Biography of Erastus Smith, known as Deaf because of his inability to hear, celebrating the gumption that led the sickly man from New York to Texas where he became strong, married, earned the respect of his neighbors, and became a hero in Texas' fight for independence from Mexico.

Predicated upon the principles of political freedom, cultural openness, religious tolerance, individual self-reliance and ethnic diversity, the United States of America has been tempted recurrently by the lures of the secret. American Secrets explores this political, historical and cultural phenomenon from many, often surprisingly overlapping angles in these analyses of the literary and cultural uses and abuses of secrecy within a democratic culture. Through analyses of diverse literary works and cultural manifestations - from Twain's anti-imperialist prophecies to 9/11 conspiracy theories, from the traumas of the Vietnam war to the homophobia of the American military establishment, from the unresolved dilemmas of nuclear politics to the secret ecologies shunted aside by the exploitation of the environment, from the questionings of national identity from the ethnic and (trans)sexual margins to the confessional modes of poetry and the poetics of the unspeakable and unrepresentable - these essays reveal the politics within the poetics and, indissociably, the poetics fueling the politics of secrecy in its ambivalent deployment.

Americans spoon it out of the jar, eat it in sandwiches by itself or with its bread-fellow jelly, and devour it with foods ranging from celery and raisins ("ants on a log") to a grilled sandwich with bacon and bananas (the classic "Elvis"). Peanut butter is used to flavor candy, ice cream, cookies, cereal, and a wide variety of other foods. It is a deeply ingrained staple of American childhood and cuisine. Creamy and Crunchy features the stories of Jif, Skippy, and Peter Pan; the resurgence of natural or old-fashioned peanut butter; the five ways today's product is different from the original; the plight of black peanut farmers; the role of peanut butter in fighting Third-World hunger; and the Salmonella outbreaks of 2007 and 2009. The story of peanut butter is the story of twentieth-century America, and Jon Krampner writes its first popular history, rich with anecdotes and facts culled from interviews, research, travels in the peanut-growing regions of the South, and recipes.

"The Secret Battleplane" by Percy F. Westerman is a thrilling adventure novel that combines the excitement of aviation with elements of espionage. Westerman's storytelling prowess shines through as he weaves a narrative filled with mystery and intrigue. The plot revolves around the quest to uncover the secrets of a revolutionary battleplane, a mission that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. With its engaging characters and pulse-pounding action sequences, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys aviation and espionage fiction. Westerman's ability to create an immersive and captivating story is on full display in "The Secret Battleplane."

Ten true stories of real-life kid spies! Can you imagine crossing enemy lines to deliver a secret message? Or spying on your enemy from the attic of their hideout?Read the 10 True Tales from kids just like you who risked their lives to be spies!