Author: Tyler Gillespie
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1632208024
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
Based on the popular Tumblr, a collection of funny stories that commemorate the awkward phases in our lives. Back in the 1990s, when slap bracelets and Velcro ruled supreme, two adolescents were stumbling their way through life on gangly limbs. One, Claire Linic, had self-permed her bowl cut, and the other, Tyler Gillespie, had purchased self-tanner, telling the cashier it was for his girlfriend. Now in their twenties and still just a tiny bit awkward, Linic and Gillespie have joined forces to ask the question, “If we could talk to our fourteen-year-old selves, what would we tell them now?” Based on the hit Tumblr “The Awkward Phase,” this book answers that question with personal stories and cringe-worthy photos from seasoned comedians, YouTube stars, and people like the rest of us that cover everything from sweaty-palm moments to bad band photos. In these pages, you’ll hear about the moment Shaun Sperling realized he was gay at a Richard Simmons’s workout studio, how Bente Engelstoft made her own bra out of her dad's old underwear, and why even though Robert Bacon’s awkward phase was mortifying, it was the beginning of his new, happier life. Ultimately, The Awkward Phase encourages us to laugh and celebrate the moments that have helped shape who we are. As Gillespie and Linic say, “Everyone is in on the joke. You don’t have to eat your lunch alone in the bathroom stall. You can sit with us.”
The Awkward Phase
Author: Tyler Gillespie
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1632208024
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
Based on the popular Tumblr, a collection of funny stories that commemorate the awkward phases in our lives. Back in the 1990s, when slap bracelets and Velcro ruled supreme, two adolescents were stumbling their way through life on gangly limbs. One, Claire Linic, had self-permed her bowl cut, and the other, Tyler Gillespie, had purchased self-tanner, telling the cashier it was for his girlfriend. Now in their twenties and still just a tiny bit awkward, Linic and Gillespie have joined forces to ask the question, “If we could talk to our fourteen-year-old selves, what would we tell them now?” Based on the hit Tumblr “The Awkward Phase,” this book answers that question with personal stories and cringe-worthy photos from seasoned comedians, YouTube stars, and people like the rest of us that cover everything from sweaty-palm moments to bad band photos. In these pages, you’ll hear about the moment Shaun Sperling realized he was gay at a Richard Simmons’s workout studio, how Bente Engelstoft made her own bra out of her dad's old underwear, and why even though Robert Bacon’s awkward phase was mortifying, it was the beginning of his new, happier life. Ultimately, The Awkward Phase encourages us to laugh and celebrate the moments that have helped shape who we are. As Gillespie and Linic say, “Everyone is in on the joke. You don’t have to eat your lunch alone in the bathroom stall. You can sit with us.”
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1632208024
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
Based on the popular Tumblr, a collection of funny stories that commemorate the awkward phases in our lives. Back in the 1990s, when slap bracelets and Velcro ruled supreme, two adolescents were stumbling their way through life on gangly limbs. One, Claire Linic, had self-permed her bowl cut, and the other, Tyler Gillespie, had purchased self-tanner, telling the cashier it was for his girlfriend. Now in their twenties and still just a tiny bit awkward, Linic and Gillespie have joined forces to ask the question, “If we could talk to our fourteen-year-old selves, what would we tell them now?” Based on the hit Tumblr “The Awkward Phase,” this book answers that question with personal stories and cringe-worthy photos from seasoned comedians, YouTube stars, and people like the rest of us that cover everything from sweaty-palm moments to bad band photos. In these pages, you’ll hear about the moment Shaun Sperling realized he was gay at a Richard Simmons’s workout studio, how Bente Engelstoft made her own bra out of her dad's old underwear, and why even though Robert Bacon’s awkward phase was mortifying, it was the beginning of his new, happier life. Ultimately, The Awkward Phase encourages us to laugh and celebrate the moments that have helped shape who we are. As Gillespie and Linic say, “Everyone is in on the joke. You don’t have to eat your lunch alone in the bathroom stall. You can sit with us.”
