Book Description
Denial isn't just a river. . .
Raedella Rollins left the dusty town of Sweet Poke, Arkansas, on a Texas-bound bus with four mismatched suitcases, a newsroom job offer, and a promise to herself: never look back. Now, less than a decade later, she's a top-rated talk show host, a celebrity news anchor, and fiancée to Houston's star councilman. The future looks bright for Rae, and Sweet Poke is nothing more than a distant memory.
. . . and she's paddling as fast as she can.
But now that she's reached the top, her ragtag family comes knocking. Mama Tee, the grandmother who raised her, calls with unwelcome family updates; and Shondella, her jealous older sister, guilts her into sending money. To Rae, nothing could be worse than an unexpected reunion with her over-the-top relatives. But when her picture-perfect life turns out to be an illusion, Rae's family calls her back to Sweet Poke and to the life she left behind. Can Rae let go of the pain of her childhood and open her heart to the healing that only faith and family can provide?
Download Description
"Raedella Rollins left the dusty town of Sweet Poke, Arkansas, on a Texas-bound bus with four mismatched suitcases, a newsroom job offer, and a promise to herself: never look back. Now, less than a decade later, she's a top-rated talk show host, a celebrity news anchor, and fiancée to Houston's star councilman. The future looks bright for Rae, and Sweet Poke is nothing more than a distant memory. But now that she's reached the top, her ragtag family comes knocking. Mama Tee, the grandmother who raised her, calls with unwelcome family updates; and Shondella, her jealous older sister, guilts her into sending money. To Rae, nothing could be worse than an unexpected reunion with her over-the-top relatives. But when her picture-perfect life turns out to be an illusion, Rae's family calls her back to Sweet Poke and to the life she left behind. Can Rae let go of the pain of her childhood and open her heart to the healing that only faith and family can provide?
Customer Reviews:
opinion.......2007-10-02
I enjoyed this book. I have read all of her books now I just waiting for a new release.
Running nowhere, fast..........2007-08-08
From the first page of this story, I was hooked. One minute I was laughing at the description and actions of the characters. Boy, they were a piece of work! The next minute, I found myself on the edge and shocked by the events that took place in Raedella's life. Instead of using her prosperity as a testimony to uplift others, she chose to look down on them. She thought she was running away from her past, but in reality it had her in bondage. It's a shame that it took unfortunate events to make her realize the error of her ways.
Since change doesn't come overnight, the story ended nicely with her deciding to develop a relationship with God and continue to work on herself. The message was clear in this story that you shouldn't forget where you come from. If anything, the past should make you that much more grateful to God for the blessings. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more of Reshonda's work.
Alicia Hill Jones, author of "Blessings of Purpose"
I know I have been change.......2007-07-27
Excellent book about faith and what goes around comes around and how you can not turn your back on your people no matter how ghetto or country they are.
A great read!.......2007-06-25
This was a book that was hard to put down once I started reading. I couldn't wait to get from one chapter to the next and it had a very satisfying ending!
Vengence is mine said the Lord.......2007-02-09
I really enjoyed this book. It definitley is a page turner....to be honest with you I coulnd't put this book down. I just had to get to the end to find out why was Rae ran away from Sweet Poke, was Myles really a good standing brother and so on. Trust me if you read this book you will not be disappointed.
Product Description
FROM THE # 1 ESSENCE BEST SELLING AUTHOR OF "LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN". INCLUDES A READER'S GROUP GUIDE.
Book Description
On April 20, 1999, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, two seniors at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, walked into their school and shot to death twelve students and one teacher, and wounded many others. It was the worst single act of murder at a school in U.S. history.
Few people knew Dylan Klebold or Eric Harris better than Brooks Brown. Brown and Klebold were best friends in grade school, and years later, at Columbine, Brown was privy to some of Harris and Klebold's darkest fantasies and most troubling revelations After the shootings, Brown was even accused by the police of having been in on the massacre--simply because he had been friends with the killers.
Now, for the first time, Brown, with journalist Rob Merritt, gets to tell his full version of the story. He describes the warning signs that were missed or ignored, and the evidence that was kept hidden from the public after the murders. He takes on those who say that rock music or video games caused Klebold and Harris to kill their classmates and explores what it might have been that pushed these two young men, from supposedly stable families, to harbor such violent and apocalyptic dreams.
