The Mercury Man

Tom, a shy high school student, finds himself the only one standing up against a corrupt organization with an agenda of genetic experimentation on his classmates.

On 24 November 1991 people all over the world mourned the untimely death of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of rock band Queen. But for the author, Mary Howis, her life would never be the same, as, from that day forward, she was aware of a strange presence around her; someone from the spirit world – the spirit that once was Freddie Mercury, known in the spirit world as ‘the Mercury Man'. Mary had been chosen for a special mission – to be an instrument for the spirit world, for Freddie, through which they could communicate. But why her? Why someone who, until the news reports of Freddie Mercury's death, had never even heard of him? Mary tells the story of her spiritual journey of discovery from disbelief, self-doubt and denial to an absolute conviction that what she was experiencing was real, the messages she was receiving were true, and they were proof that life continues after death; that Freddie was still alive, in spirit form, and had much knowledge to impart to the world. Despite the ridicule she might face, Mary knew that she was destined to write this book, to tell her story – Freddie’s story – to the world, in the hope that it would bring comfort and hope to those who are suffering in their earthly bodies, who are grieving for loved ones, who are fearful of death. The message is clear: death is not the end, it is a new and exciting beginning.

The Mercury Man is a collection of memoir narratives about growing up on the streets of Brooklyn in an Italian working-class family in the 1950s and early '60s. The writer, Frank Gioia, explores his interest in dialogue and voice to impart to the reader the sounds and rich texture of an earlier time and place. This journey into the past has created a work infused with all the pain and joy of his unique experience.

"The Mercury Man" is a collection of thirty-six memoir narratives about growing up on the streets of Brooklyn in an Italian working-class family in the 1950s and early '60s with his doo-wop singing, gang fighting, sexually provocative, and drug abusing crew. In this intimate collection, Frank Gioia shines a light on the offbeat, unusual, and destructive with the sounds and texture of an earlier time and place.

On February 20, 1962, as millions of Americans waited anxiously, astronaut John Glenn blasted off in his rocket ship, Friendship 7, and became the first American to orbit the Earth. Although the risks of such a mission for Friendship 7 were well known, no one including Glenn knew the peril he was about to encounter in space. John Glenn was one of the Mercury 7 astronauts, the early pioneers of manned space flight. His historic flight followed years of intensive physical training and a devotion to a career in the exciting but risk-filled world of aviation. Ruth Ashby's dramatic story of John Glenn's near-disastrous mission in Friendship 7 also takes young readers through his small-town Ohio childhood, his extraordinary experiences as a fighter pilot in two wars, and his life as an astronaut in the prestigious and dangerous Mercury 7 program. The book concludes with Glenn's successful career as a US senator and his triumphant return to space in 1998 at the age of 77.