What J. D. needs is a little peace and quiet. He is trying to run two restaurants, keep his daughter from dropping out of college, and satisfy his lonely, aging mother. Cash begins to disappear from one of the restaurants, and he and his wife argue about how to deal with the problem. One tranquil evening, J. D. takes off on a ride in the country to clear his mind. Top down, setting sun, wind in his hair ... leak in the radiator. When he walks up to an old farmhouse to ask for water, he finds a family living in poverty, and vows to help. When he returns with groceries, he can't find them or the house—although he's not lost. While J. D. struggles to make sense of this mystery, his behavior creates doubt in his marriage, and even his best friend thinks he's crazy. And when he solves it, his life is changed forever.

Having decided to take a year off between college and law school to work on a road construction project, twenty-three-year-old Simon Kozlowski is dismayed when he learns his job has been eliminated before it even started. Far from his Hiawatha, New Jersey home and without transportation, Simon falls into the graces of Alisha Caldwell, a sophisticated but mysterious socialite who claims she is an artist and businesswoman. Simon agrees to work for the forty-one-year-old single mother in a job he never imagined himself doing providing companionship and childcare to five-year-old Corey Caldwell. As time passes, Simon slowly learns that all is not what it seems. There are secrets everywhere he turns in the Caldwell's house, in the lives of Alisha and Corey, and in the lives of his family. Working to unravel these mysteries leads Simon deeper into the human heart than he's ever dared go and into a life he never imagined himself living. He wonders if he's in control of his own destiny.

"In this evocative memoir, Cassandra Lane deftly uses the act of imagination to reclaim her ancestors’ story as a backdrop for telling her own. The tradition of Black women’s storytelling leaps forward within these pages—into fresh, daring, and excitingly new territory." —Bridgett M. Davis, author of The World According to Fannie Davis When Cassandra Lane finds herself pregnant at thirty-five, the knowledge sends her on a poignant exploration of memory to prepare for her entry into motherhood. She moves between the twentieth-century rural South and present-day Los Angeles, reimagining the intimate life of her great-grandparents Mary Magdelene Magee and Burt Bridges, and Burt's lynching at the hands of vengeful white men in his southern town. We Are Bridges turns to creative nonfiction to reclaim a family history from violent erasure so that a mother can gift her child with an ancestral blueprint for their future. Haunting and poetic, this debut traces the strange fruit borne from the roots of personal loss in one Black family—and considers how to take back one’s American story.

A snowy night. A drive through a mountain canyon. "Nothing bad happens if I'm late" thinks 16-year-old Eli as he creeps along this winding road. He doesn't know anything about his soon-to-be passenger, Samantha, except that she's a friend of a friend and needs a ride to The Home Depot. But Eli is glad for the company, especially considering the stuff that's been going on in his town. Soon, though, Eli's terrible driving sparks an argument, and the conversation takes an odd, dark turn. Eli and Samantha tell stories designed to scare each other. Eli's story is haunting, but he's out of his league. Once Samantha tells her story, Eli finds himself driving too fast, not because he's going to be late, but because he wants out of that car. Eli's not going to make it to Home Depot.

This is an intriguing and inspiring collection of devotionals based on messages gleaned from signs along the roads we travel. It can be meaningful to adults, fascinating to children, and even helpful to youth learning to drive. Each message is supported by words of wisdom from the ancient Book of Proverbs. If we will just slow down and observe, even something as seemingly mundane as a road sign can convey a powerful lesson. "Mr. Brown, in the future, I would appreciate it if you would pay attention to them (road signs) and act accordingly." As he handed me the ticket, he said, 'Have a good day.'" -North Carolina State Trooper "My goodness, Bernie, this is amazing. Never thought of this ... but it is simple and profound. We can see road signs differently after reading your devotionals. The pictures are wonderful, too ... and Proverbs come alive in a new way." -Lucy Adams, Author and Cofounder of the Western NC Christian Writers Fellowship "Our city, like others, devotes a tremendous amount of resources toward placing directional and informational signs along its streets for guidance and to insure the public's safety. It is amazing how Bernie Brown has extracted additional meaning from many of these road signs to assist each of us on our individual life's journey. This fascinating little book will not only inspire you but will assist you in passing your 'spiritual driver's license' test." -Steve "Thunder" Tumlin, Jr., Mayor, city of Marietta, GA (Bernie's home since 1971; he was named Marietta Citizen of the Year in 1990)