"John Young writes with the humor of David Sedaris and the insight and humanity of John Updike."?Aileen GreverThis often-comic novel is not 'Christian' or 'religious,' although the narrator is a 7-foot-tall minister … who becomes obsessed with growing the world's largest pumpkin.John Crackstone is cracking under the pressure of working with the wrong people in the wrong place. And he's aching for success.What begins as backyard lark swells into a hil...

Church history can get into some extremely weighty matters very quickly. After all, when an author is diving into the good, bad, and ugly of human behavior, and then placing alongside those things considerations of religious faith and practice-always prime kindling for the fires of controversy in their own right-there will inevitably be plenty of serious stuff for the reader to think about. But church history can also be fun. In this volume, historian John Young guides the reader through s...

Jadwiga Janda is a gorgeous 30-year-old Polish radio broadcaster who for years had led a double life. Recruited by Russian military intelligence to seduce men for their secrets, she is sent to Washington, D.C. to learn about U.S. plans to counter Russian military moves in the Baltic States and Ukraine. Her target is an American diplomat, but unknown to Janda, he is a CIA agent who is working with the FBI to investigate her and the Russians. When she learns about a Russian plan to launch te...

A mere two years after achieving independence, South Sudan in 2013 descended into violent civil war, refuting US government claims that the country's succession was a major foreign policy success and would end endemic conflict. Worse was to follow when the international community declared famine in 2017. In the first book-length study of the South Sudan civil war, John Young draws on his close but critical relationship with the rebel SPLM-IO leadership to reveal the true dynamics of the co...

In a radical reflection, John Young contends that the US model of democracy has failed the Global South because its emphasis on the supremacy of market capitalism entails a loss of national sovereignty and a truncated notion of human rights that leaves little room for citizens' engagement or socioeconomic justice.The Global South needs democracy, but the US model does not address issues of national oppression or economic injustices by raising living standards and e...

This often-comic novel is for all who have worked with the wrong people in the wrong place, and ached to escape?to start something new and find a sense of belonging.What begins as backyard diversion swells into a hilarious and absurd obsession: to grow the world’s largest pumpkin and, with the help of an entrepreneur friend, build a pumpkin empire to make everything from snacks to toilet paper. All to win him fame and fortune (and perhaps the affection of an alluring neighbor). Reve...

The story of the Masked Kid is my story at an early age when my parents "pulled up stakes" and moved to Colorado.My mother told me that Dad quit his job in middle management in Michigan and took us to a vacant lot in the Big Thompson Canyon. There he single-handedly built a house using skills he couldn't possibly have acquired in a suburban environment. I was three and a half years old when we arrived on that vacant lot.She said my life would have been entirely different an...

Like most boys, Jason Blake wants to please his father and older brother. But this erratic father and hyper-competitive brother challenge beyond the norm. To find his way, Jason tries on different roles: schoolyard bully, football player, actor, student. At 20 Jason escapes his Midwest home and seeks independence and adventure: first to Cape Cod, later to Europe. Each adventure takes Jason farther from his father and brother. Each brings him closer to finding himself. When he returns home,...

The books in this bite-sized new series contain no complicated techniques or tricky materials, making them ideal for the busy, the time-pressured or the merely curious. Christianity Made Simple is a short and to-the-point guide to Christianity. In just 96 pages, the reader will learn all about the history, beliefs and traditions of this major world faith. Ideal for the busy, the time-pressured or the merely curious, Christianity Made Simple is a quick, no-effort way to break into this fasc...

In 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ended one of Africa's most devastating civil wars and set the stage for the partition of Sudan, Africa's largest country. One of the most important peace agreements in African history, it has had decisive consequences for the entire Horn of Africa. Yet to date there has been little rigorous analysis as to why the parties signed the CPA, what strategies they adopted having signed the agreement, and the political consequences of state partitio...

In VISIONS OF RESTORATION, historian John Young provides a highly readable, easily accessible overview of the history of Churches of Christ stretching from the early nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century. The target audience is primarily members of Churches of Christ who are new to the study of their fellowship's history and, at a length of thirteen short chapters, it is designed to be used in Sunday School-type settings. Discussion questions are included with each chapter t...

In sixteen apparently simple stories, John Young's memorable characters ask (or refuse to ask) what shapes us. Education? Talent? Impulse? Family? Money? Need for approval? Most of the stories are set in small-town Indiana, with a handful coming from New England villages. All are sensitively written, careful, and real.The impulse to cheat (embellish) shows up early in the collection, as an antique dealer teaches himself to craft high-quality fakes. It reaches a fever pitch and cras...