Most Popular Books by Daniel Paisner

One of the biggest stars in tennis, Serena Williams has captured every major title. Her 2009 Australia Open championship earned her the #1 world ranking for the third time in her illustrious career - and marked only the latest exclamation point on a life well and purposefully lived. As a young girl, Serena began training with an adult-sized racquet that was almost as big as her. Rather than dropping the racquet, Serena saw it as a challenge to overcome-and she has confronted every obstacle on her path to success with the same unflagging spirit. From growing up in the tough, hardscrabble neighborhood of Compton, California, to being trained by her father on public tennis courts littered with broken glass and drug paraphernalia, to becoming the top women''s player in the world, Serena has proven to be an inspiration to her legions of fans both young and old. Her accomplishments have not been without struggle: being derailed by injury, devastated by the tragic shooting of her older sister, and criticized for her unorthodox approach to tennis. Yet somehow, Serena always manages to prevail. Both on the court and off, she''s applied the strength and determination that helped her to become a champion to successful pursuits in philanthropy, fashion, television and film. In this compelling and poignant memoir, Serena takes an empowering look at her extraordinary life and what is still to come.

Three-term New York mayor Ed Koch discusses his career changes since turning seventy and examines the art of staying vibrant.

For every tragic story of a life unraveled by battle, there are a dozen tales of men and women who have managed to triumph over the harrowing experiences of war and ruin. The Price of Their Blood is a celebration of these triumphs, offered at a time when interest in patriotic heroes runs deep and passion for wartime remembrance runs high. The Price of Their Blood, by Jesse Brown, written in collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Daniel Paisner, offers compelling portraits of more than a dozen American men and women, including: Michael A. Naranjo, U.S. Army: a Santa Clara Pueblo Native American who was blinded and had only partial use of his right hand, but went on to become an acclaimed sculptor the artist who sees with his hands whose works are sought by museums and collectors around the world Alfred Pugh, U.S. Army: at 107, believed to be the nation''s oldest living combat veteran, suffered permanent laryngitis by the inhalation of mustard gas during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France during the first World War, before going on to a long career with the U.S. Postal Service in his hometown of Westbrook, Maine Felicia Weston, U.S. Army: partially blinded in a Scud missile attack on a warehouse in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, during the Persian Gulf War, she now works with DAV, fulfilling a promise she made to herself to help other injured veterans put their lives back on track The profiles in The Price of Their Blood focus on the call to service, the will to live, and the power to carry on

Axel Pimletz writes obituaries for a Boston newspaper. He’s been going nowhere for the past fifteen years and his failure has almost consumed his self-esteem. Axel needs action and excitement, like a front-page story. He never guesses he’s about to get both—along with murder!

A first responder’s harrowing account of 9/11—the inspirational true story of an American hero who gave nearly everything for others during one of New York City’s darkest hours. On September 11, 2001, FDNY Battalion Chief Richard “Pitch” Picciotto answered the call heard around the world. In minutes, he was at Ground Zero of the worst terrorist attack on American soil, as the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center began to burn—and then to buckle. A veteran of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, Picciotto was eerily familiar with the inside of the North Tower. And it was there that he concentrated his rescue efforts. It was in its smoky stairwells where he heard and felt the South Tower collapse. He made the call for firemen and rescue workers to evacuate, while he stayed behind with a skeleton team of men to help evacuate a group of disabled and infirm civilians. And it was in the rubble of the North Tower where Picciotto found himself buried—for more than four hours after the building’s collapse.

Best-selling author Daniel Paisner makes an indelible impression with a moving and funny novel reminiscent of Carl Hiassen and Peter Lefcourt. From its dramatic and humorous opening to its touching conclusion, Mourning Wood hooks readers with its eccentric characters and offbeat sense of humor.

The popular teenage television actor uses excerpts from his fan mail as a jumping-off point to discuss troublesome aspects of adolescence, including family life, dating, and drugs, with examples drawn from his own experiences on and off the set of "The Cosby Show."

Absurdly funny, trenchant, and provocative, this outside-looking-in account of the stillbirth of one particular television series is a must read for every serious and not-so-serious television viewer.

Now in paperback: ?An impressive achievement...Not likely to be forgotten anytime soon.?(Washington Times) Here is the riveting true story of Jason McElwain? better known as ?J-Mac??the autistic student who made headlines when he scored twenty points, including a school record six three-pointers, for his high school basketball team in 2006. Including the revealing perspectives of J-Mac?s family and coach, this is McElwain?s inspiring account of the challenges of growing up autistic?not only for himself, but for his family. It?s also the tale of his unlikely star turn, the difference it made in his journey through life?and all the heartbreaking and heart-lifting stops along the way.

