Songs for the Forgotten: A Psychiatrist's Record offers a strong practical component also, providing information about trauma and healing. [...] You'll be inspired and renewed after reading this important work." –Steve Pemberton, acclaimed speaker, advocate, and bestselling author of A Chance in the World

Combines pivotal moments from Julia Burns’s Southern upbringing in the 1970s with case histories accumulated through three decades of treating psychiatric patients, particularly those drowning in the cultural epidemic of child abuse. This book is her journal of rupture and return.

The reader will follow the author’s hard-won reconciliation. In telling panoply of stories, including her own, Burns argues for the interconnectedness of humanity: when one child is hurt, our humanity is violated, and we are all responsible for undoing that damage. If no one steps up to save children, to show them they are worth saving, the cycle of abuse will continue.

Songs for the Forgotten offers a strong practical component, providing information about trauma and healing. Burns illustrates how hope and wholeness can come from remembrance and telling.

"A sincere tribute to professionals who do not always receive the recognition and support they deserve, Stewards of Humanity is a memoir about healing through—and from—humanitarian work." —Foreword Reviews

When the world turns away from the horrors of war, genocide, famine, and natural disasters, the stewards of humanity run toward the suffering. They stand as a thin line between life and death for thousands of people who will never know their stories. These stewards are neither heroes nor saints—they are ordinary people with ordinary struggles who rise to extraordinary challenges. They are beacons of light in the darkness of humanitarian crisis.

With an unflinching view into some of the worst humanitarian crises of our lifetime, author Robert Macpherson—US Marine combat veteran turned aid worker—tells the stories of the men and women who have courageously confronted evil and injustice from Somalia to Bosnia, Rwanda, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Throughout his narrative, Robert challenges us to consider our place in humanity and our own role as stewards.

One Woman's Journey of Advocacy, Faith, and Positivity

“You only have three to five years to live.”

On the day she was diagnosed with HIV and thrust from the confines of her suburban mom bubble into the scary and unpredictable world of AIDS, Julie promptly found herself fighting for her life and rights amidst a disease she never imagined would hijack her future.

With three young children, her family began making every effort to create lasting memories while simultaneously managing the debilitating side effects of early meds. They hid her illness for four years, fearing her children would suffer stigma and discrimination often experienced in the early days of the disease.

Her diagnosis began a path of advocacy, faith, and positivity despite her life’s detour. Now, Julie advocates for better healthcare outcomes for women through the personal stories and reflections from her life. Her health journey creates space for those walking through their own family or medical crises to be seen and supported.

The caregiver’s journey is often bittersweet, combining feelings of exhaustion, reflection, love, frustration, delight, shock, connection, and loneliness. Many caregivers understandably feel overwhelmed and find themselves wishing for someone to take their hand and guide them on their twisting and emotional journey. Take My Hand is that guide.

Written by Tia Amdurer, a Licensed Professional Counselor with a professional background in hospice, bereavement, and loss, Take My Hand is divided into chapters that serve as a practical resource while you navigate different aspects of caring for a loved one in their final years.

Interspersed with the educational chapters are insightful, witty, and heartfelt commentaries from a caregiver’s perspective. Pages for note taking and journaling are formatted to encourage self-reflection along the way.

Mogadiscio was not always the sprawling jerry-built urban landscape we see today. Until 1991, when the government fell and clan militias, in a civil war, reduced it to rubble, Mogadiscio was a lovely, vibrant city. Tales of Mogadiscio describes a time, during the 1960s, when Mogadiscio was the capital and center of a newly independent Somali Republic. The stories portray individuals and the city’s various communities. Mogadiscio is observed and reflected upon by the author, who lived among its people and loved the city.

