Converting to Judaism can be an arduous process. After all, the Jewish tradition is over three thousand years old, filled with a rich history of significant events, great literature, sophisticated theology, a full calendar of holidays, and chock-full of home rituals, spiritual practices, customs and commandments. It is a comprehensive way of life and this wealth of knowledge can be an exhausting obstacle to a potential convert. It is no wonder that many formal courses for conversion to Jud...

Many people turn to the Internet when they have questions about anythingincluding Judaism. Spiritual searchers today are no different. The profusion of Web sites, online forums, and e-mail discussion groups devoted to Judaism provides ample testimony to the need and desire for nearly instantaneous access to spiritual information and guidance. In our modern technologyfocused society today, America Onlines Ask a Rabbi service was an instant hit the moment it was introduced over a decade ago....

*****A ROLLING STONE BEST MUSIC BOOK OF 2025***The untold story of OC punk—the loud, rebellious force behind the ‘90s explosion of the Orange County music scene, featuring stories about legendary bands.**When it comes to punk communities across the world, the Orange County punk scene stands out as an undeniable trendsetter that helped define the sound and style of the rapidly evolving genre. From hard luck storytellers Social Distortion and multi-platinum sellers l...

The untold story of OC punk—the loud, rebellious force behind the ‘90s explosion of the Orange County music scene, featuring stories about legendary bands.When it comes to punk communities across the world, the Orange County punk scene stands out as an undeniable trendsetter that helped define the sound and style of the rapidly evolving genre. From hard luck storytellers Social Distortion and multi-platinum sellers like The Offspring to cult heroes like The Adolesc...

The legendary rock singer and Skid Row frontman holds nothing back in this "ribald and freewheeling memoir . . . a delightfully trashy and salacious read" (AV Club).FROM SKID ROW TO BROADWAY,FROM THE GUTTERS OF NEW JERSEY TO SAVILE ROW,HEREIN LIES THE TALE OF THE FIRST THIRTY YEARS OF BACH 'N' ROLL, MOTHERTRUCKERS!!!!!!Sebastian Bach is the epitome of a rock 'n' roll front man. Loud, boisterous,...

NATIONAL BESTSELLERAN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR“Ozzi’s reporting is strong, balanced and well told...a worthy successor to its obvious inspiration, Michael Azerrad’s 2001 examination of the ’80s indie underground, Our Band Could Be Your Life.”—New York Times Book ReviewA raucous music history of punk, emo, and hardcore’s growing pains during the commercial boom of the early 90s and mid-augh...

Joe Perry’s New York Times bestselling memoir of life in the rock-and-roll band Aerosmith: “An insightful and harrowing roller coaster ride through the career of one of rock and roll’s greatest guitarists. Strap yourself in” (Slash).Before the platinum records or the Super Bowl half-time show or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Joe Perry was a boy growing up in small-town Massachusetts. He idolized Jacques Cousteau and built his own diving rig that he used ...

From a legendary music journalist with four decades of unprecedented access, an insider's behind-the-scenes look at the major personalities of rock and roll.Lisa Robinson has interviewed the biggest names in music--including Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Patti Smith, U2, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Jay Z and Kanye West. She visited the teenage Michael Jackson many times at his Encino home. She spent hours talking to John Lennon at his Dakota apartment--and ...

The long-awaited, full-force autobiography of American punk music hero, Bob Mould.Bob Mould stormed into America's punk rock scene in 1979, when clubs across the country were filling with kids dressed in black leather and torn denim, packing in to see bands like the Ramones, Black Flag, and the Dead Kennedys. Hardcore punk was a riot of jackhammer rhythms, blistering tempos, and bottomless aggression. And at its center, a new band out of Minnesota called Hvºsker Dv...

From the bestselling author of Love Is a Mix Tape and Turn Around Bright Eyes, "a funny, insightful look at the sublime torture of adolescence".—Entertainment WeeklyThe 1980s meant MTV and John Hughes movies, big dreams and bigger shoulder pads, and millions of teen girls who nursed crushes on the members of Duran Duran. As a solitary teenager stranded in the suburbs, Rob Sheffield had a lot to learn about women, love, music, and himself....

The definitive oral history of heavy metal music, Louder Than Hell by renowned music journalists Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman includes hundreds of uncensored interviews with the giants of the movement, conducted over the past 25 years.Unlike many forms of popular music, metalheads tend to embrace their favorite bands and follow them over decades. Metal is not only a pastime for the true aficionados; it’s a lifestyle and obsession that permeates every aspect of their...

There is no greater enigma than Rick Rubin working in record production today. As mysterious personally as the Buddhist religion he practices, Rubin has made one thing crystal clear: the records he produces are sonically and stylistically beyond reproach. MTV has called Rubin “the most important producer of the last 20 years,” while Rolling Stone ventured even further, deeming Rubin the most successful “of any genre.”Without a niche, Rubin has taken greater risks than any ...