Neal Wooten Libri

In the tradition of The Glass Castle, Educated, and Heartland, Neal Wootentraces five decades of his dirt-poor, Alabama mountain family as the years and secrets coalesce.

A poignant coming-of-age tale unfolds as Leo, a recent high school graduate in Fort Payne, befriends a homeless man with artificial legs living in his car. As Leo delves deeper into the man's past, he uncovers a gripping story linked to a pact made by three wounded Vietnam soldiers 15 years earlier. This compelling narrative explores themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the impact of war, ultimately connecting Leo's life with the unresolved histories of those who came before him.

Cedric DeBurr is a senior in high school and the smartest in his class. The star of the football team and the math team, he loves literature and poetry, both reading and writing. But he has a noticeable flaw: an incredibly large belly, which earns him the nickname, Cedric the Bulge. This is only whispered in private since any reference to it earns a prompt beating from this teen behemoth. Secretly in love with a cheerleader named Roxy, he finds a way to finally express his feelings by helping the new student, Chris Nevil, win her heart. Based on Cyrano de Bergerac, the French play that has it all: action, drama, suspense, romance, comedy, and tragedy.

In 1926, a one hundred-year-old Indian woman fantastically emerged from the woods at the Masters School, a school for underprivileged children near what is now Desoto State Park on Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama. Her name was Nancy Emmaline Callahan Dollar. Recently widowed, she found herself homeless and in need for the first time in her life. A rugged and stout Cherokee standing six feet tall with a pipe clenched in her teeth and followed by a mongrel dog and six chickens, she was a sight for the kids to behold. They were mesmerized by her and immediately put her up in one of the empty cabins on the campus grounds and tended to her every need. When the owner of the school, Colonel Milford W. Howard, returned from California to find the old Indian woman there, he too soon fell under her spell. Granny Dollar, a term of endearment since she never had children, became a local legend and the favorite subject of journalists and writers for years to come. Most of the stories she told were the stuff of legends, like hiding out during the forced relocation of the Cherokee Indians, bitten by poisonous snakes three times, and losing almost everything in the War Between the States. Other stories surrounding her might have been exaggerated, but one thing is certain, everyone who met her knew right away she was a walking monument of life and history.

You don't need super strength to be a hero, just be super kind and accept people for who they are. Zoe Pinchback was born with a rare condition known as hypertrichosis, which causes hair to grow everywhere on her body. Very intelligent for a twelve-year-old, Zoe is home-schooled and content to hide from the public as much as possible. But when her mother and grandmother are suddenly unable to accompany her on her annual doctor visit to Chicago, she must brave the trip alone. Faced with her worst fear-being seen, Zoe braces herself for the long train ride and what's sure to be a nightmarish adventure. But fate lends a hand in the form of a funny giant who not only turns the weekend into the best time of Zoe's life, but teaches her two important lessons: she does belong in the real world, and all monsters are not scary.

If any dog breed ever had the odds stacked against them, it's pit bulls. Pitties are very strong animals. They are used in sled-pulling competitions and, sadly, illegal dog-fighting operations.They are also great beautiful, loving, and loyal. But this too creates problems as they are in high demand. Every time someone buys a pit puppy, they are aiding breeders and the puppy mill industry. That's where it begins. It ends with millions being euthanized every year and millions more living as strays. Hopefully, this book will help you remember three adopt, spay, neuter.This is the story of Mutt, who spends the first year of his life in a cage in a basement. Used as a bait dog, he is eventually cast away like garbage. Surviving and spending three years in the wild, he is often chased away and even shot. If life has taught him anything, it's that humans cannot be trusted.Despite all this, he still risks his life and his freedom to save the one man who shows him kindness. Once caught, he is scheduled to be euthanized. But a little nine-year-old girl manages to reach through his armor and touch his heart. Finally having a family and a home, Mutt's life becomes even more extraordinary.

Penny is a potbellied pig with a lot of energy and adventurous spirit who dreams of finding a farm of her own. But things don’t go as planned when Penny’s personality proves too much for some people to handle. Will she finally find a farm to call home and someone who will love her for who she is?

Blossom was found on April 22, 2021 all alone by the edge of the woods. She could not move her back legs at all. This is the story of her rescue, rehabilitation, and eventual release back into the wild. This is her story told from her point of view with real pictures. If you find a baby opossum all alone, you should bring it home. Opossum mothers can 't come back for their young if one falls off their back. Although they might hiss, they are not dangerous and will not bite. Try to find a wildlife rehabber in your area or someone with experience in raising opossums or other small critters. If you can't find anyone, you can go online to find out how to care for it yourself, what to feed it at its current size, and everything you need to know. And although opossums make great pets, wild animals are much happier in the wild.

Neal Wooten was born and bred on Sand Mountain in the town of Blake, Alabama and has been writing articles from a uniquely Southern perspective for newspapers, magazines, and the Huffington Post for the last 15 years. Drawing upon his time from raising hogs, fishing, school, farming, sports, and just being a kid growing up in the South, Corn Born & Corn Bread: A Collection of Southern Essays puts together 73 articles of Neal's vivid memory of the South of yesteryear. He might have lived all over, but as Neal says, "You can take the boy from the mountain, but not the mountain from the boy."

In the year 2050, the problematic buildup of greenhouse gases has been solved, and yet global temperatures continue to rise. As oceans grow warmer and the polar icecaps melt at an alarming rate, marine mammals begin behaving most peculiarly. Thomas Freeman, a conspiracy author and UFO enthusiast, knows the only explanation can be terraforming. Soon his theory is confirmed as aliens arrive to colonize Central America. Thomas joins forces with climatologist Stephen McNair, marine biologist Sally Xie, and SETI physicist Darren Mitchell to uncover the truth before it's too late. As the intent of the invaders becomes clear, Colonel Benjamin Jamison is called upon to lead a military force to stop them. An impressive show of firepower comes up short as the technology of the aliens proves too much. All hope appears lost until the human comrades inadvertently discover one thing that the aliens cannot defend themselves against-and the earth has millions of them.