I Wasn T Supposed To Live

Bob survived his premature birth after sharing the womb with his dead, decomposing twin. He was born in Putman county, Indiana, in a farmhouse with no hospitalization. The delivering doctor told his father he would not live through the night. At seven years of age, he was diagnosed with surviving twin syndrome. His curiosity of how things worked helped shape much of his activity in his early years. Through the years, he developed a reputation for being able to fix almost anything that quit or broke, except for a broken grasshopper's leg. Bob spent four years in the United States Air Force, serving two years in Germany as the maintenance crew chief on the ground-to-ground Mace Missile. Upon discharge, Bob went to work for ITT Electro Optics, where he spent thirteen years. Six months after leaving his position at ITT, he had lunch with his previous boss, who informed him that ITT had hired six people to do all the things he had done for ITT. Bob spent fifteen weeks behind the Iron Curtain in the Ukraine, USSR, in 1981 and 1982-years that were stressful and educational. A meeting with "the Russians" in November 1981 may have helped contribute to the fall of the USSR. In 1984, Bob took the position of motor manufacturing engineer at Chamberlain Consumer Group. Bob retired after twenty-one years with Chamberlain where he was affectionately known as the Motor Man. When informed of a need for something new by friends, Bob would design the item on his computer then produce a prototype, proof of performance product, and deliver it and the prints to the one who had the need, stating "Here you go, you can patent it." 2nd Safe, an added safety for law enforcement weapons, is one of those items. (2ndsafe.com)

“By far, the most practical, comprehensive, and spiritual book I have ever read on the process of healing from traumatic events.” —Beth Nimmo, mother of Columbine victim Rachel Joy Scott Learn the ten critical choices necessary for wholeness and recovery after life’s tragedies and disappointments. Blending scientifically-validated psychological truths with spiritual principles, Dr. Beverly Smallwood enables readers to overcome the unexpected and unthinkable. Giving readers a roadmap of ten major choices, she offers hope that no matter what has happened, going forward, we all have the power to choose. Through the power of choice readers will be able to move from: Denial to Reality Victimhood to Responsibility Why to How Doubt to Faith Bitterness to Forgiveness Guilt to Self-Forgiveness Depression to Grief Avoidance to Courage Isolation to Connection Powerlessness to Purpose “Dr. Smallwood makes it clear in her book that the questions we should be raising in times of adversity are not Why’s but How’s. She tackles false teachings on faith which lead to the needed steps that should be taken for correct lifestyle choices. This is an excellent resource to keep renewing our minds.” —Dr. Charles Stanley, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Atlanta; Founder and President, In Touch Ministries

A New York Times bestseller! A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2017 A dual biography of Winston Churchill and George Orwell, who preserved democracy from the threats of authoritarianism, from the left and right alike. Both George Orwell and Winston Churchill came close to death in the mid-1930's—Orwell shot in the neck in a trench line in the Spanish Civil War, and Churchill struck by a car in New York City. If they'd died then, history would scarcely remember them. At the time, Churchill was a politician on the outs, his loyalty to his class and party suspect. Orwell was a mildly successful novelist, to put it generously. No one would have predicted that by the end of the 20th century they would be considered two of the most important people in British history for having the vision and courage to campaign tirelessly, in words and in deeds, against the totalitarian threat from both the left and the right. In a crucial moment, they responded first by seeking the facts of the matter, seeing through the lies and obfuscations, and then they acted on their beliefs. Together, to an extent not sufficiently appreciated, they kept the West's compass set toward freedom as its due north. It's not easy to recall now how lonely a position both men once occupied. By the late 1930's, democracy was discredited in many circles, and authoritarian rulers were everywhere in the ascent. There were some who decried the scourge of communism, but saw in Hitler and Mussolini "men we could do business with," if not in fact saviors. And there were others who saw the Nazi and fascist threat as malign, but tended to view communism as the path to salvation. Churchill and Orwell, on the other hand, had the foresight to see clearly that the issue was human freedom—that whatever its coloration, a government that denied its people basic freedoms was a totalitarian menace and had to be resisted. In the end, Churchill and Orwell proved their age's necessary men. The glorious climax of Churchill and Orwell is the work they both did in the decade of the 1940's to triumph over freedom's enemies. And though Churchill played the larger role in the defeat of Hitler and the Axis, Orwell's reckoning with the menace of authoritarian rule in Animal Farm and 1984 would define the stakes of the Cold War for its 50-year course, and continues to give inspiration to fighters for freedom to this day. Taken together, in Thomas E. Ricks's masterful hands, their lives are a beautiful testament to the power of moral conviction, and to the courage it can take to stay true to it, through thick and thin. Churchill and Orwell is a perfect gift for the holidays!

