"A heartrending literary memoir of the tragic death of Kohler's older sister describes how in the aftermath of a fatal car accident, the author investigated their unusual shared childhood and her brother-in-law's violent history,"--NoveList. After learning that her sister Maxine was killed when her husband drove them off a deserted road in Johannesburg, Kohler flew back to the country where she was born, determined to reckon with the tragedy and...

During the worst years of official racism in South Africa, the story of one young girl came to symbolize the injustice, corruption, and arbitrary nature of apartheid. Born in 1955 to a pro-apartheid white couple, Sandra Laing was officially registered and raised as a white child. But at a school for whites, she was mercilessly persecuted because of her dark skin and frizzy hair. Her parents attributed her appearance to an interracial union far back...

"Ruth First was born in South Africa, where her Jewish family fled from the danger in Europe during WWII. Committed to speaking out against apartheid, she did so all her life, never backing down"--

Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical southern town until it became a refugee resettlement center. Luma Mufleh, a young Jordanian woman educated in the United States and working as a coach for private youth soccer teams in Atlanta, was out for a drive one day and ended up in Clarkston. She was pleasantly surprised by the ethnic restaurants and by the sight of women wearing the hijab. Most of all, she was amazed and delighted to see young boys, black and...

"Wicomb's majestic new novel Still Life juggles with our perception of time and reality as Wicomb tells the story of an author struggling to write a biography of long-forgotten Scottish poet Thomas Pringle, whose only legacy is in South Africa where he is dubbed the "Father of South African Poetry." In her efforts to resurrect Pringle, the writer summons the specter of Mary Prince, the West Indian slave whose history Pringle had once published, along...

Acclaimed biographer James McGrath Morris brings into focus the riveting life of pioneering journalist Ethel Payne, known as The First Lady of the Black Press. For decades, Ethel Lois Payne has been hidden in the shadows of history. Now, Morris skillfully illuminates the life of this ambitious, influential, and groundbreaking woman, from her childhood growing up in South Chicago to her career as a journalist and network news commentator, reporting...

In this book the author tells the tale of the daring insurrection that put America on the path to bloody war. Plotted in secret, launched in the dark, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was a pivotal moment in U.S. history. But few Americans know the true story of the men and women who launched a desperate strike at the slaveholding South. Now, this work portrays Brown's uprising revealing a country on the brink of explosive conflict. Brown, the descendant...

14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out - camera in hand - on a two-year voyage in pursuit of her dream to be the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone. In the wake of a year-long battle with Dutch authorities that sparked a global storm of media scrutiny, Laura now finds herself far from land, family and unwanted attention, exploring the world in search of freedom, adventure, and distant dreams of her early youth at sea. Jillian Schlesinger's...

"It's a memoir that traverses five continents and spans two centuries. Author Boon explores archives, family stories, and her own memories in a search for origins, belonging, and home. Her journey is interwoven with reflections on the meaning of music, love, legacy, freedom, memory, ruin, and the relevance of our past to understanding our present."-- "Author Sonja Boon's heritage is complicated. Although she has lived in Canada for more than thirty...

How is it that an untrained, self-taught observer and writer could see things that professional anthropologists often missed? How is that a pioneering woman, working in male-dominated fields, without sponsors or credentials, could accomplish more than so many more celebrated and professionally educated men could manage? How can we all unlock the wisdom of the world simply by paying close attention? With their intelligence and acute insight into other...