This Side of Crazy


Book Description

Ditty Blaylock, the most prolific singer in gospel music history, is being honored by Gospel Music Network. All the stars are aligning to showcase Ditty's songs on her TV special. But there is one glitch. A little hiccup. Ditty has promised a reunion of The Blaylock Sisters, her three adult daughters who were once national sensations - "little superstars for Jesus." Rachel, the oldest sister, who lives with Ditty, is furious when she finds out that her baby sister Bethany, an atheist and lesbian, and Abigail, her middle sister who has "anger issues" and currently is confined to a mental facility, are headed home. What the public doesn't know is that these complicated sisters have been estranged for over twenty-five years - and extreme past circumstances, including a husband left in a coma, have made reconciliation impossible. Once the sisters are reunited, secrets are revealed, tempers flare and family wounds are exposed. But... the show must go on!




That's a Crazy One


Book Description

That's A Crazy One is an inside look at the youth culture that dominated downtown NYC in the early 1990's. That same culture that helped spark the multi-million dollar industries of skateboarding and streetwear that exist now. The subjects were the inspiration for Larry Clark's cult classic film KIDS. In stark contrast to the storyline told in the film,it is the true capture of what life was like for the cast of KIDS prior to the film being made and released. Photographed by Mel Stones & High throughout 1991-1995, the two teenage girls used NYC public school darkrooms to develop and print these images. Shot by insiders, That's A Crazy One is a rare archival portrait of early NYC street skating and the intimate relationships that existed between this crew of kids. Shot in low light on 35mm film pushed to the max, the images are grainy and gritty and bring you back to Pre-Giuliani New York rawness. That's a Crazy One features images that run a wide gamut, from kids sleeping on the train, skateboarding through the streets, smoking weed and drinking 40's, to the abandoned buildings and roof that were their playgrounds. However it is the dedication of the book that sets the tone for the images that follow. Once read, you realize that many of the kids on these pages are no longer among the living. Often mistaken as a documentary film, KIDS left an aftershock amongst this group of teenagers long after the limelight faded, with no solid foundation many met tragic ends. These lives so superficially portrayed on screen were genuinely struggling and that struggle materialized in the deaths of many of them. The images evoke the painful truth of how one can feel alone and together at the same time.Too painful to face their losses, these images have remained archived for over 20 years. That's A Crazy One takes you through their cathartic journey. All profits from book sales will be donated to NYC Public Schools Photography Program in memorial to their departed.




In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse


Book Description

Jimmy McClean is a Lakota boy—though you wouldn’t guess it by his name: his father is part white and part Lakota, and his mother is Lakota. When he embarks on a journey with his grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, he learns more and more about his Lakota heritage—in particular, the story of Crazy Horse, one of the most important figures in Lakota and American history. Drawing references and inspiration from the oral stories of the Lakota tradition, celebrated author Joseph Marshall III juxtaposes the contemporary story of Jimmy with an insider’s perspective on the life of Tasunke Witko, better known as Crazy Horse (c. 1840–1877). The book follows the heroic deeds of the Lakota leader who took up arms against the US federal government to fight against encroachments on the territories and way of life of the Lakota people, including leading a war party to victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Along with Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse was the last of the Lakota to surrender his people to the US army. Through his grandfather’s tales about the famous warrior, Jimmy learns more about his Lakota heritage and, ultimately, himself. American Indian Youth Literature Award




The Right Kind of Crazy


Book Description

Adam Steltzner is no ordinary engineer. His path to leadership was about as unlikely as they come. A child of beatnik parents, he barely made it through school. He blew off college in favour of work at a health food store and playing bass in a band, but after discovering an astonishing gift for maths and physics, he ended up helping a group of scientists land the heaviest rover in the history of space exploration on Mars. This is the story of the teamwork, drama and extraordinary feats of innovation at the Jet Propulsion Lab that culminated in that landing in 2012.




