Mike's life was on the fast track to success. As a proud Marine and College student in his Senior year, Mike's life came to an abrupt halt one cold winter night in 2005. Mike was celebrating with his friends and decided to get behind the wheel of his car after having too much to drink. His vehicle slipped on a patch of black ice and violently crashed. The accident killed his friend and left Mike in a coma suffering multiple life-threatening injuries. After years of rehabilitation, Mike still struggles with the physical and psychological scars caused by the tragic event. Instead of allowing the tragedies in Mike's life to ruin his life, he strives every day to be the best Daddy to his amazing daughter and have a positive impact on as many lives as possible. Showing everyone by example of how Mike lives his life that anything is possible, and life is what you make it.

There was the sound of a single bullet, and then . . . a deafening barrage of gunfire and explosions. There were, literally, thousands of bullets in the air at once, and more tracers streaking across the sky than there were stars overhead. It was a miracle that most of us weren’t killed instantly. Staff Sergeant Salvatore, “Sal,” Giunta was the first living person to receive the Medal of Honor—the highest honor presented by the U.S. military—since the conclusion of the Vietnam War. In Living with Honor, this hero who maintains he is “just a soldier” tells us the story of the fateful day in Afghanistan that led to his receiving the unique honor. With candor, insight, and humility, Giunta not only recounts the harrowing events leading up to when he and his company fell under siege, but also illustrates the empowering, invaluable lessons he learned. As a seventeen-year-old teen working at Subway, Giunta was like any other kid trying to figure out which step to take next with his life after graduating from high school. When Giunta walked into the local Army recruiting center in his hometown, he just wanted a free T-shirt. But when he walked out, his curiosity had been piqued and he enlisted in the Army. Deployed to Afghanistan, Giunta soon learned from the more seasoned soldiers how “different” this war was compared to others that America had fought. Stationed with the 173rd Airborne Brigade near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in the Korengal Valley— also known as the “Valley of Death”—Giunta and his company were ambushed by Taliban insurgents. Giunta went into action after seeing that his squad leader had fallen. Exposing himself to blistering enemy fire, Giunta charged toward his squad leader and administered first aid while he covered him with his own body. Though Giunta was struck by the relentless barrage of bullets, he engaged the enemy and then attempted to reach additional wounded soldiers. When he realized that yet another soldier was separated from his unit, he advanced forward. Discovering two rebels carrying away a U.S. soldier, Giunta killed one insurgent and wounded the other, and immediately provided aid to the injured soldier. More than just a remarkable memoir by a remarkable person, Living with Honor is a powerful testament to the human spirit and all that one can achieve when faced with seemingly impossible obstacles. *** The President clasps the medal around my neck. Applause fills the room. But I know it’s not for me alone. I look at my mom and dad. I look at Brennan’s parents and I look at Mendoza’s. And I try to communicate to Brennan and Mendoza wordlessly: This is for you . . . and for everyone who has fought and died. For everyone who has made the ultimate sacrifice. I am not a hero. I’m just a soldier. —Salvatore A. Giunta, from Living with Honor

This book is an attempt to coax Roman history closer to the bone, to the breath and matter of the living being. Drawing from a remarkable array of ancient and modern sources, Carlin Barton offers the most complex understanding to date of the emotional and spiritual life of the ancient Romans. Her provocative and original inquiry focuses on the sentiments of honor that shaped the Romans' sense of themselves and their society. Speaking directly to the concerns and curiosities of the contemporary reader, Barton brings Roman society to life, elucidating the complex relation between the inner life of its citizens and its social fabric. Though thoroughly grounded in the ancient writings—especially the work of Seneca, Cicero, and Livy—this book also draws from contemporary theories of the self and social theory to deepen our understanding of ancient Rome. Barton explores the relation between inner desires and social behavior through an evocative analysis of the operation, in Roman society, of contests and ordeals, acts of supplication and confession, and the sense of shame. As she fleshes out Roman physical and psychological life, she particularly sheds new light on the consequential transition from republic to empire as a watershed of Roman social relations. Barton's ability to build productively on both old and new scholarship on Roman history, society, and culture and her imaginative use of a wide range of work in such fields as anthropology, sociology, psychology, modern history, and popular culture will make this book appealing for readers interested in many subjects. This beautifully written work not only generates insight into Roman history, but also uses that insight to bring us to a new understanding of ourselves, our modern codes of honor, and why it is that we think and act the way we do.

This book will lead readers to deeper relationships with others. It explains how to recognize that each person, as a creation of God, deserves honor.

In this coming-of-age tale set in early 19th century America, two sons of the Virginia aristocracy risk it all to defend their dreams and determine their own destinies. General Armistead Mason and John “Jack” Mason McCarty are brothers-in-law, second cousins and descendants of founding father George Mason IV. Ambitious and headstrong, together they set out to find love, acceptance and honor on their own merit. Armistead—by nature a politician—demands respect and strives for perfection. Jack—by inclination a rover—looks to forge his own path. When Armistead is challenged by corruption in the political machine and is denied a seat in the US Congress, the two become embroiled in a bitter dispute that sets in motion an irrevocable chain of events, leading them to the dueling grounds and an outcome that changes everything. Based on historical events of the 1819 Mason-McCarty duel, Masque of Honor is a story of courage, conviction, and the cost of sacrificing one life to forge another.

"Passions Have No Pity", from Live For Eternity. The Man. Paris Stone. A fearless, seductive, passionate musical genius who vows to create a new music, win eternal glory and redefine what it means to be American, at any cost. The Woman. Simone Duplaix. A proud, dashing, brilliant heiress of a 300-year-old secret tradition of American women, who vows to stop him because she loves him. Live For Eternity tells the epic human story of these two irresistible forces as they strive to outdo each other in love, passion, ambition and brilliance. Paris Stone is the founder and leader of the revolutionary musical octet Orpheus. For ten years they've worked to create a new music and now they are ready to seduce and conquer the world with this new sound. But months before Orpheus begins, Paris meets Simone, a moment that alters their destinies and everyone around them. When she hears about Orpheus' mission, Simone bets Paris she can stop his and Orpheus' inevitable success. Paris accepts her challenge and sets in motion events that might destroy them both. In their relentless quest to outdo each other, they trample upon accepted truths, uproot popular beliefs, and push themselves and everyone around them to the limit and beyond, all for passion, love, honor and victory. But how far will they go? How hard will they push? Sworn to eternal love but also sworn to outshine each other, will they risk everything they hold dear: their families, their love for each other, even their lives, all for victory and glory, all to Live For Eternity?

He had known this day would come. No man could escape the entire might of the Sovran forever. He just found it humorous that it was an enemy of the Sovran that had caught him instead. Bound, kneeling before a queen whom he had hounded for a straight year, he should have been anxious. Or at least a little worried. Instead, a strange sense of relief filled him. It was over. His mad escape from Brindisi's justice was over. "That is a very calm expression on your face, General Darius Bresalier," she observed. Her tone was idle, but her eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. "Are you not worried?" "I knew what the punishment would be, Your Most High Majesty," he answered respectfully. "I have had a year to resign myself to my fate. I cannot complain." She gave a low, musical hum of approval. "Well said. I have heard many reports on what you did but never once did I believe I could have the full tale." She leaned forward, causing the silk pillows behind her to slide in every direction. "Kingslayer, tell me. Why did you kill your king?"