Live It: Riding the Highs and Lows of a Cross Country Dream

Long sidelined from any kind of athletic endeavors in order to manage the demands of motherhood, Tracy Draper was inspired in 2006 to quietly embark on her own personal "Teeny Tiny Triathlon," as she called it. That day of "scampering" and "splashing" about was the beginning of what would ultimately lead to one of the most epic adventures most of us might imagine. For the next few years she trained, raced and became part of a universal group known as the "cycling community." For most of that time, she also quietly harbored a dream to ride her bike more than 3,000 miles across the country. Every year, hundreds of cyclists ride register with private touring groups to travel by bike from coast to coast. But instead of taking a credit-card tour, this longtime supporter of a myriad of causes recruited and organized her own team of cyclists to tackle the continental challenge in support of America's wounded veterans. Her story perches readers on the front lines of a monumental challenge that tested everything from the rubber on desert-scorched tires to the group dynamics of herding sometimes-exhausted cyclists across a continent. In a voice both humbling and inspiring, she tells a story of hardships and life-defining moments. Her trek takes readers across the country and introduces them to a cast that includes selfless Navajo Indians, unsung heroes of military sacrifice, and middle-class Americans who opened their homes and checkbooks to a band of strangers. It is also a story that takes us from a comfortable spot on the couch to place where we can envision what is possible when you have a bike and a dream.

Biographies & Memoirs

Draper, Tracy

Community & Culture

Fifth Estate Media LLC

Long sidelined from any kind of athletic endeavors in order to manage the demands of motherhood, Tracy Draper was inspired in 2006 to quietly embark on her own personal "Teeny Tiny Triathlon," as she called it. That day of "scampering" and "splashing" about was the beginning of what would ultimately lead to one of the most epic adventures most of us might imagine. For the next few years she trained, raced and became part of a universal group known as the "cycling community." For most of that time, she also quietly harbored a dream to ride her bike more than 3,000 miles across the country. Every year, hundreds of cyclists ride register with private touring groups to travel by bike from coast to coast. But instead of taking a credit-card tour, this longtime supporter of a myriad of causes recruited and organized her own team of cyclists to tackle the continental challenge in support of America's wounded veterans. Her story perches readers on the front lines of a monumental challenge that tested everything from the rubber on desert-scorched tires to the group dynamics of herding sometimes-exhausted cyclists across a continent. In a voice both humbling and inspiring, she tells a story of hardships and life-defining moments. Her trek takes readers across the country and introduces them to a cast that includes selfless Navajo Indians, unsung heroes of military sacrifice, and middle-class Americans who opened their homes and checkbooks to a band of strangers. It is also a story that takes us from a comfortable spot on the couch to place where we can envision what is possible when you have a bike and a dream.

The limited shelf life of Olympic athletes collapsed in 1980 for Rowdy Gaines and about 280 other elite U.S. athletes when President Jimmy Carter announced America would boycott the Games in Moscow. Instead of distinguishing his country on an international stage, the world’s fastest swimmer found himself instead languishing in the lifeguard chair at his hometown pool. Author Dainon Moody details a story of Gaines’ resurrection during an earlier era when sponsorships eluded star swimmers. Rather than cashing checks for wearing sports-company merchandise, the 20-something competitor worked nights as a hotel desk clerk, practiced laps for hours each day and lived in virtual poverty. Moody’s driving voice captures the naysayers who dismissed "the old guy in the pool" and then it brings home the explosive performances that delivered three gold medals before cheering throngs at the Olympics in Los Angeles. But Rowdy Rising takes readers beyond the dark-horse podium glory of 1984 and goes on to examine Gaines’ lifelong immersion into what may be the world’s oldest sport. Cataloging everything from childhood swims in gator-infested neighborhood lakes to records set at the Masters level, the biography of this U.S. hero touches everyone who has ever waded into the water. Perhaps most surprising is the athlete’s sudden paralysis and recovery from the potentially life-threatening Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The author also gives readers a perch in the broadcast booth as Gaines’ recounts experiences commentating the last six Olympics for NBC and others. The 220-plus page tome is a contextual must-read for anyone anticipating watching the drama of Rio de Janeiro during the Summer of 2016. And beyond the spotlight of world-class competition, the story of Rowdy Gaines brings home the critical need for infant and youth swim lessons. It also serves as an inspiration for every kid who flounders in high school. and every aging adult who looks to the water for the challenges it can bring. In all aspects, it is a story of one man rising above his circumstances.

