If this is Heaven, I Am Going to be a Good Boy


Book Description

With a bridge in Boston and a bench in Falmouth dedicated to him, Tommy Leonard has been widely recognized for his many acts of charity and his avid promotion of health and fitness. The journey this affable Irishman took on his way to becoming one of Boston's most personable bartenders and the founder of the Falmouth Road Race began the day his father left him at a mission for children of the destitute at age six.Author Kathleen Cleary recounts the struggles, disappointments, heartbreaks, and humor of Tommy's childhood and teen years. She also shares the sometimes painful and comical stories of his young adulthood. Tommy's remarkable life transformed every corner of the world it touched, whether the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, the roads of Fukuoka, Japan, the bayous of Houston, or somewhere between two pubs in Woods Hole and Falmouth on Cape Cod.Tommy Leonard's heartwarming story will teach you that in following your dreams, embracing the positive will make all the difference.A percentage of the sale of this book will be contributed to a retirement trust for Tommy.




Going Long


Book Description

For more than 40 years, Runner's World magazine has been the world's leading authority on running—bringing its readers the latest running advice and some of the most compelling sports narratives ever told. From inspirational stories such as "A Second Life"(the story of Matt Long, the FDNY firefighter who learned to run again after a critical injury) to analytical essays such as "White Men Can't Run" (a look at what puts African runners at the front of the pack), the magazine captivates its readers every month. Now, for the first time, the editors of Runner's World have gathered these and other powerful tales to give readers a collection of writing that is impossible to put down. With more than 40 gripping stories, Going Long - edited by David Willey - transcends the sport of running to reach anyone with an appetite for drama, inspiration, and a glimpse into the human condition.




a Heaven is for Real Deluxe Edition


Book Description

#1 New York Times bestseller with more than 11 million copies sold! When 4-year-old Colton Burpo emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven, his family doesn’t know what to believe. Heaven is For Real details what Colton saw and his family’s journey towards accepting their young son had visited the afterlife. “Do you remember the hospital, Colton?” Sonja said. “Yes, mommy, I remember,” he said. “That’s where the angels sang to me.” Colton told his parents he left his body during an emergency surgery–and proved that claim by describing exactly what his parents were doing in another part of the hospital during his operation. He talked of visiting heaven and described events that happened before he was born and how he spoke with family members he’d never met. Colton also astonished his parents with descriptions and obscure details about heaven that matched the Bible exactly, even though he had not yet learned to read. With disarming innocence and the plainspoken boldness of a child, Colton recounts his visit to heaven, describing: Meeting long-departed family members Jesus, the angels, how “really, really big” God is, and how much God loves us How Jesus called Todd, Colton’s father, to be a pastor The Battle of Armageddon Retold by his father, but using Colton’s uniquely simple words, Heaven Is for Real offers a glimpse of the world that awaits us, where as Colton says, “Nobody is old and nobody wears glasses.” Heaven Is for Real will forever change the way you think of eternity, offering the chance to see, and believe, like a child. Praise for Heaven is for Real: “A beautifully written glimpse into heaven that will encourage those who doubt and thrill those who believe.” —Ron Hall, coauthor of Same Kind of Different as Me




No Heaven for Good Boys


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • Set in Senegal, this modern-day Oliver Twist is a meditation on the power of love and the strength that can emerge when we have no other choice but to survive. “I loved this book because it is a story about generations of parents and children saving one another with a love so powerful that it transcends distance, time, and reason.”—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward Six-year-old Ibrahimah loves snatching pastries from his mother’s kitchen, harvesting string beans with his father, and searching for sea glass with his sisters. But when he is approached in his rural village one day by Marabout Ahmed, a seemingly kind stranger and highly regarded teacher, the tides of his life turn forever. Ibrahimah is sent to the capital city of Dakar to join his cousin Étienne in studying the Koran under Marabout Ahmed for a year, but instead of the days of learning that Ibrahimah’s parents imagine, the young boys, called Talibé, are forced to beg in the streets in order to line their teacher’s pockets. To make it back home, Étienne and Ibrahimah must help each other survive both the dangers posed by their Marabout, and the darker sides of Dakar: threats of black-market organ traders, rival packs of Talibé, and mounting student protest on the streets. Drawn from real incidents and transporting readers between rural and urban Senegal, No Heaven for Good Boys is a tale of hope, resilience, and the affirming power of love.




The Volta Review


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The London Journal


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The Friend


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