New Book Release: Grifters, Frauds, and Crooks

Grifters, Frauds, and Crooks: True Stories of American Corruption by Richard Estep

Power, Money, Sex: The Corrupt Trifecta! This captivating book uncovers the insidious web of deceit that infiltrates every facet of our nation's past and present. Immerse yourself in the stories of 50 of the most audacious frauds, cons, and lies!

Discover the dark underbelly of American history as you delve into the gripping pages of Grifters, Frauds, and Crooks: True Stories of American Corruption. From the heights of Wall Street to the heart of Main Street, from the hallowed halls of the Capitol to the battlefields of the military, and from the glitz and glamour of entertainment to the sanctity of science, no realm is immune to the clutches of corruption. Through meticulous research, this riveting account exposes both notorious figures and obscure swindles, including …

• Bernie Madoff's infamous Ponzi schemes

• Big Pharma scandals

• the Black Sox

• the dark secrets of the Catholic Church

• Operation ABSCAM

• the seedy underworld of the Mafia

• Harvey Weinstein

• Corruption in the White House

• the Enron deceit

• the shocking depths of NYPD corruption

• Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker

• the Lehman Brothers collapse

• the Watergate break-in and cover-up

• the Clinton/Lewinsky affair

• J. Edgar Hoover’s abuse of power

• the Sackler family’s opioid empire

• and many other dishonest and duplicitous people and organizations!!

With more than 120 photos and graphics, Grifters, Frauds, and Crooks is richly illustrated. Its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness. In the pursuit of money, influence, and fame, the line between right and wrong sometimes becomes blurred, leaving a trail of shattered trust and broken dreams. Take an illuminating journey into the cons, scams, and shady deals that have shaped our nation.

New Book Release: The Afterlife Book

The Afterlife Book: Heaven, Hell, and Life After Death by Marie D. Jones and Larry Flaxman

A profound and fascinating exploration of death and the afterlife! Christian and other religious beliefs, rituals from around the world, quests for immortality, scientists’ conclusions, ghosts, and more!

What happens when we die? Many view it as a mystery, but there are tantalizing clues to be found in the Bible and other religious scriptures, scientific findings, historical writings, literature, reports of near-death experiences, and in many other recorded sources. Facing the contradictions and similarities of beliefs from all over the world and throughout history, The Afterlife Book: Heaven, Hell, and Life After Death shows how death and the afterlife is viewed in a variety of different ways. This engrossing guide looks at the many competing views of the afterlife—and the shared connections between them, including ...

• Where ideas of Heaven and Hell came from and why they endure.

• What happens during near death experiences and out of body experiences,

• What is known about reincarnation and immortality.

• How death is linked to ghosts and apparitions, mediumship, and spiritualism.

• How the quest for immortality and transhumanism may play a role in one day ending death.

• How science and spirituality can often say the same thing—only in different languages and terminologies.

• How death and the dead have been celebrated, memorialized, and honored in the past and present.

• What happens to the human body just before, during, and immediately after physical death.

• What happens to the cells, tissues, heart, and brain as a result of the physical process of dying and decomposition.

• How burial and cremation traditions, rites, rituals, and controversies address consciousness and the existence of a soul.

• What religious leaders, philosophers, and scientists have to say about consciousness and the soul.

• Whether animals and pets have souls.

Is death just a mysterious phase in our journey? Does it lead to Heaven (or Hell)? Is it reincarnation or simply eternal blackness and unconsciousness? Do we continue to exist in some form or other beyond our physical bodies? The Afterlife Book tackles these questions and gives us all hope that our lives do not come to an end but change like the natural cycles of birth, life, death, and rebirth! It’s many photos and illustrations help bring the text to life, and its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness.

New Book Release: Handy Supreme Court

The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book: The History and Issues Explained by David L. Hudson, Jr.

The U.S. Supreme Court, its decisions, and its nominating process for new justices are often in the news … but are just as often not well understood. Constitutional law professor David L. Hudson, Jr., explains the cases, processes, and important history with this in-depth primer on the U.S. Supreme Court.

How has the Supreme Court justices’ thinking on gun rights, abortion, free speech, freedom of religion, and many other controversial issues evolved? What were some of the court’s most important and monumental decisions … and failures? Which justices have—and have had—the most influence on the court? Has the nominating process always been so political and bitter?

Covering the history, nominating process, and court decisions on individual and other rights as well as a few fun facts, The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book: The History and Issues Explained by David L. Hudson, Jr., J.D. provides you with 600 answers to questions such as …

• How was the U.S. Supreme Court created?
• Under the Constitution, who appoints Supreme Court justices?
• Have any Supreme Court justices been impeached?
• Which president introduced an infamous court-packing plan in 1937?
• Which Supreme Court justice in the 20th century did not have a law degree?
• What are some suggestions for reforming the confirmation process?
• What did the Rehnquist Court decide in the 2000 presidential election?
• Why did Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissent in the Lily Ledbetter case?
• Which justice wrote that he couldn’t define obscenity, but “I know it when I see it”?
• When did the Supreme Court establish the so-called “Miranda Rights”?
• How did the Supreme Court emphasize privacy protection for cell phone searches?
• How has the Supreme Court dealt with the death penalty for juveniles?
• In what infamous decision did the Supreme Court regard African Americans as slaves and property?
• When did the Supreme Court invalidate a ban on interracial marriages?
• Why was the decision in Roe v. Wade not the leading story in many newspapers on the date of its decision?
• Why, according to Justice Samuel Alito, was Roe such a bad decision?
• Why is interpreting the Second Amendment perhaps more of a challenge than other amendments in the Bill of Rights?
• Who was the only Supreme Court Justice to have signed the Declaration of Independence?
• Which Justice wrote a book about the United States as a Christian nation?
• Which Justice wrote a book on civil disobedience and protest?
• What Supreme Court justice was formerly a member of the Ku Klux Klan?
• What is the nickname of the Supreme Court Building?
• Which justice was nicknamed “The Lone Ranger”?

Analyzing controversial issues and various points of view, The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book sheds a light on the differing and changing interpretations of the critical issues before the court, as well as the confirmation process and some of the court’s most important justices. Richly illustrated, it also has a helpful bibliography, glossary, and extensive index. Thoroughly updated since it was last published fifteen years ago, this invaluable resource will help you understand the rulings and importance of the U.S. Supreme Court!

New Book Release: Ghosts of the Arizona

Ghosts of the Arizona by Alan Scott

Why did a scuba diver desecrate a shrine dedicated to the people who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and who killed him?

Hawai'i Psionic Officer Kenny Nu'uani is visiting the USS Arizona National Memorial when a body is found floating above the wreckage.  Kenny realizes that the man had entered the ship, desecrating a shrine, erected in memory of the sailors who perished on the USS Arizona, December 7, 1941. 

With the help of the US Navy, Kenny investigates the man's death and discovers the man was murdered. Two FBI agents are dogging his heels as they try to stay ahead of the psionic officer. Kenny must use all his powers to find out what was the diver looking for, who killed him, and why. If he isn't careful, he could be added to the list of people who died on the Arizona.

What was he doing there?  Was he looking for something?