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Reaching Beyond Boundaries: A Navy SEAL's Guide to Achieving Everything You've Ever Imagined
by Don Mann Kraig BeckerFor the last decade, decorated Navy SEAL, accomplished athlete, and bestselling author Don Mann has been traveling across the country giving motivational talks and in the process inspiring hundreds with the secrets behind his awe-inspiring achievements. In Reaching beyond Boundaries, Mann brings his much sought-after wisdom to the page. As an elite Navy SEAL, Mann performed seemingly impossible tasks on a regular basis. Here he details the lessons he learned from his training and shows how the rest of us can apply those teachings to our daily lives in terms of learning to push beyond our internal boundaries and achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves, both professionally and personally. Reaching Beyond Boundaries teaches how to set and conquer both micro- and macro-goals through removing excuses, having the right mindset, and learning from successes and failures. Making your dreams a reality is possible. With Reaching Beyond Boundaries you can begin to realize your fullest potential today.
Talkin' Big: How an Iowa Farm Boy Beat the Odds to Found and Lead One of the World's Largest Brokerage Firms
by Dittmer TomIn Talkin’ Big, Tom Dittmer—former CEO of Refco, the United States’ first world-renowned futures firms—recalls how with hard work, determination, optimism, and some good old-fashioned luck, he was able to able to achieve his greatness. Growing up as a farm boy in small-town Iowa, Dittmer first made a name for himself as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. His industry and potential were quickly noticed, and Dittmer rapidly rose to become a White House aide under Lyndon B. Johnson. After an honorable discharge, Dittmer moved to Chicago with his new wife, Frannie, where he, from the Chicago Union Stockyards, first learned of the wealth of potential that that the Chicago Stock exchange held. In 1969, he got into the business world himself, forming the Ray E. Friedman & Co., —Refco—with this father. And from there, Dittmer’s fortunes only rose. Making millions, taking Refco to the international stage, and hobnobbing with celebrities, Dittmer became a legend in his own right, all while staying true to himself and his Midwest roots. Brimming with fascinating business insights and incredible inside stories, Talkin’ Big is a true rag-to-riches story of one of America’s greatest businessmen.
Reading behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian
by Jill GrunenwaldIn December 2008, twentysomething Jill Grunenwald graduated with her master’s degree in library science, ready to start living her dream of becoming a librarian. But the economy had a different idea. As the Great Recession reared its ugly head, jobs were scarce. After some searching, however, Jill was lucky enough to snag one of the few librarian gigs left in her home state of Ohio. The catch? The job was behind bars as the prison librarian at a men’s minimum-security prison. Talk about baptism by fire. As an untested twentysomething woman, to say that the job was out of Jill’s comfort zone was an understatement. She was forced to adapt on the spot, speedily learning to take the metal detectors, hulking security guards, and colorful inmates in stride. Over the course of a little less than two years, Jill came to see past the bleak surroundings and the orange jumpsuits and recognize the humanity of the men stuck behind bars. They were just like every other library patron—persons who simply wanted to read, to be educated and entertained through the written word. By helping these inmates, Jill simultaneously began to recognize the humanity in everyone and to discover inner strength that she never knew she had. At turns poignant and hilarious, Reading behind Bars is a perfect read for fans of Orange is the New Black and Shakespeare Saved My Life.
The Rainforest Survivors: Adventures Among Today's Stone Age Jungle Tribes
by Paul RaffaeleEven in our hyper-connected world, there are tribes scattered across the far reaches of the globe who still live much the same way that their ancestors did thousands of years ago. Having had minimal contact with the outside world, these peoples currently live in harmony and unison with the environment around them. But as technology grows and the human population expands, the way of life of these tribes becomes increasingly threatened with every passing day. In The Rainforest Survivors, veteran overseas reporter Paul Raffaele recounts his time spent with three unique jungle tribes—the peace-loving Congo Pygmies, New Guinea’s tree-dwelling Korowai cannibals, and the Amazon’s ferocious Korubo. Over months spent living in these three communities, Raffaele experienced firsthand wisdom and mysterious rites forged over many millennia. Resonating with high adventure and remarkable characters, The Rainforest Survivors details the daily lives of these relatively unknown peoples and provides key political and environmental context, showing how outside forces are closing in on them and threatening to change forever their ways of life. Enthralling and unforgettable, this compelling book is the important portrait of indigenous peoples living the way they have for centuries.
