Showing results by narrator "Graham Halstead" in All Categories

In 1998, at the very moment that a publisher had approached Bruce Davidson about a book of his 1959 Brooklyn Gang photographs, former gang leader Bobby Powers unexpectedly telephoned the Davidsons. Over the next decade, Emily Davidson maintained an ongoing conversation with Powers in order to bring to light his struggle to overcome his drug-ridden and violent past and to inspire others with his example.

With his girlfriend, Robin, away in Canada, 18-year-old Lucas Baker's only plans for the summer are to mellow out with his friends, smoke weed, drop a tab or two, and head out in his microbus for a three-day happening called the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. But life veers dramatically off track when he suddenly finds himself in danger of being drafted and sent to fight in Vietnam.

It is 1792 and unbeknownst to a group of voyageurs traveling from Montreal to Grand Portage, an intrepid squirrel, Jean Pierre Petit Le Rouge, sneaks onto their canoe. Le Rouge is soon discovered because he can't contain his excitement - mon dieu he is so enthusiastic. The smells! The vistas! The comradery! The voyageurs are not particularly happy to have him, especially because Le Rouge rides, but he does not paddle. He eats, but he does not cook. He doesn't even carry anything on portages - sometimes it is he who has to be carried.

Adolescence is a time of "firsts." First kiss. First love. First loss. First job. And in this case, a very different type of "first": murder. This short story collection of murder mysteries adds a sinister spin to the joy and pain of firsts that have always been a major part of life, whether it be high school cliques who take the term "backstabbing" too seriously, stumbling upon a body on the way home from school, or receiving a Snapchat message that promises something deadly.

Eran Sharon knows nothing of his father except that he left when Eran was a baby. Now a senior in high school and living with his protective but tight-lipped mother, Eran is a passionate young man deeply interested in social justice and equality. When he learns that the Houston police have launched a program to increase traffic stops, Eran organizes a peaceful protest. But a heated moment at the protest goes viral, and a reporter connects the Sharon family to a tragedy fifteen years earlier - and asks if Eran is anything like his father, a supposed terrorist.

America is at a crossroads. We are alienated from civic engagement, and our democracy is in doubt. Yet there is a new energy in the air. Young people are again taking up the role they've often held: as leaders of change, demanding a better future, wielding their votes to uphold democracy and lead the country forward. Enter Generation Citizen, an organization dedicated to empowering youth through revitalizing civics education across America.

In 1967, Joseph Mark Glazner, a 22-year-old American writer, left Los Angeles behind forever and became one of the first war resisters to go to Canada during the extremely divisive Vietnam War. Life After America is Glazner's upbeat, personal memoir about his first two years in Canada as an FBI fugitive, new immigrant, tabloid writer, journalist, and John Lennon's accidental muse. Glazner, an internationally acclaimed crime novelist, recounts with dark humor and the eye of a thriller writer his nearly bungled escape from the US.

The fourth book in our Ask the Experts series, The Environment tackles questions about the world around us. In this book, our experts field queries on the weather, natural disasters, natural resources, climate change, and unusual phenomena.

Before he became an award-winning writer and poet, Brian Sonia-Wallace set up a typewriter on the street with a sign that said “Poetry Store” and discovered something surprising: All over America, people want poems. An amateur busker at first, Brian asked countless strangers, “What do you need a poem about?” To his surprise, passersby opened up to share their deepest yearnings, loves, and heartbreaks. Hundreds of them. Then thousands. Around the nation, Brian’s poetry crusade drew countless converts from all walks of life.

Isaiah loves football. In fact, football saved Isaiah’s life, giving him structure and discipline after his sister’s death tore his family apart. But when Isaiah gets knocked out cold on the field, he learns there’s a lot more to lose than football. While recovering from a concussion, Isaiah wonders what his life would look like without the game. All his friends are on the team, and Isaiah knows they can’t win without him. The scholarship offer from Cornell is only on the table if he keeps playing.

