The Chris Voss Show

100 Paintings: An Artist’s Life in New York City by Rob Mango

https://www.robmango.com/100-paintings-an-artist-life-in-new-york

https://www.amazon.com/100-Paintings-Artists-Life-York/dp/0692263136

Equal parts monograph and memoir, 100 Paintings: An Artist’s Life in New York City is one man’s artistic journey from his native Chicago to a pioneering residency in Manhattan’s storied neighborhood of Tribeca. Rob Mango, as much an athlete as an artist, has explored New York City on foot since 1977–its architecture and its denizens, its streets and its harbors providing the former track star with the inspiration for much of his highly individualistic work. As noted in the foreword by art critic Robert Mahoney, ”Mango’s paintings can be seen as being produced by a man whose body was fed oxygen to a fantastical high while running through the city.”

With more than 200 full-color artworks and photographs, this book documents Mango’s journey and the body of work he has created over the past four-plus decades. From the birth of Tribeca to the horrors of 9/11 and its aftermath, Mango reveals the details as only such a singular artist can. Along the way, he rubs shoulders with Wall Street titans, the art world’s up-and-comers, punk rockers, and such celebrated downtowners as Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Andy Warhol, Larry Rivers and Bob Dylan. A central hub of Tribeca was the Neo Persona Gallery, which Mango founded in 1984 to represent and exhibit the work of the neighborhood’s burgeoning art scene.

Mango’s diverse body of work, depicted here, includes vividly imagined, surreal meditations on the artist in the city and abroad, animated by figures from his personal mythology. Drawings, assemblages, sculptures, paintings, and groundbreaking painted-sculptural hybrid works, from 1975 2014, represent Mango’s entire life as an artist, including stints in the Midwest, New Mexico, Paris, Prague, Venice, and Tuscany. Featured in this retrospective are a series of epic, large-scale paintings set in a fantastic New York, replete with the city’s iconic architectural landmarks, but populated by gods, warriors, shamans, and other figures drawn from many epochs and cultures. Also here are portraits of the famous and infamous, pastoral scenes from a rural Tuscan village, and Mango’s breathtaking series of nudes.

About the author

Interview originally published in Du Jour, Oct 21, 2014.

What brought you to New York City in the ’70s, and how did the city influence you and your artwork?

I quickly became aware that the center of the art universe was New York City. The fantasy of coming to [the city] and becoming part of it was launched by painters I encountered while roaming the halls of the Art Institute of Chicago as a teen–Rivers, Johns, DeKooning and Rauschenberg. My obsession with New York became so highly evolved that it sustained me long after I arrived. In many ways, the fantasy of New York exceeded the actual experience initially, which was, in a word, cruel. My Midwestern fantasy of New York sustained the creation of numerous major works, which blend realistic detail and imaginative or surreal invention, particularly “Millennium” and “Return to the City.”

Mumba the Lion Who Forgot to Roar by Subomi Macaulay

https://www.amazon.com/Mumba-Lion-Who-Forgot-Roar/dp/B0GVYTPDBY

Subomimacaulay.com

Mumba the Lion Who Forgot to Roar is a powerful and heartwarming tale about identity, courage, and the importance of owning your story.

Deep within the lush forests of the Congo lives Mumba a strong, wise, and respected lion whose silence leads others to misunderstand who he truly is. When his story is twisted and doubt begins to grow, Mumba is faced with a life-changing realization: if he doesn’t speak his truth, someone else will define it for him.

Guided by resilience and self-discovery, Mumba embarks on a journey to reclaim his voice. With the courage to rise above fear, he learns that true strength is not just in power but in honesty, expression, and authenticity.

Written by The African Storyteller, Subomi Macaulay, this beautifully woven story draws from rich cultural traditions to inspire readers of all ages. It teaches timeless lessons about confidence, self-expression, and the power of storytelling.

Perfect for children, families, and classrooms, this book encourages every reader to find their voice and never forget to roar.

About the author

Subomi Macaulay, affectionately known as The African Storyteller, is a Cultural Ambassador whose voice bridges generations and connects the richness of African heritage to modern-day narratives. Through her storytelling, Subomi imparts timeless lessons rooted in African culture, history, and personal experience.

Her journey as a storyteller began in the heart of West Africa, where she learned the craft at the feet of her maternal grandmother. Through these early lessons, Subomi discovered the power of stories to teach resilience, empathy, and cultural pride. Today, she continues to weave narratives that both honor and reinvent African traditions, creating stories that resonate with audiences worldwide.

Subomi’s work spans across multiple formats: from live performances to written works, workshops, and cultural consulting. Her stories have touched the hearts of youth and elders alike, offering a powerful reminder that through storytelling, we can heal, connect, and transform.

Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesa Latifi

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https://www.amazon.com/Like-Follow-Subscribe-Influencer-Childhood/dp/1668080508

A searing investigation into the child influencer industry and the perils of childhood internet fame, Like, Follow, Subscribe is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the costs of internet fame, and the ethics of online content.

What is it like to grow up with a camera in your face 24/7? To have your childhood moments sold as “content” to millions online? What happens when someone who works in a largely unregulated multi-billion-dollar industry sells away their childhood and has no financial safety net as an adult? What does it feel like to have your private moments—your medical diagnoses, your first period, your first break up, your tantrums, potty-training, and breastfeeding-weaning—broadcast to an audience of millions? Like, Follow, Subscribe shines a spotlight on the deeply troubling world of the child influencer industry.

Journalist Fortesa Latifi dives into the lives of children whose parents mine their everyday activities for monetizable content, exposing issues like privacy violations, financial abuse, and the absence of child labor protections. Through expert interviews with psychologists, labor scientists, and even former child influencers and family vloggers, she uncovers the pressures, trauma, and consequences for children thrust into the spotlight.

This timely and eye-opening book doesn’t just reveal the harm of toxic social media culture: it also provides a roadmap to better regulating influencer families, safeguarding children, and questioning the role of audiences in perpetuating these cycles of exploitation.

S.R. Longshore’s Muse-Dream Mysteries by S.R. Longshore

https://www.amazon.com/S-R-Longshores-Muse-Dream-Mysteries-Longshore-ebook/dp/B0FWRZ42H9

This book contains three very different short novels of mystery and determination.

The first story is about a little boy who is set on discovering the secret of a door. He feels somewhat like an outcast but believes that once he makes the discovery, he will be famous and well liked. However, he has no idea how much the door is looking for him.

The second story is about a man who loves a woman so much that he gives up everything to be with her. Together they flee only to end up back where they began. This takes place in a kingdom not of this world.

The third one is about how people go on with their lives, consumed with their own agenda without realizing the consequences of their actions. Later only to find out that their consequences turn out to be more than what they could have ever imagined.

Plus there are two bonus reads.

The first one is about a young girl who feels disconnected and unfulfilled. Unaware, she has a peculiarity which in turns puts everything in perspective and is often her saving grace.

The second one is about a woman on vacation with her husband. They initially decide to visit a remote area after leaving his family’s home. But later, she is not sure if she has had a bad dream about the place or a severe warning.

Smarter Business Exits: Strategies and Toolkits for Corporate Divorce, Succession Planning and Joint Exits by William B. Bierce

https://www.amazon.com/Smarter-Business-Exits-Strategies-Succession/dp/1943386781

Looking to profitably exit your business?

In other words, are you a business owner with partners seeking to achieve smarter growth while designing an exit strategy and succession planning?

Smarter Business Exits helps you identify classic solutions to foreseeable scenarios, so you can plan, adapt, renew, transform and restructure for exit excellence at different stages of your business’s lifecycle.

WARNING: Reading this book and implementing its strategies could lead to a significant increase in your liquidity, net worth, happiness and ambition to restart new projects and relationships.

Start reading now to:

understand how to design your organization for a business exit lifecycle;

learn how corporate governance for owners can protect all parties;

discover how dispute resolution can be successfully achieved;

know what to do when corporate divorce litigation is foreseeable;

learn the tips to special succession planning for family businesses;

find exit strategies for startups and other multi-owner companies;

discover the five types of exit planning toolkits your business must have;

and gain even more than that!

Smarter Business Exits answers the following question:

How can I use governance tools to keep my fellow co-owners fulfilling their promises of service, loyalty, productivity and commitment during business exits?

Scroll up and grab your copy now to discover how your exit path can be planned and executed to minimize ongoing pain and optimize your opportunities for exiting (or restructuring) your business!

About the author

An award-winning international business and technology attorney, William B. Bierce assists companies, their owners, boards and investors throughout a company’s business lifecycles. As business lawyer, he advises on organizational design, business formation, capital raising, equity compensation, governance, risk management, crisis resolution, resiliency planning, compliance, roll-ups, corporate sales and divestitures. As a technology lawyer, he assists domestic and foreign clients on digital transformation, e-commerce, privacy, cybersecurity and strategic transactions.

Bill has extensive experience in domestic and cross-border transactions for leading global companies in investments, banking and finance, consumer products, managed business services, manufacturing, transportation and digital media. He concentrates on mid-market niche companies, specialty manufacturing, services industries, family businesses, international businesses and tech companies.