A mere two years after achieving independence, South Sudan in 2013 descended into violent civil war, refuting US government claims that the country's succession was a major foreign policy success and would end endemic conflict. Worse was to follow when the international community declared famine in 2017. In the first book-length study of the South Sudan civil war, John Young draws on his close but critical relationship with the rebel SPLM-IO leadership to reveal the true dynamics of the co...

Like most boys, Jason Blake wants to please his father and older brother. But this erratic father and hyper-competitive brother challenge beyond the norm. To find his way, Jason tries on different roles: schoolyard bully, football player, actor, student. At 20 Jason escapes his Midwest home and seeks independence and adventure: first to Cape Cod, later to Europe. Each adventure takes Jason farther from his father and brother. Each brings him closer to finding himself. When he returns home,...

In sixteen apparently simple stories, John Young's memorable characters ask (or refuse to ask) what shapes us. Education? Talent? Impulse? Family? Money? Need for approval? Most of the stories are set in small-town Indiana, with a handful coming from New England villages. All are sensitively written, careful, and real.The impulse to cheat (embellish) shows up early in the collection, as an antique dealer teaches himself to craft high-quality fakes. It reaches a fever pitch and cras...

The Washington State Patrol pilot flying overhead, radioed he had two readings of 75 mph on a black sedan traveling southbound on the freeway in a posted 60 mph zone. Upon the direction of the pilot I entered the freeway as the car passed over the overpass I had been parked below. I headed up the on-ramp and set my speed at 70 mph to see if the black sedan would be pulling away from me. As I pulled in behind and in the lane next to this black Lincoln sedan, the pilot radioed, I now have th...

Do you feel trapped in a never-ending loop of obsessive thoughts? Does your mind constantly replay worst-case scenarios, past mistakes, or disturbing ideas you can't seem to shake? What if i told you there’s a way out?Ocd rumination is a groundbreaking guide for anyone struggling with relentless overthinking, mental loops, and the crippling anxiety that comes with obsessive-compulsive rumination. This book dissects the science behind rumination, the modern triggers...

The story of the Masked Kid is my story at an early age when my parents "pulled up stakes" and moved to Colorado.My mother told me that Dad quit his job in middle management in Michigan and took us to a vacant lot in the Big Thompson Canyon. There he single-handedly built a house using skills he couldn't possibly have acquired in a suburban environment. I was three and a half years old when we arrived on that vacant lot.She said my life would have been entirely different an...

In a radical reflection, John Young contends that the US model of democracy has failed the Global South because its emphasis on the supremacy of market capitalism entails a loss of national sovereignty and a truncated notion of human rights that leaves little room for citizens' engagement or socioeconomic justice.The Global South needs democracy, but the US model does not address issues of national oppression or economic injustices by raising living standards and e...

What do you do when you face obstacles? Give up, or forge ahead? In Whatever Didn't Kill Me Made Me Stronger, author John R. Young recounts how his life was forged by loss, hardhsip, and unexpected turns, events that led to a courageous outcome. This is the story of resilience in the face of adversity, of never giving up. Of rising from the ashes.

Quick-witted, sharp-tongued Connor Lambert won't take it any longer: the bullying, the secrets, the sympathy. He's been dying from cancer for years, but he’s not dead yet. He's going down fighting.Forming an unlikely friendship with fellow juvenile delinquent Skeates, the pair stage a break out and set off on a crazy tour across Scotland -- dodging the police, joy riding and extreme partying -- to find Connor's dad, an inmate at Shotts prison.But Connor's left two things behi...

The Dolphin Keeper tells the heartwarming story of local fisherman ‘Cap’ and his love for the sea and its creatures. Children of all ages will love this tale with its whimsical fantasy and message of kindness.About the AuthorJohn Young is an artist and sculptor from Long Island, New York. Young was inspired to write The Dolphin Keeper after the passing of his youngest son Corey. In Youngs’ own words: “Corey came to me when he was in third grade and asked me to make a sculpt...

In VISIONS OF RESTORATION, historian John Young provides a highly readable, easily accessible overview of the history of Churches of Christ stretching from the early nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century. The target audience is primarily members of Churches of Christ who are new to the study of their fellowship's history and, at a length of thirteen short chapters, it is designed to be used in Sunday School-type settings. Discussion questions are included with each chapter t...

Like most boys, Jason Blake wants to please his father and older brother. But this erratic father and hyper-competitive brother challenge beyond the norm. To find his way, Jason tries on different roles: schoolyard bully, football player, actor, student. At 20, Jason escapes his Midwest home and seeks independence and adventure: first to Cape Cod, later in Europe. Each adventure takes Jason farther from his father and brother. Each brings him closer to finding himself. When he returns home...