This collection of personal essays and stories by New York Times bestselling author and Toltec shaman don Jose Ruiz teach readers that, although the path of life is not always easy to navigate, there is always room for growth and transformation. Life is not always easy. Don Jose Ruiz understands that better than most. On his path to becoming the beloved spiritual teacher and shaman he is today, he experienced many of life's hardships. My Good Friend the Rattlesnake is a collection of deeply personal stories and essays that highlight life's ups and downs, sometimes-painful truths, and opportunities for growth and transformation. This new edition of My Good Friend the Rattlesnake has been updated and expanded for its tenth anniversary. Whether you are a long-time fan or new to don Jose Ruiz's teachings, you will find something to love inside.

Few understand the difficult work of overcoming trauma, abuse, and addiction better than don Jose Ruiz. In My Good Friend the Rattlesnake, Ruiz, now a bestselling author and spiritual teacher, reveals the dramatic twists and turns he experienced on his own path to personal freedom and inner transformation. Through this series of deeply intimate stories, Ruiz explains how he overcame his addiction to suffering and embraced a life of love, clarity, and self-awareness. In one example, he recounts his unexpected journey with temporary blindness, which paradoxically allowed him to see what truly mattered. In another, he celebrates individuality in spiritual practice, challenging the idea that it must look or sound a particular way to be authentic. Throughout, Ruiz incorporates the teachings of his father, don Miguel Ruiz (author of The Four Agreements). The lessons he shares are practical, profound, and accessible, making this book an essential companion for anyone seeking spiritual growth and emotional healing. Honest, vulnerable, and rich with exercises and meditations, My Good Friend the Rattlesnake redefines what it means to heal, grow, and live authentically.

Following the release of his mind-blowing first book, Playing with Fire, Theo Fleury joins forces with world-renowned therapist Kim Barthel in a new book, Conversations with a Rattlesnake, coming out November 2014. The book is a raw and honest conversation, loaded with personal insights and cutting-edge information about healing from trauma and abuse. Fleury calls Barthel the "Wayne Gretzky of therapy" and within their emotionally safe relationship he bares his soul so that others can learn from his mistakes, triumphs and new learnings. Fleury's story will inspire not only those overcoming their own trauma but friends, parents, teachers, coaches, therapists and health practitioners--anyone who is in the critical position of supporting someone who needs to share their own story. Co-author Kim Barthel provides an in-depth explanation of early childhood attachment and addiction that ties into the reasoning behind our behaviours and the science of how our brains work. Barthel explains how understanding groundbreaking scientific and psychological research can eliminate the unnecessary and damaging shame that so often accompanies abuse and trauma. Her dialogue with Fleury illuminates self-awareness, mindfulness and the power of relationships. Fleury's life experiences and Barthel's informed interpretation combine to provide a unique look at the healing process that is easy to read, entertaining and transformational.

In his junior year, seventeen-year-old Abraham learns how to drive a stick shift. He falls in love for the first time. And he has been in three fights and suspended twice, all before Thanksgiving. His grandmother fears the hard future that awaits him, so she invites her son—the one with a fat police file who has hurt his mother so many times—back into the house, and he is determined to make a man of his nephew. Meanwhile, Abraham’s feelings for his friend Ophelia grow, and she tries to understand why he fights. “This will end badly,” she warns. At school, Abraham learns about genetics, and he wonders if people are born bad. Is it in their DNA? Was he born to punch and kick and scream and fight and destroy things because of the genes in his body? Is that what happened to his father? All he knows is that his father is dead and his mother is gone. “Jiménez explores shades of manhood and all it entails with a deft, poetic hand.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Joe Jiménez’s writing has astonished me and made me sit up and pay attention since the first time I heard him read his work out loud. He continues to make me yearn to hear what he has to say in a voice that is at once masculine, tender, brave and beautiful. I am his longtime fan.”—Sandra Cisneros, poet, essayist, novelist “Joe Jiménez extiende chingazos unafraid and painfully poetic in this story of love, loss and family. I constantly felt a tension waiting for the collapse of Abram and his world; wanting to shield my eyes but not being able to. In Bloodline everything is beautiful and everything hurts, as it is whenever we chase that kind of truth and love that is always within our reach but still too far away.”—Isabel Quintero, author of Gabi, A Girl in Pieces

Sparks fly between drifter Jimmy and bartender Shane, but when the open road continues to call, will Jimmy go?

Jason Steadman is a thirty-year-old sales executive living in Boston and working for an electronics giant, a competitor to Sony and Panasonic. He's a witty, charismatic guy who's well liked at the office, but he lacks the "killer instinct" necessary to move up the corporate ladder. To the chagrin of his ambitious wife, it looks as if his career has hit a ceiling. Jason's been sidelined. But all that will change one evening when Jason meets Kurt Semko, a former Special Forces officer just back from Iraq. Looking for a decent pitcher for the company softball team, Jason gets Kurt, who was once drafted by the majors, a job in Corporate Security. Soon, good things start to happen for Jason—and bad things start to happen to Jason's rivals. His career suddenly takes off. He's an overnight success. Only too late does Jason discover that his friend Kurt has been secretly paving his path to the top by the most "efficient"—and ruthless— means available. After all, as Kurt says, "Business is war, right?" But when Jason tries to put a stop to it, he finds that his new best friend has become the most dangerous enemy imaginable. And now it's far more than just his career that lies in the balance. A riveting tale of ambition, intrigue, and the price of success, Killer Instinct is Joseph Finder at his best. *San Francisco Chronicle ** Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Rattlers & Snappers is a must-have book for anyone interested in reptiles and amphibians, but its more than that. No other book contains such an eclectic mix of natural history, husbandry, harvest, taxidermy, and tales. This book discusses the life history of fascinating animals such as rattlesnakes, snapping turtles, and hellbenders. It teaches you how to handle and keep snakes and how to raise rats, mice, and bugs. It presents the firsthand accounts of noted naturalists and legendary wardens along with tales of outlaws and reptile poachers. It also offers techniques on catching and cooking turtles and on preserving the dead. This book was written for the Conservation Officers of Pennsylvania Association (COPA). All royalties from the sale of this book are used to support youth environmental education programs.

In southern Texas in 1941, six-year-old Pedrito holds onto his hope for a better future as he helps to grow watermelons on his parents' farm and sell them in San Antonio, and attends school five miles from home.

This text examines the traditional Navajo relationship to the natural world. Specifically, how the tribe once related to the Animal People, and particularly a category of animals, which they collectively referred to as the naatl' eetsoh - the "ones who hunt." These animals, like Native Americans, were once viewed as impediments to progress requiring extermination.