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  The Last Courtesan - Writing My...

  Manish Gaekwad, Ranjit...

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  The 1993 Bow Bazaar bomb blast in Calcutta brought an end to the kothas in the busy commercial district. Over the next few years, as dance bars and disco music replaced the old-world charm of mujras, kathak and thumri, the tawaifs began to abandon the profession. Rekhabai, a courtesan, found herself at a crossroads, facing an uncertain future. Where should she go? What should she do next?  
  Originally from the Kanjarbhat tribe, Rekhabai was sold and trained as a tawaif while she was still a child. In the 1980s, when kothas were no longer recognized as centres for aesthetics, and society disapproved of the tawaif's art, as they felt it was sex work in the guise of adakari (performance), Rekhabai made a name for herself in Calcutta and Bombay as a singing-dancing star. It was an era when she had to dodge guns, goons and Ghalib's ghazals to carve out her own destiny, provide for her large family and raise her son in an English-medium boarding school. 
  In this poignant memoir, she narrates the unbelievable story of her survival to her son with candour, grace and humour, never missing a beat and always full of heart.

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  Underground Railroad to Mexico...

  Editors Charles River

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  The Underground Railroad is one of the most taught topics to young schoolchildren, and every American is familiar with the idea of fugitive slaves escaping to Canada and the North with the help of determined abolitionists and even former escaped slaves like Harriet Tubman. The secrecy involved in the Underground Railroad made it one of the most mysterious aspects of the mid-19th century in America, to the extent that claims spread that 100,000 slaves had escaped via the Underground Railroad. Of course, from a practical standpoint, the Underground Railroad had to remain covert not only for the sake of thousands of slaves, but for a small army of men and women of every race, religion and economic class who put themselves in peril on an ongoing basis throughout the first half of the 19th century, and in the years leading up to the war.  
  	Over 150 years later, that same secrecy has helped the Underground Railroad become so romanticized and mythologized that people often visualize it in ways that were far different from reality. Before the American Civil War eliminated slavery, it was a fixture in North America for over 200 years, and by 1850 a trained slave was worth approximately $2,500, around 10 times the sum of a typical annual salary in that day. As a result, the economic dependence on slavery in the South was an extreme one, and in the wake of the Fugitive Slave Act, black people in the North were under constant pressure to defend their “credentials” to bounty hunters and owners. Between the value of slaves in America, rising abolitionist sentiment at home and overseas, and political debates promoting or hindering the movement toward equality, the era in which the Underground Railroad operated cannot be easily fit into a concise body of principles, actions or geography. 

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  Colonialism - A Global History

  Lorenzo Veracini

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  Colonialism: A Global History interprets colonialism as an unequal relationship characterized by displacement and domination and reveals the ways in which this relationship has been constitutive of global modernity. 
   
   
   
  The volume focuses on colonialism's dynamism, adaptability, and resilience. It appraises a number of successive global colonial 'waves', each constituting a specific form of colonial domination, each different from the previous ones, each affecting different locales at different times, and each characterized by a particular method of exploiting colonized populations and territories. Outlining a succession of distinct colonizing conjunctures, and the ways in which they 'washed over' what is today understood as the 'Global South', shaping and reshaping institutions and prompting diverse responses from colonized communities, Colonialism: A Global History also outlines the contemporary relevance of this unequal relation. Overall, it provides an original definition of colonialism and tells the global history of this mode of domination’s evolution and reach. 
   
   
   
  The broad chronological and geographical scope makes this volume the ideal resource for all students and scholars interested in globalization, colonialism, and empire.

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  Trust First - Turn Behaviors...

  Deborah Bergeron, Rhonda...

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  Create a Classroom Where Trust Leads the WayWhen trust is the foundation, everything changes. Trust First: Turn Behaviors that Challenge Us into Opportunities to Learn shares a powerful approach to classroom management built on relationships, respect, and belonging. This practical and inspiring guide helps early childhood educators move beyond compliance-based systems and cultivate an environment where children feel safe, connected, and ready to learn. With real-world strategies grounded in trust psychology, the book addresses persistent challenges—such as behavior issues and disengagement—through a new lens of compassion, communication, and community. Whether you’re facing burnout or simply seeking a more joyful and connected way to teach, this book will reframe the way you view your students. Rediscover the joy of teaching through the power of trust.Discover how to: •    Build strong, respectful relationships with every child•    Foster a culture of belonging that supports emotional and behavioral growth•    Use trust-based strategies to reduce challenging behaviors•    Encourage risk-taking, curiosity, and open communication•    Create a classroom climate where both teachers and children thriveTrust First is your essential road map to cultivating a learning environment grounded in respect, connection, and trust—where meaningful relationships fuel engagement, growth, and lasting impact. 

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  The World Itself - Consciousness...

  Ulf Danielsson, Carlos Fiolhais

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  Can we ever truly comprehend the universe before we fully understand consciousness and the wonders, and limits, of the mind? Ulf Danielsson, an acclaimed theoretical physicist who has dedicated his career to probing the deepest mysteries of nature, thinks not. As he dismantles the arguments of esteemed mathematicians and scientists, who would substitute their mathematical models for reality and equate the mind to a computer, he makes a lucid and passionate case that it is nature, full of beauty and meaning, which must compel us. In challenging established worldviews, he also takes a fresh look at major philosophical debates, including the notion of free will. Fearless, provocative, and witty, The World Itself is essential listening for anyone curious about the profound questions surrounding life, the universe, and everything.

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  Common Sense (version 2)

  Thomas Paine

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  Thomas Paine has a claim to the title The Father of the American Revolution because of Common Sense, the pro-independence monograph pamphlet he anonymously published on January 10, 1776; signed "Written by an Englishman", the pamphlet became an immediate success. It quickly spread among the literate, and, in three months, 100,000 copies (estimated 500,000 total including pirated editions sold during the course of the Revolution) sold throughout the American British colonies (with only two million free inhabitants), making it the best-selling book ever. Paine's original title for the pamphlet was Plain Truth; Paine's friend, pro-independence advocate Benjamin Rush, suggested Common Sense instead.The pamphlet appeared in January 1776, after the Revolution had started. It was passed around, and often read aloud in taverns, contributing significantly to spreading the idea of republicanism, bolstering enthusiasm for separation from Britain, and encouraging recruitment for the Continental Army. Paine provided a new and convincing argument for independence by advocating a complete break with history. Common Sense is oriented to the future in a way that compels the reader to make an immediate choice. It offers a solution for Americans disgusted and alarmed at the threat of tyranny. (Introduction by Wikipedia)

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