On A Pedestal

There is trouble in Xanth again—all kinds of trouble, in fact. The Gap Dragon had escaped from the Gap and was ravaging across the land. The forget-spell that had covered the Gap was breaking up into small forget-whorls that wandered about, giving amnesia to all they touched. Good Magician Humfrey might have had the Answer, but he had overdosed on water from the Fountain of Youth and was only a helpless baby. And Ivy, three-year-old daughter of King Dor and Queen Irene, as lost in the jungles south of the Gap. While Irene sought her without much hope, Ivy was wandering further into danger, her memories erased by a passing forget-whorl. Her path was leading her directly to where the Gap Dragon was seeking dinner.

Life can be pretty tricky when you're a teenage girl. New things matter: Clothes. Parties. Boys. Suddenly being liked and being popular don't mean the same thing. Your parents get completely bizarre when the subject of dating comes up. A friend you've had forever stabs you in the back for no good reason. Everybody you know seems to feel free to comment on your constantly changing body. Drugs and alcohol go from being what you see "bad" kids doing on television shows to what you see your friends doing when no adults are around. How are you supposed to deal? Since life doesn't come with a set of instructions, it helps to turn to people who have been through the stuff that you're facing. Even parents can help. (Really!) In Boys Will Put You on a Pedestal (so they can look up your skirt), former teenage boy -- and current dad of two daughters -- Philip Van Munching helps guide you through some of life's most confusing topics. From Beauty to Grief, from Sex to Fate, Van Munching covers the things you most want to know about and, in his wise, warm, and funny way, offers advice on how you can become the young woman you most want to be.

This is a book for people who are interested in statues . . . and for people who aren't. It explores those immortalised in marble and bronze - and what the rest of us think about them. As Roger Lytollis travels Britain he encounters a man at Liverpool's Beatles statue convinced that Rod Stewart was in the Fab Four. In Edinburgh he walks into a row over Greyfriars Bobby's nose and in Glasgow learns why the Duke of Wellington wears a traffic cone on his head. London brings a controversial nude statue and some hard truths about racism. Elsewhere, Roger sees people dancing with Eric Morecambe, finds a statue being the backdrop to a marriage proposal and, everywhere he goes, pigeons. Always pigeons . . . On a Pedestal is the first book to examine public statues around the nation. It looks at their emergence into our culture wars; the trend for portraying musicians, sports stars and comedians rather than monarchs, politicians and generals; the amazing tales of many of those commemorated on our streets. It also features interviews with sculptors, including Sir Antony Gormley, telling the stories behind some of our most popular modern statues. Part history book, part travelogue, On a Pedestal brings statues to life. Informative and entertaining, it's a book that - ultimately - is more about blood than bronze.

Leaving the shipyard where he learnt his trade, a young marine engineer joins his first merchant ship at the outset of the Second World War. No sooner has David Watson adjusted to the difficulties of life at sea than fate intervenes. He eventually finds himself embroiled in the famous and bloody Pedestal convoy to re-supply the strategically important island of Malta. A strong narrative pays homage to the fortitude and heroism of those men of the sea who risked so much to provide the wherewithal for survival of the beleaguered islanders and servicemen. It is based on actual incidents, particularly in the career of the author's father, although the main characters are fictitious.

A provocative fusion of truth and fiction fill the pages of this memoir. Annie Mae relives her life from innocence to a world of poverty, abuse, neglect, and alcoholism. On a not-so-pretty trip down memory lane, she travels across Texas panning for love, food, and shelter. The characters that come in and out of her life resemble members from a museum of oddities. She leaves no stone unturned with raw dialogue about her clandestine encounters, her unscrupulous family, and the faith that pulls her through.

This book provides readers with insight into the intellectual, emotional, and social challenges experienced by law enforcement personnel while simultaneously challenging readers to understand the need to hold law enforcement responsible when they violate legal codes of conduct. Relationships between law enforcement and minority cultures in the United States have historically been filled with tension. These relationships continue to be strained due to multiple high-profile shootings of unarmed minorities by police officers. Outrage over these incidents has launched local and national demonstrations protesting police brutality and militarization of law enforcement. Such demonstrations have also renewed conversations about the inherent value of black and brown lives. One of the main questions facing our nation is "What needs to occur for there to be peace between minority cultures and law enforcement?" Exploring some of the historic reasons for the divisions between law enforcement and minority cultures, this book is informed by the author's experiences growing up as a black child in St. Louis, MO, where he ultimately served simultaneously as a pastor of an urban congregation and as an officer who patrolled two of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods. Writing from his experiences, the author illuminates the temptations officers regularly face when interacting with minority cultures. He also provides solutions that faith-based communities can adopt to help law enforcement to do their jobs in more equitable ways.