After soldiering in the Union Army and consequently being interned in a Confederate prison camp, Wilson McEwen is finally on his way home to the territories when he is ambushed by an unknown assailant. He is found near death on the road to Eagle Creek and taken home to be nursed by his old friend, Uncle Hy, and his sister-in-law, Sass, who was just a young girl when he left for the war. He learns that an erroneous telegram from the army has informed his wife, Elizabeth, that he has died in battle. As a result, she has left Billythe son born after Wil left for warwith Sass; sold their prosperous cattle ranch; and left Eagle Creek with Wils best friend, Mason Savage. While recuperating from his wounds on Uncle Hys little farm, Wil and Billy at last become father and son. And Wil reluctantly becomes attracted to Sass. One crisis after another prevents Wil from going to find his wife and bringing her home. At last he learns the truth about those he left behind when he went to war. And he must decide what to do with his newfound knowledge.

Cultural historian Jeff Biggers takes us to the dark amphitheatre ruins of his familys nearly 200 - year - old hillside homestead that has been strip - mined on the edge of the first federally recognized Wilderness Site in southern Illinois. In doing so' he not only comes to grips with his own denied backwoods heritage' but also chronicles a dark and missing chapter in the American experience; the historical nightmare of coal outside of Appalachia' serving as an expos of a secret legacy of shame and resiliency.

In an “eye-opening memoir” (People) “as beautiful as it is discomfiting” (The New Yorker), award-winning writer Apricot Irving untangles her youth on a missionary compound in Haiti. Apricot Irving grew up as a missionary’s daughter in Haiti. Her father was an agronomist, a man who hiked alone into the deforested hills to preach the gospel of trees. Her mother and sisters spent their days in the confines of the hospital compound they called home. As a child, this felt like paradise to Irving; as a teenager, it became a prison. Outside of the walls of the missionary enclave, Haiti was a tumult of bugle-call bus horns and bicycles that jangled over hard-packed dirt, road blocks and burning tires triggered by political upheaval, the clatter of rain across tin roofs, and the swell of voices running ahead of the storm. Poignant and explosive, Irving weaves a portrait of a missionary family that is unflinchingly honest: her father’s unswerving commitment to his mission, her mother’s misgivings about his loyalty, the brutal history of colonization. Drawing from research, interviews, and journals—her parents’ as well as her own—this memoir in many voices evokes a fractured family finding their way to kindness through honesty. Told against the backdrop of Haiti’s long history of intervention, it grapples with the complicated legacy of those who wish to improve the world, while bearing witness to the defiant beauty of an undefeated country. A lyrical meditation on trees and why they matter, loss and privilege, love and failure. The Gospel of Trees is a “lush, emotional debut...A beautiful memoir that shows how a family altered by its own ambitious philanthropy might ultimately find hope in their faith and love for each other, and for Haiti.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Proceeds will support trail maintenance in Washington Features weekend backpacking trips, with info on how to extend most routes Guidebook covers the entire state of Washington Veteran guidebook author Craig Romano hits the trail again——this time to uncover amazing backpacking opportunities all over Washington’s wilderness. Backpacking Washington details 70 routes, from the lush Hoh River Glacier Meadows to the open ridges of the Columbia Highlands and beyond. With an emphasis on weekend trips, routes range from overnight to weeklong treks and often include options for extending trips or choosing camp spots. Features: detailed route descriptions and trail maps mileage logs with campgrounds, water, and other trail elements icons for choosing family- and dog-friendly trips recommended nearby day hikes info on the state’s three long-distance trails: Pacific Crest Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, and Wonderland Trail

"With all the color of Central Florida's history, Buckie Allen's novel skillfully captures the drama of conflict between land owners, developers, and government. A sensitive question surfaces: How much commercial development is justified?" -Bill Frederick, Former Mayor of Orlando, Florida