Other books that might interest you

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  Regain The Lost Art Of...

  Sandeep Verma

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  We are living in a time of constant technological advancement. While improving our lives in many ways, technological progress also makes us accessible and so easily distractible and interruptible throughout the day. 
  In this digital age, most of us are struggling with our ability to concentrate and it becomes even more vital to inculcate a practice to get back that lost art of concentration. Concentration is the ability to deliberately maintain the focus on something without being affected by internal and external stimuli. 
  In the material sphere, concentration assists in studying enable faster comprehension, improves memory, helps in focusing on a task, job or goal, and enables us to ignore meaningless and irrelevant thoughts. Now, in the spiritual sphere, the terminology used for 'concentration' is 'Dharana'. Patanjali, the father of Yoga psychology, explains Dharana as "the binding of attention to the object of concentration while excluding everything else". Dharna is the sixth Limb of Patanjali's Ashtanga or the eighth limbic path to enlightenment. 
  In this Book, the meditation practice we are to follow is called Ajapa Japa Dharana. It is a traditional Dharana practice to improve concentration. 
  The word ‘Japa’ means "the continuous repetition of a mantra". When the suffix ‘a’ is added, it implies that the process of mantra repetition becomes spontaneous. Ajapa Dharana is, therefore, a one-pointed concentration on the spontaneous repetition of a mantra. 
  In this, we use breath and mental chanting or repetition of mantras as a tool to develop the concentration of mental energy. 
  Origins of this practice can be found in ancient Indian Upanishads, like Yogashiksha Upanishad. Its reference can also be found in the Gita. 
  The Ajapa Japa Dharana is complete in itself. Through it, one can have a direct experience of samadhi, enlightenment, or everlasting bliss, even without the help of a guru.

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  The Prince

  Niccolò Machiavelli

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  Given the tumultuous political era in which he lived, Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), the Italian Renaissance author, philosopher, historian and diplomat, had a front-row seat to observe the political machinations, power struggles and dynastic changes in Renaissance Europe. He would compile these observations in "The Prince," which would swiftly gain a reputation both as a simple treatise on how to achieve and wield political power as well as an immoral, by-the-numbers account of how tyrants can seize and maintain dictatorships.   As a result of the teachings in this book, Machiavelli's very name has become an adjective - "Machiavellian" - that has come to denote political deception, cold-blooded calculation and the use of treachery as a means to seize power.   It is presented here in its original and unabridged format, translated from the Italian by Luigi Ricci.

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  A Rare Recording of President...

  President Ronald Reagan

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  Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He previously served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975 and as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1947 to 1952 and from 1959 until 1960. The following is a recording of President Reagan's famous "Tear Down That Wall" Speech at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, Germany, on June 12, 1987.

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  One Bright Moon

  Andrew Kwong

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  Winner of the 2021 Michael Crouch Award, debut category of the National Biography Award: From famine to freedom, how a young boy fled Chairman Mao's China to a new life in Australia 
    
  Andrew Kwong was only seven when he witnessed his first execution. The grim scene left him sleepless, anxious and doubtful about his commitment as a revolutionary in Mao's New China. Yet he knew if he devoted himself to the Party and its Chairman he would be saved. That's what his teacher told him. 
  Months later, it was his own father on trial. This time the sentence was banishment to a re-education camp, not death. It left the family tainted, despised, and with few means of survival during the terrible years of persecution and famine known as the Great Leap Forward. Even after his father returned, things remained desperate. Escape seemed the only solution, and it would be twelve-year-old Andrew who undertook the perilous journey first. 
  This is the poignant, resonant story of a young boy's awakening – to survival, education, fulfilment, and eventually to a new life of freedom. 
  PRAISE 
  'An incredibly powerful book' Benjamin Law 
  '[A] moving family saga, shot through with yearning and hard-won joy' Fiona Capp, Sydney Morning Herald 
  'This book will live on in your heart long after you've read the last page' Vicki Laveau-Harvie, author of The Erratics 
  'Heart-breaking, honest, personal, Andrew Kwong's moving journey from oppression to freedom is inspiring' Susanne Gervay, OAM, author 
  'A work of startling clarity ... reminiscent of Angela's Ashes' South China Morning Post Magazine 
  'Deeply moving ... The unique perspective of a child ... places One Bright Moon in the vicinity of Night, Elie Wiesel's pathbreaking memoir of his early life prior to and of his time in German concentration camps' Meenakshi Bharat, IIC Quarterly 
  'A few pages into this compelling memoir proves it was written by a master storyteller' Sharon Rundle, Australian Book Review 
  'A profoundly moving and spellbinding story that perfectly illuminates the terror of the times and the irrepressible yearning for something better' Carol Major, author and writing mentor 
  'One Bright Moon is extraordinary writing that encapsulates long-term hunger as a background feature of daily life in Mao's New China. In the foreground are images of adults and children populating the world of the pre-teenage boy with a photographic memory who would later write of them. The book is rich archival material for the study of China's social history' Mabel Lee, PhD FAHA, writer and translator 
  'Reading this memoir is a healing experience' Devika Brendon, author and editor

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  Positive Affirmations for Black...

  Zahra Jackson

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  Empower Their Dreams 
  An inspiring collection of affirmations specifically crafted to nurture the self-esteem and ambition of young Black children. Young listeners will discover positive affirmations and motivational messages that celebrate their unique identities, dreams, and potential. 
  This is a reminder that Black kids can achieve anything they set their minds to. From embracing their heritage and culture to fostering resilience and confidence, "Positive Affirmations for Black Kids" provides an uplifting and inclusive resource for kids and parents alike, and will:Inspire confidence and self-esteem.Nurture ambition and self-worth.Allow children to embrace their heritage and culture.Feel comfortable in their own skin.Help them create the future you know they deserve.

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  Small Medium Large - How...

  Colleen A. Dunlavy

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  We live in a world of seemingly limitless consumer choice. Yet, as every shopper knows without thinking about it, many everyday goods—from beds to batteries to printer paper—are available in a finite number of "standard sizes." What makes these sizes "standard" is an agreement among competing firms to make or sell products with the same limited dimensions. But how did firms—often hotly competing firms—reach such collective agreements? 
   
   
   
  In exploring this question, Colleen Dunlavy puts the history of mass production and distribution in an entirely new light. She reveals that, despite the widely publicized model offered by Henry Ford, mass production techniques did not naturally diffuse throughout the US economy. On the contrary, formidable market forces blocked their diffusion. It was only under the cover of collectively agreed-upon, industry-wide standard sizes—orchestrated by the federal government—that competing firms were able to break free of market forces and transition to mass production and distribution. Without government promotion of standard sizes, the twentieth-century American variety of capitalism would have looked markedly less "Fordist." 
   
   
   
  Small, Medium, Large will make all of us think differently about the everyday consumer choices we take for granted.

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