2017 Audie Award Finalist for Audiobook of the YearThe megatalented creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder chronicles how saying yes for one year changed her life - and how it can change yours, too. With three hit shows on television and three children at home, the ubertalented Shonda Rhimes had lots of good reasons to say no when an unexpected invitation arrived. Hollywood party? No. Speaking engagement? No. Media appearances? No. And there was the side benefit of saying no for an introvert like Shonda: nothing new to fear. Then Shonda's sister laid down a challenge: Just for one year, try to say yes to the unexpected invitations that come your way. Shonda reluctantly agreed - and the result was nothing short of transformative. In Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes chronicles the powerful impact saying yes had on every aspect of her life - and how we can all change our lives with one little word. Yes.  Read more

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Best-selling author Mitch Albom returns to nonfiction for the first time in more than a decade in this poignant memoir that celebrates Chika, a young Haitian orphan whose short life would forever change his heart.Performed by Mitch Albom with Chika’s voice featured throughout.Chika Jeune was born three days before the devastating earthquake that decimated Haiti in 2010. She spent her infancy in a landscape of extreme poverty, and when her mother died giving birth to a baby brother, Chika was brought to The Have Faith Haiti Orphanage that Albom operates in Port Au Prince.With no children of their own, the 40-plus children who live, play, and go to school at the orphanage have become family to Mitch and his wife, Janine. Chika’s arrival makes a quick impression. Brave and self-assured, even as a three-year-old, she delights the other kids and teachers. But at age five, Chika is suddenly diagnosed with something a doctor there says "no one in Haiti can help you with."Mitch and Janine bring Chika to Detroit, hopeful that American medical care can soon return her to her homeland. Instead, Chika becomes a permanent part of their household, and their lives, as they embark on a two-year, around-the-world journey to find a cure. As Chika’s boundless optimism and humor teach Mitch the joys of caring for a child, he learns that a relationship built on love, no matter what blows it takes, can never be lost.Told in hindsight, and through illuminating conversations with Chika herself, this is Albom at his most poignant and vulnerable. Finding Chika is a celebration of a girl, her adoptive guardians, and the incredible bond they formed - a devastatingly beautiful portrait of what it means to be a family, regardless of how it is made. Read more

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"A roadmap for healing and connection that every parent and child could benefit from."--Tori Hope Petersen, bestselling author and speaker· from a former street kid turned adoptive dad and foster dad· how to parent with grace and consistency· special information about dealing with challenging behaviors, broken trust, and traumaWhether a child has been in a loving and supportive home from day one or has been bounced from one house to another in the foster care system, parenting them is messy. A former street kid, Peter Mutabazi knows what it feels like to grow up in a world where love, caring, and kindness are nowhere to be found. But as the adoptive father of three and a foster dad to more than forty children, he also knows what a difference it makes when a child experiences the positive influence of an attentive and loving parent.In this honest and hopeful book, Peter shares surprising lessons he has learned during his unique parenting adventure, including how to· parent children for who they are rather than for who you want them to be· look beyond problem behaviors to find their root causes· love children who do not want your love· understand your own scars and turn them into understanding and healing for your childrenNo matter what your parenting journey has entailed, you will find wisdom, encouragement, and practical instruction in these hope-soaked pages. Read more

A young girl's life is shadowed by secrets and lies... When Willow arrives in the Allen household, curious things begin to happen. Who is the strange child dressed in outlandish clothes who refuses a mobile phone? What are the mysterious allegations that have been made about her? Determined to find out Louise gets more than she bargained for, as she unravels the truth about Willow's family background and uncovers some distressing secrets. Read more

How do you build a life when yours has been shattered to dust?Sawyer spent her childhood bouncing from one foster home to the next. As an adult, she spends her days advocating for those in the same broken system. When a child in her care runs away on a rural road in Kansas, it starts a chain reaction that unravels memories from her past. At the center is a grumpy rancher she can’t seem to stay away from. Sawyer wasn’t built for love and relationships. In the end, everyone always leaves.Soren is no stranger to tragedy. Over the last eight years, he has rebuilt his life from the ruins of his greatest regret. When he returns from feeding cattle to find a beautiful woman sitting on his porch, he can’t shake a sense of déjà vu. Soren feels desperate to know her—especially when he finds out how closely connected she is to his past.Is it possible for a relationship to last when love may not be enough to hold you together?The Magic of Light is a contemporary romance novel about love, loss, and the power of hope against all odds. Read more

