With unerring insight and emotional power, Belva Plain, in her extraordinary novel, tells the story of a family divided and of the proud matriarch who takes a bold last stand to unite her warring children in what may be their last Homecoming. It is a crisp December day when Annette Byrne walks to the end of her long, curving driveway and drops five sealed envelopes into the mailbox, quickly, before second thoughts stay her hand. Shortly thereafter, with the holidays approaching, her estranged family will be gathered at her country estate for the first time in years. The sons. . . two brothers embittered by a breach of ethics, honor, and trust. The grandchildren. . . one young couple on the verge of divorce; another, lovingly united against the parents who have tarnished their lives. As the ill-fated meeting hurtles toward a bitter and abrupt conclusion, not even Annette Byrne's indomitable will can heal the rift--until a shattering event alters the landscape forever.
An illustrated history of African-American farmers, Homecoming is a requiem for a way of life that has almost disappeared. Based on the film Homecoming, produced for the Independent Television Service with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The videocassette of Homecoming is available from California Newsreel at www.newsreel.org.
An invitation to reclaim our worth as persons created in the image of God. Both scholarly and personal, Curtiss Paul DeYoung's profound public journey has intersected again and again with social realities of injustice and alienation. He graciously shares here his compelling story of hope and reconciliation. New insights and new challenges arise as he encounters Desmond Tutu, Malaak Shabazz, Rabbi Menachem Froman, Sojourner Truth, Samuel Ruiz Garcia, Lani Guinier, Cain Hope Felder, James Earl Massey, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ronald Takaki, Samuel Hines, Howard Thurman, and many others. The hallmarks of DeYoung's engaging narrative are spiritual transformation, innovative leadership, and creative courage.
“It’s hard for me to keep a straight face at the thought of living in a place called Queens with my husband and former homecoming queen wife,” Jackson thinks when his spouses inform him of their desire to move back to their hometown following the death of a parent. In Homecoming Queens, this decision sets in motion events that will dramatically transform the three spouses, their understanding of the past, and the town itself. As Jackson Garner leaves Tampa, he introduces us to Queens, a small town in Georgia situated between Atlanta and Augusta. In Queens, Jackson, Crystal and Lee encounter supportive regulars at the diner they take over from Crystal’s father as well as hostile locals who find bisexuality, polyamory, and other “alternative” lifestyles unsavory. They also confront the traumatic event that led Crystal and Lee to leave town after high school. Along the way, they face the history and ghosts of the town, the tension between an LGBT friendly pastor and some of his anti-LGBT congregants, the struggles of a kid seeking gender transition, and the ongoing battle between progress and tradition in the American south. Homecoming Queens can be read purely for pleasure or used as supplemental reading for courses in sexualities, gender, relationships, sociology, families, religion, the life course, the American south, identities, culture, intersectionality, and arts-based research. “Witty, action-packed, and full of surprises, Homecoming Queens will speak to anyone who has ever tried to go home again. Sumerau’s novel is an eye-opening read that sheds light on the dynamics of polyamory and queer presence in the Deep South. Secrets and mysteries intertwine with friendships new and old as the three spouses navigate Queens as sexually non-conforming adults.” – Katie Acosta, Ph.D., Georgia State University and author of Amigas y Amantes: Sexually Nonconforming Latinas Negotiate Family “Homecoming Queens educates you about being queer, trans, and poly in the South while also entertaining you with a captivating story from start to finish. Seriously, this story should be turned into a play or movie – or both!” – Eric Anthony Grollman, Ph.D., University of Richmond and Editor of Conditionallyaccepted.com “Homecoming Queens shows that while the past may sometimes reverberate into our present, it does not necessarily have to define our present or the futures we seek. This book will keep you guessing and wondering long after you’ve read it.” – Lorena Garcia, Ph.D., University of Illinois Chicago and author of Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself: Latina Girls and Sexual Identity J. E. Sumerau is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Tampa. Their writing focuses on sexualities, gender, religion, and health in the interpersonal and historical experiences of sexual, gender, and religious minorities. They are also the author of two previous novels – Cigarettes & Wine and Essence. For more information, visit www.jsumerau.com
Professional crisis manager Philippa Tannenbaum is spokesperson for the law enforcement task force charged with solving a high-profile case. She never dreams her position as Homecoming Pageant Director and her second-place finish in the previous year's competition has placed her on a serial killer's hit list. Always a runner-up in life, she wants to finally come in first at finding the killer targeting the current crop of beauties. Her friend Luke Slaughter, a Graysville city cop, shows up at Philippa's office, assigned to partner with her in solving the case and to protect her 24/7 for the duration. Unfortunately, he's also the man she hooked up with for a one-night stand when she broke up with her fiancé. Working with her is going to be less than easy, for a number of reasons...
