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The Ballad of Black Hawk and Billy the Kid: A Lost Story from the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
by Michael ScottNicholas Flamel appeared in J. K. Rowling&’s Harry Potter series—but did you know he really lived? And he might still be alive today! Discover the truth behind Michael Scott&’s New York Times bestselling series the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel with &“The Ballad of Black Hawk and Billy the Kid,&” an ebook original short story. Billy the Kid is immortal. And his long life has led him down many strange and winding paths—one of which will bring him face to face with another legendary warrior, Black Hawk, for the first time. Now, that lost story is told. . . . An immortal Anasazi sorceress is on the loose, and it&’s up to Black Hawk and Billy the Kid to stop her from wreaking havoc on the Americas. The woman has already destroyed her own tribe. She&’s determined to wipe out Black Hawk&’s people, too. But first, she&’ll have to defeat him, and that&’s proving more difficult than the sorceress could have ever imagined. &“Fans of adventure fantasies like Rick Riordan&’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series will eat this one up.&” —VOYA Read the whole series! The Alchemyst The Magician The Sorceress The Necromancer The Warlock The Enchantress
The Ballad of Black Tom
by Victor LavalleOne of NPR's Best Books of 2016, winner of the Shirley Jackson Award, the British Fantasy Award, the This is Horror Award for Novella of the Year, and a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Bram Stoker Awards<p><p> People move to New York looking for magic and nothing will convince them it isn't there.<p> Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father's head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their cops. But when he delivers an occult tome to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens, Tom opens a door to a deeper realm of magic, and earns the attention of things best left sleeping.<p> A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break?<p> "LaValle's novella of sorcery and skullduggery in Jazz Age New York is a magnificent example of what weird fiction can and should do." -- Laird Barron, author of The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All "[LaValle] reinvents outmoded literary conventions, particularly the ghettos of genre and ethnicity that long divided serious literature from popular fiction."-- Praise for The Devil in Silver from Elizabeth Hand, author of Radiant Days<p> “LaValle cleverly subverts Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos by imbuing a black man with the power to summon the Old Ones, and creates genuine chills with his evocation of the monstrous Sleeping King, an echo of Lovecraft’s Dagon… [The Ballad of Black Tom] has a satisfying slingshot ending.” – Elizabeth Hand for Fantasy & ScienceFiction
The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist
by Deirdre O'ConnellThe true story of a black musical savant in the era of slavery. Born into slavery in Georgia, Tom Wiggins died an international celebrity in New York in 1908. His life was one of the most bizarre and moving episodes in American history. Born blind and autistic-and so unable to work with other slaves-Tom was left to his own devices. He was mesmerized by the music of the family's young daughters, and by the time he was four Tom was playing tunes on the piano. Eventually freed from slavery, Wiggins, or "Blind Tom" as he was called, toured the country and the world playing for celebrities like Mark Twain and the Queen of England and dazzling audiences everywhere. One part genius and one part novelty act, Blind Tom embodied contradictions-a star and a freak, freed from slavery but still the property of his white guardian. His life offers a window into the culture of celebrity and racism at the turn of the twentieth century. In this rollicking and heartrending book, O'Connell takes us through the life (and three separate deaths) of Blind Tom Wiggins, restoring to the modern reader this unusual yet quintessentially American life.
The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist
by Deirdre O'ConnellThe true story of a black musical savant in the era of slavery. Born into slavery in Georgia, Tom Wiggins died an international celebrity in New York in 1908. His life was one of the most bizarre and moving episodes in American history. Born blind and autistic-and so unable to work with other slaves-Tom was left to his own devices. He was mesmerized by the music of the family's young daughters, and by the time he was four Tom was playing tunes on the piano. Eventually freed from slavery, Wiggins, or "Blind Tom" as he was called, toured the country and the world playing for celebrities like Mark Twain and the Queen of England and dazzling audiences everywhere. One part genius and one part novelty act, Blind Tom embodied contradictions-a star and a freak, freed from slavery but still the property of his white guardian. His life offers a window into the culture of celebrity and racism at the turn of the twentieth century. In this rollicking and heartrending book, O'Connell takes us through the life (and three separate deaths) of Blind Tom Wiggins, restoring to the modern reader this unusual yet quintessentially American life.
