They were just kids when Claudette McPhearson took them all in. Eight of them all together, all different races and ethnicities, but she loves them as her own. One woman has taught them how to love, trust, and respect one another. Claudette is their light at the end of a long, troublesome tunnel, and she shines so bright.Then, one dreadful day, it all comes to a crashing halt. Claudette is walking to the bus stop from the juvenile correction center where she volunteers her time, and...

Micro: The Invisible Empire reframes human history and the meaning of civilization through the lens of our oldest and most numerous companions: microbes. From shaping the rise and fall of empires through plagues, to guiding the evolution of bodies, cultures, and beliefs, microbes have been both adversary and ally. The book shows how they built the food we love, governed the pace of innovation, and forced societies to invent medicine, law, and ritual.Through pandemi...

The saying goes you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you, but maybe you should if that same hand prevents you from feeding yourself.Every territory has a king, and Metro Atlanta is no exception. Gang lords Blanket and Guerilla have been growing their numbers, never beefing until Guerilla decides to expand, thanks to the help of his enemy’s own rook. Caught in the middle of this battle from different sides of the track are London and Saint.Spoiled rich Roanoke girl London Ro...

Sixteen-year-old Diamond "Ray-Ray" Jenkins has it made in the shade, until one wrong move by her parents turns their lives upside down. Their secret of taking from the wrong street King in the Trap, Damien Orlando, has now put her in peril. The death of her parents signals an end to Diamond's semi-perfect life, putting her in the hands of evil. Her only salvation is to learn the game, and to put her trust in a kid wearing a hoodie. Trigga has been a survivor and a killer in the streets of ...

"Here's your chance to get up close and personal with an amazing collections of crazies!" - Quilter's Newsletter Magazine.Made from the finest silks, satins, and velvets and stitched together with elaborate embroidery, the crazy quilt is a testament to quilters’ rich imagination and artistry. This beautiful book traces the bewitching history of “Crazies” from their earliest origins to the present day. Distinguished quilting teacher and appraiser Cindy Brick follows the crazy quilt ...

Enzo and Angel are back and this time with avengeance. Micah was hell bent on forcing their hands and pushing them back into the lifestyle they'd left behind after Damien Orlando's demise. With time ticking away, along with Enzo's desire to keep his career and family intact, he will become the monster Micah accused him of being. Enzo will embrace the darkness that flows freely through his veins and make Micah rue the day he awakened the sleeping giant. With Angel by his side, she's ready t...

During British colonial rule in India, the treatment of high-caste Hindu widows became the subject of great controversy. Such women were not permitted to remarry and were offered two options: a life of seclusion and rigorous asceticism or death on the funeral pyre of a deceased husband. Was this a modern development, or did it date from the classical period? In this book, David Brick offers an exhaustive history of the treatment and status of widows under classical Hindu law, or Dharmasast...

We entered the age of accelerated biology imagining control. AI designs enzymes, robots run biofoundries, diagnostics and therapies arrive faster than our institutions can absorb. The world answers back. Rivers are not flasks. Ecosystems edit our edits. Societies fracture when fear outpaces trust. This book offers a map for moving fast without breaking what matters.Part I shows how to build humility into speed. Field trials need pre-aligned rails - clear thresholds...

When Claudette McPhearson died, she left eight foster children to fend for themselves after they discovered the truth about her secret life. She was the leader of the Syndicate, a criminal enterprise that had a stronghold on the underworld. Much to her children’s chagrin, it was up to one of them to step up and take the lead. Javon, her oldest and most trusted son, took on that mantle. It was a role he had never wanted, but with threats to his family coming from every direction, he had no ...

The saying goes you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you, but maybe you should if that same hand prevents you from feeding yourself.Every territory has a King and Metro Atlanta is no exception. They have two. Gang Lords Blanket and Guerilla have been ruling the game with iron fists. Long ago, they decided that neither would cross into the other's territory and all would be well. Things change when Guerilla breaks the rules. Blanket retaliates swiftly, causing a turf war like neve...

In Brick & Storm's Hood Misfits series, the motto is ENGA: Every nigga got an agenda, and in this tale, things are no different. Everyone has a secret. There were two things of which Auto, leader of the elusive Eraserheads, was certain: Code, his partner and best friend, had betrayed him, and Caltrone Orlando, the biggest crime lord in North America, had marked him and his team for death. Crossing Caltrone Orlando had come with a steep price. Auto had suffered fatal losses to his team and ...

“My husband was down on his knees, bloodied, battered, and beaten to the point he could barely hold himself up. He’d always been a warrior, my warrior. They would kill him, I knew that. I felt it with everything within me. My husband was going to die, and it was all my fault. . . .”Meet Marcel and Sabrina, a hitman and a bookkeeper for the Mob. The couple should have never met, let alone fallen in love. When they decide to go against the grain, all hell breaks loose. Somebody wants...