American Dream Women

The Shahanis came to Queens - from India, by way of Casablanca - in the 1980s. They were undocumented for a few unsteady years, and then, with the arrival of their green cards, they thought they'd made it. This is the story of how they did, and didn't; the unforeseen obstacles that propelled them into years of disillusionment and heartbreak; and the strength of a family determined to stay together.

Can a simple pair of garnet earrings put out an internal fire that has been burning for some fifteen years? A young woman stands at the brink of middle age with a long-standing anger towards her mother that has stalled and clouded her dreams of the future. When the garnet earrings suddenly appear, they receive such an emotional reception that questions are finally posed that unlock secrets of the past. The woman learns the fire inside her started two generations ago with her grandmother and the question remains: After all this time, is it possible to contain the flames? This book takes you ...

Winsome Earle-Sears sent shock waves across Virginia and the country at large when she pulled off her stunning upset victory in November 2021 and became the first woman lieutenant governor of Virginia and the first Black woman, the first naturalized female citizen, and first female veteran elected to statewide office. She earned intense national coverage because of her unwavering support for Second Amendment rights and her strong commitment to education opportunity for all students. Now Winsome will tell her story and explain how she arrived at that historic moment in time.

MacArthur “Genius” Cristina Jiménez writes and narrates her inspiring story from undocumented newcomer to leader in a powerful immigrant youth movement. Dreaming of Home is a coming-of-age story for both a young woman finding her true self and a social movement of immigrant youth trailblazers who inspired the world and changed the lives of millions.

Diane McKinney-Whetstone, the award-winning and best-selling author of Tumbling, presents Trading Dreams at Midnight - - an Essence Book Club Recommended Read. Back in 1984, 15-year-old Neena's mother left and never came back. And now Neena is following in her footsteps.

Inspired by a true story, The Bravest Among Us is Hillbilly Elegy meets Casablanca, the story of three unlikely heroes who come together in a tragic love triangle to bring The American Dream to reality for impoverished children. Aria, a grieving widow and once a teen mother, rises from humble beginnings to become a warrior for social justice. But which man will join her daring journey, the ambitious actor bent on capturing her heart or the wrongfully convicted ex-con sworn to protect her? One will risk everything to help her find hope, while the other will forsake his happiness for the ...

When Ashley discovers that the goal of achieving the American Dream is not her key to happiness, she frees herself from the shackles of her perfectly planned life to travel the world in an adventure through thirty-six countries in an attempt to discover what her new life’s dream will be. From the beginning, her path around the globe is riddled with earthquakes, tsunamis, and civil uprisings that force her to adapt and evolve to the road. Planned tours fall apart to reveal that hitchhiking and couch surfing with strangers is the best way to travel. Dreams of far off lands become a reality ...

THE MAGIC THAT HAPPENS ONSTAGE IS ONLY HALF THE STORY... New York City in 1907 is a wonderland of endless possibilities for anyone who dares to dream, and no one has bigger dreams than young Pepper MacClair, a struggling vaudeville chorus girl who craves the Broadway limelight. When Pepper must choose between the love of her life and her beloved Chance Theatre, a run-down venue well past its prime and her home for as long as she can remember, she’ll discover real life doesn’t always go according to script. She’s left heartbroken and betrayed. But as the larger world changes around her...

Kiyo's father arrived in California determined to plant his roots in the land of opportunity after leaving Japan. He, his wife, and their nine American-born children labored in the fields together, building a successful farm. Yet at the outbreak of World War II, Kiyo's family was ordered to Poston Internment Camp. This memoir tells the story of the family's struggle to endure in these harsh conditions and to rebuild their lives afterward in the face of lingering prejudice.

2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist - Historical Fiction Seeking to pursue his dream in music, and harboring a grave secret, young Gerard Rougeaux leaves his native Montreal for New York City in 1909, embarking on a journey that then takes him to Paris at the height of the Jazz Age. There, years later, Gerard becomes haunted by strange dreams of a boy falling through space, as his story entwines with the family he has left behind-his half-sister Jeannette and her two children, struggling to make their way in New York after the economic crash of 1929. Continuing the family epic ...

