A Regular Guy

Anywhere But Here and The Lost Father have established Mona Simpson as one of our most accomplished writers. In her new novel--the portrait of a legendary, quintessentially American entrepreneur trapped by the age he helped to define--she brilliantly extends her achievement. More powerfully than ever before, Simpson uncovers the nature of longing and belonging, of blood relations and the human heart.

Guy is convinced that the man and woman with whom he has lived all his life cannot possibly be what they claim to be--his parents. They're too weird! Would anyone else's mother tie-dye every pair of underwear in the house? Would anyone else's father perform the famous oyster trick by sucking an oyster up his nose with a horrible noise and spitting it out of his mouth--in a restaurant? No--except maybe the parents of the weirdest, craziest, most unappealing kid in Guy's whole class, Bob-o. But Bob-o's parents are as normal as parents come--just like Guy. This gives Guy food for thought, especially when he finds out that he and Bob-o have the same birthday, and were born in the same hospital! Guy and his best friend Buzz are determined to find out the truth about what really took place the day Guy and Bob-o were born. Readers will delight in Weeks's humorous yet sensitive handling of this classic adolescent phase--the search for identity. 00-01 Texas Bluebonnet Award Masterlist

Tells the story of Matthew, an autistic boy, through his mother's eyes, including how his behavior can bring out the best and worst in people and the ways in which he inspires others with his desire to be a "regular guy."

The first book to go beyond the scandal and distraction of the world's most infamous local politician, and reveal what drives Rob Ford and the many voters who steadfastly support him. Eye-opening and at times frightening, The Only Average Guy cuts through the uproar that followed Ford everywhere. A journalist before entering politics, Filion peels back the layers of an extremely complicated man. Weaving together the personal and political stories, he explains how Ford's tragic weaknesses helped propel him to power before leading to his inevitable failure. Through Ford, the book also explains the growing North American phenomenon by which angry voters are attracted to outspoken candidates flaunting outrageous flaws. For fifteen years, Toronto city councillor John Filion has had an uncommon relationship with Rob Ford. Sitting two seats away from the wildly unpredictable councillor from Etobicoke, who served as mayor from 2010 to 2014, Filion formed an unlikely camaraderie that allowed him to look beyond Rob's red-faced persona, seeing a boy still longing for the approval of his father, struggling with the impossible expectations of a family that fancied itself a political dynasty.

Just A Regular Guy is the story of Charlie Morris, growing up in Northern Ohio with the simple ambition to join the Navy, learn a trade, and raise a family in typical Midwest middle class fashion. His life took an abrupt turn when, in 1971 while serving in Vietnam, he was hit by enemy sniper fire while on a helicopter mission in the Mekong Delta. The result of his injuries was right side paralysis with the prognosis to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Through hard work and determination Charlie was able to overcome his physical disability and eventually earn his college degree and begin a high school teaching career. Despite his physical limitations, his desire was just to fit into normal society without standing out from the crowd. His belief that life's hardest battles were behind him was shattered when the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder invaded his life. This book tells the story of a man fighting numerous and diverse battles just trying to be a regular guy.

One of the greatest entrepreneurial success stories of the past twenty years When a friend told Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank that “you’ve just been hit in the ass by a golden horseshoe,” they thought he was crazy. After all, both had just been fired. What the friend, Ken Langone, meant was that they now had the opportunity to create the kind of wide-open warehouse store that would help spark a consumer revolution through low prices, excellent customer service, and wide availability of products. Built from Scratch is the story of how two incredibly determined and creative people—and their associates—built a business from nothing to 761 stores and $30 billion in sales in a mere twenty years. Built from Scratch tells many colorful stories associated with The Home Depot’s founding and meteoric rise; shows that a company can be a tough, growth-oriented competitor and still maintain a high sense of responsibility to the community; and provides great lessons useful to people in any business, from start-ups to the Fortune 500.

In the #1 New York Times–bestselling author’s first book, the troublemaking team of Bruno and Boots wages war—and school will never be the same. The basis for the movie now streaming on TubiTV Bruno and Boots are always in trouble. So the Headmaster, aka “The Fish” decides it would be best to separate them. Bruno must now room with ghoulish Elmer Dimsdale, plus his plants, goldfish, and ants. And Boots is stuck with nerdy, preppy, paranoid George Wexford-Smyth III. Of course, this means war. Because Bruno and Boots are determined to get their old room back, no matter what it takes. Praise for the Bruno & Boots series “Korman has a unique talent for creating genuinely funny, roll-on-the-floor, laugh-out-loud books. All of his many books are bestsellers, a testament to his popularity with kids.” —Quill & Quire “A hilarious series.” —Booklist “Korman’s vibrant dialogue and breakneck action are the highlights of this merry romp . . . Laughs are as plentiful as [Bruno and Boots’s] misadventures.” —Publishers Weekly

For three summers beginning when he was 16, cartoonist Guy Delisle worked at a pulp and paper factory in Quebec City. Factory Summers chronicles the daily rhythms of life in the mill, and the twelve hour shifts he spent in a hot, noisy building filled with arcane machinery. Delisle takes his noted outsider perspective and applies it domestically, this time as a boy amongst men through the universal rite of passage of the summer job. Even as a teenager, Delisle’s keen eye for hypocrisy highlights the tensions of class and the rampant sexism an all-male workplace permits. Guy works the floor doing physically strenuous tasks. He is one of the few young people on site, and furthermore gets the job through his father’s connections, a fact which rightfully earns him disdain from the lifers. Guy’s dad spends his whole career in the white collar offices, working 9 to 5 instead of the rigorous 12-hour shifts of the unionized labor. Guy and his dad aren’t close, and Factory Summers leaves Delisle reconciling whether the job led to his dad’s aloofness and unhappiness. On his days off, Guy finds refuge in art, a world far beyond the factory floor. Delisle shows himself rediscovering comics at the public library, and preparing for animation school–only to be told on the first day, “There are no jobs in animation.” Eager to pursue a job he enjoys, Guy throws caution to the wind. Translated by Helge Dascher and Rob Aspinall