'Fascinating, harrowing, courageous, and deeply felt, these explorations of "dangerous stories", harmful past events and trials of the soul speak to all who've encountered dark waters and have had to navigate them.' Margaret Atwood Sarah Polley's work as an actor, screenwriter and director is celebrated for its honesty, complexity and deep humanity. She brings all those qualities, along with her exquisite storytelling skills, to these six essays. Each one captures a piece of Polley's life as she remembers it, while at the same time examining the fallibility of memory and the embodied reactions of children and women adapting and surviving. The guiding light is the possibility of experiencing the past anew, as the person she is now but was not then. In this extraordinary book, Polley explores what it is to live in one's body, in a constant state of becoming, learning and changing. As she was advised after a catastrophic head injury - if we relinquish our protective crouch and run towards the danger, then life can be reset, reshaped and lived afresh. '[Polley is] a stunningly sophisticated observer of the world and an imperfect witness to the truth.' New York Times

The Ultimate Action Hero. For twenty years one man has dominated action cinema worldwide. He is adored by more fans than Stallone, Schwartzenegger or Willis and yet until recently was virtually ignored by America and the UK. All that has changed now. Welcome to the world of Jackie Chan, martial artist, comedian and stuntman. Most people associate Jackie Chan with the recent smash hit films Rush Hour and Rumble in the Bronx but there is a lot more of him to see. Jackie learnt his trade from the harsh world of Peking Opera School and began to appear in films as a child. He slowly progressed from minor roles to becoming a head stuntman and eventually lead actor in a number of kung fu movies in the 1970s. It was only when he began to direct his own films that the real Jackie Chan film was born. If you have never seen a Jackie Chan film before, you are in for one wild ride. They are a unique blend of visual comedy, incredible stunts and electrifying fights. What makes them so special is that Jackie performs all of his own stunts, no matter how crazy, no matter how dangerous. And they are dangerous. In the course of his career Jackie has broken nearly every bone in his body and come within a hair's breadth of death...No one will insure him. In this book we'll be taking a look at the world's most popular action hero - See! Jackie skateboard through rush hour traffic. Against the flow... See! Jackie fall from a tall building. Handcuffed... See! Jackie drive through a town. Literally through the town... See! Jackie run down the side of a building. While it is falling down... See! Jackie leap from the top of a car park.. Onto a balcony across the road... You'll laugh. You'll gasp. You'll wince. You've never seen anyone like Jackie Chan.

A raw, moving and uplifting memoir about courage, resilience and the transformative power of love, from one of Australia's most captivating personalities 'Powerful, heartbreaking and beautiful ... a story of incredible triumph fuelled by love and compassion' Osher Gunsberg 'Brooke Blurton is an icon for people of all generations and backgrounds. I love seeing her star shine.' Clementine Ford My story is about the one thing that I never went without. Love. Big love, that filled me up and made me feel like there was a future for me. The kind of love that's unconditional, and that lasts across time and space ... From the moment Brooke Blurton appeared on Australian television, she dazzled audiences with her authenticity, self-knowledge, generosity and honesty. As a proud young Noongar-Yamatji woman, Brooke's connection to her culture and country is deep, and as an openly queer woman, she knows that love is simply love. Most of all Brooke knows the importance of family, and the uplifting power of unconditional connection. But behind the public persona Brooke presents to the world is a story of epic proportions and awe-inspiring resilience - she had to grow up fast from a very young age, surviving an extremely challenging childhood and youth, and overcoming the shocking legacy of intergenerational trauma, abuse and homelessness. She's also had to defy labels and perceptions about who she is, and her worth, all her life. But through it all, Brooke didn't just survive, she found her voice and thrived, and in this raw, heartbreaking, often funny and ultimately life-affirming memoir, Brooke lays her journey bare about how she refused to allow the past to define her and reclaimed her own identity - and realised the power of love, for herself, for her family, and her community.

This definitive biography of John Mellencamp is "a true coming-of-age story" (John Sykes, chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation) of an iconic American rock and roll original, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews and never-before-told details. Perfect for fans of Janis and Born to Run.

John Mellencamp is not your typical rock star.

With music inspired by the work of William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and other giants of American literature, he has experienced a colorful career unlike any other. Now, this fascinating biography fully charts the life of one of this country's most important voices in American music.

Mellencamp's story is also the story of the American heartland. His growth as an artist and evolution into legendary status directly reflected the major changes of the last fifty years. From the Summer of Love to the growing divisiveness of American politics and beyond, his music has served as the backdrop to this country for millions of fans.

Featuring exclusive interviews with friends, family, and colleagues, and exploring everything from the founding of Farm Aid to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is a fresh, expansive, and "inspirational" (Nora Guthrie, president of The Woody Guthrie Foundation) look at a true original.

In January 2015 Dick and Angel Strawbridge embarked on the journey of a lifetime when they swapped their cosy two-bedroom flat in East London for a derelict chateau with 12 acres of land in the Loire valley. Where Sunday Times bestseller A Year At The Chateau told the entertaining and heartwarming beginning of the family's French adventure, as they found their forever home and began to restore and renovate the dilapidated castle, Living The Chateau Dream is about the years of hard graft that followed. Dick and Angel leapt into action transforming Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson into both a thriving family home and a sustainable business, and began making their dream of rural life in a fairytale castle a reality. From throwing open the shutters to new suites to exploring the walled garden, launching their wedding business and hosting guests for food lover weekends, no stone was left unturned. From the day-to-day tasks like installing a lift to the beginnings of lifelong traditions and memories such as investigating the seasonal delights of the surroundings and having a family sleepover on the moat, this much-anticipated follow-up includes many firsts for the Strawbridge family. As Dick and Angel recount stories of the renovations that took place over the next four years at the chateau, we start to understand the true extent of the work and skill that it has taken to make this incredible house into a much-loved home. With stories of remarkable discoveries and unexpected challenges, amazing transformations and once-in-a-lifetime celebrations, this book is sure to delight, entertain and inspire fans in equal measure.