Books by "John A. Ruppert"
4 books found
REBELSof IndependenceMr. Powell paints a stunningly vivid picture of racial and religious bigotry and prejudice... "Slavery's Baggage"... which has been handed down from generation to generation of white and black southern children by their families, preachers, teachers, and friends since that first shipload of human cargo arrived on American soil in 1619. Then, using his father's life and the friendship of two young boys -- one black, the other white -- as a backdrop, he tells a simple story about typical Mississippians . . .devoutly religious, hard working, mostly country people, of "good moral fibre"... and how they are throwing off that yoke. He acknowledges some progress in human relations in the last century, but says those "roots of prejudice" are still being passed along by everyday moms and dads -- the very "backbone" of our Country -- to sons and daughters throughout America. Considering our history of racial and religious biases, he asks... "Where will we be in 2035?"
Equal parts enchanting fable and hilarious satire, The Gods of Golf puts a fresh spin on the idea of golf as a metaphor for life.
Inspired by the life of Charlie "Bird" Parker, this poignant, provocative, and stylistically brilliant tale paints a vivid picture of the New York City jazz scene In Greenwich Village, jazz is king, enticing hip young crowds with its seductive and vibrant rhythms. Jazz is also the lifeblood pumping through the veins of Richie "Eagle" Stokes, a saxophonist blessed with an otherworldly talent but cursed by cravings for women, fame, and heroin. To ex–college professor David Hillary, musicians like Stokes are gods possessed with the uncanny ability to turn a private inner world inside out and make everything else irrelevant. And for ex-preacher Keel Robinson, Hillary's unlikely savior, the bewitching music serves as a bridge across racial boundaries as he embarks on a forbidden and dangerous love affair. Considered one of the finest novelists of a generation that included James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, and Richard Wright, author John A. Williams follows a diverse cast of all-too-human characters through nighttime New York City in this incendiary and unforgettable novel.
"A line-drive hit of a book" about the Iron Horse and the Iron Man—two legends from two eras of baseball—and the nature of human endurance ( The Wall Street Journal). When Cal Ripken Jr. began his career with the Baltimore Orioles at age twenty-one, he had no idea he would someday beat the historic record of playing 2,130 games in a row, a record set forty-two years before by the fabled "Iron Horse" of the New York Yankees, Lou Gehrig. Ripken went on to surpass that record by 502 games, and the baseball world was floored. Few feats in sports history have generated more acclaim. But the record spawns an array of questions. When did someone first think it was a good idea to play in so many games without taking a day off? Who owned the record before Gehrig? Whose streak—Gehrig's or Ripken's—was the more difficult achievement? Through probing research, meticulous analysis, and colorful parallel storytelling, The Streak delves into this impressive but controversial milestone, unraveling Gehrig's at-times unwitting pursuit of that goal (Babe Ruth used to think Gehrig crazy for wanting to play every game), and Ripken's fierce determination to stay in the lineup and continue to contribute whatever he could even as his skills diminished with age. So many factors contribute to the comparisons between the two men: the length of seasons, the number of teams in the major leagues, the inclusion of nonwhite players, travel, technology, medical advances, and even media are all part of the equation. This is a book that captures the deeply American appreciation—as seen in the sport itself—for a workaday mentality and that desire to be there for the game every time it called. "It tackles the allure of human endurance and the pitfalls of fame, but it is mostly a baseball book for baseball fans. It succeeds as both a thorough accounting and a love note to the game."— The Washington Post