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From Automated to Autonomous Driving: A Transnational Research History on Pioneers, Artifacts and Technological Change (1950-2000) (Archimedes #70)
by Fabian KrögerThis book presents the most important milestones of the research on automated and autonomous driving in the United States, Japan and Europe throughout five decades (1950-2000). Drawing on sources from the automotive industry, electrical engineering, the robotics and AI-domain and military institutions, it retraces the transition from the guidance-cable approach to vehicle-based sensor and vision systems. Giving a detailed overview of the technical concepts, artefacts, research vehicles and robots, the book presents the transnational engineering efforts that started long before Silicon Valley entered the field. In addition, the book also uniquely details the role of the military in the domain of vehicle automation. This all ensures the book is of great interest to historians of technology, practitioners in engineering disciplines, scholars working in mobility studies, journalists, and political decision makers.
From Ant to Eagle
by Alex LyttleMy name is Calvin Sinclair, I'm eleven years old and I have a confession... I killed my brother.It's the summer before grade six and Calvin Sinclair is bored to tears. He's recently moved from a big city to a small town and there's nothing to do. It's hot, he has no friends and the only kid around is his six-year-old brother, Sammy, who can barely throw a basketball as high as the hoop.Cal occupies his time by getting his brother to do almost anything: from collecting ants to doing Calvin's chores. And Sammy is all too eager - as long as it means getting a "Level" and moving one step closer to his brother's Eagle status.When Calvin meets Aleta Alvarado, a new girl who shares his love for Goosebumps books and adventure, Sammy is pushed aside. Cal feels guilty but not enough to change. At least not until a diagnosis makes things at home start spinning out of control and he's left wondering whether Sammy will ever complete his own journey... "Tender, direct, and honest."—Kirkus Reviews"An honest portrayal of love, loss, and friendship." —School Library Journal"A moving and ultimately hopeful book."—Booklist"This book is heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, and awe-inspiring.... highly recommend this book to fans of the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio, but i think that any reader will enjoy this excellent debut novel from Alex Lyttle." —JacobtheBookworm, Goodreads"This is touching, moving, beautiful story and I can't recommend it enough. Even though its target audience is upper middle grade, everyone should read this. Did you watch that television show Red Band Society? My teenager daughter and I loved that show and this book had that seem feel but from the perspective of the non-ill sibling. Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything was released in September of 2015 and the hype that followed was out of control. The hype for this book needs to surpass that." —Candace, GoodreadsCheck out Alex Lyttle's other book:The Rise of WinterThe Critics Agree: From Ant to Eagle, like The Bridge to Terabithia and Out of My Mind, shouldn't be missed. Read this award-winning book today!Winner, Red Cedar Award 2019Winner, Silver Birch Fiction Award 2018Winner, Rocky Mountain Book Award 2019Finalist, Alberta Writers Guild 2019Finalist, Foreword Indies Book of the Year 2017
The Friendship Wish: A QUIX Book (Mini Mermaid Tales #1)
by Debbie DadeyRosie the little mermaid learns to make friends in this first book of the Mini Mermaid tales QUIX chapter book series that&’s a spinoff of the popular Mermaid Tales series and is perfect for emerging readers.Rosie is a little mermaid who loves dancing with dolphins and building towering sandcastles. But she&’s just moved to Trident City and doesn&’t have one single friend to join her. She&’s too young to go to Trident Academy with her older cousin Rocky, her parents are busy at work, and Manny Nanny, who takes care of Rosie, can be kind of boring, even though she&’s super nice. Then, Rosie meets Aqua and finds that having a new friend might be more trouble than it&’s worth!
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir
by Matthew PerryINSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER The BELOVED STAR OF FRIENDS takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this “CANDID, DARKLY FUNNY...POIGNANT” memoir (The New York Times) A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK by Time, Associated Press, Goodreads, USA Today, and more!“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty.”So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.In an extraordinary story that only he could tell—and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it—Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening—as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.