The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist
by Deirdre O'Connell<P>The true story of a black musical savant in the era of slavery. <P>Born into slavery in Georgia, Tom Wiggins died an international celebrity in New York in 1908. His life was one of the most bizarre and moving episodes in American history. Born blind and autistic-and so unable to work with other slaves-Tom was left to his own devices. He was mesmerized by the music of the family's young daughters, and by the time he was four Tom was playing tunes on the piano. <P>Eventually freed from slavery, Wiggins, or "Blind Tom" as he was called, toured the country and the world playing for celebrities like Mark Twain and the Queen of England and dazzling audiences everywhere. One part genius and one part novelty act, Blind Tom embodied contradictions-a star and a freak, freed from slavery but still the property of his white guardian. His life offers a window into the culture of celebrity and racism at the turn of the twentieth century. <P>In this rollicking and heartrending book, O'Connell takes us through the life (and three separate deaths) of Blind Tom Wiggins, restoring to the modern reader this unusual yet quintessentially American life.
The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist: America's Lost Musical Genius
by Deirdre O'ConnellThis biography of a musical genius who went from slavery to international stardom is a “vivid, carefully researched narrative reflects the tenor of the” (Publishers Weekly). Born into slavery in Georgia, Tom Wiggins died an international celebrity in New York in 1908. His life was one of the most bizarre and moving episodes in American history. Born blind and autistic—and therefore unable to work with other slaves—Tom was left to his own devices. He was mesmerized by the music of the family’s young daughters, and by the time he was four, Tom was playing tunes on the piano. Eventually freed from slavery, “Blind Tom” toured the country and the world, dazzling audiences that included celebrities like Mark Twain and the Queen of England. Considered both a genius and a novelty act, Blind Tom embodied contradictions—a star and a freak, freed from slavery yet still under the control of his white guardian. His life offers a window into the culture of celebrity and racism at the turn of the twentieth century. In this rollicking and heartrending book, O’Connell takes us through the life (and three separate deaths) of Blind Tom Wiggins, restoring to the modern reader this unusual yet quintessentially American life.
The Ballad of Bob Dylan: A Portrait
by Daniel Mark EpsteinThrough the lens of four seminal concerts,acclaimed poet and biographer DanielMark Epstein offers an intimate, nuancedlook at Bob Dylan: a vivid, full-bodiedportrait of one of the most influential artistsof the twentieth century, from his birth tothe Never Ending Tour.Beginning with 1963’s Lisner Auditoriumconcert in Washington, D.C., Epstein revisitsDylan’s astonishing rise as the darling ofthe folk revival, focusing on the people andbooks that shaped him, and his struggle tofind artistic direction on the road in the1960s. Madison Square Garden, 1974, shedslight on Dylan’s transition from folk iconto rock star, his family life in seclusion,his subsequent divorce, and his highly anticipatedreturn to touring. Tanglewood,1997, reveals how Dylan revived his flaggingcareer in the late 1990s—largelyunder the influence of Jerry Garcia—discoveringnew ways of singing and connectingwith his audience, and assembling the greatbands for his Never Ending Tour. In abreathtaking account of the Time Out of Mindsessions, Epstein provides the most completepicture yet of Dylan’s contemporary workin the studio, his acceptance of his laurels,and his role as the éminence grise ofrock and roll today. Aberdeen, 2009, bringsus full circle, detailing the making of Dylan’striumphant albums of the 2000s, as well ashis long-running radio show.Drawing on anecdotes and insights fromnew interviews with those closest to theman—including Maria Muldaur, Happy Traum,D. A. Pennebaker, Nora Guthrie, Ramblin’ JackElliott, and Dylan’s sidemen throughout the years—The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a singulartake on an artist who has transformed generationsand, as he enters his eighth decade,continues to inspire and surprise today.
