In 1967, during the time of peace, free love, and hitchhiking, 19-year-old Mary Terese Fleszar was last seen walking home to her apartment in Ypsilanti, Michigan. One month later, her naked body stabbed over 30 times and missing both feet and a forearm was discovered on an abandoned farm. A year later, the body of 20-year-old Joan Schell was found, similarly violated. Over the next two years, five more bodies of female students were uncovered around the area. In the wake of these murders, southeastern Michigan was terrorized by something it had never experienced before: a serial killer. But after multiple failed investigations, a chance sighting finally led to a suspect: an all-American boy studying elementary education at Eastern Michigan University who wasn't all that he seemed. Read more

Living mindfully with nature during a time of uncertainty   In the midst of the environmental crises of the early twenty-first century, Tamara Dean sought a way to live lightly on the planet. Her quest drew her to a landscape unlike any other: the Driftless area of Wisconsin, a region untouched by glaciers, marked by steep hills and deeply carved valleys, capped with forests and laced with cold, spring-fed streams. There, she confronted, in ways large and small, the challenges of meeting basic needs while facing the ravages of climate change—an experience at once soul-stirring and practical that she recounts in Shelter and Storm.   Dean’s boundless curiosity and gift for storytelling imbue these essays with urgency and a sense of adventure. She invites readers to share in her discoveries while hunting for water, learning that a persistent weed could be food, or burning a hayfield to recreate a prairie. Contending with the fallout of fires, floods, and tornadoes, she offers responses to natural disasters that reflect the importance of community, now and for generations to come. Whether tracking down a rare, blue-glowing firefly, engineering a beaver-friendly waterway to appease a dying neighbor, or building a house of earthen blocks, Dean unites personal experience with science and history, presenting a perspective as informative as it is compelling.   Keenly attentive to the stakes for our planet’s future—and the implications of extreme weather, shifting agricultural practices, and political divides—Shelter and Storm illuminates a thoughtful way forward for anyone concerned about climate change and its far-reaching consequences or for anyone searching, as Dean has, for a more sustainable way to live.     Retail e-book files for this title are screen-reader friendly. Read more

Around midnight on March 27th, 1952, the sleepy and secluded sandhills of western Nebraska was awakened by the sound of a baby crying. Six hours later, when the sun finally came up on that Thursday morning, the entire region was paralyzed by the news of a triple homicide near the Niobrara River south of the little town of Merriman, Nebraska. For the first six hours after sunrise, the entire community was put on the alert to be on the lookout for an unknown killer who had fled into the vast ocean of the sandhills. A make-shift posse was quickly formed and word eventually came that the suspected killer was held up in a garage deep in the sandhills. Almost 12 hours after his first victim was killed, the wanted man was captured, wounded and confessed to the killing of a husband and wife and a neighbor who was simply responding to the cries of a fellow rancher and friend. For decades the persistent question of “why” has been asked by everyone who has heard the story. In this short book, the author attempts to accurately retell the story and finally make a legitimate attempt to answer the nagging question of “why”. Read more

The acclaimed author of American Dirt reveals the devastating effects of a shocking tragedy in this landmark true crime book—the first ever to look intimately at the experiences of both the victims and their families.A Rip in Heaven is Jeanine Cummins’ story of a night in April, 1991, when her two cousins Julie and Robin Kerry, and her brother, Tom, were assaulted on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River just outside of St. Louis. When, after a harrowing ordeal, Tom managed to escape the attackers and flag down help, he thought the nightmare would soon be over. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Tom, his sister Jeanine, and their entire family were just at the beginning of a horrific odyssey through the aftermath of a violent crime, a world of shocking betrayal, endless heartbreak, and utter disillusionment. It was a trial by fire from which no family member would emerge unscathed. Read more

