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  Life and Death of John F Kennedy...

  Editors Charles River

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  In many ways, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his young family were the perfect embodiment of the ‘60s. The decade began with a sense of idealism, personified by the attractive Kennedy, his beautiful and fashionable wife Jackie, and his young children. Months into his presidency, Kennedy exhorted the country to reach for the stars, calling upon the nation to send a man to the Moon and back by the end of the decade. In 1961, Kennedy made it seem like anything was possible, and Americans were eager to believe him. The Kennedy years were fondly and famously labeled “Camelot,” by Jackie herself, suggesting an almost mythical quality about the young President and his family.  
  As it turned out, the ‘60s closely reflected the glossy, idealistic portrayal of John F. Kennedy, as well as the uglier truths. The country would achieve Kennedy’s goal of a manned moon mission, and the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 finally guaranteed minorities their civil rights and restored equality, ensuring that the country “would live out the true meaning of its creed.” But the idealism and optimism of the decade was quickly shattered, starting with Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. The ‘60s were permanently marred by the Vietnam War, and by the time Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated in 1968, the country was irreversibly jaded. The events of the decade produced protests and countercultures unlike anything the country had seen before, as young people came of age more quickly than ever. 
  The Life and Death of John F. Kennedy: The Remarkable Life and Shocking Assassination of America’s Youngest President chronicles the president’s life, and the assassination that rocked the country.

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  The California Kid - From USC...

  Alex Cody Foster, Owen Hanson

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  You've read the shocking one-sided tale of international drug kingpin Owen Hanson in Rolling Stone, VICE, and the LA Times—but now he's ready to tell his side of the story. 
   
   
   
  A surfer kid from Redondo Beach, California, Owen Hanson was still in his twenties when he found himself the leader of a multi-million-dollar criminal empire. What began as an attempt to fit in with the rich kids at the University of Southern California soon grew into gambling and loan sharking, which then opened the door to drug trafficking and money laundering. Hanson wasn't just involved in this stuff—he excelled at it. Living the fast-paced lifestyle of the rich and famous, Hanson felt he was finally making his father proud, never mind the questionable ethics and obvious danger of it all. But with the cartel, a serious drug-abuse problem, and the pursuit of the FBI all threatening to overtake him, it wouldn't be long before his lifestyle caught up with him. 
   
   
   
  The California Kid follows Owen from his roots as a USC star athlete from a broken home, where his idolization of the rich and famous began, to his descent down a dangerous path where he would stop at nothing to earn the love and acceptance of his absent mother and the respect of his father. The story that follows is almost too wild to believe—but Owen bears the twenty-one-year sentence to prove it.

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  Rowing Into The Son

  Jordan Hanssen

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  A Daring True Story"Truly an epic of adventure and perseverance, this is great inspiration for anyone who thinks of someday tackling the impossible" -- New York Times best-selling author Clive CusslerOn June 10, 2006, four college friends stepped into a 29-foot rowboat as the only American competitors in the first North Atlantic Rowing Race.From the initial idea and chaotic race planning to heaving through cold ocean swells, author and lead rower Jordan Hansen takes us along as the crew heads out from New York Harbor, racing against three other teams; catches theelusive Gulf Stream current; and makes the final dramatic push for the finish line off the coast of England. Hurricane-level winds, giant ocean eddies, passing freighters, and sharks are all elements of the journey, while the tension on board comes to a head on Day 17-with another 55 days to go when the crew realizes their supplies are running out and they must drastically ration their food.The race is set against the backdrop of Jordan's own reflections on both his biological father, who passed away many years earlier, and his stepfather. Combined with the details of how he and his teammates cope within the confines of their tiny boat, and their determination to push their limits, it creates a remarkable coming-of-age story- and an intimate account full of thrilling adventure and compelling emotion."A beautiful sense of place and a compelling portrait of four men locked in an epic struggle with the ocean and, occasionally; with themselves. Gripping."-Roz Savage, first woman to row three oceans and author of ‘Rowing the Atlantic’“Too often in our lives we are told what we cannot do. Hanssen's story deftly accomplishes the opposite. It might not catapult you into a rowboat, but be warned; you may be enticed to alter course."-Jill Fredston, author of Rowing to Latitude

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  Women of Ancient Greece -...