“Mike Huff addresses a serious issue in the basketball culture changing from an emphasis on the team to an increased focus on the individual. He calls coaches to lead the way in returning the focus where it belongs, which is on the team first. Teamwork: Rediscovering the Essence of Basketball will help any coach who is interested in teaching the game of basketball and important life lessons through basketball.”
– Mike Kryzyzewski, Head Coach, Duke University Basketball

Basketball was originally designed to be a team game, but today’s players are growing up in a culture that focuses on the individual. In Teamwork, Mike Huff calls coaches and athletes to return to basketball’s essence, by focusing on The 7 Essentials of Teamwork:

• communication
• leadership
• humility
• roles
• team spirit
• a winning attitude
• collective responsibility

The lessons in this book will enable coaches to teach life lessons that help players become winners on and off the court.

Much evidence from both sides of the Pacific indicates that people from Asia reached America at very early dates. It also appears that at least occasional trips were made back to Asia.

This book, by Hendon M. Harris, Jr. and edited by Charlotte Rees, explores some of the early Asian accounts about voyages to a beautiful land to their east called Fu Sang. It explains how that trip was possible. Included are photos of an ancient Asian world map that show the location of the fabled Fu Sang -right where America should be.

"In his beautiful new book, Milton Brasher-Cunningham shares arresting thoughts on grief, grace, and gratitude. He claims that we are all shaped by our sorrows and generously tells his own stories of loss. All the while, he leads us toward hope. The Color of Together is both poetic and instructive, relatable and deeply philosophical. It awakened my heart to read this book; I hope it will do the same for you."
– Jennifer Grant, author of A Little Blue Bottle

When his father died, Milton learned that grief was a primary color of life. That truth is as old as the human story, but was new to him. The Color of Together explores the metaphor more fully, looking at the primary colors of life, which he names as grief, grace, and gratitude, and then expanding the palette to describe some of the other hues that make us human.

The book is a conversation between his personal stories, authors who have been mentors from the page, biblical accounts, and a variety of metaphors that allow us to see the colors of life in different lights and contexts. It is a story that started in grief and continues in hope.

 "Their Faces Shone is a riveting, candid and thought-provoking account of one's family journey through fostering. -Erica C. Witsell, award-winning author of the novel Give

“I need help,” I whispered, not sure if I was talking to myself or to God. “I don’t want to let her go.” 

After her daughter was born, Kate Rademacher desperately wanted another child, but her husband did not. Following years of negotiation, the couple decided to become foster parents. What began as an uneasy compromise turned into an authentic calling and a deep love for their two-year-old foster daughter. When the girl transitioned back to her biological family, Kate thought she had learned the lesson in loving and letting go. But when an unexpected crisis occurred, Kate realized the lessons in how to love, accept, surrender, and forgive were only just beginning.

In this poignant story, the author explores the question of where family begins and ends, and how things change when we invite strangers—with complicated stories and baggage—into our lives. For people who have considered becoming foster parents, many worry about the emotional risks involved. Before Rademacher’s foster daughter arrived, she shared these concerns; she was deeply afraid of the heartbreak that seemed likely, and she worried that fostering could threaten her own family’s peace.

Rademacher’s story is an insightful and ultimately hopeful examination of whether it’s possible to love and let go without bitterness. With self-effacing humor and honesty, Rademacher describes how the experience of fostering impacted her marriage and her biological daughter and changed their lives forever.

RNA-sequencing is one of the most powerful tools available to cancer researchers, but it is not without its challenges.

In this book, Dr. Rathe provides a plethora of user-friendly tools and methods to assist cancer researchers in making the most of their RNA- sequencing data.

Dr. Rathe describes a novel approach to prioritize the gene and pathway changes in controlled experiments (DEAPR), as well as a causal deconstruction process for uncovering disease-specific expression patterns in patient samples (NODC). In addition, her experience with characterizing unusual cellular changes directly related to the use of CRISPR and Sleeping Beauty is a must for researchers utilizing these cell modification techniques. Her personalized approach makes the reading experience enjoyable as well as informative.

"I am pleased that Sue has pulled together this entertaining and easy-to-understand technical manual, so cancer researchers outside of my laboratory can benefit from her experience and avoid many of the pitfalls associated with RNA-seq data." —David A. Largaespada, PhD Professor, University of Minnesota

Just when the world thought Oscar Pistorius’ meteoric rise to Olympic glory and international celebrity had terminated abysmally in prison, Brent Willock’s scientific perspective reopens this gripping narrative for an astonishing re-view.

