And whether yours are mildly annoying, utterly debilitating or emotionally complicated, most of us have at one time or another asked: Why?!This warm, light-hearted, real, honest and at times surprising book gives a biblical perspective on menstruation, as well as a whole lot more. Beginning with periods, Rachel Jones takes readers on an adventure in theology, weaving together wide-ranging reflections on the nature of our bodies, the passing of time, the purpose of pain, and the meaning of life.One thing is for sure: you've never read a Christian book quite like this one.Whether you're in need of hope and help, or are just downright curious, you'll be refreshed and encouraged by this book. As Rachel puts it, "Whoever you are, my aim is that you reach the end of this book celebrating who God has made you, how God has saved you, and the fact that he speaks liberating and positive truth into all of life's experiences (even periods)".

    The next twenty years would be a study in Murphy’s Law—whatever could go wrong did. Just when things seem at their worst—he's losing his farm, his relationship with his wife is crumbling—a miracle happens: Murphy gets a chance to reboot his life.Back in his teenaged body in 1991, he realizes by changing his past, he can have the future he always wanted. Everything he lost is within his reach, even his high-school sweetheart.But what about the devoted wife he left behind? Torn between two women—two lives—he can only choose one future. Murphy must decide if getting everything he’s ever wanted is worth giving up everything he’s ever had…

    Back then, she was a smart, feisty girl who landed a spot on War Stories, one of the hottest literary reviews in the nation. Her straitlaced military family didn't envision a stint as a war correspondent as the proper venue for their well-protected daughter, and much preferred that she settle down with someone reliable, like Al White. And so she does, but not before she lives just a little... Diane, her daughter, is a woman in the middle in every way, juggling her growing jewelry business with the demands of her husband and children with admirable aplomb... until the day the FBI comes knocking on their door, asking about her mother... Julia, Diane's daughter and a student at the prestigious Gressex Academy, has a secret of her own. She has fallen in love with Sam Weyborn - with a passion only possible when one is eighteen. Nothing matters more than being with him, and she's willing - despite her mother's deep concern - to risk everything to be with him forever. Three generations of women - grandmother, mother, daughter - each at a turning point, each linked by the secrets they discover about themselves and each other, secrets that reach back to the days of World War II and some of the most exciting times of this century. For each, the process of discovery will be an unforgettable one - dramatic, heart-wrenching, but ultimately healing - and one that will bring them together in a way nothing before in their lives has. Not since her classic Three Women at the Water's Edge has Nancy Thayer created a generational novel this memorable. Whether you're just discovering Nancy Thayer or have been a devoted reader for years, Family Secrets is a richly textured, wholly adsorbing story that will ring true for women of all ages.

    

    Lawrence classic story of the lady who embarks on an affair with the gamekeeper in order to fulfil the physical side of her marriage to a paralyzed husband.

    His magnificent Stranger to the Moon portrays a world that seems to exist outside history and geography, but taps into the dark myths and collective subconscious of his country’s harrowing inequality and violence. A parable of pointed social criticism, with naked humans imprisoned in a house to serve the needs of “the vicious clothed-ones,” the novel describes what ensues when a single “naked-one” privately rebels, risking his own death and that of his fellow prisoners. Each subsequent section of the book adds further layers to the ritualistic and bizarre social order that its characters inhabit. Trained insects and reptiles spy on all the naked-ones, and only the most fortunate reach old age (often by taking up strategic spots near the kitchen and grabbing for the fiercely contested food). Stranger to the Moon is a powerfully brave and distinctive novel by a writer who is arguably Colombia’s greatest living author.

    In a new preface, editor and translator Robert Bly explores what the poems reveal today about politics, the spirit, and the purpose of art.

    One essay discusses the historical events that surround Angelou's life: the civil rights, black power, and black arts movements as well as the emergence of black women's literature. Another provides a survey of the major pieces of criticism on Caged Bird, paying special attention to the book's early reception and how it fits in the autobiographical genre and the history of slave narratives, as well as issues of race, gender, aesthetics, and identity. The third essay discusses the struggle for black identity through readings of both Caged Bird and James Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk.

    Young men serving time in a detention center must discover themselves and find their own strength in this School Library Journal Best Book.