The Detroit Tigers, an umpire, a pitcher, and a mistake—one of the “classic, human, baseball stories” (Ken Burns, creator of the PBS mini-series Baseball). The perfect game is one of the rarest accomplishments in sports. In nearly four hundred thousand contests in over 130 years, it has happened only twenty times. On June 2, 2010, Armando Galarraga threw baseball’s twenty-first. Except that’s not how it entered the record books. That’s because Jim Joyce, voted the best umpire in the game in 2010 and 2011, missed the call on the final out. But rather than throwing a tantrum, Galarraga simply turned and smiled, went back to the mound, and finished the game. “Nobody’s perfect,” he said later in the locker room. “You might think everything that could have been said, replayed, and revealed about that night has already been uttered, logged, and exposed. You would, however, be as wrong as the unfortunate Mr. Joyce” (The Detroit News). In Nobody’s Perfect, Galarraga and Joyce come together to tell the personal story of a remarkable game that will live forever in baseball lore, and to trace their fascinating lives in sports. The result is “a masterpiece”, an absorbing insider’s look at two careers in baseball, a tremendous achievement, and an enduring moment of pure grace and sportsmanship (The Huffington Post).

What happens when the life you are living is no longer the life you imagined? When you are well and truly stuck? A darkly comic tale of longing and legacy, Balloon Dog, the fourth novel from best-selling ghostwriter Daniel Paisner, prompts readers to consider what it means to leave a mark and what it takes to be swept up in the same currents that move almost everyone else. A brazen art heist pushes our protagonists to reflect on the choices they''ve made-and the ones that have been made for them. Set in the near- present, the story turns on the ill-conceived theft of a high-end Jeff Koons sculpture, lifted in plain sight from its perch beside a luxurious mountain home in Park City, Utah, and follows the musings, misadventures, and meeting of minds of a Long Island writer in midlife crisis and the art thief behind the ill conception. Balloon Dog poses two central questions: Is the transformative power of art enough to lift us from our days? And what is art, anyway?

A portrait of television newswomen, with an inside look at the business of broadcasting news on a daily basis.

Based on the true story explored in the Academy Award–nominated film, In Darkness, this holocaust memoir is “a gripping account of survival and friendship” (Booklist). In 1943, with Lvov’s 150,000 Jews having been exiled, killed, or forced into ghettos and facing extermination, a group of Polish Jews daringly sought refuge in the city’s sewer system. The last surviving member this group, Krystyna Chiger, shares one of the most intimate, harrowing and ultimately triumphant tales of survival to emerge from the Holocaust. The Girl in the Green Sweater is Chiger’s heartwrenching first-person account of the fourteen months she spent with her family in the fetid, underground sewers of Lvov. The Girl in the Green Sweater is also the story of Leopold Socha, the group’s unlikely savior. A Polish Catholic and former thief, Socha risked his life to help Chiger’s underground family survive, bringing them food, medicine, and supplies. A moving memoir of a desperate escape and life under unimaginable circumstances, The Girl in the Green Sweater is ultimately a tale of intimate survival, friendship, and redemption. “With a powerful story and a keen voice, Chiger’s Holocaust survivor’s tale is a worthy and memorable addition to the canon.” —Publishers Weekly “Chiger’s exceptional story . . . stands out among the many Holocaust survival narratives as one that will touch the hearts of teens and adults alike and bring home the horrors of this very dark period in history.” —School Library Journal “Through the eyes of the child that Krystyna Chiger was in Lvov, Poland in 1939 we see the whole moral universe.” —Naomi Ragen, author of The Saturday Wife and The Covenant “[A] gripping memoir.” —Kirkus Reviews

The star of ABC''s "Shark Tank" demonstrates how starting a business on a shoestring can provide significant competitive advantages for entrepreneurs by forcing them to think creatively, use resources efficiently, and connect more authentically with customers. --Publisher''s description.

