Best Selling Books by David Davis

Waterman is the first comprehensive biography of Duke Kahanamoku (1890–1968): swimmer, surfer, Olympic gold medalist, Hawaiian icon, waterman. Long before Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz made their splashes in the pool, Kahanamoku emerged from the backwaters of Waikiki to become America’s first superstar Olympic swimmer. The original “human fish” set dozens of world records and topped the world rankings for more than a decade; his rivalry with Johnny Weissmuller transformed competitive swimming from an insignificant sideshow into a headliner event. Kahanamoku used his Olympic renown to introduce the sport of “surf-riding,” an activity unknown beyond the Hawaiian Islands, to the world. Standing proudly on his traditional wooden longboard, he spread surfing from Australia to the Hollywood crowd in California to New Jersey. No American athlete has influenced two sports as profoundly as Kahanamoku did, and yet he remains an enigmatic and underappreciated figure: a dark-skinned Pacific Islander who encountered and overcame racism and ignorance long before the likes of Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, and Jackie Robinson. Kahanamoku’s connection to his homeland was equally important. He was born when Hawaii was an independent kingdom; he served as the sheriff of Honolulu during Pearl Harbor and World War II and as a globetrotting “Ambassador of Aloha” afterward; he died not long after Hawaii attained statehood. As one sportswriter put it, Duke was “Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey combined down here.” In Waterman, award-winning journalist David Davis examines the remarkable life of Duke Kahanamoku, in and out of the water. Purchase the audio edition.

Out of the carnage of World War II comes an unforgettable tale about defying the odds and finding hope in the most harrowing of circumstances. Wheels of Courage tells the stirring story of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who were paralyzed on the battlefield during World War II-at the Battle of the Bulge, on the island of Okinawa, inside Japanese POW camps-only to return to a world unused to dealing with their traumatic injuries. Doctors considered paraplegics to be "dead-enders" and "no-hopers," with the life expectancy of about a year. Societal stigma was so ingrained that playing sports was considered out-of-bounds for so-called "crippled bodies." But servicemen like Johnny Winterholler, a standout athlete from Wyoming before he was captured on Corregidor, and Stan Den Adel, shot in the back just days before the peace treaty ending the war was signed, refused to waste away in their hospital beds. Thanks to medical advances and the dedication of innovative physicians and rehabilitation coaches, they asserted their right to a life without limitations. The paralyzed veterans formed the first wheelchair basketball teams, and soon the Rolling Devils, the Flying Wheels, and the Gizz Kids were barnstorming the nation and filling arenas with cheering, incredulous fans. The wounded-warriors-turned-playmakers were joined by their British counterparts, led by the indomitable Dr. Ludwig Guttmann. Together, they triggered the birth of the Paralympic Games and opened the gymnasium doors to those with other disabilities, including survivors of the polio epidemic in the 1950s.Much as Jackie Robinson''s breakthrough into the major leagues served as an opening salvo in the civil rights movement, these athletes helped jump-start a global movement about human adaptability. Their unlikely heroics on the court showed the world that it is ability, not disability, that matters most. Off the court, their push for equal rights led to dramatic changes in how civilized societies treat individuals with disabilities: from kneeling buses and curb cutouts to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Their saga is yet another lasting legacy of the Greatest Generation, one that has been long overlooked. Drawing on the veterans'' own words, stories, and memories about this pioneering era, David Davis has crafted a narrative of survival, resilience, and triumph for sports fans and athletes, history buffs and military veterans, and people with and without disabilities.

"In Finding the God of Noah, a memoir of his religious life, Mr. Davis tells of the doubts and perplexities which first led to a deepening of his commitment to Southern Baptist theology, his successful career as a Baptist minister, and his progressive estrangement from it and from Christianity. It is also the story of a congregation which shared in Davis'' religious quest."--BOOK JACKET.

Sir George Carteret was appointed New Jersey''s first governor in August 1665, at the age of twenty-five. In July 1673, the Dutch reconquered New York and New Jersey and they remained until Britain regained the two colonies in November 1674. In March 1674,

The men were removed from Shadyvale and dropped into the hell of World War II combat, leaving only those males who were very young or past military age. Stalwart teens served the needs of of the community and the warriors'' waiting wives. In Shadyvale, a war of a different sort erupted and the conflict that no one intended or expected dealt murder, rape, sexual abuse by clergy, attempted murder, kidnapping, justifiable homicide, marital infidelity, and simple physical assault as village residents acted as their circumstances and true natures compelled them. On this fateful field of conflict, the pious poseurs perished, and the profane prospered in a love that was humble, patient, chaste, and enduring.

