Named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR This inspirational memoir serves as a call to action from prison reform activist Yusef Salaam, of the Exonerated Five, that will inspire us all to turn our stories into tools for change in the pursuit of racial justice. They didn't know who they had. So begins Yusef Salaam telling his story. No one's life is the sum of the worst things that happened to them, and during Yusef Salaam's seven years of wrongful incarceration as one of the Central Park Five, he grew from child to man, and gained a spiritual perspective on life. Yusef learned that we're all "born on purpose, with a purpose." Despite having confronted the racist heart of America while being "run over by the spiked wheels of injustice," Yusef channeled his energy and pain into something positive, not just for himself but for other marginalized people and communities. Better Not Bitter is the first time that one of the now Exonerated Five is telling his individual story, in his own words. Yusef writes his narrative: growing up Black in central Harlem in the '80s, being raised by a strong, fierce mother and grandmother, his years of incarceration, his reentry, and exoneration. Yusef connects these stories to lessons and principles he learned that gave him the power to survive through the worst of life's experiences. He inspires readers to accept their own path, to understand their own sense of purpose. With his intimate personal insights, Yusef unpacks the systems built and designed for profit and the oppression of Black and Brown people. He inspires readers to channel their fury into action, and through the spiritual, to turn that anger and trauma into a constructive force that lives alongside accountability and mobilizes change. This memoir is an inspiring story that grew out of one of the gravest miscarriages of justice, one that not only speaks to a moment in time or the rage-filled present, but reflects a 400-year history of a nation's inability to be held accountable for its sins. Yusef Salaam's message is vital for our times, a motivating resource for enacting change. Better, Not Bitter has the power to soothe, inspire and transform. It is a galvanizing call to action.

This book was written to shine light on the many devastating situations people face on a daily basis. On average, every 40 seconds someone somewhere has committed suicide because they couldnt find a reason to go on. The stories in this book are non fiction and allow readers to understand that things happen, people go through hardships, and situations that lead them to a dead end road. People lose relationships, friends, jobs, and loved ones on a daily basis. Everyone has a story; thus everyone has a past which ultimately hinders their future due to ones inability to let go of past problems. Its not easy; nor is it hard to let go. One must find the courage to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it isnt death; it is HOPE. Finding reasons to continue striving and believingis finding strength within yourselves that you never knew existed. Never allow your past to hinder your futures because the people and (or) things that have brought you to a halt, will not stop functioning because you chose to shut down. Never allow anyone to make you BITTER; but allow those situations to be the reason you are BITTER then yesterday.

The champion of uncelebrated foods including fat, offal, and bones, Jennifer McLagan turns her attention to a fascinating, underappreciated, and trending topic: bitterness. What do coffee, IPA beer, dark chocolate, and radicchio all have in common? They’re bitter. While some culinary cultures, such as in Italy and parts of Asia, have an inherent appreciation for bitter flavors (think Campari and Chinese bitter melon), little attention has been given to bitterness in North America: we’re much more likely to reach for salty or sweet. However, with a surge in the popularity of craft beers; dark chocolate; coffee; greens like arugula, dandelion, radicchio, and frisée; high-quality olive oil; and cocktails made with Campari and absinthe—all foods and drinks with elements of bitterness—bitter is finally getting its due. In this deep and fascinating exploration of bitter through science, culture, history, and 100 deliciously idiosyncratic recipes—like Cardoon Beef Tagine, White Asparagus with Blood Orange Sauce, and Campari Granita—award-winning author Jennifer McLagan makes a case for this misunderstood flavor and explains how adding a touch of bitter to a dish creates an exciting taste dimension that will bring your cooking to life.

