"Mothers, daughters and mothering have been a longtime focus of research and study in various academic disciplines, and common topics of interest in mainstream press and popular culture, yet the realities and experiences of sons, men, mothers and mothering have been less explored. In her 1980 article "Maternal Thinking" Sara Ruddick theorized, "although some men do, and more men should acquire maternal thinking, their ways of acquisition are necessarily...

With Asperger's syndrome, teenager Jacob Hunt is unable to have the same kind of social life other boys his age have. However, like other kids with AS, he has homed in on one particular interest: forensic analysis. He normally shows up to crime scenes and helps solve the case, but this time he is the prime suspect. When a murder leads police to question Jacob, they interpret his AS symptoms as a sign of guilt and cast a very public spotlight on Jacob...

Governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind a visitor's appearance. Dr. Helen Benson is a renowned scientist who finds herself face-to-face with an alien called Klaatu. Klaatu has traveled across the universe to warn of an impending global crisis. She quickly discovers the deadly ramificications of Klaatu's claim that he is a 'friend to the Earth.' Now, she and her yourng stepson must find a way to convince the entity who was sent...

"Best friends Unity and Ellen are in serious ruts. High school teacher Ellen, whose son's dream of going out of state for college is arousing financial anxiety, hasn't dated since she became pregnant on the night of her junior prom. Unity, a successful handyman, is grieving after her soldier husband was killed three years ago. Each woman goads the other to venture out of her restrictive comfort zone, daring the other to take on a list of challenges,...

On a brisk autumn day, a twelve-year-old boy stands on the shores of the gray Atlantic, near a silent amusement park and a fading ocean resort called the Alhambra. The past has driven Jack Sawyer here: his father is gone, his mother is dying, and the world no longer makes sense. But for Jack everything is about to change. For he has been chosen to make a journey back across America--and into another realm.

With the help of his grandmother, his dead father's best friend, and his own best friend, a math genius, ten-year-old Mickey prepares to complete in the most important pool championship of his life, despite his mother's reservations.