From Infamy to Hope

Told in the compelling voice of Rachel Moore, a housemaid in 17th century Puritan Boston and featuring that colony’s two most powerful figures in Governor John Winthrop and his courageous opponent Anne Hutchinson, From Infamy to Hope is the story of the religious persecution of a servant girl made pregnant by rape. Convicted of fornication, she is sentenced to wear a black W for “whore” on her gown. Over the opposition of Hutchinson, the colony heads into war with the Pequot Indians. Rachel masquerades as a boy soldier, hoping to recover her baby who was sold to the Pequots by her alcoholic father to satisfy a debt.

She is at the war’s final battle when the colonial army burns down the Pequot’s fortified village in Mystic, Connecticut. Will she find her baby among the ashes?

Although Hutchinson was ultimately excommunicated and banished, a statue in her honor now stands before the State House in Boston, and a parkway bears her name in New York near where she died in another Indian war. Her descendants include F.D.R., the Bushes, as well as Mitt Romney. The present day Pequots now run Foxwood Casino near the site of the massacre in Connecticut.

Furs and Fevers

Don’t mistake this for dry history! Lynn MacKaben Brown’s Furs and Fevers offers the reader a view into a long lost and mostly forgotten world—a world where Indigenous tribes interact with French-Canadian trappers and traders, while their way of life is unravelling under the pressure of American expansion into Indiana. The characters are historical, and their interactions follow the historical records available thanks to Brown’s exhaustive research.

The author has a gift for placing believable and compelling words in the mouths of those long dead and weaving it all into a story that keeps the reader entranced. Along the way, without noticing, that reader receives an education into the systems and politics of Indiana and the frontier in the early part of the 19th century.

There is plenty within these pages to challenge you, and controversial actions that leap out of their hoary context and force you to contend with your contemporary judgements and worldview. The past has dilemmas that can still cause debate today.

“Furs and Fevers is a compelling, enjoyable, and highly enlightening read that I envy you the initial discovery experience that is now, sadly in my rear-view mirror. Savor it!”

Brian Hogan, direct descendent of Dominique Rousseau.

“Lynn enthusiastically embraces the concept of history as a story. She combines bulldog determination to unearth truth with her interpretation of events. Then she re-creates the multicultural, time-honored role of tribal historian/storyteller. And who doesn’t love a good story?”

Sigmund Brouwer, author of The Last Temple.

Futurecide

Every civilization in history has faced moments of overwhelming existential crises, and they all eventually collapsed. Was this failure inherent in the evolution of civilization, something within the human species, or a combination of both? More importantly, was it predictable and unavoidable? Most civilizations believed they had a special relationship with the divine and were beyond the laws of nature. Our current economic civilization is now global and interdependent. Today’s economy is responsible for the most rapid mass extinction in Earth’s history. We face imminent catastrophic climate change and environmental disruption, yet the same sense of exceptionalism and hubris clouds humanity’s judgement and ability to act rationally.

Environmental disruption is making the planet uninhabitable. No economy can consume its way out of scarcity. This law of nature conflicts with many longstanding economic theories. Sheltered and self-absorbed elitists promote lies and prey on humanity’s most vulnerable instincts of pecking order, conformity, and obedience to authority. These primal instincts may be maladapted to civilization in its current form. Today’s elitists are choosing mass extinction in a false belief in their own invincibility. To survive, humanity can no longer follow delusional leaders to self-destruction.

In non-technical language, the author explores common phases in the development of past civilizations, and the critical junctures and decisions that made collapse inevitable. He investigates the linkages and contradictions between human social behavior, the economy, and the environment. In the closing pages, he identifies a clear path to redemption.

Good Rain

Growing up in Kansas in the summer, the air would be so thick with humidity sometimes it would be difficult to breathe. Sometimes the air would be so heavy you would hope for a good rain. After it would pour you would walk outside and everything would feel lighter, brighter, greener, and cleaner. A fresh scent, like everything, was new. Sometimes life gets heavy like the humidity and your soul is the one that needs the good rain. This was mine.

Government Girls

It’s 1942, and best friends Mary and Marge leave their teaching jobs behind in Iowa to move to Washington D.C. to work for the FBI. Excited yet apprehensive, neither of them could anticipate the rapid changes the war will bring into their lives.

Arriving at Union Station, they meet Dotty, a quick-witted woman who left her all-girl band in New York City in search of new opportunities. Despite rampant racism, Dotty manages to find a clerical job with the government, thanks to her prized possession - a typewriter.

The three women band together, renting rooms in a run-down mansion that operates as a restaurant and boarding house. Under the same roof lives Natalie, an eccentric artist trying desperately to sell her screenplays and achieve her Hollywood dreams.

As Mary and Marge begin their demanding fingerprint filing jobs at the FBI, they find themselves growing increasingly vulnerable, but also courageous, in the face of a world ruptured by war. The four women couldn’t be more different, yet they forge an unbreakable bond confronting rapidly shifting social conventions and opportunities for women.

House of Pane

This unsettling and challenging autobiography delves into the dark world of pornography, and the damage done by living a double-life. It articulates the pain and suffering experienced when, in the deepest clutches of despair, it feels as if there is nowhere and no-one to turn for guidance. It explores the darkest depths of the human psyche, the kind of desperation culminating, ultimately, in suicidal ideation.