The Ballad of Danny Wolfe: Life of a Modern Outlaw
by Joe FriesenThe harrowing story of the life and death of the man who founded and ran the first and largest Aboriginal street gang. In 2008, Danny Wolfe, a Winnipeg Aboriginal man, was 31-years-old and awaiting trial on two counts of first-degree murder in at the Regina Correctional Centre. In spite of his young age, it wasn't his first time behind bars -- in fact, Danny had found himself in and out of correctional facilities since his teenage years, sometimes even finding his own way out. Now, fifteen years after his last break out of prison, in an adult facility only a few cells down from his younger brother, Preston, Danny was orchestrating a bold move: a bigger escape from a jail where the notion was inconceivable. Tracing the early years of Daniel Wolfe's life, from his birth in Regina to his mother Susan Creeley, a First Nations woman; to his first brush with the law at the age of four and then his subsequent placement in foster care; to the birth of the Indian Posse -- the Aboriginal street gang in Canada that would eventually claim the title of the largest street gang with over 12,000 members and Danny at the helm; to Danny's death in 2010, Joe Friesen's account of this fascinating character is gripping and provocative.From the Hardcover edition.
The Ballad of Darcy and Russell
by Morgan MatsonFrom New York Times bestselling author Morgan Matson comes a sweeping romantic novel about love, fate…and that one night that can change everything.Darcy believes in love at first sight. Even though it&’s never happened to her, she&’s spent her whole life waiting for that perfect, magical moment. But right now, her life is anything but perfect. In the aftermath of a music festival, she&’s stranded at a bus station until morning—the day before she leaves for college. Her phone is dead, she has no cash, and she&’s convinced nothing good can come of this night…but then she meets Russell. Russell. Cute and nice, funny, and kind. She knows this is the moment—and the guy—she&’s been waiting for. And they have until sunrise to walk and talk and connect. Over the course of this one fateful night—filled with football field picnics, night swimming, and escape-artist dogs—Darcy and Russell&’s lives will change forever. They&’ll discover things they never imagined about each other…and about themselves. But can you really know someone after only a handful of hours? Is it possible to fall in love in just one day? And is it worth saying hello…when you know you&’re destined for a goodbye?
The Ballad of Dinah Caldwell
by Kate BrauningNothing is more dangerous than a girl with nothing left to lose. <p><p> Dinah Caldwell has been filling her father’s role since he abandoned their family four years ago. She and her grief-stricken mom run their subsistence farm deep in the Ozarks, making sure her younger brother never has to worry. Until the day Gabriel Gates, who owns everyone in Charlotte County, kills her mother to steal her family’s well. <p><p> Homeless, heartbroken, and alone, Dinah only has a single razor-sharp goal: revenge. And now that Gates has put a ten-thousand-dollar bounty on her head, she can’t trust anyone, but she also can’t take down the most powerful man in the mountains by herself. <p><p> Her only allies are Kara, Dinah’s best friend and secret crush, and Johnny, a young bootlegger who has as much reason to hate Gates as Dinah does. With their help and resources, and maybe even love, she can spark a revolution and set the whole county free―if their combined secrets don’t get them all killed first.
The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth: A Life
by Frances WilsonDescribed by the writer and opium addict Thomas De Quincey as "the very wildest . . . person I have ever known," DorothyWordsworth was neither the self-effacing spinster nor the sacrificial saint of common telling. A brilliant stylist in her own right, Dorothy was at the center of the Romantic movement of the early nineteenth century. She was her brother William Wordsworth's inspiration, aide, and most valued reader, and a friend to Coleridge; both borrowed from her observations of the world for their own poems.William wrote of her, "She gave me eyes, she gave me ears."In order to remain at her brother's side, Dorothy sacrificed both marriage and comfort, jealously guarding their close-knit domesticity—one marked by a startling freedom from social convention. In the famed Grasmere Journals, Dorothy kept a record of this idyllic life together. The tale that unfolds through her brief, electric entries reveals an intense bond between brother and sister, culminating in Dorothy's dramatic collapse on the day of William's wedding to their childhood friend Mary Hutchinson. Dorothy lived out the rest of her years with her brother and Mary. The woman who strode the hills in all hours and all weathers would eventually retreat into the house for the last three decades of her life.In this succinct, arresting biography, Frances Wilson reveals Dorothy in all her complexity. From the coiled tension of Dorothy's journals, she unleashes the rich emotional life of a woman determined to live on her own terms, and honors her impact on the key figures of Romanticism.
