If you are the parent, caregiver, or educator of a child with autism, He Ain't Heavy (He's My Son) is for you. Dana Jones, mother of a thirteen year-old boy living with autism, shares her tenacious quest to discover everything about autism. From common misconceptions to handling cruel comments and attitudes, this thought-provoking book will educate and motivate readers of all ages. An important element is the challenge Jones faces as a single parent, and her reminder that single parenting is no barrier to giving a child love, support, and opportunity in a country where autism is finally coming out of the dark corner and being explored with greater openness and honestly. This is a book about parenting a child who is autistic, but it is also a story of compassion and hope. Most of all, it is a reminder that every special needs child deserves to be loved, educated, and accepted.

Now available together for the first time, two of the best works—a novel and a short story—from Ooscar-nominated screenwriter Hanif Kureishi, one of the most original, celebrated, and prophetic voices in British fiction and film. First capturing the attention of audiences and critics in the 1980s with award-winning works such as The Buddha of Suburbia, and My Beautiful Laundrette, and recently described by The New York Times Magazine as “a kind of postcolonial Philip Roth,” Hanif Kureishi remains one of the most compelling artists of our time. These stunningly prescient earlier works of Kureishi’s are more timely and relevant than ever, and they’re now reissued in one volume. The Black Album, Kureishi’s second novel, is an exhilarating multicultural coming-of-age tale featuring Shalid, a sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll-loving Pakistani student torn between a love affair with a gorgeous free-spirited college professor and his desire to please his conservative Muslim community. In the story “My Son the Fanatic,” which is also an award-winning film, Kureishi reveals the shifting values between a father and son—two generations of immigrants struggling between assimilation and separatist fundamentalism. Praised as an author who “fully entertains while addressing wickedly complex social issues” (San Francisco Chronicle), Kureishi infuses these deft and vivid stories with his love of non-conformity and his understanding of the ties that bind us to family and culture.

Gayle Batt is the kind of lady who throws elegant cocktail parties while wearing layers of silk chiffon, dripping pearls, and eight months’ pregnant. She is the kind of woman who says “anyhoo” and calls everyone “Dahlin’” or a special pet name. With hair, makeup, and nails always done to perfection, she triumphs rather than crumbles when infidelity, alcoholism, cancer, or any form of adversity attempts to shatter her family. Endearing and enduring, Gayle is a big-hearted, strong-willed true Southern belle—and she taught her son everything he knows about being a man. In She Ain’t Heavy, She’s My Mother, Bryan Batt, the actor who plays Sal Romano on the Emmy, Golden Globe, and Peabody Award–winning Mad Men, chronicles his life—and his mother’s supportive presence in it. From growing up gay below the Mason-Dixon Line to landing principal roles on Broadway (his first was on roller skates playing a singing and dancing boxcar in Starlight Express!) and later on the picture-perfect sets of TV’s Mad Men, to opening the ever-popular Hazelnut boutique in his hometown of New Orleans with his partner, Bryan weaves a touching and hilarious story of the South, showbiz, and an unshakable bond between mother and son.

Nicholas Spencer, charismatic head of the medical research company Gen-Stone, involved in the development of an anticancer vaccine, suddenly disappears. His private plane crashes, but his body is not found. Rocking the financial and medical world even more, comes the shocking revelation that Spencer had looted Gen-Stone of huge sums of money - and that his wife, Lynn, is accused of having participated in the scam. Narrowly escaping death when her mansion is set on fire, Lynn turns to her stepsister, Carley, a columnist for the Wall Street Weekly, to help prove that she was not her husband's accomplice. As Carley proceeds with her investigation, she is confronted by seemingly impenetrable questions: Is Nicholas Spencer dead or in hiding? Was he guilty or set up? And as the facts begin to unfold, she becomes the focus of a dangerous group involved in a sinister and fraudulent scheme.

Just when counter clerk Teddy Warner is about to be evicted from her Scranton apartment, she bumps into beautiful, brilliant, blond Rachel – her estranged childhood friend whose mother forbid their friendship thinking Teddy was beneath them.

Wild with Child is a unique collection of true stories by parents who boldly head out into the wilderness with kids in tow (or in the lead, as the case may be). These stories run the gamut of adventure; winter camping, climbing, spelunking, field research, skiing, llama trekking, fishing, hunting, and searching for pirate treasure with children of all ages. Readers should bundle up before they strike out into the Rocky Mountains with Mark Jenkins, whose idea of quality time with the kids is camping in a snow cave. Leslie Leyland Fields shares deep gratitude as her brood safely migrates to an Alaskan island by bush plane. Maleesha Speer confides her personal evolution as she awakens to the wonder of her unborn child in bear country. Whether just beginning the course of wild parenting or looking back at the trail they've taken, these writers aren't willing to accept Disneyland as the final frontier. Even the most civilized among them insist that their children grow up feeling grass between their toes and sun on their skin. It's a healthy heritage, giving kids a steady set of bearings, making them strong, and helping them rise to challenges.

Diane Sawyers husband, Mick, plays first-grade rugby league football for the North Brisbane Flyers. In a match against the Westside Workers, Mick is subjected to an illegal tackle and is fatally injured. The Westside players who perpetrated the tackle are not penalized. Prior to the match, Diane heard the referee place a large bet on the Westside Workers, meaning he had a vested interest in the outcome of the game. However, she cannot prove what she heard. Convinced others within the game are corrupt, Diane decides to deal with the corruption by becoming a referee. There has never been a female first-grade referee in the history of the gameand certain people will do anything they have to in order to ensure that Diane will not set the precedent.