Shocking as well as inspirational and insightful, No Easy Answers is an authentic wake-up call for all the psychologists, authorities, parents, and law enforcement personnel who have attempted to understand the murders at Columbine High School. As the title suggests, the book offers no easy answers, but instead presents the unvarnished facts about growing up as an alienated teenager in America today."If there is any solace to come out of a tragedy of the magnitude of the Columbine shooting, it is what lessons might be learned in its aftermath. With bravery, wit, and striking honesty, Brooks Brown and Rob Merritt allow us a glimpse into what led to that event, what happened afterward, and most importantly, why any community would be naive to think it might not happen to them, too. How thin is the line between a bully and a victim? Who is to blame, when a community is turned inside out? As No Easy Answers suggests, it may just be the community itself. And it offers up a question of that resonates after the last page is turned: What can you and I do to keep this from happening again? If you're a parent, read this with your child; if you're a teen, leave this on your parents' bedside table--and above all else, start the conversation too much of this world is unwilling to have." --
Jodi Picoult, author of the New York Times #1 bestselling novel Nineteen Minutes
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-09-01
I have Writen many papers on Columbine High School when I was in school. I have looked at web site, looked at all the information that I found I have spoken with people and authority's for my papers. Brooks Browns book told quite a bit that had never been told before that shows friendship and distructive behavior. It talks about how Dylan and Eric began their friendship, unless someone who was there in the library or in the school writes a book we will never know who said what. What happened we only have the accounts that have been told to others and their family's. This is a great book and if you want to know how Eric and Dylan started off this is the book for you.
Bullying and Teasing As Possible Causes of School Violence.......2007-05-22
"No Easy Answer" is a look at the Columbine massacre from the perspective of Brooks Brown, a friend of the two shooters. As a retired middle school teacher, I can tell you that the bullying and teasing described in this book does go on. This book is a page-turner that gives the reader a look at the sociology of the present-day high school. I highly recommend "No Easy Answers" for anyone interested in learning more about school shootings. I also recommend the young adult novel "Give a Boy a Gun" by Todd Strassor.
No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Columbine.......2007-03-14
This was a very interesting account by a young man who had some insights that few have of this most tragic event in our history. As a school administrator it was a wake-up call.
Learn the whole truth about the causes of Columbine.......2006-12-13
The Roman poet Virgil once wrote, "From a single crime, know the nation."
Brooks Brown, who knew both Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, gives a unique perspective on the root causes that may have led to the infamous Columbine massacre, a list that includes intense bullying, preferential treatment given to athletes and a culturally-ingrained intolerance for anyone deemed to be different from the status quo.
Detractors of both the book and the author seem to be entirely missing the point Brown makes in this book, i.e., the same sort of "bullying" behavior that one reads in the hostile comments left on the various reviews here are just the sort of thing that probably helped to perpetuate the hate and discontent felt at Columbine. When will people ever learn, one must ask?
All in all, this one is an excellent read and I highly recommend it for learning the whole truth behind the causes of the Columbine massacre.
You've Gone Way Over Your 15 Minutes of Fame Brooks.......2006-10-28
Forget the 13 who were murdered and all those wounded on April 20, 1999; forget the pain of their families; Forget Harris and Klebold; Forget them all because I have just realized the real victim of Columbine was Brooks Brown. It has to be so. I just read as much in 277 annoying pages.
I made a deal with myself awhile back. When I start a book I am committed to finishing it. This worthless waste of paper really tested my will.
Brown seems to have an exaggerated opinion of his 'role' in the lives of Harris and Klebold, the whole massacre in general as well as it's aftermath. And it seems that as time goes by he will do just about anything to keep his name 'out there' regarding this tragedy and that includes typing (I refuse to call it writing) this poorly planned book.
If anyone knows of an objectively written, well researched book on Columbine, drop me a line. The subject is incredibly interesting on so many levels, but unfortunately Brooks Brown doesn't touch on any of them.
Book Description
Break the Rules . . . Or Make Some New OnesSeth Cohen has grown up among the beautiful rich kids, but he's never been one of them. Cohen? He's the geek, the weirdo, the misfit. But not anymore. Suddenly Seth's got a friend, Ryan Atwood, who's got his back. The popular girl next door, Marisa Cooper, is talking to him. And he's got not one but two girls on the line. Seth's not playing by the same rules anymore, in fact, he's out to break them all. From the beaches to the boutiques to the parties, what you wear and what you drive matters more than who you are--welcome to the O.C.
