Mount Washington, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is the highest peak in the northeastern United States. It is often cited—by its inhabitants, no less—as the home of the country’s worst weather, a claim supported by the mountain’s long-held record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth’s surface (231 mph on April 12, 1934). As a transmitter supervisor for WMTW-TV, Lee Vincent traveled regularly to the summit of Mount Washington. Soon enough his reports from the peak began appearing in a column in a local paper—and just as quickly captivated readers near and far. These columns—with their accounts of the everyday lives and unusual exploits of the individuals who chose, against all odds and most notions of common sense, to call Mount Washington home—are gathered in this book. As entertaining and engaging as they are informative, these reports from the summit form an invaluable record of life happily lived in extremity. Accompanied by remarkable photographs and candid snapshots, they also document the experience and insights—and after Vincent’s diagnosis with a virulent form of cancer, the valiant last days—of someone who had seen the mountaintop and reported back for the edification and delight of those lucky enough to read his columns and books.

Lessons of Freedom By: Holland O. Parran Jr. Lessons of Freedom tells the story of the young slave, Totter. As the son of his mistress’s former slave and best friend, Totter and Miss Anna share a special bond. Miss Anna loves and cares for him like her own—which includes teaching him how to read. However, teaching a slave to read is illegal and could get Miss Anna in trouble with the law if Totter is found out, not to mention what fate would fall on Totter should he be discovered. To ensure his safety, Miss Anna smuggles Totter off with a Mormon family to be free. While Totter travels with the Butlers and another young slave girl, they are ambushed by the Apaches. The Apaches kill Mr. and Mrs. Butler, but when Totter defends himself and the young slave girl with a pistol, he impresses the Chief and they are taken in as Apaches themselves. Now called Black Wolf, Totter lives with and learns the ways of the Apaches. Soon, the news of the Black Apache spreads around and settles on the wrong ears. Someone from Totter’s past knows he can read, and he’ll do anything to prove it and see Totter captured and thrown back into slavery.

In 2012 Alan Montgomery sent out an email to a group of men who he knew were born between 1946-1964, a time that has been described as the Baby Boomer age. The premise for this book was to gather an array of short stories from amateur writers about their experiences growing up and then compile them into a collection that is given some historical and social context by using a story from a pre and post boomer perspective. He posed various questions to the contributors to help them explore their past and the impact it has had on their own current situation. The stories range in scope from self-discovery, karate as a means to the fountain of youth, to a lengthy semi-biographical of one man's journey through the boomer age. Four short letters from the past open the book, introducing the reader to the generation before the boomers arrived. Boomer Boys Looking Back is a book filled with interesting insights into a generation that will soon fade into obscurity as it struggles to remain relevant. Each story is designed to provide an intriguing perspective from the point of view from the boomers as they made their way through their lives. A dozen or so men have made such a huge contribution toward this book, those of whom have travelled distances to meet up and give their own compelling narrative of events. All that remains is to take the reader on a journey of curiosity and allow you to marvel how the boomer evolved.