National Network for Equitable Library Service

Get to know the men who fulfilled their childhood dream From the beer league to the minor league, hockey players from coast to coast often say they'd give anything to play just one game in the NHL. One Night Only brings you the stories of 39 men who lived the dream-only to see it fade away almost as quickly as it arrived. Ken Reid talks to players who had one game, and one game only, in the National Hockey League-including the most famous single-gamer of them all: the coach himself, Don Cherry.

"Pat is one of the greatest mentors I've ever had in the world of sports-entertainment."-Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson When Pat Patterson was 17 years old, he was asked to leave his home after telling his parents he was in love... with a man. Moving from Montreal to the United States in the 1960s, barely knowing a word of English, he was determined to succeed in the squared circle. Back when homophobia was widespread, Pat lived in the super-macho world of pro wrestling.

In 1977, Wayne "Big Chuck" Bradshaw was Jersey tough. He was a member of the outlaw Pagans bike gang, a One Percenter, and had earned his colors in a world of boozing, bloody bar fights, and high-stakes crime. But after getting too close to extreme violence, Bradshaw made the life-threatening decision to change his path. The toughness Bradshaw used to survive the biker life led him to a distinguished and heroic career as an undercover narcotics officer for the same New Jersey police department that had once arrested him.

The sixth in our popular Words of Wisdom series, The Inventor Says invites readers to a gathering of history's most brilliant creative minds, where inventors past and present jostle, compete, contradict, and compliment each other.

Elizabeth Cotten was only a little girl when she picked up a guitar for the first time. It wasn't hers (it was her big brother's), and it wasn't strung right for her (she was left-handed). But she flipped that guitar upside down and backwards and taught herself how to play it anyway. By age eleven, she'd written "Freight Train," one of the most famous folk songs of the twentieth century. And by the end of her life, people everywhere'from the sunny beaches of California to the rolling hills of England'knew her music.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is one of the most famous pieces of civic architecture in the world. But most people are not as familiar with the reserved college student who entered and won the design competition to build it. This accessible biography tells the story of Maya Lin, from her struggle to stick with her vision of the memorial to the wide variety of works she has created since then.

The Lovings: An Intimate Portrait documents the extraordinary love story of Mildred and Richard Loving. The Lovings presents Grey Villet's stunning photo-essay in its entirety for the first time and reveals with striking intensity and clarity the powerful bond of a couple that helped change history. Mildred, a woman of African American and Native American descent and Richard, a white man, were arrested in July 1958 for the crime of interracial marriage, prohibited under Virginia state law. Exiled to Washington, DC, they fought to bring their case to the US Supreme Court.

This rollicking and fascinating picture book biography chronicles the life of the first pioneer of children's books-John Newbery himself. While most children's books in the 18th century contained lessons and rules, John Newbery imagined them overflowing with entertaining stories, science, and games. He believed that every book should be made for the reader's enjoyment. Newbery-for whom the prestigious Newbery Medal is named-became a celebrated author and publisher, changing the world of children's books forever.

Historically, major women artists have been excluded from the mainstream art canon. Aligned with the resurgence of feminism in pop culture, Broad Strokes offers an entertaining corrective to that omission. Art historian Bridget Quinn delves into the lives and careers of 15 female artists from around the globe in text that's smart, feisty, educational, and an enjoyable read.

Fall in love with 52 wise, healthy, and joyful 100-year-olds in this celebratory and uplifting art book. A beautiful and fascinating exploration of what it is like to be over 100 years old, Aging Gracefully invites readers to look into the face of a century of life experience with portraits of centenarians captured by the compassionate, minimalist lens of photographer Karsten Thormaehlen. The striking photographs are accompanied by short bios of the centenarians, featuring quotes and wisdom on love, food, humor, and living with grace.