is going to know what you did,” Lila gets up in her face, so close she can smell her perfume.
No not Lila's perfume her perfume.
“Right, sorry to say but there’s worse rumours than sleeping with a supermodel,” Marinette tries to edge her way around Lila, good excuse as any to dip out for patrol.
“Not if I say you forced him,” Lila looks way to self satisfied for what she is implying
I think the fuck not
“Nah,” Adrien shrugs, getting Lila’s ire turned on him, a noble sacrifice indeed.
“Nah?” Lila looks livid, “What do you mean Nah !”
“I’d just say I wanted to,” Adrien stays calm with Lila's face inches from him, Marinette gives him the thumbs up as she edges closer to the door, Adrien nods back.
She loved this version of the high road
“After all Marinette's super pretty and talented,” Adrien gushes, Marinette grins at the face Lila must be making, “Honestly your lie is so unbelievable, why would she ever go for someone like me?”
Marinette closes the door on Lila’s cursing response, saying a quick word of praise for Adrien's bravery and sacrifice.
At least he gets to see Lila’s reaction when she realises I’m gone
Marinette uses a back door of the hotel to get to the street, not wanting the staff to stop her and warn about the dangers. She skips along looking for a good place to change. The city was actually kind of beautiful at night, she feels drawn to it in a strange way.
“Marinette!” Tikki looks out from her scarf, “You forgot the Miracle box,”
“Shoot!” She looks back to the hotel, a few blocks away from it by now, “It’ll be fine Tikki I leave it at home all the time,”
“You’re not at home right now,” Tikki looks worried, those are her friends after all, “It’s a guardians duty-”
Marinette tries not to groan, she really does.
“I know Tikki, I know,” She looks over the buildings surrounding her, feeling a deep itch to see Gotham from the rooftops “But can’t I just be myself for once, not the guardian?”
“You are the guardian,” Tikki insists, before sighing, “Which means you can make your own decisions regarding the miracle box,”
“Thank you Tikki,” She hugs the little Kwami, “I promise to be back super quick, I just have to stop one bad guy, an eye witness account of Starling so I don’t just appear randomly, I won’t even need to go on patrol again after this,”
“Alright Marinette, I trust you,” Tikki nuzzles her cheek, easing Marinette's conscience.
With that she ducks out of sight to get changed. Her costume is pretty simple really. All she had to do was pull her infinity scarf up, discrete holes allowing her to see. She turns her skirt inside out to a black side, with white, purple, and blue detailing to stick to her Starling namesake. The skirt pulls over her shoulders, a zip down the middle allowing her more movement, and a zip to form a secret hood.
Ready to go she climbs up to the roof, super strength and speed making roof hopping easier. She supposed if someone looked too hard they would be able to piece together pieces of her costume but her ‘cape’ hides the detailing of her shirt. Besides if she has her way she won’t have to use this identity ever again, but she rarely has her way.
About ten minutes into her search through Gotham she spots a broken window. Not notable except that the lights are on. She lowers herself onto the fire escape and sure enough someone is being held at gunpoint.
“Excuse me,” Both people jump, spinning to look at Starling casual sitting on the broken glass on the window sill, “You seem to have a very rude house guest on your hands,”
“Who the hell are you!?” The burglar turns their gun on her.
“Just a stray passing through,” She gives a bright smile, and a very Chat like bow, “Starling at your service… milady,”
If I’m going Chat I might as go full Chat Noir, hope he doesn't file a lawsuit against me
“Ummm,” The woman looks very confused, but not as confused as the burglar.
“Would you like me to remove him from your home?”
“Ah… yes?”
With another smile Starling makes her move. In the split second it takes the burglar to register her offer she's standing in front of him. The gun moves a second too late as she ceases his arm, her strength being as good as handcuffs. She hits a pressure point her Aunt taught her to make him drop the gun, kicking it away. Pinning the man's arm behind his back she spins him around, zip tying his hands.
“What the fuck!!”
“That’s no kind of language,” Starling reprimands, pushing him towards the window, “Now apologise,”
“What?! No way fuck you!” Starling grins, hooking a bungee cord to his shirt.
