Freedom and equality of rights for everyone was the message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the pacific march of August 28, 1963. In this historical moment, Dr. King shared with the followers his famous speech “I have a dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“A Sweet Smell of Roses,” written by Angela Johnson recollects that historical event as an important civic milestone for the African American community. In this narrative, the writer portraits Dr. King as a compelling leader with a vision that challenged the status quo of the American society: as a colored man, Dr. King’s dream was to bring everyone together as a nation.

Johnson uses simple and powerful words to transmit to the younger audience the importance of sharing not only a mutual goal but also the need of compromising toward a common vision. This storytelling is crafted with symbolism that reinforces the idea of “hope” as a natural community builder. Visualizing people’s dream can generate a positive energy for a better future.

The illustrator, Eric Velasquez uses mainly a tri color palette of ivory, white and black tones to extend the meaning of the drawings. He adds the red color, with a delicate touch, to symbolize that the individual’s rights in the United State are guaranteed by the American Constitution.

Summit Avenue tells the story of a young German immigrant living in Minneapolis just before and during the First World War. Kathrin comes to America for a better life. She starts out working in the Pillsbury flour mill sewing bags to hold the flour. She shares a room with her cousin, Lotte. Lotte, who also works as a seamstress at the mill, plots her escape by hanging out in bars looking for a man to marry. Kathrin, who is quieter and more serious, devotes herself to studying English. She visits a bookstore where she makes friends with the elderly owner and his nephew. When a wealthy widow needs someone to translate folklore and fairy tales from German into English, Kathrin is given the job. She has no idea how her friendship with Violet Waverly will change her life forever. Beautifully written and full of strong, believable characters, Summit Avenue is a wonderful book from beginning to end. Not all is tied up neatly in a bow at the end, but this just adds to the power of the story and leaves the reader imagining "what next" for Kathrin, her daughter Jana, and Violet Waverly.

The new released book: The Things They Cannot Say written by the journalist and author Kevin Sites reflects on the experiences of combat soldiers that return to the civil life, as veterans, after spending many years in the international wars: Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. After learning how to survive in a war zone; now the ex-fighters must acquire the skills needed to return to live in peace and in harmony with family and friends. Many questions are raised in the nonfiction story regarding the wellbeing of the combatants: what happens with the soldiers’ mind and spirit when they return home? How they can erase the killing memories of the past? And, how far the ghost of the death can haunt them in the present?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are the two illnesses that postwar fighters must deal with in their adjustment to the civil life. The book excerpt: “I don’t want to die anymore and I don’t want to go back to the sad angry person I was,” reveals to the reader not only the soldiers’ pain to leave the bad memories of the past but also the commitment to find a new way to express happiness with family and friends.

As a war correspondent, Kevin Sites also suffers the same psychological trauma as any soldier in action. Storytelling and sharing his experiences with other war veterans are the only way to grieve the past with a hope for a peaceful future. This book is divided in five parts and the writer provides photos of soldiers, poems and email conversations with other postwar fighters that keep struggling with the ghost of the past. This narrative recollects those experiences and the willingness to look up for a better future.

“Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Time” written by Myrna Lebov brings to the reader simple techniques that a new entry-level manager can put in practice in order to improve effectiveness in the work environment. According to Lebov, the inexperience manager arrives to the administrative position without the skills and the knowledge to supervise a group of employees. The first roadblock that a manager encounters is how to define the goals and the objectives to follow the company’s vision. As stated by the writer, micromanagement is not the best solution to create and to inspire the workers to be productive. Eventually, as Lebov highlights, the negative and the poor management skills of the new supervisor will diminish the talent and the creativity of the workers causing a difficult atmosphere for communication and delegation of assignments. Working as a team will inspire the employees to accomplish goals that can carry on the mission and the vision of the company. In order to avoid failure, the author suggests that the manager must define the level of authority and the level of responsibility of any project. How to motivate the staff is the big question? Lebov concludes that clarifying instructions and engaging staff in development trainings are the key to succeed. This is a required book for all entry level candidates.

