Paul Deng Kur was only a young child when he was separated from his parents during the Sudanese Civil War, like many of his cousins and fellow Lost Boys of South Sudan. The Lost Boys and Girls of South Sudan came from various communities, localities, and tribes across South Sudan. But while their stories are just as diverse, their suffering was universal. Amidst this unrest, Deng spent months wandering through the jungle of South Sudan as the war ravaged his village. For children, life was entirely unpredictable, and many of his cousins and friends perished during the crisis. Not knowing whether their families were alive or dead, orphans banded together in groups. At six years old, Deng had already buried several of his cousins, and death seemed inevitable. In an effort to protect himself, he became a soldier in the Sudan People's Liberation Army at age eight, alongside many other vulnerable children. Over time, he would escape from refugee camps multiple times in order to rejoin the SPLA, hoping desperately to avenge his family. Children like Deng preferred to die for a cause rather than wither away in a camp. Now, many years later, Paul Deng Kur has confronted this horrific past by sharing his story - the story of a devastated boy haunted by war and death. Out of The Impossible reflects on the life he endured and how it continues to shape his life today. It is a painful journey, but he hopes that by sharing that pain with you - a pain that he has held onto for so long - he can show you how pain can make you stronger if you can find the strength and faith to persevere through it.

“Inspired and inspiring . . . By telling his remarkable story, Bill Strickland shows us that an impossible notion is just an idea nobody had the guts to try.”—Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of A Whole New Mind “Make the Impossible Possible will show you how you can achieve even your wildest dreams.”—Jeff Skoll, first president of eBay and founder and chairman of the Skoll Foundation Bill Strickland has spent over thirty years transforming the lives of thousands of people through Manchester Bidwell, the jobs training center and community arts program he founded in Pittsburgh. Working with corporations, community leaders, and schools, he and his staff strive to give disadvantaged kids and adults the opportunities and tools they need to envision and build a better, brighter future. In Make the Impossible Possible, he shows how each of us, by adopting the attitudes and beliefs he has lived by every day, can reach our fullest potential and achieve the impossible in our lives and careers—and perhaps change the world a little in the process. Through lessons from Strickland’s own life experiences and those of countless others who have overcome challenging circumstances and turned their lives around, Make the Impossible Possible teaches us how to build on our passions and strengths, dream bigger and set the bar higher, achieve meaningful success, and inspire the lives of others.

In July 2007, Lewis Gordon Pugh became the first person to swim at the North Pole, in temperatures that would kill a normal person, primarily to raise awareness of climate change. Nicknamed 'the human polar bear' for his ability to raise his body temperature at will, he has pioneered swims in the world's most hostile waters, redefining what it is possible to achieve in terms of endurance. A former member of the SAS, Lewis tells his fantastic story here for the first time. Chapters cover his childhood, growing up with his 'hero' Surgeon Rear Admiral father, his early life in South Africa, his gruelling training in the army's elite regiment, his inspiration and, of course, plenty of action/adventure stories, chronicling his many nail-biting endurance swims. With practical lessons taken from his own life, Lewis explains how recognising one's passions and taking calculated risks is essential for anyone looking to fulfil their goals. The book will also cover his expedition kayaking to the North Pole in summer 2008 and preparing for his most dangerous swim yet - on Everest! - planned for May 2010. His story is inspiring, entertaining and thrilling in equal measure, and its 39-year-old author is a much-needed role model for our times.

Why do some people achieve great heights in life while others struggle? It's not just luck; luck only takes you so far. It's not just hard work; many people work diligently their entire lives and never attain their goals. So what's the secret to success and happiness? Recruitment consultant, author, and inspirational speaker Andrew LaCivita believes there's no single path to success. Ask fifty successful people their secret and you'll get fifty different answers, none of which might work for you. Those same fifty people, however, have something in common. They understand the importance of identifying, analyzing, setting, and achieving their goals. They don't just enjoy accomplishing goals-they enjoy the journey toward accomplishment. Out of Reach but in Sight is based on a speech LaCivita made to a three-hundred-member audience on the importance of proper goal-setting for achievements and happiness. Once you know the formula for setting and achieving goals, you can develop your own, unique path to success.

In 1974, two men vanished without a trace under suspicious circumstances, shocking the people of Iceland, where serious crime is almost nonexistent. More than a year later, there seemed to be a breakthrough when a small-time crook named Erla Bolladottir described a dream to police that they interpreted as a sign of trauma related to the men's disappearance. After lengthy interrogations, investigations, and courtroom dramas, Erla and five acquaintances confessed to killing both men and were given prison sentences ranging from three years to life. But over the years, the case against the convicted six began to disintegrate, and one major question remained unanswered: Why had they all confessed to murder if they hadn't done it?

A beautifully wrought modern fairy tale from master storyteller and award-winning author Nancy Werlin Inspired by the classic folk ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this is a wonderfully riveting novel of suspense, romance, and fantasy. Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that she is the latest recipient of a generations-old family curse that requires her to complete three seemingly impossible tasks or risk falling into madness and passing the curse on to the next generation. Unlike her ancestors, though, Lucy has family, friends, and other modern resources to help her out. But will it be enough to conquer this age-old evil?

This book is a cultural-historical (rather than purely linguistic) introduction to American English. The first part consists of a general account of variation in American English. It offers concise but comprehensive coverage of such topics as the history of American English; regional, social and ethnic variation; variation in style (including slang); and British and American differences. The second part of the book puts forward an account of how American English has developed into a dominant variety of the English language. It focuses on the ways in which intellectual traditions such as puritanism and republicanism, in shaping the American world view, have also contributed to the distinctiveness of American English.