No One Ever Asked Me

Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district—and in their lives. WINNER OF THE CHRISTY AWARD® When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray--the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser--faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones--the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge's top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she's stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as "this" or "that", when such complexity exists in each person?

As a young adolescent, Hollis Dorion Stabler underwent a Native ceremony in which he was given the new name Na-zhin-thia, Slow to Rise. It was a name that no white person asked to know during Hollis's tour of duty in Anzio, his unacknowledged difference as an Omaha Indian adding to the poignancy of his uneasy fellowship with foreign and American soldiers alike. Stabler?s story?coming of age on the American plains, going to war, facing new estrangement upon coming home?is a universal one, rendered wonderfully strange and personal by Stabler?s uncommon perspective, which embraces two worlds, and by his unique voice. ø Stabler's experiences during World War II?tours of duty in Tunisia and Morocco as well as Italy and France, and the loss of his brother in battle?are at the center of this powerful memoir, which tells of growing up as an Omaha Indian in the small-town Midwest of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma in the 1920s and 1930s. A descendant of the Indians who negotiated with Lewis and Clark on the Missouri River, Stabler describes a childhood that was a curious mixture of progressivism and Indian tradition, and that culminated in his enlisting in the old horse cavalry when war broke out?a path not so very different from that walked by his ancestors. Victoria Smith, of Cherokee-Delaware descent, interweaves historical insight with Stabler?s vivid reminiscences, providing a rich context for this singular life.

Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far. But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside? Michael L. Printz Honor recipient A.S. King's smart, funny and boldly original writing shines in this powerful novel about learning to cope with the shrapnel life throws at you and taking a stand against it.

So you're a mom and you've often thought, I wish someone had told me this would happen. Or you're about to be a mom and you're wondering if anyone is telling you the truth about what to expect. Look no further. New author Miranda Lobs reveals the truth along with a few dozen laughs in this poignant and honest story about becoming a mother. With quotes from over 100 moms, What No One Ever Told Me about Motherhood gives new and quirky insight into the world of motherhood, including such topics as: bull; Delivery and recovery bull; What really happens to your body after children bull; The difference between girls and boys bull; Your kid becoming 'that kid' bull; Competitive mommies and mommy time-outs bull; And what really happens to your marriage after children. If you're already a mom, What No One Ever Told Me about Motherhood will provide you that much yearned for break with fast-paced, relatable chapters. If you're anticipating motherhood, finally, a book that reveals the secrets about becoming a mom that until now you had to wait to learn.

Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district—and in their lives. WINNER OF THE CHRISTY AWARD® When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray--the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser--faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones--the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge's top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she's stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as "this" or "that", when such complexity exists in each person?

The "new grownup" guide to managing your life and money in the modern economy No One Ever Told Us That is a series of essential life and financial lessons that every adult needs to read before they embark upon their own life's adventures. You've completed your education, your couch surfing, and your internships—now it's time to grow up. You have a "real" job, maybe a family, and maybe a mortgage; but you've been launched into an uncertain world. This book is your much-needed guide to life as an adult, giving you the answers you need about becoming a professional, becoming financially secure, and becoming your own person. You see the world differently when you spend your days supporting yourself and your family, and money management quickly becomes an integral part of everything you do. This useful guide shows you how to do what you need to do, find the people you need on your side, and fulfill your obligations to those who matter most to you. You may have been used to the idea of "independence" for a while by now, but when the reality of it hits, many new adults are thrown into a sudden state of panic. This book is your guide through the storm, your handbook for adulthood, and your personal companion for the journey ahead. John D. Spooner has a dual life. He has been named by Barrons as one of the top 100 financial advisors in America. As an author, the great mystery writer Robert B. Parker has said, "John Spooner is, quite simply, one of the best writers in America." Gain a fresh perspective on the world as a grownup Meet financial challenges with smart money management Assemble your personal, legal, medical, and financial support team Learn essential lessons before you suffer their consequences Written by the only full-time writer and money manager in America Nothing in your experience has ever prepared you for the responsibility of responsibility. You've been thrown into the deep end, the undertow is strong, and the stakes are high—it's time to start swimming. No One Ever Told Us That gets you right on track to your brightest future.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, Kansas City Star. A profoundly moving and deeply personal memoir by the co-host of National Public Radio’s flagship program All Things Considered. While exploring the hidden conversation on race unfolding throughout America in the wake of President Obama’s election, Michele Norris discovered that there were painful secrets within her own family that had been willfully withheld. These revelations—from her father’s shooting by a Birmingham police officer to her maternal grandmother’s job as an itinerant Aunt Jemima in the Midwest—inspired a bracing journey into her family’s past, from her childhood home in Minneapolis to her ancestral roots in the Deep South. The result is a rich and extraordinary family memoir—filled with stories that elegantly explore the power of silence and secrets—that boldly examines racial legacy and what it means to be an American.

If he had been with me everything would have been different... I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know—the cause of the argument—is crucial. So let me tell you...