"Vinny tells his roller-coaster story with passion and humor, inviting all of us to join his bicycle ride through the many winding paths of his life. Coming out, growing up, serving his country and fighting for others against all odds: This journey gives hope to anyone on the front line of our equality struggle." Lt. Dan Choi West Point Graduate, Iraq War Veteran and Infantry Officer, honorably discharged for telling the truth and starting a group of West Point LGBT Graduates. An accomplished, aging man is preparing for yet another dream-to conduct the first known bicycle-book tour (which will require peddling both miles and books.) Who will believe 2,500 miles is possible for a man with gravely serious medical issues-at age sixty-five? Witnessing the lifetime spiritual journey of Vinny Pirelli, starting at age six with his very first bicycle, you track his development of being the only boy among many siblings, through growing pains of adolescence and teen years. He struggles with, and represses homosexual tendencies, putting his emotions into bicycling and writing songs. As a young adult, Vinny proves successful at whatever he attempts-even in building a family with the first girl he had sexual feelings for. As a ten-year Army leader, he learns hard lessons of losing friendships, love and trust, with the ultimate betrayal of his own father. J.V. Petretta is a graduate of U. of Maryland, European Division. He is a ten-year U.S. Army Veteran with three overseas tours, including Vietnam. After his honorable discharge, he received a Meritorious Service Medal for distinguished service as 1st Armored Division's Nuclear Control Chief. In addition to earning numerous business accolades, he organized and conducted a 5,000 mile bicycle tour in 1995, bringing critical awareness and funding for AIDS. Author's proceeds from the sale of this book will be divided among selected cycling and LGBT advocate groups, and his own future work in Africa. Contact: [email protected]

A timeless tale about the wish for a friend. Antonino is a young artist who dreams of painting a masterpiece, an impossible dream he calls Friend. When he gets stuck, inspiration comes from an unexpected place. A dreamlike fable about the power of friendship and imagination, Antonino's Impossible Dream is a children's story told in timeless style by author Tim McGlen, with captivating illustrations by Sophia Touliatou.

Both contemporary philosophy and commonsense morality presuppose a personal autonomy and integrity that an unjust social system may make impossible for some people. Babbitt examines the implications of this insight, drawing on feminist and antiracist political theory, contemporary analytic ethics and philosophy of mind, and nonphilosophical literature. She argues for the role of moral imagination in discovering and defending a more humane social vision. }Conventional wisdom and commonsense morality tend to take the integrity of persons for granted. But for people in systematically unjust societies, self-respect and human dignity may prove to be impossible dreams.Susan Babbitt explores the implications of this insight, arguing that in the face of systemic injustice, individual and social rationality may require the transformation rather than the realization of deep-seated aims, interests, and values. In particular, under such conditions, she argues, the cultivation and ongoing exercise of moral imagination is necessary to discover and defend a more humane social vision. Impossible Dreams is one of those rare books that fruitfully combines discourses that were previously largely separate: feminist and antiracist political theory, analytic ethics and philosophy of mind, and a wide range of non-philosophical literature on the lives of oppressed peoples around the world. It is both an object lesson in reaching across academic barriers and a demonstration of how the best of feminist philosophy can be in conversation with the best of mainstream philosophyas well as affect the lives of real people. }

The Gayety & Other Stories is a fourth collection of short stories by Thomas McCavour. The Gayety is a story about two singers modelled after the lives of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. Robo is a story about artificial intelligence and robots. Milly and Sandy is about a mother daughter relationship. Bones Among the Dunes is a story about hostage taking. Dudley George is a true story about a dispute over indigenous land. Love Triangle Lost is about infidelity and its reward. Eight Ball is a lesbian love story. The 6th Sense is a story about a clairvoyant boy who phorsaw the destruction of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the end of World War II. The Star is a story about a tree ornament that relates what it has seen. G-Men & G-Strings is a murder story. Yes I Remember It Well is about an Alzheimer victim who becomes an inspirational speaker. A Twin's Tale is a story about a mother that seduces her twin daughter's boyfriend. I Learned to Walk is another inspirational story about a paraplegic learning to walk. Stranded is a story about a female astronaut who is temporarily stranded on the moon. Billy Bee tells about the lives of two bees. The Trinity Carving is about a retired dentist who becomes wood carver. The Impossible Dream is a story about a handicapped boy who becomes a famous percussionist. The Mole is a story about an Auschwitz Nazi who is discovered, charged and sentenced to death. Klepto is a story about a kleptomaniac and finally Pulling Petals is a story about a mortician that falls in love with a florist.

Few writers can create worlds so rich and fully-realized the reader immediately feels at home, even when the concepts have not yet been fully laid out. Fewer still can do so with language so rich and lyrical it is a joy to read, with details so rooted in the human experience that one cannot help but be absorbed into the story. Gabriel de Anda is such a writer. Whether delineating the struggles of a law firm dealing with the demands of an ex-partner --- about as ex as one can get --- or the dichotomy of rich and poor spreading out among the galaxies or even musing on the irrelevance of a classic icon which somehow makes it seem more relevant than ever de Anda nails it. Readers, you are in for a treat.

