In a raw and inspiring reflection on grief--selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of the year--a mourning sister processes her personal story of loss by exploring the history of bereavement customs.​ When Amanda Held Opelt suffered a season of loss—including three miscarriages and the unexpected death of her sister, New York Times bestselling writer Rachel Held Evans—she was confronted with sorrow she didn't know to how face. Opelt struggled to process her grief and accept the reality of the pain in the world. She also wrestled with some unexpectedly difficult questions: What does it mean to truly grieve and to grieve well? Why is it so hard to move on? Why didn’t my faith prepare me for this kind of pain? And what am I supposed to do now? Her search for answers led her to discover that generations past embraced rituals that served as vessels for pain and aided in the process of grieving and healing. Today, many of these traditions have been lost as religious practice declines, cultures amalgamate, death is sanitized, and pain is averted. In this raw and authentic memoir of bereavement, Opelt explores the history of human grief practices and how previous generations have journeyed through periods of suffering. She explores grief rituals and customs from various cultures, including: the Irish tradition of keening, or wailing in grief, which teaches her that healing can only begin when we dive headfirst into our grief the Victorian tradition of post-mortem photographs and how we struggle to recall a loved one as they were the Jewish tradition of sitting shiva, which reminds her to rest in the strength of her community even when God feels absent the tradition of mourning clothing, which set the bereaved apart in society for a time, allowing them space to honor their grief As Opelt explores each bereavement practice, it gives her a framework for processing her own pain. She shares how, in spite of her doubt and anger, God met her in the midst of sorrow and grieved along with her, and shows that when we carefully and honestly attend to our losses, we are able to expand our capacity for love, faith, and healing.

An award-winning author recounts the abuse he and his brother endured at the hands of their terrorizing stepmother and negligent father, and tells of the courageous role his brother played in delivering them to the care of others who would protect and support them. Includes bandw personal photos. This tenth anniversary edition includes a new epilogue. Lacks a subject index. First published by Simon and Schuster in 1990. Rhodes received the Pulitzer Prize for his book The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

Paul Shackleford has gotten himself into trouble, and now he's being sent away to a relative's farm in the middle of nowhere. He thinks he's in for the worst summer of his life . . . until he discovers a haunting mystery and a ghost with a familiar face. With the help of a dog named Einstein and a beautiful girl named Rebecca, Paul unearths the truth behind the hole in this isolated world. What he learns will change him forever.

‘[An] irresistible account of a child’s imaginary 8,000-mile journey through the earth to discover what’s inside. Facts about the composition of the earth are conveyed painlessly and memorably.’ —SLJ. ‘An exciting adventure. . . . Illustrations [by Caldecott Medal winner Marc Simont] explode with color and action.’ —CS. Best Books of 1979 (SLJ) Children's Choices for 1980 (IRA/CBC) A Reading Rainbow Selection

Charlie, his dad and Doggo the dog are at the seaside. Charlie decides to dig the biggest hole he can in the sand. Nothing strange here you might think - until he falls in!

Preacher’s Daughter Saves The World The town of Iron Hat, South Dakota, has disappeared and only one eccentric local remembers it ever existed. Investigators hear him out, but decide he's just gone crazy. When Graves Hill, a town near Leicester, also disappears with only the MP complaining he's missing some constituents, the Black Dragoons—a clandestine military unit dedicated to protecting Great Britain from supernatural threats—investigate. Soon, the Black Dragoons and their American counterparts are working together. Preacher's Daughter is on the case, but Great Britain may never be the same again...

Discover amazing and fascinating sea creatures in the hole in the bottom of the sea! Based on the traditional cumulative song, each verse introduces a new creature and its place in the food chain, with the shark chasing the eel, who chases the squid, who chases the snail. Enhanced CD includes videso animation and audio singalong.