I HAD IT ALL BUT IT MEANT NOTHING BECAUSE IT ALMOST KILLED ME. An up-close portrait of one of the most prolific defensive players in NCAA history and a life almost unraveled by football- a memoir of true inspiration. The Game That Almost Broke Me is the inspirational story of Tavarski Wallace, an ambitious player in the game of achieving a spot in the NFL, and a resilient player in the turbulent, challenging, and sometimes unfair game of life. The intriguing evolution of Taz Wallace is remarkable in this book-long journey, which is marked by milestones of overcoming adversity - from resolving struggles academically, supporting his hard-working single mother, to ultimately managing the unforgiving politics of professional football, Taz Wallace's story is uplifting and inspiring. From modest beginnings in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Taz documents a series of key relationships which shaped him as an individual and helped fuel his dreams of becoming a linebacker in the NFL. With unrelenting persistence every step of the way, the experiences, failures, and surprising successes of Taz in The Game That Almost Broke Me prove how the American Dream can dramatically transform with time, and may even become something entirely different in the end.

“McGonigal is a clear, methodical writer, and her ideas are well argued. Assertions are backed by countless psychological studies.” —The Boston Globe “Powerful and provocative . . . McGonigal makes a persuasive case that games have a lot to teach us about how to make our lives, and the world, better.” —San Jose Mercury News “Jane McGonigal's insights have the elegant, compact, deadly simplicity of plutonium, and the same explosive force.” —Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother A visionary game designer reveals how we can harness the power of games to boost global happiness. With 174 million gamers in the United States alone, we now live in a world where every generation will be a gamer generation. But why, Jane McGonigal asks, should games be used for escapist entertainment alone? In this groundbreaking book, she shows how we can leverage the power of games to fix what is wrong with the real world-from social problems like depression and obesity to global issues like poverty and climate change-and introduces us to cutting-edge games that are already changing the business, education, and nonprofit worlds. Written for gamers and non-gamers alike, Reality Is Broken shows that the future will belong to those who can understand, design, and play games. Jane McGonigal is also the author of SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient.

A group biography of seven enduring and beloved games, and the story of why—and how—we play them. Checkers, backgammon, chess, and Go. Poker, Scrabble, and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against “modern rationalism”; and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt, the Indian origins of chess, how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He introduces an early philosopher of games, the aptly named Bernard Suits, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has perfected a computer that can effectively play bridge, a game as complicated as human language itself. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programs better than any human player, and what that means for the games—and for us. Funny, fascinating, and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history, and how play makes us human.

With over half-a-million copies sold worldwide, come see why readers and authors alike all call this, "an unforgettable story that will stay with you for years," by New York Times Bestselling Author, J. Sterling. He's a game she never intended to play. And she's the game changer he never knew he needed. The Perfect Game tells the story of college juniors, Cassie Andrews & Jack Carter. When Cassie meets rising baseball hopeful Jack, she is determined to steer clear of him and his typical cocky attitude. But Jack has other things on his mind... like getting Cassie to give him the time of day. They're both damaged, filled with mistrust and guarded before they find one another (and themselves) in this emotional journey about love and forgiveness. Strap yourselves for a ride that will not only break your heart, but put it back together. Sometimes life gets ugly before it gets beautiful.

More than darkness... Reeling from the revelations discovered in Egypt, Ace Dante is on a knife-edge, but the gods aren’t going to wait for him to come to terms with the truth. Ancient and deadly beasts straight out of the underworld are targeting Nick “Cujo” Jones and his daughter. There doesn’t seem to be a connection to Ace, until a mysterious and familiar box turns up. A box marked with the snake-headed jackal. And it’s open. This time, the gods crossed a line. Ace is done with their puppet-mastery. He’s fighting back. But as hidden secrets come to light and Ace’s friendships crumble around him, will he have the strength to fight for what’s right, or will he allow the darkness inside to consume him? After all, what is one man’s hope against the will of evil incarnate? The wildly successful Soul Eater series ups the stakes in the penultimate book, Serpent’s Game. Soul Eater series reading order: Hidden Blade, #1 Witches' Bane, #2 See No Evil, #3 Scorpion Trap, #4 Serpent's Game, #5 Edge of Tomorrow, #6