Oscar’s spectacular assent to fame ground to a screeching halt in the wee hours of Valentine’s Day, 2013. Hearing a sound emanating from his bathroom, he grabbed his pistol and he stumbled to the washroom, screaming at the intruders to leave. Fearing someone was about to emerge to harm him and his girlfriend, Reeva, he fired four bullets into the toilet chamber. Soon he realized he had killed his lover. Horrified, he summoned the authorities. The investigating detective believed this was yet another case of an escalating argument where the man murdered his partner. World opinion is split. Some believe Oscar. Others are convinced he committed a despicable crime of passion.

"Relevant, challenging, and accessible." –Brother Dennis Gibbs, Community of Divine Love

Our lives are busy, much more so than they ought to be. A demanding lifestyle calls for a healthy dose of spiritual refreshment, the kind that can go the distance. That’s where the brief meditations in Week by Week come in. Each reflection presents a topic to chew on, expressed in relatively few words; something to mull over.

Life is rhythmed with spiritual seasons, each providing its own challenges and joys; each calling for its own medicine. Souls, not just bodies, need to be able to adapt, refresh, reboot, and readjust to changing climates. As we move through the seasons of life, may God’s healing power enter to bring us what we need.

This collection of meditations and reflective questions is designed to adjust with your needs for the season you are in. With one meditation per week, this book can be read and enjoyed topically or in the printed order.

"The product of a rare author, someone who is both as deeply grounded in Christian tradition as one can imagine but at the same time has the profound ability to touch others with insights of practical depth." –The Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, Bishop of the Episcopal Church

Inspired by his immigrant physician mother, who surmounted multiple obstacles in her forty-five year-career, Dr. Friedman worked through a twenty-year battle with depression to realize the life-saving power of committing himself to love, spirit, and service. This story of his personal journey toward wholeness offers thoughtful advice for those who suffer and encouragement for those aspiring to careers in the healing arts.

Where Spirit Touches Matter: A journey toward wholeness is a book about health, healing, and hope by a physician who has spent more than thirty-five years helping patients find relief from pain and suffering.

Dr. Friedman writes: "On a journey to Tibet, while circling what is widely considered the holiest mountain on Earth, Mount Kailash, which sources the five great rivers of Asia with its runoff, I heard the myth that one of the rivers, the Saraswati, existed only in nonmaterial form. In this form, it contributed a spiritual and vitalistic energy to the holy Ganges, which arises at the convergence of four rivers in the Himalayan region of India.

"Eight years later, on my last journey to India, I stood in front of the gorge where the Saraswati River originates, and I wept. I wept because I saw that the nonmaterial had become material, and that the chasm between the mythological and the physically real had been bridged. This is the meeting place of spirit and matter that I have pursued in endless forms throughout my life.

"This book chronicles a sampling of my experiences of that space between. It honors the continuously moving stream running through all of time and space, filled wholly with the presence of a loving consciousness. I am grateful to have been a participant in the flow of that stream and to have been given the opportunity to return whatever love I can into that current."

Growing up in the suburbs in the 1950s was a completely different experience than growing up after the year 2000. Just about everything was self-created and directed. From a very early age, we left our house right after breakfast and would return in time for supper. No parent or adult told us what to do to occupy our time. Mostly, they told us what not to do and we paid little attention to that advice.

Each new adventure took us to its logical or illogical conclusion. Sometimes a lesson was learned, more often than not the hard way. This is a journey through those experiences, many of which are not repeatable today.

Growing up is mental, and growing older is physical. Both form integral parts of the experiential library. Whether in the late 1800s, the mid-1950s or now, it is the best time to be alive in an ever-changing world.

Join C.M. Rip Cunningham in his recollections of what it means to grow up in an ever-shifting environment, supplemented by excerpts from As the Twig is Bent by Dr. John H. Cunningham.

