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The Crooked Heart of Mercy: A Novel
by Billie LivingstonFrom acclaimed Canadian novelist Billie Livingston comes this powerful U.S. debut that unfolds over a riveting dual narrative—an unforgettable story of ordinary lives rocked by hardship and scandal that follows in the tradition of Jennifer Haigh, A. Manette Ansay, and Jennifer Egan.Ben wakes up in a hospital with a hole in his head he can't explain. What he can remember he’d rather forget. Like how he’d spend nights as a limo driver for the wealthy and debauched….how he and his wife, Maggie, drifted apart in the wake of an unspeakable tragedy…how his little brother, Cola, got in over his head with loan sharks circling.Maggie is alone. Again. With bills to pay and Ben in a psych ward, she must return to work. But who would hire her in the state she’s in? And just as Maggie turns to her brother, Francis, the Internet explodes with video of his latest escapade. The headline? Drunk Priest Propositions Cops.Francis is an unlikely priest with a drinking problem and little interest in celibacy. A third DUI, a looming court date.…When Maggie takes him in, he knows he may be down to his last chance. And his best shot at healing might lie in helping Maggie and Ben reconnect—against all odds.Simmering with dark humor and piercing insights, The Crooked Heart of Mercy is a startling reminder that redemption can be found in the most unlikely of places.
A Crooked Kind of Perfect
by Linda UrbanTen-year-old Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams. She can practically feel the keys under her flying fingers; she can hear the audience's applause. All she needs is a baby grand so she can start her lessons, and then she'll be well on her way to Carnegie Hall. But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe's dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ versions of old TV theme songs just isn't the same as mastering Beethoven on the piano. And the organ isn't the only part of Zoe's life that's off-kilter, what with Mom constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house, and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day. Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds that life is full of surprises--and that perfection may be even better when it's just a little off center.
A Crooked Mile: An emotional and uplifting saga set in Bolton from bestselling author Ruth Hamilton
by Ruth HamiltonCatherine Cookson fans will love this heart-warming saga set in Lancashire from The Sunday Times bestseller Ruth Hamilton. You won't want to put it down... "Very much the successor to Catherine Cookson. Her books are plot driven, they just rip along; laughs, weeps, love, they've got the lot, and they're quality writing as well" - Sarah Broadhurst on Radio Four. "Gritty, down-to-earth writing and strong female characters have become the trademarks of her writing" -- Bookworld"I really do not know what to say about this book, it is the most moving story I have ever read. In places it made me laugh, and in many places it made me cry. Absolutely excellent." -- ***** Reader review."Another excellent book from Ruth Hamilton. I read every night in bed and am always reluctant to switch off my Kindle as I want to know what happens next in the story." -- ***** Reader review."Ruth Hamilton has exceeded all expectations [-] another successful novel..." -- ***** Reader review. "Really enjoying this book. Can't wait to pick it up again." -- ***** Reader review. **************************SHE'LL NEED ALL HER STRENGTH TO SURVIVE...Life is tough and conditions are squalid for the residents of Myrtle Street, in the shadow of the Althorpe mills.Joe Duffy, a Bolton tradesman, strives to lift his family out of the 'garden' streets. But as more children are born, Joe's wife Tess sinks deeper into the obsession that will be her undoing. Few people heed her ravings saying that the area is cursed. She is ignored, even as the Myrtle Street tragedies become more frequent and begin to feature in local gossip.It is left to Megan, the third Duffy child to end the curse. When she becomes embroiled in a web of deceit, Megan needs all her strength, talents, and wit in order to survive and ensure her family's stability and the future of the Althorpe cotton mills.
A Crooked Tree: A Novel
by Una MannionA haunting, suspenseful literary debut that combines a classic coming of age story with a portrait of a fractured American family dealing with the fallout of one summer evening gone terribly wrong.“The night we left Ellen on the road, we drove up the mountain in silence.”It is the early 1980s and fifteen-year-old Libby is obsessed with The Field Guide to the Trees of North America, a gift her Irish immigrant father gave her before he died. She finds solace in “The Kingdom,” a stand of red oak and thick mountain laurel near her home in suburban Pennsylvania, where she can escape from her large and unruly family and share menthol cigarettes and lukewarm beers with her best friend.One night, while driving home, Libby’s mother, exhausted and overwhelmed with the fighting in the backseat, pulls over and orders Libby’s little sister Ellen to walk home. What none of this family knows as they drive off leaving a twelve-year-old girl on the side of the road five miles from home with darkness closing in, is what will happen next.A Crooked Tree is a surprising, indelible novel, both a poignant portrayal of an unmoored childhood giving way to adolescence, and a gripping tale about the unexpected reverberations of one rash act.