Customer Reviews:
Fast-moving wild ride.......2007-08-08
Glen Proctor is bad news. Son of a wealthy couple, he was once a teammate of Scott's, and for some reason he has come to them for help. Then he turned up dead in Scott's penthouse apartment. Tom and Scott are taken on a wild ride as they try to figure out what happened to Glen-- and why so many different people want to kill them. Complicated but fast-moving.
Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu Surfer: A Hawaiian Mystery (An Alyson Mystery)
An Adventurous Romp!.......2004-01-31
Mark Richard's fifth installment in the prolific "Tom and Scott" mystery series does not disappoint; and while it may be slightly lacking in character study and development, the suspense is rock solid, and the mystery is actually semi-plausible.
Tom Mason, a suburban high school teacher, and Scott Carpenter, a professional baseball player, are lovers, who returning home one night to Scott's luxurious Chicago high rise penthouse, discover the body of Glen Proctor, a former teammate of Scott's. Proctor may have been dealing drugs or participating in other illegal and illicit activities, which could have possibly contributed to his untimely demise.
From the very opening pages, Tom and Scott are on the prowl to find the killers. The only complication: the killers are also stalking them. Throughout, there are plentiful high speed chases through downtown Chicago, as our two heroes race against time and possible South American drug lords and relic hunters.
I really don't think Zubro gets enough credit. He churns out great books that any true mystery fan will enjoy. Aside from the fact that his two main characters are two gay men in a relationship, this is not exclusively "gay fiction." It's not about the trials and tribulations Tom and Scott face as a gay couple (for the most part), it's not a weepy drama about true love, or coming out. This book is about two men being stalked, shot at, pursued, kidnapped, and a host of other exciting, tension-filled situations.
Despite this, I know of no other way than to describe this as a romp. While the suspense escalates, the fates of the two main characters is never doubted, and you know, by the end, the forces of good will have triumphed over evil. In any event, fans of mysteries looking to try something new will rarely go wrong with anything by Zubro.
Disappointing - I felt cheated with the ending.......2001-07-10
My father told me that most of the old Sam Spade-type of books were of the same ilk as this one. They're certainly not bad, but they leave something to be desired. "Death" seems to be written with great care and attention as the murder happens and the mystery begins, but then it just ends. It seems to me that the author was given a page limit and once he reached it, he simply "solved" the crime. The criminal isn't necessarily someone we've ever met before, it isn't someone integral to the plot, it doesn't make sense - it just is.
Zubro made me feel cheated. I was teased with an engaging read, only to be left unfulfilled by the outcome. When you read a mystery there should at least be enough clues for the reader to make some viable guesses at who the murderer is: that just isn't the case here.
SAY WHAT?.......1997-09-10
This is my favorite in the Tom and Scott series. For one thing the picture perfect (think Monette not Monet) couple actually QUARREL. Not just once, but intermittently. There are hints of jealousy, problems with communication--they almost seem human.
For another thing, the action never stops, the pace never flags. True, the gun battle with Mexican drug lords is a bit much, but it's entertaining. Imagination is not Zubro's weak point. He shows plenty of invention in the fifth excursion of his very own Hardy Boys.
But familiar problems weigh down this novel. Tom and Scott still do not have strong, distinct personalities (Adam Niklewicz's cover says it all), and their relationship continues to seem shallow and unreal. Although they frequently have sex they rarely exchange meaningful dialogue or simple gestures of tenderness. In his effort to stress the manly-man aspects of Tom and Scott, Zubro robs them of personality. They have no interesting flaws or weaknesses. They have no distinguishing marks or characteristics. But to be fair, in ECHO OF DEATH Tom and Scott are their most real. They cry, they bleed, they argue--and I don't remember them working out once. I could get to like these guys
Product Description
Opera singers are often described as being larger than life, and certainly this is true of Gaylene Ffrench. Her appetites for men, for booze, for attention are gargantuan, and her ability to irritate is similarly outsized. So when someone electrocutes the bombastic Australian contralto, few tears are shed at the Northern Opera Company (though its a pity her understudys so lousy). In fact, most of the company members are dancing a jig, and it falls on Superintendent Nichols to determine which of them might have helped Gaylene along to her just reward. The black tenor tired of being the butt of Gaylenes bigotry? The soprano weary of jealous whispers in her ears? Gaylenes many bedroom conquests, all anxious to avoid a repeat performance? With so many potential suspects, Nichols has his hands full, but Barnard and his readers have a deliciously malicious good time.
