You’re never ready for calamity to strike. Carol Kent and her husband Gene were devastated by the news that their son killed his wife’s ex-husband. Gene and Carol were buoyed in their faith by eight principles, gleaned from the story of Abraham and Isaac: Over the course of eight chapters Carol explores the power of unthinkable circumstances, relinquishment, heartache, community, hope, faith, joy, and speaking up.

When someone you love goes to jail, you might feel lost, scared, and even mad. What do you do? No matter who your loved one is, this story can help you through the tough times.

Whether you were expecting it or not, news of your child’s arrest can be extraordinarily difficult. In that moment of blurred emotions, it’s not easy to think clearly or understand what will happen next. This booklet walks you step-by-step through the process, sharing stories of pain and healing from other parents who have traveled the same road. Not only will you get a sense of what to expect from the legal system, you’ll find information on what your child may experience while being detained. Discover how you can participate in the process and become your son or daughter’s best advocate during and after confinement.

The Wedding Portrait is an essential book for kids about standing up for what's right. Here are stories of direct action from around the world that are bookended by the author's wedding story. He and his bride led their wedding party to a protest, and were captured in a photo by the local newspaper kissing in front of a line of police just before being arrested. "We usually follow the rules. But sometimes, if you see something is wrong--more wrong than breaking the rules and by breaking the rules you might stop it--you may need to break the rules." When indigenous people in Colombia block an oil company from destroying their environment--this is a blockade; when Florida farmworkers encourage people not to buy their tomatos because the farm owners won't pay them for their hard work--this is called a boycott; and when Claudette Colvin takes a seat in the front of the bus to protest racism--this is called civil disobedience. In brilliantly bright and inspiring illustrations we see ordinary people say No--to unfair treatment, to war, to destroying the environment. Innosanto Nagara has beautifully melded an act of love with crucial ideas of civil disobedience and direct action that will speak to young readers' sense of right and wrong. There has never been a more important moment for Innosanto Nagara's gentle message of firm resolve.

Ask Yourself: What if it Happened to YOU!?!According to the U. S. Census Bureau, there were nearly 2,000,000 divorces performed in 1999. Nearly half of those divorces involved children. We've all heard the heart-rending stories of bitter divorce proceedings and child custody hearings that tear families apart and pit husband against wife, child against parent. But now comes the shocking true story of a woman who would go too far, and a man who was willing to go even farther-to get his son back! I WANT MY SON BACK: The Harrowing True Story of a Father's Fight for Custody is the shocking tale of widower Robert Carey and his ongoing struggle to regain legal and physical custody of his highly-functioning, autistic son, Michael. From undeniable source documentation, including DA files, police reports, and county records, I Want My Son Back tells the riveting true story of how the legal system stole the rights of the biological parent and named an ex-stepparent as custodian to young Michael-and turned both of their lives into a living hell.For additional information check the author's website: www.iwantmysonback.net

"It might be the most important book about being a parent that you will ever read." —Emily Rapp Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Still Point of the Turning World "Brooks's own personal experience provides the narrative thrust for the book — she writes unflinchingly about her own experience.... Readers who want to know what happened to Brooks will keep reading to learn how the case against her proceeds, but it's Brooks's questions about why mothers are so judgmental and competitive that give the book its heft." —NPR One morning, Kim Brooks made a split-second decision to leave her four-year old son in the car while she ran into a store. What happened would consume the next several years of her life and spur her to investigate the broader role America’s culture of fear plays in parenthood. In Small Animals, Brooks asks, Of all the emotions inherent in parenting, is there any more universal or profound than fear? Why have our notions of what it means to be a good parent changed so radically? In what ways do these changes impact the lives of parents, children, and the structure of society at large? And what, in the end, does the rise of fearful parenting tell us about ourselves? Fueled by urgency and the emotional intensity of Brooks’s own story, Small Animals is a riveting examination of the ways our culture of competitive, anxious, and judgmental parenting has profoundly altered the experiences of parents and children. In her signature style—by turns funny, penetrating, and always illuminating—which has dazzled millions of fans and been called "striking" by New York Times Book Review and "beautiful" by the National Book Critics Circle, Brooks offers a provocative, compelling portrait of parenthood in America and calls us to examine what we most value in our relationships with our children and one another.

In this fascinating memoir the Dalai Lama’s mother tells a compelling woman’s story. With vivid and intimate details, she recounts her life’s humble beginning, the customs and rituals of old Tibet, the births of her sixteen children (only seven of whom survived), learning her son’s remarkable destiny, the family’s arduous move to Lhasa before the Chinese invasion of Tibet, and their escape and eventual exile. Rich in historic and cultural details, this moving memoir personalizes the history of the Tibetan people—the magic of their culture, the role of their women, and their ancient ideals of compassion, faith, and equanimity.

With chains binding him to the edge of insanity, his cry echoes off the jail cell walls: "God help me!" Armenian immigrant Roger Munchian grew up among the violence and hopelessness of Los Angeles. Despite the surrounding violence, Munchian was a model student. No one would have suspected the hidden life of drugs, thievery, and violence bubbling behind that facade. His unquenchable thirst for money and power led him to build a multi-million dollar empire on drugs and violence. He ran fast. He ran hard. It took highway death and carnage to finally stop him. The high-speed collision with a highway median wall left twelve-time felon Munchian strapped to the crazy chair in a Maricopa County jail. Booked on two counts of vehicular homicide, he was certain to face death row. His road to wealth and power was bloody, as was his road to salvation. God heard his cry for help and arrived at his jail cell that night with a miracle. For the first time in Munchian's life, God was real. But his past caught up to him and his luck – bought by slick, high-priced lawyers and easy money – ran out. Munchian faced a lifetime of incarceration. His only hope was in the grace of God and the only way out of the mess was by turning his life completely over to Him. Based on a true story. Rescued Not Arrested is a story of how God shows Himself in our deepest depths of hopelessness – and how His love rescues us from our own paths of destruction.

On a sultry September morning in 1955, a young African American man, the son of share corppers, boarded a Greyhound bus in Birmingham, Alabama, to leave his home state for the first time in his life. He was headed for the University of Detroit on a teaching scholarship from Miles College. Richard Arrington could not have guessed then that his future as a teacher would be postponed for decades by big-city politics--and that he would serve a record-setting five terms as chief executive of Alabama’s largest city. Under Arrington’s leadership, Birmingham rebuilt itself from a foundering, steel-driven industrial center to one of the most diversified metropolitan areas in the Southeast, with an economy fueled by health care, biomedical research, engineering, telecommunications, and banking. As mayor, Arrington’s economic legacy is impressive. When he left office, Birmingham boasted a record number of jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in its history. Additionally, Birmingham had built the strongest tax base in Alabama, expanded its city limits by 60 square miles, reduced crime to its lowest level in 25 years, and funded a $260 million school construction program. Today Birmingham is financially sound and is the only city in the Southeast with a $100 million endowment fund.