Flying Over Water

N.H. Senzai and Shannon Hitchcock expertly craft the intersection of the lives of two girls-one, a Muslim fleeing civil war, the other, an American from the South-as they are forced to examine their beliefs and the true meaning of friendship in the midst of the president's Muslim ban. Twelve-year-old Noura Alwan's family is granted asylum in the United States, after spending two years in a Turkish refugee camp, having fled war-torn Aleppo. They land in Tampa, Florida, on January 30, 2017, just days after the president restricted entry into the US from nations with a Muslim majority population.Twelve-year-old Jordyn Johnson is a record-breaking swimmer, but hasn't swum well since her mom had a miscarriage during one of her meets. Her family has volunteered to help the Alwan family through their church. She knows very few people of Arab descent or who practice Islam.The girls' lives intersect at Bayshore Middle School where Jordyn serves as the Alwan children's school ambassador. Noura knows that her family is safe from the civil unrest in her home country, but is not prepared for the adversity she now faces on American soil. Jordyn is sympathetic to Noura's situation, but there are other members of their Florida community who see the refugees' presence to be a threat to their way of life.While the president's Muslim ban tests the resolve and faith of many, it is friendship that stands strong against fear and hatred.Award winners N.H. Senzai and Shannon Hitchcock have combined their talents to craft a heartrending Own Voices story told in dual perspectives.

Set during the outbreak of the Second World War, Night Over Water is about a perilous journey across the Atlantic to escape Britain, from the number one bestseller and master of the historical thriller, Ken Follett. The Eve of War Britain has just declared war against Nazi Germany. In Southampton, the world’s most luxurious airliner, the Pan American Clipper, takes off on its final flight to neutral New York – a haven for those fleeing the conflict. A Disparate Group Flees The passengers aboard the plane each have their own reasons for leaving Britain. Amongst them are an English aristocrat fleeing with his family and a fortune in jewels; a German scientist running away from the Nazis; a murderer returning under FBI escort; a wife escaping her controlling husband; and a devious thief determined to keep his spoils. A Journey into Danger Trapped on the plane, with only their fellow passengers for company, their journey over the Atlantic becomes increasingly fraught. Especially when it becomes apparent a plot is unfolding that may endanger all of their lives . . .

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SILVER MEDALIST for the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature From the bestselling author of H is for Hawk, a brilliant and insightful work about our relationship to the natural world Our world is a fascinating place, teeming not only with natural wonders that defy description, but complex interactions that create layers of meaning. Helen Macdonald is gifted with a special lens that seems to peer right through it all, and she shares her insights--at times startling, nostalgic, weighty, or simply entertaining--in this masterful collection of essays. From reflections on science fiction to the true story of an Iranian refugee's flight to the UK, Macdonald has a truly omnivorous taste when it comes to observations of both the banal and sublime. Peppered throughout are reminisces of her own life, from her strange childhood in an estate owned by the Theosophical Society to watching total eclipses of the sun, visits to Uzbek solar power plants, eccentric English country shows, and desert hunting camps in the Gulf States. These essays move from personal experiences into wider meditations about love and loss and how we build the world around us. Whether more journalistic in tone, or literary--even formally experimental--each piece is generous, lyrical, and speaks to one another. Macdonald creates a strong thematic undertow that quietly takes the reader along piece to piece and sets them down, finally, at a place they've never been before.

A heartening story of two girls who discover their friendship is something more. But how, among their backward town, will Sam and Allie face what they know is true about themselves? Welcome to Daniel Boone Middle School in the 1970s, where teachers and coaches must hide who they are, and girls who like girls are forced to question their own choices. Presented in the voice of a premier storyteller, One True Way sheds exquisite light on what it means to be different, while at the same time being wholly true to oneself. Through the lives and influences of two girls, readers come to see that love is love is love. Set against the backdrop of history and politics that surrounded gay rights in the 1970s South, this novel is a thoughtful, eye-opening look at tolerance, acceptance, and change, and will widen the hearts of all readers.

Everything's changing for Sarah Beth Willis. After Robin's tragic accident, everyone seems different somehow. Days on the farm aren't the same, and the simple fun of riding a bike or playing outside can be scary. And there's talk in town about the new sixth-grade teacher at Shady Creek. Word is spreading quickly--Mrs. Smyre is like no other teacher anyone has ever seen around these parts. She's the first African American teacher. It's 1969, and while black folks and white folks are cordial, having a black teacher at an all-white school is a strange new happening. For Sarah Beth, there are so many unanswered questions. What is all this talk about Freedom Riders and school integration? Why can't she and Ruby become best friends? And who says school isn't for anybody who wants to learn--or teach? In a world filled with uncertainty, one very special teacher shows her young students and the adults in their lives that change invites unexpected possibilities.

