The Long Road Here

A leading music journalist’s riveting chronicle of how beloved band Pearl Jam shaped the times, and how their legacy and longevity have transcended generations. Ever since Pearl Jam first blasted onto the Seattle grunge scene three decades ago with their debut album, Ten, they have sold 85M+ albums, performed for hundreds of thousands of fans around the world, and have even been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In Long Road: Pearl Jam and the Soundtrack Of A Generation, music critic and journalist Steven Hyden celebrates the life, career, and music of this legendary group, widely considered to be one of the greatest American rock bands of all time. Long Road is structured like a mix tape, using 18 different Pearl Jam classics as starting points for telling a mix of personal and universal stories. Each chapter tells the tale of this great band — how they got to where they are, what drove them to greatness, and why it matters now. Much like the generation it emerged from, Pearl Jam is a mass of contradictions. They were an enormously successful mainstream rock band who felt deeply uncomfortable with the pursuit of capitalistic spoils. They were progressive activists who spoke in favor of abortion rights and against the Ticketmaster monopoly, and yet they epitomized the sound of traditional, male-dominated rock ‘n’ roll. They were looked at as spokesmen for their generation, even though they ultimately projected profound confusion and alienation. They triumphed, and failed, in equal doses — the quintessential Gen-X tale. Impressive as their stats, accolades, and longevity may be, Hyden also argues that Pearl Jam’s most definitive accomplishment lies in the impact their music had on Generation X as a whole. Pearl Jam’s music helped an entire generation of listeners connect with the glory of bygone rock mythology, and made it relevant during a period in which tremendous American economic prosperity belied a darkness at the heart of American youth. More than just a chronicle of the band’s career, this book is also a story about Gen- X itself, who like Pearl Jam came from angsty, outspoken roots and then evolved into an establishment institution, without ever fully shaking off their uncertain, outsider past. For so many Gen-Xers growing up at the time, Pearl Jam’s music was a beacon that offered both solace and guidance. They taught an entire generation how to grow up without losing the purest and most essential parts of themselves. Written with his celebrated blend of personal memoir, criticism, and journalism, Hyden explores Pearl Jam’s path from Ten to now. It's a chance for new fans and old fans alike to geek out over Pearl Jam minutia—the B-sides, the beloved deep cuts, the concert bootlegs—and explore the multitude of reasons why Pearl Jam’s music resonated with so many people. As Hyden explains, “Most songs pass through our lives and are swiftly forgotten. But Pearl Jam is forever.”

We have all been there, a point that can send our lives in one direction or the other. This is a point where we can either continue the way we have been living, or branch out, take a chance, and seek more out of life. The Long Road North chronicles this juncture in Quentin Super's life. His memoir takes us through various stages that many people have experienced: partying, promiscuity, emptiness, and eventually a desire for something more. &nb

Introducing a remarkable new character from #1 New York Times bestselling writer David Baldacci: Atlee Pine, an FBI agent with special skills assigned to the remote wilds of the southwestern United States who must confront a new threat . . . and an old nightmare. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by its toe. It's seared into Atlee Pine's memory: the kidnapper's chilling rhyme as he chose between six-year-old Atlee and her twin sister, Mercy. Mercy was taken. Atlee was spared. She never saw Mercy again. Three decades after that terrifying night, Atlee Pine works for the FBI. She's the lone agent assigned to the Shattered Rock, Arizona resident agency, which is responsible for protecting the Grand Canyon. So when one of the Grand Canyon's mules is found stabbed to death at the bottom of the canyon-and its rider missing-Pine is called in to investigate. It soon seems clear the lost tourist had something more clandestine than sightseeing in mind. But just as Pine begins to put together clues pointing to a terrifying plot, she's abruptly called off the case. If she disobeys direct orders by continuing to search for the missing man, it will mean the end of her career. But unless Pine keeps working the case and discovers the truth, it could spell the very end of democracy in America as we know it... "Love it!" --Lisa Gardner"Atlee Pine is unforgettable." --James Patterson "David Baldacci's best yet." --Lisa Scottoline "Heart-poundingly suspenseful." --Scott Turow "A stunning debut." --Douglas Preston "A perfect blend of action, secrets, and conspiracies." --Steve Berry "Baldacci is at the top of his game." --Kathy Reichs

