Bøger af Don Keith

"Bold, brash, and brimming with courage, Chuck Yeager burst onto the scene as a national hero in 1947, when he became the first to fly an airplane faster than the speed of sound. Yet even before his days as America's most famous test pilot, Yeager was a young fighter ace in the US Army Air Force, flying a P-51 Mustang over Nazi-occupied Europe. His exploits are the stuff of legend"--

"Sometimes you must listen to your heart, not just your head." Jerry Gray is an average working man, a straight-arrow, a faithful husband, good father, and solid provider. But now some very non-average problems are threatening to overwhelm him. His marriage is failing, his daughter may well be losing her fight with a rare blood disease, and he is financially strapped from that illness and paying his late father's nursing home and funeral expenses. He is also frustrated because he cannot follow a long-held dream. Then, at the worst possible time, he is laid off from his job. That is the final blow that pushes Jerry to step outside his straight-arrow existence--the one instilled in him by his late father--and take a risk he would never have contemplated before: bet everything he has left on one spin of the roulette wheel in Las Vegas. But news of his quest finds its way into the media and before he knows it, Gray's spin captures the imagination of millions. Many of them decide they want to take their own spin with him in an effort to break out of their dismal existence. Or just to take a chance on something better. Hundreds show up at Jerry's house in Southern California, hundreds more join him as he makes his way to Vegas and The Spin. As the resulting media circus makes The Spin far more than it was when it began, Jerry Gray realizes that it is a powerful symbol for him and for others who have resisted stepping beyond the usual and mundane in order to reach for the exceptional. Along the way, we meet a fascinating cast of characters, each of whom achieve a new life after participating in Gray's spin. There is Chauncey, Jerry's and his late father's friend and co-worker, who holds a deep, dark secret Jerry could have never guessed. A beautiful would-be singer whose self-imposed limitations have prevented her remarkable music from being heard. A throwback from the "Summer of Love" whose odd advice and incantations urge them all along to a new way of looking at life. A frustrated novelist whose fear of failure stymies his stories before they are ever committed to the page. The owners of a struggling off-the-strip casino and the publisher of a gritty, girly magazine who realize their own dreams when The Spin lands in their laps. A pro-basketball player whose addiction has him on death's edge until he literally drops into the middle of the odd caravan as it winds its way through the desert, headed for The Spin. Once you experience the shocking, unexpected, but powerfully inspiring outcome of Jerry's fascinating story and after you get to know these fascinating individuals, the message becomes clear. It is not about red or black on the Las Vegas casino roulette wheel. This remarkable story will inspire everyone to listen to his or her heart, take reasonable chances, and reach for a dream.

A busy, harried career woman is forced to pull her car into a quiet and peaceful veteran's cemetery when she has mechanical trouble. After calling for help, she decides to leave the hot car and sit on a bench beneath a shade tree, overlooking the neat rows of crosses. As she waits impatiently, fiddling with her PDA and laptop computer, she hardly notices an elderly woman who comes from nowhere to sit beside her.The old woman begins a conversation, ignoring the businesswoman's lack of interest, and then proceeds to tell her?without even asking if she wants to hear it?what turns out to be an amazing story. It is the tale of a young soldier and his journey from an idyllic small-town home to a World War II battlefield on an island in the South Pacific. The soldier writes a long letter every day to the girl back home that he pledged to marry when he returned from the war. He talks of his desire to raise a family and become a minister as they had planned. Then, in a heroic act, the young soldier saves the lives of several of his buddies but, in the process, he is seriously wounded and loses his eyesight. When the young soldier returns home, he is bitter and refuses to marry his sweetheart. He claims he does not want to saddle her with the responsibility of caring for a cripple for the rest of his life, turning his back on her and God. She tries to share with him her outlook on life, her belief that God uses such tragedies to direct us toward achieving greater things in our ride through life, but the soldier refuses to listen and shuts her out of his dark, hopeless world. However, God does have bigger plans for both the soldier and the woman. With the help of some of the men whose lives he saved, the soldier's fiance makes him see God's purpose and that he can not only be a miracle himself but lead others through rough road on life's perilous ride.Then the businesswoman, captivated by the old woman's story, experiences a miracle in her own life. A final revelation shows the busy executive that her stop at the soldiers? cemetery that day, and her encounter with the old woman and a couple more "angels," were no mere coincidences. The mystery of how these three people and their fates are intertwined will offer hope for those who are hurting or who have loved ones of their own fighting a distant war.The story is a salute to veterans everywhere, regardless the war, and the sacrifice they make for their country. It is also a story of those who are left behind and the sacrifices they make in wartime as well. This theme resonates strongly with what is happening in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places today. But this is primarily the story of a love and faith that even a world war could not kill and of all the good that comes from what appears to be tragedy.

