Behind Our Lives

Broken by love, Lincoln Fraser is back in the city of his birth. He’s been abandoned, betrayed, and doesn’t see how he can ever trust again. Kali Johnson is stuck in a world that feels too much for her. Her husband’s gone, her son won’t talk, and her apartment is full of rats. Fearful she's failing at life, all she wants is a second chance to make things right. When a freak accident places Kali and her son in Lincoln’s path, he feels compelled to help this single mother and her child. Unprepared for the challenge of letting anyone back into his life, Lincoln is faced with a question—continue to shut himself out from the world or let someone in? Raw, heartbreaking, but full of hope, Behind Our Lives, Book One in the Behind Our Lives Trilogy, is a story that will leave you wanting more.

Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, there has been a wealth of historical writing about the German Democratic Republic (GDR) at the macro level. This book supplements that record with a history written from the micro level, detailing what it was like to live in that society with the advantages of both an insider's and an outsider's perspectives. As a diplomat assigned to the U.S. Embassy in East Berlin, Dr. Sandford had sources of information inaccessible to most visitors from the West. Representing one of the four WWII Allied powers with occupation rights in Berlin, he experienced at firsthand the complexities of four-power control of that city. He also traveled freely within East Germany, speaking with GDR government officials, dissidents, and average citizens, including clergymen who shared their informed views on what was really going on in that society.Framed as a personal record for his two daughters who were small children at the time, this memoir describes Dr. Sandford's experiences and impressions of East Germany in its latter years (1984-87) and those of his family. With a combination of anecdotes, narrative descriptions, and informed analysis, it conveys the texture of life there both for local people and for resident diplomats. Finally, it recounts how he and his East German contacts experienced the fall of the Wall and the transition to democracy in their individual ways.

A celebration of the twentieth anniversary of "For Better or for Worse". A look back, in scrapbook format, over some of the Patterson family's most memorable moments, with individual chapters for Elly, John, Michael, Elizabeth, and April. Creator Johnston's commentary adds a behind-the-scenes element, as she describes some of her thoughts about the strip over the years.

This book is written to provide insight on the lives of a group of inner city youths known as U-5. Hopefully it will provide enough of the insight needed to truly understand the type of lives they led, the way they were perceived by others, and the repercussions of events set in motion by the actions of individuals within the group. Furthermore, it will focus on two individuals within the group (Daniel Gomez and Rubin Fernandez aka Soni and Slick), the mystery surrounding their deaths and the repercussions that affected various members of U-5 up until this very day. It will take a look at how graffiti writers were/are portrayed by what we call society and go into what I believe are inconsistencies depicted within the book "Subway Lives." It will take you into the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn where it all started and twenty years later, today. It will follow them into some of their many escapades, some incomprehensible to believe, yet true. You'll get a true sense of the type of people they were, as friends, family and professionals tell us a little about them. Then you will be introduced to U-5 as not only a crew, but as a concept. A concept in which the U represents United, and friendship is more important than fame. This story is not just about the antics of these U-5 individuals. No, it's much more than that. Its about having to let go of the past and not just carrying on, but accepting it. And that could be harder than anything you've ever had to face. The mirror doesnt lie does it? What we believe is not necessarily reality, but whats reflected in the mirror is truth; like it or not. A wise man once said that between two men there are always three sides to a story, the first mans side, the second mans side, and the truth. Upon deciding to finish this book, the words of Dave Severn, a successful entrepreneur came to mind. He said Fear is the feeling you feel before you do something great. For myself, finishing this book will undoubtedly be one of my greater achievements. And you, that are holding this book, are about to read a great story.

Changing the world does not always require grand gestures or an audience of millions. The little things we do often have the most significant impact on those we encounter. Each small choice we make can spread joy or pain, light or darkness, to others. Examining our influence on the lives we encounter through a lens of love and compassion, Imprints explores the long-lasting impact our words and actions have on our world, reminding us that the legacy we leave behind is built on who we are and how we live our lives day to day.

What if God wants you to wait? Most of us know what it’s like to wait for God to change our circumstances. But, whether we’re waiting for physical healing, emotional breakthrough, or better relationships, waiting is something we usually try to avoid. Why? Because waiting is painful and hard. The truth is, it’s also inevitable. In Still Waiting, Ann Swindell explores the depths of why God wants us to wait by chronicling her own compelling story of waiting for healing from an incurable condition. She offers a vibrant retelling of the biblical account of the Bleeding Woman that parallels her story—and yours, too. Let Ann help you see the promise that is hidden in the ache of waiting and the hope of what God can—and will—do as you wait on him.

“The Lives They Left Behind is a deeply moving testament to the human side of mental illness, and of the narrow margin which so often separates the sane from the mad. It is a remarkable portrait, too, of the life of a psychiatric asylum—the sort of community in which, for better and for worse, hundreds of thousands of people lived out their lives. Darby Penney and Peter Stastny’s careful historical (almost archaeological) and biographical reconstructions give us unique insight into these lives which would otherwise be lost and, indeed, unimaginable to the rest of us.” —Oliver Sacks “Fascinating. . . . The haunting thing about the suitcase owners is that it’s so easy to identify with them.” —Newsweek When Willard State Hospital closed its doors in 1995, after operating as one of New York State’s largest mental institutions for over 120 years, a forgotten attic filled with suitcases belonging to former patients was discovered. Using the possessions found in these suitcases along with institutional records and doctors’ notes from patient sessions, Darby Penney, a leading advocate of patients’ rights, and Peter Stastny, a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker, were able to reconstruct the lives of ten patients who resided at Willard during the first half of the twentieth century. The Lives They Left Behind tells their story. In addition to these human portraits, the book contains over 100 photographs as well as valuable historical background on how this state-funded institution operated. As it restores the humanity of the individuals it so poignantly evokes, The Lives They Left Behind reveals the vast historical inadequacies of a psychiatric system that has yet to heal itself.

From the beloved author of Because of Mr. Terupt comes the sequel to The Perfect Score, about a lovable group of students at Lake View Middle School and the rewards and challenges of seventh grade. These students are in for a year of secrets, discoveries, and kid power! GAVIN finally joins the football team—a dream come true!—but Coach Holmes refuses to play him for reasons that also threaten to tear Gavin's family apart. When RANDI attends an elite gymnastics camp, she uncovers a startling family connection. SCOTT starts researching an article for the school newspaper and stumbles right into a hornet's nest of lies. With his loser older brother, Brian, out of the house, TREVOR's life is loads better—until he realizes that only he can save Brian from getting into deep trouble. NATALIE's top goals: (1) find out why Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta no longer speak to each other—a mission shared by all the kids—and (2) teach a certain someone an important life skill without anyone knowing. It's tough keeping secrets. And tougher still to deal with the fallout when secrets spill out.