True Tragedy

The harrowing story of five men who were sent into a dark, airless, miles-long tunnel, hundreds of feet below the ocean, to do a nearly impossible job - with deadly results.

On November 29, 1909, police were called to a ramshackle home in East Orange, New Jersey, where they found the emaciated body of 24-year-old Oceana "Ocey" Snead facedown in the bathtub - dead of an apparent suicide by drowning. There was even a note left behind. But it would not take authorities long to discover that Ocey's death was no suicide. And Ocey's own mother and two aunts were far from the sorrowful caretakers they appeared to be.

Shortly after 9/11, Norman, a national director for World Vision's poverty reduction program in Mauritania, and his daughter, Hannah, were driving to the beach when an Arab man opened fire on his parked car, severely wounding him and his daughter. After their recoveries, the family made the extraordinary decision to stay in Mauritania, to maintain their commitment to the poor in their community, and to forgive the man who had hurt them.

This is the true story of Ora-Jay and Irene Eash, Amish farmers from northwest Montana whose lives changed in an instant when a semi-truck struck the family buggy, killing their two young daughters. After the accident, the couple turned to their Amish community for comfort, but they remained haunted by the thought that they might not see their girls again in heaven. Would their deeds be good enough?

"Imagine waking up in a hospital, paralyzed and unable to speak, only to learn you've been shot in the head in a horrifying act of domestic violence.This is the story of Chris Smith, a 50-something-year-old contractor from rural Illinois, who was shot in the head while on a first date with a woman he met online. He was the lucky one because his date was murdered, both shot by her ex-boyfriend who was stalking her. Chris’ story is a remarkable tale of resilience and, believe it or not, humor. With a bullet still lodged in his brain, Chris, affectionately nicknames himself 'Bullet Boy,' as ...

The world watched in horror in April 2007 when Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho went on a killing rampage that resulted in the deaths of thirty-two students and faculty members before he ended his own life. Former Virginia Tech English department chair and distinguished professor Lucinda Roy saw the tragedy unfold on the TV screen in her home and had a terrible realization. Cho was the student she had struggled to get to know–the loner who found speech torturous.

The year was 1982, and Jarek and Dianne were both still in high school when they fell in love. The kind of love so precious and rare that few will ever experience in their lifetime. This was not some meaningless tryst during a brief courtship, or a settlement for a lifetime of security. This was the real deal, and they both knew it. Days turned into months, and months into endless infatuation—as they spent many a night sneaking out in defiance—before an elopement plan to leave their families and friends for the rest of their lives was born. But when, on the eve of their greatest ...

The eighteenth-century hanging of a schoolteacher for concealing the birth of a child out of wedlock has appeared in local legend over the last few centuries, but the full account of Ruth's story has never been told. Drawing on over two years of investigative research, author Carolyn Marvin brings to light the dramatic details of Ruth's life and the cruel injustice of colonial Portsmouth's moral code. As Marvin uncovers the real flesh-and-blood woman who suffered the ultimate punishment, her listeners come to understand Ruth as an individual and a woman of her time.

Like the biblical Job, John Ramsey had it all - wealth, social position, a loving family. And like Job, Ramsey was destined for great affliction, as many of the most precious things in his life were cruelly taken from him.

A story from the anthology Masters of True Crime, which spans murder cases from the beginning of the 20th century to today. This is a must-hear for fans of true crime and will also be compelling to mystery and thriller listeners.

Hermosa Beach, California, in the mid-1960s. Sun, surf, and sand castles along The Strand to a soundtrack of “Fun, Fun, Fun.” But the hang-loose life of the locals was soon being drowned out—by a social storm able to turn even the most perfect wave into a brutal riptide. How do you go from planning vacations and evaluating investments to planning prison visits and evaluating defense pleas? How do you watch your surfer-champion sons turn into drug lords? Inmates? How do you watch your entire family die, one by one? Yet never stop fighting. It takes a rare and special person: Karl McMillen.