Awkward Stages: Plays about Growing Up Gay
Author: John M. Clum
Publisher: Cambria Press
ISBN: 1621967514
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 578
Book Description
The plays in this volume, written by men (some of whom are the most celebrated playwrights) who were in their late twenties and early thirties, affirm adolescents as subjects active in same-sex relationships. Sexual identity is important to the young men in their plays, in great part because they must define themselves against the prejudice and sanctions of family and social institutions. In some cases, the experiences dramatized in these plays are examples of the "gay pathos." Some boys, like Benjy in A. Rey Pamatmat's Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, were severely punished by their parents for expressing their sexuality. Others, like Chris in Daniel Talbott's Slipping, are terrified of anyone, particularly his peers, discovering his sexual relationship with another boy. Dennis, in Michael Perlman's From White Plains, has never recovered from the anti-gay bullying he and his best friend endured in high school. At the same time, most of the plays in this book depict joyful expressions of gayness. Much of Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them is the story of two teenage boys discovering sex and love on a remote Midwestern farm despite the interventions of parents. On his twelfth birthday, Ricardo Bracho's Sissy discovers and celebrates his inner queen. Yet not all adolescents can feel that joy. Eli, in Slipping, connects sex and desire with cruelty, first suffered at the hands of the conflicted lover Chris, then projected onto the sweet boy with whom he becomes involved in Iowa, and finally inflicted upon himself. The young men in these plays are all unique characters. Affirmation of their sexuality in a time and places where homophobia is still a reality is only one problem each faces. Like many works about adolescence, these plays depict the blurry no man's land between childhood and adulthood. All of these plays have received powerful productions at theatres across America and demonstrate the vitality and variety of contemporary American drama. This is an important book for all collections not only in LGBT studies and theater studies, but also education and sociology because of how it deals with adolescent homosexuality and homophobia, as well as bullying. See http://www.cambriapress.com/books/9781604979084.cfm for more information.
Publisher: Cambria Press
ISBN: 1621967514
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 578
Book Description
The plays in this volume, written by men (some of whom are the most celebrated playwrights) who were in their late twenties and early thirties, affirm adolescents as subjects active in same-sex relationships. Sexual identity is important to the young men in their plays, in great part because they must define themselves against the prejudice and sanctions of family and social institutions. In some cases, the experiences dramatized in these plays are examples of the "gay pathos." Some boys, like Benjy in A. Rey Pamatmat's Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, were severely punished by their parents for expressing their sexuality. Others, like Chris in Daniel Talbott's Slipping, are terrified of anyone, particularly his peers, discovering his sexual relationship with another boy. Dennis, in Michael Perlman's From White Plains, has never recovered from the anti-gay bullying he and his best friend endured in high school. At the same time, most of the plays in this book depict joyful expressions of gayness. Much of Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them is the story of two teenage boys discovering sex and love on a remote Midwestern farm despite the interventions of parents. On his twelfth birthday, Ricardo Bracho's Sissy discovers and celebrates his inner queen. Yet not all adolescents can feel that joy. Eli, in Slipping, connects sex and desire with cruelty, first suffered at the hands of the conflicted lover Chris, then projected onto the sweet boy with whom he becomes involved in Iowa, and finally inflicted upon himself. The young men in these plays are all unique characters. Affirmation of their sexuality in a time and places where homophobia is still a reality is only one problem each faces. Like many works about adolescence, these plays depict the blurry no man's land between childhood and adulthood. All of these plays have received powerful productions at theatres across America and demonstrate the vitality and variety of contemporary American drama. This is an important book for all collections not only in LGBT studies and theater studies, but also education and sociology because of how it deals with adolescent homosexuality and homophobia, as well as bullying. See http://www.cambriapress.com/books/9781604979084.cfm for more information.
