Sam Cooke. His silky voice, dashing smile, and laundry list of hit records have managed to withstand the test of time. Now the extraordinary life of The Man Who Invented Soul Music is remembered by those who knew him best: Our Uncle Sam: The Sam Cooke Story From His Family's Perspective Available for the first time in print... Sam Cooke's great-nephew Erik Greene has compiled cherished memories and personal photos celebrating the private life of this legendary superstar. Sam's family reveals how his sparkling personality, captivating presence and enormous generosity not only made him a popular entertainer in the music industry, but a favorite within the family as well.

Michael Mahana's personal disclosure to his parents leads to the uncovering of another family secret – about his uncle, Sam, who had fought in the Vietnam War. Now, armed with his uncle's diary, Michael goes searching for the truth about his uncle, about the secret the Mahana family has kept hidden for over thirty years, and what happened to Sam. Set in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam and in present-day New Zealand and North America, Witi Ihimaera's dramatic novel combines the superb story-telling of Bulibasha, King of the Gypsies with the unflinching realism of Nights in the Gardens of Spain. A powerful love story, it courageously confronts Maori attitudes to sexuality and masculinity and contains some of Ihimaera's most passionate writing to date. Also available as an eBook

The second half of the twentieth century saw the United States endure a series of paradigm changes on the cultural, political, and social level. Spread out over the span of some fifty years, the population gradually acclimated to those paradigm shifts, but in this alternate timeline, that is not the case. A dramatic change in demographics, overstepping of federal power, and polarization of ideologies all occur within the span of a single decade, giving rise to religious zealotry, ethnic tribalism, extreme views on authority, and more. I Am Uncle Sam explores the woes and drives of American Nationalism from the perspectives of four disenfranchised young men whose lives become tied to the events of a Second American Civil War; a story that demonstrates how love for homeland becomes hatred for all which threatens it.

It is said that the inspiration for the character of Uncle Sam was a man named Sam Wilson, who provided food for the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. By the 1830s, the figure of Uncle Sam had become a personified image of America, commonly used by newspaper and magazine cartoonists to represent the U.S. government's decisions and policies. Perhaps the best-known image of Uncle Sam was created in 1917, during the First World War—a stern, white-haired man wearing star-spangled clothing, encouraging Americans to do their part to support their nation. Uncle Sam remains an important symbol of the United States and the policies and activities of our government.