I lived through and beyond horrific child abuse. This book tells of my brutal beginnings, starting when I was only four years old when my mother went in to hospital to have baby number three. My clothing was stripped off by my father, who hung me upside down naked on a hook on the inside of a cupboard door by the ankles. He beat me with his huge hands, then only took me down once I stopped screaming. He then plunged me into a pre prepared bath full of cold water, where I almost drowned. Even although he was holding me under the water, and I was thrashing about and fighting my young life, I could hear my drunken father laughing at me. My abuse and ridicule follows me through my school years, and has a major impact on my mental health. My family grew until I had six siblings all living with me in a two bedroom cottage. I was never acknowledged as a son by my violent father, I was the outcast, the one who brought shame to the family, and I was the devils child. This is the true story of a childhood lost, and the struggles to overcome the mental anguish afflicted on me throughout my young life. This story will take the reader on a painful journey as I move with my siblings around Scotland, from house to house, and school to school, always just evading the authorities who could have helped me. This story leaves nothing to the readers’ imagination. There are some lighter moments throughout the book which will make the reader laugh, but my story will make you wonder how I survived, and what does happen behind closed doors. Even although I am now over 60 years old, I often sometimes mourn my stolen childhood, it is like a limb has been pulled off, I can feel where it was supposed to be but it is just not there, it is a part of me which I will never get back, it was taken away without my consent and is now lost forever. Sometimes it just hits me out of nowhere, an overwhelming sadness and emptiness rushes over me. I get disheartened and I feel hopeless, sad, and hurt, and once again I feel numb to the world.

    Luis was too quick. Before they could move, he had pounced on the ball and fired a shot into the top corner.' Suarez follows the Uruguayan's winding path from love-struck youngster to Liverpool hero to Barcelona star. Grabbing goals and headlines along the way, this is the inspiring story of how the world's deadliest striker made his mark.Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life-stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to super-star professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.

    Here's the story: Who didn't want to be a jet pilot as a kid? Yet for most, life gets in the way and charts a different course. But what if? Here's your chance to live the dream, the true story of a childhood passion for airplanes and flight to the rigorous military college that lead to Air Force pilot wings, to years as a USAF pilot in the Pacific and Asia, then into the cockpits of the world's largest airline, and decades as a captain. Live the struggle, the adventures, the flying, the ups and downs of airline crew life from an insider perspective. An airline pilot's life: strap in, hang on--it's a wild ride.

    

    I created S.P.Y ( stop protecting your abuser) after discovering I was apart of a growing community of women and young girls who had been victimized by the same famous and powerful man. I became infuriated when communicating with several of his past victims when I realized we were all dealing with the same fear and shame and we were all too afraid of the questions and the victim shaming that follows after you tell! Why are you telling now? Are you after money? She doesn't look like a victim, she isn't his type, she's not pretty, she's a groupie she deserved it, she's not crying in the interview she must be lying!! Watching past victims endure so much backlash it made many of us go into a deeper depression and pretend it never happened, this allowed our abuser to recruit and victimize more girls and women over the years to come. Inside, I take you on a journey, sharing my life and my career before Robert Kelly, and then sharing my life as it was living with him. Never before seen photos, and information never revealed.

    After losing their small business and life savings to the government’s unfathomable shutdown, the author and her husband are forced to sell their home and move into a travel trailer. Still reeling from financial loss and the deaths of two of their beloved dogs, the pair embark on a new life in a trailer park, populated with some of the most unconventional characters you’d ever hope not to meet. There’s Gretchen, the park’s unsympathetic and conniving manager, and her puny, perverted husband, Lloyd, who “maintains” the park grounds and who gives pool algae a bad name. Daisy and Lonnie May are the author’s closest neighbors, and are, perhaps, the park’s most devoted couple. Only Daisy May happens to be Lonnie’s dog. Trailer Dogs will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even a little angry. But it will never make you bored.

    TO SURVIVEDan Evans arrived in Vietnam on October 7, 1968, a 21- year-old Army medic who couldn't stand the sight of blood. Thrust into the cauldron of combat, he soon became a seasoned veteran of emergency medicine and the brutal realties of war. Before his time was up, he would master the skills of a surgeon, acquire the patience of a saint, and demonstrate the courage of a lion... Here, in his own words, is the gripping true story of Dan Evans, the highly decorated soldier whom the men of First Platoon, Bravo Company, called the "fighting medic." Experience the rage, the sorrow and the remarkable spirit of Dan Evans - the PLATOON MEDIC who became a true American hero.

