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  Heroes for My Son

  Brad Meltzer

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  When Brad Meltzer's first son was born eight years ago, the bestselling writer and new father started compiling a list of heroes whose virtues and talents he wanted to share with his son: Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Jim Henson, Amelia Earhart, Muhammad Ali . . . and so many more, each one an ordinary person who was able to achieve the extraordinary. The list grew to include the fifty-two amazing people now gathered in Heroes for My Son, a book that parents and their children-sons and daughters alike-can now enjoy together as they choose heroes of their own.   From the Wright Brothers, who brought extra building materials to every test flight, planning ahead for failure, to Miep Gies, who risked her life to protect Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis during World War II, Heroes for My Son brings well-known figures together with less famous ones, telling the inspiring, behind-the-scenes stories of the moment that made them great. They are a miraculous group with one thing in common: each is an example of the spectacular potential that can be found in all of us.   Heroes for My Son is an unforgettable audiobook of timeless wisdom, one that families everywhere can share again and again.

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  The Strongest Men on Earth -...

  Graeme Kent

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  They claimed to be the mightiest men in the world. For twenty-five years, before the outbreak of the First World War, professional strongmen were the pop idols of their day. Performing apparently incredible feats of strength, they strutted across stages and topped the bills everywhere, earning thousands of pounds a week. Fans included royalty, heads of state, politicians and leading figures in the literary and artistic worlds, as well as hundreds of thousands of ordinary men and women, all revelling in the antics of these larger-than-life characters. Seeking to outdo each other in death-defying deeds, the strongmen's performances were thrilling and dangerous: lifting elephants, horses, pianos and their players; breaking chains with their biceps; supporting thirty men on a plank suspended on their shoulders. Some strongmen succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Eugen Sandow, a great self-publicist, was appointed physical culture adviser to King George V. His great rival, the bombastic Charles Sampson, toured the world with his blatant cheating and rigged strongman displays until one day the elephant he claimed to be lifting remained suspended in mid-air. Georg Hackenschmidt, the Russian Lion, was so popular that Theodore Roosevelt himself declared wistfully that he would rather be 'Hack' than President of the USA. In The Strongest Men on Earth, Graeme Kent vividly brings to life the world of strongmen (and women), and shares the stories that defined a sporting and show-business era.

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  A Year of Playing Catch - What a...

  Ethan D. Bryan

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  Journey with prolific author and avid baseball fan Ethan Bryan on an exciting quest to play catch every day for a year, and discover the lessons he learned about the sacredness of play, finding connections, and being fully present to the human experience. A Casey Award finalist! 
  Ethan Bryan played and wrote about baseball for years. Then his daughters challenged him to set out on a yearlong experiment: to play catch with someone every day. This experience led him across 10 states and 12,000 miles on a quest both quixotic and inspiring. 
  Taking you from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to the home of the Daytona Tortugas in Florida, Bryan played ball and swapped stories with public school teachers, veterans, journalists, nurses, musicians, entertainers, entrepreneurs, athletes from every level--amateur to pro--and members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Plus, he visited famous destinations such as the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Miracle League fields, and the original "Field of Dreams" in Iowa. 
  But throughout the book, Bryan reveals it's about much more than who he played catch with: it's what he learned from their vastly different stories. Lessons include:How play can reignite a fire within you and transform your lifeHow to find joy in the simple thingsHow one life can impact a whole community. . . and more. 
    
  For baseball fans and everyone who loves a good story, A Year of Playing Catch is an inspiring journey about finding joy in the simple things, and the power of play to transform our lives. 
    
  A complete list of everyone who played catch with Bryan and his daughter's illustrated version of one of the stories are available in the audiobook companion PDF download.

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  Tolstoy and the Purple Chair -...

  Nina Sankovitch

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  Nina Sankovitch has always been a reader. As a child, she discovered that a trip to the local bookmobile with her sisters was more exhilarating than a ride at the carnival. Books were the glue that held her immigrant family together. When Nina's eldest sister died at the age of forty-six, Nina turned to books for comfort, escape, and introspection. In her beloved purple chair, she rediscovered the magic of such writers as Toni Morrison, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ian McEwan, Edith Wharton, and, of course, Leo Tolstoy. Through the connections Nina made with books and authors (and even other readers), her life changed profoundly, and in unexpected ways. Reading, it turns out, can be the ultimate therapy. 
  Tolstoy and the Purple Chair also tells the story of the Sankovitch family: Nina's father, who barely escaped death in Belarus during World War II; her four rambunctious children, who offer up their own book recommendations while helping out with the cooking and cleaning; and Anne-Marie, her oldest sister and idol, with whom Nina shared the pleasure of books, even in her last moments of life. In our lightning-paced culture that encourages us to seek more, bigger, and better things, Nina's daring journey shows how we can deepen the quality of our everyday lives-if we only find the time.

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  Runaway Amish Girl - The Great...

  Emma Gingerich

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  Growing up Amish and leaving the fold, Emma Gingerich left her Amish community in Eagleville, Missouri, at the age of 18. Her memoir Runaway Amish Girl: The Great Escape captivates even the timid listener. Disagreeing with the beliefs of Amish traditions and upbringing, the pressure became too much for her to bear.Forced to make a personal decision, Emma found the courage to leave the only life she had ever known. She had no idea the emotional turmoil she'd inflict on her family and friends. The emotional reactions of her parents, brothers, and sisters, were gut-wrenching. Considered no longer a daughter or a sister, temporarily exiled, Emma found a way to be free. Education became her priority as she found her place in the "English" world. This true story is a rare glimpse into the life of a brave young woman.

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  The Olive Farm - A Memoir of...

  Carol Drinkwater

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  This memoir of buying and transforming an abandoned olive farm “describes life in the South of France with lush, voluptuous appreciation” (Publishers Weekly). Presented with an opportunity to purchase a ten-acre property near Cannes, actress Carol Drinkwater and her film-producer fiancé, Michel, decide to take the plunge. It will take all their savings just for the down payment, but the beauty of the surrounding countryside and the promise of a new adventure seem worth the risk. As they work to clear the weeds and rehabilitate the abandoned farm, they meet Provence’s quirky locals, puzzle through France’s legal bureaucracy, explore the nearby Mediterranean islands, and encounter the region’s wildlife. This colorful memoir from the Sunday Times–bestselling author recounts one couple’s remarkable journey from being inspired but inexperienced new landowners to realizing their dream of a fulfilling, peaceful life on their own little plot of paradise. “Good-humored and well-written.” —The Washington Post “A fantasy come true, as it will be for many of the readers who yearn to experience the magic of southern France.” —The Austin Chronicle

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