Angels Town

As issues of power and social order loom large in Angelstown, Ralph Cintron shows how eruptions on the margins of the community are emblematic of a deeper disorder. In their language and images, the members of a Latino community in a midsized American city create self-respect under conditions of disrepect. Cintron's innovative ethnography offers a beautiful portrait of a struggling Mexican-American community and shows how people (including ethnographers) make sense of their lives through cultural forms.

A #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Funny, insightful, illuminating . . ." —The Boston Globe Twelve years ago, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil exploded into a monumental success, residing a record-breaking four years on the New York Times bestseller list (longer than any work of fiction or nonfiction had before) and turning John Berendt into a household name. The City of Falling Angels is Berendt's first book since Midnight, and it immediately reminds one what all the fuss was about. Turning to the magic, mystery, and decadence of Venice, Berendt gradually reveals the truth behind a sensational fire that in 1996 destroyed the historic Fenice opera house. Encountering a rich cast of characters, Berendt tells a tale full of atmosphere and surprise as the stories build, one after the other, ultimately coming together to portray a world as finely drawn as a still-life painting.

New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice made her triumphant debut with this delicately drawn but emotionally powerful portrait of a woman’s extraordinary journey of the heart and soul–a timeless story of love, sisterhood, and the hope that emerges even out of heartbreak.... Una Cavan doesn’t believe in ghosts. But ghosts seem to believe in her. At least, her father’s ghost does, walking into and out of her life as casually as if he were entering and exiting a room. Una has always believed the Cavan women had the power of witches, and from the beaches of Connecticut to the bustle of New York City they’ve shared the special unbreakable bond of sisters. No man has been able to come between them…until Lily marries the “perfect” man and begins to drift away and Margo gets engaged. With another failed relationship behind her, and a thriving career as an actress ahead of her, Una wonders if she’s destined to be alone–or if there isn’t something more, something magical that life has in store for her. Then an unexpected encounter gives her the answer she’s been seeking…. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Calling his ethnographic work a project in the rhetoric of public culture, Cintron offers insight into the complex relationship between the way a community expresses itself and the economic and political context of its members' lives. "Angels' Town" is a brilliantly innovative work as well as a portrait of a struggling Mexican-American community.

From Jody Sharpe, Award Winning, Bestselling Author 1st Place Winner of the 2023 National Association of Press Women's Communications Contest Award for Fiction For Adult Readers - Novellas The Bully Never Wins. Angel vs. Bully in the town of Mystic Bay, California, where a well kept secret lies. Angels live as humans there. After angels appeared to three children, all was blissful in the town full of psychics, and ordinary folk. But as brute, Klaus Waxman, comes to town, angel Ken Leighton, a storeowner, must carefully guide his flock of humans not to give in to the bully's efforts.As Klaus opens a store mocking the resident angel sightings, angel Ken guides psychic Justine Greer, and her family to thwart his efforts. And with the help of the indomitable oldest psychic in town, Madam Norma, the bully meets his match through the soft voices and intuitive minds of his neighbors. "As much as this is a story of angels and psychics, it's also a story of small-town life affected by an outsider bully's influence and approach, providing lessons not just of a spiritual nature, but on how to confront bullying and prejudice with a gentler perspective on life. As faith meets fear, different points of view present dilemmas from a number of angles, engaging readers in more than a cursory examination of clashing belief systems. The only prerequisite for enjoyment of this story is the ability to read about the presence of angels and their guidance of human affairs. Those who welcome the thought, appearance, and approaches of angels in everyday life will relish the positive notes, mystery, and problem-solving attitudes of angel and human alike in this gentle story of kindness, hope, belief, and resolving differences." D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

From Jody Sharpe, Award Winning, Bestselling Author 1st Place Winner of the 2023 National Association of Press Women's Communications Contest Award for Fiction For Adult Readers - Novellas The Bully Never Wins. A secret lies in Mystic Bay California. Angels live as humans there. Angel Ken, a store owner, fears the secret will be revealed when vet, Jordana Hart, a woman with special healing abilities moves to town. Years before Angel Ken materialized as an old man, changing the course of her life. Will Jordana recognize Angel Ken as the man from her past as they work together on a rescue mission to bring twenty-two horses to Mystic Bay before Christmas, will they see what lies before them, a Christmas story only the angels could write. "It matters not if the reader is new to Jody Sharpe's magic or the allure of previous Mystic Bay books or is a prior fan. Both audiences will become immersed in the missions of angels and men and in the town that is a focal point for harboring kindness, discovery, and revelations of a spiritual and social nature. Libraries and readers looking for cozy urban fantasy reading and inviting stories of kindness, miracles, and God's work will find Town of Angels Christmas a fine invitation to consider the actions and efforts that transform lives, whether they be human or animal." D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review If you enjoyed this book, read the other books in the Mystic Bay series.

“An authentic cry of American innocence . . . The author seizes the reader with a Southern gift for storytelling and never lets go.”—Time Magazine It is the mid-1950s in Quarrytown, Georgia. In the slum known as the Ape Yard, hope’s last refuge is a boardinghouse where a handful of residents dream of a better life. Earl Whitaker, who is white, and Tio Grant, who is black, are both teenagers, both orphans, and best friends. In the same house live two of the most important adults in the boys’ lives: Em Jojohn, the gigantic Lumbee Indian handyman, is notorious for his binges, his rat-catching prowess, and his mysterious departures from town. Jayell Crooms, a gifted but rebellious architect, is stuck in a loveless marriage to a conventional woman intent on climbing the social ladder. Crooms’s vision of a new Ape Yard, rebuilt by its own residents, unites the four—and puts them on a collision course with a small-town Machiavelli who rules the community like a feudal lord. Jeff Fields’s exuberantly defined characters and his firmly rooted sense of place have earned A Cry of Angels an intensely loyal following. Its republication, more than three decades since it first appeared, is cause for celebration. “A humdinger . . . even better than To Kill a Mockingbird . . . funny, touching, and gripping.”—Chicago Daily News “Heartwarming . . . We find ourselves wondering why delightful novels like this aren’t written anymore, and grateful that this one has come along to fill the void.”—The New York Times “A flooded-with-life novel with a story to tell and characters to be cherished.”—Boston Sunday Globe

"The sprawling, complex tapestry of Los Angeles is portrayed in vivid color by artist Elisa Kleven and authors Julie Jaskol and Brian Lewis in their picture book City of angels : in and around Los Angeles. Twenty sites of interest are included, and each detailed, full-color spread is accompanied by engaging, informative text"--Provided by publisher