Gregory Mallory died in his third intention to climb the Mount Everest in 1924. His frozen body was found by another group of mountaineers seventy-five years later. According with the history records, Arthur Hinks the chair of the English expedition in 1920 invited Mallory to be the team leader of the last journey that was supposed to conquer the Mount Everest. Glory and fame were awaiting at the top of the Bloody Mountain for this qualified and experienced group of climbers.

Mallory’s main purpose in life was to be prepared physically, emotionally and mentally to defeat the weather conditions of the Mount Everest. The meetings, the trainings and the team’s survival plan were the pieces of the puzzle that needed all his concentration to reach the final destination. In Gregory’s fantasy world his vision in life was to be remembered, especially by his family and his friends, as the first climber who reached to the top of the Mount Everest. The reality is that his obsession built a bridge of emptiness in the heart of the people that he loved the most.

Above All Things written by Tanis Rideout combines the facts of Gregory Mallory’s life with the fiction of Ruth Mallory’s psychological battle, in the personage of supportive wife, to the challenges and the difficulties of having an absent husband and father to live with. How to cope with guilt, desire, anxiety and joy in an empty life? How the person’s subconscious can fade away these contradictory sentiments? What sacrifices someone can do to attain a goal in life? And, how far a person can go to reach the glory?

In this biographical fiction story, Rideout’s seduce the reader with a descriptive writing style evoking not only powerful imagines in the mid of the lector, but also bringing to the reader the pain and the psychological battle among all personages of the narrative. During the six stages of Mallory’s last climbing, the writer introduces to the reader all the adversity that the expedition team battled to continue in the ascendant way to the top of the Mount Everest. The challenging weather conditions and the instinct for survival were the only two elements that keep Gregory’s adrenaline a life until the next team crisis. What happens next is the following question?

The message of this book reveals that a person’s passion and his meaning in life cannot be mistaken with the obsession to sacrifice his family’s love for the glory and the recognition of others. This is a great story!

While reading this novel, I often thought about what I learned about slavery in school and the many films I've seen on the subject, most notably, the television series Roots , which is probably most of our first visual representation of a slaves' life – but I thought, "Noooo, they got it wrong! Slavery was 50 times worst than any representation I've ever seen on a film."

Solomon Northup, was a free born, African America man living in New York state in the early 1800s. He had a wife, three children, and was able to provide for his family working various jobs, depending on the season. Solomon is kidnapped and forced into slavery for 12 years, in the deep south.

What makes this novel so compelling is his story telling. He goes into great detail explaining what is feels like to be a slave; the constant state of fear (scared of waking up late, scared of not working fast enough, scared of being in the wrong place at the wrong time if your master is in an angry mood), the whippings (which happened more often than I originally thought), the brutal labor, the little food (yet being forced to work at 100% at all times with little nourishment), and the depressing feeling of being separated from your family (being sold to another master was the worst nightmare of most slaves, more fearful than the whip). His prose paints a clear picture of what it feels like to be a slave.

I highly recommend this non-fiction novel (did I mention, this is a TRUE story) to any and everyone interested in American or African American history.

This novel is currently being made into a film by director Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender. I have to admit, I am very eager to see this film (it's slated for release Sept. 6, 2013) because I'm curious to see if they will be true to the original work, and go hard and showcase slavery in its most brutal form, even if it will make audiences uncomfortable, because as time goes on, I think we forget how truly horrible an institution slavery was.

Evoking the colonial period of the seventeenth century in Lima, Peru, the author Gary D. Schmidt brings to the young reader the story of the slave Martín -who as a young fellow- discovered his holy grace and spiritual wisdom to cure people’s body and heart. The miracles that he performed during his live among all people made him gain the title of “doctor apprentice” in the catholic congregation.

Martín spent his childhood in the poor sector of Lima. The “barrios” was an area designated to the low social working class: the slaves and the mestizos were found in this border. This indigent neighborhood was built on the Rimac River shoreline under the lack of basic living conditions for the community. Here he lived with his mother Anna Velázquez, a freed slave, and his sister Juana. At the age of eight, Martín met his father Don Juan de Porres -a royal Spaniard- for the first time. After the family reunion, Don Porres decided to take his children to Ecuador -where he was assigned to work- to give them a basic formal education for the future.

