A memoir of growing up, living, working, and playing on one of America's premier tourist destinations. The stories and recollections convey a picture of the non-tourist side of Key West, and reveal a family side to commercial fishing.It is also a story about the author's father - an adventure seeker who fought naval battles in WWII, fished the distant Dry Tortugas and Bahama waters, searched for sunken treasure, and clashed with trap robbers and drug smugglers.

Instant New York Times bestseller One of Bustle’s Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020 “The perfect riveting summer read!”—BookBub In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape. After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Following her wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to her new husband, his illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life. Elizabeth Preston's trip to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles after the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own. Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys.

So what, exactly, is Key West Normal? Well, Key West Normal is when two friends in need of a place to live drag away an abandoned hot dog truck in the middle of the night... But an insomniac New Yorker has got himself trapped inside it while searching for his neurotic cat... And the truck is the secret hub of a global smuggling operation and holds a stash worth millions... But the tough guy sent to recover the fortune is way more interested in being reunited with his one true love. Most of all, though, Key West Normal is when none of the above seems at all improbable. It's just the way things are. Or at least how they are in the funky, funny, palm-shaded, all-accepting town at the end of the road. And when it falls to the unlikeliest pair of heroes--a homeless man named Pineapple and an ancient Mafioso known as Bert the Shirt--to sort through all the many twists and turns and save the day, well, that's Key West Normal to the max. Full of tropical sunshine and crackling dialogue, loopy wisdom and touching revelations from characters you'll root for, this feel-good novel will lift you like an ocean wave and remind you how good it feels to forget your worries and laugh out loud.

Henry Flagler's Long Key Fishing Camp was very different from the other resorts Flagler built along the east coast of Florida, but the serene grounds and unparalleled fishing grounds inspired fierce loyalty among its clientele. Thomas Knowles offers the first history of this beloved getaway.

In 1839, Emily's husband vanishes from an isolated island off the coast of Key West where he tends to the lighthouse. Emily takes charge of the lighthouse to support her three children. But unexpected help arrives when a runaway slave washes up on their beach.

A Little Piece Of Ground will help young readers understand more about one of the worst conflicts afflicting our world today. Written by Elizabeth Laird, one of Great Britain’s best-known young adult authors, A Little Piece Of Ground explores the human cost of the occupation of Palestinian lands through the eyes of a young boy. Twelve-year-old Karim Aboudi and his family are trapped in their Ramallah home by a strict curfew. In response to a Palestinian suicide bombing, the Israeli military subjects the West Bank town to a virtual siege. Meanwhile, Karim, trapped at home with his teenage brother and fearful parents, longs to play football with his friends. When the curfew ends, he and his friend discover an unused patch of ground that’s the perfect site for a football pitch. Nearby, an old car hidden intact under bulldozed building makes a brilliant den. But in this city there’s constant danger, even for schoolboys. And when Israeli soldiers find Karim outside during the next curfew, it seems impossible that he will survive. This powerful book fills a substantial gap in existing young adult literature on the Middle East. With 23,000 copies already sold in the United Kingdom and Canada, this book is sure to find a wide audience among young adult readers in the United States.

Key West's past comes alive with thirteen incredible stories of the southernmost ghosts. From Victorian era spirits returning to claim what is rightfully theirs, to haunted dolls that continue to send chills down their visitors' spines, Ghosts of Key West beautifully captures the true spirit of Florida's second oldest city. Ghosts of cigar makers, pirates, wreckers and voodoo practitioners all await you. While their ghostly journeys continue through time, yours is just about to begin.Ghosts of Key West author David L. Sloan founded Key West's original ghost tour and is the leading authority on the island's hauntings.