Read Or Die

"I look forward to the day I see yellow caution tape stretched around my students' neighborhoods, the chalk outline of apathy on the ground, crushed by the weight of a thousand books. Until then I treat each day as if books are EpiPens and every student has a shellfish allergy with a mouth full of shrimp." Most of the students in Daphne Russell's reading class have never read an entire book, and they can’t relate to Harry Potter and his magic wand. Abel is twenty-eight days behind everyone else and he needs enough books inside him to get his lungs to work again, mend his shattered heart, and kick the shit out of apathy. In her memoir Read or Die, Russell documents her daily battle as a middle school teacher in Tucson, Arizona, fighting against predetermined trajectories of less-than beliefs with an arsenal of hard covers and tattered pages. A talented and caring teacher, Russell offers a moving portrayal that combines rich autobiographical details with firsthand insight into the world of education. Read or Die is not only a compelling story, but also offers revealing and meaningful insights into education in America from a seasoned insider.

The Read or Die anime features the story of Yomiko Readman and the British Library Special Operations Division, a secret group dedicated to the location and protection of rare books! The R.O.D Official Archive is your ultimate guide to the world of both the original 3-episode OVA and the 26-episode TV series. The book features character designs, promotional art, rough sketches, episode summaries, creator interviews, and tons of information about this landmark anime franchise.

Yomiko Readman (codename: The Paper) is a substitue teacher and a secret agent for the Royal British Library's Division of Special Operations. She uses special powers to seek out legendary books containing secret information, that in the wrong hands, could be dangerous.

To compete with today's increasing globalization and rapidly evolving technologies, individuals and organizations must take their ability to learn—the foundation for continuous improvement, operational excellence, and innovation—to a much higher level. In Learn or Die, Edward D. Hess combines recent advances in neuroscience, psychology, behavioral economics, and education with key research on high-performance businesses to create an actionable blueprint for becoming a leading-edge learning organization. Learn or Die examines the process of learning from an individual and an organizational standpoint. From an individual perspective, the book discusses the cognitive, emotional, motivational, attitudinal, and behavioral factors that promote better learning. Organizationally, Learn or Die focuses on the kinds of structures, culture, leadership, employee learning behaviors, and human resource policies that are necessary to create an environment that enables critical and innovative thinking, learning conversations, and collaboration. The volume also provides strategies to mitigate the reality that humans can be reflexive, lazy thinkers who seek confirmation of what they believe to be true and affirmation of their self-image. Exemplar learning organizations discussed include the secretive Bridgewater Associates, LP; Intuit, Inc.; United Parcel Service (UPS); W. L. Gore & Associates; and IDEO.

A captivating and rarely told World War II story: that of the Canadian troops sent to defend Hong Kong from the invading Japanese. Nineteen-year-old Jack Finnigan is a born troublemaker. He has grown up defying authority and leaves his small town to enlist in the Royal Rifles, expecting adventure . . . and not afraid of danger. Little does he know what awaits across the Pacific, where his untested regiment is being sent to defend the vulnerable British colony of Hong Kong. The Royal Rifles and the Winnipeg Grenadiers, many of them young and untrained, quickly find themselves in the thick of battle as the Japanese attack on Sunday, December 7, 1941 (the same day as the bombing of Pearl Harbor). After nearly a month of fighting, the colony falls to the Japanese. Jack writes about the fierce battles during those hard weeks, the surrender and capture of his unit, and his brutal time in the POW camp. In those desperate battles and horrendous conditions, he befriends a once-despised sergeant and learns to work with him in order to survive.

Shortlisted for the 2014 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award National Geographic Adventurer of the Year 2014 "The most dominating endurance athlete of his generation." -- The New York Times An exceptional athlete. A dominating force. An extraordinary person. Kilian Jornet has conquered some of the toughest physical tests on the planet. He has run up and down Mt. Kilimanjaro faster than any other human being, and struck down world records in every challenge that has been proposed, all before the age of 25. Redefining what is possible, Jornet continually pushes the limits of human ability, astonishing competitors with his near-superhuman fitness and ability. Born and raised at 6,000 feet above sea level in the Spanish Pyrenees, Jornet climbed an 11,000 foot mountain -- the highest mountain in the region -- at age 5. Now Jornet adores the mountains with the same ferocity with which he runs them. In Run or Die he shares his passion, inviting readers into a fascinating world rich with the beauty of rugged trails and mountain vistas, the pulse-pounding drama of racing, and an intense love for sport and the landscapes that surround him. In his book, Jornet describes his record-breaking runs at Lake Tahoe, Western States 100, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, and Mount Kilimanjaro--the first of his ambitious Summits of My Life project in which Jornet will attempt to break records climbing the highest peaks on each continent. In turns inspiring, insightful, candid, and deeply personal, this is a book written from the heart of the world's greatest endurance runner, for whom life presents one simple choice: Run. Or die. "Trail running's first true breakout star, [Jornet] has yet to find a record he can't shatter." -- Runner's World

The first official publisher’s anthology featuring the exemplary talents of the authors of BLACK BED SHEET BOOKS! "Black Bed Sheet is not only a publisher of fantastically creative horror books but knows the meaning of heart and integrity....Grabowsky has taken BBS to heights that few could have imagined with his drive, determination and talent, along with the talent in his stable. If you haven't read anything from BBS, it's past time you did but it's never too late!" --- Gene Tipton, A SHOT IN THE DARK COMICS "I had this idea for an anthology. A crazy, outside the box thought that I hoped would at least ignite some interest. Well, it not only ignited, the damn thing drenched the entire office at Black Bed Sheet Books and its publisher Nicholas Grabowsky in a orange and red hue of excitement. This has now become a solid joint effort spanning the many talented authors of Black Bed Sheet Books, highlighting the core value of writing: character depth. When Nick gave me the green light, I began to construct this list of talented writers. Some are veterans of the writing landscape [such as myself], others are brand new and cutting their jagged incisors deep into the skin of the publishing world. My only requirement for the authors became the simple task of all, write a story that has deep characters and emotion. A story evolves only so far as the characters propel it. I wanted the characters stripped down to their skeletons. Heroes, villains, somewhere in the middle? Bring them through the emotional grinder, chew them up, spit them out, where will it take the reader? Or, what about a few stories with different spins on such figures as Dracula, Adolph Hitler, the Devil, and Snow White. A few of these stories are dark in nature, or splashed with a form of comic ingenuity. Others are entrenched in history with a different spin that left me squirming in my seat. These authors are bright, fresh, talented, comedic, compassionate, and downright scary when they want to be. So sit back, turn off the lights, and read the book. Or die. I wouldn’t want that to happen to you, but then again once you step inside our world, anything can happen. Close your eyes. Take a breath. The sounds you hear are real. There is no turning back. Keep reading. Or die." --from Introduction by Jason Gehlert --Featuring the talents of— Fred Wiehe - Cinsearae Santiago - Brandon Ford Jessica Lynne Gardner - Lincoln Crisler - Jason Gehlert - William Cook - Reyna Young - Tom Sawyer - K.K. - Rey Otis - Shannon Lee - B.L. Morgan - Tammy Gehlert - S.C. Hayden - Franchisca Weatherman - Jake Istre Patrick James Ryan - Horns - Jason M. Tucker Amity Green – Adam Aresty – Jennifer Caress And Nicholas Grabowsky Edited by Jason Gehlert

Chaos ensues at the Manshu Academy when the Joker arrives with his squad of deadly commandos, hot on the trail of the Underground Library's most valuable and powerful book.