A book marketer recently asked me what genre my new series is, and I had to think for a minute to figure that out. Eventually, I came up with Autobiographical Supernatural Horror. Now, I realize that sounds more like fantasy than reality; but consider this: if your family has monsters in it, and you write about that family, what do you call it? Franz Kafka wrote about a man who transformed for unknown reasons into a cockroach (obviously autobiographical), and no one batted an eye. My story covers adoption, abortion, LGBT rights, cancer, gay marriage, science, violent crime, small farming in California, missionary work, the arid, modern university environment, AIDS, teaching, and the terrible toxicity of an insular family submerged deep within an abusive religious cult. And all I did was describe my experience growing up in a "normal" American family (of monsters). For the purposes of focus and variety, I've framed the first book around my family's oldest sibling, MY SISTER, SUZIE, a girl who was adopted at birth, and had all the cards stacked against her. The second book recounts the life of OUR LITTLE SISTER, who started her life as a sick and weak little girl but eventually won a college diploma and a man. The final book details some pretty horrific transformations and catastrophes, since it deals with a disastrous mother-son relationship. If you have a mother or a son, …AND THE DRAGONS might keep you up at night. PERFECTLY HUMAN is the unforgivable saga of a boy born into one crazy family, raised by an even more dysfunctional family, and in love with another boy from a third family. There's enough sex to keep it spicy, and enough analysis to excuse all the sex. Offensive Word Count for PERFECTLY HUMAN: The Unexpected Autobiography Of A Hick, by Bayla Dornon. Book I, MY SISTER, SUZIE: Shit, 19, Cock, 13, Jesus, 13, Damn, 10, Asshole, 9, Fuck, 8, Dick, 8, Bitch, 4, Penis, 3, Piss, 2, Pussy, 2, and one Bastard. Book II, OUR LITLE SISTER: Shit, 13, Christian, 12, Dick, 7, Christ, 6, Asshole, 4, Bitch, 3, Cock, 2, Fuck, 2, Piss, 2, Bastard, 1, Damn, 1, Fart, 1, Jesus, 1, and one Shart. Book III …AND THE DRAGONS: Christian, 27, Shit, 16, Damn, 12, Jesus, 8, Fuck, 5, Piss, 5, Bitch, 3, Asshole, 2, Pussy, 2, Christ, 1, Cock, 1, Cocksucker, 1, Dick, 1, Fart, 1, and one Penis.

This American's memoirs tell of the 45 years he lived in the Soviet Union, experiencing acclaim as a parachutist, imprisonment, marriage, and banishment to Siberia.

Why does God permit evil and suffering? This question, known as the problem of evil in theological and philosophical circles, has perennially vexed Christian theology. Academic studies on the problem of evil, however, have failed to move the conversation forward in recent years. In this volume, designed for students and scholars alike, Mark S. M. Scott traces the major models and motifs in Christian explanations for evil (called theodicies) and argues for a thorough rethinking of the problem of evil and theodicy based on distinctly Christian theological criteria and resources.

