The Fabulous Sylvester

Author: Joshua Gamson
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1466850167
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Book Description
A journey back through the music, madness, and unparalleled freedom of an era of change-the '70s-as told through the life of ultra-fabulous superstar Sylvester Imagine a pied piper singing in a dazzling falsetto, wearing glittering sequins, and leading the young people of the nation to San Francisco and on to liberation where nothing was straight-laced or old-fashioned. And everyone, finally, was welcome-to come as themselves. This is not a fairy tale. This was real, mighty real, and disco sensation Sylvester was the piper. Joshua Gamson-a Yale-trained pop culture expert-uses him, a boy who would be fabulous, to lead us through the story of the '70s when a new era of change liberated us from conformity and boredom. Gamson captures the exuberant life, feeling, energy, and fun of a generation's wonderful, magical waking up-from the parties to the dancing and music. The story begins with a little black boy who started with nothing but a really big voice. We follow him from the Gospel chorus to the glory days in the Castro where a generation shook off its shame as Sylvester sang and began his rise as part of a now-notorious theatrical troup called the Cockettes. Celebrity, sociology, and music history mingle and merge around this endlessly entertaining story of a singer who embodied the freedom, spirit, and flamboyance of a golden moment in American culture.

The Fabulous Zed Watson!

Author: Basil Sylvester
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 1443460923
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 303

Book Description
FINALIST FOR THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FINALIST FOR THE OLA SILVER BIRCH AWARD The literary scavenger hunt of a lifetime, starring an endlessly endearing non-binary tween Zed Watson loves a few things: their name (which they chose themself!), their big rambunctious family, and—oh yeah—monsters. When Zed discovered the mystery surrounding an unpublished novel called The Monster’s Castle, they were completely hooked. Now Zed is a member of a small but dedicated legion devoted to finding the long-buried text. When a breakthrough discovery leads Zed to the route that they are sure will take them to the treasure, they know it’s time for a road trip. And with the help of their shy, flora-loving neighbour, Gabe, and his sister, Sam, a geologist who is driving back to college in Arizona, Zed and company are soon off on a wild adventure following cryptic clues. But it’s not all fun and games. Gabe doesn’t like Zed’s snacks, Sam is a bossy driver with total command of the ancient Impreza’s stereo, and Zed is often misgendered. It’s a good thing they also encounter kind strangers, potato-themed dance-offs and lots and lots of ice cream along the way. If Zed and Gabe can combine their strengths, survive Sam’s wrath and best the greedy historian who’s also hot on the book’s trail, they just might find the greatest treasure of all. Co-authored by child-parent duo Basil Sylvester and Kevin Sylvester, this is a vibrant and enormous-hearted story about friendship, identity and belonging. It features illustrations by celebrated author and illustrator Kevin Sylvester, and an Own Voices perspective based on Basil’s experience.

The Fabulous Sylvester

Author: Joshua Gamson
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780805072501
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Book Description
The story of the 1970s disco singer relates his humble origins, his early days as a chorus singer and member of the notorious Cockettes theatrical group, and the flamboyant energy and changing lifestyles that shaped his career.

Neil FlambÃ© and the Aztec Abduction

Author: Kevin Sylvester
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1442446080
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Book Description
When Neil arrives in Mexico City to partake in the Battle of the Chefs, he learns that Isabella has been kidnapped and it will take a dose of Aztec history and knowledge of buried ruins to find her before time runs out.

Sylvester, Or, The Wicked Uncle

Author: Georgette Heyer
Publisher: Regency Romances
ISBN: 9781402238802
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Rank, wealth, and elegance are no match for a young lady who writes novels...

Breathe and Count Back from Ten

Author: Natalia Sylvester
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0358536782
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Book Description
A Pura Belpré Honor Book * A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book for Teens In this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body. Verónica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form of rehabilitation is swimming, so she spends hours in the pool, but not just to strengthen her body. Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and Verónica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would never go for it. And they definitely would never let her be with Alex, her cute new neighbor. She decides it’s time to seize control of her life, but her plans come crashing down when she learns her parents have been hiding the truth from her—the truth about her own body.

Splinters

Author: Kevin Sylvester
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0887769446
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Cindy Winters loves to play hockey. When her family's basement apartment is flooded and the floor freezes, she's even happy to skate on the concrete. Her parents are too poor to enroll her in a league, but she's resourceful and does odd jobs until she has earned enough money to play. Armed with her mother's old equipment, she is thrilled to join a team. But her happiness doesn't last long. Among her teammates are the horrible Blister Sisters. They make her life miserable. And worse, Cindy's sidelined by the coach, who just happens to be Mrs. Blister. It looks like she'll be spending the season cleaning equipment, instead of playing on the ice. Cindy's luck changes when her Fairy Goaltender appears and saves the day. With its great good humor and hilarious illustrations, Kevin Sylvester's Splinters is bound to become a favorite.

Freaks Talk Back

Author: Joshua Gamson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226280632
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Book Description
Using extensive interviews, hundreds of transcripts, focus-group discussions with viewers, and his own experiences as an audience member, Joshua Gamson argues that talk shows give much-needed, high-impact public visibility to sexual nonconformists while also exacerbating all sorts of political tensions among those becoming visible. With wit and passion, Freaks Talk Back illuminates the joys, dilemmas, and practicalities of media visibility. "This entertaining, accessible, sobering discussion should make every viewer sit up and ponder the effects and possibilities of America's daily talk-fest with newly sharpened eyes."—Publishers Weekly "Bold, witty. . . . There's a lot of empirical work behind this deceptively easy read, then, and it allows for the most sophisticated and complex analysis of talk shows yet."—Elayne Rapping, Women's Review of Books "Funny, well-researched, fully theorized. . . . Engaged and humane scholarship. . . . A pretty inspiring example of what talking back to the mass media can be."—Jesse Berrett, Village Voice "An extraordinarily well-researched volume, one of the most comprehensive studies of popular media to appear in this decade."—James Ledbetter, Newsday

Modern Families

Author: Joshua Gamson
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 147984246X
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 249

Book Description
The kinds of families we see today are different than they were even a decade ago as paths to parenthood have been rejiggered by technology, activism, and law. Gamson brings us extraordinary family creation tales that illuminate this changing world of contemporary kinship. He tells a variety of unconventional family-creation tales-- adoption and assisted reproduction, gay and straight parents, coupled and single, and multi-parent families-- set against the social, legal, and economic contexts in which they were made.

Fresh

Author: Sybil Sylvester
Publisher: G Letters
ISBN: 9781943876440
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Southern floral artist Sybil Sylvester does more than arrange flowers; she uses inventive ideas and fresh plants to illuminate her surroundings. Many of her plants come straight from her own garden, revealing a natural sense of connection that is evident throughout the pages of Fresh. This stunning book presents Sybil's most effervescent and distinctive floral designs, organized by season, plus some of her celebrated arrangements from a variety of special occasions. Excitingly, Fresh also includes a beautifully photographed how-to section in which Sybil empowers readers to create their own magic from the natural world with instructions for a number of delightful designs, plus her own special brand of inspiration and helpful advice. Full of whimsy, joy, and elegance, Fresh is a magnificent paean to floral beauty.