Best of
Cultural

2011

Artifacts of Death


Rich Curtin - 2011
    The only clue besides a 9-mm slug in the victim's head is an ancient-Indian potsherd stuck into his chest. Deputy Sheriff Manny Rivera is assigned the case and judges that it's likely related to a drug deal gone bad. But he's actually up against an intelligent and cunning adversary driven by greed who's discovered a long-forgotten cave containing a collection of rare museum-quality Indian artifacts. Local politicians and merchants are exerting strong pressure on the sheriff for a quick resolution to the case as the killing is threatening to disrupt the upcoming tourist season, Moab's sole source of economic activity. After all, who would want to explore the backcountry with a killer on the loose out there? In the end, Rivera faces a moral crisis: Should he enforce the law or serve the cause of justice? And a woman learns the answer to a question that's been haunting her for seventy years.

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal


Conor Grennan - 2011
    Part Three Cups of Tea, and part Into Thin Air, Grennan's remarkable memoir is at once gripping and inspirational, and it carries us deep into an exotic world that most readers know little about.One Person Can Make a DifferenceIn search of adventure, twenty-nine-year-old Conor Grennan traded his day job for a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month stint volunteering at the Little Princes Children's Home, an orphanage in war-torn Nepal. Conor was initially reluctant to volunteer, unsure whether he had the proper skill, or enough passion, to get involved in a developing country in the middle of a civil war. But he was soon overcome by the herd of rambunctious, resilient children who would challenge and reward him in a way that he had never imagined. When Conor learned the unthinkable truth about their situation, he was stunned: The children were not orphans at all. Child traffickers were promising families in remote villages to protect their children from the civil war - for a huge fee - by taking them to safety. They would then abandon the children far from home, in the chaos of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. For Conor, what began as a footloose adventure becomes a commitment to reunite the children he had grown to love with their families, but this would be no small task. He would risk his life on a journey through the legendary mountains of Nepal, facing the dangers of a bloody civil war and a debilitating injury. Waiting for Conor back in Kathmandu, and hopeful he would make it out before being trapped in by snow, was the woman who would eventually become his wife and share his life's work. Little Princes is a true story of families and children, and what one person is capable of when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. At turns tragic, joyful, and hilarious, Little Princes is a testament to the power of faith and the ability of love to carry us beyond our wildest expectations.

Same, Same But Different


Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw - 2011
    They are pen pals. By exchanging letters and pictures, they learn that they both love to climb trees, have pets, and go to school. Their worlds might look different, but they are actually similar. Same, same. But different!Through an inviting point-of-view and colorful, vivid illustrations, this story shows how two boys living oceans apart can be the best of friends.

A Walk Across the Sun


Corban Addison - 2011
    With almost everyone they know suddenly erased from the face of the earth, the girls set out for the convent where they attend school. They are abducted almost immediately and sold to a Mumbai brothel owner, beginning a hellish descent into the bowels of the sex trade.Halfway across the world, Washington, D.C., attorney Thomas Clarke faces his own personal and professional crisis-and makes the fateful decision to pursue a pro bono sabbatical working in India for an NGO that prosecutes the subcontinent's human traffickers. There, his conscience awakens as he sees firsthand the horrors of the trade in human flesh, and the corrupt judicial system that fosters it. Learning of the fate of Ahalya and Sita, Clarke makes it his personal mission to rescue them, setting the stage for a riveting showdown with an international network of ruthless criminals.

Waiting for the Biblioburro


Monica Brown - 2011
    She often makes them up to help her little brother fall asleep. But in her small village there are only a few books and she has read them all. One morning, Ana wakes up to the clip-clop of hooves, and there before her, is the most wonderful sight: a traveling library resting on the backs of two burros—all the books a little girl could dream of, with enough stories to encourage her to create one of her own.Inspired by the heroic efforts of real-life librarian Luis Soriano, award-winning picture book creators Monica Brown and John Parra introduce readers to the mobile library that journeys over mountains and through valleys to bring literacy and culture to rural Colombia, and to the children who wait for the BiblioBurro.A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book was donated to Luis Soriano's BiblioBurro program.

East of the West: A Country in Stories


Miroslav Penkov - 2011
    A failed wunderkind steals a golden cross from an Orthodox church. A boy meets his cousin (the love of his life) once every five years in the river that divides their village into east and west. These are Miroslav Penkov's strange, unexpectedly moving visions of his home country, Bulgaria, and they are the stories that make up his beguiling and deeply felt debut.In East of the West, Penkov writes with great empathy of centuries of tumult; his characters mourn the way things were and long for things that will never be. But even as they wrestle with the weight of history, with the debt to family, with the pangs of exile, the stories in East of the West are always light on their feet, animated by Penkov's unmatched eye for the absurd.

Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story


Daphne Sheldrick - 2011
    Her deep empathy and understanding, her years of observing Kenya’s rich variety of wildlife, and her pioneering work in perfecting the right husbandry and milk formula have saved countless elephants, rhinos, and other baby animals from certain death. In this heartwarming and poignant memoir, Daphne shares her amazing relationships with a host of orphans, including her first love, Bushy, a liquid-eyed antelope; Rickey-Tickey-Tavey, the little dwarf mongoose; Gregory Peck, the busy buffalo weaver bird; Huppety, the mischievous zebra; and the majestic elephant Eleanor, with whom Daphne has shared more than forty years of great friendship.  But this is also a magical and heartbreaking human love story between Daphne and David Sheldrick, the famous Tsavo Park warden. It was their deep and passionate love, David’s extraordinary insight into all aspects of nature, and the tragedy of his early death that inspired Daphne’s vast array of achievements, most notably the founding of the world-renowned David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Orphans’ Nursery in Nairobi National Park, where Daphne continues to live and work to this day.  Encompassing not only David and Daphne’s tireless campaign for an end to poaching and for conserving Kenya’s wildlife, but also their ability to engage with the human side of animals and their rearing of the orphans expressly so they can return to the wild, Love, Life, and Elephants is alive with compassion and humor, providing a rare insight into the life of one of the world’s most remarkable women.

The Garden of Evening Mists


Tan Twan Eng - 2011
    After studying law at Cambrige and time spent helping to prosecute Japanese war criminals, Yun Ling Teoh seeks solace among the jungle fringed plantations of Northern Malaya where she grew up as a child.

One Story, One Song


Richard Wagamese - 2011
    And by sharing our stories we share ourselves. By listening to others' stories, we share their lives and perhaps gain connections. One Story, One Song is all about connections, something we all need."—Globe and MailIn One Story, One Song, Richard Wagamese invites readers to accompany him on his travels. His focus is on stories: how they shape us, how they empower us, how they change our lives. Ancient and contemporary, cultural and spiritual, funny and sad, the tales are grouped according to the four Ojibway storytelling principles: balance, harmony, knowledge and intuition.Whether the topic is learning from his grade five teacher about Martin Luther King, gleaning understanding from a wolf track, lighting a fire for the first time without matches or finding the universe in an eagle feather, these stories exhibit the warmth, wisdom and generosity that make Wagamese so popular. As always, in these pages, the land serves as Wagamese�s guide. And as always, he finds that true home means not only community but conversation—good, straight-hearted talk about important things. We all need to tell our stories, he says. Every voice matters.

These Hands


Margaret H. Mason - 2011
    He could play the piano, throw a curveball, and tie a triple bowline knot in three seconds flat. But in the 1950s and 60s, he could not bake bread at the Wonder Bread factory. Factory bosses said white people would not want to eat bread touched by the hands of the African Americans who worked there. In this powerful intergenerational story, Joseph learns that people joined their hands together to fight discrimination so that one day, their hands—Joseph’s hands—could do anything at all in this whole wide world.

The Egyptian Royals Collection: Three Historical Novels


Michelle Moran - 2011
    Delve into these stories for an engrossing trip back in time, full of powerful family dynasties, court intrigue, and brave heroines. The novels, which bring to vivid life some of the most fascinating characters of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome, each include a reading group guide. An exciting excerpt from Moran’s newest novel Madame Tussaud is also included.NefertitiThe dramatic and historically accurate story of two unforgettable women—Nefertiti and her younger sister—living through a remarkable period of political unrest.The Heretic QueenIn Ancient Egypt, Nefertiti’s niece, Princess Nefertari, must overcome her family’s past and remake history.Cleopatra’s DaughterThe incredible untold story of the orphaned children of Cleopatra, Egypt’s most powerful and notorious ruler, who are raised in the Ancient Roman court of their parents’ greatest rival.A sneak peek at Madame TussaudMichelle Moran departs from the ancient world and enters the gilded but troubled court of Marie Antoinette with the intriguing story of Marie Tussaud, a woman who survived the French Revolution only by creating death masks of the beheaded aristocracy.

The Queen of Water


Laura Resau - 2011
    It will make you laugh and cry, and ultimately, it will fill you with hope.Born in an Andean village in Ecuador, Virginia lives with her large family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling. In her village of indígenas, it is not uncommon to work in the fields all day, even as a child, or to be called a longa tonta - stupid Indian - by members of the ruling class of mestizos, or Spanish descendants. When seven-year-old Virginia is taken from her village to be a servant to a mestizo couple, she has no idea what the future holds.In this poignant novel based on a true story, acclaimed author Laura Resau has collaborated with María Virginia Farinango to recount one girl's unforgettable journey to self-discovery.

Honor


Elif Shafak - 2011
    While Jamila stays to become a midwife, Pembe follows her Turkish husband, Adem, to London, where they hope to make new lives for themselves and their children.In London, they face a choice: stay loyal to the old traditions or try their best to fit in. After Adem abandons his family, Iskender, the eldest son, must step in and become the one who will not let any shame come to the family name. And when Pembe begins a chaste affair with a man named Elias, Iskender will discover that you could love someone with all your heart and yet be ready to hurt them.Just published to great acclaim in England, Honor is a powerful, gripping exploration of guilt and innocence, loyalty and betrayal, and the trials of the immigrant, as well as the love and heartbreak that too often tear families apart.