A Garden of Medieval Minds The medieval period was a time of greats: great courage, great words, great light, and great darkness. The writers, philosophers, and artists of the time still touch and influence our lives today. This volume celebrates these masterpieces that merged the physical and the spiritual into meaningful, incandescent truth. Contributors: C.M. Alvarez: “Death, Grief, & Hope in Pearl” on progressing through grief as illustrated in the Gawain poet’s medieval poem Pearl. Donald W. Catchings, Jr.: “The Dream of the Crown,” a medieval inspired poem on the piercing of Christ’s brow and “Chronological Snobbery: In Reply to Contemporary Petrarchs” on valuing the past. Annie Crawford: “Hogwarts in History: The Neo-Medieval Vision of Harry Potter” on our love of the medieval and “Cosmos” on holy wonder. Alison Delong: “A Call to Lament: An Apologetic Study of the Anglo-Saxon Elegies” on comprehending struggle and responding to it. Karise Gililland: “Wearing One’s Habits: Aristotle, Aquinas, and the Making of a Virtuous Man” on the ancient and medieval views on cultivating goodness and “The Quest of the Golden Queen,” a heroic poem on the Lady and the dragon. Sandra G. Hicks: “Death and Redemption for the Modern Heart: What We Can Learn from the Anglo-Saxon Elegy” on Christ, the Warrior-King illustrated in the medieval elegy, “The Wanderer.” Alex Markos: “Christ, Our Hero at Calvary: Meaning and Metaphor in Beowulf and ‘The Dream of the Rood’” on understanding the resurrection. Korine Martinez: “An Unlikely Witness” on the perspective of the cross illustrated in The Dream of the Rood. Jacqueline Medcalf: “The Book of Kells,” a medieval influenced poem on seeing a wonder. Seth Myers: “Dante for Moderns” on serving our fellow man and “Francis of Assisi” on medieval relevance. Annie Nardone: “The Venerable Bede: Following the Medieval Christian Footpath” on preserving history and “Thomas Aquinas: Understanding Evil” on darkness and life. Cherish Nelson: “The Gravity of Sin: Truth in the Grotesque in Dante’s Inferno” on the depths of evil. Holly Ordway: “Memento Mori: A Reflection on ‘The Ruin’” on the question of progress. Ted Wright: “Hagia Sophia and the Evidential Power of Beauty: Divine Architecture as Apologetics” on truth in stone. About the Cover Our cover illustration was provided by Chilean artist, apologist, and physician Virginia De La Lastra depicting the vibrant imagery of medieval illuminations. Vigorous and verdant green life battles against the dragons symbolizing evil, while the peacocks give the promise of the hope and power of the resurrection. Fall 2020 Volume 3, Issue 3 310 pages

A Nobel Prize–winning economist tells the remarkable story of how the world has grown healthier, wealthier, but also more unequal over the past two and half centuries The world is a better place than it used to be. People are healthier, wealthier, and live longer. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many has left gaping inequalities between people and nations. In The Great Escape, Nobel Prize–winning economist Angus Deaton—one of the foremost experts on economic development and on poverty—tells the remarkable story of how, beginning 250 years ago, some parts of the world experienced sustained progress, opening up gaps and setting the stage for today's disproportionately unequal world. Deaton takes an in-depth look at the historical and ongoing patterns behind the health and wealth of nations, and addresses what needs to be done to help those left behind. Deaton describes vast innovations and wrenching setbacks: the successes of antibiotics, pest control, vaccinations, and clean water on the one hand, and disastrous famines and the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the other. He examines the United States, a nation that has prospered but is today experiencing slower growth and increasing inequality. He also considers how economic growth in India and China has improved the lives of more than a billion people. Deaton argues that international aid has been ineffective and even harmful. He suggests alternative efforts—including reforming incentives to drug companies and lifting trade restrictions—that will allow the developing world to bring about its own Great Escape. Demonstrating how changes in health and living standards have transformed our lives, The Great Escape is a powerful guide to addressing the well-being of all nations.

This is the true story of Albert W. Hicks, written as a confession and autobiography. Albert W. Hicks (c. 1820 – 1860), also known as Elias W. Hicks, William Johnson, John Hicks, and Pirate Hicks, was a triple murderer, and one of the last people executed for piracy in the United States.[1] His New York based trial, conviction and execution were a major talking point at the time. Cultural historian Rich Cohen, has called him 'the first New York City legendary gangster figure, a bridge between the piracy of old and rise of a new "gangster nation".' Hicks gave a full confession of the murders and his life story, which was published as a book on the day of his execution. Hicks' reason for his crimes were '.the devil took possession of me.'

In the final book of the In Her Name: Redemption trilogy, Reza Gard awakens in a hospital on Earth after having been in a coma for months. Charged with murder and high treason, he finds himself the scapegoat for a daring plot to assassinate the President of the Confederation.

Don't call me a demon. I prefer the term Fallen Angel. Everybody deserves a vacation, right? Especially if you have a pointless job like tormenting the damned. So who could blame me for blowing off my duties and taking a small, unauthorized break? Besides, I've always wanted to see what physical existence is like. That's why I "borrowed" the slightly used body of a slacker teen. Believe me, he wasn't going to be using it anymore anyway. I have never understood why humans do the things they do. Like sin—if it's so terrible, why do they keep doing it? I'm going to have a lot of fun finding out!