Jon Roberts – författare

‘The best crime book since Wiseguy’ – Rich CohenA real-life Scarface, Jon was born into the Gambino Mafia family and witnessed his first murder aged seven. He joined a US Army assassination squad in Vietnam to escape a teen criminal charge, then fled New York to reinvent himself in Miami as the number one supplier of cocaine in the US. With a crazed bodyguard always at his side, and a fortress protected by mortars, tear-gas cannons, and a gold-fanged attack dog, Roberts was brutally effective at what he did. With a cast that includes everyone from Jimi Hendrix and OJ Simpson to the CIA and General Noriega, American Desperado is a hedonistic, adrenaline-soaked joyride through the world of Escobar and the cartels, told by one of most successful criminals of all time.

'Language Teacher Education' is an introduction to language teacher training and development for teachers and providers in pre-service and in-service programmes. The text outlines the main theories of human learning and applies them to teacher education. Based on a broadly social constructivist perspective, it suggests a framework for planning pre-service and in-service programmes, and is illustrated both with case studies from a range of training situations around the world and appendices containing teacher education materials.Language Teacher Education is intended to inform readers' practical decisions and to help them build their own theories of teacher learning.

American Desperado is possibly the most jaw-dropping, event-filled, adrenaline-soaked criminal autobiography ever written. Like a real-life Scarface Jon was born into the upper levels of the Gambino crime family and witnessed his first murder at age seven. He became a one-man juvenile crime wave before joining an assassination squad in Vietnam. He returned to New York at age 20 to become one of the city's top nightclub promoters, then journeyed to Miami where he became the de facto transportation chief of the Medellin Cartel, and along with a tech-wizard partner, created some of the most sophisticated smuggling technologies ever. With a hulking 6'6" bodyguard always at his side, and a rural fortress protected by mortars, tear-gas cannons, and a gold-fanged attack dog, Roberts was brutally effective at what he did. To law enforcement, he was known as the "Bearded Gringo," a spectre they could never touch. To United States senators and CIA officials, he was "the guy who can get things done". He eventually formed a clandestine alliance with the US government and in the end found personal late-life redemption.

The city of Austin consistently leads lists of fastest-growing and most-desirable places to live—a simultaneous source of pride and anxiety for residents. In The Cost of Cool: Austin's Tech Growth and the People Left Behind, author Jon Roberts and his contributors investigate Austin's evolving identity and tackle a question posed repeatedly by community and business leaders nationally: How did Austin, Texas, become a global tech leader? More broadly, this book focuses on economic development and policy dilemmas faced by growing cities while maintaining both social equity and the elusive qualities of "place" that attract creative and innovative talent.Echoing themes raised by other urbanist scholars, Roberts and his collaborators do not shy away from the sometimes-unsavory aspects of tax incentives, environmental issues, cultural loss, and economic exclusion. While tackling the problems raised by unbridled growth, they also address concerns of younger workers who are increasingly prioritizing "place" over "job."Finally, and perhaps most importantly, The Cost of Cool emphasizes the centrality of vision: for growth (as Austin's population doubles every twenty years); for openness (often driven by the influence of the South by Southwest conference and Austin's music scene); and for the future of the tech industry (including the implications of forty years of commitment to semiconductors, software, and social media). The Cost of Cool informs the ongoing debate over how to foster economic growth without degrading the quality-of-life characteristics that help make it possible.

Kya and Martha are best friends. Both are on the autistic spectrum but express themselves in different ways. In school, Kya is quiet while Martha is very talkative and asks lots of questions. When it's bedtime, Kya wants to stay awake while Martha is ready for bed once she gets tired. A Welsh adaptation of Through the Eyes of Us.

In this gently-told but immensely informative new picture book Jon Roberts tells the stories of a number of children with a variety of disabilities inspired by the real-life experiences of his autistic daughter, Kya, and some of her friends.

Accompanied by Myles, her assistance dog, Lily sets off from Granny's house to explore. First she walks through the garden, then she visits the seashore. But when she comes to the big cave at the end of the beach her acute hearing means she is scared of the loud noise when she drops her torch. And what's that creature she can hear coming towards her? AGES: 5 to 7 AUTHOR: Jon Roberts is the author of three previous titles from Graffeg, Through the Eyes of Me, See What I Can Do! and Through the Eyes of Us, two picture books illustrated by Hannah Rounding which are based on the life experiences of his autistic daughter, Kya, and introducing children to the condition and the nuances of Kya's character. Hannah Rounding is a freelance artist and illustrator based in Cardigan, West Wales. Hannah uses art as a tool to improve personal and community wellbeing, with experience working in the UK charity sector and over 10 years working within International Development, while her freelance work combines a wide variety of community arts projects alongside commissioned illustration work. Her work with Graffeg includes illustrations for the picture books Through the Eyes of Me and Through the Eyes of Us, the previous two titles by Jon Roberts, and What Can You See? by Jason Korsner.

Mae Through the Eyes of Me yn llyfr llun a stori wedi ei ddarlunio'n hardd sy'n cynnig mewnwelediad i fywyd plentyn awtistig. Cawn gyfarfod a Kya sy'n bedair oed, ac sy'n hoffi rhedeg, darllen a rhwygo sticeri. Trwy gyfrwng y gyfrol, caiff plant ddysgu pam fod Kya yn gwneud rhai pethau, pam nad yw'n hoffi rhai pethau a pham ei bod yn caru pethau eraill.