An illuminating history of North America's eleven rival cultural regions that explodes the red state-blue state myth. North America was settled by people with distinct religious, political, and ethnographic characteristics, creating regional cultures that have been at odds with one another ever since. Subsequent immigrants didn't confront or assimilate into an "American" or "Canadian" culture, but rather into one of the eleven distinct regional ones that spread over the continent each staking out mutually exclusive territory.In American Nations, Colin Woodard leads us on a journey through the history of our fractured continent, and the rivalries and alliances between its component nations, which conform to neither state nor international boundaries. He illustrates and explains why "American" values vary sharply from one region to another. Woodard reveals how intranational differences have played a pivotal role at every point in the continent's history, from the American Revolution and the Civil War to the tumultuous sixties and the "blue county/red county" maps of recent presidential elections. American Nations is a revolutionary and revelatory take on America's myriad identities and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and are molding our future.Review"Woodard offers a fascinating way to parse American (writ large) politics and history in this excellent book." ―Kirkus (starred review)"Woodard explains away partisanship in American Nations... which makes the provocative claim that our culture wars are inevitable. North America was settled by groups with distinct political and religious value--and we haven't had a moment's peace since." -- Publishers Weekly (Fall 2011 "Top Ten Politics" pick)"A smart read that feels particularly timely now, when so many would claim a mythically unified "Founding Fathers'' as their political ancestors." -- Boston Globe"A fascinating new take on our history" -- The Christian Science Monitor"For people interested in American history and sociology, "American Nations" demands reading." -- St.Louis Post-Dispatch"[In] offering us a way to better understand the forces at play in the rumpus room of current American politics, Colin Woodard has scored a true triumph" * -- The Daily Beast / Newsweek*"Woodard makes a worthwhile contribution by offering an accessible, well-researched analysis with appeal to both casual and scholarly readers." -- Library Journal"[American Nations'] compelling explanations and apt descriptions will fascinate anyone with an interest in politics, regional culture, or history" -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"[A] compelling and informative attempt to make sense of the regional divides in North America in general and this country in particular....Woodard provides a bracing corrective to an accepted national narrative that too often overlooks regional variations to tell a simpler and more reassuring story. " -- The Washington Post Views: 63
His mark could bind her foreveror finally set her free. Children of the Undying, Book 1 Fifty years after a demon apocalypse devastated the world, summoners still bear the bulk of the blame. Marci lives in secret, hiding the gifts that could cost her a secure spot in one of humanity s underground cities, and access to their virtual world. After all, her chances of avoiding the genetic-testing lotto are better than her chances of surviving topside. The bastard son of a terrifying incubus, lust heats Gabe s blood and sex fuels his magic. Innate charm and charisma help him navigate the cultural gap between the outcast town he calls home and the human settlements he infiltrates for trade. His latest mission nets him an unexpected asseta summoner strong enough to soothe his darkest needs. Trust a half demon, especially one who uses a lockdown to trap them together? Not in this lifetime. Yet Marci can t resist Gabe s offer to see her safely to a selective outcast settlement where she can live without fear. The journey alone is as dangerous as the way Gabe makes her heart race, but it could be her one hope of a real life. If only she could be sure Gabe s telling her the whole truth Warning: Contains a virtual world where humans flee to escape the demon-infested earth, a dangerously seductive half demon with sex magic to burn and a network-hacking summoner brave enough to make herself vulnerable to him. Views: 63
Leaving Kier Remington had been hard, living without him even harder. Shahna Reeves never expected him to find her, never imagined he would even bother to look. Until he walked back into her life, long, lean, and reminding her too well of things she'd been trying to forget. Not a day passed that Kier hadn't thought about Shahna, ached for the feel of her in his arms. He told himself it was a simple interest in her well-being that motivated him, but now that he had her back in his life -- her and the adorable baby he hadn't known existed -- he knew it was so much more.... Views: 63
Craving the endorphin rush that only a well-placed slap can bring? Aching for the pleasurable restraint of your wrists in leather cuffs? In Hurts So Good, editor Alison Tyler presents tantalizing, triple-X tales that are rich in saucy details of lovers paying the price with their bodies. Whether you dream of shedding your inhibitions with the right master, finally feeling the strong hands of a hot female tattoo artist, or switching from top to bottom and back, then this heart-pounding, rush-seeking collection will give you all the joys consensual pain can bring. Views: 63
From an exciting new master of fantasy comes the second novel of an epic tale filled with dangerous magic, dark mystery, and unrelenting suspenseThe Keep Of FireTravis Wilder has returned from the otherworld of Eldh, hoping to settle back into his humdrum life in the mountains of contemporary Colorado. But he soon finds himself stalked by two shadowy organizations, each aware of his incredible journey and each determined to exploit it--whatever the cost to Travis...or to Eldh. Meanwhile, a terrifying new contagion is spreading like wildfire, a disease with no cure, which some are comparing to the Black Plague.When the disease strikes his closest friend, Travis is drawn back to Eldh, where the same epidemic, known as the Burning Plague, is wreaking another kind of havoc. There, in a realm of gods and monsters, myths and runecraft, Travis and his former companion Grace Beckett--herself from Earth, but now living on Eldh--must solve the riddle of... Views: 63
A woman indulges her need to live on the edge when she tempts a werewolf on the night of the full moon. He’s barely in control of the need to shift and completely in control of her. Will he rip out her throat? Or give her the best sex she’s ever had? Views: 63
Lucy and her vivacious vampire girlfriend Sasha are back for another grift! With the holidays bursting and their bank accounts going bust, the duo hatch their biggest con yet–grifting other grifters in the Big Apple. Things start to go awry when Lucy is moved by the Christmas spirit and thoughts of polyamory. Can she convince Sasha to share some of the money and some space in their relationship for a third or will they all meet a bad end at the hands of dancing Santas? Views: 63
Someone is killing entire families, forcing fathers to hang their wives and children before taking their own lives. How does the killer do it? And what is the meaning of the small iron horse the killer leaves at every murder scene? FBI agent Melissa Saxon and her handpicked team are racing against time to solve the mystery before more families die.
Former anti-terrorist operative Colonel Mark Bishop and the survivors of his command think they know. One of their own, a stone killer who calls himself the Hangman, has come out to play, and he's trying to draw out not only Bishop, but his former comrades—the elite team known as Iron Horse.
Only the Horsemen can stop one of their own. But the team is disbanded, the survivors scattered. Bishop himself is tormented by guilt for the things he had to do to keep one of his men from suffering an agonizing death. Their adversary is not only a skilled assassin, but a master at creating fear. Behind the scenes, shadowy and powerful figures pursue their own plans for Bishop and the Hangman.
Mark Bishop, Melissa Saxon, and the last of the Iron Horsemen will have to use all their courage and every resource, including an array of high-tech weapons, to stop the Hangman. What they have to do will put everything they ever believed in to the ultimate test and push Bishop to the edge of sanity.
"J.D. Rhoades delivers the goods and then some in the wonderfully suspenseful Gallows Pole." -- Gary Phillips, author of The Underbelly
"J.D. Rhoades kicks ass!" --J.A. Konrath
"Rhoades is a knock-em-dead writer. Always a fan. Get this." --Anthony Neil Smith Views: 63