A View from a Tall Hill: Robert Ruark in Africa
by Terry Wielandafrica; hunting; short stories; sporting Robert Ruark was perhaps the most renowned safari writer of the twentieth century. As a respected columnist and author during his lifetime, his writings have influenced thousands of hunters to travel to Africa to see the places that Ruark immortalized in his writings. Despite his impact, Ruark only wrote for a period of fifteen years, but it was a time where he lived his life to its fullest potential. He travelled all across the world in order to see and do everything he could dream of, but it was in East Africa that he came to find a spiritual home. As the area became increasingly independent of colonial rule, Ruark predicted the economic, social, and political ruin that has since been the daily reality of the region. In this detailed account of Ruark&’s life, Terry Wieland has written a definitive book on Ruark, the restless traveler, and the times in which he lived, as well as his lifelong fascination with Africa.
Troll Nation: How The Right Became Trump-Worshipping Monsters Set On Rat-F*cking Liberals, America, and Truth Itself
by Amanda Marcotte“Amanda Marcotte drains the swamp and reveals a Republican Party hijacked by grifters and frauds.” ?David DaleyThe election of Donald Trump in 2016, like most of his campaign, came as a shock to many Americans. How could a man so lacking in capacity, so void of any intellectual heft, become the president of the United States? How did Trump, a man with no detectable personal qualities outside of resentment and the will to dominate, appeal to millions of Americans and win the highest office in the land? The American right has spent decades turning away from reasoned discourse toward a rhetoric of pure resentment—it’s this shift that laid the groundwork for Trump’s ascendency. In Troll Nation, journalist Amanda Marcotte outlines how Trump was the inevitable result of American conservatism’s degradation into an ideology of blind resentment. For years now, the purpose of right wing media, particularly Fox News, has not been to argue for traditional conservative ideals, such as small government or even family values, so much as to stoke bitterness and paranoia in its audience. Traditionalist white people have lost control over the culture, and they know it, and the only option they feel they have left is to rage at a broad swath of supposed enemies ? journalists, activists, feminists, city dwellers, college professors ? that they blame for stealing “their” country from them. Conservative pundits, politicians, and activists have abandoned any hope of winning the argument through reasoned discourse, and instead have adopted a series of bad faith claims, conspiracy theories, and culture war hysterics. Decades of these antics created a conservative voting base that was ready to elect a mindless bully like Donald Trump.
Thunder Without Rain: A Memoir with Dangerous Game, God's Cattle, The African Buffalo
by Thomas McIntyre&“When you hear thunder without rain–it is the buffalo approaching.&” This line from a Yoruba hunting poem conveys the magnificent power of the African buffalo, also called &“God&’s cattle.&” Hunter and writer Thomas McIntyre has pursued this special animal for the last forty years, and he now shares his expertise in Thunder Without Rain. McIntyre's topics are wide-ranging, from the various species of the African buffalo and their territories to the cultural importance of buffalo and its place among wild bovids. Other material he covers includes:African, European, and American methods for hunting buffaloHistorical explorers as buffalo huntersGreat buffalo hunters, including Theodore Roosevelt, Robert Ruark, Craig Boddington, and Robert JonesErnest Hemingway&’s writing on buffaloCorrect cartridges for hunting African buffaloAnd finally, what makes buffalo so dangerous—and so sought after?After exploring all topics related to the African buffalo, including hunts of his own, McIntyre ends with the fate of modern buffalo hunting, now often guided and for a high price, and the sustainability of this practice. In Thunder Without Rain, McIntyre confronts his obsession with African buffalo and brings the reader along for a fascinating journey.
