Bill Atkinson was the front rider on a toboggan racing down a snow-covered hill in New York state. Four young men were enjoying an exhilarating ride in the crisp air when, suddenly, they careened into a tree¿the devastating collision broke Bill¿s neck. Coming out of a coma, Bill found himself in a hospital bed, unable to feel his body. Trapped, helpless and totally dependent on friends and family, he was to begin a 40-year saga that would include his becoming the first quadriplegic ordained as a priest in the 2000-year history of the Catholic Church. He would go on to teach for many years at Monsignor Bonner High School in Upper Darby, PA¿in the suburbs of Philadelphia¿and provide counsel and inspiration to thousands of students...and he does so again in this wonderful book. Some had thought that Bill might become an athlete and that his brother, Al, might one day join the priesthood. A few years later, as Bill watched from his wheelchair, Al Atkinson, a superb linebacker, walked off the field of Super Bowl III having helped the New York Jets beat the mighty Baltimore Colts. Steve McWilliams volunteered to help Bill Atkinson. He thought that this good deed would give him ¿cred¿ with God¿if God existed¿and Steve was also too nice a guy to say ¿No¿ when a friend asked him to help out with the care of a ¿Father Bill.¿ After 18 years of visiting and helping, two days a week, with hardly a deep word spoken between them, Steve and Bill slowly began a conversation that would change both of their lives. They broke through a wall of silence¿that lack of deep communication which typifies the relationships between so many men¿and developed a true, nurturing friendship. It began with Bill¿s sharing of his poetry and ended with Steve¿s commitment to share his conversations with and love of this remarkable and inspiring Augustinian priest. This is not just a story for Catholics, although many will find their faith strengthened by the humility and wisdom of Father Bill. Others, who have doubted and felt that churchmen have strayed from the path of Christ, will find renewed hope and belief in their fellow man¿all of us will be inspired by a man who endured and accepted crushing adversity with rare courage and who said: Love God by loving your neighbor...¿Give and Receive Love¿ is the big Christian message¿the rest is just buildings and ceremonies...Love is our pipeline to the divine and God¿s waiting for us to ¿get that¿ one of these days...and in the meantime, he¿s being very patient with us! On dealing with an awful co-worker, he advised Steve to ¿Love him no matter what he did and you¿ll find peace; that¿s God¿s way. All of your anger is just going to make you sick. Give in to God¿s love, you¿ll be surprised what appears in your life.¿ That was Father Bill: Love & Acceptance personified.

“If you ever went to Catholic school, or never went to Catholic school, you need to read this funny, smart, kid-true book. It explains everything.” —Jon Scieszka, author of Time Warp Trio and The Stinky Cheese Man Jimmy Murphy’s sixth grade teacher, Sister Angelica Rose, is out to get him. She humiliates him in class and punishes him when he hasn’t done anything wrong. She even forces him to perform onstage with second graders, wearing a giant green banana costume. A classic underachiever with a talent for trouble, Jimmy wants revenge, and with his friends he plans a prank that will embarrass Sister Angelica in front of the whole school. What could possibly go wrong? "This is a light and funny coming of age story. Even students who do not attend parochial school can identify with Jimmy and the struggles that he and his friends go through. The characters are all dynamic and the reader will want to know more about them all. This is a quick and enjoyable read that any upper elementary student will enjoy." —School Library Connection A Junior Literary Guild Selection

'It is terrific. I can't remember the last time I read a book that was more fascinating and useful and enjoyable all at the same time.' Bill Bryson How Bad Are Bananas? was a groundbreaking book when first published in 2009, when most of us were hearing the phrase 'carbon footprint' for the first time. Mike Berners-Lee set out to inform us what was important (aviation, heating, swimming pools) and what made very little difference (bananas, naturally packaged, are good!). This new edition updates all the figures (from data centres to hosting a World Cup) and introduces many areas that have become a regular part of modern life - Twitter, the Cloud, Bitcoin, electric bikes and cars, even space tourism. Berners-Lee runs a considered eye over each area and gives us the figures to manage and reduce our own carbon footprint, as well as to lobby our companies, businesses and government. His findings, presented in clear and even entertaining prose, are often surprising. And they are essential if we are to address climate change.

English poet Roger Green left the safety of God, country, and whiskey to immerse himself in an austere and sober life on the Greek Island of Hydra. But when Green discovered that his terrace overlooked the garden of sixties balladeer Leonard Cohen, he became obsessed with Cohen's songs, wives, and banana tree. Hydra starts with a poem the author wrote and recited for his fifty-seventh birthday (borrowing the meter of Cohen's "Suzanne," and ripe with references to the song), with Cohen's ex-partner Suzanne, who may or may not be the subject of Cohen's song, in the audience. By turns playful and philosophic, Green's unconventional memoir tells the story of his journey down the rabbit hole of obsession, as he confronts the meaning of poetry, history, and his own life. Beginning as a poetic meditation upon Leonard Cohen's bananas, Green's bardic pilgrimage takes the reader on various twists and turns until, at last, the poet accepts the joy of accepting his fate.

When the new girl next door gives Tim, who is very shy, a mysterious birthday present, the two children become friends.

Here is a patient's perspective before, during and after receiving two heart transplants. Read what it is like to have had three hearts. Country music is often about loneliness, trains and pickup trucks. And then there are those final refrains like this one about love and broken hearts. This is an authentic "General Hospital" soap opera to be appreciated by men and women alike. In this memoir, this Texas musician, Jerry Fox, delivers to readers a treasure trove of tropes from cover to cover in "I Don't Buy Green Bananas."