“When a writer sits down to write a blurb for another writer's work, there's an aching urge to craft a sentence or two that shows off his own prowess at the game of words. Same with me. Instead, for George Weinstein, for his Hardscrabble Road, I have six words: This is a damn good book.” – Sonny Brewer, author of The Poet of Tolstoy Park The entire MacLeod clan is haunted by secrets—and young Roger “Bud” MacLeod doesn’t realize he carries the biggest secret of all. Growing up poor in Depression-era South Georgia is hard enough, but Bud is also cursed with a stutter and a birthmark that disfigures his face. His hateful father and amoral mother make life worse still, despite his brothers’ efforts to shield him. To survive in body and soul, Bud must discover his strengths and confront the sins of his parents. First, though, he’ll need to grasp his own truth: that he can’t embrace his future until he comes to terms with his past. “Reading Hardscrabble Road is like discovering To Kill a Mockingbird when no one else knew about it. It has that kind of impact. But then this novel has such fascinating characters, such vivid descriptions of South Georgia during the Depression, and such an uplifting storyline, that one day it may also be considered a classic.” – Jackie K Cooper, author of Memory’s Mist, and critic for The Huffington Post "George Weinstein's authentic voice brings Bud MacLeod to life, a vivid character drawing me into his tough and tender Southern world. Bud fights to save his own soul with determination and heart. Hardscrabble Road is a bittersweet and gripping story that will steal your heart." – Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author “George Weinstein's Hardscrabble Road cinematically brings the Deep South of the 1930s and 1940s to life. You'll never forget Roger ‘Bud’ MacLeod.” – Jessica Handler, author of Invisible Sisters: A Memoir
“This profoundly told and splendidly written story of Bud MacLeod in his growing up days of the Depression in South Georgia, is one of the most engaging novels I’ve read in years. Rich in character—from Bud’s parents and siblings to his half-Japanese friend, Ry—Hardscrabble Road does what fine literature has always done: it reveals the tragedy and the tender hope of humanity. This is an effort to be celebrated.” – Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog and The Book of Marie

Hardscrabble Road

Literature & Fiction

Weinstein, George

United States

Southern Fried Karma, LLC

Lacrimosa (Shadows of the Mind)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Jourdan, Mandi

Thrillers & Suspense

A high achieving young man brimming with genius and incredible promise shockingly succumb to the devastation of depression and drug use. Starting with the day her son went missing, this is a true story of a mother's indescribable anguish and the esoteric spiritual experiences she underwent after his death. In an authentic and unwavering voice, she imparts her son's intimate story and offers real wisdom for others: To Understand-How depression affects an individual and a family, from both points of view To Feel and Empathize-What it is to struggle with drug use and addiction To Perceive-The unbearable pain that suicide leaves behind To be Encouraged-Insight into discerning our passed loved ones as animate spirits. Depression and suicide are ripping through communities in record numbers. Throwing It All Away gives an uninhibited look at one family's struggle with suicidal ideation and the mystery of peace after death.

Throwing It All Away: A Son's Suicide and a Mother's Search for Hope

Owen, Nina

Parenting & Relationships

A darkly hallucinogenic modern noir novel St. Catastrophe follows a twenty-something graduate student romp through comedy, crime, and a cult to rescue her childhood friend.

Saint Catastrophe

Humor & Entertainment

Jilek, Sarah

Humor

“An unflinching portrait of love, loyalty, and honor through three generations of a family fighting wars both international and interpersonal. An auspicious debut.”—Stephanie Feldman, author of The Angel of Losses\nAn impulsive couple searches for connection in a paradoxical world. Trapped by his own heroic heart, the romantic Dai leaps from a bridge, and Mara, his vulnerable lover, must find meaning in those who share their falling reality. They each are driven to confront cultural barriers and ancestral bonds in their quest for knowledge and their ardent journey toward the solace of love. Written with vibrant lyrical prose, Falling blends historical literary fiction with a frenzied contemporary tale revealing the unsettling questions that invariably simmer below the surface of all our lives.\n“Reminiscent of the best of Camus... Readers will find themselves engaged with the characters' conflicts around love, addiction, and family, and also Coxwell's exquisite prose.” —Joshua Isard, author of Conquistador of the Useless\n“Falling isn't just about what we do to get ourselves back up, it's a story about finding that person in our lives that catches us in mid-descent-holds on to us for dear life.” —Noah Renn, author of Sinking City\n“A multi-minded war romance that divides time loss into cut strips as fine as a Samurai's ōdachi sword. It is an homage to the least celebrated virtue: waiting.” —Jeffrey Hecker, author of Rumble Seat and Instructions for the Orgy