  Layla Gupta

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  The ancient Greeks created a rich tapestry of gods and goddesses that embodied the complexities of the human experience, and among them, the divine feminine figures stood out as powerful symbols of strength, wisdom, love, and conflict. The goddesses of ancient Greece were not merely passive figures but rather active forces that shaped both the natural world and the lives of mortals. Their stories reveal a deep understanding of the roles and expectations of women, as well as the power dynamics that governed ancient Greek society. 
  Among the most prominent of these divine figures was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, warfare, and craft. Athena was a paradoxical figure, blending intelligence with martial prowess. As the patron goddess of Athens, she embodied the city's values of logic, strategy, and civic duty. Her virginity, a defining characteristic, symbolized purity and independence, and her role as a warrior was unique in that it was based on strategic thinking rather than physical aggression. Athena's guidance was sought not just in matters of war but also in philosophy and the arts, making her one of the most revered figures in the pantheon. 
  In stark contrast to Athena's intellectual and strategic prowess, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, and desire, represented the compelling and often uncontrollable forces of attraction. Aphrodite's influence was not confined to the physical realm; she also governed the emotional and relational dynamics of gods and mortals alike. Her beauty and charm were legendary, capable of inciting both creation and destruction. Through her, the Greeks understood love not just as a harmonious union but also as a force that could disrupt order, as seen in the myth of her involvement in the Trojan War. Aphrodite’s power was as much about seduction as it was about the more fragile human emotions, teaching that love could be both transcendent and tumultuous.

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  David Swan - From their pens to...

  Nathaniel Hawthorne

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  Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on 4th July 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, a town synonymous with the earlier Salem Witch Trials. It was instrumental in Hawthorne’s later use of American Gothic and dark romanticism in his writing. 
  He was a mere four years old when his father died and his mother took him and his two sisters to live with her family and then on to their own home in Raymond, Maine. The young Hawthorne had a passion for fiction and poetry and voraciously read the works of Ann Radcliffe, Henry Fielding and Lord Byron.  
  He was sent to college at his maternal uncle’s insistence. During these years he met and befriended Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and future U S president Franklin Pierce. These friendships were lifelong and to have a crucial impact on his writings and career.  
  At college Hawthorne had made attempts at writing short stories and essays but without opportunities to publish. It was only in 1828 that he finally published his novel ‘Franshawe’ to little success and so he began work as editor for the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge.  
  Hawthorne’s short stories were first published in magazines but in 1837 were collected and published as ‘Twice-Told Tales’. A steady literary career still did not come his way and so he worked in a good position at Salem’s port and married the love of his life Sophia Peabody. They moved to live in ‘The Old Manse’ at Concord, Massachusetts.   
  Finally. in 1850 came spectacular literary and commercial success with ‘The Scarlet Letter’ followed by ‘The House of the Seven Gables’ the following year.  
  In 1852, Hawthorne published a biography of presidential candidate Franklin Pierce. After Pierce’s victory he was appointed consul in Liverpool, a position that offered prestige, money and fame. At the end of this appointment he returned several times to Europe before settling in Massachusetts and resuming writing and publication. 
  During the early 1860’s his health declined and on 19th May 1864 during a trip to Plymouth, New Hampshire. He was 59 and was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts.

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  Jesus Shines Through - A...

  Philip G Cohen

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  Alone … in the dimly lit cell … I’m pacing the perimeter, trying to outrun my own dark thoughts.I’m only 13 years old. Is this my life and the first step toward dying in a gutter like Dad says I will? Will I be in and out of prison? I walk faster and faster….breaking into a run and then running until I’m exhausted. I unfold the blanket in my cell, spread it on the hard floor, and drop off to sleep.Crushed by a violent, alcoholic father, and growing up in a world of street gangs, organized crime, and anti-Semitism. Phillip Cohen somehow navigates dangerous neighborhoods from Chicago to Atlanta and Miami. In his late teens and early twenties, his life has been thrust into a desperate existence, wandering homeless through hippie communes, pursuing hard drugs and strange religions, all in his search for healing and love.Then, just as hope dawns, it fades and dies as Phillip discovers he’s trapped in the suffocating embrace of a heavy-handed ultraconservative Anabaptist church. Twenty-six years pass, and he escapes with his wife and 9 children. Desperately, he runs to mainstream Christianity but doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere.Best Selling Author Phillip Cohen brings you his memoir which delivers an unforgettable exploration of faith, identity, and the profound pursuit of purpose—a journey guided by the light of Jesus shining through it all. A journey that will leave you questioning your own beliefs and longing for the transformative power of love.

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