Stone's Rules: How to Win at Politics, Business, and Style
by Tucker Carlson Roger StoneRules to live by from the master of political dark arts, as seen in the award-winning documentary Get Me Roger StoneAt long last, America’s most notorious political operative has released his operating manual!A freedom fighter to his admirers, a dirty trickster to his detractors, the flamboyant, outrageous, articulate, and extraordinarily well-dressed Roger Stone lays out Stone’s Rules—the maxims that have governed his legendary career as a campaign operative for four American presidents, from Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump.As a raconteur, pundit, prognosticator, and battle-scarred veteran of America’s political wars, Roger Stone shares his lessons on punking liberals and playing the media, gives an inside look at his push to legalize marijuana, details how much "linen" to show at the cuff of an impeccably-cut suit, lays out how and why LBJ orchestrated the murder of JFK, and reveals how to make the truly great marinara sauce that is the foundation of Stone’s legendary Sunday Gravy.Along the way, Stone dishes on the "cloak and dagger" nitty-gritty that has guided his own successes and occasional defeats, culminating in the election of the candidate he first pushed for the presidency in 1988, Donald J. Trump.First revealed in the Weekly Standard by Matt Labash and commemorated by CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin, the blunt, pointed, and real-world practical Stone’s Rules were immortalized in the Netflix smash hit documentary Get Me Roger Stone—part Machiavelli's The Prince, part Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, all brought together with a highly-entertaining blend of culinary and sartorial advice from the Jedi Master of political dark arts.From "Attack, attack, attack!" inspired by Winston Churchill, to "Three can keep a secret, if two are dead,” taken from the wall of mob boss Carlos Marcello’s headquarters, to Stone’s own “It is better to be infamous than to never have been famous at all,” Roger Stone shares with the world all that he’s learned from his decades of political jujitsu and life as a maven of high-style. From Stone’s Rules for campaign management to the how-to’s of an internet mobilization campaign to advice on custom tailoring to the ingredients for the perfect martini from Dick Nixon's (no-longer) secret recipe, Stone has fashioned the truest operating manual for anyone navigating the rough-and-tumble of business, finance, politics, social engagement, family affairs, and life itself.
Rebuilding Sergeant Peck: How I Put Body and Soul Back Together After Afghanistan
by John Peck Dava Guerin Terry Bivens"Marine Sgt. John Peck is a survivor, but he is also a thriver. His story still makes me smile. I am so grateful that he entered our lives.”—Jennifer Griffin, FOX News Marine Sgt. John Peck survived an IED during the War on Terror that left him with a traumatic brain injury, amnesia, and cost him his marriage. He survived another three years later, one that left him with three and a half limbs missing. He’s one of only two living people to survive the flesh-eating fungus he contracted in recovery at Walter Reed, one that left him as a quadruple amputee. And that’s only the beginning of his story. What followed was a recovery nothing short of miraculous. With resilience and the help of advocates like actor and philanthropist Gary Sinise, FOX’s Jennifer Griffin, and Bill O’Reilly, John would use a specialized “Action Trackchair” wheelchair and a newly-built SmartHome to get a third lease on life. In 2016, Peck underwent a groundbreaking bilateral arm transplant, receiving two new arms. To date, the surgery has been successful. Today, Peck is a motivational speaker, a philanthropist for veteran and wounded warrior causes, and is pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a chef with the help of Chef Robert Irvine. From the lessons learned in a difficult childhood and as a homeless teenager, to dealing with depression in recovery, to learning how to chop with another man’s arms, Rebuilding Sergeant Peck is Peck’s account of an honest, visceral, and inspirational story that is truly unique.
H. H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil
by Adam SelzerAmerica's first and most notorious serial killer and his diabolical killing spree during the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, now updated with a new afterword discussing Holmes' exhumation on American Ripper.H. H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil is the first truly comprehensive book examining the life and career of a murderer who has become one of America’s great supervillains. It reveals not only the true story but how the legend evolved, taking advantage of hundreds of primary sources that have never been examined before, including legal documents, letters, articles, and records that have been buried in archives for more than a century. Though Holmes has become just as famous now as he was in 1895, a deep analysis of contemporary materials makes very clear how much of the story as we know came from reporters who were nowhere near the action, a dangerously unqualified new police chief, and, not least, lies invented by Holmes himself. Selzer has unearthed tons of stunning new data about Holmes, weaving together turn-of-the-century America, the killer’s background, and the wild cast of characters who circulated in and about the famous “castle” building. This book will be the first truly accurate account of what really happened in Holmes’s castle of horror, and now includes an afterword detailing the author's participation in Holmes' exhumation on the TV series, American Ripper. Exhaustively researched and painstakingly brought to life, H. H. Holmes will be an invaluable companion to the upcoming Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio movie about Holmes’s murder spree based on Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City.