Kim and Grant are at a turning point. A couple for thirty years, their "separate but together" partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face.

Boone Sinclair is a hard-headed, hard-hearted businessman and rancher. He has it all – except for Keely Welsh. The lovely beauty had always beguiled him…yet he was too experienced for her innocent charm. But when Keely’s life is endangered by forces beyond her control, he has to protect her. Once Keely is under his roof, Boone is the ultimate cowboy – reticent, noble, and blessed with a Texas-size stubbornness! It’s up to Keely to convince him that she’s no longer a girl he can ignore – she’s a woman out to win his heart!

America may be more diverse than ever coast to coast, but the places where we live are becoming increasingly crowded with people who live, think, and vote as we do. This social transformation didn't happed by accident. We’ve built a country where we can all choose the neighborhood—and religion and news show—most compatible with our lifestyle and beliefs. And we are living with the consequences of this way-of-life segregation. Our country has become so polarized, so ideologically inbred, that people don’t know and can’t understand those who live just a few miles away.

Travis Kelce was born an athlete—he played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. He excelled at football, and served as Cleveland Heights High School's quarterback—though he'd one day become a famous tight end because of his impressive skills on the field. Travis was offered a scholarship to play football at the University of Cincinnati. After being drafted in the NFL to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, Travis got his first Super Bowl win. Travis won his second Super Bowl in 2022, when the Chiefs defeated his brother's team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

As the end of the world rapidly approaches—both figuratively and literally—Astra Epsilon seems to be the last hope humanity has of sidestepping that awkward thing called death. With only a few weeks to spare, two brothers and a trio of roommates arrive at the local Ascension Port, intent on unloading their minds into the game—rather than waiting idly for their inevitable doom. The two groups find themselves joined together by random chance to make the obligate team of five. They Ascend, leaving their Earthly bodies behind.

Addie and Clark have just defeated one evil, only to have another closer to home than they thought possible. They thought they were finally safe, but Spectrum has been waiting for them. And this time, there are more lives at stake than anyone could've imagined. Will they be able to work together to stop the spread of RyLand's forces? Or will they have to sacrifice everyone they've ever loved for the sake of the rest of the world?

Have you ever wondered where we came from before we were born? Why we are here? Why supposed bad things happen to good people? The Land of Perception and Time is a fictional tale that provides clues to answer some of these questions. It is a journey of one’s imagination, understanding, and healing. Kenny is a good person who is unexpectedly diagnosed with a terminal illness. But that isn’t the biggest surprise he is about to experience.

Twelve-year-old Graham Dodds is no stranger to hospital waiting rooms. Sometimes, he feels like his entire life is one big waiting room. Waiting for the next doctor to tell them what’s wrong with his mom. Waiting to find out what city they’re moving to next. Waiting to see if they will finally get their miracle—a heart transplant to save his mom’s life. When Graham gets stuck in Florida for the summer, he meets a girl named Lou at the hospital, and he finds a friend who needs a distraction as much as he does.

After finally reuniting on the Orchard Fortress, it seemed like the team would make a clean getaway...until a magical glimpse into the future revealed their horrible—and imminent—demise. At least they finished their first quest, right? Even if they somehow escape their impending doom in the next thirty seconds and make it back to the Stradivarius, their troubles are far from over. The soulforged vessel is a floating warzone. In addition to all the normal dangers that space travel poses, the derelict ship is packed with fromlirs.

Prince and his fairy courtiers are staggeringly beautiful, unrelentingly cruel, and exhausted by the tedium of the centuries - until they meet foster-siblings Josh and Ksenia. Drawn in by their vivid emotions, undying love for each other, and passion for life, Prince will stop at nothing to possess them. First seduced and then entrapped by the fairies, Josh and Ksenia learn that the fairies' otherworldly gifts come at a terrible price - and they must risk everything in order to reclaim their freedom.