Shirley seemed to be doomed from the beginning. Founded by a Vaudevillian huckster who touted it as a seaside haven despite the sand bar that blocks access to the shore, the town has been plagued by one disaster after another—a UFO, a childhood cancer cluster, and a mysterious federal nuclear laboratory in nearby Brookhaven that leaked toxic nuclear and chemical waste into the aquifer from which the residents unknowingly drew their well water. This is Kelly McMasters' account of growing up in a cursed town and loving it anyway, and of a girl's awakening to tragedy and to a sense of mission. Told in a deliciously engaging voice, Welcome to Shirley balances the bitter with the sweet, the funny with the infuriating, in an unforgettable story of working class Long Island.

Mother and daughter tell heartwarming stories inspired by their Christian faith and share family recipes.

A thought-provoking collection of personal essays about home What makes a home? What do equality, safety, and politics have to do with it? And why is it so important to us to feel like we belong? In this collection, 30 women writers explore the theme in personal essays about neighbors, marriage, kids, sentimental objects, homelessness, domestic violence, solitude, immigration, gentrification, geography, and more. Contributors -- including Amanda Petrusich, Naomi Jackson, Jane Wong, and Jennifer Finney Boylan -- lend a diverse range of voices to this subject that remains at the core of our national conversations. Engaging, insightful, and full of hope, This is the Place will make you laugh, cry, and think hard about home, wherever you may find it. "This collection, encompassing a spectrum of races, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, political beliefs and classes, could not be timelier . . . open this book, hear its chorus of voices and remember that we are a nation of individuals, bound to each other by our humanity." -- The New York Times Book Review " . . . an honest portrait of the U.S., pieced together like an imperfect American quilt. We need more books like this." -- BUST

Author Abigail Thomas shares the story of how she started a new life after an accident left her husband brain damaged and institutionalized.

"A picture biography of educator and politician Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 was the first Black woman elected to Congress and in 1972 was the first Black candidate from a major political party (the Democratic party) to run for the United States presidency. An afterword with additional information, photographs, and source lists are included"--

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.

Conceived from unsavory circumstances and adopted into love and patience, Kennedy Davenport has become a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. But under her designer clothes and distinguished, polished appearance lie the remnants of her biological parents, a brutal birthright damaged by desire, ego, and a series of wrong decisions. Will the blemishes of her family secrets and their sordid past keep Kennedy from the life she desires and destroy her chance of receiving the accolades she deserves? Will her peers turn against her, or will she be able to hold onto the life she so deeply loves? To Kennedy, her past is a debt that needs to be paid, and her rollercoaster life, her guilt, guts, and outrageous experiences guide her beautiful otherness to her present-day reality-a life of privilege and honors, of true love and a heart for helping others.

Shirley is a woman of independent means; her friend Caroline is not. Both struggle with what a woman's role is and can be. Their male counterparts - Louis, the powerless tutor, and Robert, his cloth-manufacturing brother - also stand at odds to society's expectations.

The story of how the Williamsburg Inn came about began more than seventy years ago. In 1926, Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin convinced John D. Rockefeller, Jr., to undertake the restoration of Virginia's colonial capital. As the work progressed, the planners quickly realized that visitors to Colonial Williamsburg needed somewhere to stay overnight.