New Releases by Alex Tresniowski

When he was ten years old, Paul Fronczak was snooping around for Christmas presents in a crawl space in his family’s Chicago home. There, he found hundreds of old newspaper clippings about the kidnapping of a one-day-old infant in a hospital in 1964. He also learned that, two years later, the boy was found and returned to his family—and that the boy was him. Nearly fifty years later, Paul, acting on long-held suspicions, took a DNA test that proved he was not the kidnapped boy. In an instant, he found himself at the center of two half-century-old mysteries—who was he, and where was the real Paul? True Identity is about three separate major investigations—the hunt for the real Paul Fronczak; the search for the author’s missing twin sister Jill; and finally, the investigation into his true identity, his heart and soul and the demons inside him—inherited and created—that still need to be confronted.

From New York Times bestselling author Alex Tresniowski comes a page-turning, remarkable true-crime thriller recounting the 1910 murder of ten-year-old Marie Smith, the dawn of modern criminal detection, and the launch of the NAACP. In the tranquil seaside town of Asbury Park, New Jersey, ten-year-old schoolgirl Marie Smith is brutally murdered. Small town officials, unable to find the culprit, call upon the young manager of a New York detective agency for help. It is the detective’s first murder case, and now, the specifics of the investigation and daring sting operation that caught the killer is captured in all its rich detail for the first time. Occurring exactly halfway between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the formal beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in 1954, the brutal murder and its highly-covered investigation sits at the historic intersection of sweeping national forces—religious extremism, class struggle, the infancy of criminal forensics, and America’s Jim Crow racial violence. History and true crime collide in this sensational murder mystery featuring characters as complex and colorful as those found in the best psychological thrillers—the unconventional truth-seeking detective Ray Schindler; the sinister pedophile Frank Heidemann; the ambitious Asbury Park Sheriff Clarence Hetrick; the mysterious “sting artist,” Carl Neumeister; the indomitable crusader Ida Wells; and the victim, Marie Smith, who represented all the innocent and vulnerable children living in turn-of-the-century America. Gripping and powerful, The Rope is an important piece of history that gives a voice to the voiceless and resurrects a long-forgotten true crime story that speaks to the very divisions tearing at the nation’s fabric today.

Everyone loves coming-home stories, especially when they include dogs and happy endings! From Steven Carino and Alex Tresniowski comes Oliver for Young Readers, a heartwarming and true story of a man searching for a beloved lost dog and finding more than he’d ever hoped for. When Steven Carino discovered his dog, Oliver, had been stolen from his car, he knew he would do anything to get Oliver back. The friendly Yorkie–Shih Tzu mix—with his bundle of black and brown hair, long floppy ears, and big round eyes—had been Steven's companion during even the loneliest days. But it took more than one man to bring Oliver home. It took a community of friends and strangers who believed that love is worth fighting for. Oliver for Young Readers offers a story of good triumphing over despair, a beautiful reminder that a little kindness can truly change the world. This middle grade book: Is for ages 8 to 12 Has a kid-friendly design and a four-page photo insert that features Oliver and Steven Includes Oliver’s “thoughts” during the journey and extra stories of Oliver and Steven’s adventures Is a great gift for dog lovers Has a companion book for adults: Oliver: The True Story of a Stolen Dog and the Humans He Brought Together Oliver for Young Readers is a story of good people—including hardworking immigrants, wealthy suburbanites, car mechanics, deli workers, old friends, close relatives, street cops, a dedicated TV news reporter, and one very gifted hairdresser—offering help without asking for anything in return. It's a story of near misses, false hopes, and fresh leads ending in a joy-filled reunion on the streets of a rundown New York neighborhood. It's a story of faith renewed and hope restored.

