Author: Andy Mulvihill Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 0525506292 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 352
Book Description
"Citizen Kane does Adventureland." —The Washington Post The outlandish, hilarious, terrifying, and almost impossible-to-believe story of the legendary, dangerous amusement park where millions were entertained and almost as many bruises were sustained, told through the eyes of the founder's son. Often called "Accident Park," "Class Action Park," or "Traction Park," Action Park was an American icon. Entertaining more than a million people a year in the 1980s, the New Jersey-based amusement playland placed no limits on danger or fun, a monument to the anything-goes spirit of the era that left guests in control of their own adventures--sometimes with tragic results. Though it closed its doors in 1996 after nearly twenty years, it has remained a subject of constant fascination ever since, an establishment completely anathema to our modern culture of rules and safety. Action Park is the first-ever unvarnished look at the history of this DIY Disneyland, as seen through the eyes of Andy Mulvihill, the son of the park's idiosyncratic founder, Gene Mulvihill. From his early days testing precarious rides to working his way up to chief lifeguard of the infamous Wave Pool to later helping run the whole park, Andy's story is equal parts hilarious and moving, chronicling the life and death of a uniquely American attraction, a wet and wild 1980s adolescence, and a son's struggle to understand his father's quixotic quest to become the Walt Disney of New Jersey. Packing in all of the excitement of a day at Action Park, this is destined to be one of the most unforgettable memoirs of the year.
Author: Dave Anthony Publisher: Ten Speed Press ISBN: 0399578765 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 144
Book Description
The creators of the podcast The Dollop present illustrated profiles of the weird, outrageous, NSFW, and downright absurd tales from American history that you weren't taught in school. The United States of Absurdity presents short, informative, and hilarious stories of the most outlandish (but true) people, events, and more from United States history. Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds cover the weird stories you didn't learn in history class, such as 10-Cent Beer Night, the Jackson Cheese, and the Kentucky Meat Shower, accompanied by full-page illustrations that bring each historical "milestone" to life in full-color.
Author: Julie J. Park Publisher: Rutgers University Press ISBN: 0813561701 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 215
Book Description
Julie J. Park examines how losing racial diversity in a university affects the everyday lives of its students. She uses a student organization, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) at “California University,” as a case study to show how reductions in racial diversity impact the ability of students to sustain multiethnic communities. The story documents IVCF’s evolution from a predominantly white group that rarely addressed race to the most racially diverse campus fellowship at the university. However, its ability to maintain its multiethnic membership was severely hampered by the drop in black enrollment at California University following the passage of Proposition 209, a statewide affirmative action ban. Park demonstrates how the friendships that students have—or do not have—across racial lines are not just a matter of personal preference or choice; they take place in the contexts that are inevitably shaped by the demographic conditions of the university. She contends that a strong organizational commitment to diversity, while essential, cannot sustain racially diverse student subcultures. Her work makes a critical contribution to our understanding of race and inequality in collegiate life and is a valuable resource for educators and researchers interested in the influence of racial politics on students’ lives.
Author: Andy Mulvihill Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 0143134515 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 354
Book Description
"Citizen Kane does Adventureland." —The Washington Post The outlandish, hilarious, terrifying, and almost impossible-to-believe story of the legendary, dangerous amusement park where millions were entertained and almost as many bruises were sustained, told through the eyes of the founder's son. Often called "Accident Park," "Class Action Park," or "Traction Park," Action Park was an American icon. Entertaining more than a million people a year in the 1980s, the New Jersey-based amusement playland placed no limits on danger or fun, a monument to the anything-goes spirit of the era that left guests in control of their own adventures--sometimes with tragic results. Though it closed its doors in 1996 after nearly twenty years, it has remained a subject of constant fascination ever since, an establishment completely anathema to our modern culture of rules and safety. Action Park is the first-ever unvarnished look at the history of this DIY Disneyland, as seen through the eyes of Andy Mulvihill, the son of the park's idiosyncratic founder, Gene Mulvihill. From his early days testing precarious rides to working his way up to chief lifeguard of the infamous Wave Pool to later helping run the whole park, Andy's story is equal parts hilarious and moving, chronicling the life and death of a uniquely American attraction, a wet and wild 1980s adolescence, and a son's struggle to understand his father's quixotic quest to become the Walt Disney of New Jersey. Packing in all of the excitement of a day at Action Park, this is destined to be one of the most unforgettable memoirs of the year.
