Bøker utgitt av Interlink Publishing Group, Inc

A historical novel that shifts between contemporary Cairo and Ancient Iraq.Hisham Al Khattab is Yazid ibn Abih. At least he thinks he is. Some 13 centuries separate the two, but in the despaired mind of Hisham Al Khattab, and through the magical power of dreams, Hisham is Yazid.Hisham, who is passionate about ancient manuscripts and lives off the antique book trade, is haunted by a dream in which he sees angels picking all the jasmine flowers in Basra. However, this dream is listed and interpreted in a very old book that he loves: it would be the premonitory sign of the disappearance of all the thinkers of the city. Prey to fantasies, he constantly navigates between two worlds: contemporary Cairo where he lives and Basra at the end of the 8th century, a fascinating city and a major intellectual and religious center of the nascent Islamic empire.In this parallel world, Hisham meets a character in whom he recognizes his double, a man named Yazid Ibn Abihi, who frequents the circle of rationalist theologians and adopts their doctrines, later harshly opposed by orthodoxy. A strong friendship immediately links him with one of their disciples, and their story—made of terrible betrayals—then becomes the pivot of the novel. The author alternates scenes, periods, and interior monologues, and masterfully handles levels of language, giving her story a polyphonic dimension. In passing, she manages to finely address certain theological questions debated at the time, notably the creation by God of human acts. A message, perhaps, emerges here, in resonance with Hisham’s dream: if there is no longer jasmine in the orchards of Basra, it is because with the closure of the sacred texts on themselves, Muslim religious thought has gradually become ossified.In this almost historical fiction, dream and reality are one and the same, and the boundaries between reason and madness are dangerously shifting. Similarly to the life of Yazid bin Abih, the life of Hisham is tainted with violence—a violence so crude, it strangely gives reality to the tales of the 8th century.With her fluid writing, Mansoura Ez-Eldin beautifully shifts from contemporary Egypt to ancient Iraq, fleshing them both out with few but so specific details, that the scenes come alive in the reader’s mind. Like the jasmine that repeatedly falls to the ground, there seems to be no end to the downfall of the likes of Hisham and Yazid, or to the fall of Ulamas, the men of knowledge.

Shortlisted for the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize/The Pitt Poetry Series“In The Lives of Rain, Nathalie Handal has brought forth a work of radical displacement and uncertainty, moving continent to continent, giving voice to Palestinians of the diaspora in the utterance of one fiercely awake and compassionate, who, against warfare, occupation and brutality offers her native language, olives, wind, a herd of sheep or a burning mountain, radio music, a butterfly’s gaze. It is a poetry of never arriving, of villages erased from the maps, of tattooed waistlines and kalishnikovs, a goat and a corpse cut open side by side, where every house is a prison. In a spare, chiseled language without ornament, she writes an exilic lyric, fusing Arabic, English, Spanish and French into a polyglot testament of horror and survival. Habibti, que tal? she asks of those who wander country to country, while those left behind in Jenin, Gaza City, and Bethlehem inhabit a continued past of blood/of jailed cities. Her subject is memory and forgetting, the precariousness of identity and the fragility of human community; it is the experience of suffering without knowledge of its end. Handal is a poet of deftly considered paradoxes and reversals, sensory evocations and mysteries left beautifully unresolved. Hers is a language seared by history and marked by the impress of extremity; so it is suffused with a rare species of wisdom. — From the Foreword by Carolyn Forché

A young woman's quest for a better education results in a case of modern-day slavery, written by the award-winning author of Swallow and Everything Good Will Come.What’s in a name?…When Gift escapes the limited options of her small city in Nigeria for the chance to attend college in the U.S., she never imagines she could get entangled in an international controversy about domestic servitude. Refusing to blame or be labeled, Gift draws on her deep well of self respect, determined to write her own story.

"Rosâe is the wine that has experienced the most progress in recent years. It is inclusive, unsnobbish, and is a marker of the good life. Like rosâe wine, Rosâe Revolution is easy to embrace."--Provided by publisher.