Becoming Boston Strong: One Woman's Race to Run and Conquer the World's Greatest Marathon
by Amy Noelle RoeNamed One of the "Best Nonfiction Books to Read in 2019" by Woman's Day It’s 2004 and twentysomething Amy Noelle Roe is living by herself in Portland, Oregon, with few friends, little money, and no job. It’s not her year. With lots of free time on her hands, she remembers watching the Boston Marathon years ago and, inspired by that memory, decides to join a marathon training group, hoping that running 26.2 miles will give her something show for an otherwise entirely unproductive time in her life. A few months later, she crosses the finish line but is far from a Boston qualifying-time. But Amy has caught the marathon bug, and is determined to qualify for Boston, even if it’s just as a squeaker, a runner who just manages a BQ time. Eleven marathons later, and Amy finally squeaks by, signing up for the 2011 Boston Marathon. She completes it, qualifying again for the following year, and then again for 2013, the fated year of the Boston Marathon Bombing. Due to an injury, Amy crosses the 2013 finish line in a little over four hours, minutes before the bombs goes off. Her world is forever changed as she is shaken to her core.Becoming Boston Strong is Amy’s journey of falling in love with the Boston Marathon and its community, for better or for worse. It chronicles the ups and downs of her training, delving into the mystical appeal of the greatest marathon in the world and how it attracts those who return to it year after year. Hilarious and heartfelt, Becoming Boston Strong is for every person who ever dreamed of belonging to something bigger than themselves.
The Wrong End of the Table: A Mostly Comic Memoir of a Muslim Arab American Woman Just Trying to Fit in
by Ayser SalmanAn Immigrant Love-Hate Story of What it Means to Be American You know that feeling of being at the wrong end of the table? Like you’re at a party but all the good stuff is happening out of earshot (#FOMO)? That’s life—especially for an immigrant. What happens when a shy, awkward Arab girl with a weird name and an unfortunate propensity toward facial hair is uprooted from her comfortable (albeit fascist-regimed) homeland of Iraq and thrust into the cold, alien town of Columbus, Ohio—with its Egg McMuffins, Barbie dolls, and kids playing doctor everywhere you turned? This is Ayser Salman’s story. First comes Emigration, then Naturalization, and finally Assimilation—trying to fit in among her blonde-haired, blue-eyed counterparts, and always feeling left out. On her journey to Americanhood, Ayser sees more naked butts at pre-kindergarten daycare that she would like, breaks one of her parents’ rules (“Thou shalt not participate as an actor in the school musical where a male cast member rests his head in thy lap”), and other things good Muslim Arab girls are not supposed to do. And, after the 9/11 attacks, she experiences the isolation of being a Muslim in her own country. It takes hours of therapy, fifty-five rounds of electrolysis, and some ill-advised romantic dalliances for Ayser to grow into a modern Arab American woman who embraces her cultural differences. Part memoir and part how-not-to guide, The Wrong End of the Table is everything you wanted to know about Arabs but were afraid to ask, with chapters such as “Tattoos and Other National Security Risks,” “You Can’t Blame Everything on Your Period; Sometimes You’re Going to Be a Crazy Bitch: and Other Advice from Mom,” and even an open letter to Trump. This is the story of every American outsider on a path to find themselves in a country of beautiful diversity.
