Social Issues Fiction

An unexpected friendship changes everything. Anita Baum has never been one to make friends. She navigates her high school halls like a mine field; because for her they might as well be. Any misstep means that she risks being teased and humiliated. However, when new student Tina takes an instant liking to Anita, things start to change. Outrageously bold and determined, Tina is the exact opposite of Anita. The duo quickly becomes friends and their unlikely friendship places Anita in the limelight. As the duo maneuver through the toxic culture of Greenwich, they are forced to face the trials ...

Stella Diaz loves marine animals, especially her betta fish, Pancho. But Stella Diaz is not a betta fish. Betta fish like to be alone, while Stella loves spending time with her mom and brother and her best friend, Jenny. Trouble is, Jenny is in another class this year, and Stella feels very lonely. When a new boy arrives in Stella's class, she really wants to be his friend, but sometimes Stella accidentally speaks Spanish instead of English and pronounces words wrong, which makes her turn roja. Plus, she has to speak in front of her whole class for a big presentation at school!

Jane Barrow thought she'd left the mysteries behind. She was wrong. Between planning her wedding to Mike, running her cleaning business, and keeping up with her two kids, Jane has her hands full. The last thing she needs is another cold case pulling her back into the shadows of Alma's forgotten past. But when a stranger named Hazel calls late one night, desperate for answers about her brother who vanished forty years ago, Jane can't turn away. The trail leads back to the Wheeler house—the same eerie Victorian where Jane discovered disturbing Polaroids of missing children hidden behind the...

Jane Barrow thought she was just cleaning houses and raising her kids in small-town Alma, Kansas. But when a routine job at the Whitcomb family reunion takes a deadly turn, she finds herself caught in a web of lies that stretches back decades. When Vanessa Whitcomb takes a mysterious tumble down the stairs, the police are quick to call it an accident. But Jane discovers a hidden notebook filled with cryptic observations about the family's darkest secrets—and she's convinced someone pushed Ness to keep her quiet. As Jane digs deeper into the Whitcombs' tangled history, she realizes that ...

A comedian’s joke sparks outrage. A violent crime exposes corruption. A lawyer searching for redemption takes on his most dangerous case yet. When stand-up comic Verne Slater is brutally attacked after a controversial routine, his injuries ignite a storm of media attention and social debate. Called back into action after a six-month suspension, Chance Cormac—boxer, lawyer, and reluctant hero—steps in to defend Verne and uncover the truth behind the assault. But in a city where justice bends to power and anger hides behind every headline, Chance soon realizes the case is about far more...

Jane Barrow thought cleaning the old Wheeler house would be just another job—until contractor Brent discovers a metal box hidden in the wall containing decades-old Polaroid photographs of children. Each haunting image shows a different child posed against the same rose-patterned wallpaper, their names faded and crossed out in mysterious handwriting. When Jane begins investigating the photos, she uncovers the tragic story of Pearl Wheeler, a reclusive woman whose life was shattered by accusations decades ago. But as Jane digs deeper into Alma's buried secrets, strange things start ...

The system was built to protect them. Now, it’s the very thing destroying them. Jessie Logan created a fragile sanctuary... a therapy group for girls who aged out of foster care. It's a circle of scuffed floors and mismatched chairs where secrets can finally be spoken. But when a new member, Devon, calls from a motel room bleeding after an illegal procedure, that sanctuary is ripped wide open. What Jessie uncovers leads to something far worse: underground clinics, anonymous threats, and an adoption agency that thrives by keeping vulnerable girls silent. As the precinct scrambles for leads...

Love marriages around the world are simple: Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy. They get married. In India, there are a few more steps: Boy loves Girl. Girl loves Boy. Girl's family has to love boy. Boy's family has to love girl. Girl's family has to love Boy's family. Boy's family has to love Girl's family. Girl and Boy still love each other. They get married. Welcome to 2 States, a story about Krish and Ananya. They are from two different states of India; they are deeply in love and want to get married. Of course their parents don't agree.

Winner of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award From legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting story about “an ordinary man in an extraordinary condition rising above hatred” (The Washington Post) and bringing the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine...

