I Swear

"After Leslie Gatlin kills herself, her bullies reflect on how things got so far"-- Provided by publisher.

Foreword by Elaine Welteroth In this stunningly illustrated essay collection inspired by the popular podcast Life, I Swear, prominent Black women reflect on self-love and healing, sharing stories of the trials and tribulations they’ve faced and what has helped them confront pain, heal wounds, and find connection. With essays by Eniafebiafe Isis Adewale • Lauren Ash • Gabrielle Williams • Lindsey Farrar • Nneke Julia • Elaine Welteroth • Meryanne Loum-Martin • Lili Lopez • Deun Ivory • Morgan Ashley • Dydine Umunyana • Adriana Parrish • Orixa Jones • Offeibea Obubah • Alex Elle • Kalkidan Gebreyohannes • Esther Boykin • Brooke Hall • Qimmah Saafir • Josefina H. Sanders • Julee Wilson • Shay Jiles • Danasia Fantastic A mixture of poignant essays, gorgeous photography, and sophisticated design elements, Life, I Swear is a chronicle of transformation and growth by and for modern-day Black women. Some of today’s most influential Black female voices chronicle their private journeys, offering testimonies of living through pain and joy with raw honesty and unapologetic self-love. In each episode of her podcast, Life, I Swear, emotive storyteller Chloe Dulce Louvouezo explores the nuances of our diverse experiences. In one-on-one interviews and personal prose, the podcast centers on personal stories that offer universal insights into topics relevant to modern women’s lives, from identity and family to trauma and motherhood, told through the lens of Black women. A catalyst for change, this revelatory book builds on the premise of the podcast by diving deeper into themes of mental health, identity and resilience. Life, I Swear is sure to spark lively, thought-provoking, and necessary conversations that encourage Black women to return home to themselves through self-examination and grace. Life, I Swear features 100-125 full-color photographs throughout.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “high-octane, no-bullshit” (The New Republic) memoir about re-energizing our politics and standing up to corporate America—while carting three kids around in a minivan. “Just like her whiteboard schoolings of CEOs, this book showcases Katie’s ability to entertain while making the inner workings of Congress more accessible than ever before.”—Julia Louis-Dreyfus Never having run for office before, Katie Porter charted a new path in 2018 when she was elected to Congress as a Democrat in historically conservative Orange County, California. Underestimated as a single mom and chided for her progressive values, Katie defied expectations. Then, using her signature whiteboard, she began to take CEOs and corrupt government officials to task in Congressional hearings. The videos went viral, introducing Americans to her no-bullshit style, and making her a coveted guest on cable news and late-night television. I SWEAR: Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan is a witty, down-to-earth exploration of what it’s really like to serve in Congress, particularly as a single mom. Katie offers Americans a clear picture of what their elected leaders are doing—and how they’re doing it—exposing the gaps between politicians’ press conferences and real people’s lives. Katie reveals how her challenges as an Iowa farmgirl diverted her to the Ivy League and how she came to see herself as a Californian, teaching law and raising three kids in Orange County. She shares why she made the jump from academia to politics and how she quickly mastered the art of making CEOs and cabinet members squirm when they bluff and bloviate instead of doing the job for America. With the same clarity she demonstrates in Congressional hearings, Katie makes the case for consumer protection, corporate accountability, and anti-corruption reforms. She pulls back the curtain on the political messaging machine, campaign fundraising, and Congress’ traditions, showing that the way things have always worked, in fact, does not work for a Congressperson without someone at home to do the shopping and take care of the kids. Along the way, she provides whiteboard lessons on where your campaign donations go, how to fight the corporations that cheat you, and how to conduct her trademark robust oversight. Full of candid and inspiring stories—from how Katie lent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a pair of sneakers during the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, to her kids’ lightly illegal campaign hijinks—this is a book by an exhausted, committed parent who just doesn’t have the time for nonsense in her house or in the House of Representatives.

