Can I Say

Travis Barker’s soul-baring memoir chronicles the highlights and lowlights of the renowned drummer’s art and his life, including the harrowing plane crash that nearly killed him and his traumatic road to recovery—a fascinating never-before-told-in-full story of personal reinvention grounded in musical salvation and fatherhood. After breaking out as the acclaimed drummer of the multiplatinum punk band Blink-182, everything changed for Travis Barker. But the dark side of rock stardom took its toll: his marriage, chronicled for an MTV reality show, fell apart. Constant touring concealed a serious drug addiction. A reckoning did not truly come until he was forced to face mortality: His life nearly ended in a horrifying plane crash, and then his close friend, collaborator, and fellow crash survivor DJ AM died of an overdose. In this blunt, driving memoir, Barker ruminates on rock stardom, fatherhood, death, loss, and redemption, sharing stories shaped by decades’ worth of hard-earned insights. His pulsating memoir is as energetic as his acclaimed beats. It brings to a close the first chapters of a well-lived life, inspiring readers to follow the rhythms of their own hearts and find meaning in their lives.

Travis Barker's tattooed arms and frenetic drumming style are familiar to millions of kids who came of age at the turn of the millennium watching MTV. Blink-182, with their defiant pop-punk anthems and music videos featuring the band running naked down the street, never seemed to take themselves too seriously; but for a misfit from California, success brought a whole new world. Life as a rock star changed everything for Travis Barker, a kid who loved his life as a trash man in Laguna Beach, but followed his drumming talent and never looked back. Throughout the making of several successful albums with Blink-182, Barker made a name for himself as a virtuoso, superstar punk drummer by bringing his talents to various collaborations and side projects. Even as Barker broke out as a highly respected musician, the dark side of fame took its toll: his marriage, chronicled for an MTV reality show, fell apart, and throughout constant touring he concealed a drug addiction. But the true reckoning came when he was in a near fatal plane crash, necessitating a long, painful recovery, with his best friend and favorite collaborator DJ AM - who died tragically soon after. Years after Blink-182's youth anthem 'What's My Age Again?' propelled him to fame, and following a high-profile, life-altering tragedy, Barker's memoir will put an exclamation point on the first chapter of a well-lived life, inspiring readers to break out the equivalent of their own drum sticks and set to work on finding meaning in their own lives. Ruminating on rock stardom, fatherhood, mortality, loss, and redemption, Barker shares stories from decades of hard-earned perspective, cultivating a pop culture atmosphere with which Gen Y and those on the fringes will immediately identify. It will be the perfect summer read for fans of searingly honest music memoirs like Anthony Kiedis's SCAR TISSUE.

Tongue twisters abound in this classic Dr. Seuss Beginner Book! "Bed Spreaders spread spreads on beds. Bread Spreaders spread butter on breads. And that Bed Spreader better watch out how he's spreading . . . or that Bread Spreader's sure going to butter his bedding." This riotous collection weaves together a wonderment of words designed to twist the lips. Wordsmiths and beginning readers will love Oh Say Can You Say? and treasure tackling these tangled tongue teasers. Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.

Who of us cannot remember the pain and humiliation of being rejected by our classmates? However thick-skinned or immune to such assaults we may become as adults, the memory of those early exclusions is as palpable to each of us today as it is common to human experience. We remember the uncertainty of separating from our home and entering school as strangers and, more than the relief of making friends, we recall the cruel moments of our own isolation as well as those children we knew were destined to remain strangers. In this book Vivian Paley employs a unique strategy to probe the moral dimensions of the classroom. She departs from her previous work by extending her analysis to children through the fifth grade, all the while weaving remarkable fairy tale into her narrative description. Paley introduces a new rule—“You can’t say you can’t play”—to her kindergarten classroom and solicits the opinions of older children regarding the fairness of such a rule. We hear from those who are rejected as well as those who do the rejecting. One child, objecting to the rule, says, “It will be fairer, but how are we going to have any fun?” Another child defends the principle of classroom bosses as a more benign way of excluding the unwanted. In a brilliant twist, Paley mixes fantasy and reality, and introduces a new voice into the debate: Magpie, a magical bird, who brings lonely people to a place where a full share of the sun is rightfully theirs. Myth and morality begin to proclaim the same message and the schoolhouse will be the crucible in which the new order is tried. A struggle ensues and even the Magpie stories cannot avoid the scrutiny of this merciless pack of social philosophers who will not be easily caught in a morality tale. You Can’t Say You Can’t Play speaks to some of our most deeply held beliefs. Is exclusivity part of human nature? Can we legislate fairness and still nurture creativity and individuality? Can children be freed from the habit of rejection? These are some of the questions. The answers are to be found in the words of Paley’s schoolchildren and in the wisdom of their teacher who respectfully listens to them.

In a poignant, funny, and, above all, honest look at obesity from the inside out, a fat man learns acceptance, loses the guilt, and gains the wisdom to manage his weight.

Perfect for fans of See You in the Cosmos and Where the Watermelons Grow, author Jenn Bishop's latest novel tells the moving story of a boy determined to uncover the truth. Nothing is going right this summer for Drew. And after losing his dad unexpectedly three years ago, Drew knows a lot about things not going right. First, it’s the new girl Audrey taking over everything at the library, Drew’s sacred space. Then it’s his best friend, Filipe, pulling away from him. But most upsetting has to be the mysterious man who is suddenly staying with Drew’s family. An old friend of Mom’s? Drew isn’t buying that. With an unlikely ally in Audrey, he’s determined to get to the bottom of who this man really is. The thing is, there are some fears—like what if the person you thought was your dad actually wasn’t—that you can’t speak out loud, not to anyone. At least that’s what Drew thinks. But then again, first impressions can be deceiving.

An essential guidebook for honing business communication skills... Communications expert Dianna Booher provides an essential nine-point checklist for success in the art of communication and persuasion—for building solid relationships, and for increasing credibility in the workplace. With lessons from politics, pop culture, business, family life, and current events, the book identifies common reasons that communicators fail to accomplish their goals, along with examples and analyses of messages that succeed and those that fail.

Teaches how to say peace in 20 different languages to celebrate the International Day of Peace.