Böcker av Lois Ruby

When the bloodiest labor dispute in U.S. history burst forth in 1913-14 in the coal fields of Southern Colorado, the miners knew whom to praise, and the owners knew whom to blame. Mary Harris Jones, known from New York to Colorado as Mother Jones, could incite a riot or calm a crowd with her amazing oratory gifts. She dedicated her life to helping miners organize to negotiate, even demand, better wages and working conditions."I hope there is no war in Trinidad," Mother Jones had said, referring to the entire Trinidad coal field expanse, "for it will cause suffering. But if the war has to be made that the boys in the mines may have their rights-let it come!" In the long run, did she help or harm the progress toward workers' rights? Were the deaths of mothers and children at Ludlow too great a price to pay?

A young girl fleeing Hitler takes refuge in Shanghai, where she learns that she must fight to survive Throughout tomboy Ilse's childhood, her mother has tried to force her to behave like a proper Austrian lady. But when Hitler annexes their country, the family flees, boarding a packed freighter and sailing around the world in search of a safe harbor. The United States refuses to take them, so they proceed to China and make a new home in steamy, mysterious Shanghai. Their lodgings are cramped, money is tight, and Ilse's father cannot find workbut Ilse is enchanted by the city's international flavor. In Shanghai's shadows she finds the adventure of a lifetime. When the Japanese occupy the city, Ilse and her brother begin working in an underground resistance cell. Each day, the city grows more dangerous, and Ilse must lie, cheat, and steal in order for her family to eat. She is a long way from Austria, but she will do whatever it takes to survive.

In a new town, Dovi's family befriends a young boy who was abandoned at their restaurant Dovi Chandler collects yearbooks. She has them from all over the country: mementos of every time her parents uprooted her to a new town, and a new crackpot business venture. They've managed apartment houses, tried to save failing bookstores, even sold Tupperware, but all it's ever gotten them is debt and a new yearbook for Dovi to add to the pile. It's not until her parents take over the Pig-Out Inn that Dovi feels ready to put down roots. It's just another truck-stop diner, but to Dovi it's homeand she soon discovers that she and her family aren't the only ones living there. Hiding out in 1 of the cabins is a 9-year-old boy named Tag. He was stashed there by his father, who is negotiating a painful divorce. Tag is an entrepreneurial genius, and his brilliant business schemes will offer Dovi and her mother a chance to make the Pig-Out Inn a successand learn the true meaning of family.

A spunky young girl forms an unlikely friendship with a dying Chinese man while living in a group home For Greta, having light and carefree Hackey hanging around her mom is a lot more fun than having an ordinary dad. But Hackey isn't her fatherhe's more like a pimp, and no matter how friendly he is, he still treats Greta's mom like dirt. When the situation at home goes from bad to worse, Greta is moved into a home for at-risk children where she meets some of the most interesting girls she has ever knownand a shy young boy named Wing. Greta's riding a San Francisco cable car when she notices Wing carrying a huge basket of delicious-smelling food. It's for his grandfather, Old Man, who is dying in the Chinese hospital. Although they don't speak the same language, Greta and Old Man will become fast friendstwo survivors, who refuse to give up on life.

An angry teenager is sucked into a gang of neo-Nazis Dan shows up on his first day at a new school with long blond hair, John Lennon glasses, and a shy grin that makes every girl in the hallway swoon. But he only has eyes for Laurel, who's in his English class. Laurel stirs feelings in Dan that he never knew existed, and suddenly, he understands love. Soon, he will understand hate as well. When a gang of violent young men invades the annual Halloween party, most of Laurel's friends stay away. The men are white supremacists with shaved heads, steel-toed boots, and a look in their eyes that says they're ready to fight. But something in their attitude draws Dan toward them. He's angry at the world, and these skinheads seem to understand how he feels. As he sinks deeper into their twisted world of hate and rage, Dan risks losing not only Laurel, but also his soul.

A terminally ill teenager is forced to choose between her religion and her life Adam doesn't think much of it when Miriam faints in class. She's an oddball, a student who hardly talks, never makes eye contact, and wears clothes that seem straight out of the 19th century. She says she's fine, and he wants to believe her. But when she passes out while they're working on an English assignment, Adam takes Miriam to the last place she wants to go: the hospital. Miriam has bone cancer. She believes that God will heal her, but if He doesn't, she plans to let herself die. Miriam is a member of a devout religious sect in which women have little power and medicine is strictly forbidden. In order for Miriam to forgo treatment, Adam's father sues the state on her behalfeven as Adam himself tries to convince her to accept the doctors' help. As her illness rages on, Miriam will teach Adam the meaning of love and faithand he will give her a reason to live.