I tell of a time, a place, and a way of life long gone. For many years I have had the urge to describe that treasure trove, lest it vanish forever. So, partly in response to the basic human instinct to share feelings and experiences, and partly for the sheer joy and excitement of it all, I report on my early life. It was quite a romp.So begins Mildred Kalish’s story of growing up on her grandparents’ Iowa farm during the depths of the Great Depression. With her father banished from the household for mysterious transgressions, five-year-old Mildred and her family could easily have been overwhelmed by the challenge of simply trying to survive. This, however, is not a tale of suffering.Kalish counts herself among the lucky of that era. She had caring grandparents who possessed—and valiantly tried to impose—all the pioneer virtues of their forebears, teachers who inspired and befriended her, and a barnyard full of animals ready to be tamed and loved. She and her siblings and their cousins from the farm across the way played as hard as they worked, running barefoot through the fields, as free and wild as they dared.Filled with recipes and how-tos for everything from catching and skinning a rabbit to preparing homemade skin and hair beautifiers, apple cream pie, and the world’s best head cheese (start by scrubbing the head of the pig until it is pink and clean), Little Heathens portrays a world of hardship and hard work tempered by simple rewards. There was the unsurpassed flavor of tender new dandelion greens harvested as soon as the snow melted; the taste of crystal clear marble-sized balls of honey robbed from a bumblebee nest; the sweet smell from the body of a lamb sleeping on sun-warmed grass; and the magical quality of oat shocking under the light of a full harvest moon.Little Heathens offers a loving but realistic portrait of a “hearty-handshake Methodist” family that gave its members a remarkable legacy of kinship, kindness, and remembered pleasures. Recounted in a luminous narrative filled with tenderness and humor, Kalish’s memoir of her childhood shows how the right stuff can make even the bleakest of times seem like “quite a romp.” Read more

Picture it . . . Rural Route 52. Terre Haute, Indiana. 1980 something. 20,000 laying hens, 400 head of sheep, three homesteads, ample acreage. A pastoral setting, offering up a myriad of ways to maim oneself—where sensory memories are steeped in an aromatic bouillabaisse of alfalfa bales, sheep dabbles, hint of water mint, chicken dust, dried corn stalks, tractor grease, and Gojo hand cleaner. All served up with a side of suspense for whatever level of endearing ridiculousness each day would bring.Misty Livengood and Marti Livengood Goodwin, sisters just 20 months apart in age—yet now half a continent apart in geography—tell the hilarious yet heartfelt tales of growing up on a working farm in 1980’s middle America. Read on to ride along on this rural rollercoaster of agventure as they relive the wild, gritty, and unforgettable escapades of growing up country. That is, IF you have the stomach for it! Read more

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio introduces Evelyn Ryan, an enterprising woman who kept poverty at bay with wit, poetry, and perfect prose during the “contest era” of the 1950s and 1960s.Stepping back into a time when fledgling advertising agencies were active partners with consumers, and everyday people saw possibility in every coupon, Terry Ryan tells how her mother kept the family afloat by writing jingles and contest entries. Mom’s winning ways defied the Church, her alcoholic husband, and antiquated views of housewives. To her, flouting convention was a small price to pay when it came to securing a happy home for her six sons and four daughters. Evelyn, who would surely be a Madison Avenue executive if she were working today, composed her jingles not in the boardroom, but at the ironing board. By entering contests wherever she found them—TV, radio, newspapers, direct-mail ads—Evelyn Ryan was able to win every appliance her family ever owned, not to mention cars, television sets, bicycles, watches, a jukebox, and even trips to New York, Dallas, and Switzerland. But it wasn’t just the winning that was miraculous; it was the timing. If a toaster died, one was sure to arrive in the mail from a forgotten contest. Days after the bank called in the second mortgage on the house, a call came from the Dr Pepper company: Evelyn was the grand-prize winner in its national contest—and had won enough to pay the bank. Graced with a rare appreciation for life's inherent hilarity, Evelyn turned every financial challenge into an opportunity for fun and profit. From her frenetic supermarket shopping spree—worth $3,000 today—to her clever entries worthy of Erma Bombeck, Dorothy Parker, and Ogden Nash, the story of this irrepressible woman whose talents reached far beyond her formidable verbal skills is told in The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio with an infectious joy that shows how a winning spirit will triumph over the poverty of circumstance. Read more

A fast-paced account of the year Clara Parkes spent transforming a 676-pound bale of fleece into saleable yarn, and the people and vanishing industry she discovered along the way Join Clara Parkes on a cross-country adventure and meet a cast of characters that includes the shepherds, dyers, and countless workers without whom our knitting needles would be empty, our mills idle, and our feet woefully cold. Travel the country with her as she meets a flock of Saxon Merino sheep in upstate New York, tours a scouring plant in Texas, visits a steamy Maine dyehouse, helps sort freshly shorn wool on a working farm, and learns how wool fleece is measured, baled, shipped, and turned into skeins. In pursuit of the perfect yarn, Parkes describes a brush with the dangers of opening a bale (they can explode), and her adventures from Maine to Wisconsin (“the most knitterly state”) and back again; along the way, she presents a behind-the-scenes look at the spinners, scourers, genius inventors, and crazy-complex mill machines that populate the yarn-making industry. By the end of the book, you’ll be ready to set aside the backyard chickens and add a flock of sheep instead. Simply put, no other book exists that explores American culture through the lens of wool. Read more

NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS, FINALISTINDEPENDENT AUTHOR NETWORK BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, FINALISTJohn Walker was a Miami undercover narcotics agent in the 1970s. Ten years later, he was in prison for smuggling 12,000 pounds of marijuana. In prison, he connected with a South American drug lord who was still running the family operation from inside the federal pen. Within months of being paroled, John began smuggling again—this time uncut Colombian cocaine. And this time, he put everything on the line: his freedom, his family and, ultimately, his life.Breaking Midnight shines a light on the gritty underbelly of Miami drug trafficking and the danger of leading a double life—as an undercover narc or a smuggler. Written by Lynn Walker, based on interviews with her father, John, this is an uncensored, up-close-and-personal account of how a good cop goes bad. Read more

The Nine Devines of Chippewa Falls is the true story of hope, perseverance, the unifying power of sport, & the unbreakable bonds of family.“It will only be temporary.” This was the promise made to Erma Devine when her four-year old son, Dan, was sent away from his eight siblings in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin to live with his aunt and uncle in Proctor, Minnesota. He never returned home.Though Dan Devine would become a household name as the Hall of Fame Football coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish & Green Bay Packers, his upbringing remained carefully guarded even to those closest to him. The impact of Dan’s childhood separation and the fate of his brothers and sisters left behind was destined to be lost to silence.While Dan is on his deathbed, however, his grandson Darius experiences a vision. Dismissive of the event at first, Darius is forced to confront the vision’s meaning when Dan’s brother, Jerry “Lefty” Devine, unexpectedly appears in his life. Together, they must decide how deep they will explore the Devines’ often difficult past so they may forge a new path for the future.“A. Darius Husain and Deacon Jerry Devine have written a warm, funny, and touching book with a broad appeal.”-Readers’ Favorite 5 Star Review Read more

A “compelling” (New York Times) and personal daily account of the experience of the Great Depression in the mid-west, full of anxieties about the economic future, with powerful echoes for today. In the early 1920s, Benjamin Roth was a young lawyer fresh out of the army. He settled in Youngstown, Ohio, a booming Midwestern industrial town. Times were good—until the stock market crash of 1929. After nearly two years of economic crisis, it was clear that the heady prosperity of the Roaring Twenties would not return quickly. As Roth began to grasp the magnitude of what had happened to American economic life, he set out to record his impressions in a diary—a document that would grow to span several volumes over more than a decade. Penning brief, clear-eyed notes on the crisis which unfolded around him, Roth struggled to understand the complex forces governing political and economic life, yet he remained eager to learn from the crisis. As he wrote of what is now known as the Great Depression, "To the man past middle life it spells tragedy and disaster, but to those of us in the middle thirties it may be a great school of experience out of which some worth while lesson may be salvaged." Roth's words from that unique time seem to speak directly to readers today. His perceptions and experiences have a chilling similarity to those of our own era. Fearful of inflation and skeptical of big government, Roth yearned for signs of true recovery, and eventually formed his own theories of how a prudent person might survive hard times. The Great Depression: A Diary, edited by James Ledbetter, editor of Slate's "The Big Money," and Roth's son, Daniel B. Roth, reveals another side of the Great Depression—one lived through by ordinary, middle-class folks, who on a daily basis grappled with a swiftly changing economy coupled with anxiety about the unknown future. Read more

