The rumble of trains carrying people, cotton, and freight to and from Moore s Siding was the song of a vibrant community. People worked to build homes, schools, and churches as early as 1760. They got a town, Mooresville, in the bargain. James Elbert Sherrill, George C. Goodman, and the Turner brothers supported the growing economy. Love of community led Winnie Hooper and Elizabeth Matheson to champion recreation. Shaw Brown saw people in need and worked to establish a Christian mission. Mayor Joe Knox and Rep. Robert Brawley embraced change and led a mill town toward a technological future. Success at home led to success far away for artist Selma Burke, Mooresville Moors pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, New York Parties author Punky Brawley, and Reynolds Tobacco president S. Clay Williams."

For much of its history, Wake Forest was an idyllic college town. Trains chugged past White Street, the depot hummed with activity, and citizens could shop for groceries, see a movie, and cheer the Demon Deacons without ever getting behind the wheel of a car. It was a town of visionaries. Samuel Wait, William Louis Poteat, Sophie Stephens Lanneau, and Peahead Walker made history in the fields of academics, religion, and athletics; when famous 20th-century writer and satirist H.L. Mencken reportedly called North Carolina "the most intelligent" of all Southern states, he was referring to Wake Forest. That tradition continues today. The Allen family publishes one of the region's most honored weekly newspapers; Andy Ammons recreated small-town magic in the community known as Heritage Wake Forest; and Steve Tarangelo followed his dream to prove that "food is love."

Located in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina, Rutherford County is rich in history, resources, and people. Legendary Locals of Rutherford County attempts to capture this region's history and wealth through introducing some of its people and their lives. These locals begin with explorers like Hernando De Soto; early settlers unafraid of frontier living; early governors like Griffith Rutherford, who left his name in the region; and everyday people who made a difference. Textile magnate Raleigh Rutherford Haynes, South Mountain physician Benjamin Washburn, entertainer Dewitt "Snuffy" Jenkins, Sheriff Damon Huskey, radio announcers Jerrell Bedford and Jim Bishop, preacher Harold Brown, writer Tony Earley, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, funeral director T.R. Padgett, muralist Clive Haynes, novelist Kay Hooper, and museum founder-curator Mike Rhyne represent just a sampling of the more recent residents who have shaped the county, the state, and the nation.

With a cast containing ambitious CEOs, brash traders and powerful government officials, Banktown is poised to become the definitive account of how our national financial crisis played out in Charlotte and how its aftermath belted the economy and the pride of one of the New Souths brightest skylines.

A visionary, maverick, and genuine American business hero, Ken Iverson is one of the most closely-watched business leaders in the world. Credited with single-handedly rejuvenating the rapidly declining American steel industry to the status of world-class producer, Iverson is one of the most successful and, as he likes to point out, one of the lowest-paid CEOs in the U.S. In his long-awaited book, Ken Iverson shares his ideas, observations, and the lessons he's learned about what it takes to grow a super-competitive, world-class organization.

The Dale Earnhardt Memorial Pilgrimage is the last trip Judge Bekasu Holifield would have chosen for her vacation. But this year it's her sister Justine's turn to make their plans, and soon Bekasu's boarding a silver cruise bus for a tour of Southern stock car speedways with Justine, their cousin Cayle, and a group of strangers--all of whose lives have somehow been touched by the legendary racer they never met. . . For Shane McKee, the tour is a chance to get married at the speedway with his hero there in spirit. New York stockbroker Terence Palmer has made the trip to honor his only link with the father he never knew. Rev. Bill Knight, whose hobby is medieval pilgrimages, agrees to chaperone a dying child--and finds himself on a strangely familiar journey of faith and devotion. Bekasu begins connecting with her fellow travelers in unexpected ways. But she's not the only one. As the bus rolls down an uncertain road, prayers will be answered, secrets will be revealed, bonds will be forged, and no one will leave this journey of self-discovery quite the same. "One of McCrumb's finer achievements." --Denver Post & Rocky Mountain News "A wild ride! Sharyn McCrumb has done it again." --Ward Burton, winner of the Daytona 500