Undefeated

Winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal A 2020 Newbery Honor Book Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award The Newbery Award-winning author of THE CROSSOVER pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree. Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.

DIV Don't let that dark, undefeated sin defeat you. Call it by its name, kill it, and take no prisoners!/div

This is the untold story of the most successful British and Irish Lions tour in history. The 1974 party are the only Lions ever to emerge undefeated.

Undefeated provides an engaging and thorough picture of how a family owned business developed, overcame challenges, and interacted with the rich context of the northern Michigan tourism industry. It is a very rare story of a three-generation family-owned and family-operated business that has had to fight for survival for nearly seventy years. Fierce competition from other ferry lines, treacherous weather conditions, costly maintenance on passenger and freight vessels, changing governmental regulations, and depressed economic conditions in the State of Michigan are but a few of the challenges the Sheplers have faced over the years. This book reveals how, operating in the historically rich Straits of Mackinac waters of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry exploits the beautiful scenery, military forts, lighthouses, and the world famous Mackinac Bridge by conducting tours accompanied by expert narration sharing both fact and fiction about the native American culture of the region, the missionaries, fur trading, and ships lost to the rough waters of the Great Lakes. In this book the reader will also get some interesting insights into Mackinac Island and St. Ignace, with their very divergent cultures and offerings that can inspire and entertain visitors.

“A provocative, arresting, put-you-there account of a forgotten 1940s Army basketball team that we now realize shouldn’t be forgotten” (Lars Anderson, New York Times–bestselling author). In 1943, the West Point basketball team, the Cadets, had only managed a 5-10 record, and for the 1944 season, coach Ed Kelleher’s hopes of reversing Army’s fortunes rested on his five starters. They consisted of three seniors—team captain “Big Ed” Christl, John “Three Star” Hennessey, and class president Bobby Faas—and two juniors, Dale Hall and Doug Kenna. As the new season opened in January of 1944, Kelleher’s strategy paid handsome dividends. By the end of January, West Point was 6–0; by the end of February, the team boasted a 13-0 record. Of course, during those weeks, it only took a glance at the newspaper headlines to be reminded that there were far bigger contests than intercollegiate basketball afoot in the winter of 1944. The world was at war. The US Army needed its finest on the front line more than on the court, and the three seniors were soon destined for other battles . . . In the years that followed, the Army’s basketball team would never again have a chance to play in the NCAA tournament, and in the modern era, few remember West Point’s perfect 1944 season. Although West Point’s home basketball court is named the Edward C. Christl Arena, and the National Invitational Tournament’s trophy is named after his coach, Edward A. Kelleher, too few people fully appreciate why. But after reading Undefeated, they will. “Hoosiers meets Band of Brothers.” —Col. Scott Maytan

The memoirs of a Tibetan freedom fighter who fought in the resistance against the Chinese occupation of Tibet in the 1950s, centered on his moral progression under the influence of the Dalai Lama from vengeful violence to compassion and forgiveness. The active resistance to the Chinese invasion of Tibet coalesced into a guerrilla army of freedom fighters, the Chushi Gangdruk. In the 1950s, China’s Red Army and communist cadres systematically slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Tibetans in Amdo and Kham, seeking to enslave the survivors. The freedom fighters waged war against overwhelming odds, losing to greater numbers, airplanes, and artillery. Fleeing to central Tibet, they helped their beloved Dalai Lama escape the 1959 massacre of Lhasa, to speak for his people in exile. Paljor Thondup’s diehard Khampa family also rose up to repel the invaders. They fought their way west through the whole thousand-mile length of Tibet, withdrawing to sanctuary in the Mustang region of Nepal. The Chushi Gangdruk, with modest CIA support, also regrouped their guerrilla army in Mustang. Eventually, certain new leaders became corrupt and gave up the fight, content with inaction to keep supplies coming. They hated the ongoing heroic raiding by Paljor’s family, and finally slaughtered them all—only Paljor and his close cousin Dupa survived. Hearing his father’s dying wishes, Paljor put down his weapons and changed his life, migrating to India to seek help from the Dalai Lama. Paljor and Dupa then began a modern education, to continue the struggle for Tibet as businessmen. Inspired by the Dalai Lama, Paljor renounced his tribal duty of blood vengeance, became a peace warrior, and conquered the inner enemy. He brings help to Tibet in its agony, sustaining the livelihoods of his long-suffering compatriots.

What would you do if your first love tried to come back into your life after he's been gone for over 10 years with no explanation? In this new romance novel, TWO LOVES, ONE HEART, Lynnette Thomas is forced to choose between her first love turned abusive and an old friendship that develops into a passionate romance. Lynnette Thomas is a beautiful, ambitious and passionate young woman from Atlanta Georgia. She marries her childhood sweetheart, Billy Matthews and move to Charleston, S.C. to begin their life together. All goes well for a while, until Billy changes and becomes extremely possessive of Lynnette. He starts using drugs, alienates her from her friends and ambitions, emotionally and physically abuses her, then abandons her, leaving her pregnant, feeling ashamed, hurt and alone. At one of the loneliest points in her life Lynnette reconnects with a friend from her childhood and their friendship blossoms into much more. Lynnette and Steve's new life together flourishes until Billy resurfaces after a 10 year absence looking for a fresh start with Lynnette. Lynnette must decide whether to continue her life with Steve or give her first love a second chance. Will two old friends allow their chance at happiness to slip away? Not if they reach out to each other, give in to their desires, and let love bind their hearts and join their souls. Their lives could be changed forever . BY A THING CALLED LOVE. Anyone who has ever felt the heartbreak and trials that love can bring, especially those who have experienced abusive or controlling relationships, will relate to Lynnette's journey to find true love within herself. It also gives readers hope that they can bring their lives around from the brink of devastation and despair if they have the desire to help themselves.

This epic story recounts the exceptional valor and endurance of American troops that battled Japanese forces in the Philippines during World War II. Bill Sloan, “a master of the combat narrative” (Dallas Morning News), tells the story of the outnumbered American soldiers and airmen who stood against invading Japanese forces in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II, and continued to resist through three harrowing years as POWs. For four months they fought toe to toe against overwhelming enemy numbers—and forced the Japanese to pay a heavy cost in blood. After the surrender came the infamous Bataan Death March, where up to eighteen thousand American and Filipino prisoners died as they marched sixty-five miles under the most hellish conditions imaginable. Interwoven throughout this gripping narrative are the harrowing personal experiences of dozens of American soldiers, airmen, and Marines, based on exclusive interviews with more than thirty survivors. Undefeated chronicles one of the great sagas of World War II—and celebrates a resounding triumph of the human spirit.