Homer Ashley Fields has only one living relative, an aging grandfather, who for thirty-two years has lived in self-imposed silence rather than to answer questions about his mysterious past. At age twelve, Homer stopped asking; the scar on his arm a reminder never to ask again. That day, his grandfather sat down with a notebook and a pencil and began to write, over the years filling notebook after notebook and locking them in an old trunk. Homer suspects the answers to all his questions are on the pages, but he will not betray his grandfathers trust. When a strangers appearance terrifies his grandfather into a near heart attack, Homer feels certain the man is linked to his grandfathers past, and contemplates breaking into the trunk. By chance, he finds two handwritten pages behind the trunk that reveal the horrible truth that took the lives of thousands and drove his grandfather from his home at age eleven to fend for himself. Now he must find his ailing grandfathers siblings, if they are still alive before it is too late.

An electric and intimate story of 1970s gay Atlanta through its bedazzling drag clubs and burgeoning rights activism. Coursing with a pumped-up beat, gay Atlanta was the South's mecca—a beacon for gays and lesbians growing up in its homophobic towns and cities. There, the Sweet Gum Head was the club for achieving drag stardom. Martin Padgett evokes the fantabulous disco decade by going deep into the lives of two men who shaped and were shaped by this city: John Greenwell, an Alabama runaway who found himself and his avocation performing as the exquisite Rachel Wells; and Bill Smith, who took to the streets and city hall to change antigay laws. Against this optimism for visibility and rights, gay people lived with daily police harassment and drug dealing and murder in their discos and drag clubs. Conducting interviews with many of the major figures and reading through deteriorating gay archives, Padgett expertly re-creates Atlanta from a time when a vibrant, new queer culture of drag and pride came into being.

This reference book provides a comprehensive overview of natural gums, resins, and latexes of plants with a focus on their chemistry, biological activities, and practical uses. The content is divided into five main sections each of which contains chapters contributed from valuable experts in their field. Naturally occuring plant products have quite diverse applications in many different industries. The book aims to highlight the important aspects of plant-based gums, resins and latexes as well as provide a strategic framework for further research and development activities on these bioproducts. It will appeal to a broad audience such as biologists, pharmacologists, pharmacists, food technologists and medical practitioners. It is also a useful resource for research investigators of the healthcare industry, academia and students of biomedical sciences.