In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first female to swim the English Channel--and broke the existing record time in doing so. Although today she is considered a pioneer in women's swimming, women were swimming competitively 50 years earlier. This historical book details the early period of women's competitive swimming in the United States, from its beginnings in the nineteenth century through Ederle's astonishing accomplishment. Women and girls faced many obstacles to safe swimming opportunities, including restrictive beliefs about physical abilities, access to safe and clean water, bathing suits that impeded movement and became heavy in water, and opposition from official sporting organizations. The stories of these early swimmers plainly show how far female athletes have come.

A true life story about two ordinary guys who embarked on an adventure of a lifetime that challenged their strength & endurance, as they paddled across America in canoes. Two and a half years & 8,000 miles later, they finished the epic journey gaunt, exhausted & feeling a huge sense of accomplishment. Join Jared as he reflects on the extraordinary events that he encountered.

Fighting the Fleet recognizes that fleets conduct four distinct but interlocking tasks at the operational level of war--striking, screening, scouting, and basing--and that successful operational art is achieved when they are brought to bear in a cohesive, competitive scheme. In explaining these elements and how they are conjoined for advantage, a central theme emerges: despite the utility and importance of jointness among the armed forces, the effective employment of naval power requires a specialized language and understanding of naval concepts that is often diluted or completely lost when too much jointness is introduced. Woven into the fabric of the book are the fundamental principles of three of the most important naval theorists of the twentieth century: Rear Admiral Bradley Fiske, Rear Admiral J.C. Wylie, and Captain Wayne Hughes. While Cares and Cowden advocate the reinvigoration of combat theory and the appropriate use of operations research, they avoid over-theorizing and have produced a practical guide that empowers fleet planners to wield naval power appropriately and effectively in meeting today's operational and tactical challenges.

"Theresa iTeei Stanford figures her life is smooth sailing, but everything changes when a drunk driver hits her father, leaving him mentally disabled. With her last year of high school looming, Tee can no longer rely on her old dreams for the future."

Should "hate speech" be made a criminal offense, or does the First Amendment oblige Americans to permit the use of epithets directed against a person's race, religion, ethnic origin, gender, or sexual preference? Does a campus speech code enhance or degrade democratic values? When the American flag is burned in protest, what rights of free speech are involved? In a lucid and balanced analysis of contemporary court cases dealing with these problems, as well as those of obscenity and workplace harassment, acclaimed First Amendment scholar Kent Greenawalt now addresses a broad general audience of readers interested in the most current free speech issues.

Scott O’Dell Award for Best Historical Fiction * ALA Notable Book * ALA Best Books for YA Newbery Medal-winning author Avi tells the “compelling story of a young boy’s first encounter with war and how it changes him.”—Publishers Weekly Jonathan may be only thirteen years old, but with the Revolutionary War unfolding around him, he’s more certain than ever that he wants to be a part of it—to fight for independence alongside his brother and cousin to defeat the British. But Jonathan’s father, himself wounded from battle, refuses to let his son join the front lines. When Jonathan hears the tavern bell toll, calling all soldiers to arms, he rushes to enlist without telling his dad. Gun in hand, Jonathan falls in with a militia and marches onward to the fighting ground. It feels like he’s been waiting his whole life for this moment. But no amount of daydreaming could prepare Jonathan for what he encounters. In just twenty-four hours, his life will be forever changed—by his fellow soldiers, unsuspecting enemies, and the frightening and complicated realities of war. More than thirty years after its publication, award-winner The Fighting Ground continues to be an important work of historical fiction for young readers.

I was born a fighter. Abandoned by my parents, I spent my life forging my own path-one guided by my fists and paved with pain. Untouchable in the ring, I destroyed everyone who faced me, but that's where my victories ended. Outside the ropes, I repeatedly failed the few people who loved me. Including my best friend, Liv James-the one person I'd die to protect. Even though I didn't deserve her, Liv never stopped believing in me. Never gave up. Never let go. After all, she understood what I'd lost, because she'd lost it too. Liv was everything to me, but she was never truly mine. That was going to change. I lost my first love, but I refused to lose my soulmate. Now, I'm on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life. Fighting to be the man she deserves. Fighting the solitude of our pasts. Fighting for her.