Writing Contest - Hosted By Authors By Sasha

Seasons Ending - Writing Contest

Theme: Endings

Prizes

1 Winner in the Poetry Category - $125

1 Winner in the Flash Fiction Category - $125

Prizes are dispensed in the form of an Amazon Gift Card.

Submission Rules

- Participants must have not published a book

- 1 Author per 1 literary submission

- Literary piece must be original and human written

- Poetry must be no more than 27 lines, double spaced

- Flash fiction must be no more than 150 words, single spaced

- Submission must not be published elsewhere in any capacity

- Genres & Topics Excluded from Consideration:

No Politics

No Religion

No Violence

No Suicide 

- Writing is submitted in PDF format with title only -- no author name. 

- There must be no reference to the author name within the document.

(Author name can be disclosed and shared in the submission form).

- Submission Fee: 

Nonrefundable fee of $17 for reading & consideration, not a decision.

Resubmissions due to any errors constitutes an additional $15 processing fee.

Withdrawing a paid submission constitutes an additional $15 processing fee.

- Deadline:  September 30, 2026

Winners will be notified early November 2026

Contact here to learn more about the contest and submission form.

*Sasha Talks Terms of Service and Disclaimers Apply.

The Burden of Bad Ideas By Heather Mac Donald

 

Credit: The Burden of Bad Ideas

Overview

Critics have attacked the foolishness of some of today's elite thought from many angles, but few have examined the real-world consequences of those ideas. In The Burden of Bad Ideas, Heather Mac Donald reports on their disastrous effects throughout our society. At a Brooklyn high school, students perfect their graffiti skills for academic credit. An Ivy League law professor urges blacks to steal from their employers. Washington bureaucrats regard theft by drug addicts as evidence of disability, thereby justifying benefits. Public health officials argue that racism and sexism cause women to get AIDS. America's premier monument to knowledge, the Smithsonian Institution, portrays science as white man's religion. Such absurdities, Ms. Mac Donald argues, grow out of a powerful set of ideas that have governed our public policy for decades, the product of university faculties and a professional elite who are convinced that America is a deeply unjust society. And while these beliefs have damaged the nation as a whole, she observes, they have hit the poor especially hard. Read more at The Burden of Bad Ideas. Credit: Manhattan Institute.

Authors By Sasha & Kreative Circle Welcome Talents

 

Credit: KreativeCircle.com

Hello Authors, Writers and Kreatives!

Authors By Sasha and Kreative Circle are showcasing kreatives within the writing genre for the upcoming season. This is a wonderful opportunity for writers of all kinds to share their expertise and works in text format interviews. Previous select talents who have collaborated, in specific segments and written interviews, with Sasha Talks and Kreative Circle are featured on the site. Inquire more by visiting KreativeCircle.com to learn about these commercial services.

Credit: KreativeCircle.com

Meet Rebecca Heidt, Celebrated LGBTQ Writer & Artist

Credit: Writers Series | Guest Rebecca Heidt

Meet Rebecca Heidt 

Rebecca Heidt is an accomplished LGBTQ writer, artist, and lover of anthropology, history, spirituality, and nature. She has self-published the "Acceptance" series, including "Acceptance: The Beginning," "Acceptance: The Reality," and "Acceptance: Reborn," with a fourth book, "Acceptance: Reconcile," in progress. Rebecca is also working on a feature film, "Secrets of The Warrior," based on her first book, collaborating with international production teams. She's the writer and executive producer of other projects like "Living for Her" and "The Last Check In". She's been honored by being featured in several magazines. Across all platforms Rebecca is recognized for her neurodivergent wisdom and impactful advice for aspiring writers, leading her to be a sought-after podcast guest on topics of motivation, self growth, mental health, and writing. With her growing experience and knowledge she has had the privilege of receiving multiple awards in LGBTQ, Contemporary, Woman's and Urban Fiction. Rebecca has also been recognized as the 9th rank in the Iconic 100 Impact Igniters Worldwide for 2023. Credit: Rebecca Heidt.

