In 1879, armed only with
their spears, their rawhide shields, and their incredible courage, the
Zulus challenged the might of Victorian England and, initially,
inflicted on the British the worst defeat a modern army has ever
suffered at the hands of men without guns. This definitive account of
the rise of the Zulu nation under the great ruler Shaka and its fall
under Cetshwayo has been acclaimed for its scholarship, its monumental
range, and its spellbinding readability. The story is studded with tales
of drama and heroism: the Battle of Isandhlwana, where the Zulu army
wiped out the major British column; and Rorke's Drift, where a handful
of British troops beat off thousands of Zulu warriors and won eleven
Victoria Crosses.
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This volume brings
together for the first time all the important primary documents in the
history of civil rights in the United States. Beginning in 1619, it
contains original texts on slavery, abolition, the Civil War,
Reconstruction, desegregation, the NAACP, and the black power movement. A
thought-provoking preface provides an overview of the developments in
civil rights law and public policy to the present day.
Many of
the documents included were previously scattered in hard-to-find
sources, not readily available to instructors and students. Civil Rights and African Americans
is the first collection of all the seminal texts of the civil rights
struggle, an invaluable scholarly reference and riveting reading for
anyone interested in the history of racial conflict in the United
States.
from Goodreads
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An unassailable case
that, in the eyes of history, Barack Obama will be viewed as one of
America’s best and most accomplished presidents.
Over the
course of eight years, Barack Obama amassed an array of historic
achievements. His administration saved the American economy from
collapse, expanded health insurance to tens of millions who previously
could not afford it, negotiated an unprecedented nuclear deal with Iran,
helped craft a groundbreaking international climate accord, reined in
Wall Street, launched a fundamental overhaul of our education system,
and formulated a new vision of racial progress. He has done all of this
despite a left that frequently disdained him as a sellout, and a
hysterical right that did everything possible to destroy his agenda,
even in instances when they actually agreed with what he was doing
before Obama was the one doing it.
Now, as the page turns to
possibly the most dangerous Commander in Chief in our history, Jonathan
Chait, one of America’s most incisive and meticulous political
commentators, digs deep into Obama’s record on major policy fronts—the
economy, the environment, domestic reform, health care, race, and
foreign policy—to demonstrate why history will judge our forty-fourth
president as among our greatest. Chait explains why so many observers,
from cynical journalists to disheartened Democrats, missed the enormous
evidence of progress amidst the smoke screen of extremist propaganda and
the confinement of short-term perspective. He also reveals why Obama’s
accomplishments will last despite the reactionary effort by Donald Trump
and the Republicans to extinguish them. And in its resounding defense
of Obama’s tenure, Audacity both makes clear his victories, and what we need to fight for next.
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The devastating story
of war through the eyes of a child soldier. Beah tells how, at the age
of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered
unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the
government army, and became a soldier.
My new friends have begun to suspect I haven’t told them the full story of my life.
“Why did you leave Sierra Leone?”
“Because there is a war.”
“You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?”
“Yes, all the time.”
“Cool.”
I smile a little.
“You should tell us about it sometime.”
“Yes, sometime.”
This
is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and
wielding AK-47s. Children have become soldiers of choice. In the more
than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated that there are
some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them.
What
is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a
killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by
journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But
until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who
came through this hell and survived.
In A Long Way Gone, Beah,
now twenty-five years old, tells a riveting story: how at the age of
twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered
unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the
government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was
capable of truly terrible acts.
This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty.
from Goodreads
Set in Mississippi at
the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle
to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of
racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie's story—Cassie Logan,
an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year
why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as
she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and
self-respect.
from Goodreads
His street name was
Daylight. But he was a nightmare. On the streets of New York, darkness
and violence reigned. Dimas "Daylight" Salaberrios popped his first pill
when he was eleven years old, and just days later, he was selling drugs
to his schoolmates. By fifteen, he was facing time at the notorious
Rikers Island Prison. It was never safe to turn your back, and Dimas saw
only one chance to survive: to become a street god. He would be the
richest, most powerful ruler in the hood . . . or die trying.But in one
terrifying moment, with a gun pointed at his head, Dimas had to decide:
How far would he go? Was he finished taking reckless chances to rule as a
god of the streets? Would he dare to entrust his life to the real
God--an even riskier path? Because that God would send Dimas back down
the darkest streets he'd ever known on a rescue mission after those
still in danger."Street God" is the true story of one man's
against-all-odds journey from the streets to the altar and back again. A
modern-day "The Cross and the Switchblade" for a new generation, it
reveals that we're never too far gone for God to change us--and shows
how a single spark can illuminate even the darkest existence.
from
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It is the spring weekend
of the Peach Blossom Festival in the tiny middle Georgia town of
Mulberry, but things are far from sweet for the Pines women. LaShawndra,
an eighteen-year-old hoochie-mama who wants nothing more out of life
than to dance in a music video, has messed up...again. But this time she
isn't sticking around to hear about it.
