For Phoenix Baxter

An illustrated collection of published poetry and micro-fiction from the pen of Colin W. Campbell.

National bestselling author Allison Hobbs delivers a powerful novel about a father and son whose relationship is challenged after the son is suspected of crimes in his new neighborhood. Ten years ago when Malik Copeland was a hopeless addict, he signed away the parental rights to his son, Phoenix. It cut him to the core when his ex-wife allowed her new husband to adopt Phoenix and give him his last name. After getting clean and sober and moving across the country, Malik meets Sasha, a professional and business owner who is the single parent of a young child, Zoe. Together, they build a life together and Malik adopts Zoe. He is a caring stepfather and doting husband, and life couldn’t be better. Out of the blue, Malik receives a call from the mother of his now thirteen-year-old son, telling him that the boy wants to get to know him. Malik and Phoenix establish a long-distance relationship, and after a visit during spring break, Phoenix decides that he wants to stay with his father—permanently. Phoenix moves in and the Copelands are one big happy family. Malik’s life feels complete as he and his son continue to bond. Handsome, intelligent, and well-mannered, Phoenix is a joy to be around, and Sasha and Zoe adore him. Over time, however, Phoenix begins to exhibit antisocial behavior, and Malik fears that his son’s congenial persona is merely a façade. And when a young child goes missing, evidence points to Phoenix and Malik has to ask himself how far he’ll go to protect his own flesh and blood.

From 1933 to 1935, the federal governmentÕs Division of Subsistence Homesteads created thirty-four New Deal communities that sought to provide a healthier and more economically secure life for disadvantaged Americans. These settlements were designed to combine the benefits of rural and urban living by offering part-time farming, uplifting social functions, and inexpensive homes. Four were located in the West: in Phoenix, Arizona; El Monte and San Fernando, California; and Longview, Washington. Robert Carriker examines for the first time the intricate histories of these subsistence homestead projects, which have long been buried in bureaucratic records and clouded by misunderstanding, showing that in many ways they were among the agencyÕs most successful efforts. He provides case studies of the projects, rescuing their obscure histories using archival documents and rare photographs. He also reveals the machinations of civic groups and private citizens across the West who jockeyed for access to the funds being allotted for New Deal community building. By describing what took place on these western homesteads, Carriker shows that the DSHÕs agenda was not as far-fetched as some have reported. The tendency to condemn the Division and its projects, he argues, has failed to appreciate the good that came from some of the individual homestead communitiesÑparticularly those in the Far West. Although overshadowed by the larger undertakings of the New Deal, some of these western communities remain thriving neighborhoodsÑliving legacies to FDRÕs efforts that show how the country once chose to deal with economic hardship. Too often the DSH is noted for its failures; CarrikerÕs study shows that its western homesteads were instead qualified accomplishments.

"Report of the Dominion fishery commission on the fisheries of the province of Ontario, 1893", issued as an addendum to vol. 26, no. 7.