Despite the many thousands of dictionary words at our disposal, our language can be dismayingly inadequate. How many times have you searched for a word that means just what you want it to but failed to find anything suitable anywhere? Most of us, it turns out, lead lives rife with experiences, people, and things that have no names. At least, they lacked names until now. Word Fugitives comes to the rescue, supplying hundreds of inspired words coined or redefined to meet everyday needs. For instance, wouldn't it be handy to have a word for the momentary confusion people experience when they hear a cell phone ringing and wonder whether it's theirs? (How about fauxcellarm, phonundrum, or pandephonium?) Or what about a word for offspring who are adults? (Try unchildren or offsprung.) Or a word for the irrational fear when you're throwing a party that no one will show up? (That might be guestlessness, empty-fest syndrome, or fete-alism.) This mind- and vocabulary-expanding book grew out -- way out -- of Barbara Wallraff's popular column in The Atlantic Monthly. Brimming with irresistible diversions and pop quizzes; illuminated by contributions and commentary from authors, linguists, and leading language authorities; and enlivened by pleas for help from people whose words have yet to be found, Word Fugitives will captivate and inspire anyone who ever struggles to describe the world that he or she, or they, or thon (thon? see page 141) lives in.

Throughout history—and even today—the head honchos usually like things the way they are. Rocking the boat does not make them happy—not one bit. They may even want your head for going against the grain. But that threat didn’t stop the characters spotlighted in Fantastic Fugitives from changing history. They founded countries, won wars, and even ended empires—all while on the run! History’s Most Wanted covered in this book include: Spartacus Martin Luther Harriet Tubman John Dillinger Emmeline Pankhurst Nelson Mandela And six more! The exciting second book in the Changed History series, Fantastic Fugitives lets you follow these historical figures’ fast-paced stories to learn how anyone can change the world. Even you! Just make sure you have your running shoes on. This book is ideal for kids ages 8 and up, and is especially good for reluctant readers and those kids who think history reading is simply dry and boring. There are many color illustrations, photographs, and maps included through the book and sidebars with fascinating facts break up larger chunks of text in each chapter. Teachers, librarians, and parents will like that this can be used as a good go-to book to inspire kids to become interested in history.

More pulse-pounding action and shocking surprises in the fourth installment of the Escape from Furnace series! Forever altered by his experience in Furnace Penetentiary, Alex has done the impossible and escaped. But the battle for freedom is only just beginning. Charged with his superhuman abilities, Alex must uncover the last of Furnace's secrets—the truth about the man who built the prison, the man known as Alfred Furnace. And to do that he must stop running and finally confront his greatest fears. Praise for Death Sentence (Escape from Furnace Book 3): “In this third installment of the Furnace series, Gordon-Smith has pulled out all the stops. It is a tour de force of action and adventure... Honestly, this reviewer could not put this book down, having thoroughly enjoyed all of the novels in this series, and will anxiously await the release of Fugitives: Escape from Furnace 4. . . . Please continue to wow us, Mr. Gordon Smith--your books are a pleasure to read.” —VOYA Praise for Solitary (Escape from Furnace Book 2): “Fast paced and packed with nail-biting scenarios . . . This is a dark story with a dark ending, but the gritty action and compelling characters will have reluctant readers enthralled.” —School Library Journal “Once again, Smith has created a thrill ride that will leave the audience wanting more. Smith's prose is fast paced, witty, and sometimes downright terrifying. Some of the images he creates could manifest into a nightmare or two. Teens who are looking for a great thriller/horror story will definitely want to pick up these novels.” —VOYA “Adrenaline-fueled action infuses the narrative as it did in Lockdown (2009), keeping the pages turning. . . . The author knows what keeps his readers locked to the page and delivers it soundly.” —Kirkus Reviews "Breathlessly paced." --Booklist Praise for Lockdown (Escape from Furnace Book 3): “Fresh and ferocious, Lockdown will hook boys with its gritty, unrelenting surprises.” —James Patterson “Furnace is hotter than hell and twice as much fun! Sign me up for a life sentence of Alexander Gordon Smith!” —Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series Also by Alexander Gordon Smith: The Devil's Engine series The Devil's Engine: Hellraisers (Book 1) The Devil's Engine: Hellfighters (Book 2) The Devil's Engine: Hellwalkers (Book 3) The Fury The Escape from Furnace series Lockdown (Book 1) Solitary (Book 2) Death Sentence (Book 3) Fugitives (Book 4) Execution (Book 5)

How should the Catholic church remember the sins of its saints? This question proves particularly urgent in the case of those saints who were canonized due to their relation to black slavery. Today, many of their racial virtues seem like racial vices. In this way, the church celebrates Peter Claver, a seventeenth-century Spanish missionary to Colombia, as “the saint of the slave trade,” and extols Martín de Porres as the patron saint of mixed race people. But in truth, their sainthoods have upheld anti-blackness much more than they have undermined it. Habituated by anti-blackness, the church has struggled to perceive racial holiness accurately. In the ongoing cause to canonize Pierre Toussaint, a Haitian-born former slave, the church continues to enact these bad racial habits. This book proposes black fugitivity, as both a historical practice and an interpretive principle, to be a strategy by which the church can build new hagiographical habits. Rather than searching inside itself for racial heroes, the church should learn to celebrate those black fugitives who sought refuge outside of it.