True Tragedy

In the Civil War, the government hired women and girls - some as young as nine - to make millions of rounds of ammunition. They worked 72-hour weeks with little training. Poor immigrant girls and widows paid the price for carelessness at three major arsenals. Many of these workers were killed, blown up, and burned beyond recognition. Gunpowder Girls is a story of child labor and immigrant hopes and the cruel, endless demands of an all-consuming war. A Junior Library Guild selection.

Five minutes changed Mary Walsh’s life forever... On October 4, 2018, she was in a harrowing car accident that sent her to the ICU with a fractured vertebrae and nearly took her life. Through this inspiring book, readers will gain the courage and determination to keep fighting no matter the odds. By reading this book, readers will: Discover the power of resilience in the face of a life-changing event Feel the strength of compassion from others around them Learn how to regain independence and keep a sense of humor while healing This book chronicles the author's struggles and healing ...

Set in Manchester, England and Chiang Mai, Thailand, Ray is a powerful story of abandonment, rejection and betrayal. But also a story of fulfillment, enduring love, an unquenchable friendship and a paradise found.

Accidents happen, but they're usually the result of human carelessness. Charlie Morecraft found that out one August night years ago, when he literally blew himself up. A long time worker at an Exxon refinery in New Jersey, Morecraft was rushing to leave for vacation and too macho to bother following standard safety procedures when performing a late night repair job. The result? Burns covering 50 percent of his body, months upon months of hospitalization and rehab, dozens of surgeries, and emotional suffering.

A story from the anthology Masters of True Crime, which spans murder cases from the beginning of the 20th century to today. This is a must-hear for fans of true crime and will also be compelling to mystery and thriller listeners.

Bob Rowe and his wife Mary worked hard to build their American dream. A suburban home, barbecues in the summer, and a fast track corporate job made their life look ideal to outsiders. Yet they faced one of the most difficult challenges for a couple: their son Christopher was born severely handicapped and disabled. As a family, they managed to navigate through the tough times by being hands-on parents. Their efforts were emboldened by a group of extraordinary women - all of whom also had disabled children.

During 51 days in early 1993 one of the most tragic events in American crime history unfolded on the plains outside Waco, Texas. An obscure and heavily armed religious sect called the Branch Davidians was barricaded inside their commune and outside were hundreds of law enforcement angry because the former had killed four ATF agents in a botched raid. Go on an engaging and captivating ride to examine one of the most important true crime stories in recent decades.

October 25, 2023 was just an ordinary night in Lewiston, a small, working class city of 37,000 in central Maine. Friends and families had gathered to do what they loved to do with the people they wanted to be with at a bowling alley called Just-in-Time Recreation Center and Schemengees, a popular sports bar and restaurant. They felt immune from the violent crime that seemed to wrack the rest of the country in a state that the FBI had just named the safest in America.

This classic novel describes an ambitious poor relative of a rich man who secures an opportunity in his uncle’s factory and has a social leap to prospectively marry another rich man’s daughter in town. Similar to Gatsby and published in the same year, 1925.

In his own words, Kermit Alexander finally shares the full story of what happened to his loved ones and the aftermath of that tragic day. He recounts the hours leading up to the massacre and how afterward he lost himself in the LA underworld, pleading, bribing, and threatening in a search for answers. He describes his journey through the "wilderness" of despair - the years of isolation living out of his car, broke, depressed, and sick.

In November 2004, Lora Jones was a happy wife and proud mother of two beautiful children. Lora and her family left for a family vacation, excited to celebrate the holidays, but sounds of music and laughter in their van were shattered by a head-on collision. Lora watched helplessly as, one-by-one, her beloved family slipped into eternity. Awake in a nightmare, all traces of laughter were replaced by the mournful cries of a wounded heart. How in the world could Lora go on alone? Song of a Wounded Heart tells the true story of Lora’s journey from death to hope.

Koresh is Stephan Talty’s extraordinary, meticulous narration of the events that led up to the Waco Siege. Drawing on new sources, FBI negotiation tapes, and interviews with family and friends, this definitive biography explores how Koresh grew from a young man to a cult leader, and investigates why the siege has become an enduring symbol for radical opponents of the democratic state.

The Quiet Americans chronicles the exploits of four spies - Michael Burke, a charming former football star fallen on hard times, Frank Wisner, the scion of a wealthy Southern family, Peter Sichel, a sophisticated German Jew who escaped the Nazis and Edward Lansdale, a brilliant ad executive. The four ran covert operations across the globe, trying to outwit the ruthless KGB in Berlin, parachuting commandos into Eastern Europe, plotting coups and directing wars against Communist insurgents in Asia.

She’s lost herself in his life—but what will she do without him? Tony looks from the smoking gun to me, his eyes wide with mingled grief and shock. I set the pistol down on the desk and sit. The grip bears my bloody handprint. “Is everyone ready to get to business now? Because we have a huge mess to clean up.” *** Eleni Everyone I love goes away or betrays me. I’m tired of getting my heart broken. When the empty boss’s chair offers me the opportunity to seize power and control, I don’t know how to refuse. Dante? I’m not used to taking a backseat. I’m not used to wearing my...

The murder of a young Tibetan nun at the hands of Chinese border guards at the rooftop of the world offers a unique parable for the tale of modern Tibet. Chinese police are instructed to take any measures necessary to protect the border of Tibet. When a group of climbers witness the murder of a young Tibetan nun who is fleeing to India, two men have a choice: turn a blind eye and preserve their climbing careers or alert the world to the grand scale of human injustice played out daily in Tibet.

Shawn Wallis earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology. Mr. Wallis currently resides in Zephyrhills with his Weimaraner puppy Samantha.

Kaitlyn Emberland was brutally raped five years ago. She almost died, and her assailant left behind forty-two scars to remind her of their encounter. She will never trust a man again. She will never love again. The mere thought of a man’s touch makes her skin crawl—and then she meets Marc Campbell. He is different. He’s kind, gentle, understanding, and he loves her. He is willing to do whatever it takes to convince Kaitlyn that she can put the rape behind her and live and love again. But is it even possible? Can such a brutal act of violence and betrayal ever truly be overcome? ...

The eighteenth-century hanging of a schoolteacher for concealing the birth of a child out of wedlock has appeared in local legend over the last few centuries, but the full account of Ruth's story has never been told. Drawing on over two years of investigative research, author Carolyn Marvin brings to light the dramatic details of Ruth's life and the cruel injustice of colonial Portsmouth's moral code. As Marvin uncovers the real flesh-and-blood woman who suffered the ultimate punishment, her listeners come to understand Ruth as an individual and a woman of her time.

The year was 1982, and Jarek and Dianne were both still in high school when they fell in love. The kind of love so precious and rare that few will ever experience in their lifetime. This was not some meaningless tryst during a brief courtship, or a settlement for a lifetime of security. This was the real deal, and they both knew it. Days turned into months, and months into endless infatuation—as they spent many a night sneaking out in defiance—before an elopement plan to leave their families and friends for the rest of their lives was born. But when, on the eve of their greatest ...

Born in 1846 in Ireland at the start of the "Great Hunger", James Kinnier Wilson emigrated to Philadelphia to start a new life at 17 years old. After his life took a dramatic turn, he found himself attending Princeton and then a college in Scotland, where he met Agnes Hately, the talented daughter of a famous figure in the Scottish "Disruption" - the emergence of the Free Church of Scotland.