On a late April day in 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Kleiborn walked into Columbine High School and killed 12 of their classmates. On a late April day in 2007, college student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 of his classmates.In 2009, two radically different books addressing these mass-killings were released, David Cullen's "Columbine" and Lucinda Roy's "No Right to Remain Silent."

An academic essay exploring an unlikely theory as to the creation of sex offenders and serial killers: Sex offenders are more likely to appear normal as to be able to blend in with the general population and facilitate their hunt for victims. Far from always coming from broken homes (the mythic "breakdown of the American family"), they frequently come from apparently normal social environments, which is how they learn how to put on a facade of normalcy to the outside world.

This is brief essay criticism of Bill Cosby's bizarre comments. It charts how he went from being a beloved comedian and "America's dad" to a fringe character who, despite his good intentions, comes across as a loon. Cosby favors superficial changes over addressing the larger problems of the black community, with humor that largely misses the mark....

With depth and humor, novelist J. Richard Singleton describes how he dealt with the ennui after high school and looked for a job during one of the darker periods of his life.

An essay detailing the benefits and drawbacks of Walt Disney's affect on animation, and childrens' fiction and cinema. The author outlines how Disney the man and the corporation revolutionalized childrens' entertainment and animation, with the unexpected drawback of wounding traditional folk tales and mass-marketing childhood to create a shared experience as consumers.

He was a nice young man, eager to enter high school with his whole life ahead of him as he approached the closing days of junior high--until the most popular girl in school, Dina Rigby, sets him up for a public act of sexual humiliation. Vowing revenge, he concocts an increasingly elaborate plan for revenge, ultimately reaching its crescendo towards high school graduation.

In the green, health-conscious near future, an already wealthy man eagerly anticipates the results of a block lottery. Watching on his massive holoscreen, he weighs the value of his life up until now and the quality of his marriage, knowing that everything will change if he wins. This is a short story which dares to ask: How much is enough?

EVER BEEN DUMPED!?!After being brutally ditched by his girlfriend, high school senior Seth decides to win back ex Lysandra by reinventing himself into the man he has always wanted to be by fulfilling his childhood dreams and wishes. With the assistance of his, well, quirky best friend Russ and his platonic guy-girlfriend, Anna, his senior year becomes one of adventure and self-realization in this hilarious original screenplay by J. Richard Singleton.

From award-winning writer J. Richard Singleton comes a bold and funny short story about misunderstandings and male ego:Gary McGregor has just moved from the city to the suburbs and immediately runs afoul of longtime neighborhood presence Antonin Robertson. As small slights get expanded into an ever increasingly series of pranks, the men's feud gradually turn violent in this story told in reve

The American Civil War was a crucible of conflicting ideals, fierce combat, and defining moments that continue to shape the nation's identity. Yet behind every battle map and famous general's portrait stood countless ordinary men, called from their farms, workshops, and city streets to don uniforms. Meanwhile, the testimonies of commanding officers shed strategic insight on the human cost of this monumental conflict. Their experiences, from the harsh realities of frontline warfare to momen...

LIVE YOUR LIFE IN THE FOREGROUND!!!Soon after high school, writer J. Richard Singleton works as a film/television extra and paid audience member. In this humorous essay, he recounts how he realized that there really are small roles in Hollywood--along the way encountering strange characters and some odd interactions with celebrities.

Southerners should be proud of their ancestors who fought with great courage and sacrifice in the Civil War. This anthology is dedicated to the brave solders of the Rebellion. They are scorned in the pages of history books, but each and every one of them deserves our deepest respect and admiration. These courageous young men valiantly defended their homeland, fought bravely, and ultimately gave their lives for the land they were born in. These are not the rich plantation owners and politic...