Life's too Short to Be an Underdog. is the story of a boy and his dog.and another dog.and yet another one.well, several more after that. Author Dave Smith boldly reveals the sometimes confusing, occasionally tragic, but always amusing history of the 'Smith Family Dog Curse". For so many years the family was denied in their attempts to cultivate a lasting bond with any dogs because of a series of mysterious events. In the midst of the family's pain and heartache, one dog managed to beat the curse and became the inspiration of many spiritual insights for his beloved master. Dave opens up the family history book and invites you to laugh along, secretly hoping it doesn't cost him the vast family inheritance. Life's too Short to Be an Underdog. is a book to share with friends, family, pet lovers, the criminally insane, and anyone else who knows how to read. It will bring smiles to faces of those who remember their own favorite doggie memories and challenge them to look for God's leading in the little things of life.even in the sometimes bizarre antics of a little dog named Ballpark.

Susan and Carlos were unlikely friends. She was a young, overweight college professor and a bit of a trainwreckjuggling a divorce, a pack-a-day habit, and hiding empty boxes of wine under her bed. He was her boss, an Ironman triathlete, with life figured out. She was a whiner, he was a hard-ass. He had his shit together, she most assuredly did not.Trash-talking workouts, breakdowns, a devastating diagnosisthis heartwarming story of training buddies reveals a deep and abiding friendship that traversed life, sport, and everything in between. Their journey reveals the inspiring power of sports and friendship to change lives forever.Amusing and poignant, Life’s Too Short To Go So F*cking Slow is about running and triathlon, growth and heartbreak, and an epic friendship that went the distance.

WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER OF THE BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR Why does an international footballer with the world at his feet decide to take his own life? On 10 November 2009 the German national goalkeeper, Robert Enke, stepped in front of a passing train. He was thirty-two years old and a devoted husband and father. Enke had played for a string of Europe's top clubs, including Barcelona and Jose Mourinho's Benfica and was destined to become his country's first choice in goal for years to come. But beneath the veneer of success, Enke battled with crippling depression. Award-winning writer Ronald Reng pieces together the puzzle of his friend's life, shedding valuable light on the crushing pressures endured by professional sportsmen and on life at the top clubs. At its heart, Enke's tragedy is a universal story of a man struggling against his demons. ‘It should be on every British football fan's reading list’ Metro

As the wounds of the Civil War are just beginning to heal, one fateful summer would forever alter the course of a young girl’s life. In 1868, on the barren shores of post-war Outer Banks North Carolina, the once wealthy Sinclair family moves for the summer to one of the first cottages on the ocean side of the resort village of Nags Head. Seventeen-year-old Abigail is beautiful, book-smart, but sheltered by her plantation life and hemmed-in by her emotionally distant family. To make good use of time, she is encouraged by her family to teach her father’s fishing guide, the good-natured but penniless Benjamin Whimble, how to read and write. And in a twist of fate unforeseen by anyone around them, there on the porch of the cottage, the two come to love each other deeply, and to understand each other in a way that no one else does. But when, against everything he claims to represent, Ben becomes entangled in Abby's father's Ku Klux Klan work, the terrible tragedy and surprising revelations that one hot Outer Banks night brings forth threaten to tear them apart forever. With vivid historical detail and stunning emotional resonance, Diann Ducharme recounts a dramatic story of love, loss, and coming of age at a singular and rapidly changing time in one of America’s most beautiful and storied communities.

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING... A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and no matter how small that step is, we are bound to take it in order to reach our destination. In this insightful and luminous work, Franck Johanssen shares his story and journey to achieving his dreams and purpose, while at the same time inspiring the non-dreamer to dream and the dreamer to dream even bigger. Dreams of an Underdog is a book that will bring the best out of you while redirecting you to the path of your purpose in hopes of redefining your situation, reinforcing your mindset and remaking history for yourself and for your generations to come. Your background and circumstances may influence who you are today, but you are solely responsible for who you become tomorrow