In too many districts, evaluation of teachers ensures competence but does little or nothing to encourage and support expertise. In this thought-provoking and groundbreaking book, Tony Frontier and Paul Mielke address this issue head-on, combining the conceptual and the practical by offering a compelling vision of teacher growth, along with nearly three dozen step-by-step protocols for working with teachers. They present a powerful rationale for reconceptualizing teacher evaluation by creating a balanced system of three equally important components: * Reliable and valid evaluation. * Empowering and focused supervision. * Meaningful and purposeful reflection. Each component is discussed in terms of its purpose, premise, processes, practices, and payoffs. Revealing examples based on the authors’ experiences in classrooms across the country show what evaluation, supervision, and reflection look like when they’re not done well--and what they could look like if done more effectively. Providing insight and inspiration, Making Teachers Better, Not Bitter paves a clear path to better teaching and helps you acknowledge and support the hard work that teachers do every day to make learning come alive for their students.

All Groan Up: Searching for Self, Faith, and A Freaking Job! is the story of the GenY/Millennial generation told through the individual story of author Paul Angone. It’s a story of struggle, hope, failure, and doubts in the twilight zone of growing up and being grown, connecting with his twentysomething post-college audience with raw honesty, humor, and hope.

In this collection of hilarious essays that mull everything from the horror of chin hairs to why the "glass ceiling" is better described as a thick layer of men, Barreca tells women to stop believing the lies and conquer the world.

This inspirational memoir serves as a call to action from prison reform activist Yusef Salaam, of the Exonerated Five, that will inspire us all to turn our stories into tools for change in the pursuit of racial justice. They didn't know who they had. So begins Yusef Salaam, telling his whole story for the first time: of resilience in the face of one of the gravest miscarriages of justice. Despite having confronted the racist heart of America, Yusef channeled his energy and pain into self-determination and positivity. During his seven years of wrongful incarceration as one of the Central Park Five, Yusef gained a spiritual perspective on life, realizing that we are all "born on purpose, with a purpose." Better, Not Bitter is the inspirational story of a young man growing up in central Harlem in the '80s, the failure of America's criminal justice system, of being vilified by a nation. But during his years of incarceration, Yusef discovered the power of art and faith, and of holding on to the person you know you are, which gave him the strength to survive, and helped him through reentry and exoneration. Yusef's journey inspires us to accept our own path, to discover our own sense of purpose. His intimate insights help unpack the racist design of systems built for profit and oppression of Black and Brown people. This motivational memoir urges us to channel fury into action, and to turn anger and trauma into a constructive force to enact change in one's own life and for a better future.

"Portions of this book appeared in, or were adapted from, the author's column in the opinion page of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Huffington Post between 2007 and 2014." -- Title page verso.

My book, From Bitter to Better, is a book about how God released me from prison. Satan had given me a life sentence for the charge of bitterness, but Christ came in and gave me an early releasement. Through Him sacrificing His life on the Cross for me, Jesus showed me that I no longer had to be confined to a Bitter sentence, but I could embrace Better freedom.It is a book that will set the captives free and bring forth total deliverance and healing from current and past hurts. From Bitter to Better provides some powerful insights leaving the reader with these powerful nuggets:1. Bitter Robs Better Restores! Bitter Destroys Better Delivers!2. Bitter Breaks Better Builds!3. Bitter Ends a Journey, but Better is the beginning of a Journey!4. Bitter keeps you Impotent! Better tells you to Rise and Walk!5. Bitter keeps you in Darkness, but Better bring you into the Light!6. Bitter robs destinies, but Better pushes you there!7. Bitter Restricts! Better Redeems!8. Bitter Crushes! Better Creates!9. Bitterness is a Roadblock that Detours your Healing!10. Better and Bitter are both Seeds You Decided Which One Will Flourish!11. Better is like Prescription; it Heals you, but Bitter is like acid; it kills you!

Divorce does not have to be a bitter ordeal-and no one knows this better than BJ Mann, a leading divorce mediator in Upstate New York. In A Better, Not Bitter Divorce: The Fair and Affordable Way to End Your Marriage, BJ brings you the wealth of information she has put to use in her work with thousands of divorcing couples.