Year We Disappeared

The extraordinary true story of a family, a brutal shooting, and the year that would change their lives forever.

When Cylin Busby was nine years old, she was obsessed with Izod clothing, the Muppets, and her pet box turtle. Then, in the space of a night, everything changed. Her police officer father, John, was driving to work when someone leveled a shotgun at his window. The blasts that followed left John's jaw on the passenger seat of his car--literally. Overnight, the Busbys went from being the family next door to one under 24-hour armed guard, with police escorts to school, and no contact with friends. Worse, the shooter was still on the loose, and it seemed only a matter of time before he'd come after John--or someone else in the family--again. With their lives unraveling around them, and few choices remaining for a future that could ever be secure, the Busby family left everything and everyone they had ever known...and simply disappeared.

As told by both father and daughter, this is a harrowing, and at times heartbreaking account of a shooting and its aftermath, even as it shows a young girl trying to make sense of the unthinkable, and the triumph of a family's bravery in the face of crisis.

A Kirkusand#160; Best Teen Book of 2012 "An uncommon (to say the least) coming of age, retraced with well-deserved pride but not self-aggrandizement, and as thought provoking as it is entertaining."--Kirkus, starred review "Adapted from the adult title The Heart and the Fist (Houghton, 2011), this volume has been rearranged, shortened, and streamlined in way sure to appeal to its new audience."--School Library Journal

and#8220;Greitens describes his adventurous life in a manner that many teen boys will find inspirational."-- VOYA

"It's no small feat to make a difference in somebody's life. By sharing these stories with young readers, [Greitens] now has a chance to make a difference in a few more."--The New York Times Book Review

"[An] engaging and important book."--LA Times

With their lives unraveling around them, the Busby family left everything and everyone they had ever known--and simply disappeared. As told by both father and daughter, this is a harrowing true story of a family, a brutal shooting, and the year that would change their lives forever.

When Cylin Busby was nine years old, she was obsessed with Izod clothing, the Muppets, and a box turtle she kept in a shoebox. Then everything changed overnight. Her police officer father, John, was driving to his shift when someone leveled a shotgun at his window. The blasts that followed left John's jaw on the passenger seat of his car—literally. While clinging to life, he managed to write down the name of the only person he thought could have pulled the trigger. The suspect? A local ex-con with rumored mob connections. The motive? Officer Busby was scheduled to testify against the suspect's family in an upcoming trial. Overnight, the Busbys went from being the "family next door" to one under 24-hour armed guard, with police escorts to school, and no contact with friends. Worse, the shooter was still on the loose, and it seemed only a matter of time before he'd come after John—or someone else in the family—again. With few choices left to them, the Busby family went into hiding, severing all ties to the only life they had known.

Eric Greitens, theand#160;New York Times best-selling author of The Heart and the Fist, shares his adventures as a young man that led him to a life of service as both a humantarian and a Navy SEAL in this inspirational book for young adults.

In this adaptation of his best-selling book, The Heart and the Fist, Eric speaks directly to teens, interweaving memoir and intimate second-person narratives that askand#160;readers to put themselves in the shoes of himself and others. Readers will share in Ericand#8217;s evolution from average kid to humanitarian to warrior, training and serving with the most elite military outfit in the world. Along the way, theyand#8217;ll be asked to consider the power of choices, of making the decision each and every day to act with courage and compassion so that they grow to be tomorrowand#8217;s heroes.

ERIC GREITENS was born and raised in Missouri. After earning a Ph.D. as a Rhodes Scholar and serving as a humanitarian volunteer overseas, Eric joined the Navy SEALs. A boxing champion and a decorated combat veteran, he is the founder of the nonprofit The Mission Continues and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Heartandnbsp;and the Fist.