Showing results by narrator "Chris Abernathy" in All Categories

River of Lakes weaves together the biological, cultural, anthropological, archaeological, and ecological aspects of the St. Johns, capturing the essence of its remarkable history and intrinsic value as a natural wonder.

With A Hard Rain, Gaillard gives us a deeply personal history, bringing his keen storyteller's eye to this pivotal time in American life. He explores the competing story arcs of tragedy and hope through the political and social movements of the times: civil rights, black power, women's liberation, the war in Vietnam, and the protests and movements against it.

Twenty years ago, his Chicago political column was syndicated in two hundred papers, but he had an affair—and a son—with his intern, and lost it all. Now he writes a local column and drives for Uber to pay his bills. Jake is playing out the string when his tranquil world is turned upside down. His biracial son—an ambitious entrepreneur—is marked for death by a street gangster, his alcoholic daughter is pregnant and wants an abortion.

Although Tennessee has a rich history of political scandals dating back to the founding of the state, the last fifty years have been a confusing, confounding, and sometimes ludicrous period of ne'er-do-welling. Welcome to Capitol Hill is a guide to the state's modern history of corruption. From Governor Ray Blanton's pardon scandals to the FBI investigation that started with now lieutenant governor Randy McNally wearing a wire in the late 1980s to the sexual misconduct that plagues Tennessee politics, this book chronicles it all.

Most people only consider the Mississippi River when they cross it or when it inconveniently abandons its banks. But every year, millions of tons of cargo are transported by towboats on the river. In Peep Light, Captain Lee Hendrix provides unique insight on people who work and live on and near the Mississippi River. Hendrix, formerly a pilot for the Delta Queen Steamboat Co., has worked on the Mississippi for fifty years. In 2014, Hendrix became captain of the towboat Mississippi with the US Army Corps of Engineers, then he later retired to return to passenger vessels.

In 2006, Johnny's pie-in-the-sky dreams of becoming world champion were dashed when his kings ran into aces in the World Series of Poker Main Event. But lady luck was with him when he met Amy, the woman of his dreams, who soon became his wife. Like many players, he drifted away from the game after Congress passed a law later that year that cut off funds to online poker and harkened the decline of the game. But even as Johnny returned to the working world, the itch remained.

We once idolized tech entrepreneurs for creating innovations that seemed like modern miracles. We now blame them for spreading lies, breaking laws, and causing chaos. Yesterday's Silicon Valley darlings have become today's Big Tech villains. Which is it? Are they superheroes or scoundrels? Or is it more complicated?

Clayton Stonemason idolized his father, a hometown hero in their small Missouri town. But when his father’s life unravels, Clayton loses his way, too. He tries to escape his father’s legacy but discovers he can’t run from his destiny. AMERICAN JUKEBOX, a story of small-town America in the last decades of the twentieth century, explores the many ways our relationships, hopes, and dreams can alter the course of our lives.

The story of college football in Alabama is the story of the South itself. This behind-the-scenes account of the Alabama vs. Auburn rivalry, one of the fiercest in American sports, details its rich history, celebrates the triumphs of both teams, and showcases the larger-than-life power of football to break down barriers and shape an entire culture.

Ian Bragg remembered his first hit when he had little experience. He didn’t wish that on others. It would expose them. It would put the Peace Archive at risk. In the outskirts of Atlanta, Ian and Jenny bring together a select group of operators, loyal and dedicated, to train on a live contract. Winner takes home the big prize – a million dollars, tax-free. The others get a payout based on the ingenuity of their engagement because the Peace Archive won’t tolerate losers. They drive everyone to be better than they were the day before. In the real world, every contract is a challenge.

Alabama: The History of a Deep South State, Bicentennial Edition is a comprehensive narrative account of the state from its earliest days to the present. This edition, updated to celebrate the state's bicentennial year, offers a detailed survey of the colorful, dramatic, and often controversial turns in Alabama's evolution.

From opening his first hot dog stand in 1961 to growing his business to over three hundred restaurants nationwide, John Galardi wholeheartedly shared each new success with his loved ones, his friends, and the many people who helped him realize his vision. His journey to achieve the American dream shows his struggles and triumphs, his disappointments and determination, and the hard work and imagination required to build the world’s largest hot dog chain.

In Draining New Orleans, renowned geographer Richard Campanella recounts the epic challenges and ingenious efforts to dewater the Crescent City. With forays into geography, public health, engineering, architecture, politics, sociology, race relations, and disaster response, he chronicles the herculean attempts to "reclaim" the city's swamps and marshes and install subsurface drainage for massive urban expansion.

When all the species of birds, trees, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, wildflowers, dragonflies, tiger beetles, and ants are tallied, Alabama harbors more species than ninety percent of the other states in the US. The state's 4,533 species, with more being inventoried and discovered each year, are supported by no less than sixty-four distinct ecological systems—each a unique blend of soil, water, sunlight, heat, and natural disturbance regimes. Although Alabama is teeming with life, the state's prominence as a refuge for plants and animals is poorly appreciated.