Light in August, a novel set in the American South during Prohibition, contrasts stark tragedy with hopeful perseverance in the face of mortality. This work features some of Faulknerâs most memorable characters:
âRead, read, read. Read everythingâtrash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! Youâll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, youâll find out. If itâs not, throw it out the window.â âWilliam Faulkner
Until the arrival of Aiken Drum, the 100,000 humans who had fled backward in time to Pliocene exile on Earth knew little but slavery to the Tanu, the humanoid aliens who came from another galaxy. But King Aiken's rule is precarious, for the Tanu's twisted brethren are secretly maneuvering to bring about his downfall.
Worse, Aiken is about to confront a man of incredibly powerful talents who nearly overthrew a galactic rule. He is Marc Remillard. Call him...The Adversary.
A Fortunate Life is the extraordinary life story of an ordinary man, Albert Facey. He lived with simple honesty, compassion, and courage. Starting as a parentless boy who began work at the age of eight on the rough West Australian frontier, Facey faced numerous challenges. He struggled as an itinerant rural worker and survived the gore of Gallipoli. He endured the loss of his farm during the Depression, the tragic death of his son in World War II, and the passing of his beloved wife after sixty devoted years together. Yet, despite these hardships, he felt that his life was fortunate.
Facey's life story, published when he was eighty-seven, has inspired many as a play, a television series, and a book that has sold over half a million copies. It is a testament to the resilience and strength of the human spirit.
The heartbreaking, iconic true story of an abandoned little boyâs horrific journey through the American foster care system. On a misty evening in Brooklyn, Jennings Michael Burchâs mother, too sick to care for him, left her eight-year-old son at an orphanage with the words, âIâll be right back.â She wasnât. Shuttled through a bleak series of foster homes, orphanages, and institutions, Jennings never remained in any of them long enough to make a friend. Instead, he clung to a tattered stuffed animal named Doggie, his sole source of comfort in a frightening world.
Here, in his own words, Jennings Michael Burch reveals the abuse and neglect he experienced during his lost childhood. But while his experiences are both shocking and devastating, his story is ultimately one of hopeâthe triumphant tale of a forgotten child who somehow found the courage to reach out for love, and found it waiting for him.
Corrie ten Boom, an unassuming old-maid watchmaker, led a life that would have been considered unremarkable for the first fifty years. Living with her sister and their father in a tiny Dutch house above their shop, their lives were as precise and regular as the timepieces they crafted. But as the Nazi occupation of Holland turned their world upside down, Corrie and her family were thrust into a story of extraordinary courage and faith.
Transformed into leaders within the Dutch Underground, they risked everything to hide Jewish individuals from the Nazi regime, ingeniously concealing a secret room for this purpose in their home. Despite their valiant efforts, they were eventually betrayed, and all but Corrie faced a grim fate in a concentration camp.
The Hiding Place is more than just a recounting of historical events; it's a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the power of love and faith to overcome the darkest of times.
The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor is Gabriel GarcĂa MĂĄrquez's remarkable account of a real-life event. In 1955, eight crew members of the destroyer Caldas were swept into the Caribbean Sea. The tale unfolds with Luis Alejandro Velasco, the sole survivor, who bravely endured ten days adrift on a life raft without food or water. His harrowing ordeal of survival is vividly captured in this narrative, which also explores the aftermath of his rescue, including the unexpected consequences of fame and the fickle nature of public adoration.
Originally published as a series of newspaper articles, this work caused a sensation and a scandal upon its release. MĂĄrquez's retelling of Velasco's extraordinary tale of endurance, from his intense loneliness and thirst to his unwavering determination to survive, reads like an epic, drawing readers into the depths of human resilience and the will to live. This story not only highlights the physical challenges of Velasco's journey but also delves into the psychological effects of isolation and the struggle to maintain hope in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Pedro, who has been an orphan since childhood, finds himself in Ăvila for his education. He is placed in the somber household of Don Mateo Lesmes, who instills in him the belief that to be happy, one must avoid all connections to the world, any emotion or affection.
Only the vitality of youth can enable him to overcome this inculcated pessimism. However, events seem to force him to remember what he was taught...