“Alright then, bye!” She pushes him out the window.
His screaming doesn't stop even when she watches as he bounces back up, dangling out the window. She grins.
Ladybug would never get away with that
Tying the other end of the cord to a post, she double checks to make sure everything is secure before turning back to the victim.
“So sorry about the rude intrusion milady,” She bows again, in jest, “Have you contacted the police?”
“Yeah… what are you?”
“A Starling bird,” Starling spins, showing off her cape, the patterning placed to resemble wings, “I though the name would be a dead give away,”
“Yeah, but what are you? A Bat? Vigilante?”
“Vigilante yes, Bat not so much,” Starling can see as she looks more cautious after that, “Just happened to be passing through Gotham when I saw you in need of assistance,”
“Right... ok then...” She sits down, letting herself slump over the couch, “Ugh, this has been a terrible day,”
“How so?” Starling eyes up the kitchen, “Besides from mister bungee jump out there,”
“I was almost out of work this afternoon when a new rumour about the Wayne's blew up,” Starling nods along, turning the oven on and picking out ingredients.
“I work in the PR department at Wayne tower, do you have any idea how hard that is?!” Starling shakes her head finding a bowl but no measuring cups, she could just estimate.
“They have new bruises everyday,” Starling does look up to that, very concerned, “Don’t worry it’s not abuse or anything, they really are just dumbasses,”
Starling snickers a little bit at that, pouring in ingredients like second nature.
“I once asked mister Drake why he had a giant bruise on his forehead, he told me he passed out at his desk and just slammed into it!” Starling does laugh at that one, “Like?! How am I supposed to tell people that without sullying the Wayne name?”
“I think its funny,” She did clearly not agree, Starling changes the subject as she starts mixing “What was the problem today?”
“Nothin much really someone took pictures of mister Drake talking and giving a ride to some girl with black hair and blue eyes, and now everyone thinks she’s a Wayne,”
“That’s all it takes?” She starts placing the cookie dough on the baking tray, “Maybe I should apply?”
“Nah, you’d sooner be Batman's kid than Bruce Wayne's,” She cracks the first smile Starling has seen so far, “He’s got the same amount of kids, if not more,”
“Maybe they should share custody?” Starling puts the cookies in the oven, “Double the number each,”
“Yeah, how about no?” She smiles more, which is good, “I can’t imagine having to explain away the bruises the Bat kids get,”
Starling smiles, the sound of sirens now drawing close.
“I guess that's my cue to leave Milady,” Starling jumps up onto the window sill, the burglar still shouting below, “Take the cookies out in fifteen minutes,”
“Hey,” Starling looks back, “Thank you,”
“No problem,” Starling sends a dazzling smile, “Good night, Milady,”
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Taglist (guess I’m doing these now, please let me know if theres any issues):
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sunflowerstrays · 6 years
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disney dates with you // kim jongdae
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kim jongdae x reader
requested? yes!
words: 2kish
genre: fluff :)
When you had hit your twenty sixth birthday, you figured that you’d visit your parents out of the city for a nice meal at dinner, and until then you’d sleep in and enjoy your day off of work. You had planned to even treat yourself to a little bit of shopping before driving down to meet your parents, and maybe grab a nice lunch in that new sandwich place that had just opened.
But instead, at half six this morning, your boyfriend had been hammering on your door, shouting loud enough to wake the entire apartment block as he waited for you to come to the door.
You were in your pyjamas, facing him fully clothed with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a bag of what looked like donuts in the other. Jongdae, wearing the biggest smile on his face and devilish sparkle in his eyes, told you to hurry up and change into something, because he was kidnapping you for the day.
And so that’s the story of how you were now standing in the line for the entrance at Disney World, with Jongdae bouncing from foot to foot with excitement.
You had spent half the car drive here trying to figure out what on earth Jongdae was going to do with you. You’d asked him every question under the sun about where you were going, but coupled with the constant bribing from your behalf, he would not let up. It was stressful, to say the least, but you got to watch Jongdae drive in the early morning, eyes aglow with excitement with the sunrise behind him, and despite your disrupted morning, you were happy.
