Murder, mayhem, militias, marijuana, mafia and The Mons. A criminal history of Tampa focusing on its most infamous people and events of the past century. Historians seem to love painting a picture of Tampa's past as one of immigrants happily working side-by-side to create a utopian society that became the cigar capital of the world and later a destination hailed as one of "the nation's next best cities." While this is true to some extent, Tampa also has a dark side. Tampa's history can be divided into three dark eras - the early years of danger, where the greatest fear was the nightmarish individuals who were allowed to roam the nights in a city without a proper law enforcement organization in place; the mid-1900s when one of the most power criminal syndicates in the nation made its home in Tampa and when a another nation's revolutionary war affected the city's residents; and the late 1900s to early 2000s when Tampa became a sexual playground. Each flows effortlessly into the next, one always passing the torch to the next. Some of the names associated with these eras are well known in all corners of Tampa -Santo Trafficante, Fidel Castro and Joe Redner. While others are either less known or completely unknown - Charlie Wall, Tampa's first godfather; Robert Anderson, one of the nation's first serial killers; and Bobby Rodriguez, owner of Tampa's first GoGo bar. Whether known or unknown, good or bad, each of the individuals explored in this book had an impact on Tampa's history. These are their stories.

The Dark Side of Sunshine

History

Guzzo, Paul

Americas

Aignos Publishing, Incorporated

The Desert and the City

Among the dunes and in the full glare of the desert sun, young Zachary finds that the madness, the politics, and the appetites which we all try to escape from, dwell deep within each and every one of us. Late in the 4th century AD, the young Greek man abandons his family's home in Alexandria with its wealth, comfort, and a promising future with a beautiful girl betrothed to him, to venture out into the desert to prove the earnestness of his Christian faith among the fascinating mix of misfits who have chosen to pursue a Christ-centered life. There, among the hermits, he earns crusts of bread, calloused hands, and the derision of the older adepts. Unfortunately, before coming to the conclusion that his romanticized idea of giving away his wealth to pursue the ascetic life was not as simple as he originally thought, he finds himself as part of a fanatical mob bent on smashing a pagan temple and burning Ptolemy's famed library and all of its collected wisdom.

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Bickerton, Derek

Fantasy

It’s the summer of 1979 and Julia Acevedo plans her escape to college, away from her ‘too traditional’ family. On her way to becoming a liberated woman, her twin brother, Rene, is stricken with schizophrenia. While accepting the sacrifices demanded of her, Julia searches for the happiness she feels she’s being denied. Going against the grain of her upbringing, Julia ultimately opens up to the incredible possibilities of life, deepening her relationship with her brother in the process.

Covering the Sun with My Hand

Theresa Varela

After a devastating revelation that shatters his world, a man sets sail on a raft with several other men in search of a happier life. Out at sea, he tells a story as a way to work through his personal heartbreak. In transforming his experience into art, he constructs a tale which gives voice to the unloved, the lonely, the rejected, and those struggling to maintain their sanity. When the journey turns perilous, the storyteller becomes a guide, helping the men make sense of a life that may soon end.

Happy That It's Not True

Alemán, Carlos

Romance

“Follow the piano tuner’s wife as she accompanies the tuner into the homes of some of Hawai‘i’s families. Listen to her interaction with clients: mothers and fathers, aquarium lovers and hoarders, healers and would-be cosmologists. See where imagination can take you, when you encounter the ordinary: an ant condo, a doggie treasure trove. Think about going through the eye of a camel. Dream about being a writer.”

Piano Tuner's Wife

Literature & Fiction

Toyama, Jean Yamasaki

Genre Fiction

This little book is a jewel. Contained in these covers are the stories of real people living their strange and always entertaining little lives. Sometimes, the characters stumble around trapped in their own absurdities. Sometimes, the characters have a flash, a moment of awareness, of self-discovery -and, to their credit- not the annoying self-congratulatory chicken soup kind of clarity. No, these misadventures hit close to home and in places we drive past, sit at the light at, wait for the bus at, places which blur past at the speed of a postmodern life in the shadow of Diamond Head.

University and King

Long, Jeffery Ryan

Contemporary

Uno suele creer, al menos en la fe cristiana, que en cuanto termina la vida terrestre, si se tiene méritos suficientes, comienza la vida celestial. Tal vez alguien nos habló en algún momento de un lugar de tránsito llamado Purgatorio, pero seguramente no le prestamos demasiada atención. De la misma manera en que sólo asimilamos la parte más interesante de un relato para desechar los detalles poco atractivos, nuestra mente imprime un sello romántico al proceso de transformación a la vida eterna. Desde luego los medios de comunicación tuvieron también mucho que ver, ¿quién no recuerda haber visto la imagen de un angelito encantador con alas y vestido blanco? ¿Quién no ha escuchado hablar de la luz al final del túnel, de las imágenes de nuestra vida viajando a alta velocidad? Lo que sucede, de hecho, es más de lo que podemos imaginar. ¿Y qué pasa cuando la posibilidad de regreso se nos presenta?

