The lives of two African-American families who unite after a breadwinner dies. A son becomes a writer of folk stories and oral history, and it is he who provides the novel with its social and historical content.

Originally published in Danish under the title: Slangens gave.

“Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field.” With those words in Genesis, God condemns the serpent for tempting Adam and Eve, and the serpent has shouldered the blame ever since. But how would the study of religion change if we looked at the Fall from the snake’s point of view? Would he appear as a bringer of wisdom, more generous than the God who wishes to keep his creation ignorant? Inspired by the early Gnostics who took that startling view, Jeffrey J. Kripal uses the serpent as a starting point for a groundbreaking reconsideration of religious studies and its methods. In a series of related essays, he moves beyond both rational and faith-based approaches to religion, exploring the erotics of the gospels and the sexualities of Jesus, John, and Mary Magdalene. He considers Feuerbach’s Gnosticism, the untapped mystical potential of comparative religion, and even the modern mythology of the X-Men. Ultimately, The Serpent’s Gift is a provocative call for a complete reorientation of religious studies, aimed at a larger understanding of the world, the self, and the divine.

The first step into the thrilling middlegrade fantasy world of The Shamer Chronicles Dina has unwillingly inherited her mother's gift: the ability to elicit shamed confessions simply by looking into someone's eyes. To Dina, however, these powers are not a gift but a curse. Surrounded by fear and hostility, she longs for simple friendship. But when her mother is called to Dunark Castle to uncover the truth about a bloody triple murder, Dina must come to terms with her power - or let her mother fall prey to the vicious and revolting dragons of Dunark.

The third book in the thrilling fantasy adventure series, The Shamer Chronicles A watching face in a market crowd, a mist-shrouded figure on the moor, a haunting presence seen only when he wants to be seen? Sezuan, possessor of the Serpent Gift for lie and illusion, is a chilling and ambiguous figure at the best of times. He is also Dina's father. And when he comes to claim the daughter he has never seen, the Shamer and her family are catapulted into reckless flight and danger. With nowhere else to turn, Dina must learn to see through her father's deceit and use her own powers to her advantage.

Justin Grant, a professor at a Chris an based college in the Midwest is struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife and child. During a leave of absence he is hiking through the mountains near a friend's cabin in Kentucky. He looks up and watches as a man slowly floats towards the ground. He blinks then thinks; "Where is the parachute? Is that a halo?" Thoughts vanish as the man plummets the last hundred feet to the ground. Justin runs to where the broken man lies, carries him to the cabin, and soon finds out that the man recuperating on his sofa is not of this world. As the stranger's wounds heal, Justin and the man he now knows as Sandel talk of many things, and Justin finds that he likes this mysterious man. As Justin listens, the story his new friend tells threatens to shatter everything Justin has ever known and in me uncovers the greatest hoax ever perpetrated against mankind. Ernest Gibson lives in the Midwest, far enough away from a major city to enjoy small town living. Ernest is a graduate of Purdue University. He is a re red designer in the auto industry, he works part me in an electronics store only because his family, a er he spent a year and a half at home, told him to get his ass out of the house and do something. He is a lifelong seeker of knowledge and truth, and strives to help others do the same. The one thing that he finds most abhorrent is a closed mind. He has never grown out of the enjoyment of the playing the game of "What If." A er reading this book you will see that the "What Ifs" went crazy. It is a er all what brought this book to life.

Named to ten BEST OF THE YEAR lists and selected as a William C. Morris Award Winner,The Serpent King is the critically acclaimed, much-beloved story of three teens who find themselves--and each other--while on the cusp of graduating from high school with hopes of leaving their small-town behind. Perfect for fans of John Green's Turtles All the Way Down. "Move over, John Green; Zentner is coming for you." —The New York Public Library “Will fill the infinite space that was left in your chest after you finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” —BookRiot.com Dill isn't the most popular kid at his rural Tennessee high school. After his father fell from grace in a public scandal that reverberated throughout their small town, Dill became a target. Fortunately, his two fellow misfits and best friends, Travis and Lydia, have his back. But as they begin their senior year, Dill feels the coils of his future tightening around him. His only escapes are music and his secret feelings for Lydia--neither of which he is brave enough to share. Graduation feels more like an ending to Dill than a beginning. But even before then, he must cope with another ending--one that will rock his life to the core. Debut novelist Jeff Zentner provides an unblinking and at times comic view of the hard realities of growing up in the Bible belt, and an intimate look at the struggles to find one’s true self in the wreckage of the past. “A story about friendship, family and forgiveness, it’s as funny and witty as it is utterly heartbreaking.” —PasteMagazine.com “A brutally honest portrayal of teen life . . . [and] a love letter to the South from a man who really understands it.” —Mashable.com “I adored all three of these characters and the way they talked to and loved one another.”—New York Times