Download or read book Back Roads and Better Angels written by Francis S. Barry and published by Steerforth. This book was released on 2024-06-04 with total page 734 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Enlightening and inspiring.” — Walter Isaacson “Barry probes the American soul, finding its biases, but also, nurtured by its complicated past, our better angels — with an opportunity to move forward.” — Ken Burns Bringing together two of America’s unifying loves — road trips and Abraham Lincoln — Frank Barry takes readers on a thought-provoking journey into the heart of our democracy and the soul of our country A year into his marriage and having never driven an RV, Frank and his wife Laurel set out from New York City in a Winnebago to drive the nation’s first transcontinental route, the Lincoln Highway, which zigzags through small towns and big cities from Times Square to San Francisco. Using the spirit of Abraham Lincoln to guide them across the land, they hope to see more clearly what holds the country together — and how we can keep it together, even amidst political divisions have grown increasingly rancorous, bitter, and exhausting. Along the way, Frank and Laurel meet Americans whose personal experiences help humanize the nation’s divisions, and they encounter historical figures and events whose legacies are still shaping our sense of national identity and the struggles over it. This unforgettable journey is full of what makes any great road trip memorable and enjoyable: music, conversation, and laughter. By the end, readers will have a clearer picture of how we have arrived at a period that carries echoes of the Civil War era, and — using Lincoln as a guide — where the path forward lies.
Download or read book A Search for Common Ground written by Frederick M. Hess and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2021 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "At a time of bitter national polarization, there is a critical need for leaders who can help us better communicate with one another. Written as a series of back-and-forth exchanges, this engaging book illustrates a model of civil debate between those with substantial, principled differences. It is also a powerful meditation on where 21st-century school improvement can and should go next"--
Download or read book Angels at the Crossroads written by Ann H. Gabhart and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2011-01-26 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The chase was over. In April 1969, nineteen-year-old Jerry Shepherd stares in his rearview mirror at the two policemen approaching his car. He wants to run, make his escape, perhaps his final escape from life. Then he curls his fingers around the small Bible in his back pocket as the words Peace be still whisper through his head. He holds to those words as he steps from the car to handcuffed and arrested. Angels at the Crossroads is the compelling true story of Shepherd's amazing journey from wrongdoing to redemption. Convicted of a crime he can hardly believe he could have committed, Shepherd faces life in prison and fears not only that he won't survive behind bars, but also that he has stepped beyond the hope of prayer or forgiveness. His parents say no as they cover him with fervent prayers, but Shepherd must find his own way through the jungle of prison life to the people - earth angels - who can help him discover God's love knows no limit. On this pilgrimage to self-acceptance, Shepherd learns to forgive the past and completely and unconditionally love again. If you face a crossroads in your life, Shepherd's inspirational journey may help lead you down a new pathway to a life filled with compassion and love. Visit author Ann H. Gabhart online at www.annhgabhart.com.
Download or read book Land of the Lost Souls written by Cadillac Man, and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-07-01 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the past 16 years, Cadillac Man (so named because he was once hit by an El Dorado and thereafter bore an imprint of its hood ornament) has lived on the streets of New York City. Over those years, he has recorded the facts of his daily life - the harsh realities of surviving on the street, the often tragic encounters with the non-homeless world, the deep bonds with his fellow homeless, and the surprisingly varied realities of life on the outside - writing hundreds of thousands of words in a series of spiral bound notebooks. "My Life in the Streets" distills those journals into a memoir of homeless life that is peopled with indelible characters and packed with gripping stories. In a gritty, poignant, and funny voice, Cadillac narrates his descent into homelessness, the travails and unexpected freedoms of his life, and the story of his love affair with a young runaway, whom he eventually (and tragically) reunites with her family. The United States has 700,000 homeless people; ultimately, Cadillac's story is their story.