Dear Zari: The Secret Lives of the Women of Afghanistan


Zarghuna Kargar - 2011
    For the first time, Dear Zari allows these women to tell their stories in their own words: from the child bride given as payment to end of a family feud, to a life spent in a dark, dusty room weaving carpets, from a young girl being brought up as a boy, to a woman living as a widow shunned by society. Intimate, emotional, painful and uplifting, these stories uncover the suffering and strength of women in this deeply religious and intensely traditional society, and show how their courage is an inspiration to women everywhere.

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away


Christie Watson - 2011
    Without running water or electricity, Warri is at first a nightmare for Blessing. Her mother is gone all day and works suspiciously late into the night to pay the children's school fees. Her brother, once a promising student, seems to be falling increasingly under the influence of the local group of violent teenage boys calling themselves Freedom Fighters. Her grandfather, a kind if misguided man, is trying on Islam as his new religion of choice, and is even considering the possibility of bringing in a second wife.But Blessing's grandmother, wise and practical, soon becomes a beloved mentor, teaching Blessing the ways of the midwife in rural Nigeria. Blessing is exposed to the horrors of genital mutilation and the devastation wrought on the environment by British and American oil companies. As Warri comes to feel like home, Blessing becomes increasingly aware of the threats to its safety, both from its unshakable but dangerous traditions and the relentless carelessness of the modern world.

Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny


Nile Rodgers - 2011
    It will make you happy.   Today’s pop music—genre-crossing, gender-bending, racially mixed, visually stylish, and dominated by dance music with global appeal—is the world that Nile Rodgers created. In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote and produced the songs that defined that era and everything that came after: “Le Freak,” “Good Times,” “We Are Family,” “Like a Virgin,” “Modern Love,” “I’m Coming Out,” “The Reflex,” “Rapper’s Delight.” Aside from his own band, Chic, he worked with everyone from Diana Ross and Madonna to David Bowie and Duran Duran (not to mention Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Prince, Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Depeche Mode, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Grace Jones, Bryan Ferry, INXS, and the B-52’s), transforming their music, selling millions of records, and redefining what a pop song could be.    But before he reinvented pop music, Nile Rodgers invented himself. He was born into a mixed-race, bicoastal family of dope-fiend bohemians who taught him everything he needed to know about love, loss, fashion, art, music, and the subversive power of underground culture. The stars of the scene were his glamorous teenage mom and heroin-addicted Jewish stepfather, but there were also monkeys, voodoo orishas, jazz cats, and serial killers in the mix. By the time he was sixteen, Nile was on his own, busking through the sixties, half-hippie and half–Black Panther. He jammed with Jimi Hendrix, rocked out at Max’s Kansas City, toured with Big Bird on Sesame Street’s road show, and played in the legendary Apollo Theater house band behind history’s greatest soul singers. And then one night, he discovered disco. During pop’s most glamorous and decadent age, Nile Rodgers wrote the biggest records and lived behind the velvet rope—whether he was holding court in the bathroom stalls at Studio 54, club hopping with Madonna, or scarfing down White Castle burgers with Diana Ross. Le Freak is the fascinating inside story of pop and its tangled roots, narrated by the man who absorbed everything in his topsy-turvy life—the pain and euphoria and fear and love—and turned it into some of the most sparklingly ebullient pop music ever recorded. Nile Rodgers is a brilliant storyteller who gives readers the surprising behind-the-scenes tales of the songs we all know, and lovingly re-creates the lost outsider subcultures—from the backstreets of 1950s Greenwich Village to the hills of 1960s Southern California to the demimonde of New York’s 1970s and 1980s discos and clubs—that live on in his music and in the throbbing, thriving world of pop he helped to set in motion.From the Hardcover edition.

Contele de Monte Cristo (Contele de Monte Cristo, #2)


Alexandre Dumas - 2011
    This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

A Love Story


David Weaver - 2011
    His sexual IQ routinely leaves women speechless, addicted, and craving for more. When he finally meets his match, Lisa Lee, she turns his entire world upside down while smiling in the process. Confused, he gains clarity and learns the greatest lessons about love from the most unlikely of sources; an impressively beautiful bank robber named Alicia.

A Stranger at Home


Christy Jordan-Fenton - 2011
    It’s been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloaked nuns and brothers. Coming ashore, Margaret spots her family, but her mother barely recognizes her, screaming, “Not my girl.” Margaret realizes she is now marked as an outsider. And Margaret is an outsider: she has forgotten the language and stories of her people, and she can’t even stomach the food her mother prepares. However, Margaret gradually relearns her language and her family’s way of living. Along the way, she discovers how important it is to remain true to the ways of her people—and to herself. Highlighted by archival photos and striking artwork, this first-person account of a young girl’s struggle to find her place will inspire young readers to ask what it means to belong.

Joshua: A Brooklyn Tale


Andrew Kane - 2011
    Over the years their bond intensifies, though their lives diverge. Rachel aspires to be a doctor, a blasphemous choice for a woman in her culture. Joshua kills a man in self defense, and is alienated from his own community. Paul leaves his home to find solace in the Hasidic enclave of Crown Heights.From different worlds and unaware they share a father, Joshua and Paul see their lives collide in a quest for Rachel's love. Through these and other challenges, culminating with the 1991 Crown Heights riots, this story explores the tensions between two communities in close physical proximity, but still worlds apart. Through Joshua, Rachel, and Paul, a vision of hope is offered, but tempered by the realities of human frailty and tragedy.

If You Lived Here: Houses of the World


Giles Laroche - 2011
    If you lived in the mountains of southern Spain, your bedroom might be carved out of a mountain. If you lived in a village in South Africa, the outside of your house might tell the story of your family. And if you lived in a floating green house in the Netherlands, you could rotate your house to watch both the sunrise and sunset. With intricate bas-relief collages, Giles Laroche uncovers the reason each home was constructed the way it was, then lets us imagine what it would be like to live in homes so different from our own. Showing the tremendous variety of dwellings worldwide—log cabins, houses on stilts, cave dwellings, boathouses, and yurts—this book addresses why each house is built the way it is. Reasons—such as blending into the landscape, confusing invaders, being able to travel with one's home, using whatever materials are at hand—are as varied as the homes themselves.

Christina Rosenthal


Jeffrey Archer - 2011
    And he is besotted with Christina - even though she is seemingly a key perpetrator of the slander. Told through a series of poignant letters written by Benjamin to his estranged father the rabbi, this is a tender, heart-wrenching and ultimately devastating tale of first love - and final promises.

My Father Baliah


Y.B. Satyanarayana - 2011
    This triggers his migration from Vangapally, his ancestral village in the Karimnagar District of Telangana - the single most important event that would free his family and future generations from caste oppression. Years later, it saves his son Baliah from the fate reserved for most Dalits: a life of humiliation and bonded labour. A book written with the desire to make known the inhumanity of untouchability and the acquiescence and internalization of this condition by the Dalits themselves, Y.B. Satyanarayana chronicles the relentless struggle of three generations of his family in this biography of his father. A narrative that derives its strength from the simplicitywith which it is told, My Father Baliah is a story of great hardship and greater resilience.

The Thread


Victoria Hislop - 2011
    Victoria Hislop, internationally bestselling author of The Island and The Return, has written a wonderfully evocative and enthralling saga enriched by deep emotion and sweeping historical events, from fire to civil war to Nazi brutality and economic collapse. The Thread is historical fiction at its finest, colorful and captivating with truly unforgettable characters--a novel that brilliant captures the energy and life of this singular Greek city.

While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement


Carolyn Maull McKinstry - 2011
    Fourteen-year-old Carolyn Maull was just a few feet away when the bomb exploded, killing four of her friends in the girls' rest room she had just exited. It was one of the seminal moments in the Civil Rights movement, a sad day in American history . . . and the turning point in a young girl's life. While the World Watched is a poignant and gripping eyewitness account of life in the Jim Crow South - from the bombings, riots and assassinations to the historic marches and triumphs that characterized the Civil Rights movement. A uniquely moving exploration of how racial relations have evolved over the past 5 decades, While the World Watched is an incredible testament to how far we've come and how far we have yet to go.

I Have the Right to Be a Child


Alain Serres - 2011
    The book emphasizes that these rights belong to every child on the planet, whether they are "black or white, small or big, rich or poor, born here or somewhere else." It also makes evident that knowing and talking about these rights are the first steps toward making sure that they are respected.A brief afterword explains that the rights outlined in the book come from the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989. The treaty sets out the basic human rights that belong to children all over the world, recognizing that children need special protection since they are more vulnerable than adults. It has been ratified by 193 states, with the exception of Somalia, the United States and the new country of South Sudan. Once a state has ratified the document, they are legally bound to comply with it and to report on their efforts to do so. As a result, some progress has been made, not only in awareness of children's rights, but also in their implementation. But there are still many countries, wealthy and poor, where children's basic needs are not being met.

At the Foot of the Snows


David E. Watters - 2011
    Through years of study and hard work, they translated Scripture into the Kham language, igniting a spark of interest in the gospel that would fan to life through years of persecution. Through it all, David and Nancy Watters struggled to demonstrate that gospel to these people who lived, in the words of the Khams, "at the foot of the snows."