A heart-warming novel for mature teenagers and young adults about trying to ride the rocky waves of teenage life, and fitting in at a new school. After a devastating family incident nearly destroys her, sixteen year old competitive swimmer, Jaimee, finds her life, and her Olympic dreams shattered when she’s forced to move from the sun-drenched beaches of Noosa to a cold and dreary surfing village, one thousand miles away, at her grandparent’s house. Trying to adjust to her newfound situation and living in a town full of self-important surf heads, life is made even more unbearable by Ivy...

Are you tired of being manipulated by fake news and false arguments? Arm yourself with the ultimate weapon - critical thinking. Critical Thinking For Complex Issues is your guide to cutting through the noise and discovering the truth. Learn how to spot logical fallacies, overcome confirmation bias, and analyze arguments objectively. Case studies and examples throughout show you how to apply these powerful skills in real life. Master the art of Socratic questioning to get to the heart of any issue.

An urgent, emotional thriller: "Dramatic...explores the power of grief...that through loss there can be hope for the future" (Library Journal). Everyone at Ridgemont Academy knows what to expect from Emma Caroline Blake. Perfect grades. Perfect record. Perfect life. Then she stands up in class...

Jane Barrow thought her biggest worry was keeping her cleaning business running smoothly while raising two kids as a single mom in small-town Alma, Kansas. But when the powerful A.E. Miller Group arrives with plans to build a luxury resort, Jane discovers that some developers will stop at nothing—including blackmail, threats, and intimidation—to get what they want. When mysterious lawyer George Jackson approaches Jane with disturbing evidence that the development company is forcing local residents to sell their properties through coercion, Jane finds herself drawn into a dangerous ...

When Jane's husband left her and their children for greener pastures, she had no choice but to take as many housecleaning jobs as she could get to support them. Little did she know that during one of those jobs she would discover that a valuable ring her client owned had been stolen. Even more unexpected is when her client asks her to investigate the theft and find out who stole the ring. Jane soon discovers she has a knack for solving crimes as well as locating a treasure that has been missing for over a hundred years. When she looked at a long-lost map that a treasure seeker had ...

In the art world, fame can make a piece invaluable. Such is the fate of "Tides of Time" when it's spotlighted in a renowned art magazine. Suddenly, its worth skyrockets, catching the eyes of not only art enthusiasts but also those with nefarious intentions. But when an audacious attempt to steal the painting goes awry, the owners are left shaken, their prized possession in jeopardy. Enter Jane, an unassuming house cleaner with a hidden talent for solving mysteries. Once a regular house cleaner striving to make ends meet for her children after her husband's abrupt departure, Jane's life ...

Born in an Andean village in Ecuador, Virginia lives with her family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling. In her Indigenous community, it is not uncommon to work in the fields all day, even as a child, or to be called a longa tonta-stupid Indian-by members of the privileged class of mestizos, or Spanish descendants. When seven-year-old Virginia is taken from her home to be a servant to a mestizo couple, she has no idea what the future holds.

The Burden, edited by award-winning Detroit newspaper columnist Rochelle Riley, is a powerful collection of essays that create a chorus of evidence that the burden is real. The Burden expresses the voices of well-known Americans, such as actor/director Tim Reid who compares slavery to a cancer diagnosis, and former Detroit News columnist Betty DeRamus who recounts the discrimination she encountered as a young Black Detroiter in the south.

I'm just a girl that loves to write. I write when I'm happy and I write when I'm sad, and these are my thoughts in words as I seek peace. As you read, may these words lead you to peace. As others look for happiness, I'm in pursuit of peace.

NOW THEY'VE PUSHED ME TOO FAR When my life fell apart last year, I became the girl that everyone needed me to be: The good girlfriend. The good daughter. The good student. I’ve been keeping it together. But I’ve lost track of who I need to be—for myself. Because I can’t be everything for everyone else. Not when the attacks keep coming. They tried to destroy me once and I fought back. And they haven't given up. But I'm not the new girl anymore. They have no idea what this “good girl” is capable of doing if they push me too far ... WARNING: The Good Girl is the second book in the ...

When you’re blind to the danger right in front of you, who will you listen to before you get hurt? In a small town in rural Pennsylvania, nothing is as simple as it seems. Secrets lurk behind every corner, dying to be exposed. No one will make it out unscathed. Addie is a teenage girl that seems to have it all figured out. Starting high school can be hard, but not when you’re one of the popular crowd. Addie has all the boys wrapped around her finger, but what fun is there in that? All is not what it seems when her life outside of school is exposed. She makes it look easy, but dealing ...