Download or read book Back Roads written by Tawni O'Dell and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE Funny and heartbreaking, this New York Times bestselling debut perfectly captures the maddening confusion of adolescence and the prickly nature of family with irony and unerring honesty. Harley Altmyer should be in college having the time of his life. He should be free from the backwards Pennsylvania coal town he calls home, with its lack of jobs and no sense of humor. Instead, he’s constantly reminded of just how messed up everything is... Harley’s mother is in prison for killing his father, so he’s in charge of bringing up his younger sisters and working two jobs to pay the bills—and that doesn’t leave a lot of time for distractions. But lately, he’s getting more and more sidetracked by lusting after Callie Mercer, his middle-aged neighbor. As he struggles to keep it together, things begin to spin out of control. Soon Harley finds that as shattered as his family is, there are still more crushing surprises in store. “In Harley, O’Dell has created a hero who’s heartbreakingly believable; like Holden Caulfield, he uses caustic humor to hide his pain. Readers will care very much about him and his future, if indeed he has one.”—St. Petersburg Times
Download or read book The Forgotten written by Ben Bradlee and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The people of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania voted Democratic for decades, until Donald Trump flipped it in 2016. What happened? Named one of the "juiciest political books to come in 2018" by Entertainment Weekly. In The Forgotten, Ben Bradlee Jr. reports on how voters in Luzerne County, a pivotal county in a crucial swing state, came to feel like strangers in their own land - marginalized by flat or falling wages, rapid demographic change, and a liberal culture that mocks their faith and patriotism. Fundamentally rural and struggling with changing demographics and limited opportunity, Luzerne County can be seen as a microcosm of the nation. In The Forgotten, Trump voters speak for themselves, explaining how they felt others were 'cutting in line' and that the federal government was taking too much money from the employed and giving it to the idle. The loss of breadwinner status, and more importantly, the loss of dignity, primed them for a candidate like Donald Trump. The political facts of a divided America are stark, but the stories of the men, women and families in The Forgotten offer a kaleidoscopic and fascinating portrait of the complex on-the-ground political reality of America today.
Download or read book The Better Angels written by Charles McCarry and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2010-01-26 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this political thriller by the author of The Secret Lovers, Paul Christopher’s cousins tinker with an election while a reporter chases a lead. Originally published in 1979, The Better Angels is set close to the end of the twentieth century in a drastically changed America. The CIA has been dissolved into the Foreign Intelligence Service. It is an election year. In Washington, D.C., an Englishman crashes a cocktail party at the home of TV anchorman Patrick Graham with a secret that could shake up an already deeply polarized nation. Soon, Graham is traveling the globe in search of the explosive truth . . . From the writer the New York Times Book Review called “the genuine article,” The Better Angels is a thrilling and relevant masterwork. Praise for The Better Angels “A thinking man’s thriller with a frightening finale.” —Newsweek
Download or read book The Better Angels of Our Nature written by S. C. Gylanders and published by Random House. This book was released on 2006-11-14 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the eve of Shiloh, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, a mysterious visitor appears at General William Tecumseh Sherman’s camp. Without family or home, with only a uniform and the name of Jesse, this prepossessing stranger is an intriguing mix of naiveté and wisdom, ignorant of the most basic conventions of warfare yet uncannily familiar with even the most intimate details of Sherman’s personal life and career. Jesse, in turn, has only one desire: to remain by Sherman’s side–for reasons only Jesse knows and isn’t revealing. Initially unwilling to become a father figure to this beguiling visitor, Sherman is finally unable to resist such devotion and tenacity. He takes Jesse under his wing, determined to train this enigmatic creature in the art of war–and provide the strength and wisdom needed to survive its horrors. Resourceful and courageous, Jesse soon earns the respect of Sherman’s men, especially the compassionate but plain-talking surgeon, Seth Cartwright, and Thomas Ransom, a noble and handsome young infantry officer. No matter their destiny neither man can divert Jesse’s mission. But what is the truth? What is Jesse’s purpose and why has this fascinating youth appeared at this most crucial time in Sherman’s life and in the life of the bitterly divided nation? In the end we are forced to ask: Who is under whose wing? The Better Angels of Our Nature brilliantly re-creates the drama and brutality of America’s Civil War. Set in the momentous fourteen-month period spanning Shiloh and Vicksburg–a time that turned the tide of war and determined the nation’s fate–this harrowing, lyrically written novel is filled with unforgettable characters and wondrous twists that will give readers pause to reconsider events familiar to us all. Meticulously researched and movingly written, this masterwork will remain with readers long after the last page is savored.
