Beyond My Story I Am

Hi, I'm Roxie. A dog. The short stories in this book share life as I see it from my paws and through my eyes. Hopefully, my observations will help you on your journey. The biggest lesson I have learned is this: We all must learn to move beyond the biscuit-beyond immediate gratification-and discover the clues, lessons, and opportunities that surround us. To do that, though, we must pay attention. I focus on where I am. The smells in front or to the side of me or the cool beach sand beneath my body. If a cat is nearby, I want to go up and get to know it. Of course, they ignore me. That's another story. Every time I smell, stare at, or paw something, there is a reason. In part, this book will allow you to pause and reflect on your present moments. I hope my simple stories and insights will motivate you to ask deeper questions about your stories and to reflect on the who, what, why, and where of your purpose. My person, Steve, and I found each other for a greater reason than giving me a place to sleep and eat. You will learn that as the relationship I have with Steve continues to develop so does our purpose. It continues to evolve as I believe it does for all of us-canines and humans.I am a work in progress. And so is Steve. And so are you. I offer a hearty "Woof!" to all of us as we slow down, move beyond the biscuit, and embrace the wonders life has to offer.

At age fifty-nine, author C. Hawks feels like she is on the brink of brokenness and embarks on a ninety-two-day sojourn that takes her to quaint, often non-English-speaking, European villages. Beyond My Story is a deeply honest memoir about the author’s journey of healing, introspection, and insight into the power that our stories hold. Hawks demonstrates an ability to boldly look within and to greet her own ego and shadow self. In her pursuit of desperately needed rest, nourishment, and revitalization, she trudges her way through the story she has been living and examines the consciousness that has shaped her story. She blazes a trail for any woman courageous enough, broken enough, or desperate enough to follow. A deeply reflective journey, Beyond My Story teaches us how to open our own doors to awareness and higher consciousness. With its twists, turns, and often comedic encounters, this memoir reflects Hawks’s belief that the world needs more of our feminine energy and that it needs us to be nourished, healed, and self-aware. This is a must-read for every woman who has ever wondered, “Why am I?”

Sarah, Duchess of York, known affectionately to millions around the world as Fergie, tells of her divorce from Prince Andrew, along with the frustrations, humiliations, and occasional joys of her life as a Windsor.

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.

Beyond the Story: American Literary Fiction and the Limits of Materialism argues that theology is crucial to understanding the power of contemporary American stories. By drawing on the theories of M. M. Bakhtin, Christian personalism, and contemporary phenomenology, Lake argues that literary fiction activates an irreducibly personal intersubjectivity between author, reader, and characters. Stories depend on a dignity-granting valuation of the particular lives of ordinary people, which is best described as an act of love that mirrors the love of the divine. Through original readings of the fiction of Philip Roth, Cormac McCarthy, Lydia Davis, Toni Morrison, and others, Lake enters into a dialogue with postsecular theory and cognitive literary studies to reveal the limits of sociobiology’s approach to culture. The result is a book that will remind readers how storytelling continually reaffirms the transcendent value of human beings in an inherently personal cosmos. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of theology and literary studies, as well as a broad audience of readers seeking to engage on a deeper level with contemporary literature.

When Ivan Godfrey began his career as a corrections officer in the New York State Corrections System, it was still reeling from the brutal retaliation to the prison riots at Attica. As a young African American, he grew up in the Bronx, then he worked in prisons, such as the notorious Sing-Sing Prison. In fact, Ivan often met inmates he knew on the streets from his New York City neighborhood. His memoir is a wonderful testament to his determination to strive for a better life and take care of his growing family while working in some of the most dangerous prisons in America. It is also a one-of-a-kind window into the life of a young Black prison guard as he struggled to climb the ladder of success despite inherent and overt racial barriers. Now he is an assistant professor, teaching criminal justice and behavioral science at SUNY Ulster CC, forensic mental health at Russell Sage College, and forensic social work and the criminal justice system at the University at Albany School of Social Welfare. Dr. Ivan Godfrey's memoir is an inspiring journey from the streets of the Bronx to the daily psychological and physical violence while working for over twenty years in the NY State Correction System and finally to the halls of academia.

"I cannot guarantee that I will be the person you want in your life, but I will do everything in my power to be the person you need." Elara Dunlin never imagined how much her life would change after moving across the country at the start of her senior year of high school. Who is the mysterious man with the deep blue eyes that follows her everywhere she goes? Strange events begin to unfold, causing Elara to question her own reality. The predictable and simple life she has always known dramatically changes on one cold, fateful night...the night when the elusive blue-eyed man finally approaches her directly and shares information that completely turns her world upside down. Eventually Elara realizes that she has to tell her only friend, Cyrus, the truth about the mysterious visitor. Will he believe any of it? The elusive man continues to reveal dark secrets about her troubled past, adding a new dimension to their growing relationship. Is she willing to place all of her trust in this one person who pushes her physically and emotionally farther than she ever thought possible? He had warned Elara that her life would change forever, but does she have the courage to move forward?

THE FIRST EVER OFFICIAL BOOK— Published in celebration of BTS’s 10th Anniversary, stories that go beyond what you already know about BTS, including unreleased photos and all album information. After taking their first step into the world on June 13, 2013, BTS will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut in June 2023. They have risen to the peak as an iconic global artist and during this meaningful time, they look back on their footsteps in the first official book. In doing so, BTS nurtures the power to build brighter days and they choose to take another step on a road that no one has gone before. BTS shares personal, behind-the-scenes stories of their journey so far through interviews and more than three years of in-depth coverage by Myeongseok Kang, who has written about K-pop and other Korean pop culture in various media. Presented chronologically in seven chapters from before the debut of BTS to the present, their vivid voices and opinions harmonize to tell a sincere, lively, and deep story. In individual interviews that have been conducted without a camera or makeup, they illuminate their musical journey from multiple angles and discuss its significance. In addition, portrait photos that show BTS as individuals and artists open the book, and throughout there are concept photos, tracklists of all previous albums, and over 330 links to videos. As digital artists, BTS has been communicating with the world through the internet and this book allows readers to immediately access trailers, music videos, and more online to have a rich understanding of all the key moments in BTS history. Complete with a timeline of all major milestones, BEYOND THE STORY is a remarkable archive—truly everything about BTS in one volume.

The harrowing true story of abduction and survival from the courageous young woman who lived it—now the subject of a Lifetime original movie, I Am Elizabeth Smart. In this memoir, Elizabeth Smart reveals how she survived and the secret to forging a new life in the wake of a brutal crime. On June 5, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the daughter of a close-knit Mormon family, was taken from her home in the middle of the night by religious fanatic Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. Elizabeth was kept chained, dressed in disguise, repeatedly raped, and told she and her family would be killed if she tried to escape. After her rescue on March 12, 2003, she rejoined her family and worked to pick up the pieces of her life. With My Story, Elizabeth tells of the constant fear she endured every hour, her courageous determination to maintain hope, and how she devised a plan to manipulate her captors and convinced them to return to Utah, where she was rescued minutes after arriving. Smart explains how her faith helped her stay sane in the midst of a nightmare and how she found the strength to confront her captors at their trial and see that justice was served. In the years after her rescue, Smart transformed from victim to advocate, traveling the country and working to educate, inspire and foster change. She has created a foundation to help prevent crimes against children and is a frequent public speaker. She and her husband, Matthew Gilmour, now have two children.

Everyone thinks 17-year-old Sara has attempted suicide more than once, but Sara knows the truth: her shadow is trying to kill her.