The Ballad of Emma O'Toole
by Elizabeth LaneWhen a game of cards turns deadly, a gambler is sentenced to life in wedlock in this Western historical romance.Utah Territory, 1886. Logan Devereaux is a gambler, not a killer. But after shooting a man for cheating at cards, the stakes have never been higher. On trial for his life, he’s offered a shocking alternate form of restitution . . . marriage to his victim’s pregnant sweetheart!Beautiful Emma O’Toole has sworn vengeance against him—and when a newspaper man puts her tragic story to song, the whole nation waits to see what she’ll do. Their marriage is the riskiest gamble Logan’s ever taken. But he’ll put everything he’s got on the line for a chance at winning Emma’s heart.
The Ballad Of Frankie Silver
by Sharyn MccrumbIn 1833 Frankie Silver became the first woman in North Carolina to be hanged for murder. But what really happened so long ago becomes an obsession for Sheriff Spencer Arrowood.
The Ballad of Gregoire Darcy: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continues (The Pride & Prejudice Continues)
by Marsha AltmanRevisits the Beloved Characters of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in Marsha Altman's fourth novelWHIRLWIND OF PEMBERLEYThe comings and goings on their grand estate present endless challenges for Elizabeth and Darcy. Can they avoid scandal given the recent arrival of Mr. Darcy's illegitimate brother Grégoire, Mr. Bennet's advancing years, the younger George Wickham's coming of age, and Dr. Maddox's departure from his position with the Prince Regent even as his many secrets threaten to be discovered?COURTSHIP OF MARY BENNETAfter her disastrous trip to the continent resulted in a passionate romance and an unintended child, Mary Bennet finds herself back in England, living with the shameful title of unwed mother. Having given up on ever finding love, Mary is shocked to find herself pursued by a proper gentleman. But are his intentions true, or is Mary being led astray by her heart once again?TORMENT OF GRÉGOIRE DARCYLeaving his sheltered, peaceful life at a Benedictine cloister, Grégoire enters a world he never imagined. Thrust into Regency England's secular society, Grégoire is overwhelmed. How can an inexperienced, single man stay true to himself while finding his place in a culture obsessed with matrimony?
The Ballad of Hattie Taylor
by Susan AndersenA daring young woman pushes back against societal constraints in a feminist, coming-of-age Western romance from New York Times bestselling author Susan Andersen. In the small, bustling town of Mattawa, Oregon, the turn of the century offers a new kind of frontier for women: a vast and exciting range of possibilities--to a point. It's a time for change, and no one is more eager to embrace new paths than free-spirited outsider Hattie Taylor. If only she could embrace Jake Murdock too. Jake can't remember a time he was so confused. Hattie is off-limits. The provoking spitfire is under his mother's protection--his protection--and he has always belonged to another. But now, with the passing of his wife, Jake feels something shift between them. Frustratingly aware of Hattie as a woman, he struggles with new feelings, new questions, new desires. But when a desperate decision born of good intentions turns out to have ugly repercussions, Hattie confronts a cruel reality she can no longer ignore: the truth of where women really stand and the actions men take to keep them there. To navigate her new world of tainted justice and privileged order Hattie will draw on the strength of the women around her--and Jake will learn what it truly means to support the woman he loves.
The Ballad of Jack O'Dair
by Linda O. JohnstonThis is a time travel romance from the end of the 20th century to the Alaskan Klondike Gold Rush.