Download or read book Report from Engine Co 82 written by Dennis Smith and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2009-09-26 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From his bawdy and brave fellow firefighters to the hopeful, hateful, beautiful and beleaguered residents of the poverty-stricken district where he works, Dennis Smith tells the story of a brutalising yet rewarding profession.
Download or read book Better Angels written by Linden Leliévre and published by . This book was released on 2021-08-24 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What would it look like if Lesley and Dusty had a romantic relationship? A good Jewish girl from an upper-class upbringing and with a degree from a private college whose first musical influences were jazz singers and a Catholic singer with the voice that would define white female soul vocalists to this day. The good girl falls for the older British singer whose life would be riddled with addiction and bouts of mental health issues. How would the two traverse the winding roads of fame, being in love and losing their places in the pop music industry from the sixties? Could their careers rebound after fading away to the majority of the public? How would 2005 find them in their personal lives and in their music careers? How does their relationship end? Does it? I hope you enjoy the music, fame, passion, and heartache I've taken Lesley and Dusty through! From Chapter 1 "All the American performers were on the Mercury label. They arrive early and were chaperoned by a Mercury manager. Lesley was the last in line as they filed through the narrow hall. She stopped to look at the photographs and posters on the wall. Absorbed in a photograph of Edith Piaf, Lesley felt the presence of someone behind her. She turned to find Dusty, her arms folded across her chest and smiling. "Well, love. It's true." "Hi. I'm Lesley. What's true?" "I know. I'm Dusty. Your eyes. They are beautiful." Dusty winked, turned, and walked away.
Download or read book Our Great Purpose written by Ryan Hanley and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Invaluable wisdom on living a good life from the founder of modern economics.
Download or read book By the People written by Charles Murray and published by Crown Forum. This book was released on 2015-05-12 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American way of life, built on individual liberty and limited government, is on life support. American freedom is being gutted. Whether we are trying to run a business, practice a vocation, raise our families, cooperate with our neighbors, or follow our religious beliefs, we run afoul of the government—not because we are doing anything wrong but because the government has decided it knows better. When we object, that government can and does tell us, “Try to fight this, and we’ll ruin you.” In this provocative book, acclaimed social scientist and bestselling author Charles Murray shows us why we can no longer hope to roll back the power of the federal government through the normal political process. The Constitution is broken in ways that cannot be fixed even by a sympathetic Supreme Court. Our legal system is increasingly lawless, unmoored from traditional ideas of “the rule of law.” The legislative process has become systemically corrupt no matter which party is in control. But there’s good news beyond the Beltway. Technology is siphoning power from sclerotic government agencies and putting it in the hands of individuals and communities. The rediversification of American culture is making local freedom attractive to liberals as well as conservatives. People across the political spectrum are increasingly alienated from a regulatory state that nakedly serves its own interests rather than those of ordinary Americans. The even better news is that federal government has a fatal weakness: It can get away with its thousands of laws and regulations only if the overwhelming majority of Americans voluntarily comply with them. Murray describes how civil disobedience backstopped by legal defense funds can make large portions of the 180,000-page Federal Code of Regulations unenforceable, through a targeted program that identifies regulations that arbitrarily and capriciously tell us what to do. Americans have it within their power to make the federal government an insurable hazard like hurricanes and floods, leaving us once again free to live our lives as we see fit. By the People’s hopeful message is that rebuilding our traditional freedoms does not require electing a right-thinking Congress or president, nor does it require five right-thinking justices on the Supreme Court. It can be done by we the people, using America’s unique civil society to put government back in its proper box.