At nearly thirty-one years old, Pittsburgh Griffins captain Elias Karlsson’s hockey years are numbered. Everything is changing around him, including his eleven-year friendship with Nikolai Sidorov. Elias would give anything for Nisha to be a permanent part of his life, but their once bedrock-strong bond has broken into a million pieces, and Elias doesn’t know why. More than anything, Elias wants his friend back, but if that isn’t an option, maybe it’s time for him to look outside of hockey for someone to be there with him when hockey isn’t an option anymore. Nisha’s world is splintering apart. He’s been in love with his two best friends for years, but now one of them has someone. The other, Elias, is searching for everything Nisha wishes he could give him… but he’s looking for it in anyone but Nisha. The farther his friends slip away, the deeper the loneliness sinks in and the bleaker his empty future looks. What can he do but numb the pain in the only ways he knows how? On the eve of the season opener, Nisha’s unexplained absence threatens the cohesion of the team and puts him and Elias on a collision course of strong wills, broken hearts, and shattered trust. In the end, they may lose the very thing that matters most to them both: each other. Scoreless Game is approximately 180,000 words, including a bonus short story. This asexual-pansexual romance is book 2 in the On the Board series. CW: on-page struggles with alcoholism and binge-drinking, suicidal ideation, toxic family dynamics, acephobia

The battles I faced in the past were definitely a challenge. Some of them even crushed me. I honestly didn't think I would live to see my twenty-first birthday. Life had gotten so bad that the only thing made me happy was the thought of death. I was extremely depressed, but once I found my worth, I found my way. You will never know how strong you can be until being strong is your only choice.

A deep look into how even the best athletes struggle with and persevere through mental illness. In growing numbers, athletes are speaking up about their struggles with mental illness—including high-profile stars such as Michael Phelps, Kevin Love, Simone Biles, and Naomi Osaka. More disclosures are surely on the way, as athletes recognize that their openness can help others and inspire those around them. In Mind Game: An Inside Look at the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes, Julie Kliegman offers insight into how elite athletes navigate mental performance and mental illness—and what non-athletes can learn from them. She explores the recent mental health movement in sports, the history and practice of sport psychology, the stereotypes and stigmas that lead athletes to keep their troubles to themselves, and the ways in which injury and retirement can throw wrenches in their mental states. Kliegman also examines the impacts of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance use, and more, with a keen eye toward moving forward with acceptance, progress, and problem-solving. Featuring insightful interviews with Olympians Chloe Kim, McKayla Maroney, and Adam Rippon, NBA players Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan, former U.S. Open tennis champ Bianca Andreescu, and many other athletes and experts, Mind Game breaks down the ongoing, heartening movement of athletes across sports coming forward to get the care they need and deserve—and to help others feel safe opening up about their struggles, as well.

from Introduction by Neil Armstrong: Charlie Mechem's interests and his background prepared him well for an unusually broad career in law, business, professional sports, and acting as a consultant and advisor to a number of individuals and businesses. For instance, as CEO of the Taft Broadcasting Company, Charlie often held the annual meeting of shareholders at an auditorium inside Taft's Kings Island theme park near Cincinnati, Ohio. Shareholders, along with their invitation to the meeting that arrived in the mail, would receive a ticket to enter the theme park with its many thrill rides and other entertaining attractions. A few people bought one share of the company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, just to get the free ticket to the park. Taft was an entertainment company, and the meeting of shareholders was an opportunity to showcase their talents. Charlie's dynamic speeches, together with music, video, and the help of Yogi Bear and Fred Flintstone, dazzled the shareholder audience. Charlie is a speaker with a touch of genius. At one unusual meeting of senior management and the board of directors where, due to a combination of corporate setbacks and uncertainty, the mood was somber and the faces long. Charlie gave the opening address, spoke candidly and humorously about the challenges faced, turned up the tempo, congratulated all on their great work and the bright future ahead. By the time he finished, the entire gathering was standing and cheering like their team had just won the World Series. In this book you will find much of the magical character of Charlie Mechem through his recollections of a wide variety of individuals and many of the "life lessons" which he learned from them. These people and these experiences became a significant part of Charlie's life and have become etched indelibly into his memory.