American Development

Acclaimed essayist Mark Edmundson reflects on his own rite of passage as a high school football player to get to larger truths about the ways America's Game shapes its men. Football teaches young men self-discipline and teamwork. But football celebrates violence. Football is a showcase for athletic beauty and physical excellence. But football damages young bodies and minds, sometimes permanently. Football inspires confidence and direction. But football instills cockiness, a false sense of superiority.

In 2010 former gang leader turned community activist Big Mike Cummings asked UCLA gang expert Jorja Leap to co-lead a group of men struggling to be better fathers in Watts, South Los Angeles. These men, black and brown, from late adolescence to middle age, come together each week to help one another answer the question "how can I be a good father when I've never had one?"

The New Rochelle High School team in suburban New York is like many across the country: a source of civic pride, a manhood workshop for a revered coach, and an emotional proving ground for boys of widely different backgrounds. In the fall of 2014, New Rochelle's season unfolded alongside watershed NFL head injury revelations and domestic abuse cases (remember Ray Rice?) as well as fatalities on nearby fields. The dramatic story of that season, for players, parents and coaches, underscores fundamental questions.

According to renowned sociology scholar Donna L. Franklin, relationships between American black men and women are in a state of crisis. The schism between black men and women is the result of complex, large-scale societal, economic, and cultural trends, and the African-American legacy of slavery. Franklin asserts that black men and women need to learn how to work to together for the health and maintenance of the family.

At 5-19, the odds against Gene Chizik leading Auburn to a national championship were staggering. But the odds were about to change. All In chronicles the remarkable journey of Gene Chizik, who in two short years went from being the much-maligned 5-19 coach of the Iowa State Cyclones to the undefeated AP SEC Coach of the Year of the 2010 national champion Auburn Tigers.

When MaryAnne Howland's son was turning 13, she organized a "Black Mitzvah" rite of passage celebration for him. Max is one of the one-in-three children in America being raised without a father in the home. Among African Americans, that number is reported to be as high as 72 percent. To help fill the father-shaped hole in Max's life as he transitioned from boyhood to manhood, MaryAnne invited four men from different corners of her life - an engineer, a philanthropist, a publisher, and a financial planner - to become Max's mentors.

An Asian American basketball star walks into a gym. No one recognizes him, but everyone stares anyway. It is the start of a joke but what is the punchline? When Won Lee, the first Asian American in the NBA, stuns the world in a seven-game winning streak, the global media audience dubs it “The Wonder”—much to Won’s chagrin. Meanwhile, Won struggles to get attention from his coach, his peers, his fans, and most importantly, his hero, Powerball!, who also happens to be Won’s teammate and the captain.

Patti Davis, the daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, writes about losing her father to Alzheimer's disease, saying goodbye in stages, and watching the progression of a disease that steals what is most precious: a person's memory. Past and present come together in this illuminating portrait of grief, of a man, a disease, and a girl and her father.

Against all evidence to the contrary, American men have come to believe that the world is tilted - economically, socially, politically - against them. A majority of men across the political spectrum feel that they face some amount of discrimination because of their sex. The authors of Gender Threat look at what reasoning lies behind their belief and how they respond to it.

Young men of color want to be good dads, but it takes more than a strong will to make that desire a reality. Charles C. Daniels Jr., PhD, a therapist and the co-founder and CEO of Fathers’ UpLift, an organization that helps fathers reconnect with their kids, learned firsthand while serving primarily Black and Brown men that it’s possible for fathers to overcome the significant challenges to establishing a relationship with their kids after weeks, months, or even years of separation.

Almost everyone is prone to anxiety, especially when our partner suddenly exhibits some traits that we are not sure we have seen before. According to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, love and security are basic needs. Although many people are in a relationship with someone they love, they feel insecure, anxious, and worried that the worse would happen someday. The essence of writing this book is because I want people to realize that the mind can be appropriately utilized, and a healthy relationship is possible.

Written in conversational style, the book holds your attention as you follow a couple through the ups and downs of learning how to improve their marriage. The quick listen will inspire and give you the tools you need, no matter what level your marriage is at. Whether you're having problems or you just want to improve your relationship, this book offers a plethora of ideas and practical exercises. Ten Secrets for Achieving a Successful Celestial Marriage is about actionable changes that you can make in your marriage to create the relationship you always dreamed of.

Case Keenum has traveled one of the most unique paths in the NFL. Recruited by just one college, undrafted, and released three times, Case has overcome every obstacle to become a successful starting quarterback. Keenum shares stories from every stage of his life, starting out as a ball boy for his father’s college team in West Texas, going on to win a state title in high school, and rewriting the NCAA record book at the University of Houston. A devastating knee injury almost derailed his football career, but helped him get closer to the woman who would soon become his wife.

In her first book, The Presidency in Black and White, journalist April Ryan examined race in America through her experience as a White House reporter. In this book, she shifts the conversation from the White House to every home in America. At Mama's Knee looks at race and race relations through the lessons that mothers transmit to their children.

Todd Gerelds, author of the best-selling book and hit movie Woodlawn, believes the most meaningful life lessons he has learned have been on the playing field. The voice of his coach rings in his head when life gets tough or when his day becomes off-kilter. It just happens that his coach's voice is also his father's. His dad was Tandy "The Coach" Gerelds, the subject of Woodlawn and the man who led his team to victory in the racially charged atmosphere of 1970s Alabama. Here, Todd reflects on 52 of his dad's most formative "coachisms."

Mama Don't Like Ugly takes listeners on a journey of Dana Calhoun's life growing up in Nautica, Louisiana. Her mama finds her dark skin repulsive, so she abuses and neglects her. Also, she constantly compares Dana to her light-skinned sister. Regardless of Dana's unconditional love for her mama, she still encounters a cycle of torment. Will Mama finally realize that Dana is a beautiful person in spite of her dark skin or will she continue to spew those hateful words, "Mama don't like ugly"?

Wards of the State by journalist and author Claudia Rowe widens an eye-opening case from a true-crime lens to an exploration of the foster care-to-prison pipeline. The system is broken—hundreds of thousands of children every year leave America’s $30 billion dollar foster care system and enter its prisons, where in some cases, 75 percent of inmates are former foster kids. Through the stories of eight former foster kids, Rowe illustrates exactly where, when, and how the system is failing the children that it parents.

Many factors - personal, professional, and psychological - combine to affect how we think, feel, and act while on the job, which ultimately affects our productivity and success. In 9 to 5: Your Mind at Work, we look at some of these factors, including the physical office space, how to foster creativity and communication, the psychology of effective leadership, the benefits and importance of diversity, and achieving work-life balance.

In a nation as rich in history and varied in culture as the United States, the ideals of unity, freedom, resilience, and progress are woven into the very fabric of society. America the Diverse: 200 Affirmations for Every American is a celebration of the principles that have shaped the American experience and a powerful reminder of the strength found in diversity.

In a world where self-doubt often overshadows self-love, "1020 Positive Daily Affirmations for Black Women" is not just a book but your sanctuary of empowerment and inspiration. This treasure trove contains a thousand and twenty affirmations meticulously crafted to celebrate your beauty, resilience, and brilliance. Each affirmation reminds gently of your worthiness, strength, and limitless potential. From the moment you open this book, you embark on a journey of self-discovery, guided by affirmations tailored to uplift your spirit, nurture your soul, and ignite your inner fire.