But this gripping memoir shows that it is precisely in these moments, brought to your knees and overcome by anguish, that hope can re-emerge and you can be reborn. When you surrender your life to Jesus Christ, you will experience the light, the joy, and the love of God. You will at last experience freedom as you’ve never known before, and your relationships with your loved ones, with yourself, and with your creator, will be transformed irreversibly and for the better.

If you’ve begun to lose hope then this book will help you to find the peace you’ve been craving, and provide you with the tools necessary to craft and cultivate a life of truth and belonging.

I Am a Catholic in Case of an Accident

In I Am a Catholic in Case of an Accident, Catholic priest Andy Costello reflects on over 50 years in ministry, candidly exploring what it truly means to be Catholic in today’s world. With wisdom, humor and humility, Fr. Costello ponders questions of faith, doubt, and remaining devout amidst the challenges facing the modern Church.

Drawing on a lifetime of experiences as a priest serving diverse parishes across America, he offers relatable insights on Catholic identity, sharing personal stories and perspectives that will resonate with Catholics and spiritual seekers alike. Through short vignette-style chapters, Costello examines Catholic traditions, the humanity of Jesus, models of the Church, and staying connected to one’s faith.

I Am a Catholic in Case of an Accident is an inviting, introspective read that will inspire readers to contemplate their own religious journeys and what being Catholic means to them. Fr. Costello’s conversational musings provide a compassionate guide for anyone navigating the joys and struggles of a life of faith.

I Heard the Angels Sing

Have you ever felt that God was not there for you? Have you ever questioned, “Why, God, why?” One man did constantly. After an experience he cannot explain, he begins to reflect on his life, and he finds answers to those questions.

An inspirational reveal of how one man begins his journey back to God. He revisits occurrences from his life, exploring his own relationship with God. In sharing his experiences, he encourages others to discover and embrace their own relationship with God. Each chapter explores his personal memories from childhood into his adult life as he struggles with good and bad things in his life. Some experiences are small, some major and some occurrences affect him forever. He encounters great highs and deep lows in his life. And some incidents come full circle. He finally comes to the conclusion that God was always there for him.

It all began when he heard the Angels sing…

I Only Remember Grievances And Desserts

“Revenge is a dish best served cold” – Khan Noonien Singh

My more than 20 years of professional experience in the male-dominated career of emergency management has not exactly been a walk in the park. As less worn as the “path less traveled” may be, it is neither laced with ease nor filled with treasure. I have found it to be paved with judgment and spite. This was my experience as a pregnant teenager who insisted she would not be defined by the state of her body but forge ahead in life anyway. Although this was perhaps the lowest point of my life, I was able to find solace in cooking (particularly baking) and still decided to continue the path. And today, I can say that has made all the difference—which is the name of the chocolate truffles recipe I open with, along with the genesis of my difference-making choices.

On my career journey, I have encountered all dimensions of characters—the Cretin, the Quintessential Douche Bag, and the “Special Place in Hell” Vipers (made up of the Queen Bee and the BFF)—who have all attempted to rock the boat of my career advancement with their various strategies.

However, I have also encountered mentors who not only let me know I am not alone and provided astounding support but also stood by me and for me before others in the face of adversity. A combination of all these factors and the decisions I make along the way (some good, others, admittedly hasty and improperly reasoned) have culminated in the person I have become, both personally and professionally, and of course, a lot of recipes specially tailored to the various seasons I have had to go through.

I Want Freedom

I am now certain that my purpose is to be a voice for those who are suffering at this very moment from forced arranged marriages or stuck in cycles of abuse. My past made me who I am today, and while I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through on anyone, I am proud of who I’ve become as a result. Fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, I need you: without your help, this is just an empty dream. Together, we can save some of these innocent young girls and women, who in some cases are as young as five years old. Without your help, I can’t bring them to safety and provide them with the education and life lessons that will allow them to reach a brighter future. This is an issue that affects millions of women all over the world, including here in the US; we are all human, and together we can make a change.

Illinois 1000

Illinois 1000 is a quick dive into the lives of the English and the Indians of the Upper Midwest a thousand years ago.

Building on The Year 1000 by British historians Robert Lacey and Danny Danzinger, the author moves from one side of the Atlantic to the other. The contrasts are as much from the past to the present as between the two very different cultures. ‘Primitive’ is often used to describe the Indians’ way of life, and not without at least some reason. So much of what characterized and made English life possible was entirely absent in North America.

Yet, centuries later, hundreds, even thousands of Europeans joined the Indians, preferring their way of living to that which they had known in Europe or colonial America. The Indians, the first people, survived and prospered in what was at that time not amber fields of grain but a very ungenerous landscape. If they were brutal, they were hardly unique. In their affinity to the earth they lived on, there were few like them.

Jazz, Joy and Justice

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all American school children learned something about our great American art form of jazz? If they not only listened to and played their music, but also learned the stories of our American jazz geniuses? If by hearing these stories, they also came to understand something of how systemic racism has hurt and continues to hurt us all? If they were inspired to begin the long walk toward justice, accompanied by the joy of jazz?

Jazz, Joy and Justice is the trio that will help us as we stand at the crossroads between education and catastrophe. It sings out the songs of our triumph and shame, our joy and our pain, our happiness and our sorrow, our yesterday and tomorrow. If you love jazz, find out the hidden stories of some of your favorite musicians. If you love justice, discover how jazz musicians did so much more than entertain. If you need some joy in your day, listen to the musical examples suggested in these pages.

Come join Louis, Ella, Duke, Lady Day, Monk, Miles and many more to consider how to make the world our children deserve as beautiful and swingin’ as the music they created.