Courage to Say No: A Pakistani Female Doctor's Battle Against Sexual Exploitation
by Raana MahmoodSexual harassment is in the news almost every day. Countless women have been intimidated into silence or their careers and lives have been ruined because they refused to submit to unwanted sexual advances. Yet, sexual harassment coupled with corruption is not singularly an American affliction. It’s an ancient disease, a truly universal tale. Dr. Raana Mahmood's story, Courage to Stay No, is a narrative of standing up against sexual corruption in her home country of Pakistan. It epitomizes the courage, audacity, and determination required to resist becoming a victim in a culture that places little value on divorced women. One that openly allows men to have a second, a third, and a fourth wife, all at a man’s pleasure. After escaping from her husband's physical, verbal, and emotional abuse with her young son in tow, Dr. Mahmood filed for divorce and took up residency as gynecologist at a nearby hospital. After facing years of harassment from her colleagues for being a working woman, and suffering a nervous breakdown because of the vitriol, Dr. Mahmood eventually received a grant of asylum from the United States, where she became an advocate for other women looking to escape domestic violence and an inspiration to those suffering in silence. In the vein of Reading Lolita in Tehran and Infidel, Courage to Say No is a remarkable and empowering story for our times.
Snakemaster: Wildlife Adventures with the World?s Most Dangerous Reptiles
by Austin StevensKnown as the original "Snakemaster” from his various television shows, Austin Stevens is one of the most famous herpetologists in the world. From his show Austin Stevens: Snakemaster on Animal Planet to his many appearances in the media, Stevens is known as an incredibly smart, yet incredibly insane animal lover.In Snakemaster, Austin Stevens tells incredible stories of his many run-ins with dangerous animals and reptiles. From wrestling with a reticulated python to panicking after being bitten by the infamous Gaboon viper, Stevens brings you into his world of wildlife and tells the story of how a boy from Pretoria, South Africa, became one of the most widely known herpetologists in the world.With incredible photographs taken by Stevens himself, you’ll be able to place yourself in his world-from the deserts of Africa to the jungles of Borneo. Sharing incredible stories of his love of animals and nature, this one-of-a-kind collection of stories will make you laugh, cry, and shiver with fear!
I Just Haven't Met You Yet: Finding Empowerment in Dating, Love, and Life
by Tracy StraussA Modern-Day Bridget Jones’s Diary Meets Eat, Pray, Love, One of Bustle’s “Writers to Watch” Offers Advice, Life Lessons, and Lots of HeartI Just Haven’t Met You Yet details Tracy Strauss’s dating history and her journey to dismantle the effects and stigmas of an abusive past, break free of destructive relationship patterns, and ultimately conquer her fear of truly being seen by the world, flaws and all. The author shares the transformative lessons she learned and self-empowerment she achieved while passing each hurdle along the way to finding the love of her life. Tracy Strauss helps readers empower themselves by taking a challenging look at the ways the negative events of their lives, including sexual harassment and abuse, have shaped their self-perception and created obstacles to personal success, and how readers can change that troubled self-image along with their (love) lives. I Just Haven’t Met You Yet is a modern-day journey of the heart. It is a story about taking big risks, changing old habits and beliefs about dating, and speaking back to the naysayers, especially that internal critic, the inner love saboteur. It is a prime mover and the only epistolary memoir cum dating/relationship essay book of its kind.
Churchill: Wanted Dead or Alive
by Celia SandysThe Extraordinary Story of a Young Winston Churchill in the Boer War, as Told by His Granddaughter In this lively biography of a dashing, brash twenty-five-year-old Churchill, Celia Sandys chronicles her celebrated grandfather’s adventures as a correspondent and combatant during nine months of the Anglo-Boer War—events that took him from the bivouacs and battle sites of Transvaal to his incarceration as a prisoner of war in Pretoria and ultimately to a bold escape across the border into Mozambique. Using both British and South African sources of testimony, which reveal the dauntless Winston alternately as a courageous ally or foolhardy foe, Sandys recounts the exploits of a Churchill that history has largely forgotten. With historical authority, narrative vigor, and singular charm, she offers both a fully drawn portrait of the ready adventurer who would become England’s legendary prime minister and an illuminating account of the turbulent events that defined South Africa for modern times.
