Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Health. "What is a stroke?" This is the question that plagues Ron Smith as he emerges from the carpet bombing of his brain. THE DEFIANT MIND: LIVING INSIDE A STROKE is a first- person account of a massive ischemic stroke to the brain stem. Smith takes the reader inside the experience and shows how recuperation happens—the challenges of communication,the barriers to treatment, the frustrations of being misunderstood and written off, the role of memory in recovering identity, the power of continuing therapy, and the passionate will to live. Full of arresting anecdote, enlivened by a vivid and vigorous style, the book tells of successes and failures and draws on the newest research in stroke treatment. THE DEFIANT MIND is a necessary book for stroke survivors still dealing with the effects of their trauma and for caregivers, vital to the process of recuperation, who feel hampered and harried by concern and confusion. For medical professionals, the book offers insights into the workings of the brain, the power of the brain to heal, critiques of conventional limits imposed on therapy and suggestions for ways to improve care.

Product Description: Since the collapse of the dot.com bubble beginning in 2000, America has been careening, with everincreasing speed, from one social, political, or financial crisis to the next with little or no resolution to any of the problems. In the middle of all this is a tidal wave of anecdotal stories and a growing body of statistical evidence that millions of men are seeing their role and value being diminished, if not eliminated, in society, at work, and at home...read more

Product Description: Chase and Leah, a young and ambitious couple, form a union and take a journey down the path of marital bliss with hopes of making it last forever. Conflicts arise when secrets from the past invade the couple's intimate relationship...read more

Product Description: The Arms Industry is an area that is of huge concern to many people around the world. The economics of this hugely important industry are a vital strand that needs to be understood. This volume brings together contributors from all over the globe, such as Todd Sandler and Keith Hartley, and focuses on the important issues surrounding the Arms Trade such as:*the determinants of US military expenditure*alliance formation and expansion*new challenges to export controlsThis well-rounded, comprehensive book will be of huge interest to students and academics involved in the economics of defence, as well as more general studies of the defence industry...read more

Product Description: Atlanta is a unique southern city known for its vast diversity and fast-paced lifestyle. Rarely is it associated with a rich beer and brewing culture, but not for a lack of one. From Atlanta's first brewery in the 1850s to the city's Saloon Row and the parched days of local and national Prohibition, the earliest days of Atlanta's beer history are laced with scandal and excitement...read more

Product Description: We men are so predictable. As a way of avoiding even the most remote possibility of authentic relationships, most of us are quick to form a complex web of surface-level friendships, an ever-expanding collection of 'buddies.' Yet we never manage to develop even one really close friendship...read more

Product Description: Alurista. Gary Soto. Bernice Zamora. José Montoya. These names, luminous to some, remain unknown to those who have not yet discovered the rich variety of late twentieth century Chicano poetry. With the flowering of the Chicano Movement in the mid-1960s came not only increased political awareness for many Mexican Americans but also a body of fine creative writing...read more

Product Description: Public Relations: The Basics is a highly readable introduction to one of the most exciting and fast-paced media industries. Both the practice and profession of public relations are explored and the focus is on those issues which will be most relevant to those new to the field: The four key phases of public relations campaigns: research, strategy, tactics and evaluation...read more

Product Description: This book describes the heritage and development of the entire Piper Cherokee family; its safety and ownership characteristics; internal and external details; and a range of special variants from STOL modifications and new engines to seaplanes and tailwheel conversions...read more

A WW II and Korean War pilot and hero, a patriotic, middle American farmer who’d trusted his government with two sons in Vietnam, and been betrayed in that, after having his farm largely controlled by his government all his life, is in jeopardy of losing his homestead of 150 years. After his death, his sons scramble to hold onto the farm and make sense of all this and each other. A seed that Deke, the middle of three sons, and Barrett, his friend had brought back from Vietnam seventeen years earlier and kept pure, becomes a means of saving the farm, but in the process the hallucinogen from the seed begins to warn them of some imminent catastrophe through raining creatures and Barrett’s visions. The plant the government’s trying to suppress brings them signs and warnings about what their government’s doing, as Barrett begins seeing Vietnamese spirits or “visitors” in the woods and fields when he ingests the stuff. Creature Storms is a rawly told and original work, a grounded human story of three brothers and a blood brother, their love for and struggle with each other, their country, and the sacrifices they make to hold onto their land which they had already risked their lives in war to protect. Politically timely, Creature Storms unfolds on a number of dramatic levels that build into an apocalyptic ending.

Product Description: Gerry James, aka Kid Dynamite, was not only the youngest player ever to play in the CFL at 17, but he was one of the toughest athletes of his time. While playing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1954, James was the very first recipient of the CFL's Schenley Most Outstanding Canadian Award...read more

Product Description: The Cessna 172 is unquestionably the world's most successful light aircraft. More than 43,000 have been built since 1956, and the type is in service all over the world. For many, it defines the experience of cross-country flying with family and friends...read more

Product Description: The year is 2012 when Solar, the bringer of light, addresses the world again at the second annual End of Daze conference. The mission of the conference is to prepare the masses for the transitioning of the December 21, 2012 shift in consciousness, also known as the Great Mayan Prophecy...read more

An accessible resource designed to help seniors protect themselves from sixty-five common scams explains how to use specific prevention tools for such risks as rigged ATM machines, investment fraud, and lower-cost sources for filling prescriptions, in a reference that also provides an appendix of helpful consumer resources. Original. 25,000 first printing.