Sometimes, the greatest gift is a second chance at family.At three years old, Robby faces rejection from his birth mother and the harsh reality of life in an orphanage. For two years, he endures the emotional rollercoaster of trial days with potential parents, only to be returned each time.But when Catherine chooses to adopt him, she offers more than just a home. She offers hope.As Robby grows, so do the challenges. His early trauma shapes his personality, leading him from a mischievous boy into a free-spirited young man. With Catherine's unwavering support, he discovers the strength to forge his own path—one in which he can belong, adventure, and eventually gain reconciliation with his past.Inspired by true events, A Hand for Me is a deeply moving exploration of the transformative power of adoption and the unbreakable bond of a mother’s commitment.Diane M. Dresback’s story will touch your heart and renew your faith that unconditional love can heal even the deepest wounds. It reminds us that family is not defined by blood but by the choices we make and the love we share. Read more

The compelling, poignant true stories of victims of a notorious adoption scandal - some of whom learned the truth from Lisa Wingate’s best-selling novel Before We Were Yours and were reunited with birth family members as a result of its wide reach.From the 1920s to 1950, Georgia Tann ran a black-market baby business at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis. She offered up more than 5,000 orphans tailored to the wish lists of eager parents - hiding the fact that many weren’t orphans at all, but stolen sons and daughters of poor families, desperate single mothers, and women told in maternity wards that their babies had died.The publication of Lisa Wingate’s novel Before We Were Yours brought new awareness of Tann’s lucrative career in child trafficking. Adoptees who knew little about their pasts gained insight into the startling facts behind their family histories. Encouraged by their contact with Wingate and award-winning journalist Judy Christie, who documented the stories of 15 adoptees in this book, many determined Tann survivors set out to trace their roots and find their birth families.Before and After includes moving and sometimes shocking accounts of the ways in which adoptees were separated from their first families. Often raised as only children, many have joyfully reunited with siblings in the final decades of their lives. Christie and Wingate tell of first meetings that are all the sweeter and more intense for time missed and of families from very different social backgrounds reaching out to embrace better-late-than-never brothers, sisters, and cousins. In a poignant culmination of art meeting life, many of the long-silent victims of the tragically corrupt system return to Memphis with the authors to reclaim their stories at a Tennessee Children’s Home Society reunion...with extraordinary results.Advance praise for Before and After“In Before and After, authors Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate tackle the true stories behind Wingate’s blockbuster Before We Were Yours, of the orphans who survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. With a journalist’s keen eye and a novelist’s elegant prose, Christie and Wingate weave together the stories that inspired Before We Were Yours with the lives that were changed as a result of reading the novel. Readers will be educated, enlightened, and enraptured by this important and flawlessly executed book.” (Pam Jenoff, author of The Orphan’s Tale and The Lost Girls of Paris) Read more

Every choice you make carries a consequence. What if your consequence was an unwanted pregnancy?Theresa graciously agrees to share part of her life for a biographical paper being written by two high school students. She surprises her unsuspecting interviewers with stories of a broken childhood, tales of love found and lost, and the strength summoned to make the hardest decision of her life.The sharing of her past not only provides material for Theresa’s students, but also prepares herself for one of the most impactful introductions yet to come.“So many times throughout the book I felt I was in the room feeling the current situation or dilemma as if I were there! It is absolutely a story of a courageous path taken…A delightfully satisfying story to read.” Amazon reviewerRoom For Another is a fictionalized account based on true life events of author Diane M. Dresback’s biological mother. The one thing that Diane learned about her mother was that it didn’t matter if you were blood, step, half, ex, in-law, adopted, or anywhere in-between—everyone was family and she always had room in her heart for another.“Enjoy a heartfelt story that resonates in many ways. You don’t have to be an adoptee, a birth, or an adoptive parent, to enjoy this book.” Amazon reviewer“It talks about decisions, hard decisions to make and live with. It also speaks of hope and kindness.” Goodreads reviewer“I can't believe how great this author can write such a powerful story even as it is real. The way she presented the story it made you feel like you were right there as everything happen.” Goodreads reviewer“It is well written and flows smoothly. I will recommend this book and look forward to reading others by this author.” Goodreads reviewer Read more

