The heat index, which measures how the temperature actually feels on the body, would hit 126 degrees by the time the day was over. Meteorologists had been warning residents about a two-day heat wave, but these temperatures did not end that soon. When the heat wave broke a week later, city streets had buckled; the records for electrical use were shattered; and power grids had failed, leaving residents without electricity for up to two days. And by July 20, over seven hundred people had perished-more than twice the number that died in the Chicago Fire of 1871, twenty times the number of those struck by Hurricane Andrew in 1992—in the great Chicago heat wave, one of the deadliest in American history.Heat waves in the United States kill more people during a typical year than all other natural disasters combined. Until now, no one could explain either the overwhelming number or the heartbreaking manner of the deaths resulting from the 1995 Chicago heat wave. Meteorologists and medical scientists have been unable to account for the scale of the trauma, and political officials have puzzled over the sources of the city's vulnerability. In Heat Wave, Eric Klinenberg takes us inside the anatomy of the metropolis to conduct what he calls a "social autopsy," examining the social, political, and institutional organs of the city that made this urban disaster so much worse than it ought to have been.Starting with the question of why so many people died at home alone, Klinenberg investigates why some neighborhoods experienced greater mortality than others, how the city government responded to the crisis, and how journalists, scientists, and public officials reported on and explained these events. Through a combination of years of fieldwork, extensive interviews, and archival research, Klinenberg uncovers how a number of surprising and unsettling forms of social breakdown—including the literal and social isolation of seniors, the institutional abandonment of poor neighborhoods, and the retrenchment of public assistance programs—contributed to the high fatality rates. The human catastrophe, he argues, cannot simply be blamed on the failures of any particular individuals or organizations. For when hundreds of people die behind locked doors and sealed windows, out of contact with friends, family, community groups, and public agencies, everyone is implicated in their demise.As Klinenberg demonstrates in this incisive and gripping account of the contemporary urban condition, the widening cracks in the social foundations of American cities that the 1995 Chicago heat wave made visible have by no means subsided as the temperatures returned to normal. The forces that affected Chicago so disastrously remain in play in America's cities, and we ignore them at our peril.

    The front lines are collapsing all around, bombs are falling. On Thuringia too, a state in the centre-east of Germany. The Second World War is nearing its end. Boys of fifteen and sixteen from the Jungvolk and Hitler Youth movements set off in the belief that they can still save the fatherland – they are determined to defend it, bravely and loyally. Inadequately armed, however, they are forced to retreat from the advancing enemy in an entirely pointless march. They are taken prisoner and transferred to one of the infamous camps near Bad Kreuznach. Conditions in the camp are tough. The diarist is fortunate enough to survive and to be released relatively early, at the end of June 1945. Germany, spring 2005. The fatherland too has survived and has been reunified. It is a year of commemoration days, of monuments and memorials, and in the run-up to the sixtieth anniversary it is already being declared by all the media as a year of remembrance of the downfall of the ‘Third Reich’. Inspired by this, the diarist, now seventy-five years old, remembers the notes and diary entries kept at that time by his fifteen-year-old self. Originally written on scraps of toilet paper, he copied them out after his fortunate return in July 1945, and has not looked at them since. The notes are very personal and honest and, above all, authentic. They give an insight into the experiences and the thoughts of a young boy who by his own admission left as a ‘proud soldier’ and returned home as a ‘pitiful vagabond’. It is a historical document. It is not the story of an individual fate. Thousands had the same experiences. That is why the diarist decided, with some hesitation, to publish his diary as a part of the historical truth, even if there already existed numerous reports and publications about the camps in Bad Kreuznach, Bretzenheim, Dietersheim, Bingen, Heidesheim and the other ‘Rhine Meadows camps’. All these records are testament to the fact that tyranny often abounds when one group of people is given unchecked power over another. According to Livy, as many as 2400 years ago the Gaulish king Brennus called to the defeated Romans: ‘Vae victis!’ – woe to the vanquished! Herwarth Metzel

    Still trying to win Shaleea back and end his relationship with Eve for good, Noah finds that a new threat lingers in the air. When startling revelations are made by everyone around him, Noah finds his back against the wall and willing to risk everything to have things the way he wants. Going back to the old Noah he does what he knows best: seize through force. With Mann's newfound wealth going to his head, he feels that he can have whatever he wants, even if it means taking it again. Things get blurry when that something he wants happens to belong to someone else that will do anything to keep it. What started off as revenge has Shaleea up shit's creek with no paddle. A storm is brewing and she finds herself right at the center. Refusing to be left out in the cold, Eve is still hell bent on having Noah for herself. However, when her plan to get Noah backfires, Eve finds herself back to square one but this time with baggage. She shifts her focus to retribution but this time the stakes are higher and she soon finds out who she's playing with, and just how serious the game has gotten.

