Illustrations and simple, rhyming text celebrate the history and culture of New Orleans as seen by a seven-year-old, his brother, and their grandmother, who lives in a shotgun house.

The purpose of this book is to help people who have been ostracized, estranged, discounted, overlooked, belittled, or in some way, have been excluded from the mainstream of society. The book’s targeted audience includes those who have been separated or excommunicated from their families, local churches, and jobs. This group includes people who are the so-called black sheep of the family, the odd person out, the little girl that the rest of the class picks on, and the little boy who is constantly made fun of for the entertainment of his peers. There is a particular feeling of commonality that we share in this type of segregation. Further, my book seeks to turn this negative bed into a good one. This book empathizes with the reader through my personal experiences, tribulations, and victories. From my testimony and the Word of God, this book gives the reader a new perspective on life.

This is the story of a young man who enters a Catholic seminary to study to become a Catholic priest. From his early youth, he is influenced by situations which steer him through various stages of his life. His seminary experiences and Catholic faith mold him into the man he is today. He matures into a man with good Christian family values and takes many directions throughout his life. He leads an interesting, full and productive life. Above all, God is always present because of his early training in the seminary. His work ethic is evident. In the seminary, he attended school six days a week; throughout his life, he worked six days a week.

“Most people never live their dreams as entrepreneurs because they give up. Afraid of the risk. By reading Tina and Harold Lewis’s book A Journey by Faith, those who are searching for what makes a successful business can discover the two most vital things: God and Family.”—Rolland Martin, Journalist, TV commentator, TV One, CNN “Everyone loves a love story. Here it is. A perfect love between Tina and Harold and their super successful entrepreneurial achievements, against all odds. It’s beautiful, heart-touching, and profoundly inspiring. I predict you will like it.”—Mark Victor Hansen Co-Creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul series “Harold and Tina know the meaning of Success from the ground up. They understand the Value of hard work, drive and dedication. They just don't talk about it they live it. A remarkable story and remarkable couple!”—Stedman Graham, Author, Speaker From the foreword by Andrew Young: “Harold and Tina’s book, aptly titled A Journey of Faith, revisits the essence of trust in a modern context. This includes everything from corporate politics to raising children to facing dire health challenges. From the beginning, everything Tina and Harold undertake is for creating a legacy for their children—as they themselves were given a legacy from their own parents of integrity, hard work, and unwavering faith. “While the goal of Tina and Harold’s life is success, I want to emphasize again that this means success in a broad definition. It doesn’t mean getting rich. In fact, I don’t believe the word ‘rich’ occurs even once in the book. From the beginning, everything Tina and Harold undertake is for creating a legacy for their children—as they themselves were given a legacy from their own parents of integrity, hard work, and unwavering faith.”

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson's All Boys Aren't Blue explores their childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. A New York Times Bestseller! Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, Today Show, and MSNBC feature stories From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys. Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren't Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults. (Johnson used he/him pronouns at the time of publication.) Velshi Banned Book Club Indie Bestseller Teen Vogue Recommended Read Buzzfeed Recommended Read People Magazine Best Book of the Summer A New York Library Best Book of 2020 A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2020 ... and more!

Lines Were Drawn looks at a group of Mississippi teenagers whose entire high school experience, beginning in 1969, was under federal court-ordered racial integration. Through oral histories and other research, this group memoir considers how the students, despite their markedly different backgrounds, shared a common experience that greatly influences their present interactions and views of the world—sometimes in surprising ways. The book is also an exploration of memory and the ways in which the same event can be remembered in very different ways by the participants. The editors (proud members of Murrah High School's Class of 1973) and more than fifty students and teachers address the reality of forced desegregation in the Deep South from a unique perspective—that of the faculty and students who experienced it and made it work, however briefly. The book tries to capture the few years in which enough people were so willing to do something about racial division that they sacrificed immediate expectations to give integration a true chance. This period recognizes a rare moment when the political will almost caught up with the determination of the federal courts to finally do something about race. Because of that collision of circumstances, southerners of both races assembled in the public schools and made integration work by coming together, and this book seeks to capture those experiences for subsequent generations.

A timely and kaleidoscopic reflection on the importance of the arts in our society In the midst of a devastating pandemic, as theaters, art galleries and museums, dance stages and concert halls shuttered their doors indefinitely and institutional funding for entertainment and culture evaporated almost overnight, a cohort of highly acclaimed scholars, artists, cultural critics, and a journalist sat down to ponder an urgent question: Are the arts essential? Across twenty-five highly engaging essays, these luminaries join together to address this question and to share their own ideas, experiences, and ambitions for the arts. Darren Walker discusses the ideals of justice and fairness advanced through the arts; Mary Schmidt Campbell shows us how artists and cultural institutions helped New York overcome the economic crisis of the 1970s, bringing new investment and creativity to the city; Deborah Willis traces histories of oppression and disenfranchisement documented by photographers; and Oskar Eustis offers a brief history lesson on how theaters have built communities since the Golden Age of Athens. Other topics include the vibrancy and diversity of Muslim culture in America during a time of rising Islamophobia; the strengthening of the common good through the art and cultural heritages of indigenous communities; digital data aggregation informing and influencing new art forms; and the jazz lyricisms of a theater piece inspired by a composer’s two-month coma. Drawing on their experiences across the spectrum of the arts, from the performing and visual arts to poetry and literature, the contributors remind readers that the arts are everywhere and, in one important way after another, they question, charge and change us. These impassioned essays remind us of the human connections the arts can forge—how we find each other through the arts, across the most difficult divides, and how the arts can offer hope in the most challenging times. What answer does this convocation offer to Are the Arts Essential? A resounding Yes.