Books published by publisher Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

Lily, an endearing and scrappy young woman, is as hardworking and independent as they come. Haywood is a tough Texas outlaw who likes his liquor hard, his women soft, and his life free of fetters. So when he promised he'd keep an eye on his jailed brother's young wife, he faced the first problem his .45 couldn't solve. Haywood would like to settle her someplace but finds it's not so easy to leave Lily behind. For one thing, she keeps coming up with what he needs: a horse, a gun, some money, the common sense he lacks. And when they journey together through the dangerous Wild West and he witnesses how brave she is, Haywood finds himself coming close to breaking the only law he has vowed to respect -- yielding to his desire for the one woman he knows he should not touch.

"An unpretentious, finely-crafted novel that will linger with the readers like the last strains of a favorite hymn. It is more enjoyable than a pitcher full of sweet tea and one of Mattie's home-cooked dinners."--The Atlanta Journal & ConstitutionShe had as much business keeping a stray dog as she had walking across Egypt--which not so incidentally is the title of her favorite hymn. She's Mattie Rigsbee, an independent, strong-minded senior citizen, who at 78, might be slowing down just a bit. When young, delinquent Wesley Benfield drops in on her life, he is even less likely a companion than the stray dog. But, of course, the dog never tasted her mouth-watering pound cake....Wise witty, down-home and real, Walking Across Egypt is a book for everyone.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits - the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth - a second-rate travelling circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. Jacob, a veterinary student who almost earned his degree, is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her. Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

A must-read for parents, new teachers, and classroom veterans, Educating Esmé is the exuberant diary of Esmé Raji Codell's first year teaching in a Chicago public school. Fresh-mouthed and free-spirited, the irrepressible Madame Esmé-as she prefers to be called-does the cha-cha during multiplication tables, roller-skates down the hallways, and puts on rousing performances with at-risk students in the library. Her diary opens a window into a real-life classroom from a teacher's perspective. While battling bureaucrats, gang members, abusive parents, and her own insecurities, this gifted young woman reveals what it takes to be an exceptional teacher.

Thomas Jefferson, the public man, is a familiar and oft-chronicled figure. But the private Thomas Jefferson has been little studied. Now Elizabeth Langhorne, drawing upon public records and hitherto-unpublished documents, has produced an intimate and fascinating account of our third president and numerous members of his family, including some of his slaves, as they lived their private and sometimes tumultuous lives at Jefferson's beloved Monticello. Includes illustrations.