Krystian Leonard is a sophomore in high school and entered her first pageant at age 14. She wrote Shining Scars as a way to reach out to children healing with visible scars. Krystian developed and created her own non-profit organization Shining S.C.A.R.S. at age 15 as a result of the scars she endured. She spends countless hours volunteering and promoting her organization as well as competing in pageantry. Growing up she experienced first-hand the trials and self-esteem issues associated with visible scars. Healing with visible scars left Krystian feeling damaged and ashamed. She found the strength she needed to overcome her self-image and entered her first beauty pageant at the age of 14. One year later she summoned the courage to compete in the Miss America Scholarship Organization. As part of her application, Krystian was to choose a platform for which she would become an advocate. She wanted to choose a platform she could be passionate about, and thus Shining S.C.A.R.S. was born.

“An unforgettable look at the peculiar horrors and humiliations involved in solitary confinement” from the prisoners who have survived it (New York Review of Books). On any given day, the United States holds more than eighty-thousand people in solitary confinement, a punishment that—beyond fifteen days—has been denounced as a form of cruel and degrading treatment by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. Now, in a book that will add a startling new dimension to the debates around human rights and prison reform, former and current prisoners describe the devastating effects of isolation on their minds and bodies, the solidarity expressed between individuals who live side by side for years without ever meeting one another face to face, the ever-present specters of madness and suicide, and the struggle to maintain hope and humanity. As Chelsea Manning wrote from her own solitary confinement cell, “The personal accounts by prisoners are some of the most disturbing that I have ever read.” These firsthand accounts are supplemented by the writing of noted experts, exploring the psychological, legal, ethical, and political dimensions of solitary confinement. “Do we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for twenty-three hours a day, for months, sometimes for years at a time? That is not going to make us safer. That’s not going to make us stronger.” —President Barack Obama “Elegant but harrowing.” —San Francisco Chronicle “A potent cry of anguish from men and women buried way down in the hole.” —Kirkus Reviews

This striking work of narrative nonfiction tells the true story of six-year-old Sachiko Yasui's survival of the Nagasaki atomic bomb on August 9, 1945, and the heartbreaking and lifelong aftermath. Having conducted extensive interviews with Sachiko Yasui, Caren Stelson chronicles Sachiko's trauma and loss as well as her long journey to find peace. This book offers readers a remarkable new perspective on the final moments of World War II and their aftermath.

Ever wonder how many more curveballs life will throw at you? Ever question how other people triumph over life changing hardships? Who I Am: American Scar Stories is the first book to unite riveting portraits and inspirational short stories of lives interrupted by physically scarring life changing events. Inside the book, you will discover the turning point for Kona Triathlete BethAnn Telford, childhood cancer survivor Courtney Ott, attempted murder victim José Rios, rising Miss America pageant queen Krystian Leonard, fashion designer Amy Tippins, and seven more men, women, and children. Stories of illness, bullying, organ donation, self-harm, near death experiences, recovery and victory underline how to find silver linings in life's obstacles. Who I Am: American Scar Stories illuminates the tenacity and passion of the human spirit and how it is never too late to reinvent yourself. Foreword: David Mezzapelle (Bestselling Author: Contagious Optimism; Viva Editions, 2014) Hardcover/Case Laminate 60 pages

Fear of being abandoned keeps nineteen-year-old Harmony Dust trapped in an abusive and cruel relationship. She thinks she has hit bottom--tens of thousands of dollars in debt, struggling to get by, and so controlled by her boyfriend that she doesn't protest when he begins openly sleeping around. Things can't get worse . . . until someone tells her how much money she can make as an exotic dancer. For the next three years, Harmony lives a double life as Monique, a dancer in a fully-nude strip club. Scars and Stilettos is Harmony's stark, honest, and ultimately hopeful story of how God found her in that dark, noisy place and led her out. She has since married, completed an MA in social welfare, and now leads Treasures, an organization helping women in the sex trade discover their true worth. "Harmony wrote her story so that you and your friends may get help out of whatever dark tunnel you find yourself in. I know her heart, and it is to see all of us live our lives in the very purpose for which we were created. I do want to warn you . . . once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down. You will laugh, you will cry, you will be encouraged, you will fall in love with God all over again . . . and you will want to get a copy for every person you know." --Holly Wagner, from the preface "Harmony's story is compelling evidence of how far the love of God reaches to heal broken lives and restore all that has been stolen." --Nancy Alcorn, Mercy Ministries