Crookhaven The School for Thieves: Book 1 (Crookhaven #1)
by J.J. Arcanjo"So this is really a school for criminals." It was meant as a question, though it came out more as an accusation."We are so much more than that," Caspian said, sitting in a plush leather chair and gesturing for Gabriel to sit in a similar one across the table. "We are a home for the forgotten, a sanctuary for the lost and ... yes, a training ground for the greatest crooks of the future."13-year-old Gabriel is a brilliant pickpocket, a skill which he uses to keep his often empty belly not quite so empty. And then one day, he's caught.But instead of being arrested, he is invited by the mysterious Caspian Crook to attend Crookhaven - a school for thieves. At Crookhaven, students are trained in lock-picking, forgery and 'crim-nastics', all with the intention of doing good out in the world, by conning the bad and giving back to the innocent.But ... can you ever really trust a thief?With a school wide competition to be crowned Top Crook and many mysteries to uncover, Gabriel's first year at Crookhaven will be one to remember... An irresistible series about chosen family, high stakes thievery, and what it really means to do good. Perfect for fans of M.G. Leonard and Anthony Horowitz.© 2023 J.J. Arcanjo (P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Cross-Bordering Dynamics in Education and Lifelong Learning: A Perspective from Non-Formal Education (Routledge Series on Schools and Schooling in Asia)
by Hideki MaruyamaEducation as a concept has long been taken for granted. Most people immediately think of schools and colleges, of classes and exams. This volume aims to highlight non-formal education (NFE) in its various forms across different historical and cultural contexts. Contributors draw upon their experience as educators and researchers in comparative education and sociology to elucidate, compare, and critique NFE in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the USA. By mapping out NFE’s forms, functions, and dynamics, this volume gives us the opportunity to reflect on the myriad iterations of education to challenge preconceived limitations in the field of education research. Only by expanding the focus beyond that of traditional schooling arrangements can we work towards a more sustainable future and improved lifelong learning. This book will appeal to researchers interested in non-formal education and comparative education.
The Cross-Country Quilters: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel (The Elm Creek Quilts #3)
by Jennifer ChiaveriniA group of far-flung friends sew up their personal goals in this charming novel from the New York Times–bestselling author of Round Robin. Five women arrive at Elm Creek Manor hoping to complete a “challenge quilt”—symbolic of each woman’s personal goals—and find in their lessons an escape from the problems they left at home. Julia, an aging starlet, has pinned her hopes to a plum role in a historical epic whose director is under the mistaken impression that Julia already knows how to quilt. Megan is a successful engineer who has won prizes for her miniature quilt designs. The one challenge she has yet to master is single motherhood. Donna, a mother of two, must hasten to teach her daughter independence and self-esteem—lessons she, too, must take to heart. Grace is a renowned curator of antique quilts, whose creative flair is waning for reasons she is unwilling to reveal—even to her closest friends. Vinnie, the senior member of the group, is a sunny soul with a tragic past. Her overwhelming desire is to bring happiness into the lives of those she loves.Although the Cross-Country Quilters share a common creative goal, as the year goes by their bonds are tested by the demands of daily life. But despite differences in age, race, and background, the friends’ love for quilting and affection for one another unite them in a patchwork of caring and acceptance. The quilt they make reminds them of an everlasting truth—friends may be separated by great distance, yet the strength of their bond can transcend any obstacle.
Cross-Cultural Responsiveness & Systemic Therapy: Personal And Clinical Narratives (Focused Issues In Family Therapy Ser.)
by Robert Allan Shruti Singh PoulsenThis progressive volume takes a nuanced approach to understanding systemic therapies with diverse client populations, leading to culturally responsive therapy. Synthesizing diverse streams of psychology, philosophy, and social theory, chapters focus on cutting-edge issues in couple and family therapy including social justice, power, and privilege in therapy, the role of evidence-based practices, and integrative approaches to couple and family therapy. Each contributor is either a recent immigrant to the U.S. or a person of color, bringing unique personal lenses and experiences to the exploration of the topics. And coverage also makes clear what white therapists need to learn—and unlearn—before they can work responsively with clients of color. This practice-building reference: Combines research with applied knowledge in its treatment of topics.Adapts systemic therapy practice into today’s culturally diverse contexts.Explores themes of power, privilege, and social justice in each chapter.Presents multiculturalism in terms of therapeutic responsiveness.Critiques approaches to systemic therapy with immigrant clients and clients of color.Challenges readers to access deeper concepts and realities of self, other, and trust.Updating familiar takes on cultural competence with both local and global implications, Cross-Cultural Responsiveness and Systemic Therapy describes numerous opportunities for and challenges to couple and family therapy, as well as cross-disciplinary opportunities for incorporating social justice and cultural responsiveness in training and supervision of couple and family therapists.