Speaking for Israel: A Speechwriter Battles Anti-Israel Opinions at the United Nations
by Aviva KlompasThe exclusive—and explosive—account of the politics of one of the most controversial nations in the world. According to Aviva Klompas, representing Israel at the United Nations is like volunteering to sell Red Sox paraphernalia outside Yankee Stadium. During her time as the director of speechwriting for Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Klompas crafted highly acclaimed speeches that advanced Israel’s policies and informed public opinion. In Speaking for Israel, Klompas gives readers a glance behind the curtain of international politics and all the drama, intrigue, and conflict that simmer under the surface. During her tenure as Israel’s UN speechwriter, Klompas saw the collapse of four Middle Eastern states, faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, waves of Palestinian terrorism, stop-and-go nuclear negotiations (culminating in the Iran Deal), an attempt to push Palestinian statehood through the UN Security Council, the Palestinians’ bid to join the International Criminal Court, the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers, and fifty days of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Constantly in the thick of things, Klompas’s experience with the Israeli UN delegation is full to bursting with juicy insider stories and a day-to-day look at what it’s like in the top diplomatic echelon. With humor and bite, Speaking for Israel tells her story, one that is both universal and uniquely singular.
All That Glitters: Anna Wintour, Tina Brown, and the Rivalry Inside America's Richest Media Empire
by Thomas MaierFrom the Bestselling Author and Television Producer of Masters of Sex, a True Story ofthe Intrigue and Infighting of Condé Nast, Anna Wintour, S. I. Newhouse Jr., and Tina Brown, and Optioned by Sony Television Productions Inside the Condé Nast magazine world run by billionaire S. I. Newhouse Jr., Anna Wintour and Tina Brown were bold and talented British women who fought their way to the top of this male-dominated American industry driven by greed and betrayal. Wintour became an icon of fashion and New York’s high society, while Brown helped define the intersection of literary culture and Hollywood celebrity. They jockeyed for power in the hypercompetitive “off with their heads” atmosphere set up by Newhouse and his longtime creative guru Alex Liberman, two men who for years controlled the glossy Condé Nast magazines that dictated how women should look, dress, and feel. In turning this world upside down, Wintour and Brown challenged the old rules and made Newhouse’s company internationally famous. Ultimately, one of them won in their fascinating struggle for fame and fortune during the height of New York’s gilded age of print—a time before the internet, before 9/11, when the Reagans ruled the White House and Donald Trump was a mere local developer featured on the cover of Newhouse’s publications. This book traces the careers of Wintour and Brown and shows how they and the Condé Nast media empire were major media enablers in the rise of Donald Trump and Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. At its heart, All That Glitters is a parable about the changes in America’s media, where corruption and easy compromises are sprinkled with glitter, power, and glory. Originally titled Newhouse, this revised and updated edition, with a new introduction and afterword, won the 1994 Frank Luther Mott Award for best researched media book of the year.
Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul
by Mark BegoA frank examination of Aretha Franklin, Mark Bego's definitive biography traces her career accomplishments from her beginnings as a twelve-year-old member of a church choir in the early 1950s, to recording her first album at the age of fourteen and signing a major recording contract at eighteen, right up through untimely passing in 2018. Originally positioned to become a gospel star in her father's Detroit church, Aretha had a privileged urban upbringing; ;stars such as Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, and Sam Cooke regularly visited her father, Rev. C. L. Franklin. It wasn't long before she was creating a string of hits, from "Respect" to "Freeway of Love"; and becoming one of the most beloved singers of the twentieth century. This New York Times bestselling author's detailed research includes in-person interviews with record producers Jerry Wexler, Clyde Otis, and Clive Davis, Aretha's first husband, several of her singing star contemporaries, and a rare one-on-one session with Aretha herself. Every album, every accolade, and every heart-breaking personal drama is examined with clarity and neutrality, allowing Franklin's colorful story to unfold on its own. With two teenage pregnancies and an abusive first marriage, drinking problems, battles with her weight, the murder of her father, and tabloid wars, Aretha's life was a roller coaster. This freshly updated and expanded biography will give readers a clear understanding of what made Aretha Franklin the "Queen of Soul."