Credit: Acceptance - The Beginning

Credit: Acceptance - The Reality

Credit: Acceptance - Reborn

Credit: Secrets of the Warrior

Follow Secrets of the Warrior on Instagram: 

@secretsofthewarriorfeaturefilm 

The Power of Less By Leo Babauta

Credit: The Power of Less

Overview

With the countless distractions that come from every corner of a modern life, it's amazing that we're ever able to accomplish anything. The Power of Less demonstrates how to streamline your life by identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary - freeing you from everyday clutter and allowing you to focus on accomplishing the goals that can change your life for the better. The Power of Less will show you how to: break any goal down into manageable tasks, focus on only a few tasks at a time, create new and productive habits, hone your focus, and increase your efficiency. By setting limits for yourself and making the most of the resources you already have, you'll finally be able work less, work smarter, and focus on living the life that you deserve. Credit: The Power of Less; Leo Babauta. 

Agatha Christie By Nancy West

 

Credit: Agatha Christie

Overview

Inside, you’ll get an intimate glimpse into the life, mind, and works of the Mother of the Cozy Mystery. Featuring quotes about (and from) the literary genius and excerpts from her suspenseful stories, this beautifully crafted literary biography is a celebration of Christie’s literary brilliance and timeless creations. With each page, you’ll learn all there is to know about the bestselling novelist of all time, from her early years to her lasting impact on pop culture. Whether you’re a longtime admirer of Christie or just beginning your literary adventure, uncover the unexpected mysteries behind the “Queen of Crime” with Agatha Christie! Credit: Simon & Schuster; Nancy West.

Cancel Me If You Can By Dave Portnoy

 

Credit: Cancel Me If You Can

Overview

In his unfiltered style, Dave Portnoy details the journey of how he built his polarizing media empire, Barstool Sports, while refusing to bend the knee to those who tried to tear him down, staying true to himself and blocking out the haters.

Dave Portnoy is a gambler. From his days playing Little League baseball, he has always bet on himself and his future, which is exactly how he built his digital media empire, Barstool Sports. It all started in 2004, when Dave wrote what he knew and passed out a four-page broadsheet newspaper all over Boston. The idea was simple but revolutionary: not everyone wanted their sports takes from SportsCenter anchors in suits. Fans wanted something local, raw, and unapologetic—written in the same language and tone you might hear at your local sports bar. So, Dave gave it to them.

More than twenty years later, Barstool has grown into a nine-figure company with over 300 employees and 150 active brands. But the story doesn’t end there. Dave continues to expand Barstool and his personal brand, launching into the world of sports betting, giving honest pizza reviews, building generational media stars, and giving back to dog shelters and small businesses with the help of his own famous rescue dog, Miss Peaches. Learn more here. Credit: Barnes & Noble; Stool Presidente.

The Courage To Be Disliked

Credit: The Courage to Be Disliked

Overview

The New York Times bestselling TikTok sensation with more than 13 million copies sold worldwide, The Courage to Be Disliked is a transformative and practical guide to personal happiness and self-fulfillment.

Now you can unlock your full potential and free yourself from the shackles of past traumas and societal expectations to find true personal happiness. Based on the theories of renowned psychologist Alfred Adler, this book guides you through the principles of self-forgiveness, self-care, and mind decluttering in a straightforward, easy-to-digest style that’s accessible to all. 

The Courage to Be Disliked unfolds as a dialogue between a philosopher and a young man, who, over the course of five enriching conversations, realizes that each of us is in control of our life’s direction, independent of past burdens and expectations of others. Read more here. Credit: Simon and Schuster.

Meet Douglas Newsom, Ghostwriter and Author

 

Credit: Writers Series | Guest Douglas Newsom

Meet Douglas Newsom

Douglas Newsom is the founder of BBS Network, Inc., known worldwide as BBS Radio TV, a live, interactive, premier internet talk radio and television network dedicated to giving voice to people, ideas, and conversations that matter. His life and work were profoundly transformed by a spontaneous Kundalini event in August 2004. That experience changed everything. Since then, his passion has been to serve as an energetic catalyst for the empowerment of others. It is the fuel that drives Douglas daily. 

