Feisty, streetwise Benny Logan has risen in the union ranks as a product of his gutsy persona and willingness to break from corrupt, old-guard leaders who have sold out the city’s tugboat workers for decades. Seeking allies in his crusade to reform the labor union, Benny recruits his younger brother Jack, newly returned from the war, as a deckhand on the flagship of tugboat magnate Henry McFarland, the leader of a tugboat owners’ coalition. Supported by mob and business associates alike, the powerful and unscrupulous McFarland will stop at nothing to crush the union and protect the interests of the city’s corporate elite.

As these powerful forces collide, Jack works to find a new way forward for labor-management relations, even as he and his wife, a pregnant British war bride, attempt to recover from the emotional trauma of the war.

Feisty, streetwise Benny Logan has risen in the union ranks as a product of his gutsy persona and willingness to break from corrupt, old-guard leaders who have sold out the city’s tugboat workers for decades. Seeking allies in his crusade to reform the labor union, Benny recruits his younger brother Jack, newly returned from the war, as a deckhand on the flagship of tugboat magnate Henry McFarland, the leader of a tugboat owners’ coalition. Supported by mob and business associates alike, the powerful and unscrupulous McFarland will stop at nothing to crush the union and protect the interests of the city’s corporate elite.

As these powerful forces collide, Jack works to find a new way forward for labor-management relations, even as he and his wife, a pregnant British war bride, attempt to recover from the emotional trauma of the war.

Our Story, This Place

Restored through the efforts of several dozen members of the historic Black Long Ridge community and many other friends, the school has been reimagined as both a historic site and an interactive, educational museum. It is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

This book provides comprehensive information about Black education in the rural South from after the Civil War through the time of desegregation, sharing personal reminiscences by alumni and descendants of the many education leaders dating back more than a century. It is a fascinating story, capturing what might well be a lost history of a people and a place that shaped the destiny of thousands in western North Carolina.

Our Story, This Place

Restored through the efforts of several dozen members of the historic Black Long Ridge community and many other friends, the school has been reimagined as both a historic site and an interactive, educational museum. It is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

This book provides comprehensive information about Black education in the rural South from after the Civil War through the time of desegregation, sharing personal reminiscences by alumni and descendants of the many education leaders dating back more than a century. It is a fascinating story, capturing what might well be a lost history of a people and a place that shaped the destiny of thousands in western North Carolina.

In Homo Sapiens: A Violent Gene? Mort Malkin reviews the literature and realities of human approaches to conflict and cooperation. Many philosophers, theologians, and politicians believe that human aggression is universal, and that our biology determines that the human race will never escape violence. The media encourages this perception of violence and war as pervasive in society, and as everlasting. After all, diplomacy, peace, and contemplation do not sell ads.

But much evidence exists to refute that belief. If mankind were really so preoccupied with war, we would know only the negative emotions that are brought forth with war: hatred, xenophobia, otherness, revenge, greed, exaggeration and rationalization if not outright lying, vanity, and pride. Yet, there is a spirit of fellowship and cooperation in the land. In many countries that we consider foreign, a long tradition of hospitality exists. Perhaps our perception of war being part of man’s nature, and its inevitability, need rethinking. Until we believe that cooperation, not violence, is part our genome, we will not have peace in the world.

About the author >>

This astounding reimagining of the lives and deaths of dozens of young Japanese student soldiers during World War II is based on a cache of photos of these sacrificial warriors that Reinhold discovered many years ago. The book includes in-depth research on the history of Japan, its philosophy of war, and the worship of the emperor as a demi-god. The writers have allowed us to feel the mixed emotions – fears, devotion, stoicism, honor – of these children.

These are not the words of the student soldiers but of the authors; yet the stories are real, if not factual, and the emotions are true. The book serves as a memorial to these very young boys as well as their friends, parents, fiancées, and other loved ones. They are among the forgotten victims of the war, now remembered for the lives they lived and sacrificed.

About the authors >>

Open for Lunch speaks from the heart, both about the moving, fascinating stories of the people she meets, but also about herself. In the words of Lois McMahon, PhD, “Gaiser is a survivor who has overcome personal tragedy and found healing and the ability to reach out to others to share her wisdom and strength. This book holds invaluable lessons for us all about pain, suffering, redemption, forgiveness, healing and love.”

“Open for Lunch is much more than the heartwarming stories of Gaiser’s lunchtime encounters with perfect strangers. It is the intimate and unflinching account of her journey to self-discovery, release from heartbreak, and the grace that comes from forgiving others and yourself.

~ Linda M. Williams, A.B., MEd, Teacher Mentor/Trainer and Professional Developer

“[A]n artfully woven memoir… Throughout the telling of her inward journey are remarkable details that take the reader immediately to “place and circumstance.” The stories will also stay with the reader—from start to finish.

~ Jan Getz, Peabody Award-winning television producer, former Asst. Professor and Broadcaster in Residence, Point Park University, Pittsburgh

“[A]n amazing story-teller. Open for Lunch sings, wails, flails and perseveres with integrity. Thank you, thank you!