A journey in defying cancer

In this story about her harrowing battle with a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer, Dr. Julia Burns encourages readers to take charge of their own health by seeking multiple medical opinions and fighting for a treatment plan that meets their emotional and spiritual needs as well as their physical needs.

Chapter by chapter Julia shares lessons learned from her own journey through cancer. The numbers were abysmal: her odds of survival were so low some wondered why she should even bother fighting. Julia didn't care what the numbers said—she defied the odds and found a path where few had dared to look.

Julia Burns inspires others who face seemingly insurmountable challenges to take heart, to advocate for themselves, and to pursue the path that makes them feel well and whole—no matter the odds.

An elderly mother, an aging son, and life’s final journey
"Winter Stars is a gift — a modern classic of frontier literature documenting the uncertain journey into the country of caregiving." –Michael J. Fox.

Dave Iverson was a busy broadcast journalist recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when he decided to do something he’d never quite imagined: He moved in to take care of his 95-year-old mom. Winter Stars is the moving story of their ten-year caregiving journey.

"The resulting memoir is a love story you won't soon forget," writes Elizabeth Farnsworth, former chief correspondent for The PBS NewsHour and author of A Train Through Time.

By the end of this decade, 74 million Americans will be over the age of 65, including every member of the Baby Boom generation. The pandemic prompted more Americans to consider caring for their parents at home, but as Iverson learned, the gritty, life-changing reality caregiving delivers requires more than good intentions. He didn’t know that his mom’s dementia would pose more challenges than his Parkinson’s. He didn’t know he’d be capable of getting so angry. He didn’t know that becoming a caregiver means experiencing love and loss, anger and insight—usually when exhausted and often on the same day. And he didn’t know that moving in with his mom would challenge and change him more than any other life experience.

"A deeply moving memoir, Winter Stars is still more than that — it is a guide to finding the help we all need, in one way or another, as life poses new and different challenges," praises Ron Elving, Senior Editor and Correspondent, NPR

For the vast number of families who are confronting —or will soon confront—a caregiving journey, Winter Stars offers an intimate, unvarnished portrait of the challenges, choices, and life lessons that lie ahead.

"Honest, comforting, and true, Winter Stars is a testament to the power of family love," says Ann Packer, best-selling author of The Dive from Clausen’s Pier and Songs Without Words.

Meditations from the Psalms and Proverbs to help you ponder the beauty of God’s Word and grow in worship and wisdom.

The inspired prayers of Psalms range through the entire gamut of human emotions: faith and doubt; elation and sorrow; hope and despair; confidence and terror; love and hate. We read magnificent paeans of praise, and howling wails of complaint. With utter honesty, they allow us to express our hearts to the LORD, knowing that he hears us. With a growing crescendo, they point us back to God who cares for his people. Through them, we learn how to worship.

The Book of Proverbs contains wise sayings from David’s son Solomon and others. On the surface, it seems to focus on this life and how to live it well. Here we learn about sex, money, and power; the proper use of the tongue, relating well to others, and the path to success. From the opening chapter to the end, however, one theme dominates: If we want to be wise, we need to fear and to love God.

"Music is life. Music is a reflection of who we are as humans. Music tells us things that words can’t, it ignites feelings in us that we didn’t know we had, and it can reach a depth that nothing else can.” —Susan Graham, renowned American mezzo-soprano

Music has existed as long as there have been people to listen. It takes on many forms and is many things, providing entertainment, emotion, storytelling, and most of all, magic for all who hear.

In revealing and genuine interviews, Larry Ruttman converses with world-renowned musicians of the 21st century and engages them in an approachable manner. Dive into the recesses of their minds to discover the influences and inspiration behind classical music and other popular genres such as pop, jazz, folk, Americana, and many other genres impacting today’s musical culture.

Perfect for dedicated fans, determined students, and the casually interested listener to music of all genres, Intimate Conversations: Face to Face with Matchless Musicians is sure to inspire, fascinate, and entertain.