Awkward
Author: Ty Tashiro
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062429175
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 147
Book Description
Discover how the same traits that make us feel uneasy in social situations also provide the seeds for extraordinary success. As humans, we all need to belong. While modern social life can make even the most charismatic of us feel gawky, for roughly one in five of us, navigating its challenges is overwhelming. Psychologist and interpersonal relationship expert Ty Tashiro knows what it’s like to be awkward. Growing up, he could do complex arithmetic in his head and memorize the earned run averages of every National League starting pitcher. But he struggled to add up social cues during interactions with other kids and was prone to forget routine social expectations. In Awkard, Ty unpacks decades of research in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and sociology to help us better understand this widely share trait and its origins. He considers how awkward people view our complex world and explains how we can more comfortably engage with it, delivering a welcome, counterintuitive message: the same characteristics that make people socially clumsy can be harnessed to produce remarkable achievements. Interweaving the latest research with personal tales and real-world examples, Awkward provides valuable insights into how we can embrace our personal quirks and unique talents to realize our awesome potential.
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062429175
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 147
Book Description
Discover how the same traits that make us feel uneasy in social situations also provide the seeds for extraordinary success. As humans, we all need to belong. While modern social life can make even the most charismatic of us feel gawky, for roughly one in five of us, navigating its challenges is overwhelming. Psychologist and interpersonal relationship expert Ty Tashiro knows what it’s like to be awkward. Growing up, he could do complex arithmetic in his head and memorize the earned run averages of every National League starting pitcher. But he struggled to add up social cues during interactions with other kids and was prone to forget routine social expectations. In Awkard, Ty unpacks decades of research in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and sociology to help us better understand this widely share trait and its origins. He considers how awkward people view our complex world and explains how we can more comfortably engage with it, delivering a welcome, counterintuitive message: the same characteristics that make people socially clumsy can be harnessed to produce remarkable achievements. Interweaving the latest research with personal tales and real-world examples, Awkward provides valuable insights into how we can embrace our personal quirks and unique talents to realize our awesome potential.
Cringeworthy
Author: Melissa Dahl
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735211639
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Examines the ways that embracing socially awkward situations, even when they lead to embarrassment and self-conciousness, also provide the opportunity to test oneself and to recognize how people are connected to each other.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735211639
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Examines the ways that embracing socially awkward situations, even when they lead to embarrassment and self-conciousness, also provide the opportunity to test oneself and to recognize how people are connected to each other.
Documentary's Awkward Turn
Author: Jason Middleton
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317952197
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
Despite the prominence of "awkwardness" as cultural buzzword and descriptor of a sub-genre of contemporary film and television comedy, it has yet to be adequately theorized in academic film and media studies. Documentary’s Awkward Turn contributes a new critical paradigm to the field by presenting an analysis of awkward moments in documentary film and other reality-based media formats. It examines difficult and disrupted encounters between social actors on the screen, between filmmaker and subject, and between film and spectator. These encounters are, of course, often inter-connected. Awkward moments occur when an established mode of representation or reception is unexpectedly challenged, stalled, or altered: when an interviewee suddenly confronts the interviewer, when a subject who had been comfortable on camera begins to feel trapped in the frame, when a film perceived as a documentary turns out to be a parodic mockumentary. This book makes visible the ways in which awkwardness connects and subtends a range of transformative textual strategies, political and ethical problematics, and modalities of spectatorship in documentary film and media from the 1970s to the present.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317952197
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
Despite the prominence of "awkwardness" as cultural buzzword and descriptor of a sub-genre of contemporary film and television comedy, it has yet to be adequately theorized in academic film and media studies. Documentary’s Awkward Turn contributes a new critical paradigm to the field by presenting an analysis of awkward moments in documentary film and other reality-based media formats. It examines difficult and disrupted encounters between social actors on the screen, between filmmaker and subject, and between film and spectator. These encounters are, of course, often inter-connected. Awkward moments occur when an established mode of representation or reception is unexpectedly challenged, stalled, or altered: when an interviewee suddenly confronts the interviewer, when a subject who had been comfortable on camera begins to feel trapped in the frame, when a film perceived as a documentary turns out to be a parodic mockumentary. This book makes visible the ways in which awkwardness connects and subtends a range of transformative textual strategies, political and ethical problematics, and modalities of spectatorship in documentary film and media from the 1970s to the present.