'White Girl Bleed A Lot': The Return of Racial Violence to America and How the Media Ignore It


Colin Flaherty - 2011
     Ferguson is just the latest of hundreds of examples of black mob violence around the country.White Girl Bleed a Lot: The Return of Racial Violence and How the Media Ignore It was written for the deniers: Reporters and public officials and others who deny black mob violence has reached epidemic levels.That is why so many readers get another copy: They send it to someone who needs to read it.Denial is not an option any more. Many of these cases are now on YouTube. And for the first time, readers will be able to scan QR codes to follow the black mob violence on video as they read about it in the book.For the first time, readers will be able to see the huge difference between what big city newspapers say is happening. And what the videos show is really happening.White Girl Bleed a Lot documents more than five hundred cases of black mob violence in more than one hundred cities around the country. Many in 2013. And how the local and national media ignore, excuse and even condone it.White Girl Bleed a Lot documents black mob violence in the bigger cities, such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, St. Louis. But also in places where the frequency and intensity of racial violence is not as well known: Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Peoria, Springfield, Greensboro, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Champaign, Madison and many more.Readers learn about "Beat Whitey Night" at a Midwest state fair. Or how a Chicago Police Chief blamed the violence on Sarah Palin and the Pilgrims. Or how Oprah Winfrey gave $1 million to a Philadelphia charter school, only to see its students on video assaulting a white person shortly thereafter.Or how gays and Asians and women are particular targets.And how one congressman and former mayor said his city should not crack down on the violence because that will "just make a lot of black kids angry." And how newspaper editors and reporters say they will not report racial violence. And how some people fight back.Praised by national talk show host Jesse Lee Peterson. The San Francisco Examiner gave it 5 Stars. More reviews at WhiteGirlBleedaLot.comColin Flaherty has won more than fifty awards for journalism, many from the Society of Professional Journalists. His story about a black man unjustly convicted of trying to kill his wife girl friend resulted in his release from state prison and was featured on NPR, the Los Angeles Times and Court TV.

The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families


Susan L. Roth - 2011
    The families were hungry, and their goats and sheep were hungry too. Then along came a scientist, Dr. Gordon Sato, who helped change their lives for the better. And it all started with some special trees.These are the trees, Mangrove trees, That were planted by the sea.With alternating verse and prose passages, The Mangrove Tree invites readers to discover how Dr. Sato's mangrove tree-planting project transformed an impoverished village into a self-sufficient community. This fascinating story is a celebration of creativity, hard work--and all those mangrove trees that were planted by the sea!

Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus


Joseph Vogel - 2011
    In both subject and sound, it was like nothing else on the radio. It defied the cynicism and apathy of Generation X; it challenged the aesthetic expectations for a "pop song" (or even a "protest song"), fusing blues, opera, rock and gospel; and it demanded accountability in an era of corporate greed, globalization and environmental indifference. A massive hit globally (reaching #1 in over fifteen countries), it wasn't even offered as a single in the United States. Yet nearly two decades later, it stands as one of Jackson's greatest artistic achievements. In this groundbreaking monograph, author Joseph Vogel details the song's context and evolution from its inception in Vienna in 1988, to its release and reception in 1995, to Jackson's final live performance in Munich in 1999. Based on original research, including interviews with the song's key participants, Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus offers a fascinating reassessment of this prophetic musical statement.

Lidia's Italy in America


Lidia Matticchio Bastianich - 2011
    Traveling around the United States, Lidia visits Italian American communities that created something new out of the recipes passed down from their ancestors. As she explores this utterly delectable and distinctive cuisine, Lidia shows us that every kitchen is different, every Italian community distinct, and little clues are buried in each dish: the Sicilian-style semolina bread and briny olives in New Orleans Muffuletta Sandwiches, the Neapolitan crust of New York pizza, and mushrooms (abundant in the United States, but scarce in Italy) stuffed with breadcrumbs, just as peppers or tomatoes are. Lidia shows us how this cuisine is an original American creation that redefines what we know as Italian food while always paying tribute to Italy, and she gives recognition where it is long overdue to the many industrious Italians across the country who have honored the traditions of their homeland in a delicious new style. And of course, there are Lidia’s irresistible recipes, including ·        Baltimore Crab Cakes ·        Pittsburgh’s Primanti’s Sandwiches ·        Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza ·        Eggplant Parmigiana from the Bronx ·        Gloucester Baked Halibut ·        Chicken Trombino from Philadelphia ·        authentic Italian American Meatloaf, and Spaghetti and Meatballs ·        Prickly Pear Granita from California ·        and, of course, a handful of cheesecakes and cookies that you’d recognize in any classic Italian bakery This is a loving exploration of a fascinating cuisine—as only Lidia could give us.

Theena's Landing


Gretchen Craig - 2011
    Fearing the taint of her mother’s scandalous past, she strives to live a life of virtue and integrity, yet is pulled toward a love that can never be hers. From a girl too desperate to be wise she becomes, through pain and heartbreak, a woman who at last finds her honor and her dreams.Once again, Gretchen Craig presents a page-turning historical novel of insight and compassion. Theena and her sisters are flawed, engrossing, and totally believable.

Cleopatra's Moon


Vicky Alvear Shecter - 2011
    But when a cruel Roman Emperor takes the country and whisks the princess to Rome against her will. She finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies - until she reaches out to claim her own.

Inca


Geoff Micks - 2011
    Hiding in the jungle with the last of the unsubjugated Inca, Haylli transcribes his memoirs from quipus –the Inca’s writing system of knotted string– into Spanish with the help of a captured priest. Beginning with a childhood of privilege and a youth spent as a fugitive from Imperial justice, through a successful career as the Inca’s most powerful bureaucrat, to an old age spent in the ruin of his life’s work, Haylli was present at all the important moments of his people. Through his words he hopes their story will be remembered. Fans of historical fiction can look forward to an epic family saga covering more than seventy years to include almost everything we know happened between the zenith and nadir of Inca power. More than two-thirds of the characters are based on real people, and every corner of the empire is visited over the course of the narrator’s life: The plot has court intrigue, forbidden loves, triumphs, tragedies, rivalries, heroes, monsters, coups, civil wars, prophecies, plagues, treasures, sex and violence –all before the conquistadors arrive to change everything forevermore.

And Still Peace Did Not Come: A Memoir of Reconciliation


Agnes Kamara-umunna - 2011
    An army of children was approaching, under the leadership of Charles Taylor. It seemed like the end of the world. Slowly, they made their way to the safety of Sierra Leone. They were the lucky ones.After years of exile, with the fighting seemingly over, Agnes returned to Liberia--a country now devastated by years of civil war. Families have been torn apart, villages destroyed, and it seems as though no one has been spared. Reeling, and unsure of what to do in this place so different from the home of her memories, Agnes accepted a job at the local UN-run radio station. Their mission is peace and their method is reconciliation through understanding and communication. Soon, she came up with a daring plan: Find the former child soldiers, and record their stories. And so Agnes, then a 43-year-old single mother of four, headed out to the ghettos of Monrovia and befriended them, drinking Club Beer and smoking Dunhill cigarettes with them, earning their trust. One by one, they spoke on her program, Straight from the Heart, and slowly, it seemed like reconciliation and forgiveness might be possible.From Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's first female president, to Butt Naked, a warlord whose horrific story is as unforgettable as his nickname--everyone has a story to tell. Victims and perpetrators. Boys and girls, mothers and fathers. Agnes comforts rape survivors, elicits testimonials from warlords, and is targeted with death threats--all live on the air.Set in a place where monkeys, not raccoons, are the scourge of homeowners; the trees have roots like elephant legs; and peacebuilding is happening from the ground-up. Harrowing, bleak, hopeful, humorous, and deeply moving--And Still Peace Did Not Come is not only Agnes's memoir: It is also her testimony to a nation's descent into the horrors of civil war, and its subsequent rise out of the ashes.

There Are Other Rivers: On Foot Across India


Alastair Humphreys - 2011
    Walking alone and spending the nights sleeping under the stars, in the homes of welcoming strangers or in small towns and villages, he experienced the dusty enchantment of ordinary, real India on the smallest of budgets. There Are Other Rivers tells the story of the walk through an account of a single day as well as reflecting on the allure of difficult journeys and the eternal appeal of the open road. Alastair Humphreys is a National Geographic 'Adventurer of the Year'. Reviews for previous books"Believe me, he can write, and rather well" - Geographical"...displays a tendency for Big Hairy Audacious Goals that is almost unnerving." - Treehugger.comAmazon Reviews"This book has it all: it's a great travel read, a look into the human soul and how most people, given enough determination, could attempt something like this.""No expensive equipment or 'fastest, strongest, quickest'; just a brilliant, understated story.""Simply outstanding.""If you prefer the comfort of your armchair these books will still stir your imagination and curiosity for the world.""An absolute must-read or any passionate traveller." GoodReads Reviews "Wow... another great book by Alastair Humphreys.""One of the best adventure travel books I've read."www.alastairhumphreys.com@al_humphreys

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu


Wendy Wan-Long Shang - 2011
    She's ready to rule the school as a sixth grader and take over the bedroom she has always shared with her sister. In an instant, though, her plans are shattered when she finds out that Yi Po, her beloved grandmother's sister, is coming to visit for several months -- and is staying in Lucy's room. Lucy's vision of a perfect year begins to crumble, and in its place come an unwelcome roommate, foiled birthday plans, and Chinese school with the awful Talent Chang.

A New Year's Reunion


Yu Li-Qiong - 2011
    When Papa arrives, Maomao hardly recognizes him at first. But before long, the family is making sticky rice balls, hearing the firecrackers, and watching the dragon dance in the street. Maomao loves doing ordinary things with Papa - getting a haircut, fixing things around the house, and sleeping tucked between her parents. But all too soon it is time for Papa to go away again.

Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts About Peace


Anna Grossnickle Hines - 2011
    In this evocative collection of poems illustrated by beautiful handmade quilts, Anna Grossnickle Hines explores peace in all its various and sometimes surprising forms: from peace at home to peace on a worldwide scale to peace within oneself.  Pondering the meaning of peace and its fleeting nature, this book compels each of us to discover and act upon peace ourselves.