I Swear I Saw This records visionary anthropologist Michael Taussig’s reflections on the fieldwork notebooks he kept through forty years of travels in Colombia. Taking as a starting point a drawing he made in Medellin in 2006—as well as its caption, “I swear I saw this”—Taussig considers the fieldwork notebook as a type of modernist literature and the place where writers and other creators first work out the imaginative logic of discovery. Notebooks mix the raw material of observation with reverie, juxtaposed, in Taussig’s case, with drawings, watercolors, and newspaper cuttings, which blend the inner and outer worlds in a fashion reminiscent of Brion Gysin and William Burroughs’s surreal cut-up technique. Focusing on the small details and observations that are lost when writers convert their notes into finished pieces, Taussig calls for new ways of seeing and using the notebook as form. Memory emerges as a central motif in I Swear I Saw This as he explores his penchant to inscribe new recollections in the margins or directly over the original entries days or weeks after an event. This palimpsest of afterthoughts leads to ruminations on Freud’s analysis of dreams, Proust’s thoughts on the involuntary workings of memory, and Benjamin’s theories of history—fieldwork, Taussig writes, provokes childhood memories with startling ease. I Swear I Saw This exhibits Taussig’s characteristic verve and intellectual audacity, here combined with a revelatory sense of intimacy. He writes, “drawing is thus a depicting, a hauling, an unraveling, and being impelled toward something or somebody.” Readers will exult in joining Taussig once again as he follows the threads of a tangled skein of inspired associations.

This book displays and dissects the career and design motives of graphic designer Joost Grootens. In a systematic fashion it charts the first 100 books designed by Grootens over the past ten years. In the first chapter, '10 years', Grootens uses timelines, lists and graphs to map the course of his career as a designer, the people he worked with and the places where the work took place. In '100 books', the designer dissects his book designs. He details the grids, formats, paper stocks, colours and typefaces, and charts the books' structures and compositions. '18,788 pages' shows at actual size a selection of spreads from books designed by Grootens, including the internationally acclaimed atlases. In the text 'I swear I use no art at all' Joost Grootens gives a personal account of making books and the ideas behind his designs.

'Having a dad - for want of a better word - who was a wife-beater, a drunk, a thief, a burglar and an idle, lazy, work-shy, vain, narcissistic egotist encouraged me to start work early...' Nick Clements didn't just get a job, he became his criminal father's worst nightmare by joining the police force and becoming a fearless, determined and mould-breaking young copper. This is the story of how it happened, rich with humour and horror, danger and excitement, passion and illicit sex, marital joy and strife, triumphs and setbacks. Above all, the memoir tells of a young man's determination to escape his past (overcoming a crippling stutter along the way) and prove himself as a fearless representative of the law. 'Think of this as 'Billy Elliott' meets 'The Sweeney' and you'll have the gist of it.'

For as far back as I can remember, I have told stories. I can take nearly any situation or event and make a funny story of it. Life is too short to miss out on the fun part. Also for many years I have been writing articles and short stories for various newsletters, newspapers, and even national magazines; some paid but most for free. I enjoy writing to entertain, to inform, and to educate. I have a different view of the world than the average person and not afraid of sharing it. I have, for many years, wanted to write a book but thought that anything I would have to say would be out of date before I finished the book. And then one day, not too long ago, I had an epiphany life stories, humor, fun philosophy, and basic life lessons don't go out of date. So I wrote this book. The book is a collection of family stories, tall tales, a few reprints of previously published newspaper articles, a little fun philosophy, and a technical issue or two. Except for a very few of the stories, as noted in the stories, all are original works of mine. The contents are, as you will notice, printed and listed simply, alphabetically. I thought this random arrangement would minimize the potential for one to lose interest and fall asleep reading various versions of the same thing. My intent in writing this book was not just to make some extra cash, but to put down in writing, in a more permanent form, some of my life's experiences, crazy ideas, and a little technical correctness, for family, friends, and a few others to enjoy. Please enjoy.

Chauffeur Carol Shedrick stepped out of her limo on a busy street on a Saturday night. She was ready to open the back door and let out her neighbors and their friends who had asked her to take them out for a night on the town. Suddenly Mr. Neighbor thrust open the rear door of the limousine, and Shedrick stared in shock. In the back of her limo sat six naked people, including her neighbors. As a chauffeur for many years, Shedrick often drove for celebrities and government officials from America as well as other countries. In "I Swear I Wasn't Listening!", she shares the most interesting, touching, and hilarious true stories from the regular, everyday clients to those who were celebrating special events in their lives from the back of her limousine. Shedrick will have you laughing at the antics of crazy women and a birthday party for a ninety-year-old grandfather, and her poignant description of a marriage proposal on a cliff high above town will tug at your heartstrings. Whether you are a Don Juan wannabe who wants to charm your lady or a group of friends out for a good time, remember your chauffeur just might be trying not to listen!