Cross Roads: A Short Story Collection
by Val McDermidAvailable in ebook for the first time ever, this duo of classic short stories by Sunday Times number one bestseller, Val McDermid - Driving a Hard Bargain, The Road & the Miles to Dundee - brings back the popular Kate Brannigan and shows a different side of her writing. In Driving a Hard Bargain, PI Kate Brannigan investigates a car theft with a twist.In The Road & the Miles to Dundee, a moving father-daughter relationship is remembered through Scottish songs.
Crosses
by Shelley StoehrAn ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Quick Pick, and an ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Young Readers Nancy and Katie are best friends with one big thing in common--they both cut themselves: "Not by accident, we do it purposely--and regularly--because physical pain is comforting, and because now it has become a habit." Crosses was the first novel for young adults to deal with an increasingly widespread disorder, and "graphically describes the cry for help of many adolescents and how far they have to fall before they are even noticed" (Voice of Young Adults).
The Crossing
by Andrew MillerAndrew Miller's The Crossing is a fascinating modern tale of a brave and uncompromising woman's attempt to seize control of her life and fate. Who else has entered Tim's life the way Maud did? This girl who fell past him, lay seemingly dead on the ground, then stood and walked. That was where it all began. He wants her—wants to rescue her, to reach her. Yet there is nothing to suggest Maud has any need of him, that she is not already complete. A woman with a talent for survival, who works long hours and loves to sail—preferably on her own. When Maud finds her unfulfilling mariage tested to the breaking point by unspeakbale tragedy, she attempts an escape from her husband and the hypocrisies of society. In her quest she will encounter the impossible and push her mind and body to their limit. A wise and thrilling portrait of an irreducible heroine who asks no permission and begs no pardon, the book will resonate with sophisticated female readers, of whom there are many. Those who read and adored the Ferrante stories will find in The Crossing a truth that's absent from most contemporary literature.
The Crossing: A Novel (Hq Digital Ser.)
by Jason MottStay and die, or run and survive.Twins Virginia and Tommy Matthews have been on their own since they were orphaned at the age of five, surviving a merciless foster care system by relying on each other. Twelve years later, the world begins to collapse around them as a deadly contagion steadily wipes out entire populations and a devastating world war rages on. When Tommy is drafted for the war, the twins are faced with a choice: accept their fate of almost certain death, or dodge the draft. Virginia and Tommy flee into the dark night.Armed with only a pistol and their fierce will to survive, the twins set forth in search of a new beginning. Encountering a colorful cast of characters along the way, Tommy and Virginia must navigate the dangers and wonders of this changed world as they try to outrun the demons of their past.With deft imagination and breathless prose, The Crossing is a riveting tale of loyalty, sacrifice and the burdens we carry with us into the darkness of the unknown.
The Crossing
by Gary PaulsenFrom the Newbery Award–winning, New York Times–bestselling author of Northwind. “A stark, moving portrait of Mexican poverty and street life.” —School Library JournalFourteen-year-old Manny is an orphan in Juarez, Mexico. He competes with his bigger, meaner rivals for the coins American tourists throw off the bridge between Texas and his town. Across that heavily guarded bridge await a different world and a better existence.On the night when Manny dares the crossing—through the muddy shallows of the Rio Grande, past the searchlights and the border patrol—the young man encounters an old stranger who could prove to be an ally or an enemy. Manny can’t tell for certain. But if he is to achieve his dream, then he must be willing to risk everything—even his life.“Paulsen . . . is skilled at pace, incident and characterization, and he uses them to pull the reader to the memorable—and powerful—last scene . . . A book for older children and teenagers who will not want to put it down.” —Kirkus Reviews “Any work by such a proficient writer, who invokes a powerful sense of the tragic in readers young and old, is welcome indeed.” —Publishers Weekly
Crossing Into Brooklyn
by Mary Ann McguiganTo Find Your Future, You Have to Face Your PastAt sixteen, Morgan Lindstrum has the life that every other girl wants--at least from the outside. A privileged only child, she has everything she could ever want, except her parents' attention. A Princeton physicist and a high-powered executive, they barely have any time for each other, much less for Morgan. Then her beloved grandfather dies, depriving Morgan of the only stable figure in her life. If that's not enough, she suddenly finds out he was never her grandfather at all. To find out the truth about her family, Morgan makes her way to Brooklyn, where she meets Terence Mulvaney, the Irish immigrant father who her mother disowned. Morgan wants answers; but instead of just satisfying her curiosity, Mulvaney shows her the people in his condemned tenement building, who are suffering and have nowhere to go. He challenges her to help them, by tearing away the veil of shame, and showing her wealthy parents and her advantaged circle of friends a world they don't want to know exists. The temptation to walk away from this ugly reality, as her mother did, is strong. But if she does, can Morgan ever really leave behind what she learned when she crossed into Brooklyn?
