In April 1981, Landa Mabenge enters this world, trapped in a girl's body. From the start, Landa is aware that he does not relate to his female form, despite being socialised as a girl. At age 11 his world is shattered, when an angry woman and her zombie-like husband arrive in Umtata to force him to accompany them to Port Elizabeth. Life in PE with 'The Parents' soon morphs into a Dickensian nightmare. Landa is subjected to horrific abuse as he descends into a world of isolation and shame. At 18 Landa is finally able to escape PE to study at UCT, where he tries to embrace life as a butch lesbian, but he remains tortured by his female body. After a close-to-death break down, Landa finds strength to embark on an arduous four-year-long journey to physically and legally become "Him". In 2014, he makes history by becoming the first known transgender man in South Africa to successfully motivate a medical aid to pay for his surgeries. Both heartbreaking and uplifting, Becoming Him is a groundbreaking story of torture and triumph, bravely opening the lid on cultural shame and abuse against those who choose a path less travelled.

A “scrupulously honest” (O, The Oprah Magazine) debut memoir that explores one man’s gender transition amid a pivotal political moment in America. Becoming a Man is a “moving narrative [that] illuminates the joy, courage, necessity, and risk-taking of gender transition” (Kirkus Reviews). For fifty years P. Carl lived as a girl and then as a queer woman, building a career, a life, and a loving marriage, yet still waiting to realize himself in full. As Carl embarks on his gender transition, he takes us inside the complex shifts and questions that arise throughout—the alternating moments of arrival and estrangement. He writes intimately about how transitioning reconfigures both his own inner experience and his closest bonds—his twenty-year relationship with his wife, Lynette; his already tumultuous relationships with his parents; and seemingly solid friendships that are subtly altered, often painfully and wordlessly. Carl “has written a poignant and candid self-appraisal of life as a ‘work-of-progress’” (Booklist) and blends the remarkable story of his own personal journey with incisive cultural commentary, writing beautifully about gender, power, and inequality in America. His transition occurs amid the rise of the Trump administration and the #MeToo movement—a transition point in America’s own story, when transphobia and toxic masculinity are under fire even as they thrive in the highest halls of power. Carl’s quest to become himself and to reckon with his masculinity mirrors, in many ways, the challenge before the country as a whole, to imagine a society where every member can have a vibrant, livable life. Here, through this brave and deeply personal work, Carl brings an unparalleled new voice to this conversation.

The first memoir for young readers by sports legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. At one time, Lew Alcindor was just another kid from New York City with all the usual problems: He struggled with fitting in, pleasing a strict father, and overcoming shyness that made him feel socially awkward. But with a talent for basketball, and an unmatched team of supporters, Lew Alcindor was able to transform and to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. From a childhood made difficult by racism and prejudice to a record-smashing career on the basketball court as an adult, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's life was packed with ""coaches"" who taught him right from wrong and led him on the path to greatness. His parents, coaches Jack Donahue and John Wooden, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and many others played important roles in Abdul-Jabbar's life and sparked him to become an activist for social change and advancement. The inspiration from those around him, and his drive to find his own path in life, are highlighted in this personal and awe-inspiring journey. Written especially for young readers, Becoming Kareem chronicles how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar become the icon and legend he is today, both on and off the court.

From the author of "The Witch of Cologne" comes a novel of passion, revenge, and the limits of science. Steamy sex scenes, accouterments of horror, and fascinating glimpses of genetics and phrenology make this a page-turner.--"Booklist" (starred review).

Christians and non-Christians alike have long recognized that Jesus’ life was characterized by vibrancy, love, commitment, clarity, and joy. We all yearn to share in these traits, and by studying Jesus we can discern that he sees in us the potential to become as he was. After all, Jesus didn’t go around asking people to believe certain things about him—he invited them to follow him into the abundant life he wanted to share. Brian C. Taylor focuses on the fresh, immediate, liberating quality of what Jesus had to say about life. “His guidance about how to live struck me to the core,” Taylor writes. Taylor’s succinct summations of what Jesus taught—Don’t worry; Love everybody; Help the poor; Become simple; Face into conflict; Change the world; Forgive yourself for being human, and so on—provide the basis for this series of reflections on the transformative wisdom that inspired those who had ears to hear to drop everything and follow him. Jesus continues to astonish and transform those who hear him, and Becoming Human is a deep well of wisdom for any who wish to give glory to God by becoming fully alive.

On the island of Moon Tithe, where oceanic gods called Deep Dwellers once ruled, a lonely girl and a monstrous boy fell in love. When spirited ten-year-old Pearl searches for magic and answers after her mother’s presumed drowning, she finds a strange boy named Hake instead. Raised cruelly by a monster called the Old One, eleven-year-old Hake possesses otherworldly powers and has the knowledge Pearl seeks. In exchange for a home, Hake agrees to show her magic. But Hake knows nothing of magic—only that Pearl’s romantic stories of the Deep Dwellers are a lie. As the two grow into young adults together, both the mysteries they seek to unravel and their romantic feelings for each other become hopelessly entangled. However, Pearl’s father threatens to separate them if they dig too deeply into Tempest’s secrets: a hidden passage, a Deep Dweller cult, and rumors of human sacrifices. But when the wealthy and kind Lotham family arrives on Moon Tithe, offering Pearl an escape from the secrets that haunt her, her loyalty to Hake is challenged, especially when his monstrous nature is revealed. Tempest Cursed is a magical, dark, loose retelling of the classic novel Wuthering Heights with finfolk and Selkie folklore.

Get swept away to Copper Ridge, Oregon, by New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates, and meet the town's prodigal son who has finally come home... The man who ruined Rebecca Bear's life just strolled back into it with one heck of an offer. Years ago, Gage West's recklessness left Rebecca scarred inside and out. Now he wants to make amends by gifting her the building that houses her souvenir store. Rebecca won't take Gage's charity, but she's willing to make a deal with the sexy, reclusive cowboy. Yet keeping her enemy close is growing dangerously appealing… He's the wild West brother, the bad seed of Copper Ridge. That's why Gage needs the absolution Rebecca offers. He just didn't expect to need her. After years of regretting his past, he knows where his future lies—with this strong, irresistible woman who could make a black sheep come home to stay…

Drawing on rare sources and archival material, Helen Barolini has here collected 56 works by Italian American women writers. The volume features: prose, poetry, one play and a large section of fiction.