Friend Request: The most addictive psychological thriller you'll read this year
by Laura Marshall***THE SUNDAY TIMES & NO.1 EBOOK BESTSELLER***'Twisty and gripping' Erin Kelly'I read it in one go' Marian Keyes'I loved it' Rachel Abbott Don't miss Laura Marshall's addictive new thriller, MY HUSBAND'S KILLER. Available now!*****Maria Weston wants to be friends with me Maybe that had been the problem all along: Maria Weston had wanted to be friends with me, but I let her down.She's been hovering at the edge of my consciousness for all of my adult life, although I've been good at keeping her out, just a blurred shadow in the corner of my eye, almost but not quite out of sight.Maria Weston wants to be friends. But Maria Weston has been dead for more than twenty-five years. *****THE ADDICTIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER THAT EVERYONE'S RAVING ABOUT 'The twist is genuinely unexpected . . . This is an obvious choice if you enjoyed The Girl on the Train' Independent'I couldn't put it down!' Jenny Blackhurst, author of The Foster Child'A mystery with a genius premise' Stylist'A devour-in-one-sitting must' Heat'Tightly plotted, and with a fabulous twist' Sunday Mirror'Gripping . . . loved it from start to finish' Goodreads Reviewer'Twisty and gripping . . . You must read this!' Emma Kavanagh, author of Falling'Twists and turns and real life scenarios make this a fantastic thriller' Amazon Reviewer
A Friend for Henry
by Jenn BaileyIn Classroom Six, second left down the hall, Henry has been on the lookout for a friend. A friend who shares. A friend who listens. Maybe even a friend who likes things to stay the same and all in order, as Henry does. But on a day full of too close and too loud, when nothing seems to go right, will Henry ever find a friend—or will a friend find him? With insight and warmth, this heartfelt story from the perspective of a boy on the autism spectrum celebrates the everyday magic of friendship.
The Friedkin Connection: A Memoir
by William Friedkin“Friedkin’s book does the unthinkable: It relates the behind-the-scenes stories of his triumphs like The French Connection and The Exorcist, but also sees Friedkin take responsibility (brutally so) for his wrong calls. . . . In doing so, he captures the gut-wrenching shifts of a filmmaker’s life—the bizarre whipsaw from success to disaster.” —VarietyAn acclaimed memoir from William Friedkin, a maverick of American cinema and Academy Award–winning director of such legendary films as The French Connection, The Exorcist, and To Live and Die in LA.The Friedkin Connection takes readers from the streets of Chicago to the suites of Hollywood and from the sixties to today, with autobiographical storytelling as fast-paced and intense as any of the auteur's films.Friedkin’s success story has the makings of classic American film. He was born in Chicago, the son of Russian immigrants. Immediately after high school, he found work in the mailroom of a local television station, and patiently worked his way into the directing booth during the heyday of live TV.An award-winning documentary brought him attention as a talented new filmmaker and an advocate for justice, and it caught the eye of producer David L. Wolper, who brought Friedkin to Los Angeles. There he moved from television to film, displaying a versatile stylistic range. In 1971, The French Connection was released and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and two years later The Exorcist received ten Oscar nominations and catapulted Friedkin's career to stardom.Penned by the director himself, The Friedkin Connection takes readers on a journey through the numerous chance encounters and unplanned occurrences that led a young man from a poor urban neighborhood to success in one of the most competitive industries and art forms in the world. In this fascinating and candid story, he has much to say about the world of moviemaking and his place within it.
Friday Night Chicas: Sexy Stories from La Noche
by Mary Castillo Caridad Piñeiro Berta Platas Sofia QuinteroWhether they're flirting en espanol, gossiping over mojitos, or dancing with their latest papi chulos, the characters in Friday Night Chicas prove that there is nothing quite like a night out with your chicas. Set in New York City, Miami's South Beach, downtown Chicago, and L.A., these four flirty novellas explore dating, marriage, friendship, and sex, through the eyes of four different Latina women. Mary Castillo's Friday Night in L.A.: Isela isn't looking for a one-night stand; she's desperate for one last shot at saving her career. Her ticket is Hollywood's director du jour Tyler Banks, but one major mistake could cost her everything.Caridad Pineiro's Friday Night in South Beach: It's Tori's thirtieth birthday and all she wants is a nice quiet night with her family and friends. However, Tori's friends have other plans and during an overnight casino cruise, Tori finds herself taking the gamble of her life!Berta Platas's Friday Night in Chicago: The once-shy Cali has decided to attend her high school reunion. She slips into her slinkiest Donna Karan and puts on her highest Manolos. After all, she's out to seek revenge, Latina-style. . . Sofia Quintero's Friday Night in New York City: Gladys's friends throw her a bachelorette party at one of NYC's raunchiest male strip joints. They expected a party, but they didn't expect the not-so-blushing bride to disappear with one of the strippers!
