At times during my lifetime I became aware of the fact that there are real American heroes who have lived and loved in small towns all over this great land. This is a book containing fictionalized accounts of real Americans who experienced real events heroically. It is my hope that these true stories will illustrate our American spirit. The characters illustrated here make me proud to be an American.
All across America, ordinary people are going out of their way to help one another and make our country a better place. Unheralded, unrecognized, and often taken for granted, these citizens continue their good deeds, happy just to make a difference. Hometown Heroes tells the stories of fifty such people from all over America, including Moody, Alabama, Ellisville, Illinois, and Lander, Wyoming. Spanning ages fourteen to ninety-three, the heroes inside this book show that it's never too early or too late to lend a helping hand and make inspiring choices. Capturing the true spirit of America—one of generosity, courage, and tireless devotion—these heroes warm our hearts and reveal a face of America we rarely hear about.
Get to Know the Everyday Heroes in Your Hometown! Hello, Hometown Heroes is a charming and fun read-along board book that introduces children to the people who make our neighborhoods and lives better. Follow along as a little boy, his mother, and his dog walk through town, meeting and greeting everyday heroes along the way. With gently rhyming text and engaging illustrations, Hello Hometown Heroes introduces young readers to the people in our neighborhoods who make our lives safer, cleaner, and better. From the mail carrier and sanitation workers to firefighters, doctors, nurses, and more, the text succinctly describes what each hero does, and then provides children the opportunity to say “hello” to them. The final spread shows the whole town with each hero doing what they do . . . along with a simple act of heroism the child performs—proving that all you need to be an everyday hero is a little bit of kindness and thoughtfulness.
Welcome to the small town of Lindsey Point, where hunky heroes, smart, sassy heroines, and secrets abound. For the first time, readers can enjoy the first three books in the Hometown Heroes series by USA Today bestselling author Allie Boniface! In BEACON OF LOVE, a haunted lighthouse and a 50-year old murder mystery take center stage, along with a romance about to erupt between a NYC travel journalist and a hunky local handyman who’s forced to step in as her cameraman. Lucas wants to protect the town's secrets, but Sophie is bent on uncovering them at all costs. Sparks fly, but local legends are about to crumble… The secrets continue in INFERNO OF LOVE, when teenage sweethearts Finn and Aubrey are reunited after ten years. But since their summer love affair, a fire has turned him into a hero, while a horrific accident stole her memory. She doesn’t remember him. He’s never forgotten her. Now Finn and Aubrey must come to terms with the past if they have any chance of building a future together. Finally, get ready for two intertwined love stories in LABYRINTH OF LOVE. Outsider Chase Reardon and local resident Shannon O'Brien thought they were strangers assigned to work on the same small town project, until a forbidden love story from 60 years ago linked them in unimaginable ways. How far will we go, and what kinds of secrets will we keep, to stay with the one we love? "I really enjoyed reading the stories created by Allie Boniface because they remind me that even in the most unsuspecting situations, everything that is wonderful comes together in the end which is truly indicative of the classic romance novel. Do yourself a favor and read them...you'll be happy you did!" --Today's Writing Woman
"'Everytown, USA' follows one man's race against the clock, to save his community's military past before time closes the door. Albion, Indiana, an even mix of farms and factories, serves as the backdrop. Not unlike any other similarly-sized town in the Midwest, or country for that matter, Albion has a story to tell. Its citizens battled at Gettysburg, stormed Normandy's beaches, froze at the Cosin Reservoir, slopped through the Mekong Delta and fought for Iraqi freedom. But few knew of them, even in their own hometown. Author, Michael McCoy pledged to change all that."--Jacket.
The Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author tells the moving story of the friendship between a young white boy and a Black WWII veteran who has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South. For Gabriel Haberlin, life seems pretty close to perfect in the small southern town of Birdsong, USA. But on his twelfth birthday, his point of view begins to change. It all starts when he comes face-to-face with one of the worst drivers in town while riding his new bicycle--an accident that would have been tragic if Mr. Meriwether Hunter hadn't been around to push him out of harm's way. After the accident, Gabriel and Meriwether become friends when they both start working at Gabriel's dad's auto shop, and Meriwether lets a secret slip: He served in the army's all-black 761st Tank Battalion in World War II. Soon Gabriel learns why it's so dangerous for Meriwether to talk about his heroism in front of white people, and Gabriel's eyes are finally opened to the hard truth about Birdsong--and his understanding of what it means to be a hero will never be the same.
Through hundreds of exclusive and original interviews, Punk USA documents an empire that was built overnight as Lookout sold millions of records and rode the wave of the second coming of punk rock until it all came crashing down. In 1987, Lawrence Livermore founded independent punk label Lookout Records to release records by his band The Lookouts. Forming a partnership with David Hayes, the label released some of the most influential recordings from California’s East Bay punk scene, including a then-teenaged Green Day. Originally operating out of a bedroom, Lookout created "The East Bay Punk sound,” with bands such as Crimpshrine, Operation Ivy, The Mr. T Experience, and many more. The label helped to pave the way for future punk upstarts and as Lookout grew, young punk entrepreneurs used the label as a blueprint to try their hand at record pressing. As punk broke nationally in the mid 90s the label went from indie outfit to having more money than it knew how to manage.
When Tessa's big-city plans take the A Train to disaster, she lands in her sleepy hometown, smack in the middle of the most unlikely love triangle ever to hit Pennsylvania's Amish Country. Hot-shot Dr. Richard Bruce is bound to Green Ridge by loyalty that runs deep. Deeper still is Jonas Rishel's tie to the land and his family's Amish community. Behind the wheel of a 1979 camper van, Tessa idles at a fork in the road. Will she cruise the superhighway to the future? Or take a slow trot to the past and a mysterious society she never dreamed she'd glimpse from the inside?
Francis Joseph Cassavant is eighteen. He has just returned home from the Second World War, and he has no face. He does have a gun and a mission: to murder his childhood hero. Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life. Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life. -->