African Americans and others in the African diaspora have increasingly “come home” to Africa to visit the sites at which their ancestors were enslaved and shipped. In this nuanced analysis of homecoming, Katharina Schramm analyzes how a shared rhetoric of the (Pan-)African family is produced among African hosts and Diasporan returnees and at the same time contested in practice. She examines the varying interpretations and appropriations of significant sites (e.g. the slave forts), events (e.g. Emancipation Day) and discourses (e.g. repatriation) in Ghana to highlight these dynamics. From this, she develops her notions of diaspora, home, homecoming, memory and identity that reflect the complexity and multiple reverberations of these cultural encounters beyond the sphere of roots tourism.
Martin Heidegger's philosophical works devoted themselves to challenging previously held ontological notions of what constitutes "being," and much of his work focused on how beings interact within particular spatial locations. Frequently, Heidegger used the motifs of homelessness and homecoming in order to express such spatial interactions, and despite early and continued recognition of the importance of homelessness and homecoming, this is the first sustained study of these motifs in his later works. Utilizing both literary and philosophical analysis, Heidegger and Homecoming reveals the deep figural unity of the German philosopher's writings, by exploring not only these homecoming and homelessness motifs, but also the six distinctive voices that structure the apparent disorder of his works. In this illuminating and comprehensive study, Robert Mugerauer argues that these motifs and Heidegger's many voices are required to overcome and replace conventional and linear methods of logic and representation. Making use of material that has been both neglected and yet to be translated into English, Heidegger and Homecoming explains the elaborate means with which Heidegger proposed that humans are able to open themselves to others, while at the same time preserve their self-identity.
Nobody ever said being a teenager was easy... After the dramatic events of the thrilling debut issue, the kids try to return to their normal lives but the changes to their bodies are making things difficult to say the least. Meanwhile, Hunter and Jay Anne agree to try to go on a date, but when she loses control of her newfound abilities in public, things quickly get out of hand. Paul returns to his family but has difficulty keeping his 'changes' from his parents. And Celeste experiences some disturbing memories about her mother, that could become a dark foreshadow of events to come! Just when you thought it was safe to go back to High School...Aspen Comics proudly presents an all-new series created by Michael Turner, Scott Lobdell and David Wohl. HOMECOMING!
Schoolteacher Kelly Baron raised her child alone. Now that her daughter’s grown and married, Kelly can finally start her new life in North Carolina, responsible only for herself. She has just one more thing to do: help her mother. To do so, she must return to Heritage Springs, Kentucky, the place she’d fled years before. Back then she’d been nothing but a small-town girl from the wrong side of the tracks, hiding a secret that could have destroyed lives. Newly divorced lawyer Rob Scott seeks solace for his heartache in his small-town roots. Maybe being an incurable romantic isn’t smart for a lawyer who has to deal with hard facts. The last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. He’d made millions in Chicago, but in his heart he’s always kept a secret dream, a desire he’s never told anyone. Then he runs into Kelly, the girl who’d disappeared from his life years ago, leaving behind only hurt and unanswered questions. Kelly’s kept her secret all these years. But sometimes the only way to build a future is to face the past.
Heaven couldn't be a phone bank, could it? Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she pictured when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. Before she can officially cross over, she'll have to be a source of guidance for one such teen. The problem is she doesn't have much advice to offer since dying hasn't exactly boosted her confidence level. But when Hawthorne High's leading, love-to-hate cheerleader Petula and her gothic little sis' Scarlet find themselves suddenly resting-in-peace in comas, Charlotte's opportunity to save them will prove to be the risk of a lifetime-for all of them. Praise for ghostgirl: * Polished dark-and-deadpan humor, it's a natural fit with Gen Y, too." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) * "[Tonya] beats out witty teen-speak like a punk-band drummer, keeping the narrative fast-paced and fun yet thought-provokingly heartwarming. Goofy, ghastly, intelligent, electrifying." --Kirkus (starred review) *"Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe devotees will die for this fantastic, phantasmal read." --School Library Journal (starred review) * "Readers with a taste for black humor and satire will feast on Hurley's crisp, wise dialogue. Anticipate a well deserved cult following." --VOYA (starred review)
