The loss of a loved one can lead people to question life and its purpose, and that is never truer than when a loved one is taken at a young age and unexpectedly. After Laura Hayden’s husband, Larry, died suddenly at the young age of forty-nine when he did not survive a preemptive surgery intended to prolong his life, Laura struggled to carry on but found her strength in needing to be there for her young son and daughter. The story of how this family worked through their grief is told in Laura Hayden’s new memoir, "Staying Alive: A Love Story."

Travel back in time to New York City and life at The Plaza

Religion conquers all

In his own words

Vladimir Shvartsman, author, inventor, and artist, has brought together many aspects of his varied and interesting life in his new book, "How to Paint Chickens and Other Stories." The book includes stories he has written over the last twenty years that provide a glimpse into the spiritual world of a contemporary thinker. Living half of his life in Communist Russia expanded Shvartsman’s awareness of reality, and his move to the United States provided him with new opportunities, as well as interesting experiences, all of which he details in his new book.

Accomplished MMA fighter and award-winning writer Cameron Conaway presents in "Caged" the true story of a young man who overcomes a family background and his own inner torment by learning to channel his frustrations into the physical world of mixed martial arts fighting and the cerebral world of poetry and writing. It teaches the value of personal reflection, how life's most painful moments can lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of human nature, and just what is possible when optimism and determination combine to overcome tough odds. "Caged" shows how the pursuit of two seemingly disparate passions helped a struggling boy blossom into a simple man. The result is a literary and lyrical philosophical journey into the heart and mind of a modern-day warrior.

The Herstory of Elena

"Iraq Through a Bullet Hole" is a unique on-the-ground account of a country shattered. Iraqi playwright Issam Jameel returned to Iraq after a 12-year exile. Giving up the relative safety of Jordan, he made a perilous journey to Baghdad for a reunion. Unfortunately, the reason for his trip was to grieve for his nephew, recently killed by American forces while guarding an Iraq parliament member from insurgents. Jameel also mourns the loss of a formerly secular civil society replaced by vehement sectarianism, intolerance, and ignorance. Basic human needs like food, water, and power have become an endless daily struggle amidst the shards of infrastructure. Routine tasks, such as selling a house or getting a job are fraught with peril as old scores continue to be settled on religious, ethnic, and political fronts. Everywhere he turns, people are desperate to leave, but fear for the worst. After escaping this madness, he recorded his eyewitness report, desperate to provide an honest and impartial tale of an epic tragedy which has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced many more.

Even after much research scientists still do know exactly what causes juvenile diabetes but they do believe it could be a compromised autoimmune system, genetic, or environmental factors that are involved. Author Jacquie Lewis-Camp was diagnosed with this disease at the age of seven in 1969.

ISBN 9781432751494