While undergoing routine surgery to remove a benign tumor, Ruby Elzy died. She was only thirty-five. Had she lived, she would have been one of the first Black artists to appear in grand opera. Although now in the shadows, she was a shining star in her day. She entertained Eleanor Roosevelt in the White House. She was Paul Robeson's leading lady in the movie version of The Emperor Jones. She starred in Birth of the Blues opposite Bing Crosby and Mary Martin. She sang at Harlem's Apollo Theater and in the Hollywood Bowl. Her remarkable soprano voice was known to millions over the radio. She was personally chosen by George Gershwin to create one of the leading roles in his masterpiece, that of Serena in the original production of Porgy and Bess. Her signature song was the vocally demanding “My Man's Gone Now.” From obscurity she had risen to great heights. Ruby Pearl Elzy (1908-1943) was born in abject poverty in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Her father abandoned the family when she was five, leaving her mother, a strong, devout woman, to raise four small children. Ruby first sang publicly at the age of four and even in childhood dreamed of a career on the stage. Good fortune struck when a visiting professor, overwhelmed upon hearing her beautiful voice at Rust College in Mississippi, arranged for her to study music at Ohio State University. Later, on a Rosenwald Fellowship, she enrolled at the Juilliard School in New York City. After more than eight hundred performances in Porgy and Bess, she set her sights on a huge goal, to sing in grand opera. She was at the peak of her form. While she was preparing for her debut in the title role of Verdi's Aida, tragedy struck. During her brief career, Ruby Elzy was in the top tier of American sopranos and a precursor who paved a way for Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle, and other black divas of the operatic stage. This biography acknowledges her exceptional talent, recognizes her contribution to American music, and tells her tragic yet inspiring story.

A compelling dual-narrated tale from Jennifer Latham that questions how far we've come with race relations. Some bodies won't stay buried. Some stories need to be told. When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her family's property, she has no idea that investigating the brutal century-old murder will lead to a summer of painful discoveries about the present and the past. Nearly one hundred years earlier, a misguided violent encounter propels seventeen-year-old Will Tillman into a racial firestorm. In a country rife with violence against blacks and a hometown segregated by Jim Crow, Will must make hard choices on a painful journey towards self discovery and face his inner demons in order to do what's right the night Tulsa burns. Through intricately interwoven alternating perspectives, Jennifer Latham's lightning-paced page-turner brings the Tulsa race riot of 1921 to blazing life and raises important questions about the complex state of US race relations--both yesterday and today.

A plus-sized woman with good reason to be wary of men... A crystal warrior who believes himself unworthy of a woman's love.... Ruby’s plus-sized, boyfriend-less, and turning thirty. But things are looking up when her BFF gives her a piece of kyanite crystal, and Ruby encounters the most beautiful man she’s ever seen. Wow, best birthday present ever! Pity a veritable Adonis like Kyan couldn’t possibly be attracted to someone like her. Kyan can’t figure what makes Ruby tick and seducing her proves to be a big mistake because now he wants more than Ruby’s prepared to give. They both think they’ve got plenty of time to sort through this mess… and then the Crystal Guardian intervenes, and time runs out for them both. Paranormal romance, approx 72,000 words The Crystal Warriors Series: The Crystal Warrior (Book 1) Ruby's Dream (Book 2) Jade's Choice (Book 3) The Crystal Warriors Series Bundle (Books 1-3) Opal's Wish (Book 4)

From E. Lockhart, author of the New York Times bestseller and Zoella Book Club 2016 title, We Were Liars, comes this hilarious and heart-warming series. Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver From E. Lockhart, author of the best-seller We Were Liars, and the highly-acclaimed The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, comes this hilarious and heart-warming series. Ruby Oliver is in love. Or it would be love, if Noel, her real live boyfriend, would call her back. Not only is her romantic life a shambles: * her dad is eating nothing but Cheetos * her mother's got a piglet head in the refrigerator * Hutch has gone to Paris to play baguette air guitar * Gideon shows up shirtless * and the pygmy goat Robespierre is no help whatsoever Will Ruby ever control her panic attacks? Will she ever understand boys? Will she ever stop making lists? (No to that last one.) Ruby has lost most of her friends. She's lost her true love, more than once. She's lost her job, her reputation, and possibly her mind. But she's never lost her sense of humour. The Ruby Oliver books are the record of her survival.

Faith and Monty are both looking for love...in the wrong direction. Faith Forrester is at a crossroads. Single, thirty and living on a farm in a small Western Australian town, she's sick of being treated like a servant by her brother and father. Ten years ago, her mother died of breast cancer, and Faith has been treading water ever since. She wants to get her hands dirty on the family farm. She wants to prove to herself that she's done something worthwhile with her life. And she wants to find a man... For as long as he can remember, Daniel 'Monty' Montgomery has been Faith's best friend. When he was ten, his parents sold the family property in Merindah and moved to Perth to be closer to support services for his autistic brother, and ever since, Monty's dreamed of having his own place. So for the last ten years, he's been back on the land, working odd jobs and saving every dollar to put toward his dream. And now he finally has it. But there's still something missing... So when Faith embarks on a mission to raise money for a charity close to her heart – Dogs for Autism – and Monty's dream property comes on the market, things seem like they are falling into place for them both. Until a drunken night out ends with them sleeping together. Suddenly, the best friends are both facing a new set of challenges... Monty and Faith are both ready to find a life partner and settle down, but have they both been looking in all the wrong places?

"This book is filled with juicy young person wisdom." --Amy Poehler The definitive guide to being a teen in the modern age, with sage advice from a modern teenager and appealing to fans of Rookie. Earth Hates Me presents a look inside the mind of the modern teenager--from a modern teenager's perspective. Sixteen-year-old Ruby Karp addresses the issues facing every highschooler, from grades to peer pressure to Snapchat stories, and unpacks their complicated effects on the teen psyche. Ruby advises her peers on the importance of feminism ("not just the Spice Girls version"), how to deal with jealousy and friend break-ups, family life, and much more. The book takes an in-depth look at the effect of social media on modern teens and the growing pressures of choosing the right college and career. Amy Poehler says, "This book is filled with juicy young person wisdom." With Ruby's powerful underlying message "we are more than just a bunch of dumb teenagers obsessed with our phones," Earth Hates Me is the definitive guide to being a teen in the modern age.

Ruby the Worm loves what she does, contributing worm poop and digging holes all day. When the other insects bully her because what she does is gross, the other insects point out that what she does helps the plants grow and is vital to live on Earth.