"A loving testament to the work and reward of the best friendships, the kind where your arms can’t distinguish burden from embrace.” — PeopleNew York Times Bestselling author Ann Patchett’s first work of nonfiction chronicling her decades-long friendship with the critically acclaimed and recently deceased author, Lucy Grealy.Ann Patchett and the late Lucy Grealy met in college in 1981, and, after enrolling in the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, began a friendship that would be as defining to both of their lives as their work. In Gealy's critically acclaimed and hugely successful memoir, Autobiography of a Face, she wrote about losing part of her jaw to childhood cancer, years of chemotherapy and radiation, and endless reconstructive surgeries. In Truth & Beauty, the story isn't Lucy's life or Ann's life, but the parts of their lives they shared together. This is a portrait of unwavering commitment that spans twenty years, from the long cold winters of the Midwest, to surgical wards, to book parties in New York. Through love, fame, drugs, and despair, this is what it means to be part of two lives that are intertwined...and what happens when one is left behind.This is a tender, brutal book about loving the person we cannot save. It is about loyalty and being uplifted by the sheer effervescence of someone who knew how to live life to the fullest. Read more

For nearly three decades, methamphetamine ruled my life—a relentless master that promised escape but delivered only devastation. I lost everything: my family, my home, my career, and nearly my soul. Addiction held me captive, dragging me through jail cells, treatment centers, and the crushing weight of shame. I was trapped in an endless cycle of destruction, unable to break free.Yet even in the darkest moments, a spark of faith remained—a whisper that God's love could reach even me.This is not just a story of addiction. It’s a raw, unfiltered account of my descent into the abyss and the miraculous journey back to the light. I do not sugarcoat the pain, the psychosis, or the battles I fought within myself. But through surrender—first to addiction, and then to grace—I discovered something greater: purpose, healing, and the unwavering love of a God who never gave up on me.If you’ve ever struggled, if you’ve ever felt lost, if you’ve ever wondered if redemption is possible—this book is for you. It is my story, and it might just change yours. Read more

In the vein of Bill Bryson’s The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, with a dash of some of the homegrown nostalgia of The Dangerous Book for Boys and A Prairie Home Companion, humorist Philip Gulley (Front Porch Tales, Home to Harmony) tells of his coming of age in small-town Indiana. Read more

For the quiet moments, the lingering feelings, and everything in between…Pages & Poems: A Life in Poetry is a tender and timeless collection of poems that invites you to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most. Written by Jacque Crutcher—a mother, grandmother, and lifelong writer—this collection captures decades of heartfelt reflection through verses that feel like home.With gentle wisdom and a sincere voice, these poems explore the everyday beauty of life: childhood memories, motherhood, faith, family, aging, and the strength found in love and loss. Each page is a moment remembered, a feeling honored, a story preserved.Whether you're seeking poetry for quiet reflection, encouragement during life’s transitions, or a meaningful gift for someone you love, this book offers warmth, hope, and connection.Inside you’ll discover:Poems about faith, family, and personal growthThoughtful reflections on faith, grief, and resilienceGentle meditations on motherhood, aging, and spiritual insightA unique blend of poetry and memoirOriginal handwritten excerpts from the author’s journals and early writingThis heartfelt collection is a meaningful addition to any bookshelf—and a touching gift for daughters, mothers, grandmothers, — or anyone who appreciates reflective poetry that honors the beauty of real life.Let these poems wrap around your heart like a familiar story.👉 Add Pages & Poems to your cart today and celebrate the tender strength of a life lived in love. Read more

For nearly three decades, methamphetamine ruled my life—a relentless master that promised escape but delivered only devastation. I lost everything: my family, my home, my career, and nearly my soul. Addiction held me captive, dragging me through jail cells, treatment centers, and the crushing weight of shame. I was trapped in an endless cycle of destruction, unable to break free.Yet even in the darkest moments, a spark of faith remained—a whisper that God's love could reach even me.This is not just a story of addiction. It’s a raw, unfiltered account of my descent into the abyss and the miraculous journey back to the light. I do not sugarcoat the pain, the psychosis, or the battles I fought within myself. But through surrender—first to addiction, and then to grace—I discovered something greater: purpose, healing, and the unwavering love of a God who never gave up on me.If you’ve ever struggled, if you’ve ever felt lost, if you’ve ever wondered if redemption is possible—this book is for you. It is my story, and it might just change yours. Read more

