About this product: Small wonder that, at nine years old, Monica Holloway develops a fascination with the local funeral home. With a father who drives his Ford pickup with a Kodak movie camera sitting shotgun just in case he sees an accident, and whose home movies feature more footage of disasters than of his children, Monica is primed to become a morbid child.
Yet in spite of her father's bouts of violence and abuse, her mother's selfishness and prim denial, and her siblings' personal battles and betrayals, Monica never succumbs to despair. Instead, she forges her own way, thriving at school and becoming fast friends with Julie Kilner, whose father is the town mortician.
She and Julie prefer the casket showroom, where they take turns lying in their favorite coffins, to the parks and grassy backyards in her hometown of Elk Grove, Ohio. In time, Monica and Julie get a job driving the company hearse to pick up bodies at the airport, yet even Monica's growing independence can't protect her from her parents' irresponsibility, and from the feeling that she simply does not deserve to be safe. Little does she know, as she finally strikes out on her own, that her parents' biggest betrayal has yet to be revealed.
Throughout this remarkable memoir of her dysfunctional, eccentric, and wholly unforgettable family, Monica Holloway's prose shines with humor, clear-eyed grace, and an uncommon sense of resilience. Driving with Dead People is an extraordinary real-life tale with a wonderfully observant and resourceful heroine.
About this product: “Moonshiners put more time, energy, thought, and love into their cars than any racer ever will. Lose on the track and you go home. Lose with a load of whiskey and you go to jail.” —Junior Johnson, NASCAR legend and one-time whiskey runner
Today’s NASCAR is a family sport with 75 million loyal fans, which is growing bigger and more mainstream by the day. Part Disney, part Vegas, part Barnum & Bailey, NASCAR is also a multibillion-dollar business and a cultural phenomenon that transcends geography, class, and gender. But dark secrets lurk in NASCAR’s past.
Driving with the Devil uncovers for the first time the true story behind NASCAR’s distant, moonshine-fueled origins and paints a rich portrait of the colorful men who created it. Long before the sport of stock-car racing even existed, young men in the rural, Depression-wracked South had figured out that cars and speed were tickets to a better life. With few options beyond the farm or factory, the best chance of escape was running moonshine. Bootlegging offered speed, adventure, and wads of cash—if the drivers survived. Driving with the Devil is the story of bootleggers whose empires grew during Prohibition and continued to thrive well after Repeal, and of drivers who thundered down dusty back roads with moonshine deliveries, deftly outrunning federal agents. The car of choice was the Ford V-8, the hottest car of the 1930s, and ace mechanics tinkered with them until they could fly across mountain roads at 100 miles an hour.
After fighting in World War II, moonshiners transferred their skills to the rough, red-dirt racetracks of Dixie, and a national sport was born. In this dynamic era (1930s and ’40s), three men with a passion for Ford V-8s—convicted criminal Ray Parks, foul-mouthed mechanic Red Vogt, and crippled war veteran Red Byron, NASCAR’s first champion—emerged as the first stock car “team.” Theirs is the violent, poignant story of how moonshine and fast cars merged to create a new sport for the South to call its own.
Driving with the Devil is a fascinating look at the well-hidden historical connection between whiskey running and stock-car racing. NASCAR histories will tell you who led every lap of every race since the first official race in 1948. Driving with the Devil goes deeper to bring you the excitement, passion, crime, and death-defying feats of the wild, early days that NASCAR has carefully hidden from public view. In the tradition of Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit, this tale not only reveals a bygone era of a beloved sport, but also the character of the country at a moment in time.
When Mr. Rogers goes for a drive with Amelia Bedelia, he's in for the ride of his life. She does exactly what he tells her –– and that gets them into trouble, but only Amelia Bedelia can make a car trip this much fun!
It’s been more than a decade since the first Porsche High Performance Driving Handbook set the standard for getting the most out of a Porsche. If driving techniques haven’t changed since then, technology definitely has. This book, by the world’s foremost expert, takes that new technology into account as it gives readers the latest information on how to drive a Porsche to its limit.