During 51 days in early 1993 one of the most tragic events in American crime history unfolded on the plains outside Waco, Texas. An obscure and heavily armed religious sect called the Branch Davidians was barricaded inside their commune and outside were hundreds of law enforcement angry because the former had killed four ATF agents in a botched raid. Go on an engaging and captivating ride to examine one of the most important true crime stories in recent decades.

Romance, Passion, Emotion, Inspiration And Hope—Are All Captured in True Story Romance Special 2017 We call this our “Special,” because the stories of life are Big, Bold, and Special! We devote every page in the book to True Stories told by women just like you. Straight-from-the-heart stories of love and pain, and promise. Stories include: . We Dared To Be Different! . In My Arms He’ll Forget Her. . Seven Pounds Of Trouble . I Learned To Be A Woman From 19 Husbands . Help Me Find My Baby . I Fled From My Faith The Day I Learned The Meaning Of Giving And more…. Excerpt: “Self-...

In his own words, Kermit Alexander finally shares the full story of what happened to his loved ones and the aftermath of that tragic day. He recounts the hours leading up to the massacre and how afterward he lost himself in the LA underworld, pleading, bribing, and threatening in a search for answers. He describes his journey through the "wilderness" of despair - the years of isolation living out of his car, broke, depressed, and sick.

On December 10, 1953, tragedy was visited on a family when Nathaniel Allen was murdered on the Sampit River by his White employer, who lured him into the meeting under the false promise of reconciliation. Allen's death was recorded as an accidental drowning, a deliberate cover-up of the bullet hole seen by more than one witness. Three generations later, Phil Allen Jr. revisits this harrowing story and recounts the "baton of bitterness" that this murder passed down in his family.

Will anyone ever know what happened to the Aloha, a sport fishing boat that vanished with all onboard in the Pacific off San Francisco’s coast? ‘Knowing’ is a complex, inexact business. There’s real truth and then there’s courtroom truth; a jury’s verdict may or may not approach what actually happened. Nor can someone reading about such an event—one that had no witnesses or hard evidence to explain it—be sure where the truth lies. But trials, judges, and juries are what we use in our legal system to find truth. The Widow Wave explores this alternate reality. It is a ...

Imagine losing a loved one in the public eye. A media frenzy ensues and spreads your family name through the news. Reporters ambush you, and across the country, strangers gossip about your personal loss. Welcome to the circus. In Media Circus, Kim Goldman, now a dedicated victims' advocate who works with families across the country, presents the first collective look at these ordinary, grieving victims - forced to manage their very private trauma and despair in a very public way.

The Anime Arsonist: The Tragedy at Kyoto Animation and the Mind of Shinji Aoba is a comprehensive, narrative-driven investigation into one of the most devastating mass murders in modern Japanese history. On July 18, 2019, Kyoto Animation—a beloved anime studio known for its emotional storytelling, delicate artistry, and deeply human characters—was targeted in an act of terror that shocked the world. The attack claimed 36 lives, injured dozens more, and left an indelible scar on Japan’s cultural landscape. This book traces the arc of that tragedy from its quiet beginnings to its far-...

Accidents happen, but they're usually the result of human carelessness. Charlie Morecraft found that out one August night years ago, when he literally blew himself up. A long time worker at an Exxon refinery in New Jersey, Morecraft was rushing to leave for vacation and too macho to bother following standard safety procedures when performing a late night repair job. The result? Burns covering 50 percent of his body, months upon months of hospitalization and rehab, dozens of surgeries, and emotional suffering.

In a surprising and shocking narrative, one woman tells the astonishing true story of her mysterious ailment, two harrowing nights in Mexico, and the life-altering experience that would change her life forever. An unbelievable story that nearly cost a vibrant, vital young woman her life, Carry Me Home is an exploration of radical trust and relinquishing control. A profoundly compelling tale of survival. What happens when a control freak loses control? Either faith steps in, or fear overcomes.