After losing his leg—and his trademark helmet—B.D. returns home from Iraq to begin a remarkable journey of healing in this Doonesbury book. On a road outside Fallujah, an RPG blows apart a Humvee and upends the life of a former football star named B.D. As a medevac chopper swoops down, the wounded Guardsman hears “Not your time, bro. Not today”. The Long Road Home: One Step at a Time chronicles seven months of cutting-edge cartooning, during which B.D.—and readers of the strip—experienced the kind of personal transformation no one seeks. B.D. survives first-response Baghdad triage, evacuation to Landstuhl, and visits by innumerable celebs, both red and blue in hue. He's awed in turn by morphine, take-no-guff nurses, his fellow amps, high-tech prostheses that cost more than luxury cars, and his family, including the daughter who hand-delivers succor, one aspirin at a time. From rebuilding tissue to rebuilding social skills to rebuilding lives, B.D's inspiring, insightful, and darkly humorous story confirms that it can take a village, or at least a ward, to raise a soldier when he's gone down. “Thank you for getting blown up,” offers one of B.D.'s visiting players. Replies the coach, “Just doing my job.”

Ryder Christianson is a bright, adventurous young man who is discontent with the good life he has. He and his older brother, Bobby, live on a North Dakota cattle ranch where his dad, Mike, has been raising them on his own since his wife died. Since then, Ryder has been getting into fights, performing poorly academically, and rebelling against all authority. Although Mike’s faith in God is strong and he unconditionally loves his son, Ryder’s constant irresponsible behavior is making him more frustrated by the day. Even a near death experience is not enough to dissuade Ryder’s rebellious attitude and desire for freedom from all authority and responsibility. While Mike finds comfort in the scripture and his relationship with God, Ryder eventually decides to move in with his aunt in California where he believes he can live without restrictions and responsibilities. Against Mike’s better judgment, he lets Ryder go. Will Ryder’s strong spiritual upbringing be enough to hold him together in a new place or will he stray down the wrong path in pursuit of other desires? In this uplifting story of forgiveness, faith, and hope, a prodigal son on a long road to maturity must detour away from selfishness, greed, and rebellion to find his way back to God.

The havoc wrought by the time travel of the Fitzgerald siblings continues in this third book in the Time Benders series. Mary has been dealt a terrible blow. She discovers her fate as a result of Mr. Brewster's and Thomas' trip forward in time. She makes a drastic and emotionally-charged decision to break with Ken. The protection of her secret comes close to breaking the bonds between Ken and his siblings, until he overhears a conversation and learns the truth. All the while, Kim is growing up, and impatiently waiting for her chance to make a mark on the world as her older siblings have done. She convinces Joe and Becky to join her on a humanitarian mission to Philadelphia in 1853. There to assist the abolitionists and the underground railroad, they find themselves trapped for many days in 1853 when Joe gets too close to a fugitive slave trial and winds up in jail! The trip explodes when Mr. Brewster alerts the others to the missing Joe, Becky and Kim. Deb makes a perilous choice to reveal their secrets to Uncle Darrick. All of this time travel is cause for multiple corrective trips in the machine, when Joe's cell mate turns out to be a co-conspirator in the Lincoln assassination and Uncle Darrick uses the machine to mend his relationship with his now dead father. Ken and Ryan travel back to keep Joe from conversations with his cellmate that dramatically change the course of history and Mr. Brewster must travel to stop Uncle Darrick from ruining his relationship with Alicia. When the dust settles, and the group gathers, they make several profound decisions about their fate, their memories, and their time travel and discover they have travelled a long way, and learned much on their long road home. These now familiar characters will warm your hearts and restore your faith!

From the author of the internationally-selling novel The Long Road North comes Quentin Super's next journey into the unknown. The Long Road East captures Super's 2017 cycling adventure that took him and his best friend Sam 1,800 miles across the United States. Over the course of seven weeks the two encounter a litany of roadblocks, both physical and emotional. Whether it's a near-death experience in Michigan or internal battles with maturity and promiscuity, Super takes you through the most harrowing and revelatory moments of his life. Discover what has made Quentin Super one of the most intriguing up-and-coming writers of his generation, and why personal growth sometimes presents itself in the strangest ways.

Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever, is back for the third book in Kate Messner's new chapter book series. This time, he helps two kids navigate the Underground Railroad! Ranger is a time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training. In this adventure, he goes to a Maryland plantation during the days of American slavery, where he meets a young girl named Sarah. When she learns that the owner has plans to sell her little brother, Jesse, to a plantation in the Deep South, it means they could be separated forever. Sarah takes their future into her own hands and decides there's only one way to run -- north.