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Radio Free Afghanistan: A Twenty-Year Odyssey for an Independent Voice in Kabul
From Time 100 honoree Saad Mohseni, the deeply moving and surprising story of the attempt to build a truly independent media company in contemporary Afghanistan.
Saad Mohseni, chairman and CEO of Moby Group, Afghanistan's largest media company, charts a twenty-year effort to bring a free press to his country after years of Taliban rule, and how that effort persists even after the Taliban's return to power in 2021.
In the heady early days of the American occupation, Mohseni returns to Kabul which he had last seen as a child before the Soviet invasion. Casting about for ways to be involved in the dawn of a new Afghanistan, Mohseni makes what seems like a quixotic decision to leave the comforts of a career in international banking to start a Kabul radio station with his three siblings. This unlikely venture quickly blossoms into a burgeoning television empire, bringing Mohseni and his family and employees into sometimes uncomfortable contact with everyone who has a stake in the country--from the government of Hamid Karzai to White House officials. Moreover, their radio and television networks soon become a necessary beacon for millions of Afghans, who rely on them not just for independent news but for joyful pleasures like soap operas and Afghan Star, a beloved national singing competition in a country whose previous rulers had banned (and would again ban) music.
Mohseni's position at Moby affords him unique insights into this extraordinary yet troubled country, the youngest in the world outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, and his powerful account captures the spirit and resilience of the Afghan people--notably the hundreds of men and women still working in Moby's Kabul office today, who, once again under Taliban rule, create programs, report the news, and educate the public.
Radio Free Afghanistan is a stunning, vibrant portrait of a nation in turmoil, poised between despair and hope.
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John Lewis: A Life
A comprehensive, authoritative biography of Civil Rights icon John Lewis, "the conscience of the Congress," drawing on interviews with Lewis and approximately 275 others who knew him at various stages of his life, as well as never-before-used FBI files and documents. Born into poverty in rural Alabama, Lewis would become second only to Martin Luther King, Jr. in his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. He was a Freedom Rider who helped to integrate bus stations in the South, a leader of the Nashville sit-in movement, the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, and the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he made into one of the major civil rights organizations. He may be best remembered as the victim of a vicious beating by Alabama state troopers at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where he nearly died. Greenberg's biography traces Lewis's life through the post-Civil Rights years, when he headed the Voter Education Project, which enrolled millions of African American voters across the South. The book reveals the little-known story of his political ascent first locally in Atlanta, and then as a member of Congress. Tapped to be a part of the Democratic leadership in Congress, he earned respect on both sides of the aisle for the sacrifices he had made on behalf of nonviolent integration in the South and came to be known as the "conscience of the Congress." Thoroughly researched and dramatically told, Greenberg's biography captures John Lewis's influential career through documents from dozens of archives, interviews with hundreds of people who knew Lewis, and long-lost footage of Lewis himself speaking to reporters from his hospital bed following his severe beating on "Bloody Sunday" in Selma. With new details about his personal and professional relationships, John Lewis: A Life is the definitive biography of a man whose heroism during the Civil Rights movement helped to bring America a new birth of freedom. -
Made Marian Mixtape: A Made Marian Collection
The best mixtape always has a mix of favorites on it- songs playing in the background at Jude and Derek's wedding or when Simone finally falls in love. Loud beats pounding the dance floor when Blue tries to seduce Tristan in public, or sleepy notes written late at night while Jude is on tour. Strains of familiar music bring heart-gripping memories rushing back in-memories of the first time Tilly meets Senator Cannon, the weekend a mysterious new family member arrives at a snowy cabin expecting solitude but finding a sexy lumberjack instead, or the winter Teddy "accidentally" strands Jamie in Tibet.
Made Marian Mixtape is a collection of everything from a short 1k word vignette to a longer 30k novella. Catch glimpses into the lives of favorite existing Marian characters and meet new ones as well. With everything from hot nookie in a broken elevator to double-doses of pre-wedding panic, Mixtape presents over ten new stories set in the Made Marian world that will make you sniffle, swoon, and laugh out loud.
Made Marian Mixtape is 72k words in length and best enjoyed by readers familiar with the Marian world.
Early praise for this collection:
"Slam this bad boy into your tape deck. Hngh. Harder." - Leonard Skynard (Lynard's very, very distant cousin)
"OMG all the feels." - Boomers trying to be Millennials
"For god's sake, fast forward to the good stuff." - Matilda Marian
"Maybe remove that shower scene? Ahem." - Maverick Marian
"But we really wanted to wear the tuxedos." - Springsteen and Patsy Cline (the pugs, not the singers)
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Grace Period
After 25 years, how do you rebuild your life?