“This is going to be incredible,” Jongdae giggles as the two of you finally make it to the front of the queue. He hands over two tickets, and you are handed back some wristbands and told to have a brilliant day. Without hesitating, Jongdae grabs your hand and drags you, still partially asleep, into the park.
“Happy birthday baby,” he says, kissing you once on the lips before letting you look around. You hadn’t been to Disney since you were little, but mentioned to Jongdae all the time how you wanted to go. It was usually when the two of you were spending time together marathoning Disney movies that you began to complain - Disney was your favourite, and Jongdae reminded you of a prince from one of your favourite films anyway.
“I love you,” you squeal, it hitting you suddenly where you were. Jongdae bursts into giggles as you flee to the nearest attraction, a Space Rollercoaster that you knew had opened recently. Jongdae was just as excited as you for it though, and quickly over took you in running for the ride.
This was how the two of you spent most of your morning, by dragging each other to as many rides as possible before it got too busy. Jongdae insisted on having you pose with every single princess and Disney character you passed, and by mid morning you had met half of Disney’s history. You were glad that you made an effort in the end, and didn’t let Jongdae drag you out of the house as you were intending to.
“For lunch,” Jongdae smiles as the two of you stroll slowly around the castle. The two of you had just tackled the biggest rollercoaster in the park and were still feeling knocked out from the experience, “I’ve got us booked into that fancy restaurant that you always moan about going to. I hope you are excited,” he asks, squeezing your hand as you squeal in joy.
“You do know how to treat me,” you giggle in response, pressing a kiss to his soft cheek before standing even closer to you. His face when you step back from the kiss is glowing, and you know that he’s been just as excited for this day as you are now. Ever the child, though, Jongdae drags you into a souvenir store and tells you that you are going to get matching Mickey ears, whether you like it or not.
But instead of going straight to the Mickey ears, you make Jongdae try on every type of head wear, glasses, or other cheesy accessory in the store. So much so that the sales assistant appraoches you multiple times, asking you if you need help with anything because the two of you look ‘quite lost’. Eventually you are laughing so hard as Jongdae waltzing around the small aisles wearing a Rapunzel wig that there are tears in your eyes, and your stomach is cramping.
“You are mental, Jongdae,” you say, taking his hands and pulling him towards you. He leans forward and kisses you twice, then once on the nose before putting the wig on you. Without hesitation he whips out his phone and records you dancing around the store, sending it to all his friends before you can even grab it out of his hands.
Once the two of you have finished messing around and have Mickey ears on your heads, you head to the restaurant that he had booked out. Just as you imagined, standing inside of it was like a dream. There were flowers everywhere, as well as delicate white decorations and candles on all the tables despite it being the middle of the table. The food on the menu was all Disney themed, and despite the fancy sounding dishes that made your mouth water, Jongdae drew your attention to the Mickey shaped chicken nuggets, and that was the decision made.
“Confession,” you say, taking Jongdae’s hand over the table after the waitress takes away your menus and orders with a confused glance. “There is no one else in the world that I would rather sit and eat Mickey shaped chicken nuggets in Disney’s most exquisite restaurant with. Nor is there anyone else in the world that I would let drag me out of bed at six o’clock in the morning on my birthday. Nor is there anybody that I could ever love as much as you, Kim Jongdae, and you have my currently Mickey shaped heart.”
He bursts into his cute round of giggles at the last part before giving you the most beautiful smile ever. His smile is one of your favourite things in the whole world and you’d happily stare at that forever.
But the cutest thing in the world is Jongdae’s face when they bring out his Mickey nuggets. He is giggling to himself the entire way through the novelty dish, making your happy heart shine even brighter. Between the two of you, you generate all of the sound in the restaurant with your loud laughter and soft giggles. Once the two of you have finished and politely decline desserts, you swear the staff let out a visible sigh of relief.
“I love you,” Jongdae says as he grabs your hand once you are out of the restaurant. “But I have a confession. The only reason I brought you here today was because I wanted Mickey nuggets. The fact that it fell on your birthday was just a stroke of luck,” he bursts into laughter at your indignant face, poking your nose before apologising. “Okay, that’s not true, and I did remember your birthday. I just really hope you’ve had a good day so far.”