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye: An epic historical novel of love, revenge and piracy on the high seas
by Briony Cameron'Packed full of action, excitement, peril and romance on the high seas, this is the sapphic pirate book of my dreams' SARAH UNDERWOOD, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea'Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure meets thoughtful feminist history . . . a rare and special tale' VAISHNAVI PATEL, author of Kaikeyi'I flew through the pages as if my ability to breath depended on it . . . This book has stolen my heart!' THE DEBUT DIGEST__________________________________________1656, Saint-Domingue. In the dark confines of a cell, a prisoner is waiting. Soon the hangman will call her name. Jacquotte Delahaye. A name which has struck fear into even the mightiest of empires. For Jacquotte is no ordinary prisoner: she is a pirate.Fierce. Legendary. Deadly.As the hangman prepares the noose, Jacquotte's story is told, charting her humble origins from the island of Hispaniola to the deck of a fearsome pirate ship. There, against all odds, she swiftly rises through the ranks, travelling across the Caribbean, facing duels across land and sea, and savouring tender moments stolen in the night.With the sun rising, can Jacquotte fight her way to freedom and find the woman she loves? Or will she die a legend?__________________________________________Following one of the first purported female pirates to sail the Caribbean in the seventeenth century, this is a sweeping tale of adventure and buccaneering - and the forbidden love story that will shape the course of history. The perfect read for fans of The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse and The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins. 'A high-stakes, gripping adventure full of heart-pounding duels and bonds that run deeper than blood . . .will stay with readers long after the final page' LILLIE LAINOFF, author of One for All 'Unforgettable female characters, breathless adventure and passion a-plenty' JULIE WALKER, author of Bonny & Read 'Empowering. Uplifting. Illuminating. A tour de force of storytelling!' MENNA VAN PRAAG, author of The Sisters Grimm 'Gritty, exciting, and tender' KATHERINE BEUTNER, author of Killingly
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye: An epic historical novel of love, revenge and piracy on the high seas
by Briony Cameron'Packed full of action, excitement, peril and romance on the high seas, this is the sapphic pirate book of my dreams' SARAH UNDERWOOD, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea'Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure meets thoughtful feminist history . . . a rare and special tale' VAISHNAVI PATEL, author of Kaikeyi'I flew through the pages as if my ability to breath depended on it . . . This book has stolen my heart!' THE DEBUT DIGEST__________________________________________1656, Saint-Domingue. In the dark confines of a cell, a prisoner is waiting. Soon the hangman will call her name. Jacquotte Delahaye. A name which has struck fear into even the mightiest of empires. For Jacquotte is no ordinary prisoner: she is a pirate.Fierce. Legendary. Deadly.As the hangman prepares the noose, Jacquotte's story is told, charting her humble origins from the island of Hispaniola to the deck of a fearsome pirate ship. There, against all odds, she swiftly rises through the ranks, travelling across the Caribbean, facing duels across land and sea, and savouring tender moments stolen in the night.With the sun rising, can Jacquotte fight her way to freedom and find the woman she loves? Or will she die a legend?__________________________________________Following one of the first purported female pirates to sail the Caribbean in the seventeenth century, this is a sweeping tale of adventure and buccaneering - and the forbidden love story that will shape the course of history. The perfect read for fans of The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse and The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins. 'A high-stakes, gripping adventure full of heart-pounding duels and bonds that run deeper than blood . . .will stay with readers long after the final page' LILLIE LAINOFF, author of One for All'Unforgettable female characters, breathless adventure and passion a-plenty' JULIE WALKER, author of Bonny & Read 'Empowering. Uplifting. Illuminating. A tour de force of storytelling!' MENNA VAN PRAAG, author of The Sisters Grimm 'Gritty, exciting, and tender' KATHERINE BEUTNER, author of Killingly
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye: A Novel
by Briony CameronThis &“thrilling, swashbuckling story&” (People) based on true events illuminates a woman of color&’s rise to power as one of the few female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean, and a forbidden love story that will shape the course of history.In the tumultuous town of Yáquimo, Santo Domingo, Jacquotte Delahaye is an up-and-coming shipwright, but her ambitions are bound by the confines of her self-seeking French father. When her way of life and the delicate balance of power in the town are threatened, she is forced to flee her home and become a woman on the run along with a motley crew of refugees, including a mysterious young woman named Teresa. Jacquotte and her band become indentured servants to the infamous Blackhand, a ruthless pirate captain who rules his ship with an iron fist. As they struggle to survive, Jacquotte finds herself unable to resist Teresa despite their differences. When Blackhand hatches a dangerous scheme to steal a Portuguese shipment of jewels, Jacquotte must rely on her wits, resourcefulness, and friends to survive. But she discovers there is a grander, darker scheme of treachery at play, and she ultimately must decide what price she is willing to pay to secure a better future for them all. Passionate, action-packed, and unputdownable, The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is &“a beautiful and, at times, gut-wrenching tale of found family, self-discovery, and the true meaning of freedom&” (M. J. Kuhn, author of Among Thieves).
