On December 9, 1969, change was in the air. The small town of Crystal City, Texas would never be the same. After weeks of petitioning for a hearing with the Crystal City school board, students of Crystal City High and their parents descended on the superintendent's office. The students had been threatened with suspension and even physical violence. Powerful members of the community had insisted they would fire the parents of students if they went in front of the school board, and still, they came. Finally, the school board removed the chairs in the gallery, and the parents and students stood until members of the school board fled to avoid the confrontation. As the students and their parents stood in front of the building, a cry rose from the crowd. "Walk out. Walk out." So began the Crystal City High student walk out. At the center of the fervor was Severita Lara. Called la cabezuda, or stubborn girl, by her mother, Lara bore the mark of a leader from an early age. She was not afraid to stand up to anyone: girls or boys, teachers or superintendents. She always followed her father's advice, "If you know it's right, do it." José Angel Gutiérrez, the famous civil rights leader, chronicle's Lara's ascent from a willful child to the mayor of Crystal City. From her father's doting support to her mother's steel-rod discipline, Gutiérrez offers a detailed portrait of the early family life of the woman whose continuing struggle against segregation and discrimination began while she was still a high school student in Crystal City. He also follows her attempts as a single mother to achieve her dream of being a doctor and providing for her sons. This is the story of la cabezuda, Severita Lara, who has made an indelible imprint on American history. JOSÉ ANGEL GUTIÉRREZ is the author of a memoir for young adults The Making of a Civil Rights Leader: José Angel Gutiérrez (Piñata Books, 2005); two works of social commentary, A Chicano Manual on How to Handle Gringos (Arte Público Press, 2003) and A Gringo Manual on How to Handle Mexicans (Arte Público Press, 1998); and a memoir for adults, The Making of a Chicano Militant (University of Wisconsin Press, 1998). He is the editor and translator of Reies López Tijerina's autobiography, They Called Me King Tiger (Arte Público Press, 2000). The founder and former director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, he is a professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at Arlington. He also practices law in Dallas, Texas, where he lives with his family.

Whether on a baseball field as the only girl on an all-boys team in Hammond, Louisiana, or on a basketball court where her play-making ability was compared to Louisiana legend Pistol Pete Maravich, Kim Mulkey was a young athlete so gifted she was named to Parade magazine's 1980 All-America High School Girls Basketball team. Mulkey went on to win two national championships at Louisiana Tech, as well as a gold medal with the 1984 U.S. Women's Olympic basketball team. She served as an assistant coach on Louisiana Tech's 1988 national championship, then turned around Baylor University's women's basketball program by coaching them to a national championship in a mere five years. In Won't Back Down, Mulkey reveals the many trials she has overcome, and how her children and her coaching have sustained her in her most difficult moments.

"J.D. Rhoades writes action as well as anybody in the business, and bail bondsman Jack Keller is a winner." ―C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Joe Pickett series Jack Keller’s violent past is very much with him these days, despite his efforts to leave it behind. He’s back in rural North Carolina, looking for steady work, and trying to establish a relationship with Francis, the son he never knew. But the boy’s heard too much about Keller, particularly from Ben Jones, his half-brother and the son of Marie, the woman Keller loves. Ben’s alienated, angry, and headed for trouble, and Keller’s living with the guilt of knowing that much of Ben’s turmoil stems from that fateful day of blood and madness on a burning mountainside when Keller saved Ben’s life and that of his mother. But it came at a terrible price. Keller’s intervention on behalf of a bullied refugee girl and her family draws him into a confrontation with people from that family’s own dark past, including a trio of vicious and sadistic female assassins--with Ben, Marie and Francis destined to end up in the crosshairs as well. Jack Keller’s never been one to back down, and once again, he’ll be forced to pick up the gun to defend the people he loves. This time, however, he won’t be alone, and Jack will find out that the debts of his past may never be paid in full.

Thou shalt not fall for the girl thy cousin wants… James Watson is at a breaking point. The last year has put him on rocky grounds with his friends, and now he just bombed the bar exam. He pins the blame on one person: Tori Brown. She’s not only his sister’s best friend, but an undeniably sexy goddess who chaos seems to follow. Tori is tired of men seeing her as nothing more than a conquest. She’s particularly tired of James Watson, her friend’s hot older brother and the man who can’t give her a break. Now that Tori’s finally landed the human resources job she’s been working toward, she knows she won’t have time to think about him anymore. Until it becomes clear that the up-and-coming lawyer at her new workplace is none other than James. Beyond working at the same firm, James’s desire is kept in check by the bro code rule: Don’t date the girl your cousin likes—especially when he’s the attorney who invited you to join the firm. With the lines between lust and hate getting blurry, can they help but be crossed?

I drowned when I was sixteen. My brother's best friend brought me back, but nothing was the same. I can't remember what happened. My parents dragged me away from my island home in the name of keeping me safe, and thrust me into hell instead. I came back to Hatterwick to rebuild my life and--hopefully--my memory. Now a new inheritance threatens to expose those long buried secrets, and someone will stop at nothing to ensure I never remember what really happened that fateful night. The only thing standing between me and whoever wants to hurt me is a marriage of protection with the boy who saved me--now a man grown and determined to keep me safe at all costs. But what began as protection turns into more. Because he's the key to unlocking what hides in the shadows of my mind, which will either save or damn us both.

"Fifth-grader Susan "Susie B." Babuszkiewicz finds that running for Student Council is complicated, especially after learning that her hero, Susan B. Anthony, was not as heroic as she thought. Told through a series of letters from Susie to Susan."--Provided by publisher.

“...the notoriously media-wary Petty responds...about his life, career, and craft…” Publishers Weekly Conversations with Tom Petty is the first authorized book to focus solely on the life and work of the man responsible for some of the most memorable rock anthems of our generation, including: American Girl, Breakdown, Don’t Come Around Here No More, I Won’t Back Down, Free Fallin’, Runnin’ Down a Dream, You Don’t Know How It Feels , and many others. He was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and his work with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, as well as his solo albums and those with the Traveling Wilburys, have been critically acclaimed the world over and have earned numerous Platinum-status awards from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as well as Grammys, MTV Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many other honours. Author, Paul Zollo, conducted a series of in-depth discussions with Tom about his career, with special focus on his song writing. The conversations are reprinted with little or no editorial comment alongside rare photographs of the legend and represent a unique perspective on Tom’s entire career.