Shadowed in Silk


Christine Lindsay - 2011
     After the Great War, Abby Fraser returns to India with her small son, where her husband is stationed with the British army. She has longed to go home to the land of glittering palaces and veiled women . . . but Nick has become a cruel stranger. It will take more than her American pluck to survive. Major Geoff Richards, broken over the loss of so many of his men in the trenches of France, returns to his cavalry post in Amritsar. But his faith does little to help him understand the ruthlessness of his British peers toward the Indian people he loves. Nor does it explain how he is to protect Abby Fraser and her child from the husband who mistreats them. Amid political unrest, inhospitable deserts, and Russian spies, tensions rise in India as the people cry for the freedom espoused by Gandhi. Caught between their own ideals and duty, Geoff and Abby stumble into sinister secrets . . . secrets that will thrust them out of the shadows and straight into the fire of revolution.

Stolen Woman


Kimberly Rae - 2011
    Asha must help this girl escape, but Mark, a 3rd generation missionary, keeps warning her away from the red-light district and its workers. Will she ever discover why? And will they ever stop their intense arguments long enough to admit their even more intense feelings for one another?When Asha sneaks out one last time in a desperate attempt to rescue her friend, someone follows her through the night. Is freedom possible? Or will she, too, become one of the stolen?

The Quest of the Sparrows: Explore the Joy of Freedom


Kartik Sharma - 2011
    He believes that human beings can become powerful creators, and achieve much more but the desire to secure the future makes them mere survivors. Between birth and death, evolution is the only constant, which humans can achieve by giving up self-limiting practices.Partibhan sets out to test spiritual principles at a practical level, with the exceptional 600 kilometer journey on foot without money and belongings. He wishes to demonstrate that man’s fixation on materialism and the need to accumulate is overrated: Survival isn’t the goal of life. A much bigger role, a higher calling awaits us.Can Partibhan and his followers overcome hardships on the way to find the answers they seek? Are they able to prove that spirituality isn’t an impractical concept as many have come to believe but is inseparable from evolution? What insights do they come across? What does their journey prove and what is its power packed message for you? Do they discover peace and joy? How is it different from happiness?Discover all this and much more in this path breaking, evolutionary new writing that explores the higher meaning of life and demonstrates practically how one can achieve peace and joy while leading a meaningful and creative life.

Delphi Complete Works of Leo Tolstoy (Illustrated)


Leo Tolstoy - 2011
    Please ignore the reviews. This file is the COMPLETE fictional works in English.Including:* ALL 12 novels with professional formatting* Plus the RARE unfinished novel 'The Decembrists' which Tolstoy intended to be a sequel to the great 'War and Peace'* Plus the other rare unfinished novel 'Morning of a Landed Proprietor'* Brief but informative introductions to all of the novels* Attractive images relating to Tolstoy's life and works throughout the eBook* ALL the short stories that have been translated into English* features a bonus selection of non-fiction texts, including Tolstoy's Journal* ALL of the plays* special Main Character pages for 'War and Peace' and 'Anna Karenina' to aid reading these large novels* improved translations of the short stories, in response to a customer review* includes contents tables for each novel and play, allowing easy navigation around the massive file* UPDATED with a special literary criticism section, with 9 different essays examining Tolstoy's contribution to literature, with works by writers such as Virginia Woolf and William Lyon Phelps* UPDATED with BONUS texts of two biographies on Tolstoy, by his wife and son* UPDATED with the rare play LIVE CORPSE, unpublished in Tolstoy's lifetimeBelieved by many to be the greatest novelist the world has known, the Russian Master's work is of paramount importance. This definitive Edition of Tolstoy's oeuvre has every translated novel, short story, novella and play written by Leo Tolstoy. One of our most popular eBooks - now you can own the great Master of Realist fiction. There is also a front no-nonsense contents table, allowing easy navigation around the enormous file. As with all Delphi Classics, the texts are arranged in chronological order, allowing a scholarly reading and appreciation of Tolstoy's works.Please note: an absolute 'complete works' of Tolstoy is not possible in English due to copyright restrictions on various translations and some texts not being translated into English yet. However, this eBook strives to give customers the most texts possible and contains all of the MAJOR works. As a bonus, a selection of non-fiction texts are available too.ContentsThe Novels and NovellasCHILDHOODBOYHOODYOUTHFAMILY HAPPINESSTHE COSSACKSWAR AND PEACEANNA KARENINATHE DEATH OF IVAN ILYCHTHE KREUTZER SONATA.RESURRECTIONTHE FORGED COUPONHADJI MURADThe Unfinished NovelsTHE DECEMBRISTSA MORNING OF A LANDED PROPRIETORThe Short StoriesLIST OF STORIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDERLIST OF STORIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDERThe PlaysTHE POWER OF DARKNESSTHE FRUITS OF CULTUREREDEMPTIONTHE CAUSE OF IT ALLTHE FIRST DISTILLERTHE LIGHT SHINES IN DARKNESSLIVE CORPSESelected Non-FictionA CONFESSIONKINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOUWHAT THEN MUST WE DO?ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SCIENCE AND ARTBETHINK YOURSELVES!MOSCOW CENSUSTOLSTOY ON SHAKESPEARETOLSTOY’S JOURNALThe CriticismTOLSTOY THE ARTIST by Ivan PaninTOLSTOY THE PREACHER by Ivan PaninExtract from ‘MY LITERARY PASSIONS’ by William Dean HowellsExtract from ‘ESSAYS ON RUSSIAN NOVELISTS’ by William Lyon PhelpsRUSSIAN ROMANCE by Earl of Evelyn Baring CromerExtracts from ‘A SURVEY OF RUSSIAN

The Parihaka Woman


Witi Ihimaera - 2011
    As her world is threatened, Erenora must find within herself the strength, courage and ingenuity to protect those whom she loves. And, like a Shakespearean heroine, she must change herself before she can take up her greatest challenge and save her exiled husband, Horitana.The Parihaka Woman is a wonderfully surprising, inventive and deeply moving riff on fact and fiction, history and imagination from one of New Zealand's finest and most memorable storytellers.

Song of the Departed: Selected Poems of Georg Trakl


Georg Trakl - 2011
    His reader is gifted with visions of a darker world, an autumnal place of surreal beauty and a dying splendor. It is not a world friendly to people—it is full of death, desolation, and decay, strange creatures and arcane gods. But it is beautiful nonetheless. Hauntingly beautiful."—Chris Faatz, Powells.com"I do not understand them; but their tone pleases me. It is the tone of true genius."—Ludwig WittgensteinSong of the Departed brings back into print poems written at the height of Georg Trakl's career. Trakl boldly confronted the conflicts created by the pursuit of truth amidst the fallenness of the human condition, writing of the unspeakable that lies beyond language, creating poetry that is intensely personal and eerily beautiful. Included in this revised edition are several new translations and an introduction by the translator.All roads disgorge to black decay.Beneath the golden boughs of night and starsThe sister's shadow flutters through the silent groveTo greet the spirits of the heroes, bleeding heads.And softly in the reeds drone the dark flutes of autumn.O prouder grief! you brazen altars;Tonight a mighty anguish feeds the hot flame of spirit:Unborn grandchildren.Georg Trakl was born in Austria in 1887. He served as a medical officer during World War I. As a lyric poet, he set a dark, introspective tone that deeply influenced the course of German expressionism. He died in 1914 after an overdose of cocaine.

The Sweetness of Tears


Nafisa Haji - 2011
    A paperback original from a superb writer whose first novel was enthusiastically praised by Khaled Hosseini, bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Haji, an American of Indo-Pakistani descent, writes with grace, heart, and wisdom about the collisions of culture and religion, tradition and modernity played out through individual lives.

The Hidden Light of Mexico City


Carmen Amato - 2011
    Expect characters who leap off the page and a chilling border scenario that could be tomorrow’s headlines. As presidential elections near, Mexico City attorney Eduardo Cortez Castillo discovers evidence of collusion between a powerful government official and Mexico's most dangerous drug cartel. Coded messages . . . A secret website . . . Clever money laundering. The conclusion is terrifying. With deep state help, a ruthless druglord is poised to buy Mexico’s presidency. As he digs for evidence and violence spills across the US-Mexican border, Eduardo is marked for death by cartel assassins. Instead of abandoning the dangerous investigation, he follows the money trail deep into drug smuggling territory where violence buys loyalty and votes are for sale. The odds are against survival. Back in Mexico City, a woman whose name means Light of Mary faces a painful choice. Wait for Eduardo or join the immigration train? But the cartel is looking for her, too. * Get your copy today * This brilliant political thriller takes you on a riveting ride through Mexico's rigid class system and the country's spiraling drug violence, to the harsh realities of the US-Mexican border. Authentic and revealing, much of the action is drawn from the author’s own experiences. "Enthralling political drama" -- Literary Fiction Review “Captivating and thrilling” – InDTale Magazine Love international thrillers by Nelson DeMille, Andrew Gross, Ken Follett, Lee Child and David Morrell? Riveted by AMERICAN DIRT or Don Winslow’s cartel and border thrillers set in Mexico? You won't want to miss THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY. Author Carmen Amato is a former CIA intelligence officer who uses her own counterdrug and espionage experiences to craft intrigue-filled crime fiction that keeps you guessing until the very end. Amato is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. Her award-winning Detective Emilia Cruz police series pits Acapulco’s first female police detective against cartels and corruption.

The Boy Who Flew With Eagles


Ben Woodard - 2011
    A giant eagle. And a boy who would be prey. The book combines excitement, adventure, and the dream of all humans. To fly. Naa'ki, a boy snatched by a giant eagle, must use his wits and knowledge to survive. And to save his people and animals from starvation. To succeed, he will have to give up his future.