"From the #1 New York Times and international bestselling authors of An Invisible Thread comes a heartwarming and inspiring book about the incredible impact that acts of kindness from strangers can have on the world around us. One day in 1986, Laura Schroff, a busy ad sales executive, passed an eleven-year-old boy panhandling on the street. She stopped and offered to take him to McDonald's for lunch. Twenty years later, at Laura's fiftieth birthday party, Maurice Mazyck gave a toast, thanking Laura for her act of kindness, which ended up changing the course of his life. In that toast, Maurice said that when Laura stopped on that busy street corner all those years ago, God had sent him an angel. Laura's invisible thread journey has deepened her belief that angels--divine and otherwise--are all around us. After An Invisible Thread was published in 2011, readers from around the country and world began sharing with Laura their own stories about how chance encounters with strangers have changed their lives.From a woman who saved a life simply by buying someone a book, to a financier who gave a stranger the greatest gift of all, to a teacher who chose a hug over discipline and changed a lost boy's future--Angels on Earth will introduce a series of remarkable people whose invisible thread stories will move, surprise, and inspire readers. Angels on Earth sheds light on how each of us can live happier, more purposeful lives through sharing acts of kindness"--

The author recalls how, after her near-death visit to Heaven, her life changed and she embraced a life of love, faith, and passion in this world, and advises readers to adopt the path of faith in order to make the most of the time they have.

Eine Frau, die alles hat. Ein Junge, dem alles fehlt. Eine untrennbare Freundschaft. Laura ist eine erfolgreiche Verkaufsleiterin, die an einem normalen Montag durch die Straßen von New York hetzt. Sie hat keine Zeit, achtet kaum auf ihre Mitmenschen – auch nicht auf den kleinen Jungen, der sie um Kleingeld anbettelt. Sie ist schon an der nächsten Straßenecke, als sie plötzlich stehen bleibt – und umkehrt. Sie kauft dem hungrigen Maurice etwas zu essen und erfährt von seinem Leben. Von dem Tag an treffen sich Maurice und Laura jede Woche über Jahre hinweg, immer montags. Dies ist die Geschichte ihrer einzigartigen Freundschaft – die bis heute anhält.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of An Invisible Thread comes the true, heartfelt, and extraordinary story of how one woman’s decision to help a boy on the street changed both of their lives forever. In this sweet picture book, Laura retells the first Christmas that she and Maurice spent together. She shares how Maurice gave her a small white bear—as she later learns, the only thing he had that he could truly call his own—to show her how grateful he was for their friendship. This heartwarming tale captures the true meaning of the holidays and will be one you’ll want to share with your family year after year as a reminder that a gift from the heart is always the best present under the tree.

Un niño en la calle, una ejecutiva de Nueva York y una conmovedora historia real. Una tarde lluviosa, Laura Schroff pasó junto a un niño que mendigaba en una esquina de Nueva York. Siguió caminando, pero algo la hizo detenerse y volver sobre sus pasos. Tras cambiar algunas palabras con el niño, lo invitó a comer en un McDonald#s. Continuó invitándolo durante los cuatro años siguientes. Con el tiempo, las vidas de ambos cambiaron, pero siguieron en contacto. Casi treinta años después, aquel niño, Maurice, está casado y tiene una familia propia. Ahora trabaja para cambiar las vidas de otros niños desvalidos como él. El hilo invisible es el relato de la larga amistad entre una atareada ejecutiva de ventas y un niño de once años que parecía condenado a una vida de pobreza, y de cómo algo que empezó como un simple gesto de amabilidad cambió sus vidas.

New York Times bestseller! A remarkable and inspirational memoir about one woman's near-death experience, who was dramatically changed by the nine minutes she spent in heaven. On December 10, 2009, McVea, a thirty-two-year-old mother of four, went to the hospital for a routine procedure. While undergoing treatment, her face suddenly turned a dark shade of blue, then black. Her mother screamed for help, and a nurse tried to revive her…to no avail. Today, Crystal does not remember what happened in that hospital room during the nine minutes she was unconscious and unable to breathe on her own. She has no memory of the panic and the rushing nurses and the loud cries of “Code Blue.” She only remembers drifting off…and waking up in heaven. This unexpected meeting of a self-described sinner and skeptic with her God changed everything. Raised Christian, she had left her faith behind after childhood abuse and the subsequent struggles and suffering of her troubled teens and early adulthood. She longed to believe but felt abandoned, broken, and undeserving. A moving autobiographical testament to the power of divine love and forgiveness, Waking Up in Heaven shares the message of hope, healing, and compassion McVea brought back from her brush with God. This brave, honest account of years lost to shame and guilt will inspire those who’ve stumbled along their own spiritual journey, with the uplifting reminder that no one is beyond the reach of grace and redemption, and that, in the words of the author, “God is real. Heaven is real. And God’s love for us is the realest thing of all.”