Back in Lima and at the age of fifteen, Martín entered to the Monastery of the Holy Rosary as the sweeper of the cobblestone. Father Juan de Lorenzana, the Dominican Provincial of Peru, told the young Martín that his aspirations to serve God as a priest would never be fulfill because of his slave condition. Martín accepted his destiny and he suit his life with acts of love and compassion to other human beings. Most of the time, the juvenile mulatto was seen carrying his broom and surrounded with animals.

During many years Martín was following his heart and healing the sickness of the people with his holy hands. At the age of nineteen and against all social status, the mulatto took his vows as a priest and he devoted his life, completely, to the service of the poor. He lived a short life dying at the age of forty-five. After many years of his dead Martín was canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962 as the first saint of mix raced.

The Pura Belpré 2013 award winner illustrator, David Díaz uses -in this picture book- a combination of warm colors that add a touch of personality and a texture to the story. Both humans and animals are drawn with love and empathy. The thirty-two pages of this book are crafted to make the reader feel the humble heart of Saint Martín de Porres. This story is beautifully written and the drawings extend the meaning of the narrative.

Well written and throroughly researched account of the life of Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th century German nun. Imprisoned at the age of eight years with Jutta von Sponheim at the Disibodenberg Abbey, von Bingen spent the next thirty years in a two room anchorage. Having had visions from before she was given to the church, she only began to write about them after von Sponheim's death. Hildegard von Bingen was an out spoken critic of the corruption rife within the church and, as such, she made many enemies. An outspoken woman in a time when women were of little value, von Bingen's life is both interesting and inspiring

In this story, Jorge Amado transfers the reader to the village of Ilhéus, Brazil, in 1925. This emergent town of cocoa plantations was defined by two opposite social classes: in one hand, the upper class of businessmen that controlled the economic status of the community; and on the second hand, the working class of African slaves that provided the cheapest hand labor for the economic grow of Ilhéus. Gabriela -the main protagonist of the story- appears in the tale as the slave of Nacib Saad -a prominent merchant and owner of a restaurant- that eventually challenges the conventionalism of the Brazilian society. In general, the women were subjugated to follow society rules establishing a cultural role model that everyone needed to follow. As the story continues, the conflict starts when Nacib marries the slave Gabriela against all social protocols. In this hurricane of love and culture identity, the African servant finds herself confronted with two personalities: the one that she was born with free of spirit and careless of what people might think of her; and the second one, in which she must learn how to behave in order to please her new social status and all the people in the circle. With this historic-romantic tale, Amado rises the question of freedom as an innate universal right of all humans. Gabriela Saad knows that she wants to be free in all the extension of the word. Also in this book, the writer challenges the reader to deeply think about themes such as capitalism, women rights, politics, social status and cultural identity in the course of the human history. Even though the story is based in the year of 1925, many of those subjects are still relevant today. This is an excellent story!

Set in Scotland, The Shadowy Horses tells the story of a young archaeologist, Verity Grey, who is hired to help locate the infamous Ninth Roman Legion. Based on the visions of a young boy, Verity's excentric boss believes he has at last found their resting place. Strange happenings on the dig and the ghostly presence of a Roman soldier leave Verity wondering if she has made a mistake in joining the endeavor. Also helping with the dig is a handsome Scotsman, David Fortune. At first Verity is able to maintain her professional code of conduct that does not allow for romance between dig members, but as time goes on she finds herself drawn more and more to David. The Shadowy Horses is a diverting and pleasurable read. The premise of finding the Ninth Legion is believable and the details of the archaeological dig are well researched. The romance is an integral part of the story, but does not detract from the other narrative elements in the book.