    

     When it came down to something they both wanted, Jamila always stepped aside to feed Porshay’s pitiful, low self-esteem, that is until Arcani “Loyalty” Ducane blows into their lives, stirring up a whirlwind romance and gives birth to a feud between the girls that could end in a deadly brawl. With loyalty on the line, are the girls willing to lose their friendship over this handsome stranger, or will Loyalty lie with the fist by the end of this deceitful three-part series?

    

    This is the first in a series of true stories about a young helicopter pilot’s tour of duty in Vietnam.

    I try to tell what it was like for me and my brother Marines without fanfare or bravado and give the reader a vivid description of my 13 months.

    With a young mother for an example, Cioni was easily influenced by the neighborhood and things going on around her. Her and her best friends Ali, and Madden loved chilling on the stoop, attending house parties, and just doing the regular teenage things. Growing up in the hood with messed up parents was the one thing that brought them all together. Products of their environments, each girl is forced to figure their way through life, not every choice a good one. Even with their circumstances, Ali, Madden, and Cioni all have a bond was always unbreakable, and nothing could and would ever come between them. Not even boys...well… There was one boy... one who is now a man and the man in the streets—Knowledge. Cioni had always had her eyes on him, but Madden was always the bold one and had eventually scored him first. Cioni was always the one that was overlooked due to her shy girl ways and not knowing her beauty and worth. She was always in last place, but what she doesn’t know was that she was actually the hood’s gem. Knowledge “Ledge” Armstrong; at an early age always knew that he was a king. With his brother Wisdom Wiz” Armstrong and cousin Major Armstrong by his side, the heroin game was readily theirs for the taking. With a knack for hustling and swagger out of this world, Ledge manages to move him and his family out of the hood, eventually bringing his girlfriend Madden along all off the strength of his hustle. Life is sweet, and then life has its problems especially when money is involved. Soon, Ledge quickly realizes that the girl he picked out the crowd was the wrong one and now has his eyes set on Cioni. With Cioni refusing to break the girl code, Ledge stops at nothing to have her. It doesn’t take long before he has her so deep in her feelings, and unable to escape them. With the two of them having love, and optimism nothing could come between them, right? But when reality of their consequences are brought to the light, will it be enough to break them apart? Ali Morris was dealt a bad hand like a lot of kids around the way. Her mother a junkie, and her father absent, Ali only knew to get it by any means necessary. Her by any means necessary lands her in a predicament that ultimately has her back against the wall. Forced to make a decision to choose her life or HIS, she definitely chooses hers. Choosing her life sent her spiraling out of control with only one thing that could save her…love. Love from Wisdom comes at just right the time, but will it be enough to keep her from going down a path of destruction.

    Having no memory of who Drake is, Dream does not think there is a possibility that he could be her child’s father. She only has memories of her ex-boyfriend, Spencer. Therefore, in her mind, Spencer is her child’s father. Spencer is thrilled about Dream being pregnant, since he plotted to impregnate her while she was unconscious. Drake is furious that the love of his life does not remember him and threatens to never speak to her again. Drake’s attitude towards everyone, including his cousins Quay and Fresh, is relentless and unapologetic. His stubbornness nearly costs him his life. Channa seeks revenge on everyone who gets in her way. Realizing how manipulative and selfish Channa is, Drake sets a plan in motion to divorce her, even if that means living with her until the court date. Conversely, Channa refuses to go down without a fight. She plans to take Drake and Dream down the dark road with her. Dream continues to ask questions about Bey, who is still missing. She makes an effort to find her, once she is well enough. Is Bey still alive? If so, who will be the one to save her? Will Dream ever remember Drake? Will she be happy when she finds out who fathered her child? Or will she live out the rest of her life with regret? Dream and Drake 3 will leave you speechless!

