Best Selling Books by Michael

Essential reference tool for scholars and students, explaining and illustrating common literary symbols.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • A “gripping, revelatory” (NPR) memoir of hard-won success, struggles with addiction, and a lifelong mission to give back—from the late iconic actor beloved for his roles in The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, and Lovecraft Country “Williams’s cool rasp leaps off every page, his story told in the direct yet impassioned language that defined his greatest characters.”—Vulture ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, NPR, The Root When Michael K. Williams died on September 6, 2021, he left behind a career as one of the most electrifying actors of his generation. From his star turn as Omar Little in The Wire to Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire to Emmy-nominated roles in HBO’s The Night Of and Lovecraft Country, Williams inhabited a slew of indelible roles that he portrayed with a rawness and vulnerability that leapt off the screen. Beyond the nominations and acclaim, Williams played characters who connected, whose humanity couldn’t be denied, whose stories were too often left out of the main narrative. At the time of his death, Williams had nearly finished a memoir that tells the story of his past while looking to the future, a book that merges his life and his life’s work. Mike, as his friends knew him, was so much more than an actor. In Scenes from My Life, he traces his life in whole, from his childhood in East Flatbush and his early years as a dancer to his battles with addiction and the bar fight that left his face with his distinguishing scar. He was a committed Brooklyn resident and activist who dedicated his life to working with social justice organizations and his community, especially in helping at-risk youth find their voice and carve out their future. Williams worked to keep the spotlight on those he fought for and with, whom he believed in with his whole heart. Imbued with poignance and raw honesty, Scenes from My Life is the story of a performer who gave his all to everything he did—in his own voice, in his own words, as only he could.

With five carefully selected documents per chapter, this popular two-volume primary source reader presents a wide range of documents representing political, social, and cultural history in an accessible way. Expertly edited by Michael Johnson, co-author of The American Promise, the readings can be used to spark discussion in any classroom and will fit into any syllabus.

Rediscover the magic and wonder of classic fairy tales with "The Tales of Mother Goose," as first collected by Charles Perrault in 1696. This enduring collection of French folklore brings to life beloved stories that have captivated readers for centuries. Immerse yourself in the world of enchanting characters and timeless moral lessons found within these pages. Perrault''s work, a cornerstone of children''s literature, presents a rich tapestry of short stories that have shaped our understanding of fairy tales. A treasure trove of juvenile fiction, this edition offers a glimpse into the origins of some of the world''s most cherished narratives. Perfect for those seeking classic literature and timeless children''s stories, "The Tales of Mother Goose" continues to enchant and inspire. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This book represents an attempt to depict the late Roman and Byzantine monetary economy in its fullest possible social, economic and administrative context, with the aim of establishing the basic dynamics behind the production of the coinage, the major mechanisms affecting its distribution, and the general characteristics of its behaviour once in circulation. The book consists of four main sections, on economy and society, on finance, and on the circulation and production of coinage, and has made an unrivalled contribution in the field of late classical, Byzantine and medieval economic history. The text is fully supported by the extensive quotation of translated sources, and by maps, tables and plates.

As early as the eighteenth century, New England''s ministers were decrying public morality in jeremiads aimed at wayward colonists. Evangelical leaders such as Jonathan Edwards called for rulers to become spiritual as well as political leaders who would renew the people''s covenant with God. The prosperous merchant Jonathan Belcher (1682-1757) self-consciously strove to become such a leader, an American Nehemiah. As governor of three royal colonies and early patron of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University), Belcher became an important but controversial figure in colonial America. An insightful blend of social and political history, this biography demands that Belcher be recognized as the embodiment of the Nehemiah, perhaps as important in his own realm as Cotton Mather was in religious circles. Grappling with the contradictions of Belcher''s actions, the author explains much about the complexities of the world in which Belcher lived and wielded influence and, by weaving together social, religious, and cultural history, portrays in the career of Jonathan Belcher a richly detailed synthesis of the tumultuous late colonial period.