Unabrow
Author: Una LaMarche
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698155661
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 274
Book Description
In between highbrow and lowbrow, there’s Unabrow. "Take the cast of ‘Bridesmaids,’ add a dash of pre-pubescent Eugene Levy, and you have the humor stylings of Una LaMarche."—Ann Imig, founder of Listen to Your Mother As a girl, Una LaMarche was as smart as she was awkward. She was blessed with a precocious intellect, a love of all things pop culture, and eyebrows bushier than Frida Kahlo’s. Adversity made her stronger...and funnier. In Unabrow, Una shares the cringe-inducing lessons she’s learned from a life as a late bloomer, including the seven deadly sins of DIY bangs, how not to make your own jorts, and how to handle pregnancy, plucking, and the rites of passage during which your own body is your worst frenemy. For readers who loved Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and for fans of Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, and Amy Schumer, Unabrow is the book June Cleaver would have written if she spent more time drinking and less time vacuuming.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698155661
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 274
Book Description
In between highbrow and lowbrow, there’s Unabrow. "Take the cast of ‘Bridesmaids,’ add a dash of pre-pubescent Eugene Levy, and you have the humor stylings of Una LaMarche."—Ann Imig, founder of Listen to Your Mother As a girl, Una LaMarche was as smart as she was awkward. She was blessed with a precocious intellect, a love of all things pop culture, and eyebrows bushier than Frida Kahlo’s. Adversity made her stronger...and funnier. In Unabrow, Una shares the cringe-inducing lessons she’s learned from a life as a late bloomer, including the seven deadly sins of DIY bangs, how not to make your own jorts, and how to handle pregnancy, plucking, and the rites of passage during which your own body is your worst frenemy. For readers who loved Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and for fans of Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, and Amy Schumer, Unabrow is the book June Cleaver would have written if she spent more time drinking and less time vacuuming.
A Field Guide to Awkward Silences
Author: Alexandra Petri
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698155521
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri turns her satirical eye on her own life in this hilarious new memoir... Most twentysomethings spend a lot of time avoiding awkwardness. Not Alexandra Petri. Afraid of rejection? Alexandra Petri has auditioned for America’s Next Top Model. Afraid of looking like an idiot? Alexandra Petri lost Jeopardy! by answering “Who is that dude?” on national TV. Afraid of bad jokes? Alexandra Petri won an international pun championship. Petri has been a debutante, reenacted the Civil War, and fended off suitors at a Star Wars convention while wearing a Jabba the Hutt suit. One time, she let some cult members she met on the street baptize her, just to be polite. She’s a connoisseur of the kind of awkwardness that most people spend whole lifetimes trying to avoid. If John Hodgman and Amy Sedaris had a baby…they would never let Petri babysit it. But Petri is here to tell you: Everything you fear is not so bad. Trust her. She’s tried it. And in the course of her misadventures, she’s learned that there are worse things out there than awkwardness—and that interesting things start to happen when you stop caring what people think.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698155521
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri turns her satirical eye on her own life in this hilarious new memoir... Most twentysomethings spend a lot of time avoiding awkwardness. Not Alexandra Petri. Afraid of rejection? Alexandra Petri has auditioned for America’s Next Top Model. Afraid of looking like an idiot? Alexandra Petri lost Jeopardy! by answering “Who is that dude?” on national TV. Afraid of bad jokes? Alexandra Petri won an international pun championship. Petri has been a debutante, reenacted the Civil War, and fended off suitors at a Star Wars convention while wearing a Jabba the Hutt suit. One time, she let some cult members she met on the street baptize her, just to be polite. She’s a connoisseur of the kind of awkwardness that most people spend whole lifetimes trying to avoid. If John Hodgman and Amy Sedaris had a baby…they would never let Petri babysit it. But Petri is here to tell you: Everything you fear is not so bad. Trust her. She’s tried it. And in the course of her misadventures, she’s learned that there are worse things out there than awkwardness—and that interesting things start to happen when you stop caring what people think.