Friction and Wear in Metals (Materials Horizons: From Nature to Nanomaterials)
by Riyadh A. Al-Samarai Yarub Al-DouriThis book focuses on tribology in manufacturing processes from the viewpoint of sliding friction fundamentals, the use of lubricants to control friction processes such as machining, drawing, rolling, extrusion, abrasive processes, and processing at micro and nanoscales. To study tribological behavior, it is essential to know the methods of measuring and describing the surface shape and roughness. The friction and wear, their corresponding coefficients, and their main mechanisms are described, including stick-slip effects, adhesion, and plowing. Adhesive, abrasive, erosive, and erosion-corrosion wear mechanisms. Friction–wear relationships are elaborated, and wear maps are presented. Surface interactions depend on the contacting materials and surface shape. It is a function of the production process and nature of parent materials that are found to be rough, where roughness is characterized by asperities of varying amplitudes and spacing. Surface interactions are dependent both on thecontacting materials and the shape of the surface. The distribution of the asperities is directional when the finishing process is direction-dependent, such as turning, milling, etc., and homogeneous for a non-directional finishing process like lapping, electro-polishing.
Freshwater Science, volume 43 number 2 (June 2024)
by Freshwater ScienceThis is volume 43 issue 2 of Freshwater Science. Freshwater Science (FWS) publishes articles that advance understanding and environmental stewardship of all types of inland aquatic ecosystems (lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, subterranean, and estuaries) and ecosystems at the interface between aquatic and terrestrial habitats (wetlands, riparian areas, and floodplains). The journal regularly features papers on a wide range of topics, including physical, chemical, and biological properties of lentic and lotic habitats; ecosystem processes; structure and dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems; ecology, systematics, and genetics of freshwater organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates; linkages between freshwater and other ecosystems and between freshwater ecology and other aquatic sciences; bioassessment, conservation, and restoration; environmental management; and new or novel methods for basic or applied research.
French Braid: A novel
by Anne TylerNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Spool of Blue Thread—a funny, joyful, brilliantly perceptive journey deep into one Baltimore family&’s foibles, from a boyfriend with a red Chevy in the 1950s up to a longed-for reunion with a grandchild.&“A quietly subversive novel, tackling fundamental assumptions about womanhood, motherhood and female aging.&” —The New York Times Book ReviewThe Garretts take their first and last family vacation in the summer of 1959. They hardly ever leave home, but in some ways they have never been farther apart. Mercy has trouble resisting the siren call of her aspirations to be a painter, which means less time keeping house for her husband, Robin. Their teenage daughters, steady Alice and boy-crazy Lily, could not have less in common. Their youngest, David, is already intent on escaping his family's orbit, for reasons none of them understand. Yet, as these lives advance across decades, the Garretts' influences on one another ripple ineffably but unmistakably through each generation.Full of heartbreak and hilarity, French Braid is classic Anne Tyler: a stirring, uncannily insightful novel of tremendous warmth and humor that illuminates the kindnesses and cruelties of our daily lives, the impossibility of breaking free from those who love us, and how close—yet how unknowable—every family is to itself.
The French Air Force in the First World War: Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives (Images of War)
by Ian SumnerThe French air force of the First World War developed as fast as the British and German air forces, yet its history, and the enormous contribution it made to the eventual French victory, is often forgotten. So Ian Sumner's photographic history, which features almost 200 images, most of which have not been published before, is a fascinating and timely introduction to the subject. The fighter pilots, who usually dominate perceptions of the war in the air, play a leading role in the story, in particular the French aces, the small group of outstanding airmen whose exploits captured the publics imagination. Their fame, though, tends to distract attention from the ordinary unremembered airmen who formed the body of the air force throughout the war years. Ian Sumner tells their story too, as well as describing in a sequence of memorable photographs the less well-known branches of the service the bomber and reconnaissance pilots and the variety of primitive warplanes they flew.
Freemasonry: The Invisible Cult
by Jack Harris Alan R. StreetMillions Deceived in a Secret Cult A former “Worshipful Master” of a Masonic lodge, Jack Harris authoritatively speaks about one of the most deceptive cults in the United States today. This secret organization has entangled ministers, elders, deacons, trustees, Sunday school teachers, and people all over the world in a web of lies and satanic rituals--all of which are veiled with the language of the Bible! Revealed in this book are… The origins and history of Freemasonry Its basic doctrines and goals The secret of passwords and oaths The “supreme Masonic word” The satanic symbolism and rituals Freemasonry is a false religion. It teaches that men can approach God, not through the finished work of Jesus Christ, but through their own abilities. Discover how you can share the light of Christ with those living in the darkness of Freemasonry, and how they can be set free from its deception.