“I have,” you say, swinging your arms between you, “but if we went back and you posed with Mickey I’d have an even better day,” you giggle.
The afternoon is fairly chill, as now the park is much busier and the wait times for rides have exponentially increased. The two of you find a high spot to watch the parade travel through the park, Jongdae admiring the awe on your face the entire time.
And with the finish of the parade, the rest of the day is spent in this calm bliss with Jongdae. He buys you the donuts that you insist on getting after sulking that you hadn’t won the teddy bears on the stall, but then proceeds to win the bears for you anyway. The two you hang around long enough to see the sun set over the castle, making the sky bleed every colour of the sunset.
“Jongdae, you know I love you?” You remind him, resting your head on his shoulder as he wraps an arm around you. The two of you watch the stars wake up around you in the centre of Disney world, lost in the love for the two of you have for each other.
“Of course baby,” he says, kissing the top of your head, “and I’ll never forget that.”
“Can we do this again next year?” You ask jokingly, making him roll his eyes and complain about his aching feet. With a final kiss to your cheek though, Jongdae promises that the two of you can return here whenever you feel like it, and with that, your perfect day ends.
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alltimebestbooks · 4 years
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Our lives are driven by a fact that most of us can't name and don't understand. It defines who our friends and lovers are, which careers we choose, and whether we blush when we're embarrassed.
That fact is whether we're an introvert or an extrovert.
The introvert/extrovert divide is the most fundamental dimension of personality. And at least a third of us are on the introverted side. Some of the world's most talented people are introverts. Without them we wouldn't have the Apple computer, the theory of relativity and Van Gogh's sunflowers.
Yet extroverts have taken over. Shyness, sensitivity and seriousness are often seen as being negative. Introverts feel reproached for being the way they are.
In Quiet, Susan Cain shows how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts differs, and how society misunderstands and undervalues introverts. She gives introverts the tools to better understand themselves and take full advantage of their strengths.
Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with real stories, Quiet will permanently change how we see introverts - and how you see yourself.
'I can't get Quiet out of my head. It is an important book - so persuasive and timely and heartfelt it should inevitably effect change in schools and offices' Jon Ronson, The Guardian
'Susan Cain's Quiet has sparked a quiet revolution. In our booming culture, hers is a still, small voice that punches above its weight. Perhaps rather than sitting back and asking people to speak up, managers and company leaders might lean forward and listen' Megan Walsh, The Times
'Quiet is a very timely book, and Cain's central thesis is fresh and important. Maybe the extrovert ideal is no longer as powerful as it was; perhaps it is time we all stopped to listen to the still, small voice of calm' Daisy Goodwin, The Sunday Times
Susan Cain is the owner of The Negotiation Company, a firm that trains people in negotiation and communication skills. Her clients include Merrill Lynch, Standard & Poor, University of Chicago Business School and many of the US's most powerful law firms. She previously practiced corporate law for seven years with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. She lives in New York with her husband and two sons
9. Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know--like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget--and so important to repeat new knowledge? Is it true that men and women have different brains? In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule--what scientists know for sure about how our brains work--and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina's fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You'll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You'll peer over a surgeon's shoulder as he proves that most of us have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You'll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can't tie his own shoes. You will discover how: Every brain is wired differently Exercise improves cognition We are designed to never stop learning and exploring Memories are volatile Sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn Vision trumps all of the other senses Stress changes the way we learn In the end, you'll understand how your brain really works--and how to get the most out of it.
10. When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead by Jerry Weintraub
Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him--the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood--he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. "All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he writes. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'"
In WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU'LL KNOW I'M DEAD, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age twenty-six with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, The Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.
Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow and the Great Palace in Beijing-all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer . . .well, the list goes on forever.
And of course, the story is not yet over . . .as the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come."
As Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead."
With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists . . . everyone.
0 notes
alltimebestbooks · 4 years
Text
Best Books that Expand our Mind
1. Man's Search For Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust
A book to read, to cherish, to debate, and one that will ultimately keep the memories of the victims alive' John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn't) with the experience. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest - and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. The sort of person the concentration camp prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone. Frankl came to believe man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living.
2. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change
Why do we do develop habits? And how can we change them?
We can always change. In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Timesbusiness reporter Charles Duhigg translates cutting-edge behavioural science into practical self-improvement action, distilling advanced neuroscience into fascinating narratives of transformation.
Why can some people and companies change overnight, and some stay stuck in their old ruts? The answer lies deep in the human brain, and The Power of Habits reveals the secret pressure points that can change a life. From Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to Martin Luther King Jr., from the CEO of Starbucks to the locker rooms of the NFL, Duhigg explores the incredible results of keystone habits, and how they can make all the difference between billions and millions, failure and success – or even life and death.
The Power of Habit makes an exhilarating case: the key to almost any door in life is instilling the right habit. From exercise to weight loss, childrearing to productivity, market disruption to social revolution, and above all success, the right habits can change everything.
Habits aren't destiny. They’re science, one which can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.
3. The Art of Thinking Clearly: Better Thinking, Better Decisions
Have you ever... Invested time in something that, with hindsight, just wasn't worth it? Overpaid in an Ebay auction? Continued doing something you knew was bad for you? Backed the wrong horse?
THE ART OF THINKING CLEARLY is essential reading for anyone with important decisions to make. It reveals, in 100 short chapters, the most common errors of judgement, and how to avoid them. Simple, clear and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision-making - at work, at home, every day.
4. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Why is there more chance we'll believe something if it's in a bold type face? Why are judges more likely to deny parole before lunch? Why do we assume a good-looking person will be more competent? The answer lies in the two ways we make choices: fast, intuitive thinking, and slow, rational thinking. This book reveals how our minds are tripped up by error and prejudice (even when we think we are being logical), and gives you practical techniques for slower, smarter thinking. It will enable to you make better decisions at work, at home, and in everything you do.
5. Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
Do you want to get ahead in life? Climb the ladder to personal success? The secret, master networker Keith Ferrazzi claims, is in reaching out to other people. As Ferrazzi discovered in early life, what distinguishes highly successful people from everyone else is the way they use the power of relationships—so that everyone wins. In Never Eat Alone, Ferrazzi lays out the specific steps—and inner mindset—he uses to reach out to connect with the thousands of colleagues, friends, and associates on his contacts list, people he has helped and who have helped him. And in the time since Never Eat Alone was published in 2005, the rise of social media and new, collaborative management styles have only made Ferrazzi’s advice more essential for anyone hoping to get ahead in business. The son of a small-town steelworker and a cleaning lady, Ferrazzi first used his remarkable ability to connect with others to pave the way to Yale, a Harvard M.B.A., and several top executive posts. Not yet out of his thirties, he developed a network of relationships that stretched from Washington’s corridors of power to Hollywood’s A-list, leading to him being named one of Crain’s 40 Under 40 and selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the Davos World Economic Forum. Ferrazzi’s form of connecting to the world around him is based on generosity, helping friends connect with other friends. Ferrazzi distinguishes genuine relationship-building from the crude, desperate glad-handing usually associated with “networking.” He then distills his system of reaching out to people into practical, proven principles. Among them
6. How to Train Brain
Did you know that simple arithmetical calculations like '5+8' make us use the brain a lot more than a complex problem like '5-(0.4/2)+3x6' does? This book answers why. Dr. Kawashima, a prominent neurologist in Japan, developed this programme of daily simple brain exercises that can help boost brain power, improve memory and stave off the mental effects of ageing. It explains: How reading, writing and listening to music affects our brain. How physical motion activates the brain. Where are memories located? What activity of the brain causes likes and dislikes? How the mind is related to the brain. Will brain transplantation be possible in the future? It is never too late to begin building a better brain! Unlock the mysteries of your brain, to train it to function optimally and to your advantage through simple exercises that will maximize memory and better your learning capacity.
7. The Story of the Human Body by Daniel Lieberman
Story of the Human Body explores how the way we use our bodies is all wrong. From an evolutionary perspective, if normal is defined as what most people have done for millions of years, then it's normal to walk and run 9 -15 kilometers a day to hunt and gather fresh food which is high in fibre, low in sugar, and barely processed. It's also normal to spend much of your time nursing, napping, making stone tools, and gossiping with a small band of people.
