Did you hear a child screaming again last night? Did you ignore the sound?In your own neighborhood, children are being given an education. They are learning the facts of child abuse: pain and suffering that will shape their futures. Except many of them won't have futures at all.Meet Stacey. She graduated Child Abuse 101 with honors. She ran, and at age 11 hit the streets. She kept on running .... until now.Now .... it's time to talk.
The 1914-18 conflict narrated through the voices of the men whose combat was in the air. 'This moving book uses letters and diaries to evoke the terrible cost of such warfare...Sleepless nights, separated lovers and grieving parents are recalled with painful immediacy in this meticulously researched tribute to those who died or were lucky enough to survive' DAILY MAIL The empty chairs belonged, all too briefly, to the doomed young First World War airmen who failed to return from the terrifying daily aerial combats above the trenches of the Western Front. The edict of their commander-in-chief was the missing aviators were to be immediately replaced. Before the new faces could arrive, the departed men's vacant seats at the squadron dinner table were sometimes poignantly occupied by their caps and boots, placed there in a sad ritual by their surviving colleagues as they drank to their memory. Life for most of the pilots of the Royal Flying Corps was appallingly short. If they graduated alive and unmaimed from the flying training that killed more than half of them before they reached the front line, only a few would for very long survive the daily battles they fought over the ravaged moonscape of no-man's-land. Their average life expectancy at the height of the war was measured only in weeks. Parachutes that began to save their German enemies were denied them. Fear of incarceration, and the daily spectacle of watching close colleagues die in burning aircraft, took a devastating toll on the nerves of the world's first fighter pilots. Many became mentally ill. As they waited for death, or with luck the survivable wound that would send them back to 'Blighty', they poured their emotions into their diaries and streams of letters to their loved ones at home. Drawing on these remarkable testimonies and pilots' memoirs, Ian Mackersey has brilliantly reconstructed the First Great Air War through the lives of its participants. As they waited to die, the men shared their loneliness, their fears, triumphs - and squadron gossip - with the families who lived in daily dread of the knock on the door that would bring the War Office telegram in its fateful green envelope.
Composed of two companion novellas, The Empty Chair is a profound, heart-wrenching piece of spiritual storytelling from Bruce Wagner, the internationally acclaimed author of such novels as Dead Stars, I’m Losing You and Force Majeure. In First Guru, a fictional Wagner narrates the tale of a Buddhist living in Big Sur, who achieves enlightenment in the horrific aftermath of his child’s suicide. In Second Guru, Queenie, an aging wild child, returns to India to complete the spiritual journey of her youth. Told in ravaged, sensuous detail to the author-narrator by two strangers on opposite sides of the country, years apart from each other, both stories illuminate the random, chaotic nature of human suffering and the miraculous strength of the human spirit. A deeply affecting and meditative reading experience, The Empty Chair is an exquisitely rendered, thought-provoking, and humbling new work.
The Incredible Story of a Country Music Legend Few artists have left a more indelible mark on America’s musical landscape than Charlie Daniels. Readers will experience a soft, personal side of Charlie Daniels that has never before been documented. In his own words, he presents the path from his post-depression childhood to performing for millions as one of the most successful country acts of all time and what he has learned along the way. The book also includes insights into the many musicians that orbited Charlie’s world, including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette and many more. Charlie was officially inducted into The Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016, shortly before his 80th birthday. He now shares the inside stories, reflections, and rare personal photographs from his earliest days in the 1940s to his self-taught guitar and fiddle playing high school days of the fifties through his rise to music stardom in the seventies, eighties and beyond. Charlie Daniels presents a life lesson for all of us regardless of profession: “Walk on stage with a positive attitude. Your troubles are your own and are not included in the ticket price. Some nights you have more to give than others, but put it all out there every show. You're concerned with the people who showed up, not the ones who didn't. So give them a show and…Never look at the empty seats!”
In this story of family, love, and interwoven connections, the McDowells struggle to survive on their family farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Joe, the youngest sibling, steals coins from his mother's purse, knowing he can never have things he really wants. After his older brother is drafted to World War II, Joe and his family must confront an avalanche of crises, learning what means most in each of their lives. Joe will have to choose whether to become the man on the farm, or to follow his dreams. In a surprise turn of events, the women in his family show strength they didn't know was theirs. Love and tolerance become the keys to overcome the challenges facing Joe and his family.
Reowned criminalist Lincoln Rhyme is pitted against Amelia Sachs, his own brilliant protegee, as they disagree on the analysis of a crime they began working together.
"The Empty Chair: Sitting with Forgiveness" reveals Author Ayanna Moo-Young's personal journey as she openly shares with readers aspects of her life and mimics what is known as, the empty chair technique, popularized by one of the founders of gestalt therapy, Fritz Perls."If we really want to love we must learn to forgive." Mother TeresaAyanna's education and life experiences has helped her develop an enhanced sense of awareness of her bodily feelings, emotions, perceptions and behaviors in their raw state. She offers readers a simple system to consider called, The 6rs to Forgiveness: Recognize; Recognize; Relieve; Repent; Release; Replace; and Revive. After earning her bachelor's degree in Sociology and a master's degree in Counseling Psychology, Ayanna became equipped with the knowledge and skills to apply these principles toward her own true healing to attract authentic love to live a happy life. "Ayanna's courage to be transparent inspires you to destroy the walls that you have skillfully built around your pain, disappointment and hurts. She offers practical steps to help you move forward to forgiveness which liberates you to experience the fullness of life. The book is definitely a must have if you truly desire to embrace the beauty of forgiveness for yourself and others."Elaine Scales Founder CEO, An Ounce of Kibou, Inc. "A creative courageous, brutally honest, and easy reading inspirational book, with a powerful global message; a must read for all ages (the younger the better), all over the world."Richard Willis, President and CEO, Sankofa International, Inc. "When life presents challenges you can either give in to them or muster all of your determination and will to overcome them. Ayanna's book presents a powerful message through the use of `empty chairs' in a personification approach. She also inspires, educates and motivates those who can relate to her struggles by implementing a series of strategies readers can apply to their own lifestyles."Michael T. Lyle, Jr., Connecticut-based Radio Broadcaster/Reporter