Inspiring stories of 20 abolitionists who risked their lives so others would be free.In Defiance is a corrective. American history has historically suffered from the systematic effort of many in power to suppress the stories of those whose lives serve as models for those who came after—models of conscience, activism, and dedication to the cause of the abolition of enslavement. Following an introduction to the history of enslavement in the Americas, twenty people’s lives, Black and white, men and women, are profiled in order to convey the monumental commitment—its source and its expression—they carried with them throughout their lives. Those people—and the circumstances that influenced, inspired, and motivated them to risk their well-being and their lives for the freedom and equality of enslaved people—are conveyed in vivid vignettes, often including their own words. Their stories are an antidote to the numerous attempts being made to deny, suppress, erase, and whitewash the actual people and events that occurred and that, in the telling, can cause discomfort. These stories need to be shared and recounted in classrooms. They are intended “to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted” as Black and white people will experience them differently, a significant reason for the authors’ choice to write the book together. The book’s other primary purpose is to inspire and embolden readers to make John Lewis’s “good trouble” and Drew Gilpin-Faust’s “necessary trouble” in the face of on-going racism, now 160 years after the proclamation that accomplished at least some of the defiant quest of the men and women whose stories the book contains. The authors bring their life experiences and activism into the telling of the stories and into the decisions about what to focus upon in the telling. It is their hope that readers will benefit from the two voices and see the importance of having such stories resonate with all people, regardless of race. As you read, consider the obstacles faced by the people profiled and then imagine what it will take for you to become an advocate for racial justice. Then take whatever action you deem necessary and remember those who came before.

A picture book about the life and career of an unforgettable Arab icon, Umm Kulthum, the most powerful voice in the Arab world.Umm Kulthum was an iconic Arab singer whose powerful voice captivated the region for over five decades. Admired by the likes of Maria Callas, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, and Bono, she became a symbol of cultural pride.Born to a poor village sheikh in Egypt, she defied social norms of her time, convincing her parents to send her to school to learn to read and recite the Qur’an. Disguised as a boy, she toured the countryside with her father, singing at religious events until her voice could no longer be hidden, earning her early fame.Determined to succeed, Umm Kulthum moved to Cairo, where she overcame initial ridicule to become a celebrated artist. She collaborated with Egypt’s top poets and musicians, mastering her craft and mesmerizing audiences with her long, soulful performances. Her perfect pronunciation and deep connection to the Arabic language endeared her to millions, earning her titles like "The Lady," "Egypt’s Fourth Pyramid," 'The Mother of Arabs", and "The Star of the East."This trailblazing story is told for children for the first time by award-winning author, Rhonda Roumani in collaboration with Egyption illustrator Ahmed Abdelmohsen.

"An adventure-packed historical folkloric novel about a Palestinian girl who develops great healing skills and travels around the region on a daring journey across empires."--

A tale of love and passion in medieval Baghdad.It is spring of the year 830. Baghdad, the capital of a vast Islamic empire, is one of the world’s most glorious cities. Its ruler is an intellectual, a forward-thinking caliph who champions reason and the pursuit of knowledge against the forces of ignorance and superstition. The Caliph’s court has become a dazzling academy of poets, musicians, philosophers, and theologians—a picture of a vibrant, self confident, pleasure-loving society. Yet, it bears the fateful seeds of future strife. The Sunni-Shia divide, religious fanaticism, and the stirrings of Islamist extremism all started then. These themes emerge as the story of a passionate love that ends in murder unfolds. The book opens with the Caliph at death’s door, struck down by a mysterious illness. His condition worsens as physicians desperately search for a cure. Only Abu Mansour al-Tabrizi, Baghdad’s most famous doctor, is able to diagnose the cause. The Caliph’s malady is a love-sickness akin to madness for a beautiful, young woman named Murjana. It is an affliction with only one remedy: marriage. But Murjana is from a Shia family, and such a union could pose danger to a Sunni caliph and a Sunni society. From the start, forces are at play which threaten the caliph's happiness. And yet the controversial marriage of Murjana and the Caliph goes ahead and captures Baghdad under its spell. The story of their love becomes an ode to the power of passion to erase boundaries. But enmity and vengeance stalk them, and only when tragedy strikes does division and conflict reveal their futility.