Am I getting parenting right? Most parents, at any and every stage, find themselves asking this question.Whether you're sleep deprived with a colicky newborn or navigating the emotional roller coaster of a teenager, parenting has its ups and downs, its confusion and clarity, its big blowups and small victories. And no matter our family makeup or our children's personalities, many of us experience anxiety over our children's futures and often fear making a mistake.Andy and Sandra Stanley are no strangers to this feeling. As parents of three grown children and cofounders of North Point Ministries, they are seasoned experts on faith and parenting. Together they have spent decades counseling countless families, mentoring others, and learning from mentors of their own, all while leading one of the largest churches in the country.In Parenting: Getting It Right, Andy and Sandra combine their experience and wisdom into a guide that helps readers understand and live by essential parenting principles. In an inviting, conversational approach that is both informative and accessible, the Stanleys help readers understand the most important goal in parenting and learn the steps to pursue it by:Learning the four distinct stages of parentingClarifying the primary goal of parenting and developing a parenting orientation around that goalIdentifying and adapting their approach--not their rules--to their children's distinct personalitiesDeciding on their shortlist of non-negotiables and learning to stick to itYou don't have to constantly doubt if you're getting it right as a parent. Start here and feel confident about raising a healthy and happy family. Read more

The Primal Wound is a seminal work which revolutionizes the way we think about adoption. It describes and clarifies the effects of separating babies from their birth mothers as a primal loss which affects the relationships of the adopted person throughout life.. It is a book about pre-and perinatal psychology, attachment, bonding, and loss. It gives adoptees, whose pain has long been unacknowledged or misunderstood, validation for their feelings, as well as explanations for their behavior. It lists the coping mechanisms which adoptees use to be able to attach and live in a family to whom they are not related and with whom they have no genetic cues. It will contribute to the healing of all members of the adoption triad and will bring understanding and encouragement to anyone who has ever felt abandoned.. Read more

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Perfect for fans of Richard Coles, Fiona Leitch and Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, introducing a brand-new cosy crime series set in the gardening world featuring an unlikely amateur sleuth and her loveable dog.Steph Williams has arrived at the wealthy, gated community of Beaulieu Heights ready to start her new position as head gardener. Surrounded by mansions and acres of land, it's worlds apart from the life she knows, but she's determined to give it her best shot.If she happens to accidentally overhear private conversations while trimming the bushes, or is refused access to a locked shed, she knows not to question it - after all, gardeners should be seen and not heard.Until notes start turning up, threatening to reveal the deepest secrets of the residents. Suddenly Steph finds herself the prime suspect, and now she must leave the shelter of the gardens behind to clear her name and save her job.The seeds of suspicion have been planted, but the case is turning out to be no bed of roses. And when the investigation puts her life at risk, Steph is up against the clock to weed out the real culprit before it's too late...Readers are GRIPPED by Seeds of Murder:'I loved the way this book combined the genre of cozy mystery with horticultural knowledge . . . An excellent book to snuggle up with' Reader review, 5 stars'In need of comfort-reading, [this book] hits the spot. Cleverly plotted, well-written and hugely enjoyable' Reader review, 5 stars'Lots of twists and turns make this a fun mystery to read. Love the setting, characters and story plot' Reader review, 5 stars'I could not put it down. Absolutely incredible reading' Reader review, 5 stars Read more

FINALIST, NONFICTION, NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS, 2024 FINALIST, 2024 GODDARD RIVERSIDE STEPHAN RUSSO BOOK PRIZE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE"Essential reading."—NPR “Books We Love”“Dares to imagine a different world where Americans treat adoption like the justice issue it is.”―Washington Post“Impressively reported…[Sisson] uses her deep well of knowledge to make the case that adoption is no solution for Americans’ reduced access to abortion.”―San Francisco ChronicleA powerful decade-long study of adoption in the age of Roe, revealing the grief of the American mothers for whom the choice to parent was never realAdoption has always been viewed as a beloved institution for building families, as well as a mutually agreeable common ground in the abortion debate, but little attention has been paid to the lives of mothers who relinquish infants for private adoption. Relinquished reveals adoption to be a path of constrained choice for those for whom abortion is inaccessible, or for whom parenthood is untenable. The stories of relinquishing mothers are stories about our country's refusal to care for families at the most basic level, and to instead embrace an individual, private solution to a large-scale, social problem.With the recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization revoking abortion protections, we are in a political moment in which adoption is, increasingly, being revealed as an institution devoted to separating families and policing parenthood under the guise of feel-good family-building. Rooted in a long-term study, Relinquished features the in-depth testimonies of American mothers who placed their children for domestic adoption. The voices of these women are powerful and heartrending; they deserve to be heard. Read more