Not that her mother
seems to care; after all, Sandra is busy working on her real estate
career and on the local minister. It's LaShawndra's grandmother, Lily, a
former schoolteacher, principal, school board administrator, and highly
respected cornerstone of the Mulberry community, who is scouring the
streets at midnight looking for her granddaughter.
Over the
course of one weekend these three disparate women, guided by a trio of
unexpected spirits, will learn to face the pain in their lives and
discover that with reconciliation comes the healing they all desperately
seek. In this magical, deeply resonant novel, Tina McElroy Ansa goes
straight to the heart of women's relationships to reveal the soul that
bonds us all.
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This work of nonfiction
tells the whole story of the 1839 Amistad rebellion, from the capture of
the leader Cinque in Africa to the Middle Passage to Cuba, the revolt
of the 52 Africans and their capture, their long legal battle, and the
final return home of the 38 men and children left alive two years
later.The Amistad affair shook the nation with its fierce fight for
freedom by black people enslaved, and the support they were given by
abolitionist forces in the North. Behind the scenes were legal
manueverings and political ramifications: presidential aspirations in an
election year; the South's slave-based economy; and international
affairs. The ordeal of the Africans, however, penetrated the American
consciousness of the race question as never before. It brought before
the public this defining issue: Can one person be the property of
another?
Karen Zeinert looks carefully at the complexities of the
Amistad story and puts it firmly in the context of its times. A former
teacher, Zeinert has written many books on history, several of them for
Linnet.
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Do you want to study
the Bible on your own but find yourself overwhelmed by complicated,
cumbersome study methods? Are you a group leader looking for exciting
resources to bring new life to your teaching? Is your time in the Word
dry and lifeless, or do you find Scripture hard to understand? Victoria
Johnson--a busy speaker, teacher, author and mother--has discovered an
easy-to-follow method that has made Bible study come alive for her and
for many others she has taught. In this book she reveals seven practical
principles for study that can transform your life. Related with
passion, warmth, wisdom and humor, Johnson's step-by-step instructions
can help both individuals and groups discover the power of Bible study
for themselves. Originally published as Bible Study for Busy Women, this revised edition also includes a twelve-week study guide for small groups and study helps for leaders.
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Poet, writer, activist,
entertainer, professor: Maya Angelou is all of these. Her remarkable
story includes a childhood trauma, a leading role in an opera, her
activism in the civil rights movement, and her devotion to poetry,
writing, and teaching to promote the cause of all African-Americans.
Based in part on Maya's autobiography, this is the inspiring story of an
extraordinary woman.
"Pettit makes [Angelou's] stirring story accessible...while retaining a strong sense of Angelou's personal voice. --Booklist
from Goodreads
Critically acclaimed
biographies of history's most notable African Americans- Straightforward
and objective writing- Lavishly illustrated with photographs and
memorabilia- Essential for multicultural studies.
from
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"Dear Master" is
a rare firsthand look at the values, self-perception, and private life
of the black American slave. The fullest known record left by an
American slave family, this collection of more than two hundred
letters--including seven discovered since the book's original
appearance--reveals the relationship of two generations of the Skipwith
family with the Virginia planter John Hartwell Cocke.The letters, dating
from 1834 to 1865, fall into two groups. The first were written by
Peyton Skipwith and his children from Liberia, where they settled after
being freed in 1833 by Cocke, a devout Christian and enlightened
slaveholder. The letters, which tell of harsh frontier life, reveal the
American values the Skipwiths took with them to Africa, and express
their faith in Liberia's future and pride in their accomplishments.
The
second group of letters, written by George Skipwith and his daughter
Lucy, originate from Cocke's Alabama plantation, an experimental work
community to which Cocke sent his most talented, responsible slaves to
prepare them for the moral and educational challenges of emancipation.
George, a "privileged bondsman," was a slave driver. His letters about
the management of the plantation include reports on the slaves' conduct
and any disciplinary actions he took. Readers can sense George's pride
in his work and also his ambivalence toward his role as leader in the
slave hierarchy.
Lucy, Cocke's chief domestic slave, was the
plantation nurse and teacher. Her letters, filled with details about
spiritual, familial, and health matters, also display her skill at
exploiting her master's trust and her uncommon boldness, for she spoke
against whites to her master when she felt they hampered his slaves'
education.
"Dear Master" affirms that these slaves and
former slaves were not simply victims; they were actors in a complex
human drama. The letters imply trust and affection between master and
slave, but there were other motives as well for the letter-writing. The
Liberian Skipwiths needed American-made supplies; moreover, the whole
family may have viewed their relationship with Cocke as a chance to help
free other slaves. In his new preface, Miller reevaluates his book in
light of changes in the historiography of American slavery over the past
decade.
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An award-winning Washington Post
reporter explores the twisted path she traveled to find her place as a
confident black female in a world that values whiteness and maleness.
Here is a rich and insightful story of a life lived on the edge by a
woman formerly preoccupied with pleasing everyone but herself.
from
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