Once upon a time, the Can Am and Trans Am race series changed their rules because Vic Elford and his Porsches were winning too often. Here Quick Vic shares his insights into ride control systems, new tire compounds, and Tiptronic and Direct-Shift Gearbox transmissions, all of which have transformed the experience--and the challenge--of driving a Porsche.
As he discusses recent models, ranging from new generations of the 911 to the whole-cloth inventions of the Boxster, Cayenne, Cayman S and Carrera GT, modern images and historical photos immerse the reader in both the history and the evolving technology that Vic Elford knows like no one else.
About this product: Leigh Fielding wants a life. Seriously. Having spent the past five years on dialysis, she has one simple wish: to make it to her thirtieth birthday. Now, thanks to the generosity of the late Larry Resnick and his transplanted kidney, it looks like her wish may come true.
With her newfound vitality (and Larry’s kidney) in tow, Leigh hits the road for an excursion that will carry her from Wisconsin to California, with a few stops in between: Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, the Rockies, Las Vegas–and a memorable visit to thank Larry’s family for the second chance.
Yet Leigh’s itinerary takes a sudden detour when she picks up a seventeen-year-old hitchhiker, Denise, a runaway with a bunch of stories and a couple of secrets. Add a long-lost mother, a loaded gun, an RV full of swingers, and Hall and Oates’s Greatest Hits to the mix, and Driving Sideways becomes a hilarious and original journey of friendship, hope, and discovery.
Praise for Driving Sideways:
“Driving Sideways is a gorgeous novel . . . hugely entertaining and very touching. Jess Riley’s voice is irreverent and wonderful, and her writing is genius.” –Marian Keyes, author of Anybody Out There?
"A hopeful and hilarious debut ... Jess Riley may well be my new favorite author." –Jen Lancaster, author of Bitter is the New Black
“Brilliant . . . Jess Riley proves herself a huge new talent.” –Kristy Kiernan, author of Catching Genius
With 30 carefully selected scenic drives, this book offers myriad ways to explore the Land of Enchantment. Pass through the foothills of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, stop in the ghost town of Madrid, or gaze at the immense caves of Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
About this product: This text shows how many complex behaviors of molecules can result from a few simple physical processes. A central theme is the idea that simplistic models can give surprisingly accurate insights into the workings of the molecular world. Written in a clear and student-friendly style, the book gives an excellent introduction to the field for novices. It should also be useful to those who want to refresh their understanding of this important field, and those interested in seeing how physical principles can be applied to the study of problems in the chemical, biological, and material sciences. Furthermore, Molecular Driving Forces contains a number of features including: *449 carefully produced figures illustrating the subject matter *178 worked examples in the chapters which explain the key concepts and show their practical applications *The text is mathematically self-contained, with 'mathematical toolkits' providing the required maths *Advanced material that might not be suitable for some elementary courses is clearly delineated in the text *End-of-chapter references and suggestions for further reading
About this product: The essential guide to operating a motor vehicle with confidence and skill. This book walks you step by step through the intricacies of the Driving System the Driver, the Vehicle and the Driving Environment. You ll learn how to maintain your vehicle and it s driver in optimum condition for taking to the road, and how to maintain vehicle control in both everyday and emergency situations in a variety of road and weather conditions. The text also features 1. How to recognize the five major accident situations and the human and mechanical failures that usually cause them; The basics of vehicle dynamics and why the vehicle sometimes does what it wants to do, not what the driver wants it to; The finer points of vehicle control in everyday driving (timing, maneuvering, spotting hazards) and in emergency situations such as when there are five seconds or less between the driver and a potentially serious situation; How to operate the controls with precision, accuracy, and in the proper sequence. The necessity of both mental and physical readiness and the adverse effects of fatigue and stress. Plus, Road Rage, Braking and Traction Systems, including Electronic Stability Control, Safe Driving and Auto Maintenance Tips from Shell Oil Company
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