One of the original Tuskegee Airmen tells his remarkable story of childhood struggle, relentless perseverance and living his dream in this YA memoir. As a black child growing up in 1920s Colorado, Frank Macon was often told that he would never amount to anything. His severe dyslexia didn’t help, nor did his tendency for mischief. But in spite of all that, Frank rose to heights beyond anyone’s imagining. Ever since childhood—when he jumped off a roof wearing homemade wings—he wanted to be a pilot. In this inspiring memoir, Frank tells his story of achieving that dream. As one of the few surviving Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen, Frank’s story offers a personal look at an important episode in American history. It is also an incredible story of resilience and determination that encourages kids to recognize history, believe in themselves, and never give up on their dreams.

In 'The Collected Short Stories of H. G. Wells,' readers are taken on a journey through the imaginative and thought-provoking works of one of the most renowned science fiction writers of the 19th century. Wells' literary style is characterized by his ability to blend scientific concepts with social commentary, creating stories that are not only entertaining but also thought-provoking. The collection covers a range of themes, from time travel and alien invasions to ethical dilemmas and societal issues, showcasing Wells' versatility as a writer in the literary context of Victorian science fiction. Each story presents a unique perspective on humanity's future and the consequences of technological advancements, making this collection a must-read for fans of speculative fiction. H. G. Wells, known for his groundbreaking novels such as 'The War of the Worlds' and 'The Time Machine,' was a visionary writer who used his works to explore the possibilities and pitfalls of a rapidly changing world. His keen insight into human nature and his ability to foresee the impact of scientific progress on society set him apart as a pioneer of the science fiction genre. It is evident that Wells' own experiences and observations of the world around him influenced his writing, making his stories both relatable and relevant to contemporary readers. I highly recommend 'The Collected Short Stories of H. G. Wells' to readers who are interested in exploring the intersection of science, society, and human nature through the lens of speculative fiction. This collection is a testament to Wells' enduring legacy as a master storyteller and a pioneer of the science fiction genre.

This carefully crafted ebook: "H. G. WELLS Ultimate Collection: 120+ Science Fiction Classics, Novels & Stories; Including Scientific, Political and Historical Works” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) was a prolific English writer of fiction works, history and politics. Wells is called a father of science fiction. Table of Contents: A Modern Utopia Ann Veronica Bealby In the Days of the Comet The Chronic Argonauts The First Men in the Moon The Invisible Man The Island of Dr Moreau The New Machiavelli The Passionate Friends The Prophetic Trilogy The Research Magnificent The Sea Lady The Secret Places of the Heart The Soul of a Bishop The Time Machine The Undying Fire The War in the Air The War of the Worlds The World Set Free Tono-bungay When the Sleeper Wakes Collections of Short Stories Short Stories: A Catastrophe A Deal in Ostriches A Dream of Armageddon A Slip Under the Microscope A Story of the Days to Come A Story of the Stone Age A Tale of the Twentieth Century A Talk with Gryllotalpa How Gabriel Became Thompson How Pingwill Was Routed In the Abyss Le Mari Terrible Miss Winchelsea's Heart Mr. Brisher's Treasure Mr. Ledbetter's Vacation Mr. Marshall's Doppelganger Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland My First Aeroplane Our Little Neighbour Perfect Gentleman on Wheels Pollock and the Porroh Man The Empire of the Ants The Flying Man The Grisly Folk The Inexperienced Ghost The Land Ironclads The Lord of the Dynamos The Loyalty of Esau Common The Magic Shop The Man Who Could Work Miracles The Man with a Nose The Moth The New Accelerator The New Faust The Obliterated Man The Pearl of Love The Presence by the Fire The Purple Pileus The Rajah's Treasure The Reconciliation The Red Room The Sea Raiders The Star The Stolen Body The Story of the Last Trump The Story of the Stone Age The Temptation of Harringay The Thing in No. 7 The Thumbmark The Treasure in the Forest The Wild Asses of the Devil ...

Compelling collections of short fiction and essays by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple and “marvelous writer” (San Francisco Chronicle). Whether she is writing fiction or nonfiction, sharing personal reflections or expressing political views, Alice Walker is without question “one of [our] best American writers” (The Washington Post). The first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize—for The Color Purple—Walker is both a committed artist and engaged activist, as reflected in the four works in this volume. Living by the Word: In this “entertaining and often stirring” follow-up to In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens, Walker reflects on issues both personal and global, from her experience with the filming of The Color Purple, to the history of African American narrative traditions, to global threats of pollution and nuclear war (Library Journal). You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down: The women in these “consummately skillful short stories” face their problems head on, proving powerful and self-possessed even when degraded by others—sometimes by those closest to them (San Francisco Chronicle). But even as the female protagonists face exploitation, social inequalities, and casual cruelties, Walker leavens her stories with ample wit and “[enters] their experience with sympathy but without sentimentality” (The Washington Post). In Love & Trouble: Walker’s debut short fiction collection features stories of women traveling with the weight of broken dreams, with kids in tow, with doubt and regret, with memories of lost loves, with lovers who have their own hard pasts and hard edges. Some from the South, some from the North, some rich, and some poor, the “marvelous characters” that inhabit In Love & Trouble “come away transformed by knowledge and love but most of all by wonder” (Essence). In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens: In essays both personal and political about her own work and other writers such as Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O’Connor, and Jean Toomer; the Civil Rights Movement; antinuclear activism; feminism; and a childhood injury that left her emotionally scarred and the healing words of her daughter, Walker “reflects not only ideas but a life that has breathed color, sound, and soul into fiction and poetry—and into our lives as well” (San Francisco Chronicle). Includes a new letter written by the author on In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens.