Race Against The Odds

Miss England II is the legendary record-breaking speedboat of the 1930s and is the first speedboat to cross the 100mph barrier. This book covers the story of this speedboat and includes facts and photographs of record-breaking history, motor-sport history, and British patriotic history.

The story of the only black driver to win a race in a NASCAR Grand National (Sprint Cup) Division.

A remarkable narrative of failure and redemption, the fiercely candid autobiography of the world's greatest jockey depicts not only the intense inside story of professional racing but his greatest victory of all--against himself.

In this key civil rights and social justice book for young readers, Scipio Africanus Jones—a self-taught attorney who was born enslaved—leads a momentous series of court cases to save twelve Black men who'd been unjustly sentenced to death. In October 1919, a group of Black sharecroppers met at a church in an Arkansas village to organize a union. Bullets rained down on the meeting from outside. Many were killed by a white mob, and others were rounded up and arrested. Twelve of the sharecroppers were hastily tried and sentenced to death. Up stepped Scipio Africanus Jones, a self-taught lawyer who'd been born enslaved. Could he save the men's lives and set them free? Through their in-depth research and consultation with legal experts, award-winning nonfiction authors Sandra and Rich Wallace examine the complex proceedings and an unsung African American early civil rights hero.

Life took Desmond "Coach Dez" Dunham down an unpaved path toward both manhood and coaching, testing his spirit, humility, and purpose. Now a nationally recognized high school coach, Running Against The Odds chronicles Dunham's journey to finding his passion within youth sports, culminating at the 2007 Penn Relays - one of the most defining moments of his illustrious running career. In this impassioned coming-of-age memoir, Dunham recounts his turbulent childhood, filled with challenges in economically-distressed Gary, Indiana. Despite constant rejection and disappointment from a distant, alcoholic father, Dunham persevered, attended Howard University, and found his passion on the track with key support along the way. From humble beginnings with the odds stacked against him, Dunham's story shows that underdogs prevail.

From the New York Times–bestselling “master of crime fiction and equine thrills,” a jockey turned investigator tackles crime in the horse racing world (Newsday). Dick Francis, Edgar Award–winning master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing. A hard fall took hotshot jockey Sid Halley out of the horse racing game, leaving him with a crippled hand, a broken heart, and the desperate need for a new job. Now he’s landed a position with a detective agency, only to catch a bullet from some common thug. And things are about to get even more hectic. The agency is giving him a case to handle on his own. The case brings him to the door of Zanna Martin, a woman who might be just what Sid needs to get him back up and running. But he’s up against a field of thoroughbred criminals, and the odds against him are making it a long shot that he’ll even survive . . . “Dick Francis is a wonder.” —The Plain Dealer “An imaginative craftsman of high order.” —The Sunday Times “Few things are more convincing than Dick Francis at a full gallop.” —Chicago Tribune “Few match Francis for dangerous flights of fancy and pure inventive menace.” —Boston Herald “[The] master of crime fiction and equine thrills.” —Newsday “[Francis] has the uncanny ability to turn out simply plotted yet charmingly addictive mysteries.” —The Wall Street Journal “Francis is a genius.” —Los Angeles Times “A rare and magical talent . . . who never writes the same story twice.” —The San Diego Union-Tribune

Against All Odds is the true story of Alan Nebauer's remarkable experiences in the 1994-95 BOC Around the World Race for single-handed sailors. Sailing as a Class II competitor aboard the 50-foot (15.2 m) Newcastle Australia, Alan Nebauer had to endure incredible difficulties in a race that lasted almost eight months and covered 27,000 nautical miles. This book recounts the author's rescue of a fellow English competitor, his experiences of being dismasted and rounding Cape Horn with a jury rig, and the loss of his rudder north of the Falkland Islands, sailing with a steering oar to Uruguay. Beyond this, it is a testament to Alan's extraordinary courage and determination in the face of overwhelming odds, and to his outstanding seamanship for which he deservedly won two awards. "Australian sailors, including Don McIntyre, David Adams, and others, have stamped an incredible imprint on the rich legacy of the classic BOC Challenge single-handed yacht race around the world. None, however, have faced the daunting obstacles Alan Nebauer confronted and overcame in his remarkable Newcastle Australia campaign. His first-hand account of his star-crossed voyage is a lesson in perseverance and, ultimately, a tale of triumph." Herb McCormick Executive Editor, Cruising World BOC Media Relations Manager "Sailing around Cape Horn under jury rig is like climbing Mount Everest in thongs. Alan's seamanship and tenacity is tremendous." David Adams Winner of Class II of the 1994-95 BOC Challenge and competitor in 1990-91 1995 Australian Yachtsman of the Year "Alan Nebauer's love of the sea and his determination not to be defeated by the challenges he faced in the world's most gruelling yacht race is positively contagious. The result is a page-turning thriller that those with an ounce of salt in their veins cannot afford to miss." Alan Lucas Circumnavigator and author

When Kim Hamilton rose to fame, she was anything but a typical world-class gymnast. She wasn't white, she didn't come from a middle-class family, and she was tall for a gymnast. But facing those obstacles was nothing compared To The challenges she faced at home. There, she tumbled in a secret world filled with drugs, violence, and financial strain. She met Unfavorable Odds but found hope by persevering through the pain. Here, Kim shares the techniques she learned to catapult herself from the past into the purpose God intended for her life.

The seven contributions contained in this collection address various forms of manumission throughout the American South as well as the Caribbean. Topics include color, class, and identity on the eve of the Haitian revolution; where free persons of color stood in the hierarchy of wealth in antebellum

While working for a financial consulting firm that offers insurance against catastrophic events, a young mathematician becomes increasingly obsessed with doomsday scenarios until one of his worst-case scenarios unfolds in Manhattan.