Hannah's wife has died unexpectedly.Just as 70-year-old writing professor Hannah Greene walks into her retirement party, she's called to the ER because Grace, her wife of 25 years, has been in what turns out to be a fatal car accident. This was definitely not part of the plan the two had for their lives, especially since Grace was ten years younger than Hannah. The plan had been for Hannah to join her art history professor wife on a sabbatical trip to Europe. Grace would do research, and Hannah would figure out what she wanted to do in her retirement.
How does an independent, feisty lesbian adjust to both her suddenly widowed and newly retired life? How can she survive the loss of the spouse who statistically should have survived her?
Grace Period tackles these questions head-on in an intimate, witty portrayal of a woman grappling with the new and unexpected turn her life has taken. It is a tale of love, loss, and survival.
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Do Something: Coming of Age Amid the Glitter and Doom of '70s New York
An evocative coming-of-age memoir--the story of the education of a wayward wild child and acidhead who, searching for meaning and purpose, found refuge in the demimonde of the ruined but magical metropolis that was New York City in the 1970s. Born in the Bronx, Guy Trebay was raised in an atmosphere of privilege on Long Island's North Shore after his entrepreneurial father struck business gold with Hawaiian Surf, a wildly successful cologne company that capitalized on the optimism of the 1960s as marketed to "an adventurous new breed of men.'' But behind the facade of material prosperity lay the emotional disarray of a household dominated by a charismatic, con artist father, a glamorous yet lost and careless mother, a family haunted by tragedy. By the time Trebay established a foothold at the fringes of Andy Warhol's Factory and the diverse artistic tribes that thrived in Manhattan in that pre-digital era, his father had lost his fortune, his younger sister had been arrested for armed robbery and fled underground, the family house was in ashes, and his mother was dead. Unschooled and on his own, Trebay became a striver, wending his way through a seemingly apocalyptic landscape populated by a vibrant cast of characters, including washed-up Hollywood screenwriters of the '30s; Warhol superstars like Jackie Curtis and Candy Darling; fashion geniuses like Charles James; and emerging artists, filmmakers, writers, designers, photographers, and deejays who would powerfully influence mainstream culture in the decades to come. -
Men, Murder and Makeup
Murder is a Drag.Victor has a secret identity, and she's being framed for murder.
Murder She Wrote... If Jessica Fletcher were a Fabulous Drag Queen
The mayors been murdered and everyone is on edge and reclusive mystery author Vicki Dean is the prime suspect.
Can Victor clear her name without revealing his secret identity?
Will the hunky new sheriff help Victor prove Vicki's innocence or be a threat to not only his freedom but also his heart?
Victor must let go of his fear and step out of the shadows in his high heels and lipstick to solve this mystery as only a drag queen can.
His life depends on it!
You will adore this fun cozy mystery because gossip keeps a small town alive!
Get it now!
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Sold outThe Wisdom of Guncles
Are you the black sheep in your family who chafes at traditions and seeks examples of how to redefine them?
The Wisdom of Guncles is about queer people and their relationship with family - however they choose to define it. Featuring a diverse pantheon of gay uncles ("guncles") and other queer mentors, their stories offer unique perspectives about life, love, and personal empowerment.
With each chapter, Dumlao examines what various LGBTQ+ experiences teach about disrupting norms, exploring identity, and creating chosen families that affirm one's truth. Readers will ponder questions such as:
- How do I challenge and change traditions that hide those that are different?
- If I choose to never dim my light, will I become a beacon for others lost in the dark?
- How will recovering past stories and unsung heroes help us create a better future?
- How can I leave a space more welcoming than how I found it?
The Wisdom of Guncles shares ten powerful journeys, each bearing knowledge honed through struggle and triumph, on living with audacious authenticity and compassion. While these narratives are unapologetically queer, they hold universal lessons about the human condition that, like all stories about family, are grounded in love.
