The Greatest You


Book Description

Writing from deep, been-there experience, college football standout-turned NFL dropout Trent Shelton takes you on a journey to become the best hope-filled version of yourself. Trent Shelton seemed to have it all together–until everything fell apart. A college football standout, his NFL dreams died when he was cut from multiple teams. With no job and no prospects, learning he had a child on the way and numbing himself with whatever he could find, Trent then found out one of his closest friends had killed himself. Life seemed without hope–until Trent discovered the secret to finding promise in the darkest of times. And now he shares that secret with you. Sharing his revolutionary toolkit for transforming your life and reaching your goals, in The Greatest You, Trent will help you become everything you are meant to be; face the reality of your circumstances and realize your purpose in life; break free from toxic environments and forgive those who've harmed you; and learn how to guard yourself against the pitfalls of life. Weaving together personal stories from his own life and from others who have also gone through hard times, Trent reveals how you can bring out the best in yourself and establish a happier, more fulfilled future for generations to come.




Straight Up


Book Description

Navigating life can be tough sometimes, especially as a teen. Bestselling author and former NFL player Trent Shelton has been through some hard times as well, and he shares his own story of finding himself and a better path forward, providing straight-up truths and uplifting advice to help you through the issues you face at school, at home, or within yourself. Who do you have in your life who’s not afraid to tell you the honest-to-God truth? Who do you have who’s a real source of wisdom when life gets real? With his trademark combination of raw honesty and practical next steps, motivational speaker Trent Shelton shares the missteps he made growing up and the hard-won lessons he learned in short, easy-to read chapters and thought-provoking questions. Throughout, he provides honest advice to help you find a way through some of the most confusing topics in your own life, including: relationships friendships fear and depression and your past trauma And while you might not make it out of the storms of life completely unscathed, the wisdom and lessons in this book can help you can make it out stronger, and discover the best you waiting inside. Straight Up is perfect for: teens and young adults 13 and up anyone looking for inspiration during hard times small group use




Washed in the Blood


Book Description

"Washed in the Blood" is a page-turning read about the the rowdy oil boom days of the early 1960s in Odessa, Texas, when violence often rode the range. It is at once an examination of local mores and foibles, piety and hypocrisy, and an inside-look at the famed Kiss and Kill murder of a 17-year old would-be actress, Betty Jean Williams.




Gloryland


Book Description

“A work of extraordinary imagination and sympathy, a journey from slavery to the mountaintop, perfectly realized.” —Ken Burns, American filmmaker Born on Emancipation Day, 1863, to a sharecropping family of black and Indian blood, Elijah Yancy never lived as a slave—but his self–image as a free person is at war with his surroundings: Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the Reconstructed South. Exiled for his own survival as a teenager, Elijah walks west to the Nebraska plains—and, like other rootless young African–American men of that era, joins up with the US cavalry. The trajectory of Elijah’s army career parallels the nation’s imperial adventures in the late 19th century: subduing Native Americans in the West, quelling rebellion in the Philippines. Haunted by the terrors endured by black Americans and by his part in persecuting other people of color, Elijah is sustained only by visions, memories, prayers, and his questing spirit—which ultimately finds a home when his troop is posted to the newly created Yosemite National Park in 1903. Here, living with little beyond mountain light, running water, campfires, and stars, he becomes a man who owns himself completely, while knowing he’s left pieces of himself scattered along his life’s path like pebbles on a creek bed. “Seen through the fresh eyes of buffalo soldier Elijah Yancy, Yosemite is Gloryland, his true home. Shelton Johnson has written a beautiful novel about Elijah’s journey.” —Maxine Hong Kingston, author of China Men and The Woman Warrior




Thin Ice


Book Description

The stunning wilds of Alaska are not for the faint of heart—but when Beth Rivers finds herself with a need to disappear, she’s already faced far worse. So how hard could it be? Beth Rivers, known to the world as Elizabeth Fairchild, has spent years as a bestselling novelist. Her twisty, page-turning thrillers have garnered a legion of fans, but unfortunately, her story-telling landed her in an unbelievable tale of her own—a situation even more terrifying than she could have dreamed. Crazed Elizabeth Fairchild super-fan Levi Brooks stalked and kidnapped Elizabeth, holding her captive inside a van for three days. She escaped by throwing herself from the speeding van, suffering a severe head injury and memory loss. Scarred and still healing from her injuries, she secretly escapes to the beautiful—and very remote—Benedict, Alaska. It’s the only place she can be sure no one will find her. But just before Beth’s arrival, the already small population of Benedict was reduced by one. Linda Rafferty’s death was ruled a suicide, but no one in the close-knit community quite believes that conclusion, even the sheriff. While she waits for her attacker to be apprehended in the lower 48, Beth takes on a project to revamp the Benedict town newspaper. She knows enough to go where the story is, and there’s clearly one behind Linda’s death. As rumors of murder spread, suspicion falls upon the felons staying at a local halfway house—and Beth herself. Intrigued by both the mystery and the wary folks who call Benedict home, Beth starts asking questions—only to find her investigation stirring up memories she’d much rather had stayed forgotten...




