The Gift of Hope

Life as a survivor is far more than just cancer and treatment, life or death.

It is a battle for your sanity, a search for power, a dedication to hope, and an attempt to live whatever time ends up being allotted without succumbing to fear.

The Gift of Hope is the intersection of that survival with what it means to be a mother and doctor in these challenging and ever-changing times.

Within that journey lies the meaning of perseverance, the worthiness of the fight, and the difference that love makes.

The Golden Hour

How did the old Chinese restaurants become so ubiquitous in American culture? Prior to the 1980s, over 40,000 Chinese-American restaurants supplied the USA with dishes like Egg Foo Young, Sweet and Sour Pork, Chicken Chow Mein, and Moo Goo Gai Pan. All these iconic dishes were Americanized versions of Cantonese foods. This book describes how this phenomenon took place and contains over 150 recipes so that you can replicate the dishes of The Golden Hour Restaurant.

The Golden Hour is representative of these historic restaurants which not only prospered in large cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas, but also in small towns like Turlock, where The Golden Hour was located in California’s agricultural Central Valley. These old Americanized Chinese restaurants have largely been replaced by more authentic Chinese cuisines. These older dishes and restaurants are on the verge of extinction as the subsequent generations growing up in these restaurants sought other professions. This book presents the culture, stories, and the recipes of this phenomenon.

The Good, The Bad, and the Tragic

This is Don’s third book of adventure tales. But unlike his first two books, The Idling Bulldozer and The Seventy-Thousand Dollar Outhouse, which focused exclusively on kayaking, the tales in this volume go beyond kayaking to include adventures on the land and in the air, finally ending with a tragic story that gives the book its name. Through these stories, the author has shown that adventures are not vacations, that sometimes things can and do go wrong, and that they may even end in tragedy. This is a powerful and immersive collection of stories which take the reader on a journey through the excitement and tragedies of new adventures.

The Grocer

Ever pondered the art of acquiring a business, or the knack of seamlessly accumulating rental properties? Delve into this riveting narrative that not only educates but also captivates.

Journey with Antoine ‘Tony’ Ferducci as he steps into the bustling world of a local grocery store half a century ago. Starting as a humble 16-year-old employee under the mentorship of three Italian entrepreneurs, Tony’s ambition quickly becomes evident. Even before his high school graduation, he is determined to immerse himself full-time in the grocery trade.

Witness Tony’s business acumen in action as he transforms from a young shop boy to a business magnate. His empire expands to include not just the original grocery store, but three more, alongside six ‘Gas & Goes’, a major construction company, twin liquor stores, a pair of used car outlets, multiple hair salons, duo of restaurants, a bustling shopping center, a dedicated dry cleaner, and an impressive portfolio of nearly 200 rental units.

Dive into The Grocer and discover the exhilarating world of enterprise, growth, and the relentless spirit of ambition.

The Homicide Manifesto

The Homicide Manifesto is a testament of Cpt. Jose 'Pepi' Granado's (Ret.) many years of service within the law enforcement community, especially his insights as an investigator and supervisor of various Homicide Units. It's meant to be used as a guide for new investigators, supervisors, students majoring in Criminal Justice, Law, or a University's curriculum. Additionally, this book is a source of information that can augment any in-service training provided by law enforcement agencies nationally or globally. Individual investigators who desire to investigate violent crimes, attorneys, or citizens can use this book to garner better perspectives of how investigations should be conducted. As a Criminal Investigations Division Captain, Cpt. Granado realized the lack of training investigators and supervisors receive. Therefore, this book is his way of providing knowledge to future generations of investigators, supervisors, and students in order for them to understand the importance of thoroughness and preparedness. "Attack the Castle."

The Human Mind

Delve into a transformative read that offers more than just words: it offers a path to understanding. This book provides invaluable guidance on achieving health and longevity while also exploring the deep-seated roots of our environmental dilemmas. Venture on a journey of self-discovery and grasp a more profound understanding of your essence. Beyond the personal, uncover the core reasons behind humanity's persistent divisions and the recurring battles they incite. A must-read, this work is a compass for anyone seeking clarity in our complex world.

The JailBird Diet

Shaped by the unique stories of my time in federal custody, the JailBird Diet takes the reader into the world of incarceration that challenges the mind, body, and spirit at every turn. Out of the “shock and awful” of prison’s daily rituals comes a radical life change: the cleansing regimens, “superfoods,” and feeding disciplines I used to confront this new world and achieve radical weight loss. JailBird defines the tools of my diet journey that drove my 100 pound weight loss and shaped a new me.