We Adopted Five Special-Needs Foster Kids: The Inspiring True Story of How an Absolutely Crazy Idea Led to One Very Big, Happy Family
by Ann EllsworthA powerful memoir about the joys and pains of making a family.In 2008, Ann and Dan made the life-altering decision to start a family. In their mid-forties and inspired by various stories that they had heard, the couple decided to adopt special needs children through foster care. Not wanting to separate siblings, Ann and Dan&’s family eventually grows to seven, first with the adoption of Jimmy and Ruby, and then Jason, Susie, and Anthony. But, the transition was not without its challenges. The children, aged five to ten years old, had been neglected, abused, and diagnosed with behavioral, cognitive, medical, and psychiatric conditions, none of which could be treated medically. Their first months in their new home were intense, overwhelming, and on occasion, violent. With numerous outbursts and incidents, Ann and Dan&’s patience and resolve were constantly tested. But slowly, when surrounded with stability, warmth, compassion, and love, the children settled in and became a family. Poignant and heartfelt, We Adopted Five Special-Needs Foster Kids is for any reader who has ever been part of a family.
Operation White Rabbit: LSD, the DEA, and the Fate of the Acid King
by Dennis McDougalA search for the truth behind the DEA&’s life imprisonment of acid's most famous martyr. Operation White Rabbit traces the rise and fall—and rise and fall again—of the psychedelic community through the life of the man known as the &“Acid King:&” William Leonard Pickard. Pickard was a legitimate genius, a follower of Timothy Leary, a con artist, a womanizer, and a believer that LSD would save lives. He was a foreign diplomat, a Harvard fellow, and the biggest producer of LSD on the planet—if you believe the DEA. A narrative for fans of Michael Pollan&’s How to Change Your Mind, Pickard&’s personal story is set against a fascinating chronicle of the social history of psychedelic drugs from the 1950s on. From LSD distribution at UC Berkeley to travelling the world for the State Department, Pickard&’s story is one of remarkable genius—that is, until a DEA sting named &“Operation White Rabbit&” captured him at an abandoned missile silo in Kansas. Pickard, the DEA said, was responsible for 90 percent of the world&’s production of lysergic acid. The DEA announced to the public that they found 91 pounds of LSD. In reality, the haul was seven ounces. They found none of the millions of dollars Pickard supposedly amassed, either. But nonetheless, he is now serving two consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole. Pickard has become acid&’s best-known martyr in the process, continuing his advocacy and artistic pursuits from jail. Pickard has successfully sued the US government because his requests for information on his case returned two blank DEA documents. But the appeals of his sentence have continually failed. The author visits him regularly in jail in an effort to find the truth.
Life After Deaf: My Misadventures in Hearing Loss and Recovery
by Noel HolstonFrom a renowned media critic to a man with sudden and full hearing loss, Noel Holston ran the gauntlet of diagnoses, health insurance, and cochlear implant surgery. On a spring night in 2010, Noel Holston, a journalist, songwriter, and storyteller, went to bed with reasonably intact hearing. By dawn, it was gone, thus beginning a long process of hearing-restoration that included misdiagnoses, an obstinate health-insurance bureaucracy, failed cochlear-implant surgery, and a second surgery that finally worked. He negotiated the gauntlet with a wry sense of humor and the aid of his supportive wife, Marty. Life After Deaf details his experience with warmth, understanding, and candor. It&’s the story not only of his way back to the world of the hearing, but of a great marriage that weathered serious testing. Their determination and resilience serve as a source of inspiration for all.Life After Deaf is not just for the more than forty million people in the United States alone who cope with some form of hearing loss, but is also for their wide circles of friends, family, caregivers, and audiologists. This highly readable book will be an invaluable guide and source of hope for the large number of baby boomers now handling hearing loss.