Falling

Coxwell, Rebekah

A remarkable young couple evolves amid the chaos of the early civil rights movement and the Vietnam Era. Against the strong objections of her wealthy parents, twenty-two-year-old Sarah Wentworth leaves Boston for a new home among black farming families in the Deep South. Smitten from the beginning, Emmett, lacking formal schooling but filled with natural wisdom, risk his reputation to support Sarah's work with the Sharecroppers Union. The resilient lovers combat the rampage of cross burnings vigilantes to defend the rights of the local black workers and build their own family. An inspiring historical novel, Tallapoosa portrays powerful personal journeys of triumphs and tragedies that offer keen insight into the battles still being fought today. &#65279;Born and raised in the post-World War II South, Mike Corwin grew up in a deeply-rooted racist society. The injustice of this dominates his writing. In Tallapoosa: A Southern Novel, he wants to share his respect for those brave individuals who faced life-threatening circumstances while doing what they saw as the right thing-individuals who put justice above all else. Authentic characters struggling with the moral questions of life are at the heart of Mike's writing. At the suggestion of his daughter, Mike switched from writing physics and astronomy textbooks and research articles to fiction. After retirement as a university professor he earned an MFA in Creative writing at Queens University of Charlotte. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Mike lives in North Carolina.

Tallapoosa: A Southern Novel

Corwin, Mike

Genre Fiction

Viral Literature: Alone Together in Georgia assembled 32 writers from Georgia's creative community to encounter the COVID-19 pandemic with the best of their art. Inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron, a collection of 100 stories told by ten young friends in seclusion from the 14th-century bubonic plague, this anthology shares fiction and memoir, verse and reflection from some of the best storytellers and poets in the state. Some of the work directly confronts the challenges of the global coronavirus health crisis in 2020, while others do not. But every entry circles the same theme, seen through the lens of observation and the filter of imagination: how we all deal with the isolation and transcendent camaraderie of our shared experience in Georgia, brought into focus by the pandemic of our time. Here, at the intersection of life and art, we may yet find needed perspective and meaning.

Viral Literature: Alone Together in Georgia

Ramsey, Clayton

Set in the rural south from 1950 to the present. A woman being raised by her great grandparents struggles to understand why her mother wants nothing to do with her. The family secret that she is unaware of and that dominates her life is that she was born of incestuous rape. (Her biological father is also her biological grandfather.) Her trials and those of her mother include the deaths of her beloved great-grandparents, foster care, an abusive marriage, drug and alcohol abuse, losing her own children to foster care, and attempts to build a relationships between each other. It is only after rebuilding her own life and her mother's death and that she learns the truth and comes to terms with the reality of a mother's love

MotherLove

Hogan Chapman, Janet

“Staci is brilliant. Her story is a megalithic guide to the path of change that we've all been looking for. I'll be rereading this a hundred times to take it all in!” Lisa Brotton, Co-Leader of Celebrate Recovery of Santa Fe\nHow do we break down the walls that separate us?In a time of social tension and political unrest, how can we be the light of the world, as Jesus called us to be?\nStaci Diffendaffer knows how unhealed wounds and cultural influence can condition us to place qualifications on the love we give. Through insightful storytelling, Staci poignantly shares how she developed a fearful life view, riddled with chronic anger and isolation. She candidly lays out the journey that led to healing and finding her way back to people.\nUnconditioned Love offers a timely message with practical solutions for creating a culture of grace and meaningful connection. Through this book, you'll discover: 
•Your pain-to-purpose redemption story•Your unique part in transforming culture•The keys to uprooting the mindsets that divide us\nStaci provides a courageous guide out of the cycle of pain and into wholeness. Healing hearts and minds takes place through the everyday actions of people who have learned the extraordinary power of Unconditioned Love.\n“In the same way there is no mountain top without a valley below, there is no healing and resurrection without pain and death. Everyone’s story is a comeback story and with courage and kindness, Staci tells of hers while inviting others to theirs.” Michael Thompson, author of "Search and Rescue: The Life and Love That is Looking for You”\n“If you want to be a world changer and love and value every person as a Child of God, this book is for you!”Marcus Lee, Bestselling Author of “Verified: Growing Into Your God-given Identity”\nThrough the love and guidance of Jesus Christ, Staci Diffendaffer overcame trauma, depression, and anxiety. After many years of various abuse, she developed a false belief that most men were a threat. God's transformational healing enabled her to forgive her assailants and stop categorizing people into "good" or "bad" based on past hurts. As a writer since a young age, Staci hopes to inspire her readers to create a compassionate culture that values every person, despite our differences. Her mission is to help readers better understand that their hardships can be a catalyst for a greater purpose.

Unconditioned Love: Healing Hearts and Minds in a Time of Conflict and Division

Diffendaffer, Staci

Religion & Spirituality

Use this book as a personal or group workbook using the READ3 framework to refine your personal manifesto - your own Declarations of Interdependence for yourself, your family, and your community

America Becoming: Framing Our Declaration of Interdependence

Education & Teaching

Uhrik, Lisa

Higher & Continuing Education

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