    -- Washington Post Book WorldA finalist for the National Book Award for her 1995 novel, La casa de la laguna, Rosario Ferre is one of Latin America's most original andimportant writers. In the four stories that make up Maldito amor Ferre explores the history of political and cultural struggle in her native Puerto Rico through one family, the aristocratic and contentious De la Valles.The title story tells of the piratical Don Julio; his son, Nino Ubaldino, patriot and politician; andUbaldino's two sons, who are locked in a fight to the death over control of the Diamond Dust sugar mill andof the woman both men love. The other three stories follow the lives of later generations of the De la Valles, together creating a drama in four parts that raises fascinating issues of independence, religion, and race, imbued with all of Ferre's characteristic wit and verve."Marvelous, spellbinding". -- Chicago Tribune"A superb storyteller". -- Library Journal

    Only the fourth book of Peri Rossi’s to be translated into English—the others are The Ship of Fools, A Forbidden Passion, and Dostoevsky’s Last Night—Solitaire of Love showcases the mesmerizingly rhythmic language that has become the trademark of this award-winning and prolific author of novels, essay collections, poetry, and short stories. Tracing the course of a relationship as it evolves into uncompromising self-destruction, the narrator of Solitaire of Love becomes addicted to his own passion and to the body of his beloved. Erotic, romantic love becomes bewitchment, producing a heightened state where time is measured in the rhythms of a chosen body and pride becomes subservient to obsession. The specifics of this other body trump any claim to ordinary existence for the narrator, as sex becomes a kind of idolatrous slavery and love becomes a mechanism for self-immolation. As in Peri Rossi’s other works, an ambiguous sense of gender and sexuality arise from her uniquely experimental prose and mystically erotic logic. Language is subsumed into this process as a way to bear witness, to transfix and capture the love object. The limbo of obsession, as described by Peri Rossi, creates an infantilizing brand of loneliness, broken by flashes of joy, insight, fury, and fear. This novel was originally published in Spanish in 1988.

    The lives of a fourteen-year-old Mexican prostitute, living in the United States illegally, and a wealthy American girl intersect in a dramatic way.

    We're smart, we've inherited classic good looks, we wear fantastic clothes, and we know how to party. We can't help it-we were born this way. Our story begins with three inseparable, completely gorgeous fifteen-year-olds, Serena van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf, and Nate Archibald. Blair's loved Nate and his glittering green eyes since she was in Bonpoint onesies. Too bad Nate wishes Blair's beautiful best friend, Serena, was the one with the crush. And Serena has a secret she's keeping from them both. Hmmm, something tells me these best friends may not be as close as we thought. . . . How do I know all this? Because I know everything-and lucky for you, I can't keep a secret. So sit back while I untangle this messy little tale and tell you how it all began. Admit it, you're already falling for me. You know you love me. gossip girl

    It was the last her family and friends saw of her for over eighteen years. On 26 August 2009, Dugard, her daughters, and Phillip Craig Garrido appeared in the office of her kidnapper's parole officer in California. Their unusual behaviour sparked an investigation that led to the positive identification of Jaycee Lee Dugard, living in a tent behind Garrido's home. During her time in captivity, at the age of fourteen and seventeen, she gave birth to two daughters, both fathered by Garrido. Dugard's memoir is written by the 30-year-old herself and covers the period from the time of her abduction in 1991 up until the present. In her stark, utterly honest and unflinching narrative, Jaycee opens up about what she experienced, including how she feels now, a year after being found. Garrido and his wife Nancy have since pleaded guilty to their crimes.

    This process will allow you to rapidly build comprehension and confidence as you enjoy the stories."Easy Spanish Reader" begins with the story of two high-school seniors involved with their Spanish Club. As you read about their experiences, you'll discover the nuances of language and culture right along with the students.The next section contains a colorful history of Mexico, from the Conquistadors to the present, including vivid depictions of Cortes's encounters with the Aztecs. The last section is comprised of an abridged version of the classic story "Lazarillo de Tormes," which allows you to practice your grammar and vocabulary skills on a great work of Spanish literature. Progressive format makes it easy to quickly build comprehension Marginal word glossaries conveniently present new words and phrases Exercises challenge language comprehension and build reading skills Fully updated new editions, featuring expanded exercises and answer key "