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Rachel likes to think of herself as a nice Jewish girl, dedicated to doing what’s honorable, just as her parents raised her to do. But when her husband, David, survives a plane crash and is left with severe brain damage, she faces a choice: will she dedicate her life to caring for a man she no longer loves, or walk away? Their marriage had been rocky at the time of the accident, and though she wants to do the right thing, Rachel doesn’t know how she is supposed to care for two kids in addition to a now irrational, incontinent, and seizure-prone grown man. And how will she manage to see her lover? But then again, what kind of selfish monster would refuse to care for her disabled husband, no matter how unhappy her marriage had been? Rachel wants to believe that she can dedicate her life to David’s needs, but knows in her heart it is impossible. Crash tackles a pervasive dilemma in our culture: the moral conflicts individuals face when caregiving for a disabled or cognitively impaired family member. -
What does it take to overcome deeply embedded family traumas, career-ending betrayals, and failed relationships? What is the personal cost of keeping secrets—and staying in the closet? These are questions that Mary Means explores in her memoir, as she navigates growing up as a young closeted lesbian in Georgia during the 1960s and learning to love—and be loved—as an adult. Through the deaths of loved ones, the fear of discovery, and the budding of a legacy that would come to change lives across the nation, Something Worth Saving tells a story of resilience and self-discovery perfect for anyone who has ever struggled to maintain a flawless facade when inside they were crumbling. Mary Means is an award-winning leader, founder of the Main Street revitalization movement that has brought vitality back to countless town centers. Her candor and vulnerability permeate her remarkable story. -
"Two-Pound Baby Wins Life Fight" Imbalanced traces Sheri Thomas' remarkable journey from a front-page headline in 1962 to her current role as an advocate fighting to remove the stigmas surrounding physical disabilities and mental health. Unflinching, poignant and humorous, Imbalanced is her personal account of juggling lifelong challenges-including cerebral palsy, migraines and brain surgery-with a successful career before unexpectedly facing serious mental health crises in her fifties. -
David Benjamin pays homage to the exuberance of countless untamed boys who grew up in Middle America at mid-century. Whether he’s stalking snakes in the bogs of Wisconsin, playing four-kid baseball with his bothersome little brother and two favorite cousins, leaping garbage cans for a beautiful little redheaded girl, or joining Chucky Dutcher for a movie marathon at the Erwin Theater, Benjamin is the kind of precocious ironist who would have found a sidekick in Huck Finn. His tales and insights lyrically capture a precious moment in bygone American life, as Benjamin recalls the myriad scrapes, reckless escapades and wanderlust that once made childhood an exhilarating — or terrifying — adventure. -
Carl Gamble, a premier airline pilot, has penned a remarkable memoir, a powerful story about his journey from the cotton fields of Madison County, Alabama, to the captain’s seat flying jumbo jets between North America and Europe. While in grade school, jet fighters flying over Madison from a nearby Air Force Base captured his attention. Gamble’s dream to become a pilot was born. Gamble’s disciplined and focused work overcame an inauspicious start studying aviation at Tennessee State University, a stepping stone toward a flying career for African Americans of small means in the 1960s.
The United States Air Force awarded Gamble its coveted Distinguished Flying Cross. His quick thinking and superior flying skills enabled him to land his C-47, severely disabled by enemy antiaircraft fire, and save the lives of his crew in Vietnam.
My Blue Yonder tells Gamble’s story by taking you to his boyhood home, into the cockpit of his crippled plane, and into his PTSD. You fly with him to rescue men adrift on an ice floe in Lake Superior, refuel combat aircraft at four hundred miles per hour over the Gulf of Tonkin, and negotiate with a hijacker while flying in a holding pattern off the coast of Florida.
A memorable quote passed through generations of pilots, and a favorite of Gamble’s, is, “There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.” Similarly, pilots have landed burning airplanes and pilots have dealt with hijackers. Gamble is potentially the first pilot to experience both.