Our 21st-century lifestyles, argues Dan Lieberman, are out of synch with our stone-age bodies. Never have we been so healthy and long-lived - but never, too, have we been so prone to a slew of problems that were, until recently, rare or unknown, from asthma, to diabetes, to - scariest of all - overpopulation.
Story of the Human Body asks how our bodies got to be the way they are, and considers how that evolutionary history - both ancient and recent - can help us evaluate how we use our bodies. How is the present-day state of the human body related to the past? And what is the human body's future?
Daniel Lieberman is the Chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard and a leader in the field. He has written nearly 100 articles, many appearing in the journals Nature and Science, and his cover story on barefoot running in Naturewas picked up by major media the world over. His research and discoveries have been highlighted in newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Discover, and National Geographic.
8. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us.
We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens?
In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where we’re going.
Sapiens is a thrilling account of humankind’s extraordinary history – from the Stone Age to the Silicon Age – and our journey from insignificant apes to rulers of the world
‘It tackles the biggest questions of history and of the modern world, and it is written in unforgettably vivid language. You will love it!’ Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel
Yuval’s follow up to Sapiens, Homo Deus, is due in September 2016.
9. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Our lives are driven by a fact that most of us can't name and don't understand. It defines who our friends and lovers are, which careers we choose, and whether we blush when we're embarrassed.
That fact is whether we're an introvert or an extrovert.
The introvert/extrovert divide is the most fundamental dimension of personality. And at least a third of us are on the introverted side. Some of the world's most talented people are introverts. Without them we wouldn't have the Apple computer, the theory of relativity and Van Gogh's sunflowers.
Yet extroverts have taken over. Shyness, sensitivity and seriousness are often seen as being negative. Introverts feel reproached for being the way they are.
In Quiet, Susan Cain shows how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts differs, and how society misunderstands and undervalues introverts. She gives introverts the tools to better understand themselves and take full advantage of their strengths.
Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with real stories, Quiet will permanently change how we see introverts - and how you see yourself.
'I can't get Quiet out of my head. It is an important book - so persuasive and timely and heartfelt it should inevitably effect change in schools and offices' Jon Ronson, The Guardian
'Susan Cain's Quiet has sparked a quiet revolution. In our booming culture, hers is a still, small voice that punches above its weight. Perhaps rather than sitting back and asking people to speak up, managers and company leaders might lean forward and listen' Megan Walsh, The Times
'Quiet is a very timely book, and Cain's central thesis is fresh and important. Maybe the extrovert ideal is no longer as powerful as it was; perhaps it is time we all stopped to listen to the still, small voice of calm' Daisy Goodwin, The Sunday Times
Susan Cain is the owner of The Negotiation Company, a firm that trains people in negotiation and communication skills. Her clients include Merrill Lynch, Standard & Poor, University of Chicago Business School and many of the US's most powerful law firms. She previously practiced corporate law for seven years with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. She lives in New York with her husband and two sons
10. Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know--like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget--and so important to repeat new knowledge? Is it true that men and women have different brains? In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule--what scientists know for sure about how our brains work--and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina's fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You'll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You'll peer over a surgeon's shoulder as he proves that most of us have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You'll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can't tie his own shoes. You will discover how: Every brain is wired differently Exercise improves cognition We are designed to never stop learning and exploring Memories are volatile Sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn Vision trumps all of the other senses Stress changes the way we learn In the end, you'll understand how your brain really works--and how to get the most out of it.
12. When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead by Jerry Weintraub
Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him--the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood--he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. "All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he writes. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'"
In WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU'LL KNOW I'M DEAD, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age twenty-six with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, The Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.
Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow and the Great Palace in Beijing-all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer . . .well, the list goes on forever.
And of course, the story is not yet over . . .as the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come."
As Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead."
With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists . . . everyone.