Download or read book The Gift Of Belonging written by Bradley Jon Gustafson and published by Dog Ear Publishing. This book was released on 2019-10-16 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charitable community living is a tall order, and this is just a short book about small moments in one life. But its 52 stories confirm a compelling truth; that for human hearts in search of connection there are no small nor insignificant moments. The Gift Of Belonging is the first of a “year of weeks” series of Wildbird Books, one experiment in a larger range of experimental steps being taken toward charitable community living, all by a growing flock of new and old friends in one small corner of the world. This book is about the grace that lifts and surrounds all those who know they belong. As such, this book is about each of us wherever we live, starting where we are with who we are, on our own back roads home to fully belonging. “Read your whole book before we ever touched the Dallas dirt. Laughed and cried and loved, loved, loved every page….loved.” ~ J. Semmes, Oxford, Mississippi “I’ve stopped reading with four stories to go; I don’t want the book to end.” ~ L. Harper, Sullivan’s Island, SC “I’ve re-read most of the year of weeks and loved the pieces even more—ranging from “damn good” to BRILLIANT. What a gift you have for writing. A true watering hole! Actually I found the photos as intriguing and beautiful as the written work—glad they’re given prominence. To Eric and Ollie! ~ Rev. Dr. Bert Keller, Charleston, SC
Download or read book Bay Area Backroads written by Doug McConnell and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every week, hundreds of thousands of Northern Californians tune in to Bay Area Backroads for the best ideas on day trips, weekend getaways, and other adventuresit's the highest-rated local TV program in the San Francisco Bay Area. This first book from host Doug McConnell features 50 of his best backroad explorations, primarily in the immediate San Francisco Bay Area, but also extending to the northern redwoods, east to the Sierra Nevada, and south to San Luis Obispo. Each destination features gorgeous color photographs by Stacy Geiken. Including both unique approaches to popular destinations and a wide variety of lesser-known sights, Bay Area Backroads provides adventurers and armchair travelers alike with a fun new way to see Northern California.
Download or read book Road Angels written by Kent Nerburn and published by Harper San Francisco. This book was released on 2002-05-16 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A midwestern skeptic embarks on a witty, compelling journey from the frozen plains of Minnesota to California in search of answers to life's most vexing questions. Reprint.
Download or read book How to Think written by Alan Jacobs and published by Currency. This book was released on 2017-10-17 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Absolutely splendid . . . essential for understanding why there is so much bad thinking in political life right now." —David Brooks, New York Times How to Think is a contrarian treatise on why we’re not as good at thinking as we assume—but how recovering this lost art can rescue our inner lives from the chaos of modern life. As a celebrated cultural critic and a writer for national publications like The Atlantic and Harper’s, Alan Jacobs has spent his adult life belonging to communities that often clash in America’s culture wars. And in his years of confronting the big issues that divide us—political, social, religious—Jacobs has learned that many of our fiercest disputes occur not because we’re doomed to be divided, but because the people involved simply aren’t thinking. Most of us don’t want to think. Thinking is trouble. Thinking can force us out of familiar, comforting habits, and it can complicate our relationships with like-minded friends. Finally, thinking is slow, and that’s a problem when our habits of consuming information (mostly online) leave us lost in the spin cycle of social media, partisan bickering, and confirmation bias. In this smart, endlessly entertaining book, Jacobs diagnoses the many forces that act on us to prevent thinking—forces that have only worsened in the age of Twitter, “alternative facts,” and information overload—and he also dispels the many myths we hold about what it means to think well. (For example: It’s impossible to “think for yourself.”) Drawing on sources as far-flung as novelist Marilynne Robinson, basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain, British philosopher John Stuart Mill, and Christian theologian C.S. Lewis, Jacobs digs into the nuts and bolts of the cognitive process, offering hope that each of us can reclaim our mental lives from the impediments that plague us all. Because if we can learn to think together, maybe we can learn to live together, too.
Download or read book Life and Death in Rikers Island written by Homer Venters and published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This book was released on 2019-02-19 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This revelatory and groundbreaking book concludes with the author's analysis of the case for closing Rikers Island jails and his advice on how to do it for the good of the incarcerated.