Freeman's Challenge: The Murder That Shook America's Original Prison for Profit
by Robin BernsteinAn award-winning historian tells a gripping, morally complicated story of murder, greed, race, and the true origins of prison for profit. In the early nineteenth century, as slavery gradually ended in the North, a village in New York State invented a new form of unfreedom: the profit-driven prison. Uniting incarceration and capitalism, the village of Auburn built a prison that enclosed industrial factories. There, “slaves of the state” were leased to private companies. The prisoners earned no wages, yet they manufactured furniture, animal harnesses, carpets, and combs, which consumers bought throughout the North. Then one young man challenged the system. In Freeman’s Challenge, Robin Bernstein tells the story of an Afro-Native teenager named William Freeman who was convicted of a horse theft he insisted he did not commit and sentenced to five years of hard labor in Auburn’s prison. Incensed at being forced to work without pay, Freeman demanded wages. His challenge triggered violence: first against him, then by him. Freeman committed a murder that terrified and bewildered white America. And white America struck back—with aftereffects that reverberate into our lives today in the persistent myth of inherent Black criminality. William Freeman’s unforgettable story reveals how the North invented prison for profit half a century before the Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery “except as a punishment for crime”—and how Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and other African Americans invented strategies of resilience and resistance in a city dominated by a citadel of unfreedom. Through one Black man, his family, and his city, Bernstein tells an explosive, moving story about the entangled origins of prison for profit and anti-Black racism.
Freedom Song
by Amit ChaudhuriWinner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction, a graceful depiction of middle-class Calcutta, seen through the lives of two interlinked families living in the city during the 1990s.Freedom Song is a novel about family life and city life at an uneasy moment in time. Set in Calcutta in 1993, the book begins by introducing us to Khuku, whose husband Shib is a retired executive and whose son has gone to live in America. Khuku&’s old friend Mini, a teacher suffering from a bad case of arthritis, is paying a visit, which gives the two women a chance to gossip and reminisce and see the town. Khuku&’s brother, Bhola, lives nearby with his wife and two grown children. Everyone is concerned about his son, Bhaskar, who has recently joined the Communist Party. He sells the party newspaper on the streets. He engages in street theater, and while no longer in his first youth, he remains unmarried.Freedom Song circles around this small upper-middle-class world, with its customs, memories, pleasures, and worries, but also ventures out into the wider world, in which the destruction of the venerable Babri Masjid by Hindu fundamentalists has started a cycle of sectarian violence. A novel of ordinary life, of work and love, shadowed by larger uncertainty, Freedom Song is a transfixing performance, deeply humane and winningly humorous, by one of the subtlest and sharpest writers of our time. A world of insight and feeling emerges from Amit Chaudhuri&’s wonderfully expansive sentences, and style is revealed as nothing less than a form of knowledge.
Freedom of Religion, Security and the Law: Key Challenges for a Pluralistic Society (Routledge-Giappichelli Studies in Religion, Law and Economics in the Mediterranean Space)
by Natascia Marchei Daniela MilaniThis collection addresses many of the issues arising from the management of religious and cultural diversity in a multicultural society and refers to the complex relationship between the right to religious freedom and security. In recent decades, and particularly since September 2001, the right to religious freedom, which has hitherto been widely protected, has come up against a significant challenge in terms of security, or rather, in the subjectively and publicly perceived feelings of security. This book collects original theoretical, legal and comparative contributions addressing several implications for the right to freedom of religion or belief through the lens of security. It offers a new key to understanding how to manage the processes of integration of religious diversity in multifaith societies. Written by leading experts in the area, the work reveals the importance of avoiding simplistic conclusions and unfounded prejudices about religious freedom, and of limiting restrictive or repressive interventions to situations of genuine danger. The book will be an essential resource for researchers, academics and policy-makers working in the areas of Law and Religion, Human Rights Law and Security Studies.