This book outlines for the first time a sound plan for interrelating the physical and engineering sciences and mathematics with biology and medicine. The walls of narrowing specialization that have kept these disciplines apart are broken down. The proposed program points up the need for an administrative structure to aid the flow of concepts, ideas, knowledge, and technology among those concerned, both within and without the university. The kinds of experts needed to bridge the existing gap between the two groups of disciplines are defined. Educational programs are outlined for full-time specialists, research participants, and practitioners in both engineering and medicine. A careful description is given of the stepwise process, including interaction with industry to apply development in the engineering sense to biology and medicine. A detailed example of the application of systems analysis and operations research to the development of a specific medical care program is also included. This book is a distillate of the general principles learned during the exploration of a joint program between Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which was summarized by the authors in a Report to the National Academy of Engineering. The authors recognize the impossibility of providing on their own the authoritative grasp necessary to provide specific recommendations for the future in the many field comprised by engineering and living systems. Cooperation was obtained of outstanding experts on the two faculties, who prepared sixteen task group reports under the following headings: artificial internal organs; bioengineering curricula; biological control systems; continuing education; diagnostic instrumentation; diagnostic processes; image processing and visualization techniques; medical care microsystems; neurophysiology; organ and cell culture and storage; physiological monitoring; physiological systems analysis; regionalization of health services (macrosystems); sensory aids; skeletal prostheses; and subcellular engineering. The task group reports, included in this book, provide the documentation for the general conclusions of the authors. This book supplements existing medical programs with a new research approach to increase fundamental knowledge, and points the way to better medical care through more efficient application of engineering, technology, and systems development.

The journey began in August of 2006. Sixteen short months later, our journey was over. Although the time span seems minimal, the events that took place where profound as our family was taken on a tremendous journey. Despair can creep in, and we are left without hope as we struggle against our personal storm under our own power. Only when we ask God to take control of the trial, and allow Him to do so, can we truly find peace in the midst of the crashing waves. Sometimes, we have to look for God and His provision in the unlikeliest of places, people, or circumstances. Then, only by looking backward can we see that He was with us the entire time. In God in the Forest, David shares his deepest challenges and how his faith in God was restored and strengthened. Often, when we are in the fire of our trial, we only feel the intense pain and are unable to perceive the incredible blessings we are receiving. God''s amazing provision is all around us.

Come into Ohio while it is still nearly all wilderness with Herman and Sarah Fossberg and their boys Claus and Richard. Grow with them through work, play, danger, war, love, romance into a dynasty, from the 1800s to the twentieth century surrounded with mystery: Where did the family fortune come from? Why was the village named for Dolly? Whose daughter was she, really? Why did only she inherit the fortune? What poisoned and what redeemed it? Page by page, live with people you will love and hate. You''ll wish the story wouldn''t end!

Come on in and share in the full history of a displaced, but not misplaced, rebel. David Martin Davis was born and reared in North Carolina, migrated to Ohio after World War II and lives peaceably among the Yankees of Springfield. He enjoyed, and you can enjoy, five professions--visual communication engineer, artist, writer, editor and publisher--and three careers, practicing in the United States Air Force (secrets and all); the Springfield, Ohio Art Center, curator and publicist; and Graphic Paper Products Corporation, producer of study aids for high school and college. This is mainly a book for children--his. And for you and yours also, if you share in the idea of the main true story, that hard work and dedication are their own reward. Also included are vignettes of people important in his life and memories that have persisted. Ups and downs are part of everyone''s life, as well as spans of time that are neither, but the ordinary tenor of things. In the bad parts there is only one way to survive--keep your head down and keep digging. Simply, the absence of the bad boosts most of the rest of life to a pleasant plateau.

A novel based on the true-life story of a woman who shaped Texas history by playing an instrumental role in the Texas Revolution. Regarded by many as the "Mother of Texas," Jane Wilkinson Long is curiously absent from most history books. Now, this painstakingly researched novelization reveals the fascinating life of the little girl who would grow up to become both a spy and revolutionary in Texas''s fight for independence from Mexico. Against her family''s wishes, the wealthy and headstrong Jane, at the age of sixteen, married Dr. James Long, a veteran of the War of 1812, who hoped to use his wife''s fortune to build an army to conquer "Tejas." In fighting for his lost cause, Long lost his life in Mexico City. His wife, extremely suspicious of the circumstances surrounding his death, set out on a quest to solve the mystery. Her mission would soon lead her into Texas . . . and into the annals of history.

Chiles good, so is barbecue, but nothings finer than FANDANGO STEW! No money? No problem! In this sunny, funny western-style take on the famous folktale “Stone Soup,” two penniless but wily vaqueros (cowboys) trick a whole town into cooking a giant pot of stew for everyone to share.David Daviss deliciously colorful language and Ben Galbraiths delightful illustrations make this picture book a tasty confection.