Showing results by narrator "Alan Smyth" in All Categories

Stephen Dedalus is an Irish Catholic son in a pious Dublin family when he chooses to shed the constraints of religion, abandon his social and familial obligations, and escape the limits of his country to cultivate his life as a writer. In his autobiographical debut novel, James Joyce mirrors his own emotional and intellectual coming-of-age - from sexual awakening and upheavals of faith to fleeting epiphanies - in exploring the influences that help to shape an artistic identity.

This anthology of popular American history presents the stories of nine incredible Irish immigrants as written by nine contemporary Irish-Americans. More than one in 10 Americans claims Irish ancestry and, with its celebrity contributors, Nine Irish Lives will have strong appeal for those listeners. It is also, though, a timely portrait of shared humanity. These are stories about immigrants - and in the tales of revolutionaries and visionaries, caretakers and unsung heroes, Nine Irish Lives reminds us of the values and the people that have shaped America.

There's one must-have toy this Christmas, and Neala Clarke has told her niece Charli she'll get it for her. Never mind that she's got less than a week and it looks like everywhere is sold out. She's promised Charli a Fire Princess doll - and Neala is a woman of her word. Darcy Hart is a people-pleaser. So when his adorable six-year-old nephew, Dustin, asks for a particular doll at the last minute, he says yes. Luckily for Darcy, there's one left in stock at the local toy store.

Now the director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, Brooke Fairfax has one objective: stay on top of all threats to the people and property of the Commonwealth. The position is thankless and never-ending. It even pulls her out of Declan O'Roark's bed in the middle of the night.

When a child is kidnapped by his unstable mother, the father turns to Joe Tiplady - offering him a lot of money to find the boy and bring him back. It soon becomes clear that Joe will have to earn every cent: mother and son are in war-torn Syria, and they've willingly joined the ranks of ISIS.

In the feeble light of a London winter, Joe Tiplady walks his dog in the snow. He is not alone. Two men are tracking him, as is a woman with wolf eyes. Soon Joe will find himself caught in a storm of violence and retribution that he does not yet understand. Around the world, a chain of events is in motion that will make Joe a priceless target. A retired Soviet general hunts for his missing daughter after a series of brutal murders. A ruthless assassin loses something so precious he will do anything to get it back.

After dozens of Lexington, Kentucky's forgotten - mostly prostitutes and the homeless - swamp local hospitals from apparent overdoses over the Fourth of July weekend, Kentucky cops soon discover a new synthetic form of heroin is infecting their communities, and that gangs - namely the outlaw motorcycle gang Samael's Army - are responsible for using a "disposable" population to test the new drug.

Coauthors Alan Smyth and Jessica Midkiff have dedicated their lives to ending the plight of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. This book exposes the harsh realities facing vulnerable populations to these criminal enterprises and explores the transformative role of authentic masculinity. Upon listening to this book, men will open their eyes to how they knowingly and unknowingly participate in the dehumanization of women and children and how we can stand up to these horrors and transform the world.