For millennia, shamans and philosophers, believers and nonbelievers, artists and scientists have tried to make sense of our existence by suggesting that everything is connected, that a mysterious Oneness binds us to everything else. People go to temples, churches, mosques, and synagogues to pray to their divine incarnation of Oneness. Following a surprisingly similar notion, scientists have long asserted that under Nature’s apparent complexity there is a simpler underlying reality. In its modern incarnation, this Theory of Everything would unite the physical laws governing very large bodies (Einstein’s theory of relativity) and those governing tiny ones (quantum mechanics) into a single framework. But despite the brave efforts of many powerful minds, the Theory of Everything remains elusive. It turns out that the universe is not elegant. It is gloriously messy. Overturning more than twenty-five centuries of scientific thought, award-winning physicist Marcelo Gleiser argues that this quest for a Theory of Everything is fundamentally misguided, and he explains the volcanic implications this ideological shift has for humankind. All the evidence points to a scenario in which everything emerges from fundamental imperfections, primordial asymmetries in matter and time, cataclysmic accidents in Earth’s early life, and duplication errors in the genetic code. Imbalance spurs creation. Without asymmetries and imperfections, the universe would be filled with nothing but smooth radiation. A Tear at the Edge of Creation calls for nothing less than a new "humancentrism" to reflect our position in the universal order. All life, but intelligent life in particular, is a rare and precious accident. Our presence here has no meaning outside of itself, but it does have meaning. The unplanned complexity of humankind is all the more beautiful for its improbability. It’s time for science to let go of the old aesthetic that labels perfection beautiful and holds that "beauty is truth." It’s time to look at the evidence without centuries of monotheistic baggage. In this lucid, down-to-earth narrative, Gleiser walks us through the basic and cutting-edge science that fueled his own transformation from unifier to doubter—a fascinating scientific quest that led him to a new understanding of what it is to be human.

"The memoirs of a celebrity costume designer describe her upbringing in the fashionable celebrity circles of her literary parents, her family's artistic but traumatizing approaches to shopping and how the fashion-savvy perspectives of her early years shaped her relationships and career, "--NoveList.

Based on a true story, Laurel Faith Gables spent her first days on a field watching Daddy playing his sport of football. Spencer Gables was a hometown football star from the small rural town of Creeksdale, who made his way to his beloved North Mason College. His eyes were turned by oneJacqueline Carr from the city of Lawson. She was everything he ever wanted. After eloping, their love blossomed with the birth of their first child, Laurel. Upon graduation, the Gables moved to Lawson, where Spence was becoming a local icon in the world of football coaching. Life on Chester Chapel was beautiful, and the two were blessed with a baby boy, Cole. The couple longed for their goal of homeownership, and they were well on their way to achieving it. Spence and Jacqueline were living the American dream until the unthinkable happened, tearing the Gables family to shreds. Is the love of a daughter strong enough to bring their world back together, or will it forever be shattered? Laurel is forced onto a bridge and she cannot turn back. The only way to bring an end is to cross. For those who have lost deeply, want to love dearly, or know those who do. For those who want to consider is vengeance deserved?

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

Shayna Steinblatt is outraged at her parents when they put her beloved Bubbe (grandmother) in a nursing home. Nor are they very supportive of Shayna's new relationship with a handsome Puerto Rican, who might just be the love of her life.

Faced with a possible loophole to her "Snow White" curse, Viv meets the prince who is supposed to save her, but cannot seem to let go of the young man cursed to be her huntsman.

The follow-up to her critically acclaimed Lie to Me, J.T. Ellison’s Tear Me Apart is the powerful story of a mother willing to do anything to protect her daughter even as their carefully constructed world unravels around them. One moment will change their lives forever… Competitive skier Mindy Wright is a superstar in the making until a spectacular downhill crash threatens not just her racing career but her life. During surgery, doctors discover she’s suffering from a severe form of leukemia, and a stem cell transplant is her only hope. But when her parents are tested, a frightening truth emerges. Mindy is not their daughter. Who knows the answers? The race to save Mindy’s life means unraveling years of lies. Was she accidentally switched at birth or is there something more sinister at play? The search for the truth will tear a family apart…and someone is going to deadly extremes to protect the family’s deepest secrets. With vivid movement through time, Tear Me Apart examines the impact layer after layer of lies and betrayal has on two families, the secrets they guard, and the desperate fight to hide the darkness within. Don’t miss It's One of Us, the next page-turning thriller from New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison!

A love story set in the years after the Mexican revolution.

In Tears of Pain: My Life with Autism, Marc Rivera welcomes you to his world of autism and chronicles his daily struggle to fit in to a world so unlike his own. The objective is to help people understand how much individuals in the Autism Spectrum need to be accepted as they are by society. Based on his journal, Marc recounts many of the personal challenges he faced: bullying and ridicule from his peers, poor communication with teachers, trying to make sense of "The Rules" both at school and as a whole - to name a few. In this alien world, Marc felt safe only in his own home. It was there that he felt, for the most part, safe and protected. He could always count on the love and support of his family, although at times they felt just as confused and lost as Marc. Tears of Pain: My Life with Autism is a call to society to enter into the world of autism. Our hope is that readers will gain a better understanding of individuals within the Autism Spectrum. These special people, so similar yet so different from you and me, suffer torment and misunderstanding only because their brains are wired differently.