With a reporter's eye for the inside story and a historian's grasp of the ironies in our collective past, Greg Downs affectionately observes some of the last survivors of what Greil Marcus has called the old, weird America. Living off the map and out of sight, folks like Embee, Rudy, Peg, and Branch define themselves by where they are, not by what they eat, drink, or wear. The man who is soon to abandon his family in "Ain't I a King, Too?" is mistaken for the populist autocrat of Louisiana, Huey P. Long—on the day after Long's assassination. In "Hope Chests," a history teacher marries his student and takes her away from a place she hated, only to find that neither one of them can fully leave it behind. An elderly man in "Snack Cakes" enlists his grandson to help distribute his belongings among his many ex-wives, living and dead. In the title story, another intergenerational family tale, a young boy is caught in a feud between his mother and grandmother. The older woman uses the language of baseball to convey her view of religion and nobility to her grandson before the boy's mother takes him away, maybe forever. Caught up in pasts both personal and epic, Downs's characters struggle to maintain their peculiar, grounded manners in an increasingly detached world.

Maps are included to illustrate the locations mentioned in the book.

Myths and heroes may be reborn, but the whims of the gods never change. Enter a world where Game of Thrones meets Clash of the Titans with this collection of the first three books from the "highly recommended" Osteria Chronicles series. Perfect for fans of mythology and historical fantasy fiction by Madeline Miller, Simon Scarrow, S.J.A. Turney, Mary Renault, and Glyn Iliffe, The Osteria Chronicles are a captivating series in which the myths, gods, and heroes of Ancient Greece come to life as you've never seen them before. This set includes… * The Trials of Hercules: In a world where mortals contend with the gods' vengeful whims, one man must ask himself if he will risk his life to defend the goddess who has done everything to destroy him. * The Voyage of Heroes: In a dangerous game that pits god against god, and family against one another, trust proves to be the deadliest weapon. * The Maze of Minos: With the gods as your allies, your life, your world, and your sanity have never been in more danger. * Exclusive Bonus Content to take you deeper into the world of Osteria Adventure, betrayal, and passion are waiting. Lose yourself in a new world by grabbing The Osteria Chronicles Box Set today! What Readers are Saying... * This book should be rated as one of the top ten books of the year. I can't emphasize enough how good this book was and how much I enjoyed reading it. * …kept me turning pages the whole way through like any guilty pleasure * …highly recommended for fans of fantasy in general and Greek mythology in particular… * …satisfying, from beginning to end. * The interactions of the gods and mortals was inspired. Seeing the gods behaving badly was a treat. * I was immediately pulled in. * I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. Trigger warning: These books contain violence and fictional situations that may be disturbing to sensitive readers

When a scheming uncle partners with the god of war, the freedom of a peaceful land and the lives of its leaders hang in the balance. In this dangerous game between gods and mortals, trust may prove to be the deadliest weapon. Believing a well-guarded treasure will prove he is rightful leader, Jason, Prince of Illamos Valley, sets out on a perilous quest to obtain it. As his voyage takes him across treacherous waters and into an aggressively fortified kingdom, Jason finds himself combatting the ire of gods and monsters, struggling to control a rebellious crew, and battling against doubts of his own worthiness to be king of the land he is fighting to save. But even if he gains the treasure, can Jason recapture the trust of his people, secure his throne, and survive the betrayal of the one person he never expected to turn against him? Vividly set in the captivating world introduce in The Trials of Hercules, The Voyage of Heroes blends history, mythology, and fantasy into a page-turning adventure of fidelity, treachery, corruption and duty. If you like fast-paced adventure, perilous romance, heroes battling monsters within and without, and gods behaving badly you'll love this second installment of The Osteria Chronicles, a highly-recommended series that brings the myths of Ancient Greece to life as you've never seen them before. Continue your Osterian adventure by picking up a copy of The Voyage of Heroes today!

A true, down-to-eath story of a young person growing up in Australia in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. It was a time of global financial crisis, high unemployment, war, nuclear threats, drought, bush fires, floods and shark attacks. A time not unlike the present...

Emily Rapp was born with a congenital defect that required, at the age of four, that her left foot be amputated. By the time she was eight she'd had dozens of operations, had lost most of her leg, from just above the knee, and had become the smiling, indefatigable "poster child" for the March of Dimes. For years she made appearances at church suppers and rodeos, giving pep talks about how normal and happy she was. All the while she was learning to live with what she later described as "my grievous, irrevocable flaw," and the paradox that being extraordinary was the only way to be ordinary. Praise for Poster Child: "Rapp's precise and forthright descriptions of her exhausting physical ordeals and complex psychic wounds are simultaneously harrowing and fascinating, and they foster a strong bond between writer and reader...Rapp approaches the memoir as a supple, revelatory, involving and generous genre....She offers a fresh perspective on our obsession with physical perfection, especially the crushing expectations for women, and she writes delicately about the fears that disability engenders regarding intimacy and sex. Rapp's insider's view of the history of prostheses deepens our empathy and admiration for those who depend on artificial limbs, a growing population, once again, in yet another time of war and horrific injuries. Memoir, the conduit from the personal to the universal, is the surest way into the kind of significant psychological, sociological and spiritual truth Rapp is engaged in articulating. And there isn't one false note here. Not one inauthentic moment. No cheap manipulation. No self-importance...Her cauterizing specificity is compelling, her candor incandescent and her intelligence, courage and spiritual diligence stupendous."-Donna Seaman, Los Angeles Times "You can't put down this excellent memoir ...Poster Child beautifully illustrates every human being's sometimes overt, sometimes co

Hike, camp, backpack, and navigate the wilderness like a pro with this fun and comprehensive survival guide for outdoors-women and fans of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild This fun, practical handbook covers everything from “feminine functions” (like dealing with your period and peeing in the woods) to staying safe (like protecting yourself from strangers). You'll also find chapters that help you prepare for—and make the most of—your time in the wilderness with information and advice on: • Gear lists • Personal Care • Camp setup • Fire building • Weather • Navigation • Food & Water Fun and informative, A Woman's Guide to the Wild will inspire you to get out on your own or with your girlfriends, explore the wilderness, and get a little dirty.