Christine Amoroso did everything right to achieve the perfect life. Falling for a sandy-haired surfer and landing pregnant at seventeen, she knew the “right” thing to do. She could have it all, even if in the “wrong” order: beautiful children, a good marriage, and approval from those around her. Until it all fell apart.

Ever the overachiever, she continued to take on too much, finishing college with two kids in tow. But as her responsibility grew, so did her resentment. A stressed-out young mom, an inattentive husband, and the attention of another man made the perfect recipe for disaster. Hard work and responsible decisions had not guaranteed a happy life or lasting love. She had failed, and now she floundered as she tried to find a fresh start. She turned inward for answers rather than seeking external validation.

After a few missteps, she slowly learned her worth couldn’t come from a list of accolades, achievements, or some guy. Her story is an earnest and humorous account of what it’s like to be a modern American woman trying to have it all and the dangers of losing oneself in the process.

Bare Naked in Public is a must-read memoir for burnt-out overachievers seeking answers about their worth while finally forgiving their past.

In 1966, an all-black basketball team from the University of Texas El Paso (then Texas Western University) defeated an all-white team from the University of Kentucky to win the NCAA championship in a game that has become famous as a civil rights milestone. A closer inspection of the events leading to that momentous game reveals the unlikely circumstances that made a way for those two teams to walk onto that court.

Travel back in time to 1960s North Carolina, Kentucky, and Texas to unravel the remarkable truth behind the teams involved in the famous 1966 final four, and see how one man's absence changed history and paved the way for desegregation and civil rights progress.

This new look at basketball's impact on American history shows how supposedly minor events can have significant historical consequences.

After all, why should not some humans be like angels? If our spirit has the same origin and the same destination, we’re but pilgrims on the Earth.

Documented throughout various times, cultures, religions, and geographical locations are stories of spiritual events that transcend the human experience beyond the limits of the physical body.  Many have sought answers for how it may be possible that a human is comprised of both immaterial consciousness and physical matter. After all, physical evidence suggests a distinct connection between life and the functionality of the body. However, first-hand experiences passed down through global oral traditions and among present humans suggest the existence of the spiritual realm.

The God Connection is a philosophical treatment of both the savory and unsavory aspects of religion and the belief in a higher power. Written in simple and direct English, it embodies scientific insights as well as inspirational passages while also considering the negative implications of corrupt religious practices in tandem with the benefits of sound mystical explorations.

Join Dr. Basil Gala in this personal adventure into spiritual thought and meditation, complemented with scholarly research of the histories and achievements of great religious movements worldwide.

When Scott Terry was ten, he embraced the Jehovah's Witness faith and their prediction that the world would soon end. As an adolescent, he prepared for Armageddon and prayed for God to strip away his growing attraction to other young men. By adulthood, Terry found himself no longer believing in the promised apocalypse. Over time, he left the Witness religion and became a cowboy, riding bulls in the rodeo. He overcame the hurdles of parental abuse, religious extremism, and homophobia and learned that Truth is a concept of honesty rather than false righteousness.

Cowboys, Armageddon, and The Truth: How a Gay Child was Saved from Religion offers an illuminating glimpse into a child’s sequestered world of abuse, homophobia, and religious extremism. Scott Terry’s memoir is a compelling, poignant and occasionally humorous look into the Jehovah’s Witness faith-a religion that refers to itself as The Truth—and a brave account of Terry’s successful escape from a troubled past.

Discover the secrets behind your restless nights and uncover the hidden marvels of your slumbering mind.

Are you tossing and turning at night? Drifting off during the day? You might have a sleep problem. Geared toward everyone from sleep-deprived students to active athletes to young-at-heart grandparents, this book will help you understand your sleep like never before, covering common sleep problems such as:

• sleepwalking
• sleep apnea
• not enough sleep
• overly drowsy during the day

And discussing the various impacts of disordered sleep on life including:

• the effects of aging on sleep and memory
• sleep and heart health
• sleep's impact on weight and blood pressure
• sleep and athletic performance

Written by a seasoned physician, Sleep: A User's Guide will help you understand what causes the problems you face and how you can get better, more reliable sleep.