The Bridge


Kay Bratt - 2011
    Not just any bridge—but a special one because it has always been known as The Lucky Bridge. In olden days it was said that to walk over it during a marriage ceremony, or at the beginning of the New Year would bring the traveler good luck. Because of its reputation, over the years it has also become a popular place for young mothers to abandon their children. What to some may seem cruel is in reality their final gift to their offspring—one last chance to send them off to their new destinies with luck on their side. Jing, an old woman, is the unofficial and often reluctant guardian of the bridge. When no one else will, Jing steps in to prevent the children from frostbite, abuse and hunger, and then she delivers them safely to the orphanage. This has been her routine for many years, but what does Jing do when the latest child, a blind boy, burrows deep into her heart? Read ‘The Bridge’ to see how Fei Fei’s life is changed by the love of a lonely old woman. The Bridge is a short story of 17,000 words, approximately 72 pages. Fei Fei’s character is based on a real orphaned boy that Kay Bratt met during her time in China. Don't miss these other great books by Kay Bratt! Full length books currently available on Kindle "Silent Tears; A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage” and “Chasing China; A Daughter’s Quest for Truth”.

The Last Storytellers: Tales from the Heart of Morocco


Richard L. Hamilton - 2011
    For nearly a thousand years, storytellers have gathered in Jemaa el Fna, the legendary square of the city, to recount ancient folktales and fables to rapt audiences. But this unique chain of oral tradition that has passed seamlessly from generation to generation is teetering on the brink of extinction. The competing distractions of television, movies, and the Internet have drawn the crowds away from the storytellers and few have the desire to learn the stories and continue their legacy. Richard Hamilton has witnessed first-hand the death throes of this rich and captivating tradition and, in the labyrinth of the Marrakech medina, has tracked down the last few remaining storytellers, recording stories that are replete with the mysteries and beauty of the Maghreb.

Selected Shorts: New American Stories


Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - 2011
    A robbery and its dramatic consequences lead a Spokane Indian to rethink his entire life in Alexie’s "Breaking and Entering," dynamically performed by B. D. Wong. A young Nigerian woman tackles adventure by taking a Greyhound bus to the end of the line and starting a new life in Hartford in Adichie’s longing-filled story "The Thing Around Your Neck," performed by Condola Rashad. Tony winner Boyd Gaines performs Hemon’s heartfelt tale "Good Living," in which a Bosnian emigrant seeks the American dream while selling magazines door to door in Chicago. Lastly, Rita Wolf gives a breathtaking performance of "Hell-Heaven," Lahiri’s story of passions and tensions in a Bengali family in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from her acclaimed collection Unaccustomed Earth. This CD is sure to delight listeners while providing an opportunity for artists and audiences to connect.

Complete Works of Victor Hugo


Victor Hugo - 2011
    

The Crown Jewels


Anna Keay - 2011
    This collector’s edition of The Crown Jewels features a specially bound copy of Anna Keay’s book together with a facsimile of Joseph Robins’s panoramic representation of Queen Victoria’s 1838 coronation procession in Westminster Abbey.The two books are presented together in a striking gift box. The fold-out panorama is four inches high by ten feet long, and it depicts Queen Victoria and other principal participants in the coronation ceremony in procession through the Abbey. The original copy, held in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, would have been published as a souvenir in the days preceding photography and has never before been reproduced.

Fallen Hopes, Taken Dreams


J.M. Barlog - 2011
    Real suffering. Real hate.An emotionally gripping, brutally invasive tale of four young Native Americans wrongly committed to our nation's only Indian insane asylum during the 1920s. This powerful narrative is unputdownable, unforgettable, and an unbelievable combination of drama, conflict, and romance. Gathered from true events in the records of the South Dakota State Archives, this long hidden world of heartbreak takes you to the darkest depths of the human spirit and promises to touch your very soul. ★ Red Carpet Book Awards 2014 Historical Fiction Readers' Choice Nominee.★ Artifacts and related photographs on display at jmbarlog.com.Goodreads readers offered rave reviews: "It was definitely a page turner. I found myself caring about the patients and rooting for them to win. Well written J.M. Barlog!" -- Dawn, Goodreads "Not for the faint of heart. This story is a gut-twister, evoking anger at man’s inhumanity to his fellow man." --Susan, Goodreads"It was incredibly hard at points to remember fact from fiction because the characters are so well formed." -- Gidget, Goodreads "I loved the plot of the book and the many twists and turns it took me on as a reader." -- Teresa, Goodreads "This is not a sugar-coated piece and I highly recommend this book to those that want to understand and learn about this time in history." --Sandy, Goodreads "It's terrifying as it was derived from actual crimes against Native Americans, but it has moments of love, insight and suspense." -- Michelle, Goodreads "Sometimes difficult to read because of its brutal honesty, Fallen Hopes, Taken Dreams illustrates a tragic, yet important, chapter in American history regarding the horrific treatment of Native Americans and the eradication of their culture." --Sherry, GoodreadsIt was the roaring 20s, and Americans were living the dream, except for…… the hundreds of Native Americans wrongly committed to our nation’s only Indian insane asylum. Once there, they endured unimaginable torture and abuse with no hope of ever being set free. The unrelenting power of love must overcome the hateful forces if they are to survive. Fallen Hopes, Taken Dreams is a must-read for Red Hearts and all fans of US historical or Native American literature.

The Terrorist Next Door: How the Government Is Deceiving You about the Islamist Threat


Erick Stakelbeck - 2011
    Attempted attacks like the Times Square bombing, the "underwear bombing" on a flight over Detroit, and the attack on a Christmas-tree-lighting ceremony in Oregon were all isolated plots that failed. In the words of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano, "The system worked." Don't believe it. In The Terrorist Next Door, investigative reporter Erick Stakelbeck exposes the staggering truth about our national security: the Obama administration is concealing and whitewashing the enormous terrorist threat growing right here within America's borders. If you believe terrorism is only a problem for other countries, Stakelbeck's on-the-ground reporting will open your eyes. He has been inside America's radical mosques, visited US-based Islamic enclaves, and learned about our enemies by going straight to the source--interviewing al-Qaeda-linked terrorists themselves. In this shocking book, Stakelbeck reveals: -How Islamic radicals have established separatist compounds and even jihadist training camps throughout rural America -That an overt disciple of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini now leads one of the largest mosques in America -How mega-mosques aren't just planned for Ground Zero--they're being built in the heart of the Bible Belt as part of a plan for Islamic domination -Program to recruit Americans into terror groups -How the Obama administration's beguiling counter-terrorism policies are increasing the threat of another 9/11 The Terrorist Next Door sounds the alarm on a growing threat to every American--one that the US government refuses to face honestly or even to name. As we struggle against a relentless and adaptable Islamist enemy that is committed to destroying our nation, we can't say we weren't warned.

The Years of my Birth


Louise Erdrich - 2011
    Search for "Tommy Orange Reads Louise Erdrich".

Thx Thx Thx: Thank Goodness for Everything


Leah Dieterich - 2011
    From the small, mundane, and odd to the cosmic and philosophically abstract, who could resist thoughts like: a oeDear Wine, You make my phone conversations with my mom longer and more open. So thank you for that.a Or, a oeDear Half-Dead Plants on My Desk, Thank you for reminding me why I am really not ready for a pet of any kind. Keep it real.aWith accolades from New York Times best-selling author Gretchen Rubin and DailyCandy, Leah Dieterich's thxthxthx.com website inspires an aptly named giftbook, thxthxthx: Thank Goodness for Everything.After years of being encouraged (okay, nagged) by her Mother to write thank-you notes, Dieterich began writing one thank-you note a day to whatever thing, no matter how small or odd, she was thankful for. From important gestures, like a Partner's Understanding, to simple, soulful, and quirky things like Songs You're Embarrassed to Like, thxthxthx features 200 of Dieterich's original, handwritten thank-you notes that collectively convey the look and feel of handwritten notes from a close friend.Surprisingly simple and refreshingly moving, thxthxthx is a thought provoking and emotionally rewarding daily exercise in gratitude for all of life's blessings.

A Stranger's Gift


Anna Schmidt - 2011
    On the heels of a horrific hurricane, Hester Detlef, field director for the Mennonite Disaster Service, blows into the life of self-made, shunned Amish man John Hafner. Will she find a way through his shield and into his heart? Although the hurricane has left John homeless and badly injured, the last thing he wants is some do-gooder Mennonite woman intruding in his life. Will his impatience with her intention of restoring his faith and property keep him from accepting this beguiling stranger’s kindness?

Crazy Train: The High Life and Tragic Death of Randy Rhoads


Joel McIver - 2011
    He first came to international prominence in 1979, when he was recruited from the cult metal band Quiet Riot to play with Ozzy Osbourne, who had been fired from Black Sabbath for his drink and drug addictions and was in urgent need of a co-writer to kickstart a solo career. How and why Ozzy and Randy went on to find enormous success is one of the key themes of Crazy Train, named after the first and most famous Osbourne/Rhoads co-composition. It was Randy's pioneering combination of neo-classical soloing, catchy riffage and unforgettable songwriting which propelled Ozzy. The two albums that Randy recorded with Quiet Riot and the two with Ozzy showcase the young guitarist's immense ability, although the full extent of his talent may never have been revealed. In 1982 he died in an air crash. The parallels between Crazy Train and the author's best-selling To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton (Jawbone 2009) are intentional and obvious. Both books deal with a musical prodigy who died tragically in his mid-20s; both men have a vast following and a profile which has risen in the years since their deaths; and both men have a large coterie of friends, family and associates prepared to tell their stories for the very first time.

Chasing China: A Daughter's Quest for Truth


Kay Bratt - 2011
    She is grateful for her life, but now that she is on the precipice of total independence, she feels she is missing something. Determined to learn more of her past, Mia hops a plane to the country of her birth. As she follows the red thread back through her motherland, she is enamored by the history and culture of her heritage, strengthening her resolve to find the truth of her beginnings, even as Chinese officials struggle to keep it buried. With an unwavering spirit of determination, Mia battles the forces stacked against her and uncovers a truth that will change her life.

