When her father goes away, eleven-year-old California "Callie" Poppy winds up with her eccentric Great-Aunt Monica and their ancestor, the once-famous etiquette expert Eleanor Fontaine, now a hypersensitive ghost.
Examines major myths informing American education and explores how educators can better serve students, increase college retention rates, and develop alternatives to college that don’t disadvantage students on the basis of race or income Each year, as the founding headmaster of the Boston Arts Academy (BAA), an urban high school that boasts a 94 percent college acceptance rate, Linda Nathan made a promise to the incoming freshmen: “All of you will graduate from high school and go on to college or a career.” After fourteen years at the helm, Nathan stepped down and took stock of her alumni: of those who went to college, a third dropped out. Feeling like she failed to fulfill her promise, Nathan reflected on ideas she and others have perpetuated about education: that college is for all, that hard work and determination are enough to get you through, that America is a land of equality. In When Grit Isn’t Enough, Nathan investigates five assumptions that inform our ideas about education today, revealing how these beliefs mask systemic inequity. Seeing a rift between these false promises and the lived experiences of her students, she argues that it is time for educators to face these uncomfortable issues head-on and explores how educators can better serve all students, increase college retention rates, and develop alternatives to college that don’t disadvantage students on the basis of race or income. Drawing on the voices of BAA alumni whose stories provide a window through which to view urban education today, When Grit Isn’t Enough helps imagine greater purposes for schooling.
When the evening news reported a dead baby abandoned in a local dumpster, Linda Znachko's comfortable life changed. She was suddenly convicted—-God was asking her to provide a dignified burial for this tiny lost child. Linda said yes. She had no idea where that first small yes would lead. Linda found herself in places she never dreamed she would be: at the graveside of the child of an abused mother; by the side of a mother fighting for her lost child; and at the funeral of a Texas stripper who died two days before her baptism but left a legacy of love behind. When Linda stepped out of her comfort zone and into these implausible places with people she was unlikely to otherwise encounter, she discovered the life she never knew she wanted—-a life of saying yes to God whenever He asks. Today, Linda has a ministry that gives children a name in life, and dignity and honor in death. When she shares her stories of broken lives redeemed, other broken people respond, and so the ripple effects of that long-ago yes continue to spread, touching lives that yearn for healing, and underscoring the fact that every life matters to God.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today • “Everything a romantic comedy should be: witty, relatable, and a little complicated.”—People A heartfelt debut about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who’s lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them. Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future. When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out. A joyful, hilarious, and hope-filled debut, Evvie Drake Starts Over will have you cheering for the two most unlikely comebacks of the year—and will leave you wanting more from Linda Holmes. Praise for Evvie Drake Starts Over “A quirky, sweet, and splendid story of a woman coming into her own.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six “Effortlessly enjoyable . . . [a] pitch-perfect . . . adult love story that is as romantic as it is real.”–USA Today “Charming, hopeful, and gently romantic . . . Evvie Drake is great company.”—Rainbow Rowell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park
The old adage that 'behind every strong man there is a stronger woman' has never been more true than in the case of Lance Armstrong, six-time Tour de France winner, cancer survivor and bestselling author. Anyone who knows Lance is in no doubt about where he found his inspiration. A force of nature, his mother Linda's determination and sheer joie de vivre not only nurtured one of our era's greatest athletes, but fuelled her transformation from poverty-stricken teen to powerful role model. Kicked out of home at 17 after refusing to get an abortion, dismissed from high school for being pregnant, and trapped in an abusive relationship as an unmarried mother, Linda was a candidate for disaster. But, armed with a fierce belief in herself as a work in progress and buoyed by a tidal wave of love for her little boy, she beat the odds as a struggling single parent and, despite her lack of education, went on to become a highly successful telecommunications executive and a no-nonsense, empowering mother whose desire to excel was contagious. Her resolve to make every setback an opportunity set an extraordinary example for Lance and her remarkable story is a testament to dreaming big - and making a difference.Upbeat, determined, hard-working, loving, forgiving, funny and unsinkable, this is a woman who managed to not only overcome the odds but embrace life and enjoy it, whatever it threw at her. And the readership for this inspirational tale of triumph over adversity will extend well beyond those merely curious about Lance Armstrong. The philosophy that shines through these pages will appeal to many women, and most certainly mothers everywhere. Linda was at Lance's side throughout his treatment for cancer and they remain extremely close. His first book, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE, was dedicated to her, and he has written a moving Foreword to this remarkable book.
She was a destitute woman whose life was dependent on others. She was forced to be a scapegoat and traded herself, which resulted in her pregnancy. He considered that she was the ultimate embodiment of evil as she was greed and deceitful. She tried all her efforts to win his heart but failed. Her departure made him so furious that he searched through the ends of the world and managed to recapture her. The whole city knew that she would be shredded into a million pieces. She asked him in desperation, “I left our marriage with nothing, so why won’t you let me go?”In a domineering tone, he answered, “You’ve stolen my heart and given birth to my child, and you wish to escape from me?”
"Changes" is the first of three books that make up the story, The Ultimate Dream. This book describes the beginning of a journey that takes a typical middle class family from their normal but happy life into a world of chaos. Linda is the key. She leads her family and her two closest friends into the world of fame and chaos with her music. The only problem is that change is not always good. As her family deals with this new world, Linda has a secret that she is burdened with that brings on soul crushing sadness for her while her younger brother steps in a world of darkness. Both Linda and her brother, Mike are woven deep into the fabric of the universe. Both the Light and Dark side of the universe watches.
The real-life Nickel and Dimed—the author of the wildly popular “Poverty Thoughts” essay tells what it’s like to be working poor in America. ONE OF THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS OF THE YEAR--Esquire “DEVASTATINGLY SMART AND FUNNY. I am the author of Nickel and Dimed, which tells the story of my own brief attempt, as a semi-undercover journalist, to survive on low-wage retail and service jobs. TIRADO IS THE REAL THING.”—Barbara Ehrenreich, from the Foreword As the haves and have-nots grow more separate and unequal in America, the working poor don’t get heard from much. Now they have a voice—and it’s forthright, funny, and just a little bit furious. Here, Linda Tirado tells what it’s like, day after day, to work, eat, shop, raise kids, and keep a roof over your head without enough money. She also answers questions often asked about those who live on or near minimum wage: Why don’t they get better jobs? Why don’t they make better choices? Why do they smoke cigarettes and have ugly lawns? Why don’t they borrow from their parents? Enlightening and entertaining, Hand to Mouth opens up a new and much-needed dialogue between the people who just don’t have it and the people who just don’t get it.