Poseur
Author: Rachel Maude
Publisher: Poppy
ISBN: 0316029270
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 191
Book Description
po·seur (noun): a person who pretends to be what he or she is not. Charlotte Beverwil, Janie Farrish, Melissa Moon, and Petra Greene attend exclusive Winston Prep in the Hollywood Hills. And that's all they have in common. But hang out together? They'd rather be hanged. Borrow one another's clothes? They'd sooner borrow a zit. So when these four sophomores are forced into a class to create their own fashion label, they Clash with a capital C. Janie thinks Melissa and Charlotte are Beverly Hills brats. They dismiss Janie as a Valley rat in sheep's clothing. And Petra, well . . . Petra couldn't care less. Can a cool coquette, a shy punk, a hippie goddess, and a ghettoglam egomaniac make beautiful couture together? At Winston Prep, survival of the fittest comes down to who fits in-and what fits. Introducing a juicy new series from the publisher of the national bestselling series Gossip Girl, The Clique, The It Girl, and The A-List. Includes Do-It-Yourself instructions by NYC fashion label Compai and fashion sketches throughout by the author
Publisher: Poppy
ISBN: 0316029270
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 191
Book Description
po·seur (noun): a person who pretends to be what he or she is not. Charlotte Beverwil, Janie Farrish, Melissa Moon, and Petra Greene attend exclusive Winston Prep in the Hollywood Hills. And that's all they have in common. But hang out together? They'd rather be hanged. Borrow one another's clothes? They'd sooner borrow a zit. So when these four sophomores are forced into a class to create their own fashion label, they Clash with a capital C. Janie thinks Melissa and Charlotte are Beverly Hills brats. They dismiss Janie as a Valley rat in sheep's clothing. And Petra, well . . . Petra couldn't care less. Can a cool coquette, a shy punk, a hippie goddess, and a ghettoglam egomaniac make beautiful couture together? At Winston Prep, survival of the fittest comes down to who fits in-and what fits. Introducing a juicy new series from the publisher of the national bestselling series Gossip Girl, The Clique, The It Girl, and The A-List. Includes Do-It-Yourself instructions by NYC fashion label Compai and fashion sketches throughout by the author
Awkward.
Author: Sam Scholfield
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1615191402
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 211
Book Description
No One Is Safe from Awkward! Ending a first date that falls flat. Drunk-texting your boss. Walking in when your roommate is getting it on. Running into the person you just dumped . . . in the grocery store, an hour after it went down. Awkward bombs can drop anytime, anywhere, and with anyone—people you don’t know, people you see occasionally, and people you see every day. They can sneak up on you and explode in the most unexpected of places, so they’re basically impossible to avoid. The vast majority of us don’t have the wherewithal to gracefully handle the truly and totally awkward as it unfolds. We only realize what we should have said after the fact—when the damage has already been done and we’re a hot mess of embarrassment, red ears, and nervous sweat stains. But author Sam Scholfield has survived more than two decades of embarrassing encounters—and now, in an act of extreme generosity, has set down a wealth of witty comebacks, surefire distraction techniques, and suave evasion strategies so that future generations may take heed and dodge the Awkward Monster before it strikes! So how do you avoid the epic cluster of drama that can result when awkward situations are handled badly? You read this book.
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1615191402
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 211
Book Description
No One Is Safe from Awkward! Ending a first date that falls flat. Drunk-texting your boss. Walking in when your roommate is getting it on. Running into the person you just dumped . . . in the grocery store, an hour after it went down. Awkward bombs can drop anytime, anywhere, and with anyone—people you don’t know, people you see occasionally, and people you see every day. They can sneak up on you and explode in the most unexpected of places, so they’re basically impossible to avoid. The vast majority of us don’t have the wherewithal to gracefully handle the truly and totally awkward as it unfolds. We only realize what we should have said after the fact—when the damage has already been done and we’re a hot mess of embarrassment, red ears, and nervous sweat stains. But author Sam Scholfield has survived more than two decades of embarrassing encounters—and now, in an act of extreme generosity, has set down a wealth of witty comebacks, surefire distraction techniques, and suave evasion strategies so that future generations may take heed and dodge the Awkward Monster before it strikes! So how do you avoid the epic cluster of drama that can result when awkward situations are handled badly? You read this book.
