In Spectacular Men, Sarah E. Chinn investigates how working class white men looked to the early American theatre for examples of ideal manhood. Theatre-going was the primary source of entertainment for working people of the early Republic and the Jacksonian period, and plays implicitly and explicitly addressed the risks and rewards of citizenship. Ranging from representations of the heroes of the American Revolution to images of doomed Indians to plays about ancient Rome, Chinn unearths dozens of plays rarely read by critics. Spectacular Men places the theatre at the center of the self-creation of working white men, as voters, as workers, and as Americans.

This book is not about the Rich and Famous. It is not about entertainment celebrities, political leaders, sports stars, or military heroes. It is about five ordinary men, who just happened to have the amazing abilities to inspire others and help people succeed through work habits, beliefs, and their experiences. Their stories are inspiring not because these men are famous, but because they are not famous. You probably know people just like them. They could be friends, neighbors, or even co-workers. We are surrounded by ordinary people who make us feel good, who genuinely appreciate our skills, or our knowledge and our friendship, which inspires us to do even more. I have written and published four previous books on various subjects, but my success in doing so was largely due to the influence these five men had on me. Each of them in their own way, added to the richness of these stories as well as my own. All of these men have since passed away, but their legacy should not be lost to time, but rather preserved for others to read about and appreciate. I wish I had written this book 30 years ago, but if I had, I probably would not have appreciated the values or wisdom they gave to me and countless others. I hope their descendants will come across this book and recognize that while their ancestors may have been likeable, they contributed to our society the one extraordinary talent they each possessed the ability to inspire others.

Black History is not just history - it is the history of people left out of the history books. But this book is different! In this book, we are going to meet eight amazing Black men. They did amazing things in the past - and some are doing amazing things today! Learn about Mansa Musa, the richest man EVER, Walter Tull, the fantastic footballer and hero, and William Kamkwamba, the boy that made electricity for his town! Children can also read about Amazing Women in Black History too, in the partner book at Mars/Stars band. Amazing Men in Black History is part of the Astro range from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Astro books are ideal for struggling and reluctant readers aged 7-11. Each book is dual-banded so that children can improve their fluency whilst enjoying exciting fiction and non-fiction relevant to their age. Astro books for Stars/Turquoise band are also highly-decodable so ideal for extra phonics practice. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and questions to support reading at home and develop comprehension skills. Interest age: 7-8 Reading age: 6-7 years

Men's Cinema offers a fresh theorisation of men in Hollywood cinema via a theoretical discussion of definitions of masculinity and the close textual analysis of classic and contemporary films. Through an examination of mise-en-scene, Men's Cinema moves beyond discussions of representation and narrative to an exploration of the physical or instinctive effects of cinema and how we are invited to engage with, desire or identify with Hollywood's vision of men and masculinity. By delineating how Hollywood has built up and refined the language of men's cinema through a series of recurrent, refined tropes, this book critically explores masculinity and the concept of a male aesthetic within film.Films discussed include: The Deer Hunter, Dirty Harry, Goodfellas, Inception, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Once Upon a Time in the West, Point Break, Raging Bull, Rebel Without A Cause, Reservoir Dogs, Sherlock Holmes, There's Always Tomorrow, The Wild Bunch.

JUDGES: Book of Heroes traces the tragic story of the people of God from the glory days of Joshua to the gloomy days of Samson; from courage to compromise; from conquest to capitulation. But despite the subject matter, this book is not a gloomy book! The author shows that for all their failings, the judges were men and women of rare faith, men and women who stood for God in troubled times. And he encourages us, too, to live for God where He has placed us; to serve Him faithfully in the work to which He has called us. "We may not have the spiritual gifts of a Samson or a Deborah. We may not have the courage of an Othniel or a Jephthah. Perhaps we're just ordinary, like Gideon, or maybe we feel like one of the minor judges, like Abdon or Ibzan or Tola, whose names nobody can remember. Nevertheless, God delights to use ordinary people, and He delights even more to use really useless people! God will use those who have faith in Him, those whose hearts are loyal to Him. The judges of Israel, imperfect as they were, stand out for God like shining beacons in a dark night, because at the end of the day, they trusted God, and were available to Him."

Staged Readings studies the social consequences of 19th-century America’s two most prevalent leisure forms: theater and popular literature. In the midst of watershed historical developments—including numerous waves of immigration, two financial Panics, increasing wealth disparities, and the Civil War—American theater and literature were developing at unprecedented rates. Playhouses became crowded with new spectators, best-selling novels flew off the shelves, and, all the while, distinct social classes began to emerge. While the middle and upper classes were espousing conservative literary tastes and attending family matinees and operas, laborers were reading dime novels and watching downtown spectacle melodramas like Nymphs of the Red Sea and The Pirate’s Signal or, The Bridge of Death!!! As audiences traveled from the reading parlor to the playhouse (and back again), they accumulated a vital sense of social place in the new nation. In other words, culture made class in 19th-century America. Based in the historical archive, Staged Readings presents a panoramic display of mid-century leisure and entertainment. It examines best-selling novels, such as Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and George Lippard’s The Quaker City. But it also analyzes a series of sensational melodramas, parlor theatricals, doomsday speeches, tableaux vivant displays, curiosity museum exhibits, and fake volcano explosions. These oft-overlooked spectacles capitalized on consumers’ previous cultural encounters and directed their social identifications. The book will be particularly appealing to those interested in histories of popular theater, literature and reading, social class, and mass culture.

This volume offers a rigorous yet accessible overview of the key questions and intersectional approaches pertaining to American literature and the body. The chapters have been written in an accessible style, making them useful for undergraduates as well as for more experienced researchers.