Showing results by narrator "Laural Merlington" in All Categories

When the Civil War broke out, Clara Barton wanted more than anything to be a Union soldier, an impossible dream for a 39-year-old woman who stood a slender five feet tall. Determined to serve, she became a veritable soldier, a nurse, and a one-woman relief agency operating in the heart of the conflict. Now, award-winning author Stephen B. Oates, drawing on archival materials not used by her previous biographers, has written the first complete account of Clara Barton's active engagement in the Civil War.

Dunbar-Ortiz adroitly challenges the founding myth of the United States and shows how policy against the Indigenous peoples was colonialist and designed to seize the territories of the original inhabitants, displacing or eliminating them. And as Dunbar-Ortiz reveals, this policy was praised in popular culture, through writers like James Fenimore Cooper and Walt Whitman, and in the highest offices of government and the military.

True crime podcaster Trinity Scott is chasing breakout success, and her brand-new serial may get her there. Her subject is Clayton Jay Pelley. More than two decades ago, the respected family man and guidance counselor confessed to the brutal murder of teenage student Leena Rai. But why he killed her has always been a mystery. In a series of exclusive interviews from prison, Clayton discloses to Trinity the truth about what happened that night beneath Devil’s Bridge. It’s not what anyone in the Pacific Northwest town of Twin Falls expects.

The idea of the United States as a nation of immigrants is at the core of the American narrative. But in 1924, Congress instituted a system of ethnic quotas so stringent that it choked off large-scale immigration for decades, sharply curtailing arrivals from Southern and Eastern Europe and outright banning those from nearly all of Asia. In a riveting narrative filled with a fascinating cast of characters, Jia Lynn Yang recounts how lawmakers, activists, and presidents from Truman through LBJ worked relentlessly to abolish the 1924 law.

The most grueling challenge of Raine Smith's equestrian career looms before her - the Olympic Games. Little does she realize that she's about to face greater perils in the arms of a stranger than she's ever found on the back of her horse.

Behind our stress, clutter, and confusion is an infinitely spacious place one might call stillness or joy. This is our natural state of being, but we usually don’t experience it, because we are caught in a web of material possessions, desires, and fears. Our clutter often becomes another member of the family that we feed, house, and lug around. In Your Spacious Self, author and professional space clearing expert Stephanie Bennett Vogt shows us that it’s not our stuff but the holding on to it that creates a force field of stuck-ness that clouds our perceptions and paralyzes our lives.

Acclaimed nature writer Susan Hand Shetterly opens a window into the world of this fascinating organism by providing an elegant, often poetic, look at life on the rugged shore of the Gulf of Maine. Shetterly offers a close look at the life cycle of seaweed and introduces us to the men and women who farm and harvest it - and their increasingly difficult task of protecting this critical natural resource against forces both natural and man-made.

The women of the Sisterhood are united by their mission to help those unable to help themselves. But now they've encountered opponents who share a unique bond of their own. The law firm of Queen, King, Bishop & Rook - the Chessmen - has been a formidable force in Washington, D.C., for decades. And Sisterhood member Nikki Quinn's new case has made her their prime target.

Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the world - greater than both back pain and heart disease. One example, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is the most common autoimmune disease, affecting 1% of the US population, and almost 68 million people worldwide. Conventional medicine tends to treat arthritis with strong, gut-damaging, immune-suppressing pain medications, temporarily relieving the symptoms of the disease without addressing its root causes.

Lush, exclusive Spyder Island is home to many of the world's billionaires. Years ago, Gretchen Spyder, daughter of the island's namesake, gave her twin babies up for legal adoption. Now Gretchen and her father are trying to get them back. The twins' adoptive parents are a loving but poor couple, completely outgunned by the Spyders' wealth. Their only hope lies with Myra Rutledge and her formidable Sisterhood, who are as ready as ever to fight the good fight.

The exquisite niece of Lord Edward and Lady Charlotte Malory, Regina Ashton. is outraged over her abduction by the arrogant, devilishly handsome Nicholas Eden - and is determined to make the rogue pay...with his heart. A golden-haired seducer, Nicholas has been hardened by a painful secret in his past. And now that he has besmirched Reggie's good name, the hot-tempered lady has vowed to wed him.

Unwilling to force her live-in love Case McCord into a proposal of marriage, a pregnant Pru Kenyon decides to walk away from the man she loves, not telling him that she is expecting his baby. But she never bargained for how much Case is willing to do for love.

Five years ago, Myra's pregnant daughter was killed by a hit-and-run driver - the playboy son of an ambassador with diplomatic immunity. Myra was left to grieve while the murderer was free to return to his lavish lifestyle with no fear of ever having to pay for his crime. But not for much longer. As the air turns crisp in the Virginia hills around Myra's lovely old farmhouse, the Sisterhood has gathered for a little creative planning, and what they have in mind is a gift for Myra of long-awaited and very sweet revenge.

The women of the Sisterhood are fun, smart, sassy, and determined to get their way every time. But most of all, they are the best friends a woman wants by her side in good times and bad. Meeting once again in Myra Rutledge's beautiful Virginia home, they're ready to face a new challenge and right a vicious wrong.

The Widow Spy is the firsthand account of a true Cold War spy operation in Moscow told exclusively by the CIA case officer who lived this experience. Martha D. Peterson was one of the first women to be assigned to Moscow, a very difficult operational environment. Her story begins in Laos during the Vietnam War where she accompanied her husband, a CIA officer. She describes their life in a small city in Laos, ending with the tragic death of her husband. Then her own 30-year career begins in Moscow.

Verbal abuse permeates our culture — from the privacy of our own homes to the public glare of our schools, workplaces, and other institutions. But you don’t have to live with it. With Patricia Evans’ assistance, you’ll achieve the clarity you need to build a new life — far from senseless accusations, wounding words, and confusing comments that have taken an untold toll on your psyche. You’ll find validation, and learn to believe in yourself — and a better future — once more.

Just returned to their mountaintop hideaway in the wake of their latest successful mission, the seven fearless friends have barely had time to enjoy a celebratory dinner with their mentor, Charles Martin, when they're embroiled in a new adventure. In the middle of the night, the Sisters are awakened by an alarm bell. Suspecting intruders, they run to the compound, only to see Myra and Charles rushing towards a helicopter. Within seconds, the two have flown away, with no explanation.

Napoleon's Buttons is the fascinating account of 17 groups of molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properties of a substance.

In the hustle and bustle of today's busy world, sometimes it's hard enough to hear yourself think, much less take a minute to stop and listen for the voice of God. But learning to recognize God's voice and the many ways in which He speaks is vital for following His plan. This devotional shows the reader through a daily reminder, how God speaks through their own thoughts and feelings, their dreams, and the words of other people.

The most fatal mistake? Trust. It's the foundation of any enduring relationship between friends, lovers, spouses, and families. But when trust is placed in those who are not what they seem, the results can be deadly. Ann Rule, who famously chronicled her own shocking experience of unknowingly befriending a sociopath in The Stranger Beside Me, offers a riveting, all-new collection from her true-crime files, with the lethally shattered bonds of trust at the core of each blood-soaked account.