Collects the stories of Americans who were profiled in the author's "Everybody Has a Story" column, tracing his two decades of encounters with more than eight hundred individuals, many of whose perspectives changed his life.

Americans in the 1960s were affected by many revolutions that would change the course of history in America. There was musical revolution, sexual revolution, social revolution, educational revolution, racial integration, race riots, and the effects of the Vietnam War. For a young black man like Nathan Summerdale, many of these changes had not yet reached the small city of Sarasota. Nathan knew that in order for him to experience these exciting changes, he had to leave his small community of Newtown.

No Ordinary Journey marks the centenary of the death of arctic explorer Dr John Rae. Rae was the first arctic traveller to find evidence of the fate of the missing Franklin expedition, evidence that was based on Inuit testimony. This embroiled him in argu

Ten Personal Stories of Men Who Sought the Promise of the West Pioneer men traveling the overland trails during the mid-nineteenth century found the adventure of their lives―and the most grueling, dangerous endeavor they had ever undertaken. Most of them were young and looking for a new life. Many were Midwestern farmers who were tired of the never-ending cycle of monotonous chores that left little time for leisure. Other men had been persecuted, enslaved, or were living in poverty. When they heard stories from the West about rich, free land or California gold nuggets waiting to be claimed, they were eager to go. Often lacking the know-how needed to complete an overland journey, men set out anyway, planning to learn as they went. Those who brought along their sometimes-reluctant wives and children found out the hard way that traversing the primitive trails with a family was not a simple venture. The trip was so challenging that no part could be considered ordinary as they pushed toward the West, which glowed in their minds like the rising sun.

How safe is your marriage? The answer may surprise you. The biggest threat to any marriage isn’t infidelity or miscommunication. The greatest enemy is ordinary. Ordinary marriages lose hope. Ordinary marriages lack vision. Ordinary marriages give in to compromise. Ordinary is the belief that this is as good as it will ever get. And when we begin to settle for ordinary, it’s easy to move from “I do” to “I’m done.” Justin and Trisha Davis know just how dangerous ordinary can be. In this beautifully written book, Justin and Trisha take us inside the slow fade that occurred in their own marriage—each telling the story from their own perspective. Together, they reveal the mistakes they made, the work they avoided, the thoughts and feelings that led to an affair and near divorce, and finally, the heart-change that had to occur in both of them before they could experience the hope, healing, and restoration of a truly extraordinary marriage.