In the tradition of The Other Wes Moore and Just Mercy, a searing memoir and clarion call to save our at-risk youth by a young black man who himself was a lost cause—until he landed in a rehabilitation program that saved his life and gave him purpose.
Born into abject poverty in Haiti, young Jim St. Germain moved to Brooklyn’s Crown Heights, into an overcrowded apartment with his family. He quickly adapted to street life and began stealing, dealing drugs, and growing increasingly indifferent to despair and violence. By the time he was arrested for dealing crack cocaine, he had been handcuffed more than a dozen times. At the age of fifteen the walls of the system were closing around him.
But instead of prison, St. Germain was placed in "Boys Town," a nonsecure detention facility designed for rehabilitation. Surrounded by mentors and positive male authority who enforced a system based on structure and privileges rather than intimidation and punishment, St. Germain slowly found his way, eventually getting his GED and graduating from college. Then he made the bravest decision of his life: to live, as an adult, in the projects where he had lost himself, and to work to reform the way the criminal justice system treats at-risk youth.
A Stone of Hope is more than an incredible coming-of-age story; told with a degree of candor that requires the deepest courage, it is also a rallying cry. No one is who they are going to be—or capable of being—at sixteen. St. Germain is living proof of this. He contends that we must work to build a world in which we do not give up on a swath of the next generation.
Passionate, eloquent, and timely, illustrated with photographs throughout, A Stone of Hope is an inspiring challenge for every American, and is certain to spark debate nationwide.

A Stone of Hope: A Memoir

St. Germain, Jim

Sternfeld, Jon

Teen & Young Adult

Harper

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Harper Paperbacks

Review\n"Simply showing up will not leave the impact leaders need to have today in business. One must show up as their best self and ready to perform consistently. This book will help you do just that!"―Ellen Latham, creator/co-founder, Orange Theory Fitness\n"Regardless of industry, now more than ever, it’s incredibly challenging to effectively cope with–and conquer–stress, stagnation, and burnout. This book is an invaluable resource for doing just that. It is a blueprint to sustaining excellence! Alan’s writing style is engaging, he is a captivating storyteller, and he knows how to distil complex ideas into bite sized, actionable nuggets. Sustain Your Game is full of impactful lessons to help you in any area of your life.”―Charles Watson, CEO, Tropical Smoothie Café, LLC\nPraise for Alan Stein, Jr.'s Raise Your Game\n"Alan played a huge role in my development on and off the court and his guidance helped me get to where I am today. This book is a must read."―Kevin Durant\n"Alan shares what it takes to take your game to the next level. Raise Your Game provides tools, concepts and strategies you can utilize today to enhance your influence and make an immediate impact on your team, culture and organization." ―Jon Gordon, bestselling author of Training Camp and The Carpenter\n"Alan knows exactly what it takes to Raise Your Game. The stories, principles and strategies he shares in this book apply to basketball, business and everything in between. If you want to be a more influential leader and impactful teammate--you will read this book."―Jay Wright, Head Coach of Villanova University (2016 & 2018 NCAA Champions)\n"Raise Your Game shares the principles required to be an impactful leader and an influential teammate. This book looks at what the highest performers in sports and business do consistently to create winning cultures and championship teams. The stories, lessons and practical take-a-ways will help players, coaches, executives and entrepreneurs unlock new levels of performance."―Ric Elias, CEO of Red Ventures\n"Whether building a start-up as an entrepreneur, or a developing innovations as an "intrapreneur" at a Fortune 500, the fundamentals of success are the same. It comes down to habits, preparation and mindset. Raise Your Game shares the building blocks used by the world's top athletes, executives, coaches and entrepreneurs to reach unparalleled success and perform at the highest level. I am recommending Raise Your Game as a must-read for all of the entrepreneurs and executives I work with."―Mark French, Serial Entrepreneur (Sports / Entertainment / Media / Technology)\nPraise for Alan Stein, Jr.: 
"Simply put, Alan Stein is the best in the business. I worked alongside Alan for years and his ability to motivate and inspire is second to none.. His passion inspires everyone he connects with to push their limits. Alan gets results. Period."―Jay Bilas, ESPN\n"Alan's first hand experience with elite basketball players provides an unmatched angle on exactly what is needed to help any business or organization thrive. Our entire team was really empowered by his talk."―Angel Roberts, Founder, Love, Peace and Hip Hop\n"Alan's talk was an unbelievably motivating way to kick start our company off-site. He was funny, interactive, and engaging, all while driving home extremely important take-a-ways for our team to get better."―Vasu Kulkarni, C.E.O., Krossover\n"If you need a speaker that can captivate and engage an audience, you will be blown away by Alan Stein. He walks the walk and gets the audience to relate to his stories in a way that they too, feel empowered to lead. He delivers a powerful message in a practical, insightful and entertaining way."―Danyell Johnson, Founder, Find the Money Project\n"Alan's innate ability to speak passionately and with substance make him one of the best corporate speakers I've had the pleasure of experiencing. He recently received a standing ovation after his keynote performance in Cancun, Mexico at

