Norman Dietz

The story of Colchester, Illinois, and its hometown gangster turned folk hero, Henry "Kelly" Wagle. Legendary for his good deeds & slick driving, notorious for his violent temper & dark secrets, Wagle is also the central figure in 2 unsolved murder cases.

Let me tell you something, son. When youre young, and you head out to wonderful, everything is fresh and bright as a brand-new penny, but before you get to wonderful youre going to have to pass through all right. And when you get to all right, stop and take a good, long look, because that may be as far as youre ever going to go.

It is the summer of 1948 when a handsome, charismatic stranger, Charlie Beale, recently back from the war in Europe,

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Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer's best friend, escapes down the Mississippi on a raft with the runaway slave, Jim. One of the iconic American novels, it caused a stir when published because of the vernacular used by Twain to characterize Jim and the people of the Mississippi. Twain's criticism of racial segregation and the treatment of slaves was thrown into turbulent criticisms at the turn of the century however, when he himself was accused of racist

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Poems exploring the experiences of the author are accompanied by essays on writing and a selection of short stories

By the time of his early death in 1988, Raymond Carver had established himself as one of the great practitioners of the American short story, a writer who had not only found his own voice but imprinted it in the imaginations of thousands of readers. Where I'm Calling From, his last collection, encompasses classic stories from Cathedral, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, and earlier Carver volumes, along with seven new works previously unpublished...

To live in a pristine land unchanged by man; to roam the wilderness through which few other humans have passed; to choose an idyllic site, cut trees, and build a log cabin; to be a self-sufficient craftsman, making what is needed from materials available; to be not at odds with the world, but content with one's own thoughts and company: thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. This book is a simple account of the day-by-day...

Chronicles the life and career of the fourth American president, including his work constructing the U.S. Constitution, his role in shaping American politics, his influence on partisan journalism, and his leadership during the War of 1812.

The most celebrated story collection from “one of the true American masters” (The New York Review of Books)—a haunting meditation on love, loss, and companionship, and finding one’s way through the dark that includes the iconic and much-referenced title story featured in the Academy Award-winning film Birdman. 

"Raymond Carver's America is ... clouded by pain and the loss of dreams, but it is not as...

One of the most popular and mysterious figures in American literary history, J.D. Salinger eluded fans and journalists for most of his life. Now comes a new biography. Filled with new information and revelations, garnered from countless interviews, letters, and public records, this work presents his extraordinary life that spanned nearly the entire twentieth century. The author explores Salinger's privileged youth, long obscured by misrepresentation...

It's summer in Harmony, but not everything is as sunny as the weather. The good citizens of Harmony are back and stirring up trouble as usual, sometimes with disastrous results. Pastor Sam Gardner must take a leave of absence from his post at Harmony Friends Meeting to take care of his ailing father. But when spunky pastor Krista Riley comes to fill his position, the quirky Quakers seem to fall in love with her, and it begins to look like Sam's sabbatical...