0 notes
alltimebestbooks · 4 years
Text
Best Books for Expand our Brain
1. Man's Search For Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust
A book to read, to cherish, to debate, and one that will ultimately keep the memories of the victims alive' John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn't) with the experience. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest - and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. The sort of person the concentration camp prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone. Frankl came to believe man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living.
2. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change
Why do we do develop habits? And how can we change them?
We can always change. In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Timesbusiness reporter Charles Duhigg translates cutting-edge behavioural science into practical self-improvement action, distilling advanced neuroscience into fascinating narratives of transformation.
Why can some people and companies change overnight, and some stay stuck in their old ruts? The answer lies deep in the human brain, and The Power of Habits reveals the secret pressure points that can change a life. From Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to Martin Luther King Jr., from the CEO of Starbucks to the locker rooms of the NFL, Duhigg explores the incredible results of keystone habits, and how they can make all the difference between billions and millions, failure and success – or even life and death.
The Power of Habit makes an exhilarating case: the key to almost any door in life is instilling the right habit. From exercise to weight loss, childrearing to productivity, market disruption to social revolution, and above all success, the right habits can change everything.
Habits aren't destiny. They’re science, one which can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.
3. The Art of Thinking Clearly: Better Thinking, Better Decisions
Have you ever... Invested time in something that, with hindsight, just wasn't worth it? Overpaid in an Ebay auction? Continued doing something you knew was bad for you? Backed the wrong horse?
THE ART OF THINKING CLEARLY is essential reading for anyone with important decisions to make. It reveals, in 100 short chapters, the most common errors of judgement, and how to avoid them. Simple, clear and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision-making - at work, at home, every day.
4. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Why is there more chance we'll believe something if it's in a bold type face? Why are judges more likely to deny parole before lunch? Why do we assume a good-looking person will be more competent? The answer lies in the two ways we make choices: fast, intuitive thinking, and slow, rational thinking. This book reveals how our minds are tripped up by error and prejudice (even when we think we are being logical), and gives you practical techniques for slower, smarter thinking. It will enable to you make better decisions at work, at home, and in everything you do.
5. Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
Do you want to get ahead in life? Climb the ladder to personal success? The secret, master networker Keith Ferrazzi claims, is in reaching out to other people. As Ferrazzi discovered in early life, what distinguishes highly successful people from everyone else is the way they use the power of relationships—so that everyone wins. In Never Eat Alone, Ferrazzi lays out the specific steps—and inner mindset—he uses to reach out to connect with the thousands of colleagues, friends, and associates on his contacts list, people he has helped and who have helped him. And in the time since Never Eat Alone was published in 2005, the rise of social media and new, collaborative management styles have only made Ferrazzi’s advice more essential for anyone hoping to get ahead in business. The son of a small-town steelworker and a cleaning lady, Ferrazzi first used his remarkable ability to connect with others to pave the way to Yale, a Harvard M.B.A., and several top executive posts. Not yet out of his thirties, he developed a network of relationships that stretched from Washington’s corridors of power to Hollywood’s A-list, leading to him being named one of Crain’s 40 Under 40 and selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the Davos World Economic Forum. Ferrazzi’s form of connecting to the world around him is based on generosity, helping friends connect with other friends. Ferrazzi distinguishes genuine relationship-building from the crude, desperate glad-handing usually associated with “networking.” He then distills his system of reaching out to people into practical, proven principles. Among them
6. How to Train Brain
Did you know that simple arithmetical calculations like '5+8' make us use the brain a lot more than a complex problem like '5-(0.4/2)+3x6' does? This book answers why. Dr. Kawashima, a prominent neurologist in Japan, developed this programme of daily simple brain exercises that can help boost brain power, improve memory and stave off the mental effects of ageing. It explains: How reading, writing and listening to music affects our brain. How physical motion activates the brain. Where are memories located? What activity of the brain causes likes and dislikes? How the mind is related to the brain. Will brain transplantation be possible in the future? It is never too late to begin building a better brain! Unlock the mysteries of your brain, to train it to function optimally and to your advantage through simple exercises that will maximize memory and better your learning capacity.