Professional pilots have a doctorate level of knowledge surrounding aviation. They spend years learning all aspects of aviation from federal regulations, international regulations, communication procedures, emergency procedures, instrument procedures, flight manuals, company manuals, operating procedures, and finally techniques on how to do their job. However there is an emergency procedure which is trained around (crew members learn the beginning, and the end), but very seldom spend time dealing with the real time exercise of what is going to happen in a ditching. All crew members learn how to secure a bad engine. Or handle an electrical malfunction. Or control bleed air in a pneumatics problem. They also train how to exit the aircraft in the water in case of a water landing. And how to climb into rafts and in some cases how to climb into a basket for a helicopter pickup. But few crew members have ever worked through the scenario of engine failure at altitude to water contact. This book begins with the concept that no pilot is too experienced, or too old to learn a new lesson. The concept is best demonstrated by the work of Captain Al Haynes. Captain Haynes was the pilot in command of the severely crippled DC-10 which crash landed in Sioux City in 1989. 184 people survived the landing against all odds. Captain Haynes began a speaking career and many years later a Belgian captain, Eric Gennotte attended one of the talks. In 2003 Captain Gennotte is flying an airbus taking off from Bagdad. The aircraft is struck by a missile and the left engine is afire and portions of the wing are burning off. The airbus loses all hydraulics and control of the flight surfaces. Gennotte flies the jet using techniques taught by Haynes and brings the jet back to the airport for a safe landing. In 2009 we all saw video of a large passenger jet safely land on the Hudson River in New York. Visual proof that water landing can be done. The book also covers many of the other successful ditchings of the last 55 years. The book breaks down ditching training into four phases starting with home study or subjects covered at formal training. The last phases go into deep detail of the last 1000 feet before landing and down to the last 100 feet to contact. The author writes from his experiences of landing a Lake Seawolf in the off-shore environment during a USAF test program. Those experiences allow him to detail exactly what the pilot will see as the aircraft makes the last 1000 feet of the descent. This level of detailed training has never been published before. Pilots today are aware of the 406 megaherts emergency locator transmitter. In the chapter on SARSAT Systems they will learn how the transmitter talks to the satellites which talk to the ground stations which talk to the rescue coordination centers which talk to the mission command centers where rescue forces can be launched. And this system works worldwide to communicate with rescue forces on six continents. If an airframe goes down out over the wide open ocean or up north on an ice pack, who is going to pick up the crew and passengers? The chapter on maritime integration to search and rescue walks through the basic steps of how a coast guard or rescue forces can find a boat on the water to send to the rescue. Included in the book is a sample simulator scenario for training departments. One scenario builds to a quick reaction ditching (on-board fire) and the second scenario build to a drift down ditching (intense hail damage). The scenarios are built for realism and training value. Generic ditching checklists are for crews flying without a prescribed ditch checklist. The book concludes with a glossary of aviation definitions for the layman and the beginning pilots studying ditching. Professional crews crossing the ponds today are well versed in APU, CPDLC, HMG, GMDSS, EICAS, PACOTS, and RVR?but many readers will be lost in the jargon.

Kerry McCauley has the job most pilots only dream of; delivering small used aircraft to locations around the world. In his 30 years an international ferry pilot, Kerry has delivered almost every kind of airplane you can name to almost every location you can think of. In his long career Kerry battled fuel system malfunctions over the Atlantic, a total electrical failure at night over the Sahara, getting lost over Africa and being struck by lightning off the coast of Portugal. Kerry's almost insatiable, reckless quest for danger and adventure also led to putting international smuggler and bank robber on his resume. Kerry found the answer to the question "what could possibly go wrong?" time and time again. But his skill, ingenuity and luck were what allowed him to survive the countless mishaps, catastrophes and close calls including a nearly fatal plane crash. While "Ferry Pilot" is an account of one man's crazy thirst for thrills and adventure, his coming to grips with the dangerous nature of his career and just how much he wants to test the depth of his luck bag. It's also a portrait of the perseverance and bravery of a devoted family man who lost many close friends and his first wife to the dangerous skies.