Through BBS Radio TV, he works endlessly to provide a powerful, professional platform for hosts, visionaries, teachers, entertainers, healers, researchers, and truth-seekers who are committed to bringing awareness, hope, information, love, and entertainment to the masses. Douglas believes we are living in the most interesting of times, and that each of us is called to participate in the transformation of consciousness, culture, and community. He's have never been driven by fame. His desire has always been soul wealth: the kind of inner abundance that comes from understanding the self, putting love into action through kindness, and seeking union with all that is. To him, that journey is profound, humbling, and perhaps never-ending.

In addition to his work in broadcasting, he has written one published work on cosmetic ingredients as a ghostwriter, a wide body of poetry, and two unpublished books: The Bible to Self Awareness and Doom the Deal! Creativity, service, transformation, and the pursuit of deeper meaning remain central to everything Douglas does. "I believe that if you are not changing something, awakening something, or contributing something meaningful, you may be missing one of life’s greatest opportunities: to live with purpose." Credit: Douglas Newsom; BBS Radio.

Focal Point By Brian Tracy

 

Credit: Focal Point By Brian Tracy

Overview

The true secret of high achievers is that they know how to find their "focal point," the one thing they should do, at any given moment, to get the best possible results in each area of their lives. 

Bestselling author and motivational speaker Brian Tracy brings together the very best ideas on personal management into a simple, easy-to-use plan. Focal Point helps readers analyze their lives in seven key areas and shows them how to develop focused goals and plans in each.

This best-selling guide provides timeless truths that have been discovered by the most effective people throughout the ages, answering questions like:

In Focal Point, Tracy provides timeless truths that answers questions such as:

- How can I get control of my time and my life?

- How can I achieve maximum career success and still balance my personal life?

- How can I accelerate the achievement of all my goals?

Focal Point shows you how to develop absolute clarity about what they want, and how they can achieve supreme satisfaction, both personally and professionally.

Credit: Focal Point; Brian Tracy International.

Writers, Speakers & Creators - Let's Preserve Independent Voices

It's Your Turn on Writers Series!

 

It's Showtime! 

Writers Series is hosting new guests to share their work with audiences.

Share the word with authors, writers and readers worldwide!

Talents of all levels welcomed.

Submit your pitches here to learn more about this opportunity.

*Sasha Talks Terms of Service and Disclaimers Apply. 

 

Knife By Salman Rushdie

 

Credit: Knife By Salman Rushdie

Overview

On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are.

What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey toward physical recovery and the healing that was made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his army of doctors and physical therapists, and his community of readers worldwide. Knife is Rushdie at the peak of his powers, writing with urgency, with gravity, with unflinching honesty. It is also a deeply moving reminder of literature’s capacity to make sense of the unthinkable, an intimate and life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art—and finding the strength to stand up again. Credit: Knife; Salman Rushdie.

The Laws of Human Nature By Robert Greene

Credit: The Laws of Human Nature

Overview

Robert Greene is a master guide for millions of readers, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all, understanding people's drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves. We are social animals. Our very lives depend on our relationships with people. Knowing why people do what they do is the most important tool we can possess, without which our other talents can only take us so far. Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people's masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose. Read more here. Credit: Abe Books.

Suicidal Empathy By Gad Saad

Credit: Suicidal Empathy; Gad Saad

Overview

What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique of maladaptively irrational altruism that has gripped our culture. This mind parasite hijacked the empathy module of our progressive elite, leading to a catastrophic miscalibration of moral priorities. The results are everywhere: from coddling violent criminals to protecting rapists to branding self-defense as toxic behavior. We are witnessing a civilization in rapid decline. Lunatic policies are instituted because we prioritize the feelings of ostensibly marginalized groups over The Truth, criminals over victims, and squatters over homeowners. This is not humane; it’s an active dismantling of the pillars that keep us safe and free. Credit: Suicidal Empathy; Gad Saad.

P.S. Perfect timing for this book's arrival! This aligns with the few Sasha Talks topics addressed in the recent years. #foodforthought  #growth  #society  #realitycheck

Moving Mountains with Sasha - Storytelling Flashbacks 🎧

 

Credit: Moving Mountains with Sasha

Storytelling Flashbacks By Authors and Writers -  Enjoy! 

