In Don't Block the Blessings, Patti reveals the exciting story of her rise to fame, describes how she overcame serious career setbacks, and writes frankly about her own personal tragedies.

    Charismatic pastor George Landris is preparing for his upcoming wedding to Theresa Jordan when he gets news that will reverberate through many lives. His cherished friend Johnnie Mae Taylor has been involved in a car accident, and her husband and young child are fighting for survival, in need of all the prayers they can get. Theresa has her own dilemmas to contend with. Seeing her fiance rushing to another woman's side increases Theresa's doubts about George's commitment to her. She knows that George has always loved Johnnie Mae, even if their relationship is platonic, but his devotion and concern puts a serious strain on their upcoming nupitals. An unforeseen tragedy and a shocking revelation reopen painful scars--and create fresh wounds that could change four lives. As accusations fly and rumors spread through the church and community, Pastor George Landris vows to remain strong and hold tight to his spiritual beliefs. It will take hope, courage, and unswerving faith to help everyone find their way back again...

     After eleven years of marriage, Georgia Brown is fed up with her husband, Marvin, a popular radio personality. It's not just because she suspects he's having an affair, or because she's suddenly expected to raise his thirteen-year-old daughter, Chloe-whom she never even knew existed. It's because of the comments he makes about her weight, their marriage, and their sex life...on national radio! Now, to save their marriage, Marvin invites Georgia to the station for an on-air rebuttal, having no idea it will launch her career. Or that what began as a battle at home will now be a blistering war for all to hear....

    Now she turns her eye to matters of the heart, with an endearing main character who can’t seem to keep bad men out of her life. Bernita Brown is a quick-thinking, tireless social worker who is good at practically everything—except love. Her first marriage ends in divorce, a painful experience Bernita refuses to think about. Instead, she dives into a series of sad relationships and overwhelming commitments to community and church. But not even church can keep her from being courted by dogs; Bernita’s married pastor begins making passes at her, then blames her for his backsliding. Along the way, the ghost of Bernita’s aunt Babe weighs in with plenty of advice (after all, Aunt Babe says, “You don’t need to be alive to tell folks how to live”). When a marvelous man finally enters Bernita’s life, only time can tell whether she will be able to trust him. Written with Berry’s signature warmth and reliance on African-American ancestors who deliver homespun healing, When Love Calls, You Better Answer addresses a host of powerful topics, from abusive relationships to corrupt church leaders. Ultimately, Bernita’s story will inspire readers to find the love they need, especially the love that can only come from within.

    But as it is often said nothing ever really happened unless it is written down. There are so many stories to tell of the agonies and triumphs of both doctors and patients, who have peopled this venerable institution through the ages. I wrote the stories because I firmly believe that healing is a mutual process; that the healer is very often himself healed as he goes about caring for the ailing person. So the stories bite both ways.”

    Packed with stories, biographical essays, scores of archival photographs and other evocative artifacts, it is an important contribution to sports history and a wonderful tribute to the players and teams who wrote a unique chapter in the annals of baseball and American culture. National Geographic is proud to present this compelling volume, compiled by a who's who of authorities on the subject. Drawing on years of research, Shades of Glory traces the history of black baseball from the 19th century to the first great teams, such as the Cuban Giants, and on to the era of the vibrant barnstorming teams from the East Coast, Chicago, and Cuba. The unparalleled Rube Foster started the first Negro League in 1920, with such dominant teams as the Chicago American Giants and the Kansas City Monarchs. Pittsburgh soon produced two of the greatest teams of all time, the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords, featuring such stars as Satchel Paige, John Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and many more. Their superb brand of baseball rivaled the best of the major leagues until the historic signing of Jackie Robinson by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Shades of Glory chronicles a bygone era of black baseball and the stars who were shadowed by racial prejudice, but now shine forth in all their sparkling brilliance.

    

    Then she informs him that he is the father of her son, the unruly preteen Dare arrested earlier that day, and his fantasies turn to fury. Shelly has returned to her Georgia hometown to get her son away from the mean streets of Los Angeles, and she hopes that getting to know his father will do her child a world of good. But will being so close to Dare--the only man to ever make Shelly's heartbeat race--reopen old wounds, or will this be her last chance to secure his love forever?Thorn's ChallengeOne sizzling kiss from Thorn Westmoreland isn't enough to convince Tara Matthews to risk her heart again...or is it? The beautiful doctor and the hard-driving motorcycle tycoon mix like oil and water. Why, then, can't Tara erase the memory of the sexy racer from her head, or thoughts of his passionate caresses from her body? Thorn has wanted Tara since the day they met. His plan is to seduce the prickly doctor and indulge in a casual affair. But before he can savor the success of their passion, she turns the tables on him. Now instead of working her out of his system, Thorn is hell-bent on winning Tara's love....

    Right is leading her down a dark path and bringing her nothing but pain.