An informative and east-to-digest companion that everyone should read to understand the events in the regions of Palestine and Israel in the last 75 years.If you have ever wondered “Why is there so much violence in the Middle East?”, “Who are the Palestinians?”, “What are the occupied territories?” or “What does Israel want?”, then this is the book for you.With straightforward language, Phyllis Bennis, longtime analyst of the region, answers basic questions about Israel and Israelis, Palestine and Palestinians, the US and the Middle East, Zionism and anti-Semitism; about complex issues ranging from the Oslo peace process to the election of Hamas to the Goldstone Report and the Palestinians’ UN initiatives. Together her answers provide a comprehensive understanding of the longstanding relationship between Palestine and Israel.This new edition will cover an in-depth history of events, bringing readers right up to the catastrophe beginning on October 7th, 2023.

"Operation Enduring Freedom on October 7, 2001 marked the beginning of the so-called "War on Terror" in Afghanistan, which to date has become the longest war fought by the USA and its allies, with thousands of deaths and injuries. For the first time, Emran Feroz describes this 20-year war from an inner Afghan perspective. From speaking to Hamid Karzai and Taliban officials to interviews with affected citizens who suffered the most from this war, this important book gives a true picture from a non-western point of view-one that is rarely heard in mainstream media reporting. It makes one thing more than clear: The US's "Saigon moment" in Kabul in August 2021 was more than foreseeable." --

The vegetarian cuisine of the Middle East and North Africa is a treasure chest of pungent herbs and spices. Explore 330 delicious vegetarian recipes in this incredible cookbook. The vegetarian cuisine of the Middle East and North Africa is a treasure chest of pungent herbs and spices, aromatic stews and soups, chewy falafels and breads, couscous, stuffed grape leaves, greens and vegetables, hummus, pizzas, pies, omelets, pastries and sweets, smooth yogurt drinks, and strong coffees. Originally the food of peasants too poor for meat, vegetarian cooking in the Middle East developed over thousands of years into a culinary art form influenced both by trade and invasion. It is as rich and varied in its history as it is in flavor—culinary historians estimate the Arab kitchen has over 40,000 dishes!Now noted food writer Habeeb Salloum has culled 330 savory jewels from this never-ending storehouse to create The Complete Middle Eastern Vegetarian—a rich, healthful, and economical introduction to flavors and aromas that have stood the test of time.

Poison in the Air, Jabbour Douaihy's final novel, chronicles the decades of social, political, and economic turmoil leading up to and including the recent collapse of his beloved Lebanon after the horrific explosion that occurred at the Port of Beirut in 2020. Douaihy brings a multitude of bottled-up toxicity to the surface, as though he is writing his last letter to the world, or a suicide note for Lebanon, as he paints a picture of a society marching down a path to self-destruction.

Essential reading for travelers who wish to enjoy the amazing diversity of Australia. The ancient Aboriginal way of life is described; early European sightings; and the establishment of the British convict colony in 1788, which dragged the continent into the modern world. The dynamic story of Australia in the twentieth century, its role in two world wars, the post-war discoveries of huge mineral deposits, its courting of Asia in recent decades, the return of vast areas of land to the Aborigines, and its confident cultural vibrancy in wine, food, film, and art are also examined.

"War came to Ukraine in February 2022; it was uninvited--although not entirely unexpected given Russia's steady, massive troop build-up on Ukraine's eastern border over the winter. When war exploded, millions of people around the world watched it compulsively on television"--

"The Wall Between is a book about the wall that exists between Jewish and Palestinian communities in the Diaspora. Distrust, enmity, and hate are common currencies. They manifest at university campuses, schools and school boards, at political events, on social media, and in academic circles. For Jews, Israel must exist; for Palestinians, the historic injustice being committed since 1948 must be reversed. Neither wants to know why the Other cannot budge on these issues. The wall is up. These responses emanate, primarily, from the two "metanarratives" of Jews and Palestinians: the Holocaust and the Nakba. Virtually every response to the struggle, from a member of either community, can be traced back to issues of identity, trauma, and victimhood as they relate to their respective metanarrative. This book examines the role that propaganda and disinformation play in cementing trauma-induced fears for the purpose of making the task of humanizing and acknowledging the Other not just difficult, but almost inconceivable. The authors utilize recent cognitive research on the psychological and social barriers that keep Jews and Palestinians in their camps, walled off from each other. They present a clear way through, one that is justice-centered, rather than trauma-and propaganda-driven." --