🎧

Paul Donsbach, Co-Author of The Bronze Scroll

Linwood Jackson Jr., Author of Growth

Kelly Mitchell, Author of Musing Around LV

Alexis and Justin Black, Author of Redefining Normal

James Aiello, Author of Christina Powers American Goddess

Fierce Conversations By Susan Scott

Credit: Fierce Conversations

 Overview

The master teacher of positive change through powerful communication, Susan Scott wants you to succeed. To do that, she explains, you must transform everyday conversations at work and at home with effective ways to get your message across and get what you want. In this guide, which includes a workbook and The Seven Principles of Fierce Conversations, Scott teaches you how to: 

* Overcome barriers to meaningful communication

* Expand and enrich relationships with colleagues, friends, and family

* Increase clarity and improve understanding

* Handle strong emotions on both sides of the table

* Connect with colleagues, customers and family at a deep level

Credit: Fierce Conversations; Fierce Inc.

Inside The Box By David Epstein

Credit: Inside the Box

Overview

We live in a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and prizes freedom above all else. We have an unprecedented number of options regarding what to do, who to be, and how to spend our time. All that choice is wonderful; it is also overwhelming. The irony is that total freedom can be paralyzing, and unlimited resources don’t necessarily lead to the biggest breakthroughs. In fact, overvaluing complete freedom can be disastrous for everything from starting a company to harnessing creativity to finding personal satisfaction.

David Epstein argues that all of us, individuals, businesses, institutions, even societies, can benefit from narrowing our options. He dives into the science and practice of constraints, exploring exactly when and how guardrails can be beneficial, whether we’re working with limited resources or using self-imposed boundaries to tap unexpected wells of focus and innovation. Credit: Inside The Box; David Epstein.

How to Break Up With Your Phone

Credit: How to Break Up With Your Phone

 

Overview

Is your phone the first thing you reach for in the morning and the last thing you touch before bed? Do you frequently pick it up “just to check,” only to look up forty-five minutes later wondering where the time has gone? Do you say you want to spend less time on your phone but have no idea how to do so without giving it up completely? If so, this book is your solution.

Award-winning journalist Catherine Price presents a practical, hands-on plan to break up—and then make up—with your phone. The goal? A long-term relationship that actually feels good. You’ll discover how phones and apps are designed to be addictive, and learn how the time we spend on them damages our abilities to focus, think deeply, and form new memories. You’ll then make customized changes to your settings, apps, environment, and mindset that will ultimately enable you to take back control of your life. Credit: How to Break Up With Your Phone; Catherine Price.

Lying By Sam Harris

 

Credit: Sam Harris

Overview

Most forms of private vice and public evil are kindled and sustained by lies. Acts of adultery and other personal betrayals, financial fraud, government corruption—even murder and genocide—generally require an additional moral defect: a willingness to lie. In Lying, bestselling author and neuroscientist Sam Harris argues that we can radically simplify our lives and improve society by merely telling the truth in situations where others often lie. He focuses on “white” lies—those lies we tell for the purpose of sparing people discomfort—for these are the lies that most often tempt us. And they tend to be the only lies that good people tell while imagining that they are being good in the process. Credit: Lying; Sam Harris.

The Correspondent By Virginia Evans

Credit: The Correspondent 

Overview

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.  Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter. Read more here. Credit: The Correspondent.

Why We Talk Funny By Valerie Fridland

Overview 

Accents have long held our fascination. As far back as the 7th century BCE, Egyptian pharaohs experimented with babies to test out theories about the “original” accent and the Old Testament relays how a small difference in the pronunciation of “s” became a fatal litmus test of tribal belonging. Still today, from dinner parties to job interviews, you’ll find people kicking up dust about things like where and how to pronounce a ‘t,’ as in, never in “often,” but with proper British poshness, as in “t(y)une.”

