city and town life

"A complex portrait of a small town in Louisiana in 1943, as seen in the twelve hours before a black teenager's executionfor the alleged rape of a white woman"--Adapted from cover description.

"Some days Nora Nolan thinks that she and her husband, Charlie, lead a charmed life--except when there's a crisis at work, a leak in the roof at home, or a problem with their twins at college. And why not? New York City was once Nora's dream destination, and her clannish dead-end block has become a safe harbor, a tranquil village amid the urban craziness. . . . Then one morning she returns from her run to discover that a terrible incident has shaken the neighborhood, . . . and the fault lines begin to open: on the block, at her job, especially in her marriage"--Provided by publisher.

Sylvia Samantha Wright is very good at finding--she just doesn't know exactly what all her 'junk' is good for, not yet at least. But when completely ridiculous disaster strikes, she springs into action and uses her junk to create solutions to the town's troubles.

With its cookie cutter houses, welcoming committees, and all-town competitions, Normal, Michigan, seems like a perfect fit for nine-year-old new resident Molly, the only non-magical person in her family.

"Adam, an immigrant boy in a big city, is lonely until he sees snow for the first time and starts to play with the neighborhood children, and when he starts school, he gets some seeds and begins to plant them with help from his new friends"--OCLC.

Over the past two decades, American cities have experienced an astonishing drop in violent crime, dramatically changing urban life. In many cases, places once characterized by decay and abandonment are now thriving, the fear of death by gunshot wound replaced by concern about skyrocketing rents. In 2014, most U.S. cities were safer than they had ever been in the history of recorded statistics on crime. Patrick Sharkey reveals the striking consequences: improved school test scores, since children are better able to learn when not traumatized by nearby violence; better chances that poor children will rise into the middle class; and a striking increase in the life expectancy of African American men. Sharkey also delineates the combination of forces, some positive and some negative, that brought about safer streets, from aggressive policing and mass incarceration to the intensive efforts made by local organizations to confront violence in their own communities. From New York's Harlem neighborhood to South Los Angeles, Sharkey draws on original data and textured accounts of neighborhoods across the country to document the most successful proven strategies for combatting violent crime and to lay out innovative and necessary approaches to the problem of violence. At a time when crime is rising again and powerful political forces seek to disinvest in cities, the insights in this book are indispensable.

JJ Ferguson returns home to North Carolina to build his dream home and to pursue his high school sweetheart, but he soon learns that the people he thought he knew have changed.

City mouse William Gray and country mouse Tansy become good friends who enjoy visiting each other in the country and the city, but they miss each other when they are apart--is there a way for them to meet halfway without giving up the city and country lives they love?.

"Visit the important, and fun, places found in many towns and cities, including the police station and the playground."--Provided by publisher.

Text and images reveal the real-life origins of Lake Wobegon, the small midwestern town which Garrison Kellor brought to life.