Michael Douglas
Author: Marc Eliot
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307952371
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
A groundbreaking portrait of one of Hollywood’s most successful stars, from critically acclaimed and bestselling biographer Marc Eliot Through determination, inventiveness, and charisma, Michael Douglas emerged from the long shadow cast by his movie-legend father, Kirk Douglas, to become his own man and one of the film industry’s most formidable players. Overcoming the curse of failure that haunts the sons and daughters of Hollywood celebrities, Michael became a sensation when he successfully brought One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, starring his friend Jack Nicholson, to the screen after numerous setbacks, including his father’s own failed attempts to make it happen. This 1975 box-office phenomenon won Michael his first Oscar (the film won five total, including Best Picture), an award Kirk hadn’t won at the time, and solidified the turbulent, competitive father-son relationship that would shape Michael’s career and personal life. In the decades that followed, Michael established a reputation for taking chances on new talent and projects by producing and starring in the hugely successful Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile movies, while cultivating a multifaceted acting persona—edgy, rebellious, and a little dark—in such films as Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and Disclosure. Yet as his career thrived, Michael’s personal life floundered, with an unhappy and tumultuous first marriage, rumors of infidelity (especially with leading ladies such as Kathleen Turner), and a headline-grabbing stint in rehab. Rocked by a series of tragedies, including Kirk’s strokes, his son Cameron’s incarceration, and his own fight against throat cancer, Michael has emerged triumphant, healthy, and happy in his marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones, a Welsh actress twenty-five years his junior, and their new young family. In Michael Douglas, Marc Eliot brings into sharp focus this incredible career, complicated personal life, and legendary Hollywood family. Eliot’s fascinating portrait of the lows and remarkable highs in Michael’s life—including the thorny yet influential relationship with his father—breaks boundaries in understanding the life and work of a true American film star.
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307952371
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
A groundbreaking portrait of one of Hollywood’s most successful stars, from critically acclaimed and bestselling biographer Marc Eliot Through determination, inventiveness, and charisma, Michael Douglas emerged from the long shadow cast by his movie-legend father, Kirk Douglas, to become his own man and one of the film industry’s most formidable players. Overcoming the curse of failure that haunts the sons and daughters of Hollywood celebrities, Michael became a sensation when he successfully brought One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, starring his friend Jack Nicholson, to the screen after numerous setbacks, including his father’s own failed attempts to make it happen. This 1975 box-office phenomenon won Michael his first Oscar (the film won five total, including Best Picture), an award Kirk hadn’t won at the time, and solidified the turbulent, competitive father-son relationship that would shape Michael’s career and personal life. In the decades that followed, Michael established a reputation for taking chances on new talent and projects by producing and starring in the hugely successful Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile movies, while cultivating a multifaceted acting persona—edgy, rebellious, and a little dark—in such films as Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and Disclosure. Yet as his career thrived, Michael’s personal life floundered, with an unhappy and tumultuous first marriage, rumors of infidelity (especially with leading ladies such as Kathleen Turner), and a headline-grabbing stint in rehab. Rocked by a series of tragedies, including Kirk’s strokes, his son Cameron’s incarceration, and his own fight against throat cancer, Michael has emerged triumphant, healthy, and happy in his marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones, a Welsh actress twenty-five years his junior, and their new young family. In Michael Douglas, Marc Eliot brings into sharp focus this incredible career, complicated personal life, and legendary Hollywood family. Eliot’s fascinating portrait of the lows and remarkable highs in Michael’s life—including the thorny yet influential relationship with his father—breaks boundaries in understanding the life and work of a true American film star.