~ The Rev. Dr. Margaret Ann Faeth (Episcopal)

About the author >>

Gaiser is a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP) who provides therapeutic music to the ill, the elderly, and the dying in hospital, nursing homes, and hospice settings.

In this work she combines her love of acoustic music and talent on multiple instruments — guitar, violin, harp, Native American flute, among others, as well as her voice, which embraces not just singing lyrics but also chanting, toning, humming a cappella — with a guidance counselor’s insight and profound personal empathy, to help heal the spirits of those in critical care and in the final weeks, days, and moments of their lives.

The work of a CMP is not that of a Music Therapist, nor is it what we think of as music “performance.” A CMP plays music in accordance with the patient’s needs: not to heal or cure, but to bring comfort and, perhaps, solace and joy. Gaiser listens, watches, picks up clues such as presence or absence of family pictures, jewelry (Star of David? Crucifix? Christian cross?) or imagery on the walls. She is alert to the breathing patterns and skin tone and other indications of the physical state of the patient. She notices what the visitors or family members gathered around are like — what they wear, their nervous tics, spoken or unstated denials or fears, and how they interact with the patient — and with her.

Musical Morphine: Transforming Pain One Note at a Time tells Robin’s story of her work as a CMP. Above all, she ensures that the instrument she chooses and the type of music she plays is what the patient needs, whether to ease pain, or ignite happy memories, or bring spiritual comfort, or, sometimes, ease the actual passage from life to death. Like all Pisgah Press books, it can be ordered through local bookstores or online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the author >>

The first book-length account of the closest thing to a coup that the United States has ever experienced.

In late 1782, many Revolutionary War officers in the Hudson Highlands had grown angry and frustrated that they had not been paid—for months or even years. With victory in sight, they feared they might never get their back pay and promised pensions, because the Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia under the Articles of Confederation, had no authority to raise money. Nationalists wanted Congress to have direct taxation authority, while their opponents insisted that only individual states should have that power.

As the last months of the war approached, several key army officers, supported by some members of Congress, set in motion a plot to terrify state legislators and their delegates in Philadelphia into granting Congress the direct taxation authority it needed to pay the promised wages and guarantee future pensions. Their threat presented Congress with two alternatives.

Option one was worrisome: after defeating the British, the army would refuse to lay down their arms, leading Washington to suspect the officers might turn their armies toward Philadelphia itself to enforce their demands. The second option could be even worse: the army might lay down their arms before victory was achieved, allowing the Redcoats to quell the revolution … and making every leader of the “colonists’ rebellion” liable for treason. For as Benjamin Franklin had pointed out, if the rebels—our Founding Fathers—didn’t “hang together, we will all hang separately.”

In March, 1783, hundreds of Washington’s officers, “ready for revolt,” gathered at the newly-built Temple of Virtue at the New Windsor Cantonment to agree on the first steps toward implementing their plan. Then, to their shock, General Washington himself arrived, and in a 15-minute address changed the course of history.

Swords in Their Hands: George Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy was named a finalist for the USA Book Award in History.

Praise for Swords in Their Hands

The Midwest Book Review:

A superbly detailed and documented history of an obscure chapter of American history, Swords in Their Hands: George Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy is a simply fascinating study and strongly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the emergence of the United States as a political entity in general, and the contributions of George Washington to American governance in particular. A seminal work of impressive scope, Swords in Their Hands: George Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy is very highly recommended.

James Loy, Hendersonville Times-News:

Local historian and author Dave Richards is an avid student of American history. He is a regular contributor for The Historical News and is a frequent speaker on a range of historical subjects. His book Swords in Their Hands: George Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy is a meticulously researched study of a little-known but important event in American history.

This nonfiction book will be essential reading … The story pulls you along and tells a little-known tale of historic significance for our country.

Dr. David Shi, former President of Furman University:

Few Americans realize that in March 1783 General Washington had to stare down an uprising by disgruntled army officers known as the Newburgh Conspiracy. In this comprehensive study of the conspiracy, Dave Richards tells the dramatic story of Washington’s role in quashing a military rebellion against the Congress. Well-researched, clearly written, and carefully argued, Swords in Their Hands tells a gripping story that makes an important contribution to the history of the Revolutionary War.

Dr. Richard H. Kohn, Professor Emeritus of History and Peace, War, and Defense at UNC Chapel Hill:

One of the least known but most important events in the founding of the United States, the Newburgh Conspiracy involved many of the most famous leaders of the age. Its collapse marked a turning point in American military history, the consequences of which affect us still today. We are indebted to Dave Richards; his book should be widely read.

John Nagy, author of Rebellion in the Ranks: Mutinies of the American Revolution:

Swords in Their Hands tells the detailed story of the new United States of America on the brink of a military coup during the American Revolution. It is a must read for anyone who wants to know the full story of the crisis.

About the author >>