Based on the food and activity logs I kept in my daily prison journal, the JailBird Diet also provides a week-by-week story of the journey from my first day of surrender to the last days when the pandemic and solitary confinement threatened to leave me just pounds from my weight goal. In so doing, it provides the tools to replicate this kind of weight loss in the free world.

The Jewish Confederate Story

The American Civil War was a defining moment in US history, and its underlying issue of slavery divided the nation. In this insightful historical investigation, author Samuel Jay Korson who writes from the perspective of his own Jewish faith, sheds light on the experiences of Jewish individuals living in the Confederacy during this tumultuous time.

Southern Jews found themselves in a complex position, facing a conundrum that forced them to navigate a double-edged sword. Living in a majority Christian society where many participated in slavery and anti-Semitism ebbed and flowed, many Southern Jews opposed slavery on moral grounds, while others participated in various aspects of a slave society to assimilate into their communities.

Despite practicing their faith and observing important Jewish holidays like Passover, Hanukkah, and Shabbat, Southern Jews were caught in the middle of a divisive issue that even Jewish clergy struggled to reconcile. Using Jewish law (halacha), rabbis in both the North and South vehemently argued both sides of the slave issue.

Through this compelling exploration, readers gain a deeper understanding of how the Civil War affected not only the United States, but also the Jewish community as a whole. By examining the experiences of Southern Jews during this pivotal moment in history, Samuel Jay Korson reveals a unique perspective on a complex and multifaceted topic.

The Judas Kiss

Embark on an epic journey that defies genre, seamlessly blending elements of dystopian and historical fiction while traversing time, from Eden’s ancient gardens to the enduring enclaves of the USSR, and even further, to celestial chambers scattered among the stars.

The Judas Kiss offers you a spellbinding odyssey that navigates through epochs and landscapes, unified by the presence of a mysterious child. Could he be an Armenian boy orphaned by the Spitak earthquake, a Yazidi warrior lost in a maze of time, or even an angel on a divine mission?

Witness the biblical wanderings of Moses and the poignant tribulations of a Soviet émigré. Explore clandestine labs and remote Central Asian villages suspended in the mountains. Meet a cast of eccentric scientists and cryptic sorcerers, each wielding enigmatic powers. As the narrative unfolds, humanity faces existential threats: a virulent virus and cosmic rifts that could annihilate the world.

Set against a backdrop that is both hauntingly recognizable and captivatingly otherworldly, The Judas Kiss invites you to confront the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal in a cosmos as awe-inspiring as it is perilous.

The Land of Sunshine and Hell: A Memoir of a 60s Unwed Mother

In 1964 the Vietnam War was heating up, drafting young men into battle. It was an era in which sex was not discussed at home or at school and children were left in the dark to fend for themselves.  This was a period of high morality, anti-war protests and music that reflected the coming rebellion.

Maxene is finishing her last year in high school.  Her boyfriend, Romolo, is a first-generation Italian-American who is a first-year pre-med student at Columbia University.  Maxene discovers she is pregnant. There is no such thing as legal abortion. This begins a difficult journey to hide the truth, and be sent away to give the child up for adoption.

They marry four years later, after Romolo has been drafted into the Army and sent to Germany, where rebellious young men wile away their evenings in a marijuana-induced haze. They try and move forward, never acknowledging the pain of giving up their child.

The Last Queen of Scotland

The most important UK civil-rights activist of the past 100 years you probably knew nothing about.

The Little Aussie Battler

This is a story written from my journals. From immigrating as a four-year-old and trying to fit into a different culture to turning away from God in my teens. From a violent marriage doomed to fail and the death of my son, with the repercussions that followed. And yet, also between the lines, there is the joy and reverence for life itself. Making a lot of mistakes through life, I have learned not to give myself over to another set of values, or to another human being. It took me a long time to find myself and to love the person I was meant to be. I still have a lot to learn, even now, about love and how we are to address love and forgiveness in our lives. My story is a testimony to "the old truths." To me, it is a reminder not to make the same mistakes. In the end, it turned out to be not only the story of the first forty years of my life, but my spiritual journey as well. There are still thirty years of untouched journals…