Sustain Your Game: High Performance Keys to Manage Stress, Avoid Stagnation, and Beat Burnout

Business & Money

Stein, Alan

Personal Finance

Balance

Scenes from My Life: A Memoir

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “gripping, revelatory” (NPR) memoir of hard-won success, struggles with addiction, and a lifelong mission to give back—from the late iconic actor beloved for his roles in The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, and Lovecraft Country\n“Williams’s cool rasp leaps off every page, his story told in the direct yet impassioned language that defined his greatest characters.”—Vulture\nWhen Michael K. Williams died on September 6, 2021, he left behind a career as one of the most electrifying actors of his generation. From his star turn as Omar Little in The Wire to Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire to Emmy-nominated roles in HBO’s The Night Of and Lovecraft Country, Williams inhabited a slew of indelible roles that he portrayed with a rawness and vulnerability that leapt off the screen. Beyond the nominations and acclaim, Williams played characters who connected, whose humanity couldn’t be denied, whose stories were too often left out of the main narrative.\nAt the time of his death, Williams had nearly finished a memoir that tells the story of his past while looking to the future, a book that merges his life and his life’s work. Mike, as his friends knew him, was so much more than an actor. In Scenes from My Life, he traces his life in whole, from his childhood in East Flatbush and his early years as a dancer to his battles with addiction and the bar fight that left his face with his distinguishing scar. He was a committed Brooklyn resident and activist who dedicated his life to working with social justice organizations and his community, especially in helping at-risk youth find their voice and carve out their future. Williams worked to keep the spotlight on those he fought for and with, whom he believed in with his whole heart.\nImbued with poignance and raw honesty, Scenes from My Life is the story of a performer who gave his all to everything he did—in his own voice, in his own words, as only he could.

Williams, Michael K.

Humor & Entertainment

Crown

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • A “gripping, revelatory” (NPR) memoir of hard-won success, struggles with addiction, and a lifelong mission to give back—from the late iconic actor beloved for his roles in The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, and Lovecraft Country\n“Williams’s cool rasp leaps off every page, his story told in the direct yet impassioned language that defined his greatest characters.”—Vulture\nONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, NPR, The Root\nWhen Michael K. Williams died on September 6, 2021, he left behind a career as one of the most electrifying actors of his generation. From his star turn as Omar Little in The Wire to Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire to Emmy-nominated roles in HBO’s The Night Of and Lovecraft Country, Williams inhabited a slew of indelible roles that he portrayed with a rawness and vulnerability that leapt off the screen. Beyond the nominations and acclaim, Williams played characters who connected, whose humanity couldn’t be denied, whose stories were too often left out of the main narrative.\nAt the time of his death, Williams had nearly finished a memoir that tells the story of his past while looking to the future, a book that merges his life and his life’s work. Mike, as his friends knew him, was so much more than an actor. In Scenes from My Life, he traces his life in whole, from his childhood in East Flatbush and his early years as a dancer to his battles with addiction and the bar fight that left his face with his distinguishing scar. He was a committed Brooklyn resident and activist who dedicated his life to working with social justice organizations and his community, especially in helping at-risk youth find their voice and carve out their future. Williams worked to keep the spotlight on those he fought for and with, whom he believed in with his whole heart.\nImbued with poignance and raw honesty, Scenes from My Life is the story of a performer who gave his all to everything he did—in his own voice, in his own words, as only he could.

