LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST A transgender reporter's "powerful, profoundly moving" narrative tour through the surprisingly vibrant queer communities sprouting up in red states (New York Times Book Review), offering a vision of a stronger, more humane America. Ten years ago, Samantha Allen was a suit-and-tie-wearing Mormon missionary. Now she's a GLAAD Award-winning journalist happily married to another woman. A lot in her life has changed, but what hasn't changed is her deep love of Red State America, and of queer people who stay in so-called "flyover country" rather than moving to the liberal coasts. In Real Queer America, Allen takes us on a cross-country road-trip stretching all the way from Provo, Utah to the Rio Grande Valley to the Bible Belt to the Deep South. Her motto for the trip: "Something gay every day." Making pit stops at drag shows, political rallies, and hubs of queer life across the heartland, she introduces us to scores of extraordinary LGBT people working for change, from the first openly transgender mayor in Texas history to the manager of the only queer night club in Bloomington, Indiana, and many more. Capturing profound cultural shifts underway in unexpected places and revealing a national network of chosen family fighting for a better world, Real Queer America is a treasure trove of uplifting stories and a much-needed source of hope and inspiration in these divided times.

Food, Drink, and Behind-the-Scenes stories from everyone's favorite a capella group, Straight No Chaser. With 15 years in the music business, eight albums, and more than 1.5 million concerts tickets sold, Straight No Chaser treasure two things: family and food. Straight No Chaser Sound Bites features a collection of their favorite food and drink recipes combined with behind-the-scenes stories as they welcome their fans into the family. Formed in 1996 at Indiana University, Straight No Chaser'sstory has been replete with twists and turns. Sound Bites deliciously recounts members' memories of moments from an unlikely yet wonderful cascade of events that propelled forward their career of creating music, touring, and becoming part of countless family traditions. Steve, Tyler, Seggie, Walt, Jerome, Dave, Randy, Mike, and Charlie each offer their own (sometimes contradicting) stories of their adventures, as well as sensational recipes for cocktails, such as the Honey Lavender Greyhound, Grapefruit Jalapeño Cilantro Shrub, and SN-Tini, and foods, including "Choose Your Own Adventure" risotto, pork tenderloin sandwiches, Italian beef, toffee bars--and many more. Straight No Chaser Sound Bites invites the group's many fans, old and new, to celebrate the harmony of music, food, and drink in their own homes. So settle in and enjoy.

Most of our communities are fragmented and at odds within themselves. Businesses, social services, education, and health care each live within their own worlds. The same is true of individual citizens, who long for connection but end up marginalized, their gifts overlooked, their potential contributions lost. What keeps this from changing is that we are trapped in an old and tired conversation about who we are. If this narrative does not shift, we will never truly create a common future and work toward it together. What Peter Block provides in this inspiring new book is an exploration of the exact way community can emerge from fragmentation. How is community built? How does the transformation occur? What fundamental shifts are involved? What can individuals and formal leaders do to create a place they want to inhabit? We know what healthy communities look like—there are many success stories out there. The challenge is how to create one in our own place. Block helps us see how we can change the existing context of community from one of deficiencies, interests, and entitlement to one of possibility, generosity, and gifts. Questions are more important than answers in this effort, which means leadership is not a matter of style or vision but is about getting the right people together in the right way: convening is a more critical skill than commanding. As he explores the nature of community and the dynamics of transformation, Block outlines six kinds of conversation that will create communal accountability and commitment and describes how we can design physical spaces and structures that will themselves foster a sense of belonging. In Community, Peter Block explores a way of thinking about our places that creates an opening for authentic communities to exist and details what each of us can do to make that happen.

The Grinch tries on several outfits for the Whobiliation party, but Max doesn't like any of them. Includes sound box with replaceable batteries.