The Ballad of John MacLea (The War of 1812 Epics)
by A.J. MacKenzieA ring of spies, a battle of lies, and one man who can change the tide of war. The first War of 1812 Epic from the author of The Hunt for the North Star. Stationed with British militia in Upper Canada in late 1812, Captain John MacLea is charting his own course against a background of uncertain loyalties and certain danger. Tasked with routing out enemy agents and thwarting an elaborate espionage ring, MacLea soon discovers that there is a traitor in their ranks, organizing a devastating plot. Events spiral out of control, culminating in a dramatic showdown aboard a captured American warship headed for the breach at Niagara Falls. Failure may mean the loss of the war . . . failure is not an option. Gripping, compelling, and anchored in detailed historical research, The Ballad of John MacLea is a triumph, perfect for fans of Adrian Goldsworthy, Iain Gale and Bernard Cornwell. Praise for the novels of A. J. MacKenzie &“Unputdownable . . . I was blown away.&” —Angus Donald, international bestselling author of the Outlaw Chronicles &“Truly enthralling.&” —Paul Doherty, author of Dark Queen Wary &“A rip-roaring story and devilish plot with outstanding historical detail.&” —C. B. Hanley, author of the Mediaeval Mysteries series
The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker
by Mark BeaverOn a June night in 1983, twenty-three-year-old Karla Faye Tucker and her boyfriend, fueled by a sinister cocktail of illicit drugs, broke into a Houston apartment. “We were very wired,” Tucker later testified, “and we was looking for something to do.” Though they later claimed they entered the premises with no murderous intent, they ended up slaughtering two people—one a sworn enemy, the other an utter stranger. The weapon: a pickax they found in the apartment. Fourteen years later, in early 1998, Tucker was facing lethal injection. But after her religious conversion in prison, Texas would be executing a different woman than the one who’d committed the murders. Her change was so dramatic that the most powerful and influential voices in American televangelism—Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell among them—were urging viewers to contact Texas's governor, George W. Bush, and plead for clemency. One follower was author Mark Beaver’s father, a devout Southern Baptist deacon who asked Beaver to put his fledgling literary ambitions to work by composing a letter on his behalf to Governor Bush.Through a merger of true crime, social history, and memoir, The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker illustrates how a seemingly distant news story triggers a national reckoning and exposes a growing divide in America’s evangelical community. It’s a tale of how one woman defies all conventions of death row inmates, and her saga serves as an unlikely but fascinating prism for exploring American culture and the limits of forgiveness and transformation. It’s also a deeply personal reflection on how a father’s request leads his son to struggle with who he was raised to be and who he imagines becoming.
The Ballad of Knuckles McGraw (Orca Young Readers)
by Lois PetersonAfter eight-year-old Kevin Mason's mother abandons him, he takes refuge in his fantasy of becoming Knuckles McGraw, a tough cowboy roaming the plains on his legendary horse, Burlington Northern. But instead of riding the range, Kevin is stuck in a foster home with a pierced and tattooed teenager named Ice and a mute girl named Breezy. While he waits to be claimed by the father he barely remembers or the mother who left him a good-bye note in his lunchbox, Kevin (aka Knuckles McGraw) tries to communicate with Breezy, learns to get along with his bunkhouse-mate Ice, and discovers that memories can be as deceptive as family secrets.