Year after year, Sunday afternoons and Monday nights during the NFL season have belonged to men. While they cheer and argue play calls, the women in their lives are relegated to beer and chip detail. It''s time for these women to join the action, and Holly Robinson Peete, star of 21 Jump Street, For Your Love, and Hangin'' with Mr. Cooper, and wife of NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, has written this hip, smart, cheerful guide to help them do so. In Get Your Own Damn Beer, I''m Watching the Game!, Peete shares her infectious enthusiasm for pro football and takes the complexity out of the game by breaking it down to its component parts. She explains the role of each position player, provides a rundown of all on-field penalties and referees'' hand signals, and offers an illustrated guide to some of the most common plays in the NFL. She gives her take on the most memorable plays in NFL history and dishes some inside dirt-in a breezy, girl-talkin'' narrative that promises to turn the novice spectator into a well-informed football fanatic.

It''s the late Nineties on the Upper West Side and book publicist David Felb (née Felber, née Felberstein) can sense his world shrinking. He is stuck in the slow lane at "a venerable second-tier publishing house" and feeling the encroaching changes technology will bring as he struggles to maintain a bond with his wife and three young daughters. Into the void steps Fred "Sure Shot" Dunlap, a tweed-clad, waxed-mustached nineteenth-century baseball legend with still impeccable timing who died penniless and obscure and seems to need something from Felb. Or is it the other way around? Felb dutifully goes to weekly psychiatrist appointments at his wife''s insistence, but when his hard-to-reach baseball-mad teenage daughter develops her own fascination, he can feel a chance to recapture something lost.Daniel Paisner''s enchanting new novel about neurosis, intimacy, and balancing familial needs while juggling two careers and the demands of modern life is also a charming and memorable parable about losing your mind and finding yourself in the age of anxiety.

Ed Hommer, a pilot, survived 5 days on Mt. McKinley after a crash. This is a memoir of the 20 years it took him to recover from the accident. Left without his lower legs, Hommer spiraled into despair and alcoholism, but turned his life around with the help of prosthetics and new goals. Dateline NBC plans to film him on his next goal--climbing Mount Everest in September 2001. 25 photos.

New York Times Bestseller Every little kid who''s ever taken the mound in Little League dreams of someday getting the ball for Game Seven of the World Series. Ron Darling got to live that dream - only it didn''t go exactly as planned. In New York Times bestselling Game 7, 1986, the award-winning baseball analyst looks back at what might have been a signature moment in his career, and reflects on the ways professional athletes must sometimes shoulder a personal disappointment as their teams find a way to win. Published to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the 1986 New York Mets championship season, Darling''s book will break down one of baseball''s great "forgotten" games - a game that stands as a thrilling, telling, and tantalizing exclamation point to one of the best-remembered seasons in Major League Baseball history. Working once again with New York Times best-selling collaborator Daniel Paisner, who teamed with the former All-Star pitcher on his acclaimed 2009 memoir, "The Complete Game," Darling offers a book for the thinking baseball fan, a chance to reflect on what it means to compete at the game''s highest level, with everything on the line.

The music. The mix. His life. "Sometimes I think my whole life can be seen through shades of blue..." —Steve Aoki BLUE is the remarkable story—in pictures and words—of Steve Aoki, the superstar DJ/producer who started his career as a vegan straightedge hardcore music kid hellbent on defying his millionaire father, whose unquenchable thirst to entertain—inherited from his dad, Rocky Aoki, founder of Benihana—led him to global success and two Grammy nominations. Ranked among the top ten DJs in the world today, Grammy-nominated artist, producer, label head, fashion designer, philanthropist and entrepreneur Steve Aoki is an authentic global trendsetter and tastemaker who has been instrumental in defining contemporary youth culture. Known for his outrageous stage antics (cake throwing, ‘rave rafting’, champagne spraying, and the ‘Aoki Jump’) and his endearing personality, Steve is also the brains behind indie record label Dim Mak, which broke acts such as The Kills, Bloc Party, and The Gossip. Dim Mak also put out the first releases by breakout EDM stars The Chainsmokers and The Bloody Beetroots, as well as the early releases for Grammy-nominated artist Iggy Azalea, in addition to EDM star Zedd and electro duo MSTRKFT. In BLUE, Aoki recounts the epic highs of music festivals, clubs and pool parties around the world, as well as the lows of friendships lost to drugs and alcohol, and his relationship with his flamboyant father. Illustrated with candid photos gathered throughout his life, the book reveals how Aoki became a force of nature as an early social media adopter, helping to turn dance music into the phenomenon it is today. (His performances are watched by millions in person and online at events such as Tomorrowland, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival, and many more) All this, while remaining true to his DIY punk rock principles, which value spontaneity, fun and friendship above all else—demonstrable by the countless cakes he has flung across cities worldwide.

