Book picks similar to
Perspectives on Nation-State Formation in Contemporary Africa by Godknows Boladei Igali
africa
political-science
non-fiction
first-reads
A History of Stone and Steel
Christopher Fisher - 2013
Driven by pain, a nightmare about work boots, and a sense of impending doom, Paul soon finds himself losing control over his words and actions, to disastrous and comical effect. In order to save his marriage, avenge his sister, and preserve his sanity, he must face the memory of the summer when he was twenty-one, when a tragic steel plant accident sent his life spinning off course. But in the process, Paul begins to suspect that the history he has written in his head may not be as accurate as he once believed.
Conversations with the Conroys: Interviews with Pat Conroy and His Family
Walter Edgar - 2015
As Conroy's writings have been rooted in autobiography more often than not, his readers have come to know and appreciate much about the once-secret dark familial history that has shaped Conroy's life and work. Conversations with the Conroys opens further the discussion of the Conroy family through five revealing interviews conducted in 2014–15 with Pat Conroy and four of his six siblings: brothers Mike, Jim, and Tim and sister Kathy. In confessional and often comic dialogs, the Conroys openly discuss the perils of being raised by their larger-than-life parents, USMC fighter pilot Col. Don Conroy (the Great Santini) and southern belle Peggy Conroy (née Peek); the complexities of having their history of abuse made public by Pat's books; the tragic death of their youngest brother, Tom; the chasm between them and their sister Carol Ann; and the healing, redemptive embrace they have come to find over time in one another. With good humor and often-striking candor, these interviews capture the Conroys as authentic and indeed proud South Carolinians, not always at ease with their place in literary lore, but nonetheless deeply supportive of Pat in his life and writing. Edited and introduced by the Palmetto State's pre-eminent historian, Walter Edgar, Conversations with the Conroys includes the first publications of Pat Conroy's interview with Edgar as the keynote address of the 2014 One Book, One Columbia citywide "big read" program, the unprecedented interview with the Conroy siblings for SCETV Radio's Walter Edgar's Journal, the resulting live Conroy Family Roundtable held at the 2014 South Carolina Book Festival, and a recent interview in Charleston following Pat Conroy's induction into the Citadel's Athletics Hall of Fame. This collection is augmented with an afterword from National Book Award–winning poet Nikky Finney and nearly fifty photographs, many from the Pat Conroy Archive in the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina Libraries, and published here for the first time. Through the resulting treasure trove of text and images, this volume is as much a keepsake for Conroy's legion of devoted fans as it is a wealth of insider information to broaden the understanding of readers and researchers alike of the idiosyncratic world of Pat Conroy and his family.
I am a Rockstar: An Expert Guide to Success
Uma Vanka - 2020
Reviewers of the book have recommended this as one of the best self-help books on Success, a self-help book that works, a guide that provides very simple steps, avoiding confusing mantras and a success book with something for everyone. Instead of listing boring textbook analogies, the author shares stories and experiences, making this an exciting and easy read.I am a Rockstar is your simple and end to end guide to Success, helping you to•Adopt positive thinking and winning attitude to succeed•Boost your self-confidence and self-belief•Control your life through a more straightforward, efficient, and productive perspective to life•Develop essential winning skills:::oEssential tools such as communication skills, leadership skills, negotiation skills, branding skills & presentation skillsoCritical life skills such as appreciation, discovering unknowns, turning weaknesses in
Let There Be Light: A true story
Karolina Robinson - 2016
And the name of that better life was Tom, a local gangster with the face of the devil himself.The next thing I saw was my mother's bloody face bashed into the ground and teeth scattered around her lifeless body.I looked at him and thought to myself- PLEASE, DON'T KILL ME.This story has haunted me all of my life, through the daily flashbacks and nightmares. It has taken me some time to build up the courage to let this story out of my heart.And now, with every single word I can live free. Finally.- Karolina -
Saved by Gracie: How a Rough-And-Tumble Rescue Dog Dragged Me Back to Health, Happiness, and God
Jan Dunlap - 2014
. . Author Jan Dunlap was suffering increasingly severe bouts of anxiety after a medical misdiagnosis slapped her in the face with an acute realization of the tenuous nature of human life. A degreed theologian, Jan found her personal faith in God and His promises severely shaken and her enthusiasm for life being replaced by growing fear and debilitating insecurity. Then a rescue-shelter black lab-mix by the name of Gracie came into her life as her daughter's new pet, and Jan determined to do whatever it took to provide both her daughter and the dog with the sense of security she herself no longer felt. She quickly discovered, however, that Gracie had her own agenda, and it was all dog. From chasing squirrels to jumping fences to the occasional roll in dead fish, Gracie taught Jan that life is for living, not dreading. As she began to realize that Gracie was helping her manage her anxiety, Jan also came to a new awareness of how a loving God provides healing through His own works of creation. Part memoir and part medical exploration of the truly healing gifts that God freely offers us through our interaction with animals and nature, Saved by Gracie is a story of God's redeeming love revealed at the paws of a dog.