In Why We Talk Funny, linguist Valerie Fridland unlocks the secrets of what linguistic science, psychology and history can tell us about the evolution of human speech, why accents develop, and how they shape our professional and social lives. With a healthy dose of her signature humor and captivating anecdotes, Fridland explores how the twin forces of physiology and psychology along with the need to fit in changes the trajectory of speech over languages and lifetimes, diving deep into the history and social forces driving the way people talk. Along the way, she emphasizes that accents don’t always set us apart, they can also bring us together. Whether it's the accent that hints at your hometown, your group, your social status or your ethnicity, the sounds we say reveal a lot about who we are and where we’ve been – even for those who might think they have no accent at all. Read more here. Credit: Barnes and Noble; Valerie Fridland.

Credit: Why We Talk Funny

The Meaning of Your Life By Arthur C. Brooks

 

Credit: The Meaning of Your Life

Overview

If you struggle to discern life’s meaning, you’re not alone. Millions today describe a growing sense of emptiness, a lack of purpose and significance. And there’s a reason: Rapid cultural, economic, and technological changes have rewired our brains, reducing their ability to perceive depth and purpose. In The Meaning of Your Life, social scientist and happiness expert Arthur C. Brooks shows you how to push back against these changes and find the meaning you need to live a happy, fulfilling life. Relying on cutting-edge science, he offers practical, evidence-based strategies for breaking free of the powerful trends and personal habits that dull your focus on the why of your life. Drawing on the great philosophers and the world’s faith traditions, he shows how everyone can—and must—approach life’s most important and mysterious questions and provides a blueprint that will help even the most skeptical person find a life of spiritual transcendence, passionate love, and true calling. Credit: The Meaning of Your Life; Penguin Random House.

Books Featured This Season at Different Airports

 

Credit: Authors By Sasha | Book Lovers 1

Credit: Authors By Sasha | Book Lovers 2

Credit: Authors By Sasha | Book Lovers 3

** Samples Only, Copyrighted Authors By Sasha

Strangers By Belle Burden

 

Credit: Strangers By Belle Burden

 

Overview

It was a great love story, one for the ages. The speed of our beginning and the speed of our ending felt like matching bookends. They both came out of nowhere. He wanted it, he wanted me. And then he didn't.

In March 2020, Belle Burden was safe and secure with her family at their house on Martha's Vineyard, navigating the early days of the pandemic together-building fires in the late afternoons, drinking whisky sours, making roast chicken. Then, with no warning or explanation, her husband of twenty years announced that he was leaving her. Overnight, her caring, steady partner became a man she hardly recognized. He exited his life with her like an actor shrugging off a costume.

In Strangers, Burden revisits her marriage, searching for clues that her husband was not who she always thought he was. As she examines her relationship through a new lens, she reckons with her own family history and the lessons she intuited about how a woman is expected to behave in the face of betrayal. Through all of it, she is transformed. The discreet, compliant woman she once was-someone nicknamed "Belle the Good"-gives way to someone braver, someone determined to use her voice. Read more here. Credit: Strangers; Blackwell's UK.

Enter Talking By Joan Rivers

 

Credit: Enter Talking,
By Joan Rivers; Richard Meryman

Overview

Joan Rivers describes her bitter and bizarre rise to stardom, from her earliest memories that she belonged onstage, through her independent struggle in Manhattan, to the evolution of her one-person show and the winning of public and critical acclaim. Credit: Enter Talking; Abe Books.

Real Freedom By Gregory K. Mohr

Credit: Real Freedom

 Overview

There was a time when Gregory K. Mohr was working the hum drum career. And before that, there was a time when he felt inspired within the world of franchising. After an unfortunate layoff, he found himself returning to the freedom tasted as a young man.

In Real Freedom, Mohr has gathered his own experience along with many others, in the interest of illustrating how franchising is the greatest plan for building wealth-when done correctly. While this can be a complex process, there are many opportunities worth considering, and some of them might even surprise you. After finding his own way to freedom, Greg began helping others do the same. And now, in his book, he is expanding his mission. If you are losing inspiration within the work you're currently doing, if you are longing for something new and exciting, and if you are ready to begin a new-freedom is one franchise away. Credit: Real Freedom; Franchise Maven.

Here's a flashback of Greg's appearance on ExecuPeaks.