In every legend, there is a legacy. In the life and career of undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, that legacy beats in the heart of the sea and in the heart of his son, Jean-Michel, the noted French environmentalist, educator and documentary film producer who has spent most of his adult life nurturing the work of his famous father. In My Father, The Captain, Jean-Michel Cousteau takes an open and intimate look at the life he shared with his father, and the legend he has taken it upon himself to carry. In so doing, he hopes to shed new and meaningful light on the life and work of a man who inspired millions to reconsider our relationship with the sea and its creatures--and, in the process, to understand a little more about himself and his family as well. "Captain Cousteau was a complicated man," the younger Cousteau writes. "He was a man of many different personalities, many different moods. But this is how it is with all great men, yes? We know the public mask, but it is the private face that reveals a man''s true character. It is the man we know when the cameras are not filming." My Father, The Captain is shot-through with new material and fresh insights into the life and mind of a man who helped to jump-start a global conservation effort that continues to flourish. Jean-Michel Cousteau and his collaborator, New York Times best-selling author Daniel Paisner, offer an intimate reappraisal of the many touchstone moments Jean-Michel shared with his father, as well as the seminal moments from his father''s life that have become part of the Cousteau family lore and legend.

The legendary Baltimore Ravens linebacker assesses the state of football while recounting his troubled youth, his rise to athletic fame, and the allegations that threatened his NFL career.

Dreams do come true, as seen in this incredible true tale of a humble amateurwho beat the odds to win millions with a deck of cards.

Scratching the Horizon presents a bitchin'' love letter to sand and sea, and a spirited inside account of life with the "first family" of American surfing. In 1956, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz stepped away from a successful medical practice and began a lifelong surfing odyssey that grew to include his wife Juliette, and their nine children. Together, the Paskowitz clan lived a vagabonding bohemian existence, eschewing material possessions in favor of intangible riches like health and good cheer . . . all the while careening along the world''s coastlines in search of the perfect wave. In Scratching the Horizon, Izzy Paskowitz looks back at his unusual upbringing, and his lifelong passion for the sport that carries his family''s stamp. As the fourth-oldest child in a family of inveterate surfers, rock stars, and beach bums, he is uniquely qualified to shine a light on a childhood that has come to symbolize the surfing credo, a reckless young adulthood that nearly cost him his sanity, and a maturing sense of self and purpose that allows him to lift others on the back of his experience. As the father of a son with autism and the founder of "Surfers Healing," a foundation devoted to expanding the horizons of children with autism through surfing, Paskowitz has found a way to connect the surreal aspects of his childhood to the harsh realities of adulthood, and he shares these discoveries in this wickedly entertaining and transforming memoir.

The bestselling author and star of ABC’s Shark Tank reveals how to master the three prongs of influence: reputation, negotiation, and relationships. Have you ever wanted to make a big change in your life but weren’t sure where to start? In Powershift, Daymond John shares the answer. To take control of your destiny and drive the change you want to see, you need to lay the groundwork so you’re prepared to seize every opportunity that comes your way. And that means mastering • Influence—make an impression: Develop a reputation that highlights what you stand for. • Negotiation—make a deal: Hone a win-win negotiating style. • Relationships—make a connection last: Nurture those connections you make along the way. Through never-before-told stories from his life and career, Daymond shares the lessons that got him to where he is today: from how he remade his public image as he transitioned from clothing mogul to television personality, to how he mastered the negotiation strategies that determine whether deals are won or lost “in the tank,” to his secrets for building long-lasting—and profitable—relationships with founders and brands. Throughout the book, some of the world’s most successful personalities reveal how they shifted their power in meaningful ways: Kris Jenner on determining your value: “You don’t have to go ask somebody else for permission. You have the power to be able to stick to your guns and demand your worth.” Mark Cuban on finding and understanding your why: “Time is the one asset we don’t own, we can’t buy, and we can never get back.” Pitbull on tapping into your inner power: “A lot of people feel that to be powerful is to exude strength. I think it’s the total opposite. To be powerful is to be powerless. It’s when you give everybody what you got.” Whether you’re an innovator working to turn your big idea into a reality, a professional looking to land a major promotion, or a busy parent trying to find more time to focus on what’s really important to you, Daymond shows you how to shift your power and energy towards positive change.

