This book is the account of an ordinary woman trying to live life with good intentions, and translating those good intentions into action by helping others, in the aftermath of a really traumatic national event - 9/11/01. The primary focus is on Terror and its effects on a personal life, and indeed the life of the nation. Interwoven is a deep concern for fairness and justice, especially as regards children. No book should be complete without "politics!" There is that also. There is a mix of grief, anger and humor (the real elixir of life!)

Being the only child of a single mother, Sergio was raised by his maternal grandparents in a South Texas region better known as the Rio Grande Valley. This memoir details his upbringing as a poor migrant worker of Mexican descent having to pick crops for a living since the age of seven. As a way to break from the family cycle of picking crops and depending on government welfare programs, Sergio joined the United States Army and served ten years on active duty. He was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina shortly after the Bosnian War only to find and deal with the aftermath of the genocide that took place there and be caught in the middle of several attacks. His experiences in Bosnia ultimately led to experiencing signs and symptoms related to PTSD. After completing ten years of military service, Sergio joined the U.S. Border Patrol. Being of Mexican descent and having family in South Texas and in Mexico gave way to new issues of having to counter threats against his family and ill-willed opinions of him for arresting and deporting "his own kind."

A picture book adaptation of Lee Greenwood's patriotic song, God bless the U.S.A.

A rediscovery of patriotism as a virtue in line with the core values of democracy in an extremist age The concept of patriotism has fallen on hard times. What was once a value that united Americans has become so politicized by both the left and the right that it threatens to rip apart the social fabric. On the right, patriotism has become synonymous with nationalism and an “us versus them” worldview, while on the left it is seen as an impediment to acknowledging important ethnic, religious, or racial identities and a threat to cosmopolitan globalism. Steven B. Smith reclaims patriotism from these extremist positions and advocates for a patriotism that is broad enough to balance loyalty to country against other loyalties. Describing how it is a matter of both the head and the heart, Smith shows how patriotism can bring the country together around the highest ideals of equality and is a central and ennobling disposition that democratic societies cannot afford to do without.

One of America's foremost philosophers challenges the lost generation of the American Left to understand the role it might play in the great tradition of democratic intellectual labor that started with writers such as Walt Whitman and John Dewey.

“In this timeless book, President Kennedy shows how the United States has always been enriched by the steady flow of men, women, and families to our shores. It is a reminder that America’s best leaders have embraced, not feared, the diversity which makes America great.” —Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright Throughout his presidency, John F. Kennedy was passionate about the issue of immigration reform. He believed that America is a nation of people who value both tradition and the exploration of new frontiers, deserving the freedom to build better lives for themselves in their adopted homeland. This 60th anniversary edition of his posthumously published, timeless work—with a foreword by Jonathan Greenblatt, the National Director and CEO of the ADL, formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League, and an introduction from Congressman Joe Kennedy III—offers President Kennedy’s inspiring words and observations on the diversity of America’s origins and the influence of immigrants on the foundation of the United States. The debate on immigration persists. Complete with updated resources on current policy, this new edition of A Nation of Immigrants emphasizes the importance of the collective thought and contributions to the prominence and success of the country.

In this inspirational and unflinchingly honest memoir, acclaimed author Reyna Grande describes her childhood torn between the United States and Mexico, and shines a light on the experiences, fears, and hopes of those who choose to make the harrowing journey across the border. Reyna Grande vividly brings to life her tumultuous early years in this “compelling...unvarnished, resonant” (BookPage) story of a childhood spent torn between two parents and two countries. As her parents make the dangerous trek across the Mexican border to “El Otro Lado” (The Other Side) in pursuit of the American dream, Reyna and her siblings are forced into the already overburdened household of their stern grandmother. When their mother at last returns, Reyna prepares for her own journey to “El Otro Lado” to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years, her long-absent father. Funny, heartbreaking, and lyrical, The Distance Between Us poignantly captures the confusion and contradictions of childhood, reminding us that the joys and sorrows we experience are imprinted on the heart forever, calling out to us of those places we first called home. Also available in Spanish as La distancia entre nosotros.

“…the solution—behind many of our modern illnesses…try, as a first resort, to live life to its fullest…rather than to surrender at the first sign of difficulty…” –Mitch Horowitz, PEN Award-Winning Author Wake Up! You’re Alive is a medical doctor’s prescription for healthier living through positive thinking! This fascinating book has a clear and defined message that one can live a healthier, happier life by conditioning the thoughts that pass through the mind. Written in a lively, narrative style, the reader is carried along, page-after-page. Dr. Arnold Fox, an internationally published best-selling author, shares the insights and personal stories that were gleaned from over forty years of experi¬ence as a Beverly Hills physician. The book is written with a great deal of humor and clarity. It is a look at the power of the human mind and spirit as seen through the eyes of a physician. The case histories and stories within illustrate the relation¬ship between your thoughts, beliefs, health, and disease. Dr. Fox is joined in authorship by his son, Barry Fox, and they make an amaz¬ing father-and-son team. Learn the five cardinal virtues that everyone must embrace if they are to enjoy health and success in life: Enthusiasm Belief Love Forgiveness Perseverance Wake Up! You’re Alive is one of the most absorbing books I have had the pleasure of reading.” –Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, HuffPost

An engaging picture book for children that celebrates what it means to be American--regardless of politics What does it mean to be American? Does it mean you like apple pie or fireworks? Not exactly. While politics seem to divide our country into the two opposing teams of red and blue, one truth remains: we are all Americans. But what does that mean? This continuation of the popular What Does It Mean to Be...? series provides a nonpartisan point of view perfect for any and all Americans who are proud of who they are--and where they come from, regardless of their political views. Other Titles in the What Does It Mean to Be...? Series: What Does It Mean to Be Present? What Does It Mean to Be Global? What Does It Mean to Be Kind?

What is the alt-right? What do they believe, and how did they take center stage in the American social and political consciousness? Historian Alexandra Minna Stern excavates the alt-right memes that have erupted online and digs to the root of the far right’s motivations: their deep-seated fear of an oncoming “white genocide” that can only be remedied through aggressive action to reclaim white power. The alt-right has expanded significantly throughout America’s cultural, political, and digital landscapes: racist, sexist, and homophobic beliefs that were previously unspeakable have become commonplace, normalized, and accepted—endangering American democracy and society as a whole. When asked to address the Proud Boys and growing far right violence, President Trump directed the group to “stand back and stand by;” and just two weeks before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, a white supremacist mob breached the US Capitol—earning praise from the Proud Boys leader amongst threats of future violence. In order to dismantle the destructive movement that has invaded our public consciousness and threatens American democracy, we must first understand the core beliefs that drive the alt-right. Through careful analysis, Stern brings awareness to the underlying concepts that guide the alt-right and its overlapping forms of racism, xenophobia, and transphobia. She explains the key ideas of “red-pilling,” strategic trolling, gender essentialism, and the alt-right’s ultimate fantasy: a future where minorities have been “cleansed” from the body politic and a white ethnostate is established in the United States. By unearthing the hidden mechanisms that power white nationalism, Stern reveals just how pervasive the far right truly is.