Crossing Into Brooklyn
by Mary Ann McguiganTo Find Your Future, You Have to Face Your PastAt sixteen, Morgan Lindstrum has the life that every other girl wants--at least from the outside. A privileged only child, she has everything she could ever want, except her parents' attention. A Princeton physicist and a high-powered executive, they barely have any time for each other, much less for Morgan. Then her beloved grandfather dies, depriving Morgan of the only stable figure in her life. If that's not enough, she suddenly finds out he was never her grandfather at all. To find out the truth about her family, Morgan makes her way to Brooklyn, where she meets Terence Mulvaney, the Irish immigrant father who her mother disowned. Morgan wants answers; but instead of just satisfying her curiosity, Mulvaney shows her the people in his condemned tenement building, who are suffering and have nowhere to go. He challenges her to help them, by tearing away the veil of shame, and showing her wealthy parents and her advantaged circle of friends a world they don't want to know exists. The temptation to walk away from this ugly reality, as her mother did, is strong. But if she does, can Morgan ever really leave behind what she learned when she crossed into Brooklyn?
Crossing Into Brooklyn
by Mary Ann McguiganTo Find Your Future, You Have to Face Your PastAt sixteen, Morgan Lindstrum has the life that every other girl wants--at least from the outside. A privileged only child, she has everything she could ever want, except her parents' attention. A Princeton physicist and a high-powered executive, they barely have any time for each other, much less for Morgan. Then her beloved grandfather dies, depriving Morgan of the only stable figure in her life. If that's not enough, she suddenly finds out he was never her grandfather at all. To find out the truth about her family, Morgan makes her way to Brooklyn, where she meets Terence Mulvaney, the Irish immigrant father who her mother disowned. Morgan wants answers; but instead of just satisfying her curiosity, Mulvaney shows her the people in his condemned tenement building, who are suffering and have nowhere to go. He challenges her to help them, by tearing away the veil of shame, and showing her wealthy parents and her advantaged circle of friends a world they don't want to know exists. The temptation to walk away from this ugly reality, as her mother did, is strong. But if she does, can Morgan ever really leave behind what she learned when she crossed into Brooklyn?
Crossing Jordan (Neighborhood Novels Ser. #1)
by Adrian FogelinThis moving, coming-of-age story follows a young white girl who overcomes family prejudice and cultural differences when she befriends a black girl in a small working-class town Twelve-year-old Cassie narrates the dramatic events that unfold when Jemmie, an African-American girl, and her family move in next door. Despite their parents&’ deeply held prejudice against each other&’s family—exemplified by the fence Cassie&’s father builds between their two houses—the girls find they share more similarities than differences. Mutual interests in reading and running draw them together, and their wariness of each other disappears. But when their parents find out about the burgeoning friendship, each girl is forbidden to see the other. A family crisis and celebration provide opportunities for the families to reach an understanding. Author Adrian Fogelin addresses the complex issues of bigotry and tolerance with sensitivity and intelligence. Readers will find her story of how two adolescent girls, through their own example, teach racial tolerance to the adults in a small Florida town powerful and compelling.
