' The Sophomore by Barry Spacks is that rare beast: a clever, sophisticated novel that is very, very funny. It's like an American Lucky Jim - at once hilarious, shrewd and very true. A complete delight.' William Boyd Harry Zissel is 22 years old, a college sophomore who plans to be a major writer. He just can't seem to finish anything. Then his girlfriend Miriam announces she's pregnant. Harry fears he'll end up a married wage-slave, just like his old buddy Arthur Thompson. Leaving his apartment to get breakfast, Harry decides instead to hit the road. Can he live the American dream of 'starting afresh'? Or does he need to buck up, straighten out, do some work for a change...? The question is not for him alone in Barry Spacks' brilliant debut novel from 1968, reissued here with a new introductory Q&A with the author. 'No synopsis can do justice to Spacks's technical skill and comic inventiveness.' Saturday Review
"What a vibrant, propulsive, wildly intelligent and big-hearted slice of life Sophomores is, an intricate portrait of a family in crisis rendered with a great deal of humor and compassion. I loved this family, this corner of the world, this novel." -Claire Lombardo, author of The Most Fun We Ever Had The late 1980s come alive in this moving and keenly observed story of one boy's unforgettable sophomore year, and his parents' surprising journey alongside him. It's fall 1987 and life as normal is ending for the Malone family. With their sterile Dallas community a far cry from the Irish-American Bronx of their youth, Pat and Anne Malone have reached a breaking point. Pat, faced with a debilitating MS diagnosis, has fallen into his drinking. Anne, his devoutly Catholic wife, is selected as a juror for a highly publicized attempted murder trial, one that raises questions--about God, and about men in power--she has buried her entire life. Together, they try to raise their only son, Daniel, a bright but unmotivated student who is shocked into actual learning by an enigmatic English teacher. For once, Dan is unable to fly under the radar, and is finally asked to consider what he might want to make of his life. With humor and tenderness, Sophomores brilliantly captures the enduring poignancy of coming of age, teenage epiphanies and heartbreak, and family redemption.
So you're thinking about trying out running, huh? Where to start, where to start? Well, along with your primal instinct to actually put one foot in front of the other without having to think about it, there are tons and tons of books on this sport to get you started. But what about a "just tell me what to do" book? One that just lays out practical advice for a new (or "trying this again") runner? This guide is all about simple, honest, and fresh advice put into 10 straight forward chapters and topics. It's these ten key points that morphed a seemingly nonathletic gal into a truly joyful, enthusiastic, peaceful runner. Start your running journey with this guide today.
Jackson Rivers. My not so secret crush. He's popular. Gorgeous. Talented. Also my biggest weakness. I've stood by him for years. Been a friend every time he needed one, but he doesn't see me. Not like I want him to. Move on, my friends said. Find someone new. Someone who sees your worth. Someone who gets you. I know they're right. I'm only a friend to him. He's never going to see me like I see him. So I take their advice, and try to move on. But Jackson is always right there. In my face. Running to my rescue. And when I meet someone else, Jackson isn't having it. For some reason, he's suddenly determined to stay in my life. Right by my side. Now he says he wants me, but does he want an actual relationship? Or is that he can't stand the thought of losing me to another guy? It's time to find out what Jackson truly wants...and I'm going to make him work for it. For me.
Helping Sophomores Succeed offers an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of the common challenges that arise in a student's second year of college. Sponsored by the University of South Carolina's National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience® and Students in Transition, this groundbreaking book offers an examination of second-year student success and satisfaction using both quantitative and qualitative measures from national research findings. Helping Sophomores Succeed serves as a foundation for designing programs and services for the second-year student population that will help to promote retention, academic and career development, and personal transition and growth. Praise for Helping Sophomores Succeed "Lost, lonely, stressed, pressured, unsupported, frequently indecisive, and invisible, many sophomores fall off the radar of campus educators at a time when they may most be seeking purpose, meaning, direction, intellectual challenge, and intellectual capacity building. The fine scholars who focused educators on the first-year and senior transitions have done it again?a magnificent book to focus on the sophomore year!" ?Susan R. Komives, College Student Personnel Program, University of Maryland "For years, student-centered institutions have front-loaded resources to promote student success in the first college year. This volume is rich with instructive ideas for how to sustain this important work in the second year of college." ?George D. Kuh, Chancellor's Professor and director, Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research "A pioneering work, this brilliant text explores in practical and meaningful ways the all but neglected sophomore-year experience, when students face critical choices about their major, their profession, their life purpose." ?Betty L. Siegel, president emeritus, Kennesaw State University? "All members of the campus community?faculty, student affairs educators, staff, and students?will benefit from learning about the unique challenges of the second college year. The book provides research and best practices to help educators and students craft an integrated, comprehensive approach to helping second-year students succeed." ?Marcia Baxter Magolda, distinguished professor, Educational Leadership, Miami University The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience® and Students in Transition supports and advances efforts to improve student learning and transitions into and through higher education by providing opportunities for the exchange of practical, theory-based information and ideas.
Allen has just graduated from his freshman year, which was quite a very interesting start to his high school journey. Now, as he enters his sophomore year, he has a dark year ahead for him and his friends. Assuming the worst was over, Allen looks forward to his sophomore year, but he has no idea what this year has in store for him. As the year progresses, things seem to be going perfectly, but when a strange and concerning text appears on Allen’s phone, he and his friends must rush to solve the problem and possibly a life as well...
I started flirting with a guy while waiting for my car to be serviced. Now granted, he wasn't just any guy. Tall. Dark. Hot. Mysterious. Can you blame me for wanting to talk to him? He's in town visiting his parents. So am I. He goes to the same college as I do. Such a coincidence. Almost as if our meeting is destined... But I shouldn't believe in that sort of thing. I am single as a Pringle and always ready to mingle. Until I keep running into Mr. Tall, Dark and Mysterious everywhere I go. Tony Sorrento. Turns out he's on the football team. I mean, I'm not one to chase after a sexy jock but, okay. I'm down. And did I mention he's only a freshman? Our fathers are business rivals, and they forbid us from dating. We need to keep this on the low. Can we remain friendly? Sure. Maybe turn our friendship into friends with benefits? Most definitely. Here's the thing though. I didn't plan on catching feelings for him so quickly. Seems like he's falling pretty hard for me too. Defying our fathers' wishes is only asking for trouble, but is being with Tony worth the risk?
Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Mean Girls as lovably flawed high school student Chloe Snow chronicles another year in her life while she navigates the highs and lows of family, friendship, school, and love in a diary that sparkles with humor and warmth. It’s Chloe Snow’s sophomore year of high school, and life has only grown more complicated. Last year, Chloe was the star of the musical. This year, after an audition so disastrous she runs off the stage in tears, she’s cast as a lowly member of the ensemble. Will she be able to make it through the show knowing everyone’s either pitying her or reveling in her downfall? Chloe’s best friend, Hannah, is no help: she’s been sucked into the orbit of Lex, the velvet-gloved, iron-fisted ruler of the sophomore class. Chloe’s dad is busy falling in love with Miss Murphy, and Chloe is no longer speaking to her mother, who is sending her increasingly desperate and unhinged emails from Mexico. As her parents’ divorce negotiations unravel, a custody battle looms. If only Chloe could talk to Grady about it: his parents are divorced, and he’s easy to talk to. Or he was, until he declared his love for Chloe, and she turned him down because despite all her rational brain cells she can’t seem to get over Mac, and then Grady promptly started going out with Lex. As the performance of the show approaches, Chloe must find a way to navigate all the messy elements of her life and make it through to the end of the year.