Embark on a nostalgic journey through the pages of Trips to Town, a captivating memoir that transports readers to the heartland of Iowa during the Great Depression and World War II. Neil Nelson's vivid storytelling brings to life the trials, triumphs, and treasured moments of a 1930s and 40s boyhood, weaving a tapestry of resilience, wonder, and the enduring bonds of family and community. From the timid farm boy guided by his hardworking parents and wise grandfather, to the determined young man navigating the challenges of wartime, Trips to Town is a poignant reminder of the strength of the human spirit. With each turn of the page, you'll find yourself immersed in a world where resourcefulness blossomed amidst scarcity, where classmates forged lasting friendships without the need for money, and where the call to service echoed through the lives of young men, some of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice. Brimming with unforgettable characters, from the inspiring school superintendent to the notorious bootlegger and the rising bandleader whose name became a household word, Trips to Town is a testament to the remarkable-yet-ordinary people who faced adversity with diligence and fortitude. Through Neil Nelson's unassuming voice and the joy of small-town excursions, you'll be uplifted by the resilience and camaraderie that defined a generation. Step into the past and experience the heartwarming stories that will leave an indelible mark on your soul. Trips to Town is a must-read for anyone seeking a poignant reminder of the enduring human spirit and the simple pleasures that make life truly extraordinary. Read more

"Settlement House Girl is engaging, tracing Arnold’s growth from a young girl to an adult journeying into being a writer in her later life, but it’s also a valuable contribution to the social history of 20th-century America, offering urban history enthusiasts a wealth of information about the daily lives of families living in mid-century cities. The detailed accounts of Arnold's experiences provide a unique glimpse into the fabric of community life during this era, highlighting the interactions and shared experiences that defined the settlement house environment." BookLife/Publishers WeeklySettlement House Girl chronicles author Caroline Arnold’s childhood at North East Neighborhood House in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as she interacted and shared meals with other settlement house residents, participated in clubs, sports and community activities, and observed the roles of the staff and her social worker parents. It is an inside view of a working settlement house in the 1950s. The 38 chapters of the book range from her first days at the NENH nursery school, to after-school clubs and community holiday celebrations at the settlement, family and school life, and summers at Camp Bovey, the NENH camp in Wisconsin.North East Neighborhood House, founded in 1915, was part of the settlement house movement that began in England in 1884 and was brought to the US by people like Jane Addams at Hull House in Chicago. Settlement houses, often called neighborhood houses, provided social services in immigrant and poor urban neighborhoods. Activities were led by volunteers who came from other parts of the city and by staff members and college students who lived at the settlement house. Caroline’s father, Les Scheaffer, was the NENH director from 1948 to 1966. Few families lived in settlement houses as theirs did and they were one of the last. By the 1950s, the tradition of social workers living in settlement houses was coming to an end. When Caroline’s family moved out, it was the end of an era.Caroline is the author of 170 books for children. This is her first book for adults. Although written for adults, it could also be enjoyed by children ages 12 and up. The stories in Settlement House Girl will spark memories in adults who grew up in the same time period, whether in Minneapolis or elsewhere. Librarians and teachers who know Caroline Arnold's books for children will find clues to her future life as a writer and illustrator. This book will appeal to those interested in the role of settlement houses in urban neighborhoods at mid-century and in the history of social reform movements. This book is a window onto a time when settlement houses were in transition from their roots in immigrant communities at the turn of the 20th century to becoming today’s modern social service agencies. What began as Northeast Neighborhood House more than 100 years ago, continues as East Side Neighborhood Services, and is still serving the needs of people in Northeast and East Minneapolis.Caroline's childhood at North East Neighborhood House provides a unique perspective on the role settlement houses have played in our social history.Settlement House Girl: Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota, is also available as a Kindle e-book on Amazon. Read more

Excerpt from Portrait and Biographical Album of Woodford County, Illinois: Containing Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County, Together With Portraits and Biographies of All the Governors of the State and of the Presidents of the United StatesComing generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and every opportunity possible given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written, and the publishers flatter them selves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. In addition to the biograph ical sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are given.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. Read more

Wangari Muta Maathai is one of Africa’s most celebrated female activists. Originally trained as a scientist in Kenya and abroad, Professor Maathai returned to her home country of Kenya with a renewed political consciousness. There, she began her long career as an activist, campaigning for environmental and social justice while speaking out against government corruption. In 2004, Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her leadership of the Green Belt Movement, a conservation effort that resulted in the restoration of African forests decimated during the colonial era. In this biography, Tabitha Kanogo follows Wangari Maathai from her modest, rural Kenyan upbringing to her rise as a national figure campaigning for environmental and ecological conservation, sustainable development, democracy, human rights, gender equality, and the eradication of poverty until her death in 2011. Read more