    A line from that song stays in my mind - 'when the dark midnight is over, watch for the breaking of day'. Let me hope that this day and this debate heralds a new dawn for all those who feared that the dark midnight might never end." - Taoiseach Enda Kenny's State apology to the Magdalene women.On 19 February 2013 the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny apologised to the women who had been incarcerated in Ireland's Magdalene laundries. And listening patiently for the words she'd been fighting to hear was Nancy Costello.For Nancy was only 10 years old when she was confined at the Good Shepherd Sundays Well Magdalene laundry in Cork in 1949. From there she was sent to laundries in Limerick, Waterford and Wexford. The harrowing physical and psychological abuse she endured in the institutions, run on behalf of the State, led to a lifetime of shame and secrecy.Now, in WHISPERING HOPE, Nancy tells her story for the first time. Her fight for justice and forged friendships with other survivors has enabled her to move forward and have her voice heard in this immensely powerful narrative that shines a light on a dark chapter in Ireland's history.Inspirational and moving, this is the story of a remarkable woman brave enough to confront her past and strong enough to not let it define her.

    Mensch tracht, und Gott lacht. Man plans and God laughs. They thought that quitting their jobs, leaving a comfortable penthouse in Pittsburgh, saying good-bye to family, friends, and their mother tongue and moving to a little olive farm in Puglia, the “heel of the boot,” would be as easy as breaking a really expensive wine glass. And God laughed. So begins The Soul of the Heel, the story of an American couple that dreamt of an idyllic life in Italy but found that getting there would require patience (little of which either of them had), perseverance (which they both had in abundance), and money (of which they barely had enough). At age fifty-eight, Scott felt bone-weary of the corporate life he had endured for over half of his years. He took a leap and suggested to his wife, Jessica who was twenty-three years his junior, that they consider leaving their lives behind and move to Italy. Their jobs were wearing them away much like a chisel wears away marble and they had been talking about how the next chapter in their lives would read. Jessica bought the idea of moving to Italy like it was on sale at Barney’s. They jumped on a plane to Puglia, a place they had never been, visited thirty-three properties in four days and picked one to be their new home. Like a raft on Class 5 rapids, events moved from there at high speed, sometimes out of control, and frequently encountering obstacles that threatened to dash their dream to splinters. Fortunately for them and their vision, they met Colleen and Francesco, owners of Real Estate Cisternino. Colleen was born in Ireland and had lived in England, Canada and France before finally settling in Puglia. Francesco, on the other hand, had spent his entire life in the “heel.” Tall, blonde, and lissome, Colleen seemed to glide from one thing to another. Francesco’s staccato movement and tendency to freneticism was a stark contrast, as was his dark hair and matching complexion. But, in all ways important, they were of like mind and spirit. It was Colleen and Francesco who introduced Scott and Jessica to the property that they would call Villa Tutto and were the Virgil to their Dante, guiding them through the circles of Hell currently referred to as “Italian Immigration,” “the Italian banking system,” and virtually every other Italian institution. It was they who dedicated themselves to the goal of making sure that these naïve Americans, these two brave and silly souls, saw their dream of living in Puglia become a reality. On the two-year journey from making the decision to move to Italy and Scott and Jessica’s first night together as residents of Cisternino, they encountered a cast of characters that taught them that Puglia is not just about delectable food, voluptuous wines, and astounding scenery: Michele, the rotund, ever-smiling contractor they hired to do the renovation they swore they would not undertake; Pierino, owner and executive chef of Il Cappriccio, a Cisternese icon who occasionally serves up porcupine for dinner; Roberto Angelini, one of Italy’s most erudite wine merchants; Pietro, the former owner of Villa Tutto who continues to believe that the place is still his; and, a parade of Italian bureaucrats hell-bent on preventing Scott and Jessica from fulfilling their dream of abiding blissfully in bel paese. As the story of their quest to move to the heel of the boot unfolds, Scott and Jessica, with Colleen and Francesco at their side, take on the challenges set before them, one-by-one overcoming them until they are finally together at Villa Tutto beginning their version of la dolce vita.

