A brilliant work of
fiction, Barbara Kingsolver offers an intimate portrait of life in the
mountains of southern Appalachia, the impact of corporate greed on ordinary
people, and the challenges of growing up in and navigating foster care.
You will fall in
love with Damon, nicknamed Demon. I
laughed, cried, and rooted for this unlikely hero as he overcame foster care,
addiction, child labor, and tragic love on his journey from adolescence into
adulthood.
Kingsolver forces
the reader to grapple with society’s role and responsibility to its most vulnerable
citizens. It touches the soul and moves
you from compassion to action.
Demon's story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking 'like a little blue prizefighter.' For the life ahead of him he would need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.
In the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, poverty isn't an idea, it's as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn't an abstraction, it's neighbours, parents, and friends. 'Family' could mean love, or reluctant foster…
I picked up this
book, read the prologue, and never put it down. Every African American child I know has had “the talk.” When your parents explain why you cannot act like the other kids, and how you can navigate and transcend a toxic American sub-culture where people of color are viewed as angry, dangerous, or someone to be feared.
I love this book
because it is direct, non-judgmental, and provides a path to open dialogue. Written from the viewpoint of Darrin as a six-year-old
child, we trace his growth into adulthood and how he makes sense of race,
culture, and trauma growing up as a biracial person in the USA.
Written as a beautiful graphic novel, it
makes the story and the lessons it teaches accessible to both young and
old. It provides a bridge to
understanding, compassion, and healing.
Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction 2024 New York Public Library's Best New Comics of 2023 Top Ten Pick
Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother told him he couldn’t have a realistic water gun. She said she feared for his safety, that police tend to think of little Black boys as older and less innocent than they really are.
Through evocative illustrations and sharp humor, Bell examines how The Talk shaped intimate and public moments from childhood to adulthood. While coming of age in Los Angeles―and finding a voice through cartooning―Bell becomes painfully…
How do you grieve
the loss of a parent? Or a friend? In this book, Randy Young shares his story of
hitting the open road with nothing but his father’s urn and ashes months after
his death.
Equal parts funny,
poignant, tragic, and magical, Randy uses the backdrop of the “Great American
Family Road Trip” to recall cherished memories as he seeks to reclaim the image
of his dad before dementia.
We all grapple with
sadness, death, loss, and how to honor the people we miss. I love this book because Randy provides us with
a roadmap for celebration and healing.
Ride “shotgun” on a celebration of the open road that will resonate with all who remember fondly the poignant, tragic, poetic, wondrous, and often ridiculous elements that comprise the “Great American Family Road Trip.”
Only months after his father’s death, Randy Young is hitting the open road with nothing but his father’s urn and ashes and his cherished memories for company. Through stories from friends and family along the way and a few detours through recollections of classic family road trips, the author seeks to reclaim an image of his father unfettered by the dementia that had plagued him for…
What are the differences between a rewarding career and job frustration? Why are some people able to climb the corporate ladder while others are stuck?
In Develop: 7 Practical Tools to Take Charge of Your Career, I answer these questions and provide readers with simple, relevant, and easy to apply guidance for finding the right job or growing in an existing job. It offers actionable tools and techniques that you can apply systematically to achieve your career goals. The book is based on more than two decades’ experience managing, advising, and researching career growth. I offer an insider’s view for navigating organizations where the path to advancement is complex and success strategies are often kept secret.
