Autobiography Of An Ordinary Couple Facing Extraordinary Circumstances

This work includes the life story of two people in love, who faced insurmountable obstacles to that love. It also contains the life story of both so the reader can evaluate life choices that may be helpful to anyone faced with similar choices. Perhaps the reader may even avoid counterproductive choices anticipated and avoid a huge amount of heartache thereby. The inclusion of career changes, unfortunate or otherwise, may be entertaining as well as informative. This may not only be an entertaining read but a source of helpful information about the dreaded bipolar disorder.

Live, laugh, want, and weep with a young couple in their endearing true story about their journey of daunting choices and heartfelt decisions that eventually led to both misery and a miracle. In her powerful debut title, Sara McLeod masterfully touches heartstrings, evoking both laughter and tears, as she bestows dignity and hope to everyone who has ever bucked the societal norm to do what they felt in their heart to be right. While navigating an emotional minefield (and even a literal one as well ) David and Sara encounter unexpected twists of fate and, finally, an unimaginable capstone making this book one you simply must read.

This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl--and a young woman--trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world, of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community that made all the difference. Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman--and the first black woman ever--to serve as Secretary of State. But until she was 25 she never learned to swim, because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he'd rather shut down the city's pools than give black citizens access. Throughout the 1950's, Birmingham's black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last. But by 1963, Birmingham had become an environment where blacks were expected to keep their head down and do what they were told--or face violent consequences. That spring two bombs exploded in Rice’s neighborhood amid a series of chilling Klu Klux Klan attacks. Months later, four young girls lost their lives in a particularly vicious bombing. So how was Rice able to achieve what she ultimately did? Her father, John, a minister and educator, instilled a love of sports and politics. Her mother, a teacher, developed Condoleezza’s passion for piano and exposed her to the fine arts. From both, Rice learned the value of faith in the face of hardship and the importance of giving back to the community. Her parents’ fierce unwillingness to set limits propelled her to the venerable halls of Stanford University, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become the university’s second-in-command. An expert in Soviet and Eastern European Affairs, she played a leading role in U.S. policy as the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Less than a decade later, at the apex of the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, she received the exciting news--just shortly before her father’s death--that she would go on to the White House as the first female National Security Advisor. As comfortable describing lighthearted family moments as she is recalling the poignancy of her mother’s cancer battle and the heady challenge of going toe-to-toe with Soviet leaders, Rice holds nothing back in this remarkably candid telling.

REEL LIFE - REAL LIFE is a video guide with a difference. Whether you are looking for a movie that will help you probe the mysteries of love & sex, appreciate the demands & rewards of striving for personal fulfillment or face the challenges of serious illness, you will find guidance in these pages. The four authors, life-long film buffs, have pooled their professional experience in social work, education, & journalism to prepare more than 700 penetrating reviews of feature films. Including classics of the early cinema & the latest video releases, these movies provide valuable insights into 17 major life issues & situations, from aging to substance abuse. Other chapters include Family, Marriage & Divorce, Homosexuality, Friendship, Coming of Age, Prejudice, Violence & Rape, Feisty Women, Single Life, Taking a Stand, Mental Illness & War. The authors also offer their personal selection of "popcorn" movies - movies that promise pure entertainment for those moments when everyone longs to be transported by laughter, fantasy or adventure. Call Mary Ann Horenstein at 800-900-REEL for information or send a check for $12.95 plus $2.50 mailing costs to Fourth Write Press, P.O. Box 156, Kendall Park, NJ 08824-0156. Quantity discounts available.

Alice and Fidel Flores. One remarkable, everyday couple. One love. One story. Biography of an Everyday Couple takes the reader through a sentimental, motivational journey of inspiration, romance and happiness. This nonfiction story is a honest depiction of dealing with death and having the faith to know when it is time to let your loved one go. The reader experiences the lives of Alice and Fidel growing up in the small hometown of Floresville and the major metropolitan area of Houston, both in Texas. The romance tells a tale of love at first sight for the couple who met at an informal engagement party for Fidel. Yes, he was engaged to someone else! Like Alice and Fidel, there are so many people who believe they only lead ordinary, everyday lives and believe they don't really make a difference. They do. They are extraordinary people. They just may not realize it.

Olivia Dunne, a studious minister's daughter who dreams of being an archaeologist, never thought that the drama of World War II would affect her quiet life in Denver. An exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life, though, and she finds herself banished to a rural Colorado outpost, married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tentatively tries to establish a new life, finding much-needed friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp. When Olivia unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a crime and is faced with betrayal, she finally confronts her own desires. Beautifully written and filled with memorable characters, Creel's novel is a powerful exploration of the nature of trust and love.

"Told with brains and heart" —Michelle Gable, New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment "Bristles with charm and curiosity" —Winston Groom, New York Times bestselling author of Forrest Gump "A wholly original and superbly crafted work of art, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is a masterpiece of the imagination." —Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times bestselling author of The Life List and Sweet Forgiveness "Charlotte's Web for grown-ups who, like Weylyn Grey, have their own stories of being different, feared, brave, and loved." —Mo Daviau, author of Every Anxious Wave Ruth Emmie Lang teaches us how to find magic in the ordinary in her magical realism debut Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance. Orphaned, raised by wolves, and the proud owner of a horned pig named Merlin, Weylyn Grey knew he wasn’t like other people. But when he single-handedly stopped that tornado on a stormy Christmas day in Oklahoma, he realized just how different he actually was. As amazing as these powers may appear, they tend to manifest themselves at inopportune times and places, jeopardizing not only his own life, but the life of Mary, the woman he loves. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tells the story of Weylyn Grey’s life from the perspectives of the people who knew him, loved him, and even a few who thought he was just plain weird. Although he doesn’t stay in any of their lives for long, he leaves each of them with a story to tell: great storms that evaporate into thin air; fireflies that make phosphorescent honey; a house filled with spider webs and the strange man who inhabits it. There is one story, however, that Weylyn wishes he could change: his own. But first he has to muster enough courage to knock on Mary’s front door.