From the #1 bestselling author of October Sky comes this rich,unforgettable tale. With the same dazzling storytelling thatdistinguished his first memoir, Homer Hickam takes us deeper intothe soul of his West Virginia hometown at a moment when its uniqueway of life is buffeted by forces of time and change. It is fall 1959. Homer “Sonny” Hickam and his fellow Rocket Boysare in their senior year at Big Creek High, and the town ofCoalwood finds itself at a painful crossroads. The strains can be felt within the Hickam home, where Homer Sr.struggles to save the mine, and his wife, Elsie, is feelingincreasingly isolated from both her family and the townspeople.Sonny, despite a blossoming relationship with a local girl, findshis own mood darkened by an unexplainable sadness. Then, with the holidays approaching, trouble at the mine and thearrival of a beautiful young outsider bring unexpected changes inboth the Hickam family and the town of Coalwood ... as thisluminous memoir moves toward

Homer Hickam won the praise of critics and the devotion ofreaders with his first two memoirs set in the hardscrabble miningtown of Coalwood, West Virginia. The New York Times crownedhis first book, the #1 national bestseller October Sky , “aneloquent evocation ... a thoroughly charming memoir.” And People called The Coalwood Way , Hickam’s follow-up to October Sky , “a heartwarmer ... truly beautiful andhaunting.”

Country music superstar Trace Adkins isn’t exactly known forholding back what’s on his mind. And if the millions of albums he’ssold are any indication, when Trace talks, people listen. Now, in APersonal Stand, Trace Adkins delivers his maverick manifesto onpolitics, personal responsibility, fame, parenting, being true toyourself, hard work, and the way things oughta be. In his inimitable pull-no-punches style, Trace gives us the stateof the union as he sees it, from the lessons of his boyhood insmall-town Louisiana to what he’s learned headlining concertsaround the world. Trace has worked oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico,been shot in the heart, been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, andbraved perhaps the greatest challenge of all: being the father offive daughters. And shaped by these experiences, he’s soundingoff. ? I’m incredibly frustrated with the state of American politics. Ifthere were a viable third party, I’d seriously consider joiningit. ? If anybody wonders who the good guys are and w

An immediate best-seller on publication, Ben Hur remains a dazzling achievement by any standards. A thoroughly exhilarating tale of betrayal, revenge and salvation, it is the only novel that ranks with Uncle Tom's Cabin as a genuine American folk possession.

A memoir by the noted author of Western fiction.

A German soldier during World War II offers an inside look atthe Nazi war machine, using his wartime diaries to describe how aruthless psychopath motivated an entire generation of ordinaryGermans to carry out his monstrous schemes.

Historically acknowledged as one of America's most powerfulorators, Washington challenged racial prejudice when such behaviorfrom a black man was unheard of. Here is the dramatic,autobiographical account of how he stood fast against the socialand ideological bias prevalent in his day.

Helen Keller' striumph over her blindness and deafness hasbecome one of the most inspiring stories of our time. Here, in abook first published when she was young woman, is Helen Keller'sown story- complex, poignant, and filled with love.

Here is the enlightening memoir of the industrialist as famousfor his philanthropy as for his fortune.

Call Me Anna is an American success story that grew out of abizarre and desperate struggle for survival. A harrowing,ultimately triumphant story told by Patty Duke herself--wife,mother, political activist, President of The Screen Actors Guild,and at last, a happy, fulfilled woman whose miracle is her ownlife. (Nonfiction)

The late tennis champion, activist, and AIDS victim remembershis experiences in the segregated South of his youth, his triumphson the court, his family and religious life, and his struggle withhis disease. Reprint. NYT.

Third-grader Janey is never without a Bob the Dog Detective book by her favorite author, Lily May Appleton. She sneaks reading time during school and is often scolded for letting her mind wander. Janey snaps to attention, though, when her teacher mentions Ms. Appleton’s name. The author is scheduled to speak at a children’s literature festival, and Janey’s class will have a chance to meet her! At last the big day comes, but once again Janey’s daydreaming gets her into trouble. She becomes separated from her class and completely misses the session with Ms. Appleton. Lost and devastated, Janey is consoled by a kind stranger who claims to be none other than—Lily May Appleton!