After reading this book, you will be able to: ● Define what HR Analytics can do for an organization ● Determine the best HR analytics role for you ● Assess the readiness of your organization for undergoing a study using HR analytics ● Apply HR Analytics in various HR disciplines, including recruiting and staffing, labor negotiations, incentives, and training ● Use Excel to efficiently manage data for your HR analytics Have you ever wondered if there is a science behind the people decisions businesses make? If you have ever been curious about the methods employed by human resources professionals, then HR Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted to Know is the resource guide you need! Part overview of the field, part handbook for getting started in HR Analytics yourself, HR Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted to Know walks readers through the many benefits of using analytics to make better people decisions. HR Analytics requires more than just strong gut instincts and a talent for talking with people. As this guide shows, HR Analytics is both an art and a science that can help your organization make informed decisions that benefit all stakeholders, including employees. Through a blend of theory and practice, you will learn how to think like an HR Analytics professional and apply your expertise in real-world scenarios. With case studies and online tutorials, including a step-by-step guide for using Excel to efficiently work with your data, HR Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted to Know will be the handbook you need to help steer your organization to success. About the Author Dr. Michael Walsh is an industrial and organizational psychologist with over 15 years of human resources and people analytics experience. Michael currently leads Global Talent Management and Organizational Effectiveness for Eaton Corporation’s Vehicle Group. He also teaches a Human Resources Analytics course for master’s level students at the University of Illinois and Wayne State University. Previously, Michael’s passion for People Analytics landed him at Bloomberg and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles where he started and led the Global People Strategy and Analytics and People Analytics and Insights functions, respectively. Michael began his professional career as a client facing consultant for Mercer’s Human Capital practice focused on HR Strategy, Organizational Design/Development and Human Capital Analytics. Michael worked for Mercer in Chicago, Dubai and New York. His master’s degree is in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois and his PhD is in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. About Vibrant Publishers Vibrant Publishers is focused on presenting the best texts for learning about technology and business as well as books for test preparation. Categories include programming, operating systems and other texts focused on IT. In addition, a series of books helps professionals in their own disciplines learn the business skills needed in their professional growth. Vibrant Publishers has a standardized test preparation series covering the GMAT, GRE and SAT, providing ample study and practice material in a simple and well organized format, helping students get closer to their dream universities.

The Christian Science Monitor''s #1 Best Book of the Year A witty, informative, and popular travelogue about the Scandinavian countries and how they may not be as happy or as perfect as we assume, “The Almost Nearly Perfect People offers up the ideal mixture of intriguing and revealing facts” (Laura Miller, Salon). Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than ten years, and he has grown increasingly frustrated with the rose-tinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media. In this timely book he leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success, and, most intriguing of all, what they think of one another. Why are the Danes so happy, despite having the highest taxes? Do the Finns really have the best education system? Are the Icelanders as feral as they sometimes appear? How are the Norwegians spending their fantastic oil wealth? And why do all of them hate the Swedes? In The Almost Nearly Perfect People Michael Booth explains who the Scandinavians are, how they differ and why, and what their quirks and foibles are, and he explores why these societies have become so successful and models for the world. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterized by suffocating parochialism, and populated by extremists of various shades. They may very well be almost nearly perfect, but it isn’t easy being Scandinavian.

This seminal work on modern terrorism assesses the changes and continuities in Osama bin Laden''s thinking since 2002. In order to win the war against terrorism, argues Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA''s bin Laden Unit, we must first stop dismissing militant Muslims as “extremists” or “religious fanatics.” Formulating a successful military strategy requires that we see the enemy as they perceive themselves—highly trained and motivated soldiers who believe their cause is righteous. Scheuer shows that the war has accelerated the transformation of bin Laden and al Qaeda from man and organization to, respectively, a symbol of leadership and heroism and a worldwide movement.

Michael Lynch’s second edition of Mao examines the life of this controversial figure. Opening with a detailed chronology, it delves into Mao’s younger years and tracks his gradual rise to power, with a chapter dedicated to the cult status that surrounded him. Through a wealth of primary and secondary sources and a balanced consideration of the conflicting views that surround Mao’s leadership, this book provides a thorough exploration of Mao’s political and private life. Key features of the second edition include a detailed analysis of the Long March, an account of Sino-Japanese relations and an assessment of Mao’s ongoing legacy. This biography will be essential reading for anyone interested in Mao and the politics of twentieth-century China.

Michael White, one of the founders of narrative therapy, is back with his first major publication since the seminal Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends, which Norton published in 1990. Maps of Narrative Practice provides brand new practical and accessible accounts of the major areas of narrative practice that White has developed and taught over the years, so that readers may feel confident when utilizing this approach in their practices. The book covers each of the five main areas of narrative practice-re-authoring conversations, remembering conversations, scaffolding conversations, definitional ceremony, externalizing conversations, and rite of passage maps-to provide readers with an explanation of the practical implications, for therapeutic growth, of these conversations. The book is filled with transcripts and commentary, skills training exercises for the reader, and charts that outline the conversations in diagrammatic form. Readers both well-versed in narrative therapy as well as those new to its concepts, will find this fresh statement of purpose and practice essential to their clinical work.

The vast empire of Albion is ruled by the beautiful and forlorn queen, Gloriana who must battle against a nefarious scoundrel, Captain Quire, and a court soured by debauchery with her wits. First published in 1978, Gloriana is the award-winning story set in the alternate English kingdom of Albion that reimagines Queen Elizabeth''s reign.