Freedom in Your Relationship with Food: An Everyday Guide (Freedom In Your Relationship With Food Ser.)
by Myra Lewin
Freedom in the Air: A Czech Flyer and his Aircrew Dog
by Hamish Ross&“Deals with a little-known aspect of the war . . . alongside the moving story of one man&’s relationship with a very special animal.&”—Sqn Ldr Paul Scott, Spirit of the Air This biography tells of the life of Václav Robert Bozděch, a Czech airman who escaped from the Nazi invasion, fought with the French and finally arrived in Britain to fly as an air-gunner with the RAF during World War II. He returned to his homeland after World War II but escaped back to the UK again when the communists gained control. Again he joined the RAF and rose to the rank of Warrant Officer. The unique part of this is that from his time in France, throughout World War II and until halfway through his second tour with the RAF, Bozděch was inseparable from his Alsatian dog, Antis, who became famous and was awarded a dog equivalent to the VC. Antis flew with his owner on many bomber raids, became the squadron mascot and was officially a serving RAF dog. He played an amazing part in the second escape from the Czech communist regime, when Bozděch was lucky to make it over the border to the US zone in Germany. &“The main hero of the book is not Bozděch himself, but his Alsatian, Antis . . . This book makes clear the extent of wartime and post-war suffering endured by Czechs and others fulfilling their roles in the overall search for freedom.&”—Aircraft Owner & Pilot &“This absorbing account of flying in WWII is based on the inseparable bond between man and dog. It is a moving story with humor and sadness. A Great Read that is Highly Recommended.&”—Firetrench
Freedom in Chains: The Rise of the State and the Demise of the Citizen
by James BovardGovernments and bureaucracies are bigger and more controlling than ever. A citizen's own ability to control his or her own life has never been less than it has today. How did we get to this point? Jim Bovard, bestselling author of Lost Rights, looks at the development of the State into a behemoth that threatens to destroy the individual at the cost of preserving the idea of "statism"--the belief that government is inherently superior to the citizenry, that progress consists of extending the realm of governmental compulsion, and that vesting more arbitrary power in government officials will eventually make citizens happy. Reading through the history of the state and its war on the citizen, Bovard looks at thinkers as diverse as John Locke, Etienne de la Boetie, James Madison, and Bernard Bosanquet among others. He explores the original version of the idea of the state, the development of the welfare state, the progress of the state's judicial system from the original province of the courts into the lives of men and women and the ultimate fraud that is perpetrated as the state's benevolence. Controversial and essential reading in these times of the Leviathan state, Freedom in Chains is must reading for everyone who took Jim Bovard's Lost Rights to heart as well as anyone trying to understand how far we've come from our eighteenth century roots as a community of impassioned patriots to our sorry positions as wards of the state at the end of the 20th century.
The Freedom Fund (A): Ending Modern Slavery
by V. Kasturi Rangan Courtney HanThe Freedom Fund founded in 2013 to end modern slavery had raised more than half its intended target (by 2025) of $200 million. In 2021, impressed by its decentralized-partnering style of operations, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott awarded the Fund a gift of $35 million over 5 years. The beauty of the gift was that it came with no strings attached. It was completely unrestricted for use the way the company's management and staff deemed fit. Nick Grono, the organization's first CEO was wrestling with the question of how to put the money to best use.
Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art
by Stephen NachmanovitchFree Play is about the inner sources of spontaneous creation. It is about why we create and what we learn when we do. It is about the flow of unhindered creative energy: the joy of making art in all its varied forms. An international bestseller and beloved classic, Free Play is an inspiring and provocative book, directed toward people in any field who want to contact, honor, and strengthen their own creative powers. It reveals how inspiration arises within us, how that inspiration may be blocked, derailed or obscured, and how finally it can be liberated—how we can be liberated—to speak or sing, write or paint, dance or play, with our own authentic voice. Stephen Nachmanovitch, a pioneer in free improvisation, integrates material from a wide variety of sources among the arts, sciences, and spiritual traditions of humanity, drawing on unusual quotes, amusing and illuminating anecdotes, and original metaphors. The whole enterprise of improvisation in life and art, of recovering free play and awakening creativity, is about being true to ourselves and our visions. Free Play brings us into direct, active contact with boundless creative energies that we may not even know we had.