I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery


Cynthia Grady - 2011
    Drawn together through imagery drawn from quilting and fiber arts, each poem is spoken from a different perspective: a house slave, a mother losing her daughter to the auction block, a blacksmith, a slave fleeing on the Underground Railroad. This moving and eloquent set of poems, brought to life by vivid and colorful artwork from Michele Wood, offers a timeless witness to the hardship endured by America?'s slaves. Each poem is supplemented by a historical note.

I Am Tama, Lucky Cat


Wendy Henrichs - 2011
    Little does he know that the hungry, shivering animal he names Tama would bring him both friendship and good fortune beyond his dreams. Illustrations.

New Revolutions for a Small Planet: How the Global Shift in Humanity and Nature Will Transform Our Minds and Lives


Kingsley L. Dennis - 2011
    Corrupt or inefficient social systems face protests around the globe. Climatic disruption has led to increased earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. And the modern mind is transitioning from an industrial-globalization model toward a life-sustaining, ecological-cosmological worldview. This book examines the concept of the Hindu Yugas--or great cycles--to reveal how humanity is entering a new age in which the very revolutions many mistakenly fear will reenergize us instead.

The Indian Economy


Sanjiv Verma - 2011
    

A World of Curiosities: Surprising, Interesting, and Downright Unbelievable Facts from Every Nation on the Planet


John Oldale - 2011
    John Oldale has logged half a million miles visiting more than ninety nations. Now, he celebrates our weird and wonderful world in a cornucopia of fascinating facts brought vividly to life through the unexpected stories behind them. Touching on history, travel, politics, natural history and more, he paints a unique portrait of each country from the mightiest to the most miniscule. You won't find the following in your average travel guide: ·        Why is kissing on trains banned in France?·        In what country are litigants expected to present their case at court in the form of a poem?·        Which war did women win in 1929 just by sitting down?·        If Panama hats aren’t from Panama, where are they from?·        Who eat fresh camel dung as a cure for dysentery (and why does it work)?·        Why were US disk jockeys once told they could play birthday requests on any day except the one requested?·        Which modern dictator banned old age, libraries and gold teeth, and was later replaced by his dentist?·         And 2,000 more funny, trivial, poignant, and telling facts  A must for active and armchair globe-trotters alike, A World of Curiosities will engross anyone who is at all curious about the world beyond their door. Explore and enjoy.

Tales from India


Jamila Gavin - 2011
    This new collection of Hindu tales, including the birth of the gods, tales of creation, and the arrival of humans, is illuminated by Amanda Hall's exquisite artwork, which reflects the influence of both classical and contemporary Indian art.

You Never Cared


Michele L. Montgomery - 2011
    I lifted my head to see Casper’s best friend standing on the other side of the grave.” Jordan is a golden child — wealthy, popular, the self-professed ruler of the senior class. Jordan is also a bully, a bully whose group of friends mercilessly tormented seventeen-year-old Casper for being different, for being poor, for suffering silently. Random acts of abuse from his classmates were par for the course in Casper’s life, until one night, the bullying evolved into a hate crime and he, unable to endure, longing for peace, finally took his own life.You Never Cared is the heartbreaking tale, told in Jordan’s words, of a life stolen, of love lost, and of a soul compromised. But ultimately, it is a story of forgiveness and redemption. As Sammy, Casper’s friend and lover, attempts to cope with the anguish of his boyfriend’s loss, Jordan attempts to own his part in the crime, trying to make amends but knowing his only hope is to carry on Casper’s legacy, to work to build a better future for boys and girls who, like Casper, just need a strong voice to encourage and stand up for them.(re-edited and added content)

Extraordinary Dreams of an Ireland Traveler


Rosemary "Mamie" Adkins - 2011
    Many sites that will take your breathe away, romance your very being, surprise your senses with history and make you love each moment in time with the Irish and never meeting a stranger. Visit locations such as the Bunratty Castle, Blarney Castle, Kylemore Abbey, Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Woollen Mills, Guinness Storehouse, Waterford Crystal Factory, Aran Islnds and stay in locations from Bed and Breakfast to five star hotels. Learn where to dine for the best values and stay at the best locations in Ireland we found with offers that will save you hundreds of dollars-exclusive to our readers when you own this book!This is not just a travel book but tells you how to plan, our experiences, frustrations, how to pack, what to expect and we share with you a few human interest stories that are sure to tickle the curious inside each of you. So come on and let's travel to Ireland together!

Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief, with Newly Translated Prayers, Poems and Songs


Sharon Paice MacLeod - 2011
    Topics include the presence of the Celtic Otherworld and its inhabitants, cosmology and sacred cycles, wisdom texts, mythological symbolism, folklore and legends, and an appreciation of the natural world. Evidence is drawn from the archaeology of sacred sites, ethnographic accounts of the ancient Celts and their beliefs, medieval manuscripts, poetic and visionary literature, and early modern accounts of folk healers and seers. New translations of poems, prayers, inscriptions and songs from the early period (Gaulish, Old Irish and Middle Welsh) as well as the folklore tradition (Modern Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Manx) complement the text. Information of this kind has never before been collected as a compendium of the indigenous wisdom of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose traditions have endured in various forms for almost three thousand years.

My Indian Kitchen: Preparing Delicious Indian Meals without Fear or Fuss


Hari Nayak - 2011
    From a perfect Mint Chutney with Samosa to a melt-in-the-mouth Chicken Tikka Masala, to Pork Vindaloo, Tandoori Chicken and Sweet Mango Yogurt Lassi, traditional Indian meals without hours and hours of work can be achieved. Authentic Indian recipes include:Cucumber and Yogurt RaitaSpicy Paneer Cheese KebabsRed Kidney Bean CurryStreet-Style Grilled Corn on the CobFish TikkaChicken Tikka MasalaSpicy and Fragrant Lamb CurryBaked Garlic NaanCreamy Rice PuddingAnd many more…Having lived in the West for many years, Chef Hari understands the time for meal preparation is limited. To accommodate our busy lifestyle, the recipes in this book have been simplified, without sacrificing any of their authenticity. With Hari's guidance and time-saving tips, the ability to create Indian meals appealing to the individual tastes of the home cook can, finally, be achieved.

Under the Mesquite


Guadalupe Garcia McCall - 2011
    When Lupita learns Mami has cancer, she is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of her close-knit family. Suddenly, being a high school student, starring in a play, and dealing with friends who don't always understand, become less important than doing whatever she can to save Mami's life. While her father cares for Mami at an out-of-town clinic, Lupita takes charge of her seven younger siblings. As Lupita struggles to keep the family afloat, she takes refuge in the shade of a mesquite tree, where she escapes the chaos at home to write. Forced to face her limitations in the midst of overwhelming changes and losses, Lupita rediscovers her voice and finds healing in the power of words. Told with honest emotion in evocative free verse, Lupita's journey toward hope is captured in moments that are alternately warm and poignant. Under the Mesquite is an empowering story about testing family bonds and the strength of a young woman navigating pain and hardship with surprising resilience.

My Brilliant Life


Kim Ae-ran - 2011
    . . an utter delight.” —Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever HadDespite being house-bound due to an accelerated-aging disorder, Areum lives life to its fullest, vicariously through the stories of his parents, conversations with Little Grandpa Jang—his sixty-year-old neighbor and best friend, and through the books he reads to visit the places he would otherwise never see.For several months, Areum has been working on a manuscript, piecing together his parents’ often embellished stories about his family and childhood. He hopes to present it on his birthday, as a final gift to his mom and dad; their own falling-in-love story.As his seventeenth birthday approaches, Areum moves into the long-term ward in the city hospital, bringing abrupt change to his daily life; from a new friend who might be more—or less—than she seems, to his loving parents who are definitely keeping something from him. There are also the challenges of the creeping darkness in his eyes, and the loneliness of his shrinking connection to the world outside his window. Areum meets these situations head on, and with the support of family and friends, finds joy in even the most difficult times.Interweaving the past and present of a tight-knit family, Ae-ran Kim's My Brilliant Life evokes the full breadth of human emotions; happiness and sadness, pain and relief, emptiness and significance; masterfully exploring the power of empathy.

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot: Adventures Of Molly Mavis Gumnut


Patricia Puddle - 2011
    After shooing the cat away, Molly rescues the injured critter and names him Furble. But when she takes him to the vet, he says she can't keep him because bandicoots are protected native animals and must to go to a wildlife sanctuary. Molly doesn't let that stop her from keeping Furble. She informs the vet that her grandmother is a volunteer with a wildlife rescue and would gladly look after him. The vet gives in, but Molly is horrified when Grandma insists Furble will be released back to his own territory when his wounds have healed. Molly can't let that happen, 'cause that's where the big mean cat lives. Well, no way will she let Tiddles hurt Furble again. She doesn't care if she gets into trouble for yelling at the neighbour, or disobeying her parents. She kidnaps the little bandicoot and takes him on a journey to find him a safer home. When things go badly wrong, Molly realises she's made a bad mistake. Now Furble's in more danger and so is Molly.

Igorotdo: The Enlightened Warrior Within


Rexcrisanto Delson - 2011
    Also, the first Fiction Novel ever written by an Igorot author.How important is your ethnic heritage? For Alex, it can mean worlds of difference. Since immigrating to the United States as a child, his yearning to fit into American society has led to a total disconnect from his Igorot ancestry. Like many immigrants, his true ethnic identity has taken a backseat to the pursuit of the American Dream. Alex's dreams eventually turned into reality: he became a successful businessman, and began living a lifestyle filled with fame, fortune, and women. Despite his achievements, however, an inner void eats away at his soul that is, until unforeseen events send him on a collision course with his estranged heritage. An inheritance catapults him into the worlds of Igorots, soldiers, and samurais. Can his encounters with the Igorots become more than just lessons about the lineage of indigenous Filipino highlanders that precedes him? Will his perilous encounters with them, American soldiers, and Japanese samurai help him find true happiness? How can the events that unfold fill the void, while bringing new meaning and purpose into his life? Unbeknownst to Alex, an enlightened warrior dwells within him, waiting to be discovered.

Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival


June Feiss Hersh - 2011
    The first professionally written kosher cookbook of its kind is a moving compilation of food memories, stories about food and families, and recipes from Holocaust survivors from Poland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Greece.

The Silver Mist


Martin Treanor - 2011
    Then, on 21 July 1972-Belfast's Bloody Friday-Eve encounters the captivating Esther, who ferries Eve on a sequence of illuminating, metaphysical journeys. In order to make sense of the slaughter that surrounds her, Eve must first learn the truth of her perceived difference, and therein unravel the timeless purpose of the silver mist.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight: And Other Stories of Africa


Rian Malan - 2011
    Some of the essays previously appeared in a collection published only in South Africa, Resident Alien, but others are collected here for the first time. The collection comprises twenty-three pieces; the title story investigates the provenance of the world famous song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” which Malan traces back to a Zulu singer named Solomon Linda who recorded a song called “Mbube” in the 1930s, which went on to be covered by Pete Seeger, REM, and Phish, and was incorporated into the musical “The Lion King.” In other stories, Malan follows the trial of Winnie Mandela and plunges into the explosive controversy over President Mbeki’s AIDS policies of the 1990s.The stories, combined with Malan’s sardonic interstitial commentary, offer a brilliantly observed portrait of contemporary South Africa.

The Red Kimono


Jan Morrill - 2011
    Japan has attacked Pearl Harbor, people are angry, and one night, Sachiko and Nobu witness three teenage boys taunting and beating their father in the park. Sachiko especially remembers Terrence Harris, the boy with dark skin and hazel eyes, and Nobu cannot believe the boys capable of such violence toward his father are actually his friends.What Sachiko and Nobu do not know is that Terrence's family had received a telegram that morning with news that Terrence's father was killed at Pearl Harbor. Desperate to escape his pain, Terrence rushes from his home and runs into two high-school friends who convince him to find a Japanese man and get revenge. They do not know the man they attacked is Sachiko and Nobu's father.In the months that follow, Terrence is convicted of his crime and Sachiko and Nobu are sent to an internment camp in Arkansas, a fictionalized version of the two camps that actually existed in Arkansas during the war. While behind bars and barbed wire, each of the three young people will go through dramatic changes. One will learn acceptance. One will remain imprisoned by resentment, and one will seek a path to forgiveness.

All About Japan: Stories, Songs, Crafts and More


Willamarie Moore - 2011
    Two friends, a boy from the country and a girl from the city, take us on a tour of their beloved land through their eyes. They introduce us to their homes, families, favorite places, school life, holidays and more!Celebrate the cherry blossom festivalLearn traditional Japanese songs and poemsMake easy recipes like mochi (New Year's sweet rice cakes) and okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza or pancakes)Create origami frogs, samurai helmets and more!Beyond the fun and fascinating facts, you'll also learn about the spirit that makes Japan one-of-a-kind. This is a book for families to treasure together.

Partitions


Amit Majmudar - 2011
    A young Sikh girl, Simran Kaur, has run away from her father, who would rather poison his daughter than see her defiled. And Ibrahim Masud, an elderly Muslim doctor driven from the town of his birth, limps toward the new Muslim state of Pakistan, rediscovering on the way his role as a healer. As the displaced face a variety of horrors, this unlikely quartet comes together, defying every rule of self-preservation to forge a future of hope.A dramatic, luminous story of families and nations broken and formed, "Partitions" introduces an extraordinary novelist who writes with the force and lyricism of poetry.

Not For Parents Paris: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know


Klay Lamprell - 2011
    And it is definitely 'not-for-parents'. It is the real, inside story about one of the world's most famous cities - Paris. In this book you'll hear fascinating tales about creepy stone gargoyles, ghostly railway stations, huge castles and amazingly pampered pets.Check out cool stories about stuffed animals, caves filled with bones and the deadly guillotine. You'll find cyclists, junk collectors and musicians, and snails on the menu for dinner.Where can you pretend you're at the beach in the middle of the city?Who smiles at 6 million people a year?Who had her own life-size village built just to play in?Which famous building was built inside out?This book shows you a Paris your parents probably don't even know about.Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Klay LamprellAbout Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, children's books, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places where they travel.TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) *#1 in the world market share - source: Nielsen Bookscan. Australia, UK and USA. March 2012-January 2013

Living High: An Unconventional Autobiography


June Burn - 2011
    Courage, gaiety, and a fresh approach to life are reflected in this "unconventional autobiography." It is a story of twentieth-century pioneers as resourceful as ever they were in the days of the old frontier. June Burn and her husband Farrar determined to go their own sweet way, enjoying "first hand living" and not surrendering to the routines of a workadayworld. Through the years they had some high and glorious adventures, which included homesteading a "gumdrop" in the San Juan islands of the Pacific Northwest, teaching Eskimosnear Siberia, and exploring the United States by donkeycart with a baby aboard.

The Other Barack: The Bold and Reckless Life of President Obama's Father


Sally H. Jacobs - 2011
    He came to the U.S. from Kenya and was given a university scholarship. While in the Hawaii, he met Ann Dunham in 1961, and his son Barack was born. He left his young family to gain a master's degree from Harvard.After that, Obama's life became progressively more complicated. He was a brilliant economist, yet never held the coveted government job he felt should have been his. He was a polygamist, an alcoholic, and an ardent African nationalist unafraid to tell truth to power at a time when that could get you killed. Father of eight, nurturer of none, he was an unlikely person to father the first African American president of the United States. Yet he was, like that son, a man moved by the dream of a better world.Now, thanks to dozens of exclusive new interviews, prodigious research, and determined investigation, Sally Jacobs tells his full story.

Growing Up in Lancaster County


Wanda E. Brunstetter - 2011
    Brunstetter. Four stories under one cover will provide you with unlimited entertainment and laughs along the way as you accompany Rachel to the eye doctor's (with a belly full of butterflies), visit Hershey Park (and experience a breathtaking ride), and even fall into a chilly fishing pond (oops!).

The Epic of Gesar of Ling: Gesar's Magical Birth, Early Years, and Coronation as King


Anonymous - 2011
    For hundreds of years, versions of it have been known in oral and written form in Tibet, China, Central Asia, and across the eastern Silk Route. King Gesar, renowned throughout these areas, represents the ideal warrior. As a leader with his people's loyalty and trust, he conquers all their enemies and protects the peace. His life story, which is full of miracles and magic, is an inspiration and a spiritual example to the people of Tibet and Central Asia even today; Gesar's warrior mask can be seen in the town square and on the door of homes in towns and villages throughout this area.     As a Buddhist teaching story, the example of King Gesar is also understood as a spiritual allegory. The "enemies" in the stories represent the emotional and psychological challenges that turn people's minds toward greed, aggression, and envy, and away from the true teachings of Buddhism. These enemies graphically represent the different manifestations of the untamed mind. The teaching is that genuine warriors are not aggressive, but that they subjugate negative emotions in order to put the concerns of others before their own. The ideal of warriorship that Gesar represents is that of a person who, by facing personal challenges with gentleness and intelligence, can attain spiritual realization. This book contains volumes one through three, which tell of Gesar's birth, his mischievous childhood, his youth spent in exile, and his rivalry for the throne with his treacherous uncle.     The Gesar epic tells how the king, an enlightened warrior, in order to defend Tibet and the Buddhist religion from the attacks of surrounding demon kings, conquers his enemies one by one in a series of adventures and campaigns that take him all over the Eastern world. He is assisted in his adventures by a cast of heroes and magical characters who include the major deities of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the native religion of Tibet. Gesar fulfills the Silk Route ideal of a king by being both a warrior and a magician. As a magician he combines the powers of an enlightened Buddhist master with those of a shamanic sorcerer. In fact, at times the epic almost seems like a manual to train such a Buddhist warrior-magician.     In the story, the people and nation of Ling represent the East Asian notion of an enlightened society. There, meditation, magic, and the oral folk wisdom of a communal nomadic society are synchronized in a lifestyle harmonious with the environment, but ambitious for growth and learning and refined literate culture. Filled with magic, adventure, and the triumphs of this great warrior-king, the stories will delight all—young and old alike.     The Gesar epic is still sung by bards in Tibet. The words of the Gesar epic have never been translated into a Western language before.

Clodia Metelli: The Tribune's Sister


Marilyn B. Skinner - 2011
    Clodia, widow of the consul Metellus Celer, was one of severalprominent females who made a mark on history during the last decades of the Roman Republic. As the eldest sister of the populist demagogue P. Clodius Pulcher, she used her wealth and position to advance her brother's political goals. For that she was brutally reviled by Clodius' enemy, the orator M.Tullius Cicero, in a speech painting her as a scheming, debauched whore. Clodia may also have been the alluring mistress celebrated in the love poetry of Catullus, whom he calls Lesbia in homage to Sappho and depicts as beautiful, witty, but also false and corrupt. From Cicero's letters, finally, we receive glimpses of a very different woman, a great lady at her leisure. This study examines Clodia in the contexts of her family background, the societal expectations for a woman of her rank, and the turbulent political climate in which she operated. It weighs the value of the several kinds oftestimony about her and attempts to extract a picture as faithful to historical truth as possible. The manner in which Clodia was represented in writings of the period, and the motives of their authors in portraying her as they did, together shed considerable light on the role played by femalefigures in Roman fiction and historiography.