    A chance meeting at one of the lounge bars that he owns, was all it took for him to fall head over heels in love with her. Fast forward two years later, Toby and Niecey are happily engaged and ready to become man and wife. That is, until her ex boyfriend Will pops back up into the picture causing some trust issues between the two. The only man that could possibly cause ShaNiece Taylor to ever doubt her love for Toby is the man who she will always know as her first love; William “Big Will” Davis. Their childhood romance wasn’t an ordinary fairy tale love, but it did come close. The on again, off again relationship was a normal routine for them until Will fathered a child with her twin sister LaNiece. Even with all of the drama centered around that situation, can you fully take your love away from someone, after years of giving it away so freely? When you stop listening to your heart and start to entertain the thoughts in your mind, don’t be surprised if you end up loosing the best thing that has ever happened to you. One night of pleasure can lead to a lifetime of regret, especially if it isn’t the right kind of love.

    

    Seeing his mother struggle at a young age with his two younger siblings, Wavy and Blondie, he felt pressure to do his part and provide for them where his mother could not. He startled hustling in downtown L.A, and pickpocketing was his game, until he met his mentor, Monster, the leader of the infamous Piru Blood gang, who would ultimately teaches him the game and changed his life forever. Years later as an adult, all the money in the world meant nothing to him without someone by his side to rule the empire he created. When he meets Patrice, a boss chick in her own right, she steps in and proves she can match his status. Wavy Carter is the middle child and the most stubborn, the total opposite of his natural-born leading brother. Sleeping with different girls every night and being a fashion-forward type of man, he doesn't have time for romance, or so he thinks, until his life is fatefully changed the night he smashes his car right into love. Blondie Carter is the baby, the only girl of the Carter family, and the deadliest, most ruthless of the bunch. She's the executioner of the family, and if you cross her brothers, you'll have to see her. Together, Blondie and Wavy run the underworld while Legacy tries to keep his business legit, but with more money, comes more problems. The Carters are faced with enemies from every side and fight to hold down their spot in the kingdom they've created. Will the brothers be blind-sighted by newfound love, putting the family power and fortune at stake? Can Legacy and his siblings survive the lovers quarrels that surround them that could potentially prove deadly? Tune into this fast paced, electrifying standalone to find out what happens....

    She’s on her way to being great. Having the one person who has always supported her, was making it possible. She feels like there’s nothing that can stop her. What happens when she’s stopped, and lost? Regaining who she is unlocks secrets of epic proportions. What happens when the one who’s always been there for her, hurts her? Will who she once was crash and burn under all the scrutiny and drama surrounding her, or will she rise up and reign supreme? Jahquil Duvall is the one everyone wants. He’s the man who unlocks the realness of a song by placing it in motion. By being one of the biggest choreographers in the industry, his name holds weight. Dancing, and his woman, are his two greatest passions. Tragically, he loses one in the most unbelievable way. Restoring what he felt he’s lost, is the hardest thing, but at the same time, he feels it’s worth it. Fighting to get back what some deems as impossible, is a fight he doesn’t plan on losing. But when there’s an unknown force against him, will he prosper? Or will the damage done be too much to recover from? In this intriguing standalone, trials and tribulations push those to the point to prove whether ‘A Love That Belongs Together,’ is worth the fight.

    In its place, he could add paid, successful, well-dressed…maybe even a good man, but definitely nothing that would accentuate his good looks. That was the one thing he just didn’t have. Well, not personally anyway. Thanks to his thriving career as a fitness trainer, he’s surrounded by women every day. They just don’t belong to him, and honestly, he’s okay with that. After continuously being turned down, looked over, and frowned upon, Killian has chosen to block off the avenue to his heart until the right woman can find him. He is done looking for love, so if a female wants to pursue anything serious, they would have to approach him first. Had he known the beautiful young, vibrant, East, would be that person, he would have run for the hills. Just as crazy, just as mean, and just as guarded as Killian, East quickly becomes the challenge he’s been avoiding. However, unlike Killian, East is ready for love. One bad relationship after the next, her heart should be too damaged to mend, but not for Killian. A self-made broken-hearted guru, Killian is the man for the job. A small skill he’s acquired after stitching the pieces of his own heart back together too many times before. Though East is ready for happiness and open to loving Killian, she’s no easy target. With a horrible attitude and a terribly rude mouth, Killian isn’t the easiest person to get along with, unless you’re a self-assured spitfire named East. Take a chance and fall in love with another one of A’zayler’s page turning romances. Killian and East are a love story for the ages.