The Bug Hunter
Ken Davenport - 2019
And only one man can stop it. The year is 2026 and up and down the Eastern seaboard of the United States a virulent toxin is killing people. What was initially believed to be food poisoning turns out to be a terrorist attack using genetically modified insects to poison the American food supply. For Gabriel Marx, news of the poisoning is eerily familiar. A Marine Corps veteran and trained viticulturist, Gabriel is now working as a vintner at Landmark Estates Winery in California, but was once part of a secret CIA effort to use insect vectors to destroy the Afghan Taliban’s poppy industry. He’s long feared that genetically synthesized toxins delivered by insects could be used as a terror weapon. One day a stream of black SUVs carrying the Secretary of Homeland Security shows up at the vineyard, and Gabriel is recruited to help the government respond to the attack. He is drawn into a complex web of rogue scientists with links to ISIS and Chechen terrorists, and discovers that an even more devastating attack is imminent. Merging cutting-edge synthetic biology with global politics and international terrorism, The Bug Hunter is both thriller and cautionary tale of how advances in technology can be used to turn nature itself into a devastating weapon.
Making the Case: How to Negotiate Like a Prosecutor in Work and Life
Kimberly Guilfoyle - 2015
Her father knew that he couldn’t possibly anticipate all the needs of his children alone so he set out to teach Kimberly how to advocate for herself and for her younger brother. He instructed her on how to ask for what she needed and how to build a strong case to get it. Those valuable childhood lessons helped Kimberly become the quick-thinking spitfire she is today. In Making the Case she weaves stories and anecdotes from her life and career with specific strategies that can help anyone set clear goals, communicate more effectively, and come out on top in any situation. Having been a prosecuting attorney, former First Lady of San Francisco and one of TV’s most sought-after legal analysts and opinion-shapers, Kimberly Guilfoyle is the quintessential expert at making the case. Now advocating for her readers, she shares tips on how to make the case for yourself in all realms of your life—personal and professional. Among the topics she advises on are:• Getting hired• Nailing a promotion• Navigating a mid-life career change• Managing personal finances• Advocating for your health• Minimizing family drama Told in her appealing and persuasive voice, combining personal experience and time-tested counsel, Making the Case is an invaluable guide to helping you get the most from your life at home and at work.
The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives: A Novel
Tim Darcy Ellis - 2020
When England's Sir Thomas More offers him the role of tutor to Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, he eagerly accepts.While publicly navigating life as a 'New Christian,' Vives is quickly drawn into the secretive and dangerous world of London's Jewish community. With a foot in each world, he is torn between the love of two women.Inside the Tudor court, the king and queen separately seek Vives's assistance to support their opposed demands. He must betray one to help the other, knowing his decision could cost him his life. Whom will he choose? Will his wily skills allow him to manipulate them both? Not only his survival but that of his family and his entire people hang in the balance.
Why Socialism Works
Harrison Lievesley - 2017
Please note this book only contains two words and is entirely satire.
Worship Changes Everything: Experiencing God’s Presence in Every Moment of Life
Darlene Zschech - 2015
But then comes Monday morning's commute and Tuesday afternoon's pile of laundry. How do we maintain a heart of worship in the daily grind?Darlene Zschech has spent her life thinking and teaching about worship. With wisdom and contagious joy, she shares her thoughts on what worship truly is and how it should invade every facet of our being. Everything we do can be an act of worship to the Lord, transforming our work, our friendships, our churches, our families. It's all about living in His presence--being aware of the Lord by our side and at work in our lives. Learn to live a life of worship. You will be amazed by the purpose and freedom it will bring.