Customer Reviews:
6 stars if you like opera, 7 if you know Rigoletto.......2006-01-03
Robert Barnard is amazing in the way he takes social commentary, disguises it as page-turning fiction, then adds a murder mystery to give it a little extra zing. He's done it in every one of his books that I've read.
Death on the High C's is a sly look at the workings of a provincial opera company preparing to stage Rigoletto while a murder investigation takes place in their midst, but you don't have to be an opera buff to enjoy the shenanigans.
Familiarity with the subject of any story will, of course, enhance your enjoyment of it, but Death on the High C's works, as is usual with Barnard, as flavorful social commentary spiced with murder mystery.
Fun!.......2005-10-16
Sure the action gets a bit silly. But what fun.
No need to be an opera fan. Only an appreciation of the difficulties likely to crop up among high-strung, theatrical characters is required. Sit back, enjoy the story and have a good time. Expect a few giggles. Excellent vacation reading.
Only so-so.......2002-09-24
In this spoof of opera temperments, Barnard looks at the death of an obnoxious Aussie diva. _Death on the High C's_ may be more interesting to real opera buffs, but to me any mystery was watered down by the overdrawn characters and the rather obvious red herrings the author employs.
Suspense plus spoof of the opera world!.......2002-01-05
Robert Barnard once again mixes an intriguing mystery with gently satirical portrait of a budding Manchester opera company with its "prime donne", dictatorial director, even a ex-military stage-door keeper! Highly recommended for those who love (or hate) opera. Even the detective is knowledgeable on the subject. And Barnard works his plot in nicely with production of "Rigoletto" that the company is rehearsing.
Customer Reviews:
A rotten kid.......2007-08-08
Dan Bluefield is one rotten kid. He's angry, dumb, disruptive and homophobic. But is he a killer? And if he didn't kill the principal at River's Edge High, then who did? Tom and Scott are on the case, to clear Tom's name. It's clear from this effort that Zubro really knows his way around a high school, and he should, as he was a teacher for many years.
Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu Surfer: A Hawaiian Mystery (An Alyson Mystery)
Don't waste your money on this one.......2006-11-27
After reading Zubro's latest novel, "Everyone's Dead but Us" a few weeks ago, I couldn't wait to get my hands on more of his books. Sadly, after having just read one of his earlier books entitled, "The Principal Cause of Death," I was SO disappointed that I felt compelled to write this review. To begin, if you compared the aforementioned novels side-by-side, they would appear to have been written by two different authors. Whereas his latest novel is hip, exciting, well-written, and a real, honest-to-goodness great mystery, "The Principal Cause of Death" was dull, unimaginative, poorly written, and had a less-than-satisfying conclusion (it seems to end rather abruptly). Although it's nice to see that Zubro has grown over the years, I am now hesitant to purchase any more of his earlier books. Even though I bought "The Principal Cause of Death" used for $3.00 (plus shipping), I felt like I wasted my money and actually had to force myself to finish reading this tired, clumsy novel. Take my advice; don't waste your money on this one. Your money would be much better spent on his latest novel.
Better than most gay mysteries, but not the best Zubro.......2000-05-20
This is better than your average gay murder mystery. Parts are funny, and nothing sticks out as being particularly bad. Not the best Zubro, but one to read after you've finished all the others. Good beach reading material.
Average customer rating:
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The shooting stars quartet: A 4-in-1 edition including Cinnamon, Ice, Rose and Honey
V. C Andrews
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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Falling Stars (Andrews, V. C. Shooting Stars.)
ASIN: 0739419005 |
Product Description
Four exceptional girls with four exceptional talents in the fine arts. And they all have ugly pasts and challenges to overcome.
Book Description
Despite having similar economies and political systems, high-income nations show persistent diversity. In this pioneering work, Fred C. Pampel looks at fertility, suicide, and homicide rates in eighteen high-income nations to show how they are affected by institutional structures. European nations, for example, offer universal public benefits for men and women who are unable to work and have policies to ease the burdens of working mothers. The United States, in contrast, does not. This study demonstrates how public policy differences such as these affect childbearing among working women, moderate pressures for suicide and homicide among the young and old, and shape sex difference in suicide and homicide.
The Institutional Context of Population Change cuts across numerous political and sociological topics, including political sociology, stratification, sex and gender, and aging. It persuasively shows the importance of public policies for understanding the demographic consequences of population change and the importance of demographic change for understanding the consequences of public policies.
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- Minimalism (Themes & Movements)
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