"Buddhism: a journey through art chronicles art and artefacts from the first to the twentieth century in a celebration of the artistic exchange of culture as Buddhism spread through Asia. Featuring a selection of over 300 of the most important works that exemplify a rich and diverse array of Buddhist art, each accompanied by stunning photographs, the book establishes the significance of every piece in antiquity, highlighting the stylistic and iconographic traits of the art objects as well as the distinctive features of their historical-cultural milieu. Buddhism: a journey through art showcases astonishingly diverse and exquisitely rendered artistic production in the Asian Buddhist world over two millennia. This important book showcases the magnificent array of visual mythology, sculpture, and iconography deriving from the various Buddhist communities found around the world."--

"This is the story of two parallel journeys in cities far apart. A mother and a son leave their home for a better day, while a father and a daughter leave their home for a safer day. The concerns of the parents are almost the same as they watch over their kids, but their experiences are sadly very different. The father and daughter are fleeing a city devastated by war, leaving their home--and beloved goldfish--behind. All through their journey the goldfish follows them as a symbol of longing and hope. The two families' paths finally cross on a Ferris wheel and, as they go round and round, trading places with each other, we understand that we are all connected."--

"A raw and courageous memoir of the 1948 war and its aftermath and searing personal journey to uncover the suppressed traumas, facts, and myths that undergird the so-called Israeli-Palestinian conflict When author Linda Dittmar stumbles upon the ruins of an abandoned Palestinian village, she is faced with a past that sits uneasily with her Israeli childhood memories-and the history she was raised never to question. Tracing Homelands is an intimate, beautifully written account that uncovers inconvenient truths about an embattled Israeli-Palestinian history that is often buried in silence. Its eloquently personal voice charts a reluctant eyewitness' journey to uncover the ruins of Palestinian villages destroyed in the 1948 war, while weaving flashbacks to the author's Israeli youth and Zionist upbringing. A braided narrative told with empathy and unflinching honesty, it reflects on the Palestinian and Jewish lives entwined in this searing history. As Dittmar revisits the sites and sights of her childhood, her intimate understanding of the 1948 war and its aftermath opens up an inquiry into the language and silence, the seeing and willed not-seeing, that have been obscuring the Nakba and holding peace hostage. Spanning six decades of this history (1942-2008), this story of war and dispossession rests on deep attachment to a land that is claimed by both people. Here the land itself speaks its own truths: a tale told in rocks and mud, pine forests and parched summer grass, and vibrant modernity amid derelict sentinels of its past"--

With beautiful location photography and delicious recipes, this stunning cookbook from Fiona Dunlop is an enthralling Andalusian culinary journey from sierra to sea.An enthralling Andalusian culinary journey from sierra to sea.For nearly eight centuries from 711 to 1492, Moorish rule in Andalusía brought about a revolution in Spanish culture, resulting in architectural splendors like the Alhambra as well as a rich culinary history. Andaluz is a quest to illustrate the legacy of the Arabs and Berbers in the kitchens of southern Spain today.Couscous, rice, eggplant, oranges, apricots, marzipan, and a wealth of spices are just a few ever-present ingredients that owe their influence to the Moorish people—along with a meticulous attention to the cultivation of olive varieties that Andalusía is renowned for. By digging deep into traditional dishes, scouring markets, and learning from home cooks, local tavern owners, and Michelin-starred restaurant chefs, Fiona Dunlop offers a vivid gastronomic window on this region. Entries from the author’s travel diary accompany sumptuous recipes—from Granada in the east to Córdoba at its heart and Seville in the south—bringing a taste of Moorish Spain to kitchens everywhere.With beautiful food and location photography Andaluz is bound to become the cookbook you will visit time and time again.

"Read this book from front to back or back to front"--Cover.

"Marcelo and Julio show determination and strength every day as they cross the border from Venezuela to Colombia to attend a better school in this empowering picture book. Marcelo and her cousin Julio live in Venezuela, but every day they get up at dawn to make the arduous journey to cross the border to their school in Colombia. Some days are harder than others and some days they can't even make it home. But for the amazing students of Venezuela, it is worth it since they know that the more they are able to learn, the more opportunities they will have. The stories told in the Against All Odds picture book series are true stories of brave boys and girls from different parts of the world, who, with their small everyday actions, beat the odds and achieve something great. The series is intended to promote diversity and acceptance by exposing children to kids' stories from faraway places facing unique situations or overcoming prejudice"--