Kimjongilia
Victor Fox - 2015
No one told her he was capriciously cruel and sexually deviant.Chinese guerrilla fighter Peter Chang, ordered to protect Kim Suk from her new husband, is an angry man haunted by his mother's death and his father's abandonment. No one told him he wasn't expected to survive his newest assignment in the Kim household.While the two secretly carry out their orders from different superiors, they become romantically entangled, each struggling to protect the other from the darkest secrets of conspiracy and manipulation.A Note From the PublisherAfter North Korea allegedly hacked Sony pictures, many publishers were afraid to publish this explosive book. To them, it was just too risky. Regardless of the warnings and threats, I have decided to go ahead and make this book available to you without censoring any information.
Not Without a Fight: The Autobiography
Helen Zille - 2016
She documents her early days in the Democratic Party and the Democratic Alliance, at a time when the party was locked in a no-holds-barred factional conflict. And she chronicles the intense political battles to become mayor of Cape Town, leader of the DA and premier of the Western Cape, in the face of dirty tricks from the ANC and infighting within her own party.This is a story about political intrigue and treachery, floor-crossing and unlikely coalitions, phone tapping and intimidation, false criminal charges and judicial commissions. It documents Zille’s courageous fight against corruption and state capture and her efforts to realign politics and entrench accountability. And it describes a mother’s battle to raise children in the pressured world of South African politics.This book is as frank, honest and unflinching as Helen Zille herself, and will appeal to anyone interested in the story of South African politics over the past fifty years.
Zumba: Ditch the Workout, Join the Party! The Zumba Weight Loss Program
Beto Pérez - 2009
Zumba! Created by celebrity fitness trainer Beto Perez, Zumba combines fun, easy-to-follow dance steps with hot Latin beats to help you shed pounds and inches fast. Now the DVD and classes that have hooked millions are available in book format, with a complete workout program, fat-burning diet, as well as a DVD with a 5-minute instructional demo that shows the basic moves you'll need to learn plus 60 minutes worth of music to help you Zumba your way to the perfect body. Using the principles of interval and resistance training, the simple dance and sculpting moves (inspired by the traditional cumbia, salsa, samba, and merengue) tone and shape your body. And because it burns 600 to 1,000 calories per hour, you don't have to restrict your meals to boring or bland-tasting diet foods. The Zumba diet begins with a 5-Day Express Diet to jump start weight loss (lose up to 9 lbs in 5 days) and then offers 14-day meal plans and recipes that target weight loss in the stomach and thighs. You'll find: Hot moves that make you feel like you're on the dance floor-not on the elliptical machine! Recipes for mouthwatering meals that boost your metabolism Dozens of workout combinations so you never get bored An exclusive jump-start program to get you ready for that big event next weekend An easy plan to help you keep up your progress and maintain the weight loss So start moving, grooving and losing with Zumba today!
Adventureman - Anyone Can Be a Superhero
Jamie McDonald - 2017
And he does it all dressed as the superhero, the Flash.Though his journey was both mentally and physically exhausting, it was the astounding acts of kindness and hospitality he encountered along the way that kept him going. Whether they gave him a bed for the night, food for the journey, a donation to his charity or companionship and encouragement during the long days of running, Jamie soon came to realise that every person who helped him towards his goal was a superhero too.
Buck: A Memoir
M.K. Asante - 2013
MK Asante was born in Zimbabwe to American parents: a mother who led the new nation’s dance company and a father who would soon become a revered pioneer in black studies. But things fell apart, and a decade later MK was in America, a teenager lost in a fog of drugs, sex, and violence on the streets of North Philadelphia. Now he was alone—his mother in a mental hospital, his father gone, his older brother locked up in a prison on the other side of the country—and forced to find his own way to survive physically, mentally, and spiritually, by any means necessary. Buck is a powerful memoir of how a precocious kid educated himself through the most unconventional teachers—outlaws and eccentrics, rappers and mystic strangers, ghetto philosophers and strippers, and, eventually, an alternative school that transformed his life with a single blank sheet of paper. It’s a one-of-a-kind story about finding your purpose in life, and an inspiring tribute to the power of education, art, and love to heal and redeem us.