For the first time, music legend Tom Petty’s spouse and muse of 25 years opens up about their intimate, shared lives in this memoir filled with personal anecdotes, and bittersweet reminiscing.

The American Dream thrives in 1912 New York City Annie Wood, the housemaid-turned-pattern designer in The Pattern Artist, jumps at the chance to design her own clothing line when a wealthy New York couple offers to finance her endeavor. Joining the project is Annie’s new husband, Sean Culver, her best friend at Butterick, Maude Nascato, and a mother figure, Edna Holmquist. Annie and her colleagues give up their careers, risking everything to follow a shared passion: clothes that are both fashionable and functional for modern, busy women in 1912. Personal and financial setbacks test old ...

When you speak English with barely an accent, it’s hard for most people to believe that you were born in France. But Elisabeth Bykoff spent the first twenty-two years of her life there, raised in the French culture on a diet of American pop movies, TV, and music. Elisabeth’s love for American movies led her to dream of making them herself in Hollywood, building her American dream full of romance, prosperity, and a fulfilling career.

América Gonzalez is a hotel housekeeper on Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico, cleaning up after wealthy foreigners who don’t look her in the eye. Her alcoholic mother resents her; her married boyfriend, Correa, beats her; and their 14-year-old daughter thinks life would be better anywhere but with América. So when América is offered the chance to work as a live-in housekeeper and nanny for a family in Westchester, New York, she takes it as a sign to finally make the escape she's been longing for.

Having escaped her urban existence, middle-aged Juanita Lewis enjoys her new life in Paper Moon, Montana - but she still has a long list of places she wants to visit. With her true love's blessing, she embarks on a journey of American exploration. When her eccentric friend Millie suddenly dies, however, she rushes home and learns she has inherited Millie's bed-and-breakfast. At last Juanita has it all - true love and financial independence! But does this diner cook turned entrepreneur have too much on her plate? This novel overflows with gentle, self-effacing humor.

Amy McGrath grew up in Edgewood, Kentucky, a childhood shaped by love of country, baseball (the Cincinnati Reds), and, from the age of 12, a fascination with fighter jets. Her devastation at learning that a federal law prohibited women from flying in combat fueled her determination to do just that - and then, to help change the laws to improve the lives of all Americans.

A stunning debut novel about a young undocumented Peruvian woman fighting to keep her family afloat in New York City. Ana Falcón, along with her husband, Lucho, and their two young children, has fled the economic and political strife of Peru for a chance at a new life in New York City in the 1990s. Being undocumented, however, has significantly curtailed the family’s opportunities: Ana is indebted to a loan shark who calls herself Mama and is stretched thin by unceasing shifts at her factory job.

BWWM Interracial Romance: In the Hospital, Empathy Leads to LoveTanisha Barkley enjoys her life as a Nurse Practitioner. Zach Fredricson is a new volunteer in the chemotherapy ward she oversees. At first, she distrusts his motives for wanting to volunteer, and she treats him accordingly. Then a moment of sadness brings them together. They also find out they have a common love for Paris. She helps him learn French, but she repels his advances artfully and compassionately. When she learns the truth about him, she's afraid of the feelings stirring deep inside her. Will they find true love in ...

When their mother passed away a decade ago, Evie Ross and her sister, Suda Kaye, were each left a stack of letters, one to be opened every year on their birthday. While the letters encouraged Suda Kaye’s wanderlust, taking her away from Evie for years, their free-spirited mother’s wish for her more cautious daughter was to discover what her heart truly desires. But steadfast Evie discovered long ago that wishes rarely come true. A successful life stems from planning, building a stable career - and keeping your heart guarded at all costs.

Growing up in New Jersey as the only African American Muslim at school, Ibtihaj Muhammad always had to find her own way. When she discovered fencing, a sport traditionally reserved for the wealthy, she had to defy expectations and make a place for herself in a sport she grew to love. From winning state championships to three-time All-America selections at Duke University, Ibtihaj was poised for success, but the fencing community wasn't ready to welcome her with open arms just yet.