This Week in America with Ric Bratton

Hello Up There! by Judi Buenaflor When a young boy loses his ability to walk, his world suddenly seems so much smaller, but, a conversation with a Giraffe changes everything. Judi Buenaflor is a retired educator living in Pennsylvania.  Her interests are writing, reading, water coloring, and counted cross stitich. https://www.amazon.com/Hello-Up-There-Judi-Buenaflor/dp/164908806X http://www. PageT...

Return To Eden by Richard Taylor Return to Eden is the second book in the Eden Trilogy, linking Eden Lost with origins in the Philippine-American war (1868-1901). It is followed by Almost Eden set in and after the Vietnam War. Each book has a generational link, carrying forward family mythology, characteristics, and historical precedents. Return to Eden resumes in 1941 with Joe Armand—Joshua’s son...

Cong Catchers: A Soldier's Memories of Vietnam by Lee Halverson Lee spent January 1969 to December 1970 in the US Army. Cong Catchers is a compilation of events that occurred while he served. This is not a guns-and-ammo book. It is a book about a young man with Christian values at war. A young man who avoided the pleasures that were readily available and instead organized football games, drank sod...

Little Boys Big Dreams and the Hobo Wars by Joseph KinnebrewIn 1948 Joseph Kinnebrew was a little boy becoming aware of his place in a bigger world. Back then his territory was small, he was maturing from age six to eight. Living with his family on a steep hill running down to Commencement Bay in Tacoma, Washington, Joseph, in those days just Joe, with his dog Skipper, and neighborhood pal Freddie...

The Cloud People by Kenard Tuzeneu Billy is a typical middle-grade boy who is excited to be spending his summer vacation with his grandparents in Indiana. He is super excited because this time, he is going alone. He will soon discover though that going by himself isn't the most special part of the trip. One of the things he wanted to be sure to bring is the brand-new camera that he received for hi...

8 Frog Street by Rezaul Khan 8 Frog Street is an amazing story of Lee Chan, the tycoon of Manila. Richie King, a neighbor of Lee, narrates the thrilling and incredible mysteries surrounding the business tycoon. The mysterious tale reveals strange and shadowy entities and the effect of the mystical cultures that still reign in the Philippines. A giant snake and some oversized frogs belonging to Lee...

KENTUCKY BARRACUDA: THE NOTORIOUS SCOUNDREL AND DELIGHTFUL ROGUE OF ANTEBELLUM & CIVIL WAR AMERICA : PARKER HARDIN FRENCH (1826-1878) by Joe Goodbody Parker Hardin French was certainly an adventurer and entrepreneur who engaged in elaborate, bold, and ambitious exploits but he was also a magnificent con-man—a barracuda. Those who followed his exploits were variously exasperated, captivated by...

Simply Paul: The Apostle by Patrick Pietrantano Paul the Apostle? How did he get this knowledge and who gave him such understanding. Paul describes this knowledge as a secret that has never been known to man before. The unveiling of this knowledge to him he describes as a face-to-face personal experience with Jesus Christ himself. The beginning of his ministry started on the road to Damascus, and...

JUST THE THREE OF US: A MEMOIR by Narciso S. Albarracin Jr. M.D. The book is about the author’s childhood during World War 2, his pursuit of a medical vocation, establishing a career in America, raising a family, and facing the challenges of the enterprise of life made possible by, in addition to his beloved wife, a third partner. The book includes accounts of life in an empty nest, milestone cele...

Socialism: Origins, Expansion, Decline, and the Attempted Revival in the United States by Phillip J. Bryson Socialism is all about the economics of socialist society, how it is organized and functions. It is over 900 pages because it addresses all aspects of socialism. It first addresses the original ideas in socialism’s history, including the eras before and after Karl Marx. It also investigates...

Brittany's Rose: Finding Peace After Losing A Loved One by Mary Jane Clayton Finding Peace After Losing a Loved One When someone you love passes away, a part of your heart goes with them, and when a part is missing, your heart doesn't beat the same. How do you accept this great loss and find peace? How do you bring back the happiness you once had without feeling guilty? As you move through this jo...

GETTING RIGHT WITH GOD by Joseph C. Way B.A. B.D. MDiv It was written primarily for "professing" Judeo-Christians, but it applies to everyone. It challenges the status-quo of many modern-day religious beliefs and practices while offering a logical, factual and specific alternative. Much of the book is controversial. It argues for a human Jesus with no necessity for a crucifixion, no sacrificial de...