Author: Larry Niven Publisher: Macmillan ISBN: 9781429935357 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 320
Book Description
The beginning of a hard sci-fi series, Deam Park is a visionary science fiction classic from Larry Niven and Steven Barnes A group of pretend adventurers suit up for a campaign called "The South Seas Treasure Game." As in the early Role Playing Games, there are Dungeon Masters, warriors, magicians, and thieves. The difference? At Dream Park, a futuristic fantasy theme park full of holographic attractions and the latest in VR technology, they play in an artificial enclosure that has been enhanced with special effects, holograms, actors, and a clever storyline. The players get as close as possible to truly living their adventure. All's fun and games until a Park security guard is murdered, a valuable research property is stolen, and all evidence points to someone inside the game. The park's head of security, Alex Griffin, joins the game to find the killer, but finds new meaning in the games he helps keep alive. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Author: Mike Bockoven Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 1510709460 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 272
Book Description
Since the 1970s, FantasticLand has been the theme park where “Fun is Guaranteed!” But when a hurricane ravages the Florida coast and isolates the park, the employees find it anything but fun. Five weeks later, the authorities who rescue the survivors encounter a scene of horror. Photos soon emerge online of heads on spikes outside of rides and viscera and human bones littering the gift shops, breaking records for hits, views, likes, clicks, and shares. How could a group of survivors, mostly teenagers, commit such terrible acts? Presented as a fact-finding investigation and a series of first-person interviews, FantasticLand pieces together the grisly series of events. Park policy was that the mostly college-aged employees surrender their electronic devices to preserve the authenticity of the FantasticLand experience. Cut off from the world and left on their own, the teenagers soon form rival tribes who viciously compete for food, medicine, social dominance, and even human flesh. This new social network divides the ravaged dreamland into territories ruled by the Pirates, the ShopGirls, the Freaks, and the Mole People. If meticulously curated online personas can replace private identities, what takes over when those constructs are lost? FantasticLand is a modern take on Lord of the Flies meets Battle Royale that probes the consequences of a social civilization built online. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Author: USCCB Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development Publisher: Loyola Press ISBN: 0829441719 Category : Juvenile Fiction Languages : en Pages : 32
Book Description
Award-Winner in the "Children's Picture Book: Softcover Fiction" category of the 2015 International Book Awards Green Street Park contains colorful pictures and an engaging story that helps children understand important lessons of how to work for justice and peace and to help those in need. This is a story about Philip who loves his neighborhood. However an area of the Green Street Park is in need of improvement. Philip learns about how St Francis of Assisi loved God’s world and cared for it. His teacher, Sr. Mary Clare, challenges Philip to act as St Francis would. As you listen to the story, think about how you would feel and what you might do if you were Philip. Blackline Masters for Green Street Park include lessons for grades K, 1, and 2.
Author: Martin Kane Publisher: Arcadia Publishing ISBN: 9780738504681 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 132
Book Description
In an age before jets, air-conditioning, and superhighways, Lake Hopatcong was a major northeast resort. It lay within easy reach of large cities to the east, and its size and setting at over nine hundred feet above sea level made it a perfect holiday destination. From the late nineteenth century through World War II, more than forty lake hotels and rooming houses welcomed thousands of vacationers each year. After the war, the lake continued to be a popular spot for renting a bungalow or buying a summer cottage. But for many, Lake Hopatcong will always be remembered as the home of Bertrand Island Park. Although Bertrand Island Park closed in 1983, there is no place in northwestern New Jersey that is more fondly remembered. For some seventy years, the park thrilled youngsters and adults alike. The park opened during the peak of Lake Hopatcong's resort years, and its popularity continued as the lake evolved from a hotel resort to a community of second homes and finally into a year-round locale. Generations of school groups, church outings, company picnics, and residents from throughout the region delighted in the wooden roller coaster, the magical carousel, and the scores of other rides and games.
Author: Marisa L. Berman Publisher: Arcadia Publishing ISBN: 1625849818 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 144
Book Description
When Long Island became a suburban paradise after World War II, ambitious entrepreneurs created dozens of amusement parks to help families unwind. The Nunley family built a park in Baldwin in 1939, and it was so successful that they opened Nunley's Happyland in Bethpage just a few years later. Westbury's Spaceland fascinated youngsters with dreams of becoming astronauts, and Frontier City in Amityville was heaven on earth to fans of the Wild West. Today, historic parks like Deno's Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island and Adventureland in Farmingdale still delight children and remind parents of happy memories of their own. Local author Marisa Berman explores the decades of fun and laughter from Long Island's historic amusement parks.
Author: Steve Rushin Publisher: Little, Brown ISBN: 0316419443 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 336
Book Description
Picking up where he left off in his acclaimed memoir Sting-Ray Afternoons, Steve Rushin brilliantly captures a bygone era, and the thrills of new adulthood in the early 80s. It begins in Bloomington, Minnesota, with a 13-year-old kid staging his own author photo that he hopes will someday grace the cover of a book jacket. And it ends at a desk in the legendary Time & Life building, with that same boy-now in his early 20s and writing professionally-reflecting on how the hell he got there from what seems like a distant universe. In between, Steve Rushin whisks us along on an extraordinarily funny, tender, and altogether unforgettable journey. From a menial summer job at suburban Bennigan's, to first-time college experiences in Milwaukee, to surviving early adulthood in seedy New York City, this deeply touching odyssey will remind any reader of those special moments when they too went from innocence to experience.
Author: Andy Mulvihill
Author: Dave Anthony
Author: Julie J. Park
Author: Andy Mulvihill
Author: Larry Niven
Author: Mike Bockoven
Author: USCCB Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development
Author: Martin Kane
Author: Marisa L. Berman
Author: Steve Rushin