The Warners are a typical family, with the usual rifts and arguments. Each year, they leave home on Christmas Day to spend the holiday week in a time-share condominium in Breckenridge, Colorado. The early-teenaged children, Tim and Julie, are opposed to the idea, preferring to stay home back in Boulder with Xmas gifts and friends, but their workaholic father insists that they spend the rare family time together. However, he is inevitably called back to his demanding business each year and is not even there for the Christmas holiday.Then, on one Christmas, Tim surprises his sister, taking her on an impromptu horseback ride to a mountaintop. There, he shows her an amazing and inspiring display of lights on a distant peak, a scene of mysterious origin that can only be viewed from that one spot and precisely at dusk on Christmas Day.The next year, their father is too busy to even make the trip to the Rocky Mountain condo for Christmas. Even so, the kids can't wait to take their mother on the yuletide horseback ride up the mountain so they can show her the beautiful light show. She, too, is inspired, and when they return home, she tries once more to convince her husband to put his priorities in the right place, to return to church and spend more time with the family. However, by the next holiday, their marriage is over and so are the rides to the mountain for the Warner family.Tim blames his mother for the breakup of the family and, when he eventually goes away to college, he ends all communication with her. Julie finally takes a Christmas journey of her own, a drive to the West Coast to convince her brother to renew the spirit they found together on that Colorado mountain peak with its mysterious light display.He does return home, and, at the same time, their father has his own epiphany. The next Christmas, the parents renew their vows, remarrying on the mountain just as the lights seem to be burning their brightest for the reunited family.But then a tragic turn brings the two siblings even closer, and a special Christmas gift makes certain their bond will never be dissolved, not by distance, hurt, or even death. A final view of the lights on the mountaintop confirms that the love of a family is the strongest tie of all. And a strange but wondrous twist shows Julie Warner the true meaning of those lights they saw on their rides to the Christmas mountain.This powerful story will resonate with today's busy families, too involved with their own distractions to experience the beauty of this special season, and offer special meaning to those who have lost someone and miss them most during the holidays. The lesson of those magical lights-that one must be in the right place and have an open heart to know the true meaning of Christmas-will touch readers everywhere. A Christmas Ride is a book about families sharing the miracle of the season and the wondrous display of lights on a snowy Colorado mountaintop is the perfect metaphor for this Christian holiday.

Your dream is to write a book, get it published, and then have people read what you have written. It may be a novel or a non-fiction work. But you don't know where to start. Or doors are slammed in your face every way you turn. Publishing houses ignore you. Agents reject you without comment. You are on the verge of giving up your dream of becoming a published author. Stop! You can have that dream. If you have the ability to write, and if you have stories and characters or a non-fiction topic of interest, then you can find a publisher and a readership. Or if you are a public speaker, consultant, presenter or otherwise have a following or an audience, you are missing a great opportunity if you do not have a book to offer for sale at your events. Writing, becoming a published author, and having your book find a readership is one of the most fulfilling things most of us will ever experience, yet it can also be the most frustrating and discouraging. Now, in this straight-shooting, real-world book, award-winning and best-selling author Don Keith takes you through the steps to give your creation the best chance of finding a publisher...and, more importantly to some, having it read and appreciated. Keith uses his own experiences and real-world observations to help the would-be author avoid traps and scams, find a literary agent, translate a publishing contract and royalty statement, and even investigate the exciting new opportunities in self-publishing and print-on-demand (POD). Keith has been there and pulls no punches when talking about the chances for finding fame and fortune by writing and publishing books. In simple language, this author of more than two-dozen books-including best-sellers and works now in pre-production as major motion pictures-tells prospective writers exactly how to improve their odds of getting a book published, promoted, sold, and read. If you want to get your book published...and read...this work may be the best investment you will ever make in your writing career . Or if you just need that little push to get your publishing efforts out of stall mode, then this book is for you.

