Showing results by narrator "Chanté McCormick" in All Categories

It was the middle of the nineteenth century when Lafanu Brown audaciously decided to become an artist. In the wake of the American Civil War, life was especially tough for Black women, but she didn't let that stop her. The daughter of a Native American woman and an African-Haitian man, Lafanu had the rare opportunity to study, travel, and follow her dreams, thanks to her indomitable spirit, but not without facing intolerance and violence.

Supported by expert studies, interviews with happily married couples, and years of personal experience, author Heidi Poelman shares the simple secrets that keep love alive. Whether it's choosing an attitude of gratitude, leaving a love note, giving a welcome home hug at the door, or calling just to say hello, How to Have an Amazing, Fantastic, Loving, Playful, Intimate, and Happy Marriage in Two Minutes a Day is full of simple ways to love the one you married, two minutes at a time.

When journalist Zoe Quint loses her husband and child in a tragic accident, she returns home to Guyana to grieve, but her curiosity leads her to the Americans who have set up camp in a rundown village nearby. Their leader, Jim Jones, dark-eyed and charismatic, claims to be a peaceful man who has promised his followers a paradise. But everything changes when Zoe meets one of his followers, Lucy. Lucy grabs Zoe’s arm, raw terror in her eyes, and passes her a note with a phone number, begging her to call her mother in America. Zoe is determined to help Lucy.

Award-winning Black authors and artists come together to create a moving anthology collection celebrating Black love, Black creativity, Black resistance, and Black life.

Driving while impaired lights a match and threatens to set your life on fire. The legal, financial, and physical consequences of a DWI leave many people struggling to put out that fire. LaDonna Claude shares real stories about people with DWIs. The consequences of a DWI have legal and emotional impacts that most people neglect to understand. As an instructor at Funny Bone Defensive Driving, she has frequently met people at their low points. No matter their driving offense, LaDonna acts as an instructor, motivational speaker, and counselor to students struggling with their post-DWI lives.

Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic-driven book offers clear, concrete language and imagery to introduce the concept of consent. This book serves to normalize and celebrate the experience of asking for and being asked for permission to do something involving one's body. It centers on respect for bodily autonomy, and reviews the many ways that one can say or indicate "no".

In Aspen, Colorado, in 1941, Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships. Little Ray, as she is called, finishes nowhere near the podium, but she manages to get pregnant. Back home, in New England, Little Ray becomes a ski instructor. Her son, Adam, grows up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past. Years later, looking for answers, Adam will go to Aspen. In the Hotel Jerome, where he was conceived, Adam will meet some ghosts.

One question must be answered before Afia can slip into a peaceful sleep: What does love look like? With the companionship of her loving papa, Afia journeys to find love and learns that it is the warmth of the sun’s hugs, the brook’s soothing song, and other mesmerizing gifts of nature. But Afia’s quest also teaches her that she may not have to go too far to see the emotion at the heart of the world’s wonders.

When pandemic meets politics, the US fractures. Unite to survive. Post pandemic, politics and social divisions of the past still cost lives. A supremacist army, Right Nation, surrounds the integrated community of the Orchard, and lay siege to its inhabitants.

Two woman-centered historical romances, set in the very time of Texas’ Juneteenth origins!

Riley and Jen have been best friends since they were children, and they thought their bond was unbreakable. It never mattered to them that Riley is Black and Jen is white. And then Jen's husband, a Philadelphia police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager and everything changes in an instant. This one act could destroy more than just Riley and Jen's friendship. As their community takes sides, so must Jen and Riley, and for the first time in their lives, the lifelong friends find themselves on opposing sides.

The human epidermis deterioration virus (HEDV) has obliterated the population. Billions have died worldwide. The lucky few who survived are now faced with rising racial tensions and white supremacist armies determined to eradicate all people of color and anyone who tries to stand in their way, including Scot Jamieson's mostly white community. Left for dead, Scot is rescued by a young black girl, Coby. Together, dodging supremacist armies, they search for an integrated community of survivors to take them in.

A musical career in the making. A murdered childhood friend. One chance to catch the killer. Ava dreams of building a better life for her daughter through her island pop songs. Her new temp job leads to a once-in-a-lifetime shot at a record deal, but before she can pack her bags for New York, she discovers a dead body outside her office building. Horrified, Ava recognizes the murdered sex worker as her childhood friend. The single mother finds herself torn between pursuing her life’s passion or justice for her murdered friend.

The Islands follows the lives of Jamaican women—immigrants or the descendants of immigrants—who have relocated all over the world to escape the ghosts of colonialism on what they call the Island. Set in the United States, Jamaica, and Europe, these international stories examine the lives of an uncertain and unsettled cast of characters. Set in locations and times ranging from 1950s London to 1960s Panama to modern-day New Jersey, Dionne Irving reveals the intricacies of immigration and assimilation in this debut, establishing a new and unforgettable voice in Caribbean-American literature.

While young children are avid observers and questioners of their world, adults often shut down or postpone conversations on complicated topics because it’s hard to know where to begin. Research shows that talking about tough issues from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and allows them to recognize and confront things that are unfair, like discrimination and prejudice.

The vibrant stories in I’ll Give You a Reason explore race, identity, connection, and belonging in the Ironbound, an immigrant neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. A young widow goes on her first date since her husband’s death and finds herself hunting a bear in the woods with a near stranger. An unhappy wife compares her mother’s love spells and rituals to her own efforts to repair her strained marriage. A self-conscious college student discovers a porn star who shares her name and becomes obsessed with her doppelgänger’s freedom and comfort with her own body.

Little Wind and the trees of Jerusalem can't wait for Real King to visit. But Little Wind is puzzled when the king doesn't look how he expected. His wise friend, Bare Tree, helps him learn that sometimes strength is found in sacrifice, and new life can spring up even when all hope seems lost.

When faced with loss or trauma, the grief can oftentimes feel overwhelming. It can feel difficult, if not impossible, to focus your attention elsewhere. And yet, during hard times is the perfect time to look inward for support and practice self-care. Tuning in to your personal needs and taking the time to create a thoughtful self-care practice can make all the difference in moving forward in a healthy way. In Self-Care for Grief, you’ll find 100 self-care activities that are specifically designed to help you protect your mental health, even while grieving.

With contributions from diverse voices and children around the world, the Love God Greatly Bible Storybook tells 40 Bible stories and gives glimpses into how far and wide God's love stretches. By highlighting Scriptural truth, global perspectives, and God's great love, kids will learn that the gift Jesus gave is for every person, in every country, from every culture.

Be empowered by 52 weeks of Black self-love and anti-racism lessons, affirmations for positive thinking, and prompts for Black Boy Joy. A Black male handbook for self-care, Black & Resilient includes prompts for teens to reflect and divulge what they're feeling on a deeper level. It comes with mind-strengthening affirmations for teens, stories of truth and power, and practices to teach Black teen boys how to stay empowered despite what life throws at them.