In his absorbing autobiography, the governor of New York shows that his winning touch and down-home politics spring from same sourceGeorge Pataki is the real McCoy. He''s a small-town boy from Peekskill, New York, where his family''s immigrant background and farming life shaped his down-to-earth politics. A second-generation American with roots in Hungary, Italy, and Ireland, Pataki has retained a common touch that his Yale and Columbia educations haven''t changed. He finally followed a lifelong dream of entering public service when he left a corporate law firm to join a Senate task force on the reorganization of the court system.In 1982 Pataki became mayor of his hometown, and in 1994 he stunned New York''s political world by defeating Mario Cuomo in the gubernatorial election. Suddenly "George who?" became a GOP power broker. He''ll give readers the inside story of his incredible upset victory and bring us into the governor''s mansion to show the day-to-day job of running the diverse state of New York -- the issues it raises, the choices he makes, the beliefs that determine how he governs. Told with warmth and wry humor, the governo

The New York Times–bestselling author and Emmy-nominated broadcaster shares 108 baseball anecdotes, connecting America’s game to the men who played it. In 108 Stitches, New York Times–bestselling author and Emmy Award–winning broadcaster Ron Darling offers his own take on the “six degrees of separation” game and knits together wild, wise, and wistful stories reflecting the full arc of a life in and around our national pastime. Darling has played with or reported on just about everybody who has put on a uniform since 1983, and they in turn have played with or reported on just about everybody who put on a uniform in a previous generation. Through relationships with baseball legends on and off the field, like Yale coach Smoky Joe Wood, Willie Mays, Bart Giamatti, Tom Seaver and Mickey Mantle, Darling’s reminiscences reach all the way back to Babe Ruth and other early twentieth-century greats. Like the 108 stitches on a baseball, Darling’s experiences are interwoven with every athlete who has ever played, every coach or manager who ever sat in a dugout, and every fan who ever played hooky from work or school to sit in the bleachers for a day game. Darling’s anecdotes come together to tell the story of his time in the game, and the story of the game itself. “A real page turner . . . memorable for the whimsical, breezy tidbits that add texture to some well-known characters he has known in a long, honorable career in baseball.” —Tyler Kepner, The New York Times

The common theme that links the six contributions to this volume is the emphasis on students'' inferred mathematical experiences as the starting point in the theory-building process. The focus in five of the chapters is primarily cognitive and addresses the processes by which students construct increasingly sophisticated mathematical ways of knowing. The conceptual constructions addressed include multiplicative notions, fractions, algebra, and the fundamental theorem of calculus. The primary goal in each of these chapters is to account for meaningful mathematical learning -- learning that involves the construction of experientially-real mathematical objects. The theoretical constructs that emerge from the authors'' intensive analyses of students'' mathematical activity can be used to anticipate problems that might arise in learning--teaching situations, and to plan solutions to them. The issues discussed include the crucial role of language and symbols, and the importance of dynamic imagery. The remaining chapter complements the other contributors'' cognitive focus by bringing to the fore the social dimension of mathematical development. He focuses on the negotiation of mathematical meaning, thereby locating students in ongoing classroom interactions and the classroom microculture. Mathematical learning can then be seen to be both an individual and a collective process.

A collection of American portraits featuring the real folks. Here are young and old from Middle America to the Big City, talking to their favorite weatherman about their lives, homes and dreams. More than 50 black-and-white photographs.

John has never been a stranger to hard work. As a young man he started a hip-hop inspired fashion brand on the streets of Queens, New York, with a $40 budget; today his brand, FUBU, has over $6 billion in sales. The truth, he says, is that if you want to get and stay ahead, you need to put in the work. You need to outthink, outhustle, and outperform everyone around you. You''ve got to rise and grind every day. Here John shares the habits and mind-set that empower him, letting us in on how he makes the most of his 24/7. And he opens up about his recent cancer scare and how it fuels him to continue to challenge himself.

One Man Tango is distinguished by the bare-knuckle honesty that has marked Anthony Quinn''s 60-year career as one of the true originals of stage and screen. Quinn reveals for the first time tales of Hollywood in its golden age.

Besides being a hard-hitting, unusually honest political memoir, Citizen Koch is filled with heartfelt reminiscences from Koch''s life - his childhood working as a hatcheck boy in a Newark dancehall with his immigrant parents during the Depression, his years living in Brooklyn, his World War II experiences as a Sergeant in the 104th Infantry Division, his time as a young attorney, and much, much more. Best of all, he chronicles his introduction to politics and offers a private and personal recounting of his nine years as a U.S. Congressman and three terms as Mayor of New York City. And, for the first time, Ed discusses his contemplation of suicide during the corruption crisis that clouded his third term.