As a dancer, singer, comedian and filmmaker, Rudy Ray Moore teetered on obscurity his entire life. Finally, with the creation of his "Dolemite" character and the release of several controversial and groundbreaking hit comedy albums and films during the 1970's, Moore achieved his short-lived success. As the decades changed and he struggled to survive, Moore's influence fueled a new generation of fans and artists who would help resurrect his career. He would become known as the "King of the Party Records" and the "Godfather of Rap," influencing comedians, musicians and pop culture even after his passing. His tenacity and drive were so inspiring, a part of his story was the basis for the hit Netflix film, Dolemite is My Name, starring Eddie Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore.Throughout his life, Rudy remained a very private person. He would end his live performances by commenting to the crowd, "Thank you for letting me be myself!" This phrase was chosen as this book's ironic title as Moore was far removed from his public persona, and personal details of his life were rarely shared. Many people, including those closest to Moore, believed they knew him well, yet the complete and detailed story of his life remained untold.Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself reveals Moore's unknown origins as he escaped poverty and abuse to enter the world of show business. Every period of his life and career is discussed in tremendous detail, with great effort made to place everything into proper historical and cultural context. Speculations will be cleared and truths will be told through the controversial last year of his life and beyond.Inspiration. Icon. Legend. This is the story of Rudy Ray Moore.

Rhythm & blues emerged from the African American community in the late 1940s to become the driving force in American popular music over the next half-century. Although sometimes called “doo-wop,” “soul,” “funk,” “urban contemporary,” or “hip-hop,” R&B is actually an umbrella category that includes all of these styles and genres. It is in fact a modern-day incarnation of a musical tradition that stretches back to nineteenth-century America, and even further to African beginnings. The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950-1999 traces the development of R&B from 1950 to 1999 by closely analyzing the top twenty-five songs of each decade. The music of artists as wide-ranging as Louis Jordan; John Lee Hooker; Ray Charles; James Brown; Earth, Wind & Fire; Michael Jackson; Public Enemy; Mariah Carey; and Usher takes center stage as the author illustrates how R&B has not only retained its traditional core style, but has also experienced a “re-Africanization” over time. By investigating musical elements of form, style, and content in R&B—and offering numerous musical examples—the book shows the connection between R&B and other forms of American popular and religious music, such as spirituals, ragtime, blues, jazz, country, gospel, and rock 'n' roll. With this evidence in hand, the author hypothesizes the existence of an even larger musical “super-genre” which he labels “The New Blue Music.”

When a young boy named Roger tries to steal the purse of a woman named Luella, he is just looking for money to buy stylish new shoes. After she grabs him by the collar and drags him back to her home, he's sure that he is in deep trouble. Instead, Roger is soon left speechless by her kindness and generosity.

This "Dear God Thank YOU For Everything" for tracking daily and monthly gratitude.Features the daily prompt "Today I am Grateful For...".Great size 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm)Great gift for school, work, birthday, mother's day, father's day, university, Christmas, thanksgiving, and all occasions.Cover: glossy.

Our stories are riddled with the sting of rejection. It's feeling like a failure or being heartbroken. It's being left out or misunderstood. It's the parent who neglected us or the person who betrayed our trust. It's even in the way we think or talk about ourselves and question our relationship with God. Whether it happened in grade school or last week, rejection can leave deep scars that affect our relationships, our self-worth, and our identities for years to come. And while we can't control when rejection appears, we can control how we react when it does. In Thank You for Rejecting Me, popular relationship coach and podcaster Kait Warman shows you how to turn pain into purpose and fight for yourself when rejection comes your way. With chapters that focus on some of life's biggest rejections--being betrayed, abused, misunderstood, heartbroken, sexually shamed, and many more--this book offers practical tools to heal from the past, take back your power, and walk in strength, victory, and love in the future.

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together