Free and Equal: A Manifesto for a Just Society
by Daniel ChandlerImagine: You are designing a society, but you don't know who you'll be within it—rich or poor, man or woman, gay or straight. What would you want that society to look like? This is the revolutionary thought experiment proposed by the twentieth century's greatest political philosopher, John Rawls. As economist and philosopher Daniel Chandler argues in this hugely ambitious and exhilarating manifesto, it is by rediscovering Rawls that we can find a way out of the escalating crises that are devastating our world today.&“A beautifully written and compelling argument that Rawlsian political philosophy can heal our broken societies.&”—Sir Angus Deaton, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics • "This book will meet a very important need.&”—Amartya Sen, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics"Intellectually rigorous and full of hope.&”—Zadie Smith, bestselling author of White Teeth and The Fraud • &“A must-read!&”—Thomas Piketty, bestselling author of Capital in the Twenty-First CenturyTaking Rawls's humane and egalitarian liberalism as his starting point, Chandler builds a powerful case for a new progressive agenda that would fundamentally reshape our societies for the better. He shows how we can protect free speech and transcend the culture wars; get money out of politics; and create an economy where everyone has the chance to fulfil their potential, where prosperity is widely shared, and which operates within the limits of our finite planet.This is a book brimming with hope and possibility—a galvanizing alternative to the cynicism that pervades our politics. Free and Equal has the potential to offer a touchstone for a modern, egalitarian liberalism for many years to come, cementing Rawls's place in political discourse, and firmly establishing Chandler as a vital new voice for our time.
The Free: A Novel
by Willy VlautinA Paperback OriginalAward-winning author Willy Vlautin demonstrates his extraordinary talent for confronting issues facing modern America, illuminated through the lives of three memorable characters who are looking for a way out of their financial, familial, and existential crises, in his heartbreaking and hopeful fourth novel Leroy Kervin is a 31 year old Iraqi War veteran living with a traumatic brain injury. Unable to dress or feed himself, or cope with his emotions, he has spent the last seven years in a group home. There he spends his days watching old sci-fi movies until he awakens one night with a clear mind and memories of his girlfriend. Realizing what his life has been he decides it would be better to die than to go on living this way. A failed suicide attempt leaves Leroy hospitalized where he retreats further into his mind in order to make sense of his existence. Freddie McCall is a middle aged father working two jobs. He’s lost his wife and kids, and is close to losing his house. He’s buried in debt, unable to pay the medical bills from his daughter’s childhood illness. As Freddie’s situation becomes more desperate he undertakes a risky endeavor he hopes will solve his problems but could possibly end in disaster. Just as Freddie is about to lose it all, he is faced with the possibility of getting his kids back.Pauline Hawkins takes care of everyone else around her. She cares for her mentally ill father out of a deep sense of obligation. As a nurse at the local hospital, she treats her patients and their families with a familiar warmth and tenderness. When Pauline becomes attached to a young runaway, she learns the difficult lesson that you can’t help someone who doesn’t help themselves. The lives of these three characters intersect as they look for meaning in desperate times. Willy Vlautin covers themes ranging from health care to the economic downturn and housing crisis, to the toll war takes on veterans and their families. The Free is an extraordinary portrait of contemporary America and a testament to the resiliency of the human heart.
Frederick Douglass and the Fourth of July
by James A. ColaiacoOn July 5th, 1852, Frederick Douglass, one of the greatest orators of all time, delivered what was arguably the century's most powerful abolition speech. At a time of year where American freedom is celebrated across the nation, Douglass eloquently summoned the country to resolve the contradiction between slavery and the founding principles of our country. In this book, James A. Colaiaco vividly recreates the turbulent historical context of Douglass' speech and delivers a colorful portrait of the country in the turbulent years leading to the civil war. This book provides a fascinating new perspective on a critical time in American history.
The Fred Factor: How passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary
by Mark SanbornNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The true story of a seemingly ordinary mail carrier whose approach to work and life has the power to transform the everyday into the extraordinary &“This beloved business classic has inspired millions of people over the years, and today Mark Sanborn&’s transformative insights are more timely and necessary than ever.&”—Jon Gordon, author of The Energy Bus and co-author of The Coffee BeanMeet Fred. In this small yet powerful book, Mark Sanborn, member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, recounts the story of a USPS carrier who introduced himself one day shortly after Sanborn had moved to a new home in Denver. Fred, however, was no average mailman. As Sanborn came to discover, Fred was the kind of worker who exemplifies everything &“right&” with customer service. Did people want packages left on the porch or prefer a notice to pick them up at the post office? Fred made sure he knew the answer. When another delivery service left a package at the wrong house, Fred shepherded it safely to the intended recipient. Others might have seen delivering mail as less-than-glamorous work, but Fred seized the chance to find meaning in the mundane, competing with himself every day to find opportunities to make his customers smile. We&’ve all encountered people like Fred. In this deeply inspiring book, Sanborn illuminates the four basic principles anyone can use to bring fresh energy and creativity to our work and life: how to make a tangible difference every day, build stronger relationships, create real value for others without spending a penny, and constantly reinvent yourself.