Fear not, for inLife Is Too Short: Life Is What We Make It,author David Dorris shows you how to approach life's problems and that making the right choices is easier than you think. Life is like a baseball game where the pitcher is constantly throwing you curveballs. As this is the case, do you want to simply be a spectator, or do you want to get in the game and face life head-on? Although it may sound simple sometimes, life is not an easy game to play. There are many challenges to overcome and many choices you have to make. None of you have a choice as to how you come into the world; however, you do have a choice as to the kind of life you live. Follow David inLife Is Too Short: Life Is What We Make It,and find out for yourself how you too can knock life's curveballs out of the park. 'For everyone on life's journey, Mr. Dorris's Life Is Too Short provides a well-written, easy-to-read guide on how to live, learn, grow, and follow one's dreams. A must-read for everyone who wants to live life to the fullest.' - William E. Gluba, Mayor of Davenport, Iowa

We were all affected by 9/11. Thats not news, nor is it news that everyone grieves in different ways. How some people heard the call to service, how they heeded the voice calling them through the aftermath toward a new life, however, is striking and inspiring. As these people look back on how their worlds have changed, they can help us answer the heartrending question, Where was God? In Life Is Too Short: Stories of Transformation and Renewal after 9/11, author and journalist Wendy Stark Healy brings us the personal narratives of disaster responders, case managers, pastors, and those who worked in or near the World Trade Center, revealing how their experiences after 9/11/01 changed their lives for the betterforever. Healy shares the story of the pastor who blessed body parts at Ground Zero and, after healing his own emotional wounds, became a mental health counselor. Theres the aspiring actress and temp worker who became a spiritual healer after realizing healing is always possible, even amid unfathomable horror and despair. A Wall Street banker volunteered in an FDNY food tent before going on to run the September 11 Families Association. Healys stories of renewal and faith, of the normal people who used the gifts they were given to make the world a better place, show us the strength and power in helping one another and give us a roadmap for building a future of tolerance and peace.

Have you ever felt like an underdog? Like you don’t have the ability or confidence to pursue your dreams? The Bible is full of ordinary people the world considered underdogs. Yet God chose them to do his work. In God of the Underdogs, pastor Matt Keller tells his own story of being an underdog as well as the stories of the underdog heroes in Scripture. Men and women like Moses, Esther, King David, Samuel, Joseph, Paul the Apostle, and even Jesus. The stories and scriptures you’ll read will inspire you to face down the excuses holding you back, and you will be free to pursue your destiny as never before! Maybe you’re thinking, My past is too dark. “But it’s your past,” Matt assures you. God of the Underdogswill show you that the Creator of the universe wants you to accomplish great things for him. He wants to use your life in a way he will use no one else’s. Don’t shrink back from your destiny; lean into it. The Bible says you are a friend of God. Beloved. Highly esteemed. Known. More than conquerors. God sees your potential. It is your inability, not your perfection, that makes you an underdog worth using in God’s eyes. So rise up, underdog! God has a special plan for your life.

A behind-the-scenes view of cutting-edge medical research and discoveries that are helping people with disabilities regain control, this book is an insightful look into the possibilities of technology and the associated ethical, political, social, and financial controversies. After he was stabbed and paralyzed from the neck down, Matthew Nagle, a former high school football star, made scientific history when neurosurgeons implanted microelectrodes in his brain that recognized his thought patterns, allowing him to control a computer cursor. With the BrainGate system he was able to use e-mail, manipulate a prosthetic hand, adjust TV settings, and play video games—all just by thinking. Dr. Jon Mukand, his research physician and a rehabilitation specialist, weaves together Matt's story with firsthand accounts of other courageous survivors of stroke, spinal injuries, and brain trauma and the amazing technology that improves their lives. Not only a discussion of scientific advances in the battle against paralysis, The Man with the Bionic Brain is an inspirational book about how biomedicine gives hope to people with disabilities and enables them to take control of their lives. Jon Mukand, MD, PhD, is rehabilitation medicine specialist and medical director of the Southern New England Rehabilitation Center and serves on the clinical faculty of Brown University and Tufts University. He is the editor of Vital Lines: Contemporary Fiction about Medicine, Articulations: The Body and Illness in Poetry, and Rehabilitation for Patients with HIV Disease. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.