On the night of October 31, 1993, paramedics received a call of a man lying unconscious outside the club known as the Viper Room. The club was party owned by actor Johnny Depp who was in attendance that night. Paramedics arrive and recognize the victim as River Phoenix. He later dies at the age of 23 from an overdose of cocaine and heroin known on the streets as a speedball. He leaves behind his parents and four siblings. His untimely death shocks the film industry and millions of fans across the globe. The events of that night also shed light on a widespread drug culture in Hollywood and the ease of access in which many child stars have in obtaining them. Phoenix’s fatal last dose was eerily similar of the death of comedian and actor John Belushi nine years earlier. At the time of his death, Phoenix had been filming “Dark Blood” and had returned to Los Angeles on a break from filming in the deserts in Utah.
I vividly recall the news reports of Phoenix’s death and his role in Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” is my personal favorite. I’ve often heard that if he had lived and stayed clean, there was a high probability that he would taken many of the rolses that went to another rising child star, Leonardo DiCaprio. The biggest tragedy in his death besides his age and the love ones he left behind, is the list of possible directions his career could have taken. We can only speculate as to where he would be in life now and what he would think of the Hollywood we currently see. In the short time that he did spend on earth, he left a permanent mark on the film industry and American cinema.
Gavin Edwards takes us back in time to revisit Phoenix’s life from his birth, nomadic life with his parents and his entry in Hollywood and the demons that he developed that would later claim his life. The book is an interesting look at Phoenix and the dark side of the film industry. Hollywood can be a mysterious and strange place to outsiders but books such as these provide us with a window of normalcy familiar to the average person. It is often said that artists live in a completely different world not out of preference but out of circumstance. His transformation from child star, animal rights activist to a film star with a crippling addition is similar to the lives of other stars such as Corey Feldman, Corey Haim and Kiefer Sutherland to name a few. Great stars whether they’re actors, musicians, artist or writers, are far and few in between. And tragically, the greatest stars are sometimes those that do not live for very long. But in their careers they help to create entertainment that lives forever.
ISBN-10: 0062273175
ISBN-13: 978-0062273178
Periodically my father will reminisce about his childhood in East New York, Brooklyn. and sometimes I’ll pass through my old neighborhood on my way to visit my grandparents. Today, much has changed and a large majority of the people I remember from that time are gone, but he violent and shocking memories will always remain. By the time I grew up in East New York, the demographics had far changed. Rarely did I see any faces in the area that weren’t Puerto Rico, Dominican or African-American. The Caucasian faces were mostly Police Officers, Firemen, EMTs and missionaries from the Church of Latter Day Saints. As kids, we often heard stories about the gangs that roamed East New York waging turf battles with each other using, knives, zip guns, car antennas and anything else that could be used to inflict pain. The stories seemed unbelievable at the time but after reading this book, I have a whole new understanding of the place I once called home.
October 11, 1991-Comedian Redd Foxx dies of a massive heart attack in Los Angeles, California while on the set of the sitcom ‘The Royal Family’. His death stuns the entertainment industry and households across America. The hard scrabble, gravely voiced comic from St. Louis had made a name for himself with a profane but utterly realistic stand up routine and the hit sitcom ‘Sanford and Son’. When Foxx passed, I hadn’t yet started high school, but had watched routinely, the re-runs of Sanford and Son on television. His catchphrase “ya big dummy” was one that my friends and I would toss around from time to time. However, none of us could understand at the time how far-reaching his legacy would be and why his life and death were so important to thousands of young aspiring entertainers.
May 14, 2013-Billie Sol Estes 
On April 15, 2008, Nujood Ali stood in a Yemeni courtroom and pleaded her case for a divorce from a physically, sexually and emotionally abusive husband. At the age of 10, her case caused shock and outrage around the globe. The marriage and subsequent divorce shed light on the old customs in the outskirts of Yemen. Born in the remote Yemeni village of Khardji, Nujood’s story is one of many that go untold each year not only in Yemen, but in countries across the Middle East. Married in exchange for the sum of US $750, her new life quickly becomes a nightmare as she is forced to leave her family and reside with her much older husband whom she does not know.
On January 20, 1968, Ron Kovic was shot and critically injured while leading a reconnaissance mission near the village of My Loc north of the Cua Viet River. The injury leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. After being transported back to the United States, he is moved to the Bronx VA hospital and witnesses first had the substandard treatment given to soldiers injured in the conflict. Upon his discharge, the young marine leaves the hospital a changed man forever, no longer an innocent 18-year-old kid with dreams of being a rough and tough marine. As outcry against the war continued to grow and he began to read literature given to him by his cousin’s husband, his views on the war began to change and he eventually became one of the most outspoken anti-war activist in country.
On September 4, 1965, Albert Schweitzer died in Lambaréné in Central Africa. The founder of what is known today as the Albert Schweitzer hospital was the recipient of the Noble Peace Prize in 1952. Today, little is spoken of him and in most classrooms his name is unknown. But this religious scholar and doctor was one of the most influential and respected individuals of his time. This is his autobiography, about the life he lived up until several years after he returned to Lambaréné to continue his missionary aid to the people of the Central African nation. Born in the German occupied territory of Alsace in 1875, Schweitzer began his training in theological studies before making the decision to become a doctor which forever changed his life. His discussions about the Old and New Testaments are thought-provoking and encourage the reader to ask pertinent questions as to what we believe and know about Christianity, the Bible and Jesus. The writings reveal a brilliant mind, always seeking the truth but remaining a steadfast proponent of analytical and profound thought.
Political dynasties are as American as apple pie. We all know the names Bush, Clinton, Rockefeller, Roosevelt and Kennedy. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. (1888-1969) and Rose Kennedy (1890-1995) produced nine children together and helped create a legacy that continues to this day. Tragically they lost four of their nine children to violent deaths. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy (1932-2009) carried the touch for the family for many years until his own death in 2009. In death, they became larger than life figures who became staples of American politics. But behind the historical speeches, money, looks and fame was a Kennedy whose life took a tragic course of its own. She is nearly forgotten in history books about the Kennedys but her story is one that must be told. And here, Kate Clifford Larson tells the sad story of Rose Marine “Rosemary” Kennedy (1918-2005).
Defiance is one of the most powerful actions that can be taken by a person. The ability to stand up in the face of adversity tests our courage and in some cases our morale fiber. Rebecca Musser exemplified both as she faced former tormentor and leader of the Fundamental Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), Warren Jeffs. Musser is the former wife of Jeffs’ father Rulon and a major defector from the FLDS church. As she testified, she say stoically in a stunning red dress that surely drew the ire of the once powerful Jeffs. Today Jeffs continues to serve a life sentence at the Louis C. Powledge Unit in Anderson county, Texas. The FLDS continues to operate under the watchful eye of State and Federal authorities in Utah and Texas. Their investigations have shed light on the behind the scenes movements of the secretive and secluded religious faction. Assisted by defectors from the FLDS, authorities pieced together a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse of both children and adults and forced child labor. Their efforts culminated in the conviction of Jeffs.
FREETHINKING BIBLIOPHILE 
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