People Buy You (Sales Gravy)

 

Credit: People Buy You

Overview

What is most important to your success as a sales or business professional? Is it education, experience, product knowledge, job title, territory, or business dress? Is it your company’s reputation, product, price, marketing collateral, delivery lead times, in stock ratios, service guarantees, management strength, or warehouse location? Is it testimonials, the latest Forbes write up, or brand awareness? Is it the investment in the latest CRM software, business 2.0 tools, or social media strategy?

If you want to know the real secret to what matters most in business, just look in the mirror. That’s right, it’s YOU. Do these other things matter? Of course they do, but when all things are equal (and in the competitive world we live in today, things almost always are) People Buy You. Credit: Excerpt, People Buy You; Jeb Blount.

Primal Leadership

 

Credit: Primal Leadership

Overview

This is the book that established "emotional intelligence” in the business lexicon and made it a necessary skill for leaders. Managers and professionals across the globe have embraced Primal Leadership, affirming the importance of emotionally intelligent leadership. Its influence has also reached well beyond the business world: the book and its ideas are now used routinely in universities, business and medical schools, and professional training programs, and by a growing legion of professional coaches. This refreshed edition, with a new preface by the authors, vividly illustrates the power and the necessity of leadership that is self-aware, empathic, motivating, and collaborative in a world that is ever more economically volatile and technologically complex. It is even timelier now than when it was originally published. From bestselling authors Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, this groundbreaking book remains a must-read for anyone who leads or aspires to lead. Credit: Primal Leadership; World of Books. 

Sasha Presents Writing Lessons & Tips

 

Credit: Sasha Talks; Author Sasha Laghonh, Writing

#ComingSoon

Sasha Talks Presents ... 

Writing Lessons & Tips 

Talk and Commentary Coming Soon

Complete the form here to learn more about the event.

Interested in sharing your love for writing and the arts?

Submit your pitch here.

Slow Productivity By Cal Newport

Credit: Slow Productivity

 

Overview

  

Our current definition of “productivity” is broken. It pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to impossibly lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. We’re overwhelmed by all we have to do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between giving into soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. But are these really our only choices? Read more here. Credit: Cal Newport.

Share Your Expertise with Style My Soul

 

Style My Soul Welcomes Writers, Readers and Literary Artists

Are you a writer or subject matter expert ready to showcase your insights?

Entertain this opportunity to grow YOUR portfolio of work.

Share original literary pieces with a growing global readership.

Written submissions are welcomed here.

Podcast pitches can be submitted here. 

Good People By Patmeena Sabit

Credit: Good People By Patmeena Sabit

Overview

The Sharaf family is the picture of success. Prosperous, rich, happy. They came to this country as refugees with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. And now, after years of hard work, they live in the most exclusive neighborhood, their growing family attending the most prestigious schools. Zorah, the eldest daughter, is the apple of her father’s eye. When an unthinkable tragedy strikes, everyone is left reeling and the family is thrust into the court of public opinion. There is talk that behind closed doors the Sharafs’ happy household was anything but. Did the Sharaf family achieve the American dream? Or was the image of the model immigrant family just a façade? Read more here. Credit: Penguin Random House.

Make Room for Danny

Credit: Make Room for Danny

 Overview

The son of poor Lebanese immigrants, the entertainer was born in 1914 on a horse farm in Michigan and grew up among Jewish, Irish, Italian and other new Americans, an ethnic mix that provides the material for the comic's storytelling routines. After breaking into radio in his youth, Thomas rose to fame in films and TV, remained married to his wife of 54 years, Rose Marie. He attributes his successful life to a kept promise to St. Jude to found and support a children's hospital in his name, an institution for which Thomas was awarded the Congressional Medal. The hospital, according to the star, is his greatest reward, outweighing his professional achievements, even his record-setting TV show, an 11-year prime-time favorite, Make Room for Daddy. Father to Tony, a noted TV producer, and actress-producer Marlo, Thomas also reports proudly on their careers. Among other attractions in the book are tender and funny tales of cherished friends Milton Berle, Lucille Ball, Sinatra, Sammy Davis and others. Credit: Publisher's Weekly.