Alison Ann L

The first letter arrived the day my husband was buried. It was postmarked from the state penitentiary, and contained a single sentence: I’ll wait forever if I have to. It was signed by Dante, a man I didn’t know. Out of simple curiosity, I wrote back to ask him what exactly he was waiting for. His reply? You.

I offer advice for a living. I encourage my patients to make wise decisions, and I help them help themselves to walk through life stronger, healthier, happier. Isn’t that the goal; to live our best lives? If only I practiced what I preach. I wasn’t always like this. Every move I make lately is the opposite of smart. These questionable life choices are a new development. They started the day a certain Vitale barged into my life. Brand Vitale might look like a hero to the rest of the world, but looks can be deceiving.

I searched for her for two years. Each day felt like a lifetime. I was losing my mind, imagining all the things that were being done to her. But I finally found her. And now, it's time to bring her home. They took her from me, and they're going to pay. I'm getting Alina back, and then we're going to set the world on fire and watch them burn.

There’s nothing like getting caught in the middle of an FBI raid to change your life.... That’s what happens to Gabrielle Carpino. Just when she forced herself to move on with life after tragedy touched her family, she finds herself thrown into a tailspin so swift, she can’t find her bearings.

The Crows are more than nightmares lurking in every shadow. They're a brotherhood. Family. When threats creep in, they'll protect what belongs to them. Quinn. Does a wrong make a right? In my case, it has to. The Kings gave me no choice, no chance to fold. I betrayed the guy who believed he was protecting me while I gave his secrets away. Now we're enemies once more. My brother and I burned all our bridges. Begging Colton DuPont for his help again is my only option. The Crows demand a steep price, but to buy our safety I'll do anything. Even sell my soul to the man who wants me dead.

In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to 'bad people'" (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent meaningful cross-racial dialogue.