In a brilliant, original rendition, Monsters of the Gévaudan revisits a spellbinding French tale that has captivated imaginations for over two hundred years, and offers the definitive explanation of the strange events that underlie this timeless story.In 1764 a peasant girl was killed and partially eaten while tending a flock of sheep. Eventually, over a hundred victims fell prey to a mysterious creature, or creatures, whose cunning and deadly efficiency terrorized the reg...

In 2010 allegations of an utterly corrupt academic system for student-athletes emerged from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus, home of the legendary Tar Heels. As the alma mater of Michael Jordan, Larry Brown, Marion Jones, Lawrence Taylor, Rashad McCants, and many others; winner of forty national championships in six different sports; and a partner in one of the best rivalries in sports, UNC–Chapel Hill is a world-famous colossus of college athletics. In the wake of t...

Great statesmen and gentlemen, men of honor and rank, seem to be phenomena of a bygone Aristocratic era. Aristocracies, which emphasize rank, and value difference, quality, beauty, rootedness, continuity, stand in direct contrast to democracies, which value equality, autonomy, novelty, standardization, quantity, utility and mobility. Is there any place for aristocratic values and virtues in the modern democratic social and political order? This volume consists of essays by political theori...

Set against the very real refugee crisis on the beautiful, sun-drenched Greek islands, Fire on the Island paints a nuanced and loving portrait of a community in crisis while shedding light on the challenges of life in contemporary Greece.After a string of mysterious fires breaks out on a small Greek island, undercover FBI agent Nick Damigos arrives to investigate, showing up just in time to save a beloved truffle-sniffing dog from the most recent inferno. ...

"Istanbul Crossing" is not just a thriller but a powerful exploration of identity, courage, and the human spirit. Smith's ability to weave a narrative that is both thrilling and deeply humane makes this novel a standout read.— Alan Warren, bestselling author and host of House of Mystery and Inside Writing radio shows.In this coming-of-age literary thriller, Ahdaf, a gay Syrian refugee, after watching his c...

In Pea, Bee & Jay: The Big Bully, when the roll gets bumpy...these friends stay the course!Pea, Bee, & Jay are searching for treasure when a great big pumpkin storms over and bullies Jay into giving up his very shiny pebble—not cool, Pumpkin.But when they band together to prove that being big doesn’t mean you get to push others around, the trio discovers that Pumpkin's got some extra-large ...

Get ready to roll with Pea, Bee, & Jay in thisbrand-new early reader graphic novel series by Brian “Smitty” Smith, perfectfor fans of Narwhal & Jelly, emerging readers, and comic lovers alike!Like all peas, Pea loves to roll. So when a no-goodstrawberry dares him to roll all the way off the farm, he swears he can do it—eazyme-zee!But along the way, a powerful thunderstorm strikes andbounc...

In "American Historical and Literary Curiosities: Second Series, Complete," J. Jay Smith presents a captivating compilation that stitches together the rich tapestry of American literary history and intriguing anecdotes. Written in a meticulous and engaging style, this work explores the lesser-known tales and curiosities that have shaped American literature, drawing on a wide array of sources from the colonial period to the 19th century. Smith's carefully curated collection not only enterta...

Data science has never had more influence on the world. Large companies are now seeing the benefit of employing data scientists to interpret the vast amounts of data that now exists. However, the field is so new and is evolving so rapidly that the analysis produced can be haphazard at best. The 9 Pitfalls of Data Science shows us real-world examples of what can go wrong. Written to be an entertaining read, this invaluable guide investigates the all too common mistakes of data scie...

Get ready to roll with Pea, Bee, & Jay in thisbrand-new early reader graphic novel series by Brian “Smitty” Smith, perfectfor fans of Narwhal & Jelly, emerging readers, and comic lovers alike!Who knew being queen could sting so much? All Bee reallywants to do is play with her two best friends, Pea and Jay. But whenshe’s replaced by Lenny**—an ambitious bee hungry for power—**asqueen of her hive, the frien...

Examining the First World War through the lens of the American SouthHow did World War I affect the American South? Did southerners experience the war in a particular way? How did regional considerations and, more generally, southern values and culture impact the wider war effort? Was there a distinctive southern experience of WWI?Scholars considered these questions during “Dixie’s Great War,” a symposium held at the University of Alabama in October 2017 to ...

Narrating Midlife: Crisis, Transition, and Transformation is rooted in a discussion about why it is important to address the midlife years in ways that challenge and interrogate the myths that surround this phase of life. Although readers are free to construct their own meaning after reading each narrative, they are encouraged to attend to the ways in which each narrative reveals how the author grapples with their particular issues communicatively. More important, readers are invited to se...