Forgotten America: The Untold Adventures of Venezuela by Giovanni Calvarese What if everything you knew was erased? A piece of yourself – just vanished. Unbelievable but terrifying. For Carlos, he cannot forget – no matter how much he wants to. How it happened is a nightmare he nervously rewinds in his head – afraid that the nightmare will happen again. Carlos and his newly found friend, Ezekiel,...

Clare's Tomato by Ed Keller The book is about a young girl Clare who is full of questions about the food she eats. In the book, the reader/listener will follow her adventures as she sets out to learn about how vegetables grow. she plants and tends to the growth of a tomato plant and is thrilled when the first tomato appears but is concerned about what will happen with it ripens. Clare's tomato is...

Man of the House: A Memoir By: Dr. Colm McAindriu Between the years of 1944 and 1963, Dr. Colm McAindriu was just a kid, a Black kid living in the Jim Crow Mississippi Delta. His story brings to light what living day and night under the threat of death looks like for a Black kid in this era. Should he look at the white girl, or dream of her and tell someone or be caught doing so? His mother forced...

Foundations of our Faith by B.V. Lightsey I am part of a vast ocean of Christians that view the Word of God through a different set of eyes than those of many pastors, professors, and church staff members. I have interest in the deep theology of scripture and recognize my need to be exposed to and covered by the Word of God similar to that of my "called" brothers in Christ. Yet I want it delivered...

The Fox and the Bantam Hen by Delos Dale Fidler Many of the events described in this book (except for the murder and subsequent investigation) have their parallels in this life. The writing of this book is something of a catharsis in dealing with this pain. This is a fictional account of dishonesty, malfeasance of duty by trusted public officials, hardships placed on honest people by dishonest off...

COURAGE TO TELL by Donna Livingston Have you talked to your children about predators? One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of eighteen and never disclose their abuse. One in 4 girls will be raped in college What is your plan to protect your children? I was a victim of sexual abuse from the ages of six to eleven. I never told anyone. I do not want children to eve...

SLEEPLESS IN AMERICA with Susan Smith Jones, PhD. Over the past 40 years, Americans have cut their snooze time by one to two hours a night.  We now sleep less than people in any other industrialized ​country.  Chronic sleeping problems afflict as many as 70 million Americans, costing the nation billions in medical expenses, accidents and lost productivity, according to studies.  Last year, doctors...

Psychosocial Political Dysfunction of the Republican Party by Dr. Daniel Brubaker The Grand Old Party is no longer the party of Lincoln, even though they refer to Abraham Lincoln continuously. It is apparent that the party has lost its way. But why? In this critical analysis, Dr. Daniel B. Brubaker explores why Republicans have had diffulty distinguishing fact from fiction and why many party leade...

And The Story Continues By: Xiomara Rodriguez The Story Continues is a fast-moving crime drama that delves into the dark underbelly of horse racing and the criminal element that thrives there. This case takes the crime-solving skills of twin sisters, Captain Jane Sparks of the SFPD and Special Agent Fran Morris of the FBI, to bring the perpetrators to justice. About the Author Xiomara Rodriguez is...

Hunting the Comeback Trail by Bill Padilla Roy's lack of depth perception caused him to stumble several times while negotiating deadfalls....When Roy twisted his ankle on one of those logjams, he thought it safer to stay along the road. Roy's patience had grown as would that of any man who's survived serious injury. He waited and when shadows started to get long that evening, he spotted his first...

The Watergate 'Deep Throat' Secret: A New Investigative Story of Bernstein, Woodward, and the FBI’s Mark Felt By: Joseph M. Webb The Watergate era, that 1970s decade of Nixon, Woodward and Bernstein, gave us also that strange character with the obscene moniker, DEEP THROAT—an unidentified character for more than thirty years. This book is, in short, the story of DEEP THROAT; not only who he was—he...

Discovering Saint Anthony: If You Ask For Miracles: Prayers of a Catholic Community in Pittsburgh by Doretta Lonnett Whalen, PhD Through a spiritual awakening initiated by the death of a loved one–and of all things, a missing earring–the author, despite feeling unworthy, reveals surprising experiences which led her to Saint Anthony of Padua. One of the world's most beloved religious figures, St. A...

 The new movie AIR produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon deals with Sonny Vacarro and his signing of Michael Jordan for Nike and ultimately the Air Jordan brand.  Damon plays Sonny in the film.  From our archives, an interview from 2015 with Sonny talking about his ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Sole Man".  He talks about signing MJ, Nike and Kobe Bryant.    And for more on Michael Jordan, I highly...