Set in the wilds of Northern England in the thirteenth century, Something Red, is the story of a traveling troup of healers and musicians from Ireland. Winter is setting in and they must be well on their way south or they will be trapped by the winter snow. But, as they travel, they sense an evil presence following them and cutting off their path at every turn. First sheltering in a monastery, then an inn and finally in a Norman castle, they can't shake the evil that haunts them. The evil brings death to those in each setting until, at last, Molly, Jack, Nemain, and Hob stop running and face the malevolent presence. Well written and suspenseful, but not entirely unpredictible, Something Red is a suspenseful page turner.

The Painted Bridge is an excellent story set in Victorian England. Anna Palmer is forcibly committed by her husband to an institution for insane women. As a pastor he must seem respectable in every way and Anna has humiliated him by travelling to the coast to aid survivors of a shipwreck. All her life she has had visions of a young boy who is drowning in the sea. At the asylum, a run-down country house, Anna meets women who have been there for years, yet they are as sane as she is. Gripping in every way, The Painted Bridge, keeps the reader turning pages. Will Anna be able to free herself from this prison? With many surprises, the author creates an entirely believable and heart-wrenching story of a woman caught in a trap of lies. Thoroughly researched this book depicts a time when women were at the mercy of men.

Executives in the twenty-first century must deal with global dynamics, diversity workforce and non-traditional work environment. “A leader’s primary responsibility is to articulate a vision and establish a set of strategies that unleashes the creativity, freedom and individual potential of the workforce.” Real Leaders Don’t Boss: Inspire, Motivate and Earn Respect from Employees and Watch your Organization Soar written by Eich Ritch provides inspiring stories of real people who were driven by their passion to inspire others to succeed. The author highlights that a successful leader is committed to build an enduring corporate culture that can carry-on the company’s brand name to the highest level of accomplishment. According to Ritch, “the leadership ripple effect” for a great success or great failure to achieve an objective depends, primarily, of a clear set of actions that can map the work road of the team. Honest communication, driving to success and a strong work ethic are the fundamental skills in an executive. The author agrees that a prospective leader can learn the fundamental skills of leadership and master this discipline with the main objective of increasing an energetic sense of community. This is a great book for managers and non-managers at all level positions. It is divided in eight chapters and provides a helpful list of websites and blogs in this subject.

Coonts uses a style of writing from another era. No wingman to Tom Clancy, this was his second book after Flight of the Intruder. Spoiler alert: a terrorist group plans to attack the carrier United States for its nuclear weapons. Slow moving, confusing and sexist. How can I make this book sound exciting? We meet the pilots and assorted personnel and learn about their jobs and lives aboard the aircraft carrier USS United States. Of course, we also get to meet The Bad Guys. For both groups, the development is too drawn out, confusing and boring. It’s not until the final pages where we see Jake Grafton in a F-14 Tomcat fighter.

Book two in the Chronicles of the Host

Lucifer has lost the battle for Heaven but the war for Souls still rages. His search for the Seed of the Woman has escalated. The Morning Star knows that unless he can entrap all mankind in corruption and lack of faith, unless he can contaminate all human DNA with demonic elements, he will face the Judgment of The Father with only his minions for companionship.

Even Lucifer has moments of doubt, moments when the separation from his Father (God) is more burden than even he bare, moments in which he is almost ready to repent. But pride took him to his fall, the road to Hell was paved with logic and reasonable argument, and now there is no turning back. He would rather be a master in Hell, than the servant of humans in Heaven and on Earth.

Meanwhile, the first family has been driven from the garden and must struggle to establish a new home in a land that no longer yields sustenance easily, nor shelters them with gentle climes. Add to that the rage of fallen Angels who beset them at every turn and life is a battle for each and every soul on the planet. Every tactic will be employed in Lucifer’s on going attempt to make The Father return to the good old days when he (and the angels) was the most cherished of beings.