Crossing the Bridge (The Hearts of Men)
by Lou AronicaA moving and insightful novel about an impossible love triangle by the &“exceptionally gifted,&” New York Times–bestselling author of Anything (Fresh Fiction). Hugh Penders has been stuck in neutral for nearly a decade since his brother, Chase, died in an accident. He carries with him two secrets that he&’s never been able to share with anyone: that he believes he might have been able to prevent the tragedy, and that he was deeply in love with Chase&’s girlfriend, Iris. When Hugh&’s father suffers a debilitating heart attack, Hugh must return to the New England home he&’s been running away from for the past ten years. One day, he encounters Iris—who has long since moved away—on the street. They begin a friendship, and Hugh believes he&’s falling in love with Iris all over again. But the ghost of Chase haunts them both. And when each reveals a truth the other never knew, their lives, their visions of Chase, and their chances for a future together will change forever, in this soulful, romantic novel charged by the power of desire and the impact of loss. &“A joy to read.&” —Long and Short Reviews &“This emotional story is about a man coming to terms with his past and trying to figure out his future. Excellent.&” —RT Book Reviews
Crossing the City
by Michel Tremblay Sheila FischmanThe story continues ... The second in Michel Tremblay's new series of novels presents two very different lives. We meet Maria as she leaves the city of Providence, Rhode Island, pregnant and alone. Two years later, we also meet Maria's older daughter, Rhéauna, as she disembarks the train at Windsor Station, having crossed the continent from her grandparents' farm in Saskatchewan, called home to Montreal to care for her one-year-old baby brother, Théo, while Maria works.Along the way, Crossing the City affectionately and accurately depicts Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood at the beginning of the last century. Readers will delight in the small details of description, and Tremblay fans will revel in the backstory to the characters of his great Chronicles of Plateau Mont-Royal, particularly of his mother, celebrated as Nana throughout his work, including as his famous Fat Woman next door. In this novel, Nana is the young Rhéauna, reunited with her mother, Maria, for better or for worse.Crossing the City continues the Desrosiers Diaspora novel series.
Crossing the Continent
by Michel Tremblay Sheila FischmanBorn in Providence, Rhode Island, to a Cree mother and a French father, Réauna, affectionately known throughout Tremblay's work as "Nana," was sent with her two younger sisters, Béa and Alice, to be raised on her maternal grandparents' farm in Sainte-Maria-de-Saskatchewan, a francophone Catholic enclave of two hundred souls. At the age of ten, amid swaying fields of wheat under the idyllic prairie sky of her loving foster family, Nana is suddenly told by her mother, whom she hasn't seen in five years and who now lives in Montreal, to come "home" and help take care of her new baby brother.So it is that Nana, with her faint recollection of the smell of the sea, embarks alone on an epic journey by train through Regina, Winnipeg, and Ottawa, on which she encounters a dizzying array of strangers and distant relatives, including Ti-Lou, the "she-wolf of Ottawa."To our delight, Michel Tremblay here takes his readers outside Quebec for the first time, on a quintessential North American journey - it is 1913, at a time of industry and adventure, when crossing the continent was an enterprise undertaken by so many, young and old, from myriads of cultures, unimpeded by the abstractly constructed borders and identities that have so fractured our world of today.This, the first in Tremblay's series of "crossings" novels, provides us with the back-story to the characters of his great Chronicles of Plateau Mont-Royal, particularly of his mother, "The Fat Woman Next Door ..." and his maternal grandmother, who, though largely uneducated, was a voracious reader and introduced him to the world of reading and books, including Tintin adventure comics, mass-market novels, and The Inn of the Guardian Angel, which fascinated the young Tremblay with its sections of dramatic dialogue, inspiring the many great plays he would eventually write.
Crossing the Line
by Lauren Baratz-LogstedThe only way to come clean with everyone you've lied to- and if you've lied to nearly everyone in your life--is to come clean all at once. So what did I do? I threw a party, a New Year's Day party to launch my new life. And so Jane Taylor comes clean. In fact, the new, wiser and gentler Jane tries to legally adopt the baby she found abandoned in a basket on Christmas Eve, Emma-who happens to be black. Amid rigorous interviews with the well-packaged caseworker from Social Services, and trying to explain to the rest of the world (namely her mother) how Emma came about, Jane decides that giving Emma a strong cultural heritage is first up on her list of mommy duties. She manages to befriend a woman who invites Jane and Emma to her all-black play group. Never one to walk the straight path, Jane navigates motherhood (and racial identity) with aplomb- much to the surprise of her friends and family. Satirical, sassy and sometimes serious, Crossing the Line dares to delve into the unconventional world of familial and found relationships. In The Thin Pink Line, Jane draws a line that changes her life forever; here, she crosses the line--between singlehood and motherhood,between black and white, between what's expected and what's due.
