Andrew Carroll – författare

Here Is Where chronicles Andrew Carroll’s eye-opening – and at times hilarious -- journey across America to find and explore unmarked historic sites where extraordinary moments occurred and remarkable individuals once lived. Sparking the idea for this book was Carroll’s visit to the spot where Abraham Lincoln’s son was saved by the brother of Lincoln’s assassin. Carroll wondered, How many other unmarked places are there where intriguing events have unfolded and that we walk past every day, not realizing their significance? To answer that question, Carroll ultimately trekked to every region of the country -- by car, train, plane, helicopter, bus, bike, and kayak and on foot. Among the things he learned: *Where in North America the oldest sample of human DNA was discovered * Where America’s deadliest maritime disaster took place, a calamity worse than the fate of the Titanic *Which virtually unknown American scientist saved hundreds of millions of lives *Which famous Prohibition agent was the brother of a notorious gangster *How a 14-year-old farm boy’s brainstorm led to the creation of television Featured prominently in Here Is Where are an abundance of firsts (from the first use of modern anesthesia to the first cremation to the first murder conviction based on forensic evidence); outrages (from riots to massacres to forced sterilizations); and breakthroughs (from the invention, inside a prison, of a revolutionary weapon; to the recovery, deep in the Alaskan tundra, of a super-virus; to the building of the rocket that made possible space travel). Here Is Where is thoroughly entertaining, but it’s also a profound reminder that the places we pass by often harbor amazing secrets and that there are countless other astonishing stories still out there, waiting to be found. 

“Splat!” “Oh god, I’ve fallen again!” Falling is but one of the challenges facing young ballerina Gina C. Peabody. Just staying vertical is a primary goal she hopes for to secure a good part in this year’s production of The Nutcracker her school is presenting. Other technical feats will also test her determination in a year when four lucky dancers will be chosen from the show for a New York scholarship. But these are just the beginning of trials she will face: what roles she receives, will she be a contender for the prize, will her reluctant father agree to New York if she gets it, how does she navigate a sudden alliance with the school’s nemesis and what that means for her friends who don’t understand, and lastly, how to talk to her school crush. But most importantly, how will she stay vertical?! So much at stake! Seen through the eyes of Gina, the beauty of The Nutcracker unfolds with unexpected events in What Gina C. Peabody Discovers In The Nutcracker.