Kristi shares the many obstacles and concerns she and her family have faced in their lives--from her family's difficulties as Japanese-Americans during World War II to her own struggle dwith an earyl childhood foot deformity.

Dannette became a successful young author, writing a novel inspired by her dreams. Now a few years later, she is losing that career as well as herself, searching to recapture that same inspiration. Then she stumbles upon a new discovery--a way to explore and live out her dreams in vivid, lucid detail. As she begins to manipulate and take complete control over her mind and imagination, she will soon learn what happens when living your dreams turns them into nightmares.

Even as a young boy growing up in the 1920s and ’30s, Thomas Cecil Blount was destined for success. He was born into a loving and determined family without much money; they traveled across the United States from the start of World War I, eventually finding their place on a rural farm in Red River Parish, Louisiana, during World War II. In this memoir, he chronicles the ups and downs of his almost ninety-five years. Cecil loved to work hard to help his family out. He had vision and a positive attitude, but most of all he carried a dream in his heart, put there by God that would guide his future steps. From the tender stories of how he met each of his late wives, first Nola and later Agnes, to the hard work and perseverance it took to keep his farm, the tales he shares describe a life well-lived. He has been an example to his many friends as well as his family, and his life has been richly blessed by the Lord. Cecil’s wish and legacy is for his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to learn from both his struggles and his good times; he wants them to know how to handle either situation in a manner pleasing to God. Engaging and heartfelt, this memoir recalls Cecil’s past, tracing it through highs and lows and leading him to where he is today.

"A truly comprehensive, scientifically rigorous and utterly fascinating account of when, how, and why we dream. Put simply, When Brains Dream is the essential guide to dreaming." —Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep Questions on the origins and meaning of dreams are as old as humankind, and as confounding and exciting today as when nineteenth-century scientists first attempted to unravel them. Why do we dream? Do dreams hold psychological meaning or are they merely the reflection of random brain activity? What purpose do dreams serve? When Brains Dream addresses these core questions about dreams while illuminating the most up-to-date science in the field. Written by two world-renowned sleep and dream researchers, it debunks common myths that we only dream in REM sleep, for example—while acknowledging the mysteries that persist around both the science and experience of dreaming. Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold bring together state-of-the-art neuroscientific ideas and findings to propose a new and innovative model of dream function called NEXTUP—Network Exploration to Understand Possibilities. By detailing this model’s workings, they help readers understand key features of several types of dreams, from prophetic dreams to nightmares and lucid dreams. When Brains Dream reveals recent discoveries about the sleeping brain and the many ways in which dreams are psychologically, and neurologically, meaningful experiences; explores a host of dream-related disorders; and explains how dreams can facilitate creativity and be a source of personal insight. Making an eloquent and engaging case for why the human brain needs to dream, When Brains Dream offers compelling answers to age-old questions about the mysteries of sleep.

In this empowering deconstruction of the so-called American Dream, a twelve-year-old Japanese American girl grapples with, and ultimately rises above, the racism and trials of middle school she experiences while chasing her dreams. As the daughter of immigrants who came to America for a better life, Annie Inoue was raised to dream big. And at the start of seventh grade, she’s channeling that irrepressible hope into becoming the lead in her school play. So when Annie lands an impressive role in the production of The King and I, she’s thrilled . . . until she starts to hear grumbles from her mostly white classmates that she only got the part because it’s an Asian play with Asian characters. Is this all people see when they see her? Is this the only kind of success they’ll let her have—one that they can tear down or use race to belittle? Disheartened but determined, Annie channels her hurt into a new dream: showing everyone what she’s made of. Waka T. Brown, author of While I Was Away, delivers an uplifting coming-of-age story about a Japanese American girl’s fight to make space for herself in a world that claims to celebrate everyone’s differences but doesn’t always follow through.