As seen on Humans of New York, Jonathan Conyers introduces us to the teachers, his debate coach, a homeless man, and a boy named Diego who changed his life. Booklist calls it “a moving story about finding your supporters and building your future.” Everybody was rooting for Jonathan Conyers after seeing his profile on Humans of New York went viral and sparked millions in donations to the Brooklyn Debate League. The kid who went from struggling to read to being a breakout star on his high school debate team, thanks to a life-changing friendship with his transgender debate coach, captured the heart of America. Jonathan’s story highlights the important role teachers play in opening up worlds of opportunity for the most vulnerable students. In I Wasn’t Supposed to Be Here, Jonathan shares the full story of his incredible journey escaping the precarious circumstances he was born into, and the teachers, mentors, and guides who helped him along the way. ​ Born into a family crippled by addiction and homelessness, Jonathan “failed” kindergarten and was told he would never succeed academically. But instead, Jonathan found ways to defy the limited expectations placed upon him by building a village to save his own life, and realize his dream to get into medical school. Throughout this heartwarming memoir, we meet the unique and diverse cast of characters who made up Jonathan’s village and helped him change the trajectory of his life.

Love appears when you least expect it. Small-town Honey Bay, Florida is home to three romances full of laughter and love. Three novels, three couples, three feel-good happy ever afters of unlikely love. Remember Him Baxter is back in town -- and badly wants a second chance with Andy, the sweet nerd whose heart he broke back in high school. Cherish Him Pop superstar Dante is taking a break from boy-band fame and hiding out in Honey Bay. His new landlord Ted has no respect for poofy-haired pop stars, until one of Dante and Ted's arguments starts in the living room and ends in the bedroom. Embrace Him One glamorous big-city dating coach. One humble small-town mechanic. One month together as fake boyfriends. What could possibly go wrong, other than short shorts at the town picnic and unveiling the mystery of chicken fried steak? It Wasn't Supposed to Happen is a 136,000-word collection of Books 1-3 from Steve Milton's series Honey Bay. The books in the collection are identical to the individually published books.

Like millions of other women, HLN anchor Christi Paul blamed herself for the emotional abuse heaped on her by her first husband, whose violent, profanity-laced tirades left her feeling as though she had no value, no self-worth, and nowhere to turn for help. Then one day, when Christi was taking refuge in a church parking lot, the verse “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” popped into her head. In that moment, she realized she did have someplace to turn after all. Holding fast to her Christian faith, Christi began the arduous process of rebuilding her self-image and regaining control of her life. Now happily remarried and the mother of three girls, Christi feels called to share her story in the hope that other victims will find courage to seek the help they desperately need and deserve. Written with candor and poignancy, Love Isn’t Supposed to Hurt chronicles Christi’s personal experience with emotional abuse and shows how—with God’s help, some unconventional therapy, and faith—she was able to break the cycle and regain her sense of self-worth.

Our thoughts have always been a very personal thing. No matter how old or young, educated or not so educated, rich or poor no one can take your thoughts away from you. Thought can be influenced by experience, outside inputs, education and testing. No matter these influences one has the ownership of his or her thoughts. In between our initial exposure and some time to undertake the experience we are involved in we will go through an analysis of what’s happening using past information to form opinions. These opinions can form the way we operate, how we will integrate and basically how we live the rest of our lives. So when someone says to you as they did to me that “life is not supposed to be fair” when you encounter what you think is wrong, you may think to yourself as I always did; I know life’s not always fair but this is ridiculous!!!!! I hope this book provokes thought both now and in the future. Without thought I believe we as a people will not survive. Karl V. Farmer Sr.

Stanislavski’s ‘system’ has dominated actor-training in the West since his writings were first translated into English in the 1920s and 30s. His systematic attempt to outline a psycho-physical technique for acting single-handedly revolutionized standards of acting in the theatre. Until now, readers and students have had to contend with inaccurate, misleading and difficult-to-read English-language versions. Some of the mistranslations have resulted in profound distortions in the way his system has been interpreted and taught. At last, Jean Benedetti has succeeded in translating Stanislavski’s huge manual into a lively, fascinating and accurate text in English. He has remained faithful to the author's original intentions, putting the two books previously known as An Actor Prepares and Building A Character back together into one volume, and in a colloquial and readable style for today's actors. The result is a major contribution to the theatre, and a service to one of the great innovators of the twentieth century.