El Camino de Regreso (Spanish Edition)

Acuña, De Maricruz

United States

Painting a graphic, realistic picture, Letters, presents the Civil War through the eyes of two teenaged soldiers fighting on opposing sides…for different reasons. Behind the Confederate lines, we watch James Durrett, a young recruit of the 18th Alabama Volunteer Regiment, transform from a naïve, green recruit into a bitter, deadly, but staunch defender of his homeland. Across the battle lines, the drama unfurls through the story of one Harry Morgan, a loner with a reputation as the coldest and deadliest sniper in the Union’s 96th Regiment, who didn’t care who he shot…as long as he could carve another notch into the stock of his Sharps rifle. In the end, the final destiny of each young man crosses on the battlefield of Spanish Fort, Alabama…with only one walking away alive.

Letters

Sawyers, Buz

“There was an ‘aura of greatness’ about him,” said observers. How did John A. Burns—a man who came from humble origins—develop this distinctive quality and become one of the greatest leaders in Hawaii history? Through a career in law enforcement, and politics that culminated in one of the most revered governorships in Hawaii history, John A. Burns displayed leadership abilities that brought commitment from supporters, commanded respect from adversaries, and led a political revolution at a time when transformational change in Hawaii was desperately needed. Out of the divisiveness of a Hawaii riddled by class warfare, racism, and economic division, arose a new Hawaii of greater unity, equality, and opportunity for all spearheaded by Burns’ leadership. His accomplishments are all the more extraordinary given his personal trials and tragedies that would have proven hindrances to others. An Aura of Greatness: A Reflection on Governor John A. Burns explains the core principles that defined Burns throughout his life and career written from a family member’s perspective, and provides revealing insights that will serve today’s leaders well as they strive similarly to develop their own auras of greatness. “If figuratively many of Hawaii's leaders grew up on John A. Burns's knee, Brendan Burns did so literally. Grandson Brendan is an educator who writes in a warm authentic voice. For our time, he refocuses Grandpa Burns's core message: that all of the striving, all of the conflict, was about the development of Hawaii's people.” “From the time Burns intersected with history in early 1941 until his passing in 1975, he talked bluntly but eloquently about the central importance of individual and community development and the potential of Hawaii's multiethnic people to inspire the world. We see here that what Burns did with his life mattered; and what we do with ours matters.” -Tom Coffman, Author, Renowned Journalist, and Long Time Chronicler of Hawaii Honolulu Star-Advertiser calls An Aura of Greatness: "A timely and touching revisiting of the legacy of the former Hawaii congressman and governor, written by his grandson, salutes not only the visionary John A. Burns, but how he felt about the state and its people. To Burns, achieving equal social and economic opportunity required not only political and educational, but individual attitudinal change. A champion of the political aims of Japanese-American veterans of World War II, Burns in his 1969 State of the State speech famously asked all Hawaii citizens to reject the 'subtle inferiority of the spirit' fostered by the plantation system. The former policeman and military officer, born in Montana and raised in Kalihi, had made the upward climb he encouraged in others. Brendan Burns, principal of Aina Haina Elementary School, reminds us that the late governor had a dream of Hawaii as the Athens of the Pacific governed by its diverse people. With a foreword by former Gov. George Ariyoshi, 'An Aura of Greatness' includes many photos of Burns with his family and other political leaders."

An Aura of Greatness: A Reflection on Governor John A. Burns

Biographies & Memoirs

Burns, Brendan P.

Leaders & Notable People

“Battle for a Soul” tells the story of a mother of two boys and three daughters trying to survive their first year in New York after arriving from Puerto Rico. Little did she know that a move for a seemingly better lifestyle would become a labyrinth of sorrow and horror. She is battling a curse from her past in the form of a spirit named Eduardo. It is the spirit of a man who once loved her from a distance, and who will do anything to possess her. There are no boundaries for this evil ghost, he is determined to destroy her family, and keep the youngest son’s soul for eternity. This is a haunting story of an obsession, false love, and the strength of a mother who will fight for her family at whatever cost.

Battle for a Soul

Meléndez, Manuel A.

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