Books published by publisher Citadel

TRUTH BOMB: Being a girl freakin’ rocks! But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Sometimes you need inspiration, support, and advice to help you find your voice and believe in yourself. Girlish is a fun, feisty, information-packed handbook—part discovery course, part interactive journal—filled with quotes, tips, truth bombs, and profiles of amazing women from all walks of life, from Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Amy Poehler to Malala Yousafzai and Simone Biles. Embracing all the beauty, chaos, hope, and frustration of being a girl in the twenty‑first century, Girlish explores life topics that include gender equality, body positivity, self-esteem, relationships, friendship, and even dealing with the mixed bag of the internet and social media. Thought-provoking questions dare you to define your values, set goals, dream BIG, and celebrate everything that makes you you. Ready to create, inspire, invent, strive, lead, love—and have some laughs along the way? Read on . . .

The shocking true story of the most ruthless and deadly mob boss in the annals of the American Mafia. In the golden age of organized crime, Carmine “The Snake” Persico was the King of the Streets. The defacto boss of the Colombo Mafia family since the 1970s, he oversaw gang wars, murders, and major rackets, even from prison. He is suspected of personally murdering as many as 60 people and ordering the hits of hundreds more. Sentenced to 139 years in the fed, he continued to exert power over a vast criminal empire from behind bars. His brutal rise and bloody reign is the stuff of Mafia legend. In this blistering street-level account, “Mafia survivor” Frank Dimatteo teams up with true-crime master Michael Benson to take down one of the most notorious figures in the American La Cosa Nostra. This is the terrifying inside story of Carmine “The Snake” Persico, from his crime-filled childhood on the streets of Brooklyn to the longterm jail sentences that didn’t stop him from controlling his criminal empire with the help of his brother, the equally kill-crazy Alphonse “Allie Boy” Persico.

"We're just going to look." Helen Brown had no intention of adopting a pet when she brought her sons, Sam and Rob, to visit a friend's new kittens. But the runt of the litter was irresistible, with her overlarge ears and dainty chin.When Cleo was delivered weeks later, she had no way of knowing that her new family had just been hit by a tragedy. Helen was sure she couldn't keep her--until she saw something she thought had vanished from the earth forever: her son's smile. The reckless, rambunctious kitten stayed.Through happiness and heartbreak, changes and new beginnings, Cleo turned out to be the unlikely glue that affectionately held Helen's family together. Rich in wisdom, wit, heart, and healing, here is the story of a cat with an extraordinary gift for knowing just where she was needed most."A remarkable memoir. . .I realized that Helen Brown didn't break my heart at all--she opened it." --Beth Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt"An absolute must." --Cat World"The next Marley &Me. Even non cat-lovers will be moved." --Good Housekeeping

We can all make a difference. Elementary-school teacher Diane Trull’s life-defining moment happened when her fourth-grade reading class saw a photo of a cardboard box overflowing with homeless puppies. Trull was no stranger to rescuing abandoned animals. She and her husband Mark had made it their mission to find permanent homes for stray dogs and cats. Now her young students were determined to save these lost pups and others like them. And in that moment, the Dalhart Animal Wellness Group and Sanctuary—known as DAWGS—was born. How Trull and her fourth graders started their own animal shelter is a story of dedication, commitment, and perseverance. In this eye-opening, deeply personal book, Trull describes the challenges they faced, from rescuing and caring for the animals to teaching children about compassion and responsibility, to facing local interests opposed to having a shelter in their town. She shares inspiring stories about animals and animal lovers of all ages in this moving story of hope and compassion. DAWGS is a testament to how love and a strong measure of determination can offer second chances—one animal, one child, and one day at a time.

This first exhaustive history of the Negro leagues sheds new light and delves deeper than any previous work. Find out how black fans came to cherish their own heroes, why a trip to see a Negro league game was a statement of racial pride, and why much of black culture once centered on "blackball".For over fifty years -- or up until that bright April day in 1947 when Jackie Robinson smashed the major leagues' color barrier -- the only ball fields where an African American could play organized baseball were the tarnished diamonds of the Negro leagues. On these fields, men such as Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Cool Papa Bell played for such teams as the Kansas City Monarchs, the Homestead Grays, and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Within this incredible tapestry, some of the greatest ballplayers of all time found true glory.This is the story of an American epic -- rich, provocative, and unforgettable.

"A humorous, candid and insightful memoir of Hayhurst's rookie season in the majors. . .Grade: Home Run." --Cleveland Plain DealerAfter six years in the minors, pitcher Dirk Hayhurst hopes 2008 is the year he breaks into the big leagues. But every time Dirk looks up, the bases are loaded with challenges--a wedding balancing on a blind hope, a family in chaos, and paychecks that beg Dirk to answer, "How long can I afford to keep doing this?" Then it finally happens--Dirk gets called up to the Majors, to play for the San Diego Padres. A dream comes true when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants, kicking off forty insane days and nights in the Bigs. Like the classic games of baseball's history, Out of My League entertains from the first pitch to the last out, capturing the gritty realities of playing on the big stage, the comedy and camaraderie in the dugouts and locker rooms, and the hard-fought, personal journeys that drive our love of America's favorite pastime. "A rare gem of a baseball book." --Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated"A fun read. . .This book shows why baseball is so often used as a metaphor for life." --Keith Olbermann"Entertaining and engaging. . .reminiscent of Jim Bouton's Ball Four." --Booklist"Observant, insightful, human, and hilarious." --Bob Costas

Inspired by her popular New York Times article, “How Honesty Could Make You Happier,” award-winning journalist Judi Ketteler takes a deep dive into the hard truths about honesty, from her own personal story to the exploding field of research on the subject, at a time when the world seems full of dishonesty—from elected officials, to corporate leaders, to tabloid-like fakery that gets passed off as news . . . We all want the truth, don’t we? In fact, we demand it. We divorce spouses who withhold it. We insist our children practice it. We’re hurt when our friends don’t divulge it. We’re incensed by politicians who invent it. But when it comes to our own behavior, how often do we transgress? Out of diplomacy, kindness, sympathy, and privacy we don’t always tell the truth. Yet we often barely notice. So, what happens when we do notice? When we truly focus on the decisions we’re making around honesty? When we view our entire life through the lens of honesty? Award-winning journalist and New York Times contributor Judi Ketteler looked at her Facebook page and saw a content mother, a generous friend and sister, a good daughter, and a wife with a happy marriage. It wasn’t quite the whole story though. In thinking about all the truths she wasn’t revealing, Judi realized that the line between truth and deception was beginning to blur. How often had she herself paltered, exaggerated, concealed, side-stepped, or spun the truth? To answer that question, Judi started her “Honesty Journal.” She set out to get to the bottom of her complicated relationship with honesty and confronted her perennial fear of speaking the truth in social situations, among friends, in the workplace, with her kids—and finally, inside her complicated marriage. Blending her personal journey with the latest research into the psychology of deception, Would I Lie to You? is a timely consideration of the joys and pains of truth in a world that seems committed to lying.