The Deadly Dinner Party: and Other Medical Detective Stories

This historical novel is about a teenage boy and girl who lived during the post-Civil War era. Arthur, young and energetic, possessed a powerful urge to see what lay beyond his small, rural Alabama town. His youthful heart was torn between this desire for adventure and his genuine love for a girl named Maggie. He left his hometown determined to obtain a successful future for him and his sweetheart, and to prove his worth to Maggie’s mother. After he worked on the steamboats and experienced another side of life, Arthur—with his head full of warm memories of Maggie—decided to return home but found himself in challenging situations. Although Arthur’s adventures often placed him at odds with his Christian upbringing, he found spiritual support from an unlikely source, an old ex-slave and his son, Ben. When Arthur finally turned homeward, he was confronted with unforeseen obstacles. After he recovered from an accident and a serious illness, he hurried to return to Maggie only to learn that during his absence, she had married another and was with child. Disappointed and depressed, Arthur joined a crew on the railroad with his friends, Jerry and Ben. At first, Arthur tried to wash away Maggie’s memory and heal his broken heart with alcohol. It was sometime later, as he prepared to leave for California, that he learned Maggie was no longer married. He sought to discover if she still harbored feelings for him.

"After reading Tiny Dancer, one cannot help but be in awe of the human spirit. And it is a story of profound transformation, not merely physical, but that of the heart." --Khaled Hoseeini, author of THE KITE RUNNER

The astonishing story of a brave little girl from Afghanistan who not only survived horrific disfiguring burns but was given a second chance at life.

Tiny Dancer is the amazing true story of Zubaida Hasan, a nine-year-old girl from the remote deserts of Afghanistan who, in the summer of 2001, accidentally fell into a kerosene fire while heating water for a bath. Though she was horribly mutilated, her father refused to give up and exhaustively sought help to save his child.

When an American Green Beret soldier by chance sees Zubaida and her father on the street, he decides he must get involved. With assistance from many members of the U.S. military, little Zubaida is given a second chance at life. She is flown to Los Angeles to begin a two-year journey through a series of surgeries performed by famed burn surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman. He and his wife, Rebecca, eventually take the child into their own home. This is a heartfelt and inspiring story of incredible courage equally matched by incredible kindness.