The Great American Awakening: Two Years that Changed America, Washington, and Me


Jim DeMint - 2011
    Senator Jim DeMint's The Great American Awakening chronicles two tumultuous years from the presidential election of 2008 through the mid-term elections of 2010. Untold insider views of the controversial stimulus bill passage, corporate takeovers, and lesser-known executive actions that epitomize political paybacks and moral decay will further motivate DeMint's fellow citizens to reclaim their government and country in 2012. Just as fascinating, the South Carolina official talks openly about his seized upon high profile moments—from that "Waterloo" comment regarding health care reform to becoming known as "Senator Tea Party." He also addresses close-to-home disappointments such as the infidelity of Christian friends like Governor Mark Sanford and Senator John Ensign, and shares personal spiritual insights that came from being part of such public battles. But more than anything, The Great American Awakening champions the American people who now feel a powerful stirring in their souls to take on Washington and realign politics in this nation. DeMint tracks grass-roots developments, and new movements like the Freedom Congress, fully expecting a fundamental sea change for the better to happen soon.Acclaim for The Great American Awakening:"I have Senator DeMint on my show often because Americans know he'll tell the truth about what's wrong in Washington. His latest book is a riveting account about the fight for fiscal sanity in Congress. It's essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why so many Americans clued in and got involved with the Tea Party Movement in the last election. Senator DeMint was a huge part of this and I only hope he is as involved in the 2012 race for the White House as he was this past election."Sean Hannity, host of the nationally syndicated Sean Hannity Radio show and "Hannity" on Fox News

My First Legends: the Story of Bluebonnet


Tomie dePaola - 2011
    Tomie dePaola's wonderful story of how one girl's remarkable courage saved her people, and how the bluebonnet flower came to Texas is now available for young children! Adapted from the bestselling The Legend of the Bluebonnet, this board book features an appliqu? on the cover and beautiful illustrations by Tomie dePaola.

Sylvia & Aki


Winifred Conkling - 2011
    When Sylvia and her brothers are not allowed to register at the same school Aki attended and are instead sent to a “Mexican” school, the stage is set for Sylvia’s father to challenge in court the separation of races in California’s schools. Ultimately, Mendez vs. Westminster School District led to the desegregation of California schools and helped build the case that would end school segregation nationally.Through extensive interviews with Sylvia and Aki—still good friends to this day—Winifred Conkling brings to life two stories of persistent courage in the face of tremendous odds.

The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 1: The Witnesses: A Novel


Sharon Ewell Foster - 2011
    . . Leading a small army of slaves, Nat Turner was a man born with a mission: to set the captives free. When words failed, he ignited an uprising that left over fifty whites dead. In the predawn hours of August 22, 1831, Nat Turner stormed into history with a Bible in one hand, brandishing a sword in the other. His rebellion shined a national spotlight on slavery and the state of Virginia and divided a nation’s trust. Turner himself became a lightning rod for abolitionists like Harriet Beecher Stowe and a terror and secret shame for slave owners. In The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 1: The Witnesses, Nat Turner’s story is revealed through the eyes and minds of slaves and masters, friends and foes. In their words is the truth of the mystery and conspiracy of Nat Turner’s life, death, and confession. The Resurrection of Nat Turner spans more than sixty years, sweeping from the majestic highlands of Ethiopia to the towns of Cross Keys and Jerusalem in Southampton County. Using extensive research, Sharon Ewell Foster breaks hallowed ground in this epic novel, revealing long-buried secrets about this tragic hero.

Cinderella: An Islamic Tale


Fawzia Gilani - 2011
    This humble version of the classic fairy tale is a gentle reminder that victory comes as much from a peaceful soul as a beautiful dress and a dramatic confrontation." - Luxury ReadingCinderella is one of the oldest, best-known, and most loved stories worldwide, with hundreds of cultural variants and re-tellings from ancient Egypt and China to the present day. In this version we follow the trials and tribulations of the sweet, gentle, and pious Zahra when her parents die and she is left at the mercy of an uncaring stepmother and stepsisters. This is a well-crafted Islamic version of the classic tale in which faith, goodness, and prayer are rewarded in the end. The charming, richly detailed illustrations of Shireen Adams, set in medieval Andalusia, help bring the text to life.

Shame Travels: A Family Lost, a Family Found


Jasvinder Sanghera - 2011
    One day, he promised to take her there so she could meet her half-sister, Bachanu, who had stayed behind. But at the age of sixteen - as she so vividly related in her bestseller Shame - Jasvinder ran away from home to escape a forced marriage. Her parents disowned her. 'Shame travels...' her father told her. Although her mother took all her other daughters to meet the extended family in the Punjab, Jasvinder was never allowed to go. With her own daughter about to marry, Jasvinder decides to challenge thirty years of rejection by going to India herself. She wants to explore her roots and to see for herself the place her parents called home until the day they died. What Jasvinder finds in India and what she learns changes the way she sees the world, and has important lessons for all of us. SHAME TRAVELS is not only a gripping and revealing quest, but also an inspirational journey of the heart.

A Black Girl's Poetry for the World


Kimberly LaRocca - 2011
    Poetry on Love and Life

Colores de la Vida: Mexican Folk Art Colors in English and Spanish


Cynthia Weill - 2011
    Especially new words. Colores de la Vida—the third in the highly successful series First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art—combines all these elements to teach early learners about color. Leggy red giraffes, pink cows, purple rabbits—the Oaxacan folk artists who contributed to this book unleashed their imaginations and went wild with color. Young children will delight in the bright colors of the Oaxacan rainbow while folk art collectors will marvel at the whimsical handcrafts.But the simplicity of a book like Colores de la Vida belies the years of research and thoughtful intercultural communication with third-world artists done by Cynthia Weill. As an art historian, she has always been interested in the crafts of developing nations. Weill's intention with Colores de la Vida—and its predecessors in the series, ABeCedarios and Opuestos—has been to find an educational purpose for the work of Oaxacan artisans. She hopes to open up a larger, more international market for their craft.Cynthia Weill is a professor and mentor to teachers at Columbia University's Teachers College. She also owns a business—Aid to Women Artisans—that promotes the craftwork of artisans from developing countries. Colores de la Vida is her third book in the First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series.

Death in a Scarlet Gown


Lexie Conyngham - 2011
    An ancient Scottish university is wracked by murder. A vindictive professor, a man seeking ministry, and an uncouth student lie dead. But who wanted to kill them? Charles Murray, a student with enough problems of his own, is drawn into the mystery, where neither tragic accidents nor good friends are what they seem. Death in a Scarlet Gown is first in the Murray of Letho series.

Tutu: Authorized


Allister Sparks - 2011
    Written by Allister Sparks, Tutu: Authorized featuring contributions from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Barack Obama, and Nelson Mandela, as well as interviews given by Reverend Mpho Tutu, Desmond Tutu’s daughter, to world leaders and public figures including Hillary Clinton, Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, Bono, Richard Branson, and F.W. de Klerk. A stirring exploration and graphically rich presentation of one of the world’s most inspirational and altruistic figures, Tutu: Authorized overflows with illuminating revelations about Tutu’s life and resonates with insights into how we can each work to improve peace, fairness, and happiness in the world around us.

Signs of the South


Narielle Living - 2011
    When she moves to Paterson, Virginia, though, she quickly discovers that, though the signs might be gone, some of the attitudes remain...Accepting her first job as a college professor in a different state is supposed to be the start of a new life as Ella heals from the death of her mother. Trying to balance preparations for the new semester with incessant phone calls from her abrasive sister Lisa is difficult enough before complications appear. Someone already hates her enough to vandalize her house, and there's a constant supply of unannounced visitors, like her enigmatic landlord, her eccentric older neighbor, a handsome police officer, and a ghost.Of the three, the ghost is the real problem. It appears in her dreams, it appears in person. It makes a mess.Ella needs to know how this young Black woman became a ghost if she ever wants to have a peaceful night in her new home. Working to find out who is threatening her and why, she can't help wondering about the irony of seeing other people's ghosts - but not her own mother, whom she desperately misses. As the history of the town of Paterson and the house she lives in is uncovered, Ella wonders if the past is truly the past and questions what will happen once she finds the truth about the events of 1960.

What's for Lunch?


Andrea Curtis - 2011
    It's one of the basic building blocks of life. In What's for Lunch, Andrea Curtis reveals the variety and inequality to be found in the food consumed by young people in typical school lunches from thirteen countries around the world, including Japan, Kenya, Russia, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Afghanistan.In some countries, the meals are nutritious and well-balanced. In others they barely satisfy basic nutrition standards.

Tia Isa Wants a Car


Meg Medina - 2011
    A shiny green car the same color as the ocean, with wings like a swooping bird. A car to take the whole family to the beach. But saving is hard when everything goes into two piles - one for here and one for Helping Money, so that family members who live far away might join them someday. While Tía Isa saves, her niece does odd jobs for neighbors so she can add her earnings to the stack. But even with her help, will they ever have enough? Meg Medina’s simple, genuine story about keeping in mind those who are far away is written in lovely, lyrical prose and brought to life through Claudio Muñoz’s charming characters.

Dart and the Squirrels


Nicole Izmaylov - 2011
    You may not think much of a grizzled old German Shepherd with a torn ear and a nasty bite, but, trust me, when you've spent your whole life dogging it out in the pound, you learn appearances can be deceiving. I mean, just look at that squirrel. Nutty, crazy, you name it. If that sly squirrel isn't chewing up Banshee's homework and blaming me, she's stealing my food, following me around the house, stealing my food, biting my tail, and, did I mention the worst part, stealing my food! This is outrageous! A proud purebred-okay, semi-purebred-German Shepherd such as myself can't stand for this! I'll sit. Hey, since you're here, why don't you listen up to my complaints? All my doggy pals like them-and their reviews are a little "ruff."