The hobby of Amateur Radio has just celebrated its 100th anniversary and is just as vibrant and exciting as it has ever been. However, many who might well enjoy the hobby are reluctant to get started. Whether it is the jargon, the fear of not "knowing it all" the first day, or the dread of having to put together a radio station--including rigging some kind of outdoor antenna--many never get to fully enjoy all that this amazing hobby has to offer. Now experienced Ham Radio operator and best-selling author Don Keith N4KC has written a book for anyone truly interested in getting started, getting licensed and putting his or her own radio station on the air. Written in an easy-to-understand style, GET ON THE AIR...NOW! will have readers talking to the world in no time, enjoying to the fullest the fascinating, exciting hobby of Amateur Radio. This book is for anyone who has considered becoming a licensed Ham, those who may have gotten an Amateur Radio license but never got an opportunity to get involved, and the experienced Ham who simply wants a book to which he or she can direct an interested person to learn more about getting the most from the hobby. This book also contains THE AMATEUR RADIO DICTIONARY, the most complete listing ever compiled of terminology, jargon and basic electronic terms that any newcomer might encounter starting out in the hobby.

As a boy Jimmy Gill is mesmerized by his grandmother's old console radio and the amazing sounds it magically brings into his sad, dreary existence. Through the airwaves he discovers a fabulous new world that is, in the 1950s, just entering a "golden age" of rock and roll with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats Domino. With his young black friend, Detroit Simmons, Jimmy traces the sound he hears on the radio to a rough building just beyond his backdoor: radio station WROG. By accident, Jimmy and Dee become involved with the station and begin careers in broadcasting at early ages. Along the way, they encounter the mad, creative, colorful characters who are changing the musical landscape, the rock and roll stars and the deejays. With technical help from Detroit and financial help from some unsavory characters, Jimmy becomes a top disk jockey and eventually owns an FM station. From there, the two ride the crest of the broadcast explosion and build a media empire. Jimmy also falls in love with beautiful country music star Cleo Michaels. But along the way, Jimmy loses sight of what attracted him to the magical medium of radio in the first place, the ability for a talented dee jay to emotionally affect his audience with just a few words or the right mix of music. His success sours to greed and a lust for power. But when early shady dealings threaten to topple his empire and claim his best friend, Detroit, and the woman he loves so much, he reverts to the forces that have truly shaped his life: the support of friends and the inimitable warm embrace of creatively done radio. This novel is an allegory of what has happened to radio broadcasting over the last 20 years...where power and greed have replaced the creativity and talent of the disk jockeys who virtually re-invented radio on the fly when television threatened to kill it. The book is dedicated to over 300 radio personalities who will be familiar to many. After all, those readers likely grew up listening to some of these air talents, and allowed the legendary DJs to provide the soundtrack of their lives.

An amazing true story with which so many can identify and draw strength as they struggle to break through their own personal, professional and spiritual barriers. Steve R. Skipper is one of America's most prolific and honored painters and sketch artists. His works have hung in the Professional Football Hall of Fame, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the U.S. Capitol, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and the Paul W. "Bear" Bryant Museum as well as in the National Art Museum of Sport, in NCAA headquarters, and in many other venues nationwide. They also grace the walls of private collectors and sports notables worldwide. Thousands have purchased his inspiring Christian art. He has been commissioned to paint some of the biggest stars in sports from NASCAR, the NFL, professional golf, the NCAA, the Olympics, the NBA and others, ranging from Heisman Trophy winners to inductees into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. But there is so much more to this highly talented artist's story. First, though praised for his technical skill and creativity, he is entirely self-taught. Secondly, he became one of the first African-Americans to gain acceptance in the art world. Even more amazing is the fact that this gentle, soft-spoken man was not only once a member of a violent street gang, but he was also the gang's chief enforcer, the fierce collector of drug debts, and even sold drugs to his high school classmates and football teammates. The big transformation in Steve Skipper's life-one that almost certainly saved his life-came at a simple church revival service, one he attended on a dare, more to mock than to listen. There, he experienced a deep religious experience that altered his self-destructive path completely. God spoke to him in a personal and powerful way and he left the gang the very next day, even though such a rejection of his Crip brothers almost certainly meant death. Today, with Steve Skipper's message, his success, and his talent, he inspires millions. And now, with this book, his story and powerful testimony will reach even more who so desperately need to hear his message of determination, salvation, strength through Christ, and deliverance from the demons that hold them back. Note that this book contains color reproductions of many of Steve Skipper's most compelling works of art.