A practical guide to making more informed investment decisions Investors often buy or sell stocks too quickly. When you base your purchase decisions on isolated facts and don''t take the time to thoroughly understand the businesses you are buying, stock-price swings and third-party opinion can lead to costly investment mistakes. Your decision making at this point becomes dangerous because it is dominated by emotions. The Investment Checklist has been designed to help you develop an in-depth research process, from generating and researching investment ideas to assessing the quality of a business and its management team. The purpose of The Investment Checklist is to help you implement a principled investing strategy through a series of checklists. In it, a thorough and comprehensive research process is made simpler through the use of straightforward checklists that will allow you to identify quality investment opportunities. Each chapter contains detailed demonstrations of how and where to find the information necessary to answer fundamental questions about investment opportunities. Real-world examples of how investment managers and CEOs apply these universal principles are also included and help bring the concepts to life. These checklists will help you consider a fuller range of possibilities in your investment strategy, enhance your ability to value your investments by giving you a holistic view of the business and each of its moving parts, identify the risks you are taking, and much more. Offers valuable insights into one of the most important aspects of successful investing, in-depth research Written in an accessible style that allows aspiring investors to easily understand and apply the concepts covered Discusses how to think through your investment decisions more carefully With The Investment Checklist, you''ll quickly be able to ascertain how well you understand your investments by the questions you are able to answer, or not answer, without making the costly mistakes that usually hinder other investors.

Presents the life of the silent-movie star who got her start as a dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies but descended into poverty and mental instability following the introduction of talkies, failed marriages, and legal battles.

Rooted in the precepts of ancient wisdom and informed by modern science this book provides a clear, practical guide to a life of contentment. In simple everyday language Facts of Life outlines the ten issues we all face and the means by which all human beings can accomplish happiness. In very useful and deceptively profound terms the book discusses the dilemma of human existence and the means to accomplish happiness in all circumstances. Drawing on a broad sample of resources from some of the oldest writings of the Tao tradition to some of the newest research on the brain and the role of vulnerability this book outlines everything anyone needs to do in order to live a life of contentment. The message of this book is that everyone can be happy. All that is required is the courage to do the work, and Facts of Life describes and explains the work that needs to be done. There is no mystery to the pursuit of happiness that requires supernatural contacts or magical revelation. The basic methods for achieving happiness are fully known and available for use by everyone. They are described in this book. The ten facts that are the focus of the book are, in reality, ten basic issues of human existence. Many of these issues have been recognized and written about for hundreds or even thousands of years. They are simple yet have a profound impact on our ability to be happy. What is clear is that the way each of us approaches these issues determines the extent to which we can be happy. "The beliefs, attitudes, assumptions and expectations with which we face the world determine the extent to which was will be able to cope with, endure and enjoy life." Knowing what these issues are, and how we incorporate beliefs about them into our daily life, can give us the power to control our happiness and to maintain a level of contentment no matter what life throws at us. After all, "What good is happiness if it abandons us at the first sign of adversity?" It turns out that it is

In the tradition of ''In Patagonia'' and ''Great Plains'', Michael Meyer''s ''In Manchuria'' is a scintillating combination of memoir, contemporary reporting, and historical research, presenting a unique profile of China''s legendary northeast territory. For three years, Meyer rented a home in the rice-farming community of Wasteland, hometown to his wife''s family, and their personal saga mirrors the tremendous change most of rural China is undergoing, in the form of a privately held rice company that has built new roads, introduced organic farming, and constructed high-rise apartments into which farmers can move in exchange for their land rights. Once a commune, Wasteland is now a company town, a phenomenon happening across China that Meyer documents for the first time; indeed, not since Pearl Buck wrote ''The Good Earth'' has anyone brought rural China to life as Meyer has here. Amplifying the story of family and Wasteland, Meyer takes us on a journey across Manchuria''s past, a history that explains much about contemporary China-from the fall of the last emperor to Japanese occupation and Communist victory. Through vivid local characters, Meyer illuminates the remnants of the imperial Willow Palisade, Russian and Japanese colonial cities and railways, and the POW camp into which a young American sergeant parachuted to free survivors of the Bataan Death March. ''In Manchuria'' is a rich and original chronicle of contemporary China and its people.

The author examines the social and political meaning of divine sonship in the Roman Empire. He analyzes the conceptual framework within which the term ''''son of God'''' has traditionally been considered in biblical scholarship. Then, through engagement with recent scholarship in Roman history, he offers new ways of interpreting the Christian theological metaphors of ''''begotten''''and ''''adoptive'''' sonship. He focuses on social practices and political ideology, revealing that scholarship on divine sonship has been especially hampered by mistaken assumptions about adopted sons.