This 10th anniversary edition of the beloved #1 New York Times bestseller includes a new introduction and afterword by the author. Chronicling the lifelong friendship between a busy sales executive and a disadvantaged young boy that began with one small gesture of kindness, this is a “ray of hope for a better future, as well as an assurance that love is a stronger force than injustice and inequality” (Sybrina Fulton, mother of Travyon Martin and coauthor of Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin). Stopping was never part of the plan... She was a successful ad sales rep in Manhattan. He was a homeless, eleven-year-old panhandler on the street. He asked for spare change; she kept walking. But then something stopped her in her tracks, and she went back. And she continued to go back, again and again. They met up nearly every week for years and built an unexpected, life-changing friendship that has today spanned almost three decades. Whatever made me notice him on that street corner so many years ago is clearly something that cannot be extinguished, no matter how relentless the forces aligned against it. Some may call it spirit. Some may call it heart. It drew me to him, as if we were bound by some invisible, unbreakable thread. And whatever it is, it binds us still.​ Now with new material that brings the life-changing story up to date for its tenth anniversary, An Invisible Thread is “a book capable of restoring our faith in each other and in the very idea that maybe everything is going to be okay after all” (Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay It Forward).

His son tells the life story of Melvin Purvis, once an iconic G-man and public hero, who was destroyed not by the famous villains of the 1930s but by the jealousy of his boss, J. Edgar Hoover.

Tiger Woods is the world's greatest golfer, and possibly its most recognized sportsman. In Tiger Virtues, author Alex Tresniowski defines the 18 elements—drawn from Buddhist principles—that constitute Woods' winning approach to golf, and reveals how his unprecedented mastery of the game is a metaphor for life. Preparation, positive thought, stillness, intuition, patience, and other strategies worth adopting on a larger scale are explored in Woods' attitude toward golf. His application of Buddhist principles has been well-documented, and he is known for his relentless commitment, fierce competitiveness, and uncanny ability to perform at his best under pressure. In fact, he has noted that “Golf has been good to me, but the lessons I've learned transcended the game.” The text is supported by original interviews with more than 40 current golf pros and analysts, and most importantly, by the cooperation of Tiger's strongest influence, his father and manager, Earl Woods. Tiger Virtues works as both a golf coach and a life coach. It outlines each virtue, from Sureness to Adaptability, that Woods embodies in his approach to golf, and seamlessly applies them to real life.

Twins . . . the very word evokes a sense of awe and curiosity. Twins inhabit spaces unknown, unimaginable to most of us. At a time when multiple births are becoming more and more common, the wondrous spell of twins remains, as does our fascination with a relationship like no other. Now, in a magnificent collection of photographs and original essays, authors Debra and Lisa Ganz, the well-known owners of Twins restaurant, provide a rare journey into the secret world of twins. In a series of fascinating profiles, 38 sets of twins speak about their relationships while stunning photographs illuminate the depth of their bonds. Meet the Paul twins, so different yet so alike: Alexandra, former star of the TV series "Baywatch, and her "soulmate," sister Caroline, a firefighter and critically acclaimed author. . . NFL football players Ronde and Tiki Barber, who struggle with separation when they are drafted by rival teams . . . 94-year-old Charles and Eugene Morgenthau, loving lifelong companions whose memories are richer for having been experienced together. . . 18-year-old Carrie and Corinne Badach, who, unlike so many teenagers struggling to be different, glory in being the same. From twin toddlers to twin clowns, from twin psychics to twin undertakers to a family with an amazing three generations of twins, this remarkable volume is a rich, evocative tribute to one of life's most powerful, intimate, and mysterious relationships.