Crossing the River: A Life in Brazil
by Amy RagsdaleOverwhelmed with her fast-paced, competitive lifestyle, Amy Ragsdale moved with her husband, writer Peter Stark, and their two teenage children from the US to a small town in northeastern Brazil, where she hoped they would learn the value of a slower life. In this culturally rich and economically poor region, Amy and her family learn to fundamentally connect with their neighbors across language and customs. In the year they spend there, Amy grows close to her new neighbors, from the men who cut sugar cane to the clinical university students, as they became the family's guides to Brazilian life.Elegantly written and vibrant in detail, Crossing the River tells a global story through a personal memoir, examining life without the trappings of modern American culture, and revealing surprising truths about identity, family, and love.
Crossing the Stream
by Elizabeth-Irene Baitie"A powerful coming-of-age story of self-discovery and overcoming fear.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review Ato hasn’t visited his grandmother’s house since he was seven. He’s heard the rumors that she’s a witch, and his mother has told him he must never sit on the old couch on her porch. Now here he is, on that exact couch, with a strange-looking drink his grandmother has given him, wondering if the rumors are true. What’s more, there’s a freshly dug hole in her yard that Ato suspects may be a grave meant for him. Meanwhile at school, Ato and his friends have entered a competition to win entry to Nnoma, the island bird sanctuary that Ato’s father helped created. But something is poisoning the community garden where their project is housed, and Ato sets out to track down the culprit. In doing so, he brings his estranged mother and grandmother back together, and begins healing the wounds left on the family by his father’s death years before. And that hole in the yard? It is a grave, but not for the purpose Ato feared, and its use brings a tender, celebratory ending to this deeply felt and universal story of healing and love from one of Ghana’s most admired children’s book authors.
Crossing the Street: A Novel
by Molly D. CampbellThis wasn’t the way Beck Throckmorton had planned it. She wasn’t expecting to find herself in her thirties writing erotica and making flat whites for a living while she stewed over that fact that her ex had wound up with her sister. She never saw herself living in a small suburban Ohio town with an octogenarian neighbor best friend. And she definitely wouldn’t have imagined the eight-year-old great-granddaughter of that friend turning her world upside down. As summer comes around, Beck’s life is unsettled in every way. And that’s before the crazy stuff starts: the sister taunting her with her pregnancy, the infuriatingly perfect boyfriend, the multiple trips to the emergency room. The needy, wise-beyond-her-years little girl finding places in her heart that Beck didn’t even know existed. Beck has found herself at an emotional intersection she never anticipated. And now it’s time to cross the street. CROSSING THE STREET is a funny, touching novel that brims life’s complexities. Filled with characters both distinctive and welcomingly familiar, it is a story that will entertain and enlighten. “Hilarious and full of heartwarming, familial honesty, Molly’s latest was a joy to read.” – Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet “Molly Campbell writes with such compassion, wit, and humor that you can't help but fall in love with Beck and, of course, the spunky, intuitive, brilliant Bob. Crossing the Street is completely heart-wrenching with an ending that will make you ugly-cry.” – Katie Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Binds that Tie “A gem of a novel about being open to life and its possibilities when you just don’t wanna. Campbell serves up the mysteries of yearning, envy, and female desire with a perfect side of tenderness and wit.” – Karen Karbo, award-winning author of the New York Times Notable Book The Diamond Lane
Crossing the Tracks
by Barbara StuberAt fifteen, Iris is a hobo of sorts -- no home, no family, no direction. After her mother's early death, Iris's father focuses on big plans for his new shoe stores and his latest girlfriend, and has no time for his daughter. Unbeknownst to her, he hires Iris out as housekeeper and companion for a country doctor's elderly mother. Suddenly Iris is alone, stuck in gritty rural Missouri, too far from her only friend Leroy and too close to a tenant farmer, Cecil Deets, who menaces the neighbors and, Iris suspects, his own daughter. Iris is buoyed by the warmth and understanding the doctor and his mother show her, but just as she starts to break out of her shell, tragedy strikes. Iris must find the guts and cunning to take aim at the devil incarnate and discover if she is really as helpless--or as hopeless--as she once believed. Lyrical, yet humorous, Barbara Stuber's debut novel is the unforgettable story of a girl who struggles to cast aside her long-standing grief and doubt and, in the span of one dusty summer, learn to trust, hope, and--ultimately--love.