Rowdy Rising: From Rejected to Unrivaled

Moody, Dainon

Arts & Literature

In Houston 2020: America's Boom Town - An Extreme Close Up, Ralph Bivins examines the entrepreneurial mecca that became one of nation’s fastest-growing cities. With deft forensics and informed observations, Bivins explains the forces that shaped Houston and brought the city to a tipping point. 
Digesting its robust growth poses a great challenge for city leaders, who grapple with mounting economic issues, transportation problems and regular flooding that threatens to become a chronic condition. 
Bivins, recently the first-place winner of the Best Column award from the National Association of Real Estate Editors, details the urban geography and peculiar real estate markets of the expansive Texas metropolis that covers more than six hundred square miles. Houston 2020: America's Boom Town - An Extreme Close Up pinpoints the projects, people and nodes of growth that will determine whether this Boom Town matures into a great megalopolis or falters under its own weight.
Close ups: 
· Apprising the nation’s first domed stadium – the Astrodome – and its $105 million renovation.
· Coming back from Hurricane Harvey and other setbacks.
· Scouting must-know landmarks start with Pennzoil Place, once hailed as the building of the decade by the New York Times.
· Navigating the nation’s largest highway loop, aka the Grand Parkway. 
· Reclaiming downtown with Discovery Green, a key to luring Houstonians back to the urban core.
· Tearing down the Pierce Elevated freeway and rerouting Interstate 45 sews together split communities.

Houston 2020: America's Boom Town - An Extreme Close Up

Business & Money

Bivins, Ralph

Economics

Troubleshooting Parkinson’s Disease delivers a rare combination – expertise and accessibility. 
Readers can absorb the latest research-driven medical insights, written for people with no medical background. The book is essential for caregivers and everyone else with a Parkinson's patient in their lives: <ul>
<li>Spouses</li> <li>Siblings</li> <li>Children</li> </ul>
From its beginning, Troubleshooting Parkinson’s opens doors by spelling out the language in which caregivers will communicate with physicians. Author Ramon L. Rodriguez, a physician renown for his Parkinson’s clinical work, empowers readers by laying out the terms that will soon come to define the lives of loved ones. It dispels the mysteries of carbidopa, levodopa and other drugs that can provide a quality of life to those who would not otherwise enjoy one. Dr. Rodriguez touches on critical every-day tasks, noting the importance of things as seemingly benign as the wear pattern on shoes. These pages come to life with stories of actual patients and their caregivers navigating a world they could not have foreseen. Throughout, Dr. Rodriguez serves as an expert guide.

Troubleshooting Parkinson's: A Guide for Caregivers

Rodriguez MD, Ramon L.

Professionals & Academics

Central Florida's Brown brothers took over their father's citrus processing plant long after the World War II hero built Florida Food Products, Inc. and helped lead Florida Citrus Mutual. At the time when Jerry and Tom Brown began working with the company, international competition had started to cut into profits. The once-successful company soon faced dim prospects. With revenues sagging and deals disappearing, the sibling team began a decades-long effort to reinvent the plant. They expanded business lines with aloe, carrots, beets, watermelon and celery processing. They even toyed with hair dye. By experimenting with new markets, marshaling researchers from the University of Florida and Iowa State and also pounding on doors, they began to turn around their family legacy. Their global approach to production, sourcing and sales led them to prized contracts. Ultimately, the pain of reinvention paid off for the Browns. Author Dan Tracy paints a portrait of a family rooted in agribusiness. His book, School of Squeeze, also underscores the values and courage of generations that have constantly rethought their circumstances to find new opportunities. Layered with photos, this fast reading book promises to inspire everyone from new employees and entrepreneurs to managers and consultants.

School of Squeeze: Dying to Thriving in Agribusiness

Tracy, Dan

Central Florida's Brown brothers took over their father's citrus processing plant long after the World War II hero built Florida Food Products, Inc. and helped lead Florida Citrus Mutual. At the time when Jerry and Tom Brown began working with the company, international competition had started to cut into profits. The once-successful company soon faced dim prospects. With revenues sagging and deals disappearing, the sibling team began a decades-long effort to reinvent the plant. They expanded business lines with aloe, carrots, beets, watermelon and celery processing. They even toyed with hair dye. By experimenting with new markets, marshaling researchers from the University of Florida and Iowa State and also pounding on doors, they began to turn around their family legacy. Their global approach to production, sourcing and sales led them to prized contracts. Ultimately, the pain of reinvention paid off for the Browns. Author Dan Tracy paints a portrait of a family rooted in agribusiness. His book, School of Squeeze, also underscores the values and courage of generations that have constantly rethought their circumstances to find new opportunities. Layered with photos, this fast reading book promises to inspire everyone from new employees and entrepreneurs to managers and consultants.

School of Squeeze

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Books by Fifth Estate Media LLC

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Fifth Estate Media LLC publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Live It: Riding the Highs and Lows of a Cross Country Dream

Live It: Riding the Highs and Lows of a Cross Country Dream

Rowdy Rising: From Rejected to Unrivaled

Houston 2020: America's Boom Town - An Extreme Close Up

Troubleshooting Parkinson's: A Guide for Caregivers

School of Squeeze: Dying to Thriving in Agribusiness

School of Squeeze