From the highest-ranking whistleblower in NYPD history, a gripping insider look at the complexities of modern policing and the urgent need for reform Over his decade and a half with the New York Police Department, Edwin Raymond consistently exposed the dark underbelly of modern policing, becoming the highest-ranking whistleblower in the history of the force and one of the country's leading voices against police injustice. Offering a rare, often shocking view of American policing, An Inconvenient Cop pulls back the curtain on the many flaws woven into the NYPD's training, data, and practices, which have since been repackaged and repurposed by police departments across the country. Gravitating toward law enforcement in the hope of being a positive influence in his community, Raymond quickly learned that the problem with policing is a lot deeper than merely "a few bad apples"--the entire mechanism is set up to ensure that racial profiling is rewarded, and there are weighty consequences for cops who don't play along. Struggling with the moral dilemma of policing impartially while witnessing his fellow officers go with the flow, Raymond's journey takes him to the precipice of personal and professional ruin. Yet, through it all, he remains steadfast in his commitment to justice and his belief in the potential for change. At once revelatory and galvanizing, An Inconvenient Cop courageously bears witness to and exposes institutional violence. It presents a vision of radical hope and makes the case for a world in which the police's responsibility is not to arrest numbers but to the people.

An Inconvenient Cop: My Fight to Change Policing in America

Raymond, Edwin

VIKING

A book for makers, for seekers of all kinds, an exhilarating look into the heart and soul of artisans--and how their collective wisdom can inspire us all. "Despite our technological advances, we're busier than ever, our lives more frazzled. That's why the handmade object, created with care and detail, embodying a history and a tradition, is enormously powerful. It can cut through so much and speak in ways that we don't often hear, or that we've forgotten." --Eric Gorges, from A Craftsman's Legacy In this joyful celebration of skilled craftsmen, Eric Gorges, a corporate-refugee-turned-metal-shaper, taps into a growing hunger to get back to what's real. Through visits with fellow artisans--calligraphers, potters, stone carvers, glassblowers, engravers, woodworkers, and more--many of whom he's profiled for his popular television program, Gorges identifies values that are useful for all of us: taking time to slow down and enjoy the process, embracing failure, knowing when to stop and when to push through, and accepting that perfection is an illusion. Most of all, A Craftsman's Legacy shows how all of us can embrace a more creative and authentic life and learn to focus on doing what we love.

A Craftsman's Legacy: Why Working with Our Hands Gives Us Meaning (Thorndike Large Print Lifestyles)

Gorges, Eric

Thorndike Press Large Print

Raise Your Game: High-Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best

Performance coach Alan Stein Jr. shares the secret principles used by world-class performers that will help you improve your productivity and achieve higher levels of success.High achievers are at the top of their game because of the discipline they have during the unseen hours. They have made a commitment to establish, tweak, and repeat positive habits in everything they do. RAISE YOUR GAME examines the top leaders in sports and business and proves that success is a result of the little things we do all the time. The basic principles provided in RAISE YOUR GAME are simple, but not easy. We live in an instantly downloadable world that encourages us to skip steps. We are taught to chase what's hot, flashy and sexy and ignore what's basic. But the basics work. They always have and they always will. RAISE YOUR GAME will inspire and empower you to commit to the fundamentals, create a winning mindset, and progress into new levels of success.

Stein Jr., Alan

Business Culture

Center Street

Alan Stein Jr.

Religion & Spirituality

A book for makers, for seekers of all kinds, an exhilarating look into the heart and soul of artisans—and how their collective wisdom can inspire us all. "Despite our technological advances, we’re busier than ever, our lives more frazzled. That’s why the handmade object, created with care and detail, embodying a history and a tradition, is enormously powerful. It can cut through so much and speak in ways that we don’t often hear, or that we’ve forgotten." —Eric Gorges, from A Craftsman’s Legacy In this joyful celebration of skilled craftsmen, Eric Gorges, a corporate-refugee-turned-metal-shaper, taps into a growing hunger to get back to what’s real. Through visits with fellow artisans—calligraphers, potters, stone carvers, glassblowers, engravers, woodworkers, and more—many of whom he’s profiled for his popular television program, Gorges identifies values that are useful for all of us: taking time to slow down and enjoy the process, embracing failure, knowing when to stop and when to push through, and accepting that perfection is an illusion. Most of all, A Craftsman’s Legacy shows how all of us can embrace a more creative and authentic life and learn to focus on doing what we love.

A Craftsman’s Legacy: Why Working with Our Hands Gives Us Meaning

Algonquin Books

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Books by Sternfeld, Jon