Why Ben?


Book Description

‘This powerful memoir by the former EastEnders star will touch even the hardest heart’ The Sun At 2.30 in the morning of 29 June 2008, Brooke Kinsella received a phone call. It was her sister Jade, telling her that their beloved brother Ben had been stabbed while out celebrating finishing his GCSEs. The Kinsella family's shock soon turned to grief when Ben lost his fight for life later that day, surrounded by those who love him. Too upset at the time to speak about Ben's senseless murder, and with Ben's killers now convicted and behind bars, the former EastEnders actress is able to reveal her full story in this heartbreaking and beautifully written memoir that celebrates the life of a young man whose future was so cruelly stolen from him. Beginning with Ben's death an ending with the aftermath of the trial of his killers, the book is an extremely personal and powerful portrait of loss in the age of knife crime. From their first Christmas without Ben to facing the accused in court for the first time, Brooke writes in detail about the devastation that was caused in one night and which has changed her and her family's life forever. It is a powerfully moving and brave exploration of grief. ‘The actress Brooke Kinsella writes in raw detail about the stabbing of her young brother Ben – and the extraordinary effect of the grief, guilt and anger that engulfed her family’ Mail on Sunday?




Half Brother


Book Description

From the Printz-Honor-winning author of Airborn comes an absorbing YA novel about a teen boy whose scientist parents take in a chimpanzee to be part of the family.For thirteen years, Ben Tomlin was an only child. But all that changes when his mother brings home Zan -- an eight-day-old chimpanzee. Ben's father, a renowned behavioral scientist, has uprooted the family to pursue his latest research project: a high-profile experiment to determine whether chimpanzees can acquire advanced language skills. Ben's parents tell him to treat Zan like a little brother. Ben reluctantly agrees. At least now he's not the only one his father's going to scrutinize.It isn't long before Ben is Zan's favorite, and Ben starts to see Zan as more




My Brother's Hero


Book Description

This poignant coming-of-age story is set against the verdant landscape and sultry atmosphere of the Florida Keys Ben Floyd has a lot on his mind. In only eighteen months he will be old enough to get a learner’s permit to drive, but that seems a lifetime away. Ben enjoys the close-knit group of friends in his small neighborhood, but lately he has been longing for a taste of adventure. Keeping an eye on his younger brother Cody is getting to be a big responsibility. And he is confused by complicated feelings he has for his lifelong friend, Cass. An unexpected turn of events finds the Floyd family in the Florida Keys over Christmas vacation and offers Ben a welcome opportunity to escape the neighborhood routine. Here he meets Mica, an independent, strong-willed girl who lives a nomadic life aboard a boat with her marine biologist father. Mica teaches Ben and Cody to fish, sail, and snorkel, and together they explore the interior canals and coastal waterways. But Ben soon realizes that adventure sometimes brings danger, and that at the center of Mica’s seemingly charmed life lies a mysterious loneliness. Young readers will relate to Ben’s conflicting feelings and growing restlessness as they experience this realistic, thoughtful, and sometimes humorous portrait of adolescence by award-winning author Adrian Fogelin.




Little Brother


Book Description

This intimate exploration of race and inequality in America tells the story of a journalist’s long-time relationship with his mentee, Jorell Cleveland, through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and investigates Jorell's tragic fatal shooting. In 2005, soon after Ben Westhoff moved to St. Louis, he joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and was paired with Jorell Cleveland. Ben was twenty-eight, a white college grad from an affluent family. Jorell was eight, one of nine children from a poor, African American family living in nearby Ferguson. But the two instantly connected. Ben and Jorell formed a bond stronger than nearly any other in their lives. When Ben met the woman who'd become his wife, she observed that Ben and Jorell were "a package deal." They were brothers. In the summer of 2016, Jorell was shot at point blank range in broad daylight in the middle of the street, yet no one was charged in his death. Ben grappled with mourning Jorell, but also with a feeling of responsibility. As Jorell’s mentor, what could he have done differently? As a journalist, he had reported on gang life, interviewed crime kingpins, and even infiltrated drug labs in China. But now, he was investigating the life and death of someone he knew personally and examining what he did and did not know about his friend. Learning the truth about Jorell and the man who killed him required Ben to uncover a heartbreaking cycle of poverty, poor education, drug trafficking, and violence. Little Brother brilliantly combines a deeply personal history with a true-crime narrative that exposes the realities of life in communities like Ferguson all around the country.




When Will the Heaven Begin?


Book Description

AN INSPIRATIONAL AND HEARTRENDING MEMOIR ABOUT BEN BREEDLOVE, WHO SHARED HIS NEAR-DEATHEXPERIENCES AND VISIONS OF HEAVEN IN HIS VIRAL VIDEOS—WRITTEN BY HIS SISTER, ALLY BREEDLOVE. On Christmas Day 2011, Ben Breedlove’s soul went to heaven. But it wasn’t his first time there. Ben suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart condition that posed a constant risk of sudden death. His condition, a thickening of the heart muscle, worsened over time, leaving him weak and fatigued. It also led Ben to some close calls medically, in particular cardiac arrest on four separate occasions, during which he felt the presence of angels and experienced the perfect peace of heaven. Precocious and warm, Ben was close with his family and two siblings, and forged deep relationships with his friends. He loved to wakeboard and wake surf, and he had dreams of visiting foreign countries around the world. He created the YouTube channels TotalRandomness512 and BreedloveTV, and co-created the channel OurAdvice4You, where he posted videos about everything from dating advice for girls to more serious topics like his spirituality and heart condition. Unbeknownst to his parents and family, Ben created a two-part video called "This Is My Story," in which he used flashcards to tell the world about his near-death experiences and his beckoning toward heaven. When he died a short while later, at the tender age of eighteen, his family and the rest of the world stumbled upon these videos. The world responded with overwhelming acceptance of the message Ben shared. Sharing his vision of heaven was Ben’s gift to his family, and to the world. And now this is the Breedlove family’s gift to us – an in-depth look at the life and near-deaths of Ben, the strength and faith of a family, and ultimately, the hope of heaven. Do you believe in Angels or God? I Do. – Ben Breedlove




Two Brothers


Book Description

Bestselling author Ben Elton's most personal novel to date, Two Brothers transports the reader to the time of history's darkest hour. Berlin 1920 Two babies are born. Two brothers. United and indivisible, sharing everything. Twins in all but blood. As Germany marches into its Nazi Armageddon, the ties of family, friendship and love are tested to the very limits of endurance. And the brothers are faced with an unimaginable choice... Which one of them will survive?




A Boy Named Ben


Book Description

A children's book all about Ben and his wonderful adventures with God.




That's Not My Brother!


Book Description

Dora Duckling can't find her brother. There are lots of tracks around the barnyard but will they lead Dora to the pond and her brother?




A Place for Ben


Book Description

When his baby brother is moved into his bedroom, Ben goes elsewhere in search of a place of his own but finds himself longing for company of some kind.