    
 With their marriage facing rocky waters, Avian Linzy decides that what her and her husband, Marcellus, need is a trip to Mexico to set their union right again. However, on the day that they are set to leave, Marcellus announces to Avian that he wants a divorce. Broken hearted, Avian isn’t sure that she should go through with the vacation, but with the urging of her best friend, Lakeisha, she boards the plane to Mexico, alone. Lakeisha believes this trip can help Avian heal, but Avian remains skeptic until she unexpectedly meets the handsome Casyrius Knowlton. 
 Casyrius Knowlton is a man of means and has no problem getting what he wants, including his current position as a sports agent. In Mexico, Casyrius is planning to marry his high school sweetheart, Kiami Green. Casyrius’s love for Kiami runs deep, but that doesn’t stop him from having doubts when it comes to their upcoming nuptials. The ties to their relationship are hanging on by a slim thread, but completely snap when a would-be tragic event lands Avian in Casyrius’s arms. Literally. 
 Over the course of a week, Casyrius grows closer to Avian, but after his reason for being in Mexico is revealed, Avian disappears without a trace, and he’s determined to find the woman he’s unknowingly given a piece of his heart to. It won’t be easy, but Casyrius learns that anything worth having, rarely is. 
After getting her heart broken twice within a week, will Avian be able to find love again, or will she hold on to what could have been between her and Casyrius? If Casyrius finds her, will he be able to handle the secrets that she was hiding from him for so long?

    

    She’s simple like that—but her life is about to drastically change. Liv is a rebel with royal blood who abdicated her birthright. A string of murders changes everything and the House of Seven asks her to take on a role as a Warrior, one of seven positions revered for protecting magic. The Rebellious Sister: Although Liv would rather stay out of the politics and conspiracies that she ran away from years ago, her family needs her. It’s only a twelve-year stint until her sister, the next in line, can take over. So, what’s the harm in activating her magic and accepting her place as a Warrior? Everything. Justice hasn’t been properly served by the House of Seven in a long time. Not until now. The Uncooperative Warrior: The truth has been buried for so long, that only one person can uncover it—someone who doesn’t play by the rules.Magic has been stolen. A giant’s sword locked away. And no one questions the peculiar. Except for Liv Beaufont. She downright rants about it. The Defiant Magician: When the Council suddenly starts assigning Liv Beaufont dangerous cases, she’s automatically suspicious. However, she isn’t deterred when they assign her a case that no one would dare to go near. Even though Clark is worried for her, she won’t back down. Liv is determined to prove that she’s a capable and strong Warrior. The Triumphant Daughter: Liv and Rory uncover the truth about a war between magicians and mortals. As Liv has long suspected, knowing the truth has gotten many killed. However, that doesn’t deter her from digging deeper.The secrets are big. Much bigger than she thought. And more importantly, they’re dangerous. Is it worth it to risk everything in the name of justice? ​

    How could she help these girls if she couldn't even be honest with herself and face her own demons? A fitful night led to pages and pages of scribbled notes with two clear words at the top: Me too.Tarana Burke is the founder and activist behind the largest social movement of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the me too movement, but first she had to find the strength to say me too herself. Unbound is the story of how she came to those two words, after a childhood growing up in the Bronx with a loving mother that took a terrible turn when she was sexual assaulted. She became withdrawn and her self split: there was the Tarana that was a good student, model kid, and eager to please young girl, and then there was the Tarana that she hid from everyone else, the one she believed to be bad. The one that would take all the love in her life away if she revealed.Tarana's debut memoir explores how to piece back together our fractured selves. How to not just bring the me too movement back to empathy, but how to empathize with our past selves, with out bad selves, and how to begin to love ourselves unabashedly. Healing starts with empowerment, and to Tarana empowerment starts with empathy. This is her story of finding that for herself, and then spreading it to an entire world.

    Whitney Houston is as big a superstar as the music business has ever known. She exploded on the scene in 1985 with her debut album and spent the next two decades dominating the charts and capturing the hearts of fans around the world. One person was there by her side through it all--her best friend, Robyn Crawford.Since Whitney's death in 2012, Robyn has stayed out of the limelight and held the great joys, wild adventures, and hard truths of her life with Whitney close to her heart. Now, for the first time ever, Crawford opens up in her new memoir, A Song for You.With warmth, candor, and an impressive recall of detail, Robyn describes the two meeting as teenagers in the 1980s, and how their lives and friendship evolved as Whitney recorded her first album and Robyn pursued her promising Division I basketball career. Together during countless sold-out world tours, behind the scenes as hit after hit was recorded, through Whitney's marriage and the birth of her daughter, the two navigated often challenging families, great loves, and painful losses, always supporting each other with laughter and friendship.Deeply personal and heartfelt, A Song for You is the vital, honest, and previously untold story that provides an understanding of the complex life of Whitney Houston. Finally, the person who knew her best sets the record straight.

    Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans. Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America. Her messages are passionate but finely tuned, and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity. Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, and Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism, and a young Gloria Naylor, particularly in Naylor's seminal essay "The Meaning of a Word."