    The Wright Brothers is an historical narrative that draws on extensive archival materials, personal journals, and public records to tell the story of the Wright brothers as men of incredible character and determination along the road towards their significant contributions to aviation history. The summary parallels the structure of the book which is divided into three parts. The first part explores the period of the boys’ childhood through their work on flight testing various models of gliders. The second part picks up with the addition of the engine to the Wright planes and traces the brother’s work through the early stages of powered flight, roughly 1903 to 1908. Part three follows the brothers, now globally famous, through the years when they captured the most attention for their accomplishments. A central aspect of this historical account is the development of Orville and Wilbur Wright as individuals who showed fierce determination in the face of relentless setbacks. It also sheds light on their private nature and their deep bond as brothers. McCullough is a two time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for other historical works, Truman and John Adams. He also won the National Book Award twice and is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His educational background includes a degree in English Literature from Yale University. He is also a well-known narrator, as well as previous host of American Experience. Read more....

    This tell-all story will put you on the front line of the reality of street paramedicine. From gruesome and violent encounters to making split-second decisions which may have cost a life, experience the emotional struggle our responders have to deal with on a daily basis. Through the highs and lows of his career, ten-year Paramedic David Stone doesn't hold back as he tells of the circumstances which haunted him and eventually drove him out of the career... and why it was all worth it in the end. Ride front seat with this thrill-packed memoir encompassing over a decade of true stories from the medic who experienced it.

    It is isolating, painful, and confusing. Loneliness and longing are your reality. You’re consumed with guilt, self-deprecating inner dialogue, and worst of all, the fear of doing even the smallest thing wrong. You spend a lot of time alone…even when you’re not. You watch a lot of TV.Obviously, this is all your fault. Obviously, the reason you are living this way is because of something you did to warrant it. If they beat you, you deserved it. If they punish you, you asked for it. You never want to go home, but you don’t have a choice because you’ve never had a choice. This is it. This is what you have. This is all you know.And yet, you still smile when you sometimes catch a glimpse of the sweeter things and treasure the smallest kindness. Inside, you know life isn’t supposed to be like this, but it is. Your life is like a bubble of poison gas that could burst at any moment…you know that. You live that. But how are you supposed to make sense of any of this? How do you make it stop?You can’t.You are powerless.You haven’t even reached kindergarten yet.From a severely abusive childhood in the inner city of Baltimore, a string of unsatisfying relationships and several broken marriages, to a six-figure income from the multi-million dollar business I built out of my home, this is my story in my own words.I was stolen as a baby when my mother died. I was lied to by my kidnapper and used as a Cinderella punching bag by his never-ending parade of “step-mothers” and girlfriends, and much worse when he didn’t have one.This memoir covers the good, the bad, and the ugly.As this story unfolds, my hope is that you, the reader, will discover a little girl who survived that abusive childhood, healed, and empowered herself through discipline and hard work. I hope you see a girl who became a woman who learned from her mistakes and a whole human being who loves her newfound family with all her heart.I am no longer an outsider. I can go home now.

    Deciding that taking a leap into the unknown was better than making no decision at all, they borrowed a little money from some good friends, packed up their belongings and headed to a mobile home site just outside Cannes. Whilst there, they would look for work with the hope of settling in the region. What no one bothered to tell France’s newest arrivals was that the people they were about to be interviewed by and eventually work for were all blisteringly, yet deliciously mad. Whilst minding his own business in the garden belonging to one of these certifiable lunatics, Brent gets adopted by a dog with his own obsession, maintaining the author's theory that sanity is an extremely rare commodity in the south of France.

    

    Invited to share her story with the world, the photographer hands her a sign to hold in front of her body for the article. The sign: FOR RENT.What follows is a transformational story that is both heartbreaking and exhilarating. As Susan hurtles toward the confusion of what it means to be a surrogate mother, she looks for what might help her cope and throws herself back into the surrogacy world. She will end up spending the entire decade of her forties being a surrogate mother for other families. As with many love stories, things start to fall apart and she realizes surrogacy/pregnancy has become an obsession.Susan longs for a single why to her pregnancy past, but instead finds many complex reasons. She forges ahead to find answers deep within herself, and wants what is missing from her life. She finds what she never expected.