Without Hesitation


Book Description

Whether serving under a Democratic president or a Republican president, General Shelton was never afraid to speak out and tell it like it is. Shelton chronicles his incredible journey from a small farming community in North Carolina to the highest level of American military and political power at the Pentagon and White House. As one of the nation’s elite Special Forces soldiers, Shelton served twice in Vietnam, commanding a Green Beret unit and then an airborne infantry company. He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for a wound suffered when a booby trap drove a poisoned stake through his leg. Shelton rose up the ranks and was assistant division commander of the 101st Airborne Division as they invaded Iraq in the Persian Gulf War, then led the 20,000 American troops tasked with restoring Haiti’s deposed President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to power. Promoted to 4-star General, he became Commander in Chief of U.S. Special Operations Command (including Delta Force, Navy SEALS and other top secret Special Mission Units).




Child of the Civil Rights Movement


Book Description

In this Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year, Paula Young Shelton, daughter of Civil Rights activist Andrew Young, brings a child’s unique perspective to an important chapter in America’s history. Paula grew up in the deep south, in a world where whites had and blacks did not. With an activist father and a community of leaders surrounding her, including Uncle Martin (Martin Luther King), Paula watched and listened to the struggles, eventually joining with her family—and thousands of others—in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery. Poignant, moving, and hopeful, this is an intimate look at the birth of the Civil Rights Movement.




Blake Shelton


Book Description

Carol Cash Large, longtime friend of Blake Shelton, helped move the award-winning musician to Nashville just two weeks after he graduated high school at the tender age of seventeen and has been with him every step of the way since. In Blake Shelton: Happy Anywhere, she takes you backstage for personal and unique insight into the life of the young singer. From Shelton’s work with producer Bobby Braddock, recording his number 1 song “Austin,” and performing on the Grand Ole Opry to his record-breaking seventeen consecutive number 1 songs and beyond, she has been right there. Large shares her favorite stories—from Shelton’s time as host/entertainment on Saturday Night Live and his induction into the Grand Ole Opry—but she acknowledges that landing a gig as coach on the NBC hit, The Voice, had the biggest impact on his career. She also delves into Shelton’s personal life, relating his penchant for entertaining and bringing smiles to his friends and family as well as his joy at finally finding his soul mate in Gwen Stefani. With fifty personal photos from the author’s collection, anecdotes of a close connection to Blake Shelton, and highlights of a glorious career, Large presents a warm and detailed account of one of country music’s biggest stars of all time.




LIFE


Book Description

LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.




Murder in Rat Alley


Book Description

In this unusual spin on the classic spy novel, murder strikes from our wartime pasts... Iraq War veteran Sam Blackman with his prosthetic leg and his no-nonsense private eye partner Nakayla Robertson love their investigations which always carry a thread from the past—and they love each other. An interracial couple in the new South, the Asheville, NC, pair has surrounded themselves with a terrific support team including an unorthodox lawyer and a veteran cop. They deploy humor both to bind them together and to deflect insults. Plus, it helps deal with the tragedies their work uncovers. Such a tragedy interrupts a meeting between the PIs and the neighboring law office when a body is unearthed from the grounds of the nearby Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute. During the Cold War it monitored developing space programs. Today it plays a vital role gathering weather and climate data. The body has been in the ground a long time. Why would its discovery spark off a new murder in Asheville's mountain music scene, the victim found amid the garbage of dark, dank Rat Alley? She was the fiancée of the man murdered long ago. But surely this case is more than a domestic drama playing out over time.... The Blackman Agency Investigations excel at merging past and present, bringing little-known history to light, and are perfect for fans of James Lee Burke, Stephen Mack Jones, Margaret Maron, and Robert B. Parker.