Joe Proudfoot is a truck driver and a Cherokee Indian, and he is in one big hurry to get back home. His family is falling apart and he has to get back to Oklahoma to try to put his life back together again. However, he encounters a strange series of people and events along the way that sidetrack his journey. At the same time, though, they set him off on a dangerous quest. Then, when he gets an ominous call from an evil source and reluctantly accepts a perilous assignment, it forces Proudfoot to confront his own limitations as well as a heritage he has so long denied. But that inevitable showdown may be the tragic end of the highway for him. Meanwhile, his wife and young son are on the road as well. She is searching for something she cannot identify as well as she unwittingly retraces the infamous Trail of Tears. This saga is at once a powerful ghost story, a moving romance, an emotional roller coaster, and an inspiring examination of how a man ultimately faces his own demons as well as his long-denied bloodlines in a life-and-death struggle to do the right thing.

The heroic true story of Major Richard Bong, America’s greatest fighter pilot of the Pacific War and the nation’s top flying ace of World War IIArriving as a fresh US Army Air Forces pilot in New Guinea in late 1942, Richard Bong wasted no time taking on the Japanese, shooting down two planes in an early skirmish—an action that earned him a Silver Star. Over the next two years, Bong would amass the US armed forces’ most impressive record of aerial victories of the entire war, surpassing even the great Eddie Rickenbacker’s World War I tally and notching forty kills. In December 1944, he was personally awarded the Medal of Honor by General Douglas MacArthur. Now acclaimed author Don Keith recounts the remarkable saga of Bong’s war years as well as his tragic death while serving as a test pilot.

Shelley Stewart was five years old when he and his brothers watched in horror as their father murdered their mother with an ax. Homeless at the age of six, Stewart found what shelter he could, suffering physical and sexual abuse and racism. Despite heartbreaking setbacks and the racial strife that gripped the South in the 1950s and 1960s, Stewart graduated high school and entered the broadcasting profession. There he became a hugely popular radio personality, rubbing shoulders with the top recording artists of the day and becoming one of the nation's first black radio station owners.He helped Dr. Martin Luther King mount the historic Children's March through the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. Later Stewart would use his powerful communication skills to help convict one of the men who bombed the city's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Then this often-honored man turned his business skills to the creation of a foundation named after his mother; the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation works to convince high school students to stay in school and graduate, a topic Stewart speaks on in his many engagements around the country. Stewart, with author Don Keith, tells his story in his memoir Mattie C.'s Boy.

Acclaimed naval historian Don Keith tells one of the most inspiring sea stories of World War II: the Japanese attack on the American oiler USS Neosho and the crew's struggle for survival as their slowly sinking ship drifted on the treacherous Coral Sea. May 1942: the United States closed in for the war's first major clash with the Japanese Navy. The Neosho, a vitally important but minimally armed oil tanker was ordered away from the impending battle. But as the Battle of the Coral Sea raged two hundred miles away, the Neosho was attacked, setting the ship ablaze and leaving it listing badly. Scores of sailors were killed or wounded, while hundreds bobbed in shark-infested waters. Fires on board threatened to spark a fatal explosion, and each passing hour brought the ship closer to sinking. It was the beginning of a hellish four-day ordeal as the crew struggled to stay alive and keep their ship afloat. Only four of them would survive to be rescued after nine days. Working from eyewitness accounts and declassified documents, Keith offers up vivid portraits of Navy heroes in this tale of a ship as tough and resilient as its crew. The Ship That Wouldn't Die captures the indomitable spirit of the American sailor-and finally brings to the surface one of the great untold sagas of the Pacific War.

Burns, broken bones, shrapnel - nothing could stop Dixie Kiefer, the victim of ten wounds in two wars, a veteran of some of the U.S. Navy's most celebrated carriers and battles, and a naval aviation pioneer. This is his story.

Many biographies have been written about the larger-than-life college football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant as well as an autobiography containing the coaches own memories. Other works have focused on an aspect of Bryant''s career, his coaching methods, or his philosophy. The Bear: The Legendary Life of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant stands alone among them all.Based on a screenplay by the late sportswriter and columnist Al Browning, it showcases many of the most memorable moments of Bryant''s life-many of them told by the coach himself-as stories filled with the immediacy and drama that go with a good story told well. The relationship Bryant and Browning shared went beyond that of coach and journalist. They were close friends, giving Browning a unique view of the man that few people had ever seen, especially in Bryant''s final years before his retirement and death a short while later.Some of the stories in this book have been heard before, but without the rich background and detail conveyed here. As such, the book validates many of them while clarifying others and occasionally correcting some inaccuracies."I just have a taken for finding the heart of a football team," Bryant once explained, and it was certainly true. It is equally true that All Browning found the heart of Bryant, and The Bear: The Legendary Life of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant has captured the essence of the man from Fordyce, Arkansas, for whom winning was no just the most important thing. It was the only thing.