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The Movement: How Women's Liberation Transformed America 1963-1973
A comprehensive and engaging oral history of the decade that defined the feminist movement, including interviews with living icons and unsung heroes--from former Newsweek reporter and author of the "powerful and moving" (New York Times) Witness to the Revolution. For lovers of both Barbie and Gloria Steinem, The Movement is the first oral history of the decade that built the modern feminist movement. Through the captivating individual voices of the people who lived it, The Movement tells the intimate inside story of what it felt like to be at the forefront of the modern feminist crusade, when women rejected thousands of years of custom and demanded the freedom to be who they wanted and needed to be. This engaging history traces women's awakening, organizing, and agitating between the years of 1963 and 1973, when a decentralized collection of people and events coalesced to create a spontaneous combustion. From Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, to the underground abortion network the Janes, to Shirley Chisolm's presidential campaign and Billie Jean King's 1973 battle of the sexes, Bingham artfully weaves together the fragments of that explosion person by person, bringing to life the emotions of this personal, cultural, and political revolution. Artists and politicians, athletes and lawyers, Black and white, The Movement brings readers into the rooms where these women insisted on being treated as first class citizens, and in the process, changed the fabric of American life. -
Sold outNo Road Home
"A grand gothic story as enthralling as it is terrifying." --S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author A young father must clear his name and protect his queer son when his wealthy new wife's televangelist grandfather is found murdered in this unputdownable locked-room thriller from the acclaimed author of The Bright Lands--perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Paul Tremblay, and Alex North. For years, single father Toby Tucker has done his best to keep his sensitive young son, Luca, safe from the bigotry of the world. But when Toby marries Alyssa Wright--the granddaughter of a famed televangelist known for his grandiose, Old Testament preaching--he can't imagine the world of religion, wealth, and hate that he and Luca are about to enter. A trip to the Wright family's compound in sun-scorched Texas soon turns hellish when Toby realizes that Alyssa and the rest of her brood might have some very strange plans for Toby and his son. The situation only grows worse when a freak storm cuts off the roads and the family patriarch is found murdered, stabbed through the heart on the roof of the family's mansion. Suspicion immediately turns to Toby, but when his son starts describing a spectral figure in a black suit lurking around the house with unfinished business in mind, Toby realizes this family has more than murder to be afraid of. And as the Wrights close in on Luca, no one is prepared for the lengths Toby will go in the fight to clear his name and protect his son.Sold out -
Do the Work: A Guide to Understanding Power and Creating Change.
Challengeyourbiasesandbroadenyourunderstanding of power and how we wield it with this essential guide.
Power is complex. But Do The Work is a guide to navigating those complexities. From ancient theories of power to contemporary examples, from cultural patterns to personal insights, this guide provides a foundation for examining hierarchies and inequalities and establishes a framework for understanding power and how it shapes our lives and communities. Between these pages, theory, commentary, and analysis create an engaging, creative, and mindful reading experience. This guide features approachable overviews of complex topics, thought-provoking questions, evocative illustrations, pages for your reflections, and steps we can all take to reframe our relationship to power and reinvigorate our desire to empower the people around us. Thanks to the work of writer and scholar Megan Pillow, educator and NewYorkTimes bestselling author Roxane Gay, and New York Times bestselling illustrator Aurélia Durand, Do The Work is a must-read for a more just future--and a more equitable now.
Do The Work asks:
- What can we learn about power from history and from our current moment?
- Who are the powerful, and who are the people denied power?
- Where are our own sources of power?
- How do we recognize our mistakes and become more self-aware?
- What does it mean to reclaim our power and to build community?
Do The Workexplains:- How theorists from Aristotle to Hannah Arendt have shaped our understanding of power
- Why Kimberlé Crenshaw's theory of intersectionality is at the heart of power discussions
- What Laura Mulvey and Audre Lorde can teach us about power and gender
- How poverty, redlining, and The Voting Rights Act all illustrate power imbalances
- What the Stonewall Riots showed us about resistance and community
- How to train ourselves in collective thinking, and what it means to "choose the margins" -
Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist
From a marine biologist and co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences, a powerful debut memoir: the uplifting story of a young Black scientist's challenging journey to flourish outside the traditional confines of academia, inspired by her innate connection to nature's most misunderstood animal--the shark. Sharks have been on this planet for over 400 million years, which means there is a lot they can teach us about survival and adaptability. For example: unlike other fish, sharks are denser than water, so how do they stay afloat? They keep moving, in the only direction they can, which is forward. When Jasmin Graham, an award-winning young shark scientist, started to feel that the traditional path to becoming a marine biologist was pulling her under, she remembered the important lesson she learned from sharks: keep moving forward. If navigating the choppy waters of traditional academic study-a field where it was harder to find other young women of color than the elusive elasmobranchii (sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish) Jasmin loved--was no longer worth it, then that meant creating an ocean of her own. Jasmin joined with three other Black women to form Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), an organization dedicated to providing support and opportunities for other young women of color pursuing the fascinating and environmentally essential work of marine studies. She became an independent researcher: a rogue shark scientist, learning how to keep those endangered but precious sharks swimming free--just like her. Sharks Don't Sink is a riveting, moving, and ultimately triumphant memoir at the intersection of science and social justice: a guidebook to how we can all learn to respect and protect some of nature's most misunderstood and vulnerable creatures--and grant the same grace to ourselves. -