7. The Story of the Human Body by Daniel Lieberman
Story of the Human Body explores how the way we use our bodies is all wrong. From an evolutionary perspective, if normal is defined as what most people have done for millions of years, then it's normal to walk and run 9 -15 kilometers a day to hunt and gather fresh food which is high in fibre, low in sugar, and barely processed. It's also normal to spend much of your time nursing, napping, making stone tools, and gossiping with a small band of people.
Our 21st-century lifestyles, argues Dan Lieberman, are out of synch with our stone-age bodies. Never have we been so healthy and long-lived - but never, too, have we been so prone to a slew of problems that were, until recently, rare or unknown, from asthma, to diabetes, to - scariest of all - overpopulation.
Story of the Human Body asks how our bodies got to be the way they are, and considers how that evolutionary history - both ancient and recent - can help us evaluate how we use our bodies. How is the present-day state of the human body related to the past? And what is the human body's future?
Daniel Lieberman is the Chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard and a leader in the field. He has written nearly 100 articles, many appearing in the journals Nature and Science, and his cover story on barefoot running in Naturewas picked up by major media the world over. His research and discoveries have been highlighted in newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Discover, and National Geographic.
8. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us.
We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens?
In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where we’re going.
Sapiens is a thrilling account of humankind’s extraordinary history – from the Stone Age to the Silicon Age – and our journey from insignificant apes to rulers of the world
‘It tackles the biggest questions of history and of the modern world, and it is written in unforgettably vivid language. You will love it!’ Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel
Yuval’s follow up to Sapiens, Homo Deus, is due in September 2016.
9. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Our lives are driven by a fact that most of us can't name and don't understand. It defines who our friends and lovers are, which careers we choose, and whether we blush when we're embarrassed.
That fact is whether we're an introvert or an extrovert.
The introvert/extrovert divide is the most fundamental dimension of personality. And at least a third of us are on the introverted side. Some of the world's most talented people are introverts. Without them we wouldn't have the Apple computer, the theory of relativity and Van Gogh's sunflowers.
Yet extroverts have taken over. Shyness, sensitivity and seriousness are often seen as being negative. Introverts feel reproached for being the way they are.
In Quiet, Susan Cain shows how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts differs, and how society misunderstands and undervalues introverts. She gives introverts the tools to better understand themselves and take full advantage of their strengths.
Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with real stories, Quiet will permanently change how we see introverts - and how you see yourself.
'I can't get Quiet out of my head. It is an important book - so persuasive and timely and heartfelt it should inevitably effect change in schools and offices' Jon Ronson, The Guardian
'Susan Cain's Quiet has sparked a quiet revolution. In our booming culture, hers is a still, small voice that punches above its weight. Perhaps rather than sitting back and asking people to speak up, managers and company leaders might lean forward and listen' Megan Walsh, The Times
'Quiet is a very timely book, and Cain's central thesis is fresh and important. Maybe the extrovert ideal is no longer as powerful as it was; perhaps it is time we all stopped to listen to the still, small voice of calm' Daisy Goodwin, The Sunday Times
Susan Cain is the owner of The Negotiation Company, a firm that trains people in negotiation and communication skills. Her clients include Merrill Lynch, Standard & Poor, University of Chicago Business School and many of the US's most powerful law firms. She previously practiced corporate law for seven years with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. She lives in New York with her husband and two sons
10. Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know--like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget--and so important to repeat new knowledge? Is it true that men and women have different brains? In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule--what scientists know for sure about how our brains work--and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina's fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You'll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You'll peer over a surgeon's shoulder as he proves that most of us have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You'll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can't tie his own shoes. You will discover how: Every brain is wired differently Exercise improves cognition We are designed to never stop learning and exploring Memories are volatile Sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn Vision trumps all of the other senses Stress changes the way we learn In the end, you'll understand how your brain really works--and how to get the most out of it.
11. When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead by Jerry Weintraub
Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him--the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood--he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. "All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he writes. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'"
In WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU'LL KNOW I'M DEAD, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age twenty-six with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, The Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.
Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow and the Great Palace in Beijing-all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer . . .well, the list goes on forever.
And of course, the story is not yet over . . .as the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come."
As Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead."
With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists . . . everyone.
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