The book title: “Kiss that Frog! 12 Great Ways to Turn Negatives into Positives in Your Life and Work” written by Brian Tracy and Christina Tracy Stein presents to the reader powerful strategies that will aid the individual visualize great expectations into his/her life. The Blue-Sky Thinking Technique, The Law of Attraction, The Law of Substitution and The Mental Fitness Tactic are a few of the methods, presented in this book, that will teach the person how to diagnose conflict situations and how to apply the right practice into the problem: The main objective is to turn around negative experiences into positive life lessons. The authors emphasize that “letting go the past” and “forgiveness” are the two important steps toward a healthy spiritual life. In addition, the daily practice of using “word builders” into the person’s vocabulary -such as “I like myself” and I am responsible”- will increase the possibility to rewire the individual’s subconscious into a meaningful everyday life experience. The writers conclude that the person has the choice to live a life full with happiness or to live a life fill with sadness. This is an excellent book!

“Summer of the Mariposas” reflects on the psychological conflict of five teenage girls who are looking for answers about their family disharmony. This adventure will teach the Garza sisters -Odilia, Delia, Velia, Juanita and Pita- life lessons that will reassure their family bounds. In the story, the problem solving cycle is divided in three stages: The departure, the initiation and the return. In the first part, Gabriel Perdido is found dead in the Río Bravo, when the cinco hermanitas were playing around the river. The first instinct of the Garza sisters was to deliver the dead man to his family. This tragic event was the beginning of a sisterhood journey to the Mexican country. La Llorona -in an unusual role- is introduced by the writer Guadalupe Garcia McCall as the spiritual guide of the five sisters. In the second part, the Mayan Mother Earth, Tonantzin, will come to rescue the siblings when Odilia -the oldest sister - calls her throughout an ancestral magical earring given by the Llorona. This amulet has divine powers that will aid the cinco hermanitas during their odyssey. In this self-discovery journey, the Garza sisters are being challenged by the devil and the bad witches who are trying to mislead them. In the final part, Tonantzin reminded Odilia that she and her siblings must go through this peregrination of pain in order to reborn as a family. As the story develops, the reader finds out that the sisterhood journey to Mexico has a background story: The teenage girls wanted to find out why their father has abandoned them, for more than a year, without any explanation. What they find out at the end of their journey might not be the answer they were looking for. In this book, the author challenges the reader’s imagination with mythical personages of predecessor civilizations. This book is divided in twenty-two chapters with a Spanish glossary of terminology. This is a great story for a bilingual book club!

Written in 1758, Candide, The Optimist is a terribly sad yet funny tale of the misery of life. I suspect Voltaire had fun writing this, coming up with the most horrible situations and amazing tales which span numerous continents and interacting with various historical figures. It is the story of Candide, an innocent young man, who believes his schooling, that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds." With this philosophy, Candide is tested to see if this theory is true.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone, it's a rather quick read (around 100 pages) and is a true page turner. You will keep asking yourself while reading, what next catastrophe could possibly happen to these people!?

Mildly entertaining fantasy-reality about a teenage girl who disappears and then reappears after 20 years. She claims to have been taken to a magical land where time is different. She has hardly aged, but no one believes her story. Her return brings up old wounds and betrayals, but it also brings healing and acceptance. Several sub-plots and twists keep the reader turning the pages. Some Kind of Fairy Tale is a meditation on memory, what is real and what isn't. Choices are made that change the lives of everyone forever.

Pictograph paintings that resembles the symbols and the cultural traditions of the Nahuatl indigenous culture from El Salvador are found in the bilingual English/ Spanish children’s book: “Talking with Mother Earth: Poems/ Hablando con Madre Tierra: Poemas.” In the story, Telt, a Pipil Nahua Indian, search for self-acceptance among the other inter-cultural groups that shape the Salvadoran culture. Jorge Argueta, Telt’s Castilian name, is very proud of his Nahuatl culture and all the traditions that he inherited from his ancestors. In seventeenth beautiful poems, the writer expresses his devotion to Mother Earth - the fire, the wind, the air and the water- and all the beautiful things that nature has to offer to the humankind. As Telt tries to fit into a group, he finds himself being segregated by other people because of his Indian identity. The writer highlights, in the poems, the importance of being “different “as a positive characteristic in the inter-cultural relations inside the community. The important message of the book is that Argueta wants to develop a sense of “culture awareness” among all members of the society. Lucía Angela Pérez translates the writer’s emotion into vibrant delightful pictures that complements the message of the poems.