Gone Crazy in Alabama


Book Description

The Coretta Scott King Award–winning Gone Crazy in Alabama by Newbery Honor and New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of the Gaither sisters as they travel from the streets of Brooklyn to the rural South for the summer of a lifetime. Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are off to Alabama to visit their grandmother Big Ma and her mother, Ma Charles. Across the way lives Ma Charles’s half sister, Miss Trotter. The two half sisters haven’t spoken in years. As Delphine hears about her family history, she uncovers the surprising truth that’s been keeping the sisters apart. But when tragedy strikes, Delphine discovers that the bonds of family run deeper than she ever knew possible. Powerful and humorous, this companion to the award-winning One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven will be enjoyed by fans of the first two books, as well as by readers meeting these memorable sisters for the first time. Readers who enjoy Christopher Paul Curtis's The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming will find much to love in this book. Rita Williams-Garcia's books about Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern can also be read alongside nonfiction explorations of American history such as Jason Reynolds's and Ibram X. Kendi's books. Each humorous, unforgettable story in this trilogy follows the sisters as they grow up during one of the most tumultuous eras in recent American history, the 1960s. Read the adventures of eleven-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, as they visit their kin all over the rapidly changing nation—and as they discover that the bonds of family, and their own strength, run deeper than they ever knew possible. “The Gaither sisters are an irresistible trio. Williams-Garcia excels at conveying defining moments of American society from their point of view.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Coretta Scott King Award winner * ALA Notable Book * School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year * ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice * Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year * Washington Post Best Books of the Year * The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book * Three starred reviews * CCBC Choice * New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing * Amazon Best Book of the Year




Crazy Time


Book Description

Thoroughly revised and updated for a new generation, the essential guide for men and women to help them weather the turmoil of divorce and build rich, rewarding lives There is nothing easy about the breakup of a marriage, from coping with loss and failure to dealing with the uncertainty of the future. In this intelligent and insightful book, Abigail Trafford charts this emotional journey, identifying the common phases in the evolution from marriage to separation to divorce and eventually to a new life. Based upon her personal experience, extensive research, and interviews with hundreds of divorced men and women, Trafford offers individuals a better understanding of their own experiences and the message that they are not alone in their pain and confusion. Crazy Time is also an investment in the future—Trafford reveals the telltale signs of a marriage in crisis and discusses what determines whether a relationship will survive over time. This revised edition includes the most up-to-date research on the effects of divorce in adults' and children's lives, addresses the special challenges of becoming single again in the age of the Internet, and broadens the experience of divorce to include the breakup of all committed relationships. For anyone who has divorced, or is considering taking that step, Crazy Time offers a sense of hope and confidence that this transition is not only an ending but can also be a valuable beginning.




The Right Kind of Crazy


Book Description

Clint Emerson, retired Navy SEAL and author of the bestselling 100 Deadly Skills, presents an explosive, darkly funny, and often twisted account of being part of an elite team of operatives whose mission was to keep America safe by whatever means necessary. Clint Emerson is the only SEAL ever inducted into the International Spy Museum. Operating from the shadows, with an instinct for running towards trouble, his unique skill set made him the perfect hybrid operator. Emerson spent his career on the bleeding edge of intelligence and operations, often specializing in missions that took advantage of subterfuge, improvisation, the best in recon and surveillance tech to combat the changing global battlefield. MacGyvering everyday objects into working spyware was routine, and fellow SEALs referred to his activities simply as “special shit.” His parameters were: find, fix, and finish—and of course, leave no trace. The Right Kind of Crazy is unlike any military memoir you’ve ever read because Emerson is upfront about the fact that what makes you a great soldier and sometimes hero doesn’t always make you the best guy—but it does make for damn good stories.




Crazy Hair Day


Book Description

Stanley is excited about Crazy Hair Day at his school, until he discovers that he has gotten the date wrong and it is actually Class Picture Day, but his classmates come to his rescue in a show of solidarity. Jr Lib Guild. 15,000 first printing.




Running from a Crazy Man (and Other Adventures Traveling with Jesus)


Book Description

"This isn't a book for the happily comfortable. This is a book for the restless Jesus lover, the longsuffering disciple, the openhearted believer. Be forewarned. The challenges inside are designed to unsettle you as well as provide practical suggestions for thriving on the narrow road even if trouble is your travel companion."--Page 4 of cover.




Anna K


Book Description

A national indie bestseller! Meet Anna K: every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way... At seventeen, Anna K is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather an sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie. As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is...until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all. Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy's timeless love story, Anna Karenina—but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak.