Bøker utgitt av Interlink Publishing Group, Inc

Under the Gaze of Angels offers treasured views of family and neighborhood life, native to the Galilee, in the years leading up to and following the upheavals of 1948. A collection of four stories, told with simplicity and warmth, they include three set during the time of British mandate rule: "Zuha and the Book Vendor," "The English Gramophone," and "Yildiz the Turkish Woman." These are followed by the book's title work, a remembrance that travels from childhood to elder years, pursued by loss. Imagined or recalled in exile, these vivid, evocative mementos quietly disarm the violence that surrounds them, restoring a stolen past to memory under the gaze of angels.

Egyptians are relative newcomers to the United States. For thousands of years, ruling powers came and went, but the inhabitants of the Nile valley tended to stay in the land of their birth. They rarely emigrated from Egypt. Modern times have seen a notable reversal. Successive waves of emigration from Egypt started after the Second World War. Independence from colonial rule, the creation of the state of Israel, and the 1956 War against England, France, and Israel caused increased political instability in the region. Small numbers of Egyptians began to leave the country. But after the 1967 War with Israel, the trickle became a flood. Many Egyptians became disillusioned with the governmental system and decided to emigrate. Why did they leave Egypt? How did they adjust to and integrate into their new lives in the US? How did they relate to their motherland? The answers to these questions can be found in this anthology. The autobiographical essays include personal reflections of thirty-two Egyptian?American women and men from diverse backgrounds, living in cities and towns across the United States. They include engineers, medical doctors, taxi drivers, business people, scientists, stay-at-home moms, Egyptologists, artists, teachers, and university professors, among others. There are Jews, Christians, Muslims, and atheists. Egyptians immigrated to the US for a variety of reasons: educational, political, religious, and economic. Some were pushed out of Egypt by adverse circumstances; others were pulled toward the United States seeking new opportunities. Often it was a combination of both. Contributors include: Annie Whitney • Awatef Hamed • Dina Samir • Fayek Andrawes • Fekri A. Hassan • Fikry Andrawes • Gamal Omar • Giselle Hakki • Hisham Issawi • Joyce Zonana • Lofty Basta • Magda Saleh • Mahmoud F. Agha • Marlene Barsoum • Maysaa Barakat • Mohamed Elgamal • Mona Michail • Mona Mobarak • Moustafa Elkhashab • Naeem Mady • Nahla Bakry • Mahmoud EL-Shazly • Nimet Habachy • Norm Toma • Rawia El Wassimy-Agha • Reda Athanasios • Samia I. Spencer • Samir Ansary • Sherif Abou Sabh • Sherif Nasr • Souheir Eldefrawy Elmasry • Sylvia Iskander • Tarek Nazir Saadawi

Palestinian youth and the fight for their village Silwan is a Palestinian village located just outside the ancient walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for Their Village is a moving story of a village and its people. As Silwani youth and community members share their lives with us, their village becomes an easily accessible way to understand Palestinian history and current reality. Written with young people in mind, the richly illustrated text stresses connections between the lives of youth in the US and Palestine: criminalization of youth, forced relocation, the impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities, efforts to bury history, and inspiring examples of resistance and resilience.

Shortlisted for the International Prize of Arabic FictionSurviving a cold childhood, overshadowed by her parents' unhappiness and their distant relationship to her, Sahar expects to escape through marriage when she meets the compelling and charming Sami, who is interested in every detail of her life. But what seemed at first to be his loving interest rapidly becomes controlling and ultimately abusive. Sahar yearns for a way out of her intertwined experiences of loss and loneliness. In All the Women Inside Me, Jana Elhassan presents an intricate psychological portrait of a woman, as well as the complexities of interpersonal relationships. The novel's innovative structure allows it to plumb psychological and philosophical depths beyond the specific characters revealing a profound humanity. Sahar's father is the lapsed leftist who masks his boredom by busying himself with great causes. Her depressed mother's nerves are as delicate as the crystal she keeps immaculately polished in her home. A charlatan sheikh trades in religious magic, making a profit off of people's misery. A boyfriend leaves his great love to marry a "more appropriate" good girl. Sahar navigates her way through so many relationships, ill-prepared by her parents and unhappy childhood home. Her imagination is what allows her to act out all of the desires she has been denied throughout her whole life, from her childhood to her abusive marriage. But she also finds solace in her best friend, Hala, who has faced her own difficult childhood and adolescence and later a series of destructive relationships. At the same time that this novel is able to capture the intensity of emotions and experiences in women's lives, it is not merely a story about the power of imagination to enrich the lives of oppressed women. Elhassan's novel is a stark appraisal of how far women are pushed and the length to which women will go to escape a reality that is rotten at the core.

Authentic Indian recipes that are simple and totally doableAshia’s Table features well-known traditional Indian dishes alongside a selection of exciting new dishes based on Indian flavors and textures, all of which can be easily made at home. Ashia Ismail-Singer’s debut cookbook pays homage to her heritage, blending it seamlessly with a modern and authentic take on her native Indian cuisine. Her recipes aren’t just a list of ingredients and measurements: For Ashia, they are memories of childhood, food experiences that have been passed down through generations, and which connect her to her family and homeland. With chutneys and bites for grazing, light lunches, nourishing main dishes, desserts, home baking, and more, this book brings you a collection of recipes inspired by India’s rich food culture, made with ingredients that are easy to find wherever you are. Ashia’s Table is a beautiful book to be cherished for its delicious recipes, stunning photography, and attractive design.

Authentic recipes that unlock the mysteries of Portuguese CookingThe Mediterranean diet is famed for its fresh and vibrant cuisine. In this book, Ana Patuleia Ortins invites you to discover or revisit the soul-comforting, peasant food of Portugal, just as vibrant, yet distinct from that of its neighbors. Peppered with a lifetime of anecdotes from a passionate cook, Portuguese Home Cooking draws us into an immigrant kitchen where traditional culinary methods were handed down from father to daughter, shared and refined with the help of the family and friends who watched, chopped, and tasted. The recipes in this cookbook are of dishes prepared as they are in Portugal?with the measurements tried and tested, and the ingredients and methods fully explained. With warmth and gusto, Ana Patuleia Ortins shares garden-fresh salads, hearty wine and garlic braises, legumes and leafy greens, meat and shellfish dishes, rustic breads, and the luscious desserts for which Portugal is known. Beautiful food and location photography will transport you to Portugal's picturesque countryside, and novices and experienced chefs alike will delight in the culture and cuisine, whether nostalgic for home, or discovering it for the first time.

"The photographs are rare and superb. The stories are fresh and beautifully told. I was transported. I love this book." ?Richard Gere This biography of the Dalai Lama?blessed by His Holiness himself?is the most authentic and intimate profile of the world's greatest living spiritual figure. Tenzin Geyche Tethong, a close aide of His Holiness for forty years who became family, offers readers unprecedented access to the Dalai Lama in this beautifully illustrated book. The Dalai Lama's youngest brother, Ngari Rinpoche Tenzin Choegyal, who was only 12 years old when he accompanied His Holiness on his dangerous 1959 escape to India, is a personal friend of Tethong and the mentor for this book project. As "elders" to the Tibetan community in exile, these men have come together to tell the true story of His Holiness?their brother, friend, and leader. Featuring previously unpublished photographs, as well as interviews and memories of those closest to him, this book renders unparalleled insights into the Dalai Lama's experiences as the preeminent leader of Tibet, and the wealth of his compassion and gentle humor in the face of the ongoing conflict. This is in no small part due to Tethong and Ngari Rinpoche's unique perspectives on many sensitive issues. Richly compelling, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: An Illustrated Biography is a stunning visual celebration of the Dalai Lama, sketching a memorable portrait of an icon and a cause that have won the attention and hearts of billions across the world. • As his long-time personal secretary, Tethong was privy to the Dalai Lama's difficult relationship with India during his exile, with many challenges arising from his host country's ambivalence to Tibet. Tethong candidly discusses India's lackluster attempts at uplifting his people?denying them official documentation, restricting employment, and crowding refugees in the remote location of Dharmsala?citing its fear of angering China as the reason behind its ambivalence towards Tibet. • Tethong also sheds much-needed light on the Dalai Lama's Nobel Prize-winning campaign for the spiritual and political liberation of his people. He adopts a nuanced approach towards the Dalai Lama's non-violent struggle for Tibetan autonomy, writing frankly about their attempts to mediate the political differences between younger Tibetans in Dharmsala and the Tibetan administration. He also explores the numerous political difficulties faced by the Dalai Lama's cause in the years before its worldwide recognition.This beautifully illustrated chronicle presents an in-depth, firsthand narrative of the Dalai Lama's life story and the Tibetan saga. From remembrances of those close to him, and a treasure trove of over 400 images of Tibet's priceless visual heritage, it preserves a record of what it was like to create a nation from nothing, in exile, and how His Holiness rallied endlessly for his people. A rich blend of biography, history, and legacy, it captures a detailed account of the tumultuous events through which the Dalai Lama was forced to chart a path, leading to his emergence as an international figure. It illuminates as well his initiatives in the wider world to relieve suffering, overcome global challenges, and foster human flourishing through compassionate universal ethics, working hand in hand with science and ingenuity.

Shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction An Intergenerational tale of life and love seen through the eyes of three women from Raqqa The western popular imagination about the now devastated city of Raqqa, Syria is filled with static and clichéd images of the Arab world. On the news, Raqqa looks like a dusty and abandoned desert village overrun by ISIS and other brands of Islamic fundamentalists, making its desperate, impoverished people yearn to flee at all costs. In the Arab popular imagination, the image of Raqqa is not much different?this ancient city, nestled along the Euphrates river in northeastern Syria, is typically thought of by Arabs as a remote Bedouin outpost, far removed from the nearest large metropolis, Aleppo. People's real lives, however, are always more complex. Nothing could help bring these real and complex histories to more widespread attention than Shahla Ujalyli's brilliant new novel, Summer with the Enemy. This novel is a compelling tale that follows the charming, if at times difficult, everyday life of three women?Lamis, her mother Najwa, and her grandmother Karma ? and all of the complexities of their relationships with each other, their extended family, and the wider social worlds they inhabit. The diversity of life in Syria, especially Raqqa, is on display throughout this book, and the stories told in its seven chapters move back and forth between time and place, with attention to the intimate details of lives and relationships, and with an eye to the larger historical and political contexts in which they live. An intergenerational novel, Summer with the Enemy traces the lives of these women not only in Raqqa where the bulk of the novel is set, but also in the places their families lived before ? Turkey, Jerusalem, Aleppo and Damascus. It reminds us that Syria and Syrians have never been isolated from the world, and that indeed the lives of people stretched far beyond the confines of Raqqa's city limits, long before the online world existed.

Curious Eeny Mole emerges from her dark hole home to discover the world up above There were once three sisters who lived at the bottom of a deep, dark hole. Their names were Eeny, Meeny, and Miney Mole. In that hole dark was light, day was night, and summer and winter seemed the same. The older sisters, Meeny and Miney, were happy in their hole. They loved the deep darkness of it, the soft dreaminess of it, the familiar tidiness of it. They did not ever want to leave. One day Eeny Mole discovers something wonderful Up Above. And she goes exploring.

An essential guide to following a Pagan/Wiccan lifestyle You don't need to be Wiccan to enjoy this friendly book of home cooking and natural remedies. To the kitchen witch, every recipe is like a little spell bringing the opportunity to create love and positive energy in the home and for loved ones. This year-round guide to seasonal recipes and rituals for all the pagan festivals will be invaluable to Wiccans wishing to celebrate the good things that are given to us by the land. Wicca is a peaceful, balanced, and harmonious way of life. The word “witch” comes from the words “wise” or “wisdom” and witches or Wiccans originally were called “The Wise Ones.” They also study natural remedies and the influences of the cycles of the moon and the planets. Witches seek to harm no one, knowing that the energy they send out comes back threefold. The Kitchen Witch follows the eight pagan festivals: Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh and Mabon. This book is about being at one with nature, and the four elements. During these festivals birth, life, death, rebirth, and union are celebrated. The celebrations involve sharing food with loved ones or friends. Each of the eight festivals has delicious recipes using a variety of seasonal foods and foods commonly found in most kitchens. There is also information on herbs, plants, spices, flowers and essential oils that you can use for spell or circle work, and homemade lotions and potions. This book is a guide for the everyday witch that can be enjoyed by everyone.

How public events affect private lives is a Leitmotiv of this moving memoir. Eva and her secular Jewish family managed to evade the Holocaust and lesser public disasters, but not some private ones. They were able to leave Vienna a year after the Nazi Anschluss (Annexation) of Austria. In New York and several other places and cultures, she evolved from a shy, often fearful child and adolescent to an increasingly self-confident feminist and outspoken peace activist. She married George Moseley believing he was the “black sheep” of his right-wing military family. While his political views and attitude toward her Jewishness sometimes wavered, she remained true to her parents’ social-democratic principles and the “Jewish value” of justice for everyone. Family relations and troubles play out in a context of the Cold War and changes in Jewish status with the rise of Israel. After a not-so-amicable divorce and George’s violent death (an unsolved murder?), her attitude toward Jewishness changed because of Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians. Worried about the future her offspring—and everyone else—will face, she devoted much of her time as a dissenting citizen concerned with issues ranging from nuclear weapons and climate change to advocacy for Palestinian rights and opposing unquestioning US support of militarized Israel.

An inspiring picture book about Rosa Bonheur, the most famous female painter of her century, published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the artist's birthIn a stunning ode to underrepresented women everywhere, award-winning illustrator Ruth Sanderson tells the untold story of French artist Rosa Bonheur in this picture book biography. Rosa Bonheur was born in 1822 in France at a time when young women had limited options beyond being a wife and mother. But Rosa wouldn't stand for this. She wore pants, rode horses astride, and often broke society's rules. She wanted to be a famous painter just like her father. Female artists at the time were encouraged to paint domestic scenes of children and family, but Rosa was determined to capture the unbridled wild beauty of horses. Her masterpiece The Horse Fair was eight feet high and sixteen feet wide. Rosa went on to become the most celebrated artist of her time with paintings purchased by art collectors, museums, and galleries around the world. With the decline in popularity of realistic painting, Rosa's trailblazing story was almost forgotten. Revel at the bravery and fortitude of young Rosa as you take in Ruth Sanderson's immaculate rendition of her life and artistry.

How terror was used by Zionist militias to transform Palestine into an apartheid settler state.The Israel-Palestine “conflict” is typically understood to be a clash between two ethnic groups—Arabs and Jews—inhabiting the same land. Thomas Suárez digs deep below these preconceptions and their supporting “narratives” to expose something starkly different: The violent take-over of Palestine by a European racial-nationalist settler movement, Zionism, using terror to assert by force a claim to the land that has no legal or moral basis. Drawing extensively from original source documents, many revealed here for the first time, Suárez interweaves secret intelligence reports, newly-declassified military and diplomatic correspondence, and the terrorists’ own records boasting of their successes. His shocking account details a litany of Zionist terrorism against anyone in their way—the indigenous Palestinians, the British who had helped establish Zionism, and Jews who opposed the Zionist agenda. Far from being isolated atrocities by rogue groups, the use of terror was deliberate and sustained, carried out or supported by the same leaders who then established and led the Israeli state. We are still living this history: The book proves that Israel's regime of Apartheid against the Palestinians and the continued expropriation of their country are not the result of complex historical circumstances, but the intended, singular goal of Zionism since its beginning.

A moving story of an influential global voice and a potent example of what leadership informed by compassion and selflessness could become in the 21st century. The Dalai Lama crafts an intricate tapestry of the Tibetan diaspora with evocative and moving photographs.Framed with the eye of a photographer, The Dalai Lama: Leader for a Compassionate Humanity crafts an intricate tapestry of the Tibetan diaspora, finely woven through accounts from the Dalai Lama's storied life, the everyday lives of the Tibetan people, and the insights of a leadership coach who has applied the principles of Buddhism in her professional life. Along the way, evocative and moving photographs of the author's decade long journey provide deeper context into the Dalai Lama's organic evolution into a dynamic global leader who has modernized Tibetan culture and shaped a potential humanitarian catastrophe into a thriving, if exiled, community. The Dalai Lama emerges as an influential global voice and a potent example of what leadership informed by compassion and selflessness could become in the 21st century. The Dalai Lama's passionate appeal for a spiritual and ethical revolution, which calls for a total reorientation away from our habitual preoccupation with the self, and toward the wider community, has new urgency. Nothing illustrates this concept of global interconnection more than the rapid spread of the global corona virus pandemic, which spared no one and affected every one of us. Because COVID has played out at a global scale, we can see how important a strong, effective, compassionate leader is. The Dalai Lama provides this selfless, compassionate role model.

A personal, political, and religious journey from Evangelical Christian faith and conservative politics to solidarity with the poor and advocacy for anti-war, anti-racism, and Palestinian rightsAfter serving for five years as a pastor in a remarkable Black church, Donald Wagner comes to fully understand the original sin of racism. As his journey continues, he encounters another marginalized people?the Palestinians?and witnesses their struggle for justice and equality. Touched by their resilience and fight against injustice, he leaves the pastorate to assume full time work as an advocate for Palestinian political and human rights. The memoir begins in mid-September 1982, with a gut-wrenching day interviewing survivors of the Sabra-Shatila massacre in Lebanon, as they wept and waited for the bodies of family members to be pulled from the rubble. Donald Wagner's conversation with the local Imam ended with a challenge: "You must return home and tell what you have seen. This is all we ask. Go back and tell the truth." Glory to God in the Lowest is a metaphor for his counter intuitive journey with the victims of the "chosen people" in the "unholy land," also called historic Palestine or Israel. The irony of the journey reminds us that God is everywhere especially with the disinherited, the victims of the powerful, including the victims of Israeli oppression.The memoir touches on history and includes political analysis and theological reflection. In it, Donald Wagner describes Israel's continued colonization and destruction of Palestinian lives and chronicles his involvement in a grassroots movement of resistance that demands justice based on full equality, an end to the Israeli military occupation and settler colonization project, the right of return for Palestinian refugees, and full political rights for the Palestinian people. Filled with stories?some humorous and some shocking?as well as encounters with people of every race, gender, and religious affiliation working below the radar, this book will inspire, challenge, and offer a narrative that envisions a transformed "unholy land," where justice, liberation, and equality for all is the reality for every citizen.

Winner of the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award, Mystery Bottle is a delightful picture book about a boy in Brooklyn and his grandfather in Iran that shows us that love has no borders.A boy in Brooklyn receives a package from Iran. When he opens up the mysterious bottle that lies within, a great wind transports him over the oceans and mountains, straight into the arms of his grandfather. Despite being separated by politics and geography, the boy and his Baba Bazorg can share an extraordinary gift, the bond of their love.

100 Best Paintings in New York combines art history, commentary, and tourists' guide to provide you with a deeper understanding and appreciation of New York's greatest works of art. The descriptions draw attention to fascinating details in each work and look at why, where, or for what occasion they were painted. A biographical chronology of each artist accompanies the essays as well as a sample listing of works by other contemporary painters. From Jan van Eyck to Mark Rothko, from Diego Velazquez to Georgia O'Keefe, 100 Best Paintings in New York covers the complete spectrum of masterpieces in New York's great galleries. 100 Best Paintings in New York will inform and amuse both visitors and residents who wish to make the most of what their city has to offer. This accessible?and occasionally irreverent?guide has been written with both novice and veteran museum-goers in mind. Contains descriptions of works displayed in: the Brooklyn Museum • the Cloisters • the Frick Collection • the Hispanic Society of America • Metropolitan Museum of Art • MOMA • Neue Gallerie • the Guggenheim Museum • Whitney Museum of American Art

August is a tiger, that''s for sure, because Mom always says he''s wild. And tigers are wild, so August must be a tiger. But what if he becomes a real tiger? A funny and imaginative picture book about an energetic boy for wild tigers ages four and up.

Revel in the warm, inviting, retro-style illustrations from Argentinian creator, Marcos Farina, in these early concepts board books featuring Animal Opposites and Colors In the GardenSmall or large? Few or many? Hot or cold? Teach your child early concepts while they delight in the playful depictions of some of their favorite animals. They can even spot subtle references to their favorite fairytale characters within the pages. Using whitespace and high contrast, graphic illustrations, these books make the perfect first gift for baby and toddler development.

Revel in the warm, inviting, retro-style illustrations from Argentinian creator, Marcos Farina, in these early concepts board books featuring Colors in the Garden and Animal OppositesIn the garden you will find… Yellow dandelions Green clovers Pink cherry blossoms Teach your child early concepts while they delight in the playful depictions of colors found in the garden! Featuring an eclectic collection of plants and animals, children will recognize their favorites and may learn about a new plant or two! Using whitespace and high contrast graphic illustrations, these books make the perfect first gift for baby and toddler development.

A novel of suspense and intrigue set in the post-pandemic world Harris Maloub, a killer with an erased official past, now in his fifties, is visited by someone who could not be alive and given an assignment. In Aarhus, Denmark, Jens Erik, police officer on pre-retirement leave, somehow cannot forget the body of a Black man recovered from the sea some years ago. On an abandoned oil rig in the North Sea, turned into a resort for the very rich, Michelle, a young Caribbean woman, realizes that the man she has followed to this job is not what he claims to be. And neither is the rig, where a secret laboratory bares to her a face that is neither human nor animal. Behind all this, there lurks the ghost of a seminar in 2007: most of the participants of that seminar are dead or untraceable. Why was their obscure research on plants and fungi and microbes so important? What is the secret that killed them? What is the weapon that powerful syndicates are trying to obtain – or develop? Narrated from the perspective of the post-pandemic world around 2030, but moving back in time to cover all of the 21st century, and even bits and pieces from the 20th and the 19th, The Body by the Shore is a novel of suspense and speculation about the complexity of life and intricacy of the earth. It is also a novel about reason and emotion, love and despair, greed and hope, human beings and microbes. When the narrative strands come together, a world of great terror and beauty is revealed to the reader.

A unique pictorial study of the bloodiest European conflict since 1945, Bosnian War Posters will engage all those interested in graphic design, poster art, the tragic story of Yugoslavia, and the politics of nationalism in the modern age. It includes key archive photos from the war as well as new photos that put all the images in context today. This book illustrates the entire conflict: from April 1992 when the first shots were fired in Sarajevo to December 1995 when peace was agreed upon in Dayton, Ohio.

A sensitive and heart warming story of how a little girl in Gaza finds strength and hope through her painting. Sitti's Bird is a unique children's picture book, written and illustrated by Palestinian artist, Malak Mattar, reflecting her experiences of childhood in Palestine.Malak is a little girl who lives in Gaza with her parents. She goes to school, plays in the ocean, and visits Sitti's house on Fridays. One day while she is in school, bombings begin. She spends the next 50 days at home with her parents worrying and feeling scared, until one day she picks up her paintbrush …Sitti's Bird: A Gaza Story is a unique children's picture book, written and illustrated by Palestinian artist, Malak Mattar. Reflecting her experiences of childhood in occupied Palestine, Malak's story brings warmth and wonder to children as it tells of her rebirth as an artist during the 2014 airstrikes on Gaza. It is the story of a young girl whose love for her family and discovery of art help her channel her fears and overcome traumas that few of us can imagine?traumas shared by countless children in Gaza and around the world.

The story of a refugee child uprooted with his family from their home in Jaffa The exodus of Palestinians from their homes during the 1948 war?the Nakba, or catastrophe?is the starting point for this memoir by Samir Toubassy. But it is his trek to excel, while wrestling with his roots and identity as a Palestinian in the shadow of his family's expulsion that is at the heart of his story. Global business leader, philanthropist, and educator, Samir Toubassy left Jaffa with his family when he was nine, seeking refuge from the fighting that had engulfed their city. Amid never-ending turbulence, we accompany him from Jaffa to Tripoli, to Beirut where he becomes a student of business and politics, to Riyadh, London and finally to the US, as he seeks to raise a family and build an international business career, most prominently with the noted Olayan Group and its rags-to-riches founder Sulaiman Olayan. After a long career in international business, Samir embarks on a new path, as a Harvard Advanced Leadership Senior Fellow, seeking to apply his experience to global education in the developing world. Toubassy shatters glass ceilings that hold Palestinians back over lifetimes and generations. But his race to achieve and to succeed is always inseparably tied to, and tempered by, the fate of his homeland. Searching to regain what is lost, his memoir My Nakba offers unique perspective, encouragement, and cherished lessons learned from the aspirations of a refugee.

Wild Thorns is a chronicle of life in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Written in Arabic and first published in Jerusalem in 1976, Wild Thorns, with its panorama of characters and unsentimental portrayals of everyday life, is the first Arab novel to give a true picture of social and personal relations under occupation. Its convincing sincerity, uncompromising honesty, and rich emotional texture plead elegantly for the cause of survival in the face of oppression.

A love letter to a city of his childhood, Jabbour Douaihy's The American Quarter is set in a small neighborhood in Tripoli, the ancient port on the northern coast of Lebanon. Unfolding at the height of the US-led invasion of Iraq, it revolves around the radicalization of an ordinary youth named Ismail. But Ismail's story is part of a larger portrait of those nearest to him: the young disabled brother he looks out for; his father Bilal, a massacre survivor; Intisar, his spirited, indulgent mother, a maid like her mother before her in the wealthy, powerful Azzam household; Abdelkarim, the Azzam family's only son, addicted to poetry and opera, and pining for his lost Polish ballerina?all sharply depicted by Douaihy with irony and affection. As well, Ismail's fate is entwined with the disappointments and meager prospects of those around him in the deteriorating American Quarter, and others forced to crisscross the surrounding conflict-scarred lands. Somehow Ismail's reckoning with his assigned mission comes to reflect our own struggles?for redemption, for faith in life in the face of destructive forces that can erase in an instant what is dear to us. A classic tale for our time, in a lucid translation by Paula Haydar, The American Quarter is a compassionate work of great beauty. Paying homage to the persistent presence of a beloved old city and her people, it bolsters us with a gifted writer's long view of the threats to trust and tolerance we now face.

A HUMOROUS PICTURE BOOK THAT TEACHES CHILDREN ABOUT AFRICAN ANIMALS -- A tiny guinea fowl chick hatches early one morning and lets out a "cheep." Find out what happens in the bush when the "cheep" is heard by all the African animals. Written in rhyme by best-loved children's author Wendy Hartmann, this humorous story will enchant and entertain.

AN INSIGHTFUL ANALYSIS OF ONE OF TODAY’S MOST PRESSING WORLD ISSUES -- 2017 marks a year of significant milestones in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One hundred years ago, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, calling for the establishment of a Jewish National Home in Palestine. Seventy years ago, the UN recommended the partition of Palestine into two states—a Jewish State and an Arab State. The decision paved the way for the establishment of the State of Israel a year later on 78 percent of historic Palestine, amid widespread ethnic cleansing of indigenous Palestinian inhabitants. And 50 years ago, Israel militarily occupied the Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip—an occupation which endures to this day. In light of these milestones, Josh Ruebner draws on personal anecdotes and reflections, historical documents, and legal analyses to answer one of the most pressing issues in international affairs today: is Israel a democracy or does its separate and unequal treatment of the Palestinian people render it an apartheid state? With President Donald Trump’s willingness to explore a one-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the question gains immediacy, as Ruebner argues that any settlement of the conflict must be based on freedom, dignity, and equality.

While making a documentary film about the reconstruction of downtown Beirut, Maya Amer stumbles upon a battered leather suitcase that will change her life forever. Inside it she finds letters, photographs, a diary, and an envelope labeled: Letters from Istanbul. The Weight of Paradise is both the story of Maya and her discovery, and also the story of the owner of these papers, Noura Abu Sawwan, a journalist who fled Syria just before the Lebanese civil war to find greater freedom of expression. A multi-voiced, multi-genre narration, it interweaves the stories of these two women and the people who surround them within the fabric of Beirut in the civil war and its immediate aftermath. A love story as well as a story of women's liberation and political freedom, the novel is also the tale of a city and country torn apart by repression, occupation, and war.