Tomcat Rio: A Topgun Instructor on the F-14 Tomcat and the Heroic Naval Aviators Who Flew It
by Dave BaranekFrom Topgun to Squadron Command You&’re in the cockpit of the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter, blazing along at twice the speed of sound seven miles above the ocean and the carrier that hurled you off its deck. You&’re practicing dogfighting with &“aggressors,&” guys on your side flying F-16s. You&’re patrolling the tense skies above Iraq, and with the push of a button you can launch the 100-mile Phoenix missile that can blow a foe to scrap before you even see him. You are an expert in fighter tactics and aircraft carrier operations, and it all leads to your command of an F-14 fighter squadron of more than three hundred people. Sounds like a week&’s worth of daydreams, but it&’s all real-life in the career of Dave &“Bio&” Baranek, and he shares it with you in the exciting, superbly crafted new book, Tomcat Rio. Dave – callsign &“Bio&” – pulled his readers into the exciting world of the F-14 and the Navy&’s TOPGUN program with his popular books Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days. Now he&’s back with the rest of the story, as he reaches the top level of expertise and proves it, not just in graded competitions but also where it counts, where you shoot at them and they shoot at you. Dave also shares the challenges he faced. A deadly foe called complacency. Learning a whole new mission late in his career. The unexpected trials that come with leading a squadron in the dynamic environment of Naval Aviation. This third volume is full of adventures, lessons, and inspiration. If you are a casual reader, you&’ll turn the last page as a dedicated Tomcat fan. To make it all even more real, Tomcat Rio includes dozens of Bio&’s best and most acclaimed photos. Photographer George Hall hailed one shot as &“one of the best Tomcat photos ever taken.&” In words and pictures, Bio immerses you in rich detail. He pipes you aboard as a member of an F-14 squadron. You share the camaraderie of Type A personalities. You plan risky missions, going toe-to-toe against America&’s most volatile foes. You can almost smell the pungent jet exhaust, almost feel the gut-wrenching G&’s of a dogfight, as Tomcat Rio pitches you into the thick of it as only Bio can tell it. Strap in! You&’re going for one fantastic ride.
The Great Escaper: The Life and Death of Roger Bushell
by Simon PearsonA Sunday Times bestseller, the real story behind the mastermind of the most famous breakout in history—The Great Escape. While the most famous images from the 1963 film The Great Escape include either a motorcycle or a ball—but definitely Steve McQueen—Richard Attenborough played the part of &“Big X,&” the British mastermind behind the greatest escape in history. Like the subject of the film, &“Big X&” was a real person. Roger Bushell was the mastermind of the mass breakout from Stalag Luft III in March 1944. Very little was known about Bushell until 2011, when his family donated his private papers to the Imperial War Museum. Through exclusive access to this material, as well as new research from other sources, Simon Pearson has written the first biography of this iconic figure. Born in South Africa in 1910, Roger Bushell was the son of a British mining engineer. On May 23, 1940, his Spitfire was shot down during a dogfight over Boulogne after destroying two German fighters. Over the next four years he made three escapes, coming within one hundred yards of the Swiss border during his first attempt. His third (and last escape) destabilized the Nazi leadership and captured the imagination of the world, forever immortalized by Hollywood. Simon Pearson's revealing biography is a vivid account of war and love, triumph and tragedy—and one man's attempt to challenge remorseless tyranny in the face of impossible odds.
The Myth of Russian Collusion: The Inside Story of How Donald Trump REALLY Won
by Roger StoneFor the first time in paperback, New York Times best-selling author Roger Stone’s insider tell-all about the presidential campaign that shocked the world. This consummate political strategist continues to be front page news and has updated the book to respond to Robert Mueller’s charges.Two years ago, Roger Stone, a New York Times bestselling author, longtime political adviser and friend to Donald Trump, and consummate Republican strategist, gave us Making of the President 2016—the first in-depth examination of how Trump’s campaign delivered the biggest presidential election upset in history. But since then, the Deep State political establishment has worked tirelessly to undo those results. The Myth of Russian Collusion adds to and updates Stone’s initial work to set the record straight. Trump’s election win was a resounding repudiation of the failed leadership of both parties. The American people wanted something new, and President Trump has delivered: his tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks have given us the strongest economy in American history, he is relentless in his efforts to protect American citizens, and he refuses to do business as usual. But America’s ruling elite and liberal media, feeling threatened, have conspired to create the biggest witch hunt in our country’s history. The phony narrative that Trump was in cahoots with Vladimir Putin, Mueller’s charges that Roger Stone knew about the Wikileaks emails before release—all is debunked here. With a new introduction that responds to the Mueller investigation, The Myth of Russian Collusion is the true story of the Trump campaign that the establishment doesn’t want you to believe.