Magic Enuff: Poems
Radiant poems that celebrate Black Southern womanhood and the many ways magic lives in the bonds between mothers, daughters, and sisters, from the bestselling author of Memphis. "God can stay asleep / these women in my life are magic enuff"
An electrifying collection of poems that tells a universal tale of survival and revolution through the lens of Black femininity. Tara M. Stringfellow embraces complexity, grappling with the sometimes painful, sometimes wonderful way two conflicting things can be true at the same time. How it's possible to have a strong voice but also feel silenced. To be loyal to things and people that betray us. To burn as hot with rage as we do with love. Each poem asks how we can heal and sustain relationships with people, systems, and ourselves. How to reach for the kind of real love that allows for the truth of anger, disappointment, and grief. Unapologetic, unafraid, and glorious in its nuance, this collection argues that when it comes to living in our full humanity, we have--and we are--magic enough. -
Juice: A History of Female Ejaculation
The fascinating, little-known history of female sex fluids through the millennia. For over 2000 years, vulval sex fluids were understood to be a natural part of female pleasure, only to become disputed or categorically erased in the twentieth century. Today what do we really know about female ejaculation and squirting? What does the research show, and why are so many details unknown? In Juice, Stephanie Haerdle investigates the cultural history of female genital effluence across the globe and searches for answers as to why female ejaculation--which, according to some reports, is experienced by up to 69 percent of all women and those who have vulvas upon climaxing--has been banished to the margins as just another male sex fantasy. Haerdle charts female juices from the earliest explanations in the erotic writings of China and India, to interpretations of the fluids by physicians, philosophers, and poets in the Middle Ages and early modern period, to their denial, contestation, and suppression in late nineteenth-century Europe. As she shows, the history of ejaculation and squirting is a history of women, their desires, and the worship and denigration of the female body, as well as the cultural concepts of pleasure, sexuality, procreation, the body, masculinity, and femininity. By examining the fantasies and fears that have long accompanied them, Juice restores female gushes to their rightful place in our collective understanding so that they can once again be recognized, named, and experienced.Sold out -
Napalm in the Heart
Survival is a moral quandary in this jagged, otherworldly debut charting forbidden love during an apocalypse.
In a near future devastated by war and unspecified natural disaster, a young man and his mother cling to survival at the edge of a forest. Society is militarized and dangerous, with men with shaved heads patrolling the land as families are uprooted and nature is all but decimated. The young man spends his days helping his mother, who is traumatized from her experience working in the ominous Factory, and exchanging letters with his lover, Boris, who lives in a city on the other side of the forest. It's barely a life, but it's life nonetheless. After a brutal act of desperate violence and the arrival of armed men at their doorstep, the young man leaves his mother and finds Boris, who travels with him through the forest to the city. Escaping slavers and trekking through the empty landscape, the two find moments of intimacy despite their circumstances. But as their survival comes with increasingly violent demands, the young man is forced to confront whether, in his effort to stay alive, he's become the very thing he's fought to escape. An award-winning, breakout novel from a blazingly original Catalonian poet, Pol Guasch's Napalm in the Heart is breathtaking in its beauty and devastation. Sparse, quick, and wrestling with big ideas, from the despoiling of the environment and totalitarianism to queerness and manhood, Guasch's debut is an unrelenting and extraordinarily artful exploration of the moral murkiness of survival. -
On a Move: Philadelphia's Notorious Bombing and a Native Son's Lifelong Battle for Justice
The incredible story of MOVE, the revolutionary Black civil liberties group that Philadelphia police bombed in 1985, killing 11 civilians--by one of the few people born into the organization, raised during the bombing's tumultuous aftermath, and entrusted with repairing what was left of his family.
Before police dropped a bomb on a residential neighborhood on May 13, 1985, few people outside Philadelphia were aware that a Black-led civil liberties organization had taken root there. Founded in 1972 by a charismatic ideologue called John Africa, MOVE's mission was to protect all forms of life from systemic oppression, drawing ideology from the Black Panther Party, PETA, and Earth First. The organization emerged in an era when Black Philadelphians suffered under devastating policies brought by President Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs and Mayor Frank Rizzo's overtly racist police surveillance. MOVE members lived together in a commune of West Philadelphia row houses and took the surname Africa out of admiration for the group's founder.
But in MOVE's lifestyle, city officials saw threats to their status quo. Their bombing of the MOVE commune shocked the nation and made international news. Eleven people were killed, including five children. And the City of Brotherly Love became known as the City That Bombed Itself.
Among the children most affected by the bombing was Mike Africa, Jr. Born in jail following a police attack on MOVE that led to his parents' decades-long incarcerations, Mike was six years old and living with his grandmother when the commune was bombed. In the ensuing years, Mike sought purpose in the ashes left behind. He began learning about the law as a teenager and became adept at speaking and inspiring public support with the help of other MOVE members. In 2018, at age 40, he finally succeeded in getting his parents released from prison.
On a Move is one of the most unimaginable stories of injustice and resilience in recent American history. But it is not only one of tragedy. It is about coming-of-age for a young activist, the strong ties of family, and, against all odds, learning how to take indignities on the chin and to work within the very system that created them. At once a harrowing personal account and an impassioned examination of racism and police violence, On a Move testifies to the power of love and hope, in the face of astonishing wrongdoing.