Read by the author.Between the Mountain and the Sky shows us the goodness that is possible when a single person - regardless of age - takes action to help another and, in the process, changes the lives of hundreds. Maggie’s story begins in suburban New Jersey, in a comfortable middle-class family that supports her decision to travel the world during a gap year before starting college. During her travels, the trajectory of her life alters when she has a surprise encounter with a Nepali girl breaking rocks in a quarry. Maggie decides to invest her life savings of 5,000 dollars to buy a piece of land and open a children’s home in Nepal.That home becomes Kopila Valley Children’s Home, and eventually, the nonprofit Maggie launches, the BlinkNow Foundation, also starts the Kopila Valley School, which provides tuition-free education for more than 400 students. Maggie and BlinkNow’s work have been recognized around the world for their innovative, sustainable work.However, this book isn’t a how-to for fledging philanthropists or nonprofit founders - it’s a coming-of-age story about a young woman suspended between two worlds, as well as the love, loss, healing, and hope she experiences along the way. And Maggie’s inspiring, intimate tale shows an important truth: the power to change the world exists within all of us. Read more

Shed your shame. Renew your hope. Rediscover the parent you know you can be.Is your adoption journey turning out differently than you imagined? You had so much love to give, but now you feel ashamed and bewildered by your lack of compassion.You may be experiencing blocked care—a self-protective mechanism in your nervous system that makes it difficult to connect with your child and maintain compassion. When it happens, it’s like your heart seems to have left the relationship. But the good news is you are not a bad parent. You can heal from blocked care, and compassion can be rekindled in your heart.Written by two adoptive parents who have overcome blocked care, Reclaim Compassion answers the questions, “How did this happen?” and “Will it ever get better?” You’ll recognize yourself in the honest stories from the authors and other parents and come to realize that you are not alone.Rooted in faith and backed by neuroscience, this practical and powerful guide offers a simple step-by-step process for reclaiming compassion for your child and yourself.“Lisa and Melissa’s holistic–brain, body, and spirit–approach to understanding and overcoming blocked care will lead you to personal healing and meaningful connection with your children. Every foster and adoptive parent should read this book!”~Jamie Finn, author of Foster the Family, Director, Foster the Family“Reclaim Compassion practically and compassionately addresses part of parenting that no one wants to talk about. Lisa C. Qualls and Melissa Corkum are the go-to experts on blocked care, and this book is proof. No one understands it better than they do. We can't recommend this book enough!" ~Mike and Kristin Berry, hosts of The Honestly Adoption Podcast, coauthors of Securely AttachedLisa C. Qualls and Melissa Corkum serve thousands of adoptive parents by providing post-adoption supportthrough their podcast, books, speaking, and coaching. To learn more, find Lisa and Melissa at www.reclaimcompassion.com Read more

From the award-winning author of Shelter Dogs and Rescue Cats, this beautiful animal photography book introduces a new collection of dogs and the heart-grabbing stories of transition to their forever homes.Bold, retiring, serious, sparkling, quirky, or lovable—the dogs in Traer Scott's remarkable photographs regard us with humor, dignity, and an abundance of feeling. Scott began photographing dogs in 2005 as a volunteer at animal shelters. Her first book, Shelter Dogs, was a runaway success and, in this follow-up, she introduces another collection of canine subjects, each with indomitable character and spirit: Morrissey, a pit bull who suffered from anxiety-related behaviors brought on by shelter life until adopted by a family with four children. Chloe, a young chocolate Lab mix, surrendered to a shelter by a family with allergies. Gabriel and Cody, retired racing greyhounds. Bingley, a dog who lost his hearing during a drug bust but was brought home by a loving family that has risen to the challenge of living with a deaf dog.    Through extended features and arresting portraits, we become better acquainted with the personalities and life stories of these courageous animals and watch as they experience the sometimes rocky and always emotional transition to new homes. For dog lovers, photography enthusiasts, and advocates for animal welfare and pet rescue, Finding Home is a poignant and eloquent reminder of the urgent need for more adoptive families as well as a loving tribute to dogs everywhere. Read more

Dex has the sweetest heart and the roughest touch. He breaks his toys, has difficulty with personal space, and has an energy level that idles on high! Dex deeply desires to play with a family of baby birds, but his request is denied until he can learn to be gentle and kind. Join this misunderstood dragon as he creatively learns how to have a gentle touch. It’s Tough to Be Gentle: A Dragon’s Tale, helps children understand the gentle and kind concept and the Teaching Tips for Parents provides parents with information on how they can empathize with a child similar to Dex. It’s Tough to Be Gentle: A Dragon’s Tale is one of eight children’s books designed to teach Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI ®) principles developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross at the Institute of Child Development. Other titles by Cindy R. Lee include: Baby Owl Lost Her Whoo & Doggie Doesn’t Know “No!” Proceeds from the books are being donated to HALO Project OKC and the Institute of Child Development. Read more