The Ballad of Laurel Springs
by Janet BeardFrom the internationally bestselling author of The Atomic City Girls, a provocative novel set in eastern Tennessee that &“explores the legacies—of passion and violence, music and faith—that haunt one family across the generations&” (Jillian Medoff, author of This Could Hurt). Ten-year-old Grace is in search of a subject for her fifth-grade history project when she learns that her four times-great grandfather once stabbed his lover to death. His grisly act was memorialized in a murder ballad, her aunt tells her, so it must be true. But the lessons of that revelation—to be careful of men and desire—are not just Grace&’s to learn. Her family&’s tangled past is part of a dark legacy in which the lives of generations of women are affected by the violence immortalized in folksongs like &“Knoxville Girl&” and &“Pretty Polly&” reminding them always to know their place—or risk the wages of sin. Janet Beard&’s stirring novel, informed by her love of these haunting ballads, vividly imagines these women, defined by the secrets they keep, the surprises they uncover, and the lurking sense of menace that follows them throughout their lives even as they try to make a safe place in the world for themselves. &“This inspired story of Appalachian folklore&” (Publishers Weekly) will move and rouse you.
The Ballad of Little River: A Tale of Race and Restless Youth in the Rural Sou
by Paul HemphillExcept for a massacre of five hundred settlers by renegade Creek Indians in the early 1800s, not much bad had happened during two centuries in Little River, Alabama, an obscure Lost Colony in the swampy woodlands of To Kill a Mockingbird country. "We're stuck down here being poor together" is how one native described the hamlet of about two hundred people, half black and half white. But in 1997, racial violence hit Little River like a thunderclap. A young black man was killed while trying to break into a white family's trailer at night, a beloved white store owner was nearly bludgeoned to death by a black ex-convict, and finally a marauding band of white kids torched a black church and vandalized another during a drunken wilding soon after a Ku Klux Klan rally.The Ballad of Little River is a narrative of that fateful year, an anatomy of one of the many church arsons across the South in the late 1990s. It is also much more -- a biography of a place that seemed, on the cusp of the millennium, stuck in another time. When veteran journalist Paul Hemphill, the son of an Alabama truck driver who has written extensively on the blue-collar South, moved into Little River, he discovered the flip side of what the natives like to call "God's country": a dot on the map far from the mainstream of American life, a forlorn cluster of poverty and ignorance and dead-end jobs in the dark, snake-infested forests, a world that time forgot.Living alongside the citizens of Little River, Hemphill discovered a stew of characters right out of fiction -- "Peanut" Ferguson, "Doll" Boone, "Hoss" Mack, Joe Dees, Murray January, a Klansman named "Brother Phil," and his stripper wife known as "Wild Child" -- swirling into a maelstrom of insufferable heat, malicious gossip, ancient grudges, and unresolved racial animosities. His story of how their lives intertwined serves, as well, as a chilling cautionary tale about the price that must be paid for living in virtual isolation during a time of unprecedented growth in America. God's country is in deep trouble.
The Ballad of Lord Edward and Citizen Small: A Novel
by Neil JordanFrom Academy Award-winning film director Neil Jordan comes an artful reimagining of an extraordinary friendship spanning the revolutionary tumult of the eighteenth century.South Carolina, 1781: the American Revolution. An enslaved man escaping to his freedom saves the life of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, a British army officer and the younger son of one of Ireland's grandest families. The tale that unfolds is narrated by Tony Small, the formerly enslaved man who becomes Fitzgerald's companion—and best friend. While details of Lord Edward's life are well documented, little is known of Tony Small, who is at the heart of this moving novel. In this gripping narrative, his character considers the ironies of empire, captivity, and freedom, mapping Lord Edward's journey from being a loyal subject of the British Empire to becoming a leader of the disastrous Irish rebellion of 1798. This powerful new work of fiction brings Neil Jordan's inimitable storytelling ability to the revolutions that shaped the eighteenth century—in America, France, and, finally, in Ireland.