Other books that might interest you

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  Home Bound - An Uprooted...

  Vanessa A. Bee

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  In this memoir of identity and discovery, Vanessa A. Bee explores the way we define "home" and "belonging"—from her birth in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to her adoption, to experiencing housing insecurity in Europe and her eventual immigration to the US. After her parents' divorce, Vanessa traveled with her mother to Lyon and later to London, eventually settling in Reno, Nevada, as a teenager, right around the financial crisis and the collapse of the housing market. At twenty, still a practicing evangelical Christian and newly married, Vanessa applied to and was accepted by Harvard Law School, where she was one of the youngest members of her class. There, she forged a new belief system, divorced her husband, left the church, and pursued a career in economic justice upon graduation. 
   
   
   
  Vanessa's upbringing has caused her to grapple for years with foundational questions such as: What is home? Is it the country we're born in, the body we possess, or the name we were given and that identifies us? Is it the house we remember most fondly, the social status assigned to us, or the ideology we forge? What defines us and makes us uniquely who we are? 
   
   
   
  Vanessa tackles these timeless questions thematically and unpacks the many layers that contribute to and condition our understanding of ourselves and of our place in the world.

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  South End Syndicate - How I Took...

  Anthony Arillotta, Joe Bradley

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  In 2003, local Genovese family captain "Big Al" Bruno got shot five times with a .45 caliber handgun as he walked out of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel social club in Springfield, Massachusetts. Since Vito Genovese took his empire north from New York City, a string of mobsters dating back a hundred years have operated in the Greater Springfield area. With this migration came murders, mayhem, treachery, criminal trials, and constant corruption. 
   
   
   
  Not until 2010 did authorities charge new Springfield Genovese boss Anthony "Bingy" Arillotta with Bruno's murder. At the time, Arillotta's connections spanned the Northeast—from the Patriarca family in Rhode Island to the Angiulos in Boston to the Gambinos and Bonannos in New York, and from Billy Grasso and Whitey Tropiano in New Haven to Whitey Bulger's Winter Hill Gang. During his seven-year reign, Arillotta had beautiful women, total power, and millions in cash. But it eventually came with a devastating price. 
   
   
   
  South End Syndicate tells the untold story of a young man infatuated with Springfield wiseguys who rose from being a street criminal to becoming his city's Mafia boss. How did a young Italian-American kid from Springfield work his way up the chain to become a Made wiseguy in charge of Western New England? Arillotta, now a free man, tells a timeless tale of power, money, and murder.

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  Liberalism as a Way of Life

  Alexandre Lefebvre

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  Where do you get your values and sensibilities from? If you grew up in a Western democracy, the answer is probably liberalism. Conservatives are right about one thing: liberalism is the ideology of our times, as omnipresent as religion once was. Yet, as Alexandre Lefebvre argues in Liberalism as a Way of Life, many of us are liberal without fully realizing it—or grasping what it means. Misled into thinking that liberalism is confined to politics, we fail to recognize that it's the water we swim in, saturating every area of public and private life, shaping our psychological and spiritual outlooks, and influencing our moral and aesthetic values—our sense of what is right, wrong, good, bad, funny, worthwhile, and more. This eye-opening book shows how so many of us are liberal to the core, why liberalism provides the basis for a good life, and how we can make our lives better and happier by becoming more aware of, and more committed to, the beliefs we already hold. 
   
   
   
  A lively, engaging, and uplifting guide to living well, the liberal way, Liberalism as a Way of Life is filled with examples from television, movies, stand-up comedy, and social media—from Parks and Recreation and The Good Place to the Borat movies and Hannah Gadsby. Along the way, you'll also learn about seventeen benefits of being a liberal and practical exercises to increase these rewards.

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  Ghana Empire The: A Captivating...

  Captivating History

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  Ready to learn about one of the major medieval African empires? 
  Many people know about the Mali Empire and its famous ruler, Mansa Musa. But did you know there was a major empire that came before it? 
  Medieval African history tends to get ignored in favor of medieval European history. However, there is so much rich history to uncover, especially in the region of West Africa. 
  The Ghana Empire is considered one of the greatest empires in African history. There was an abundance of gold in the region, and the Ghana Empire was a powerful trading partner. Advancements were made in administration, allowing it to become a dominant power in the region. 
  History comes alive in this audiobook. Here are just a few of the things you will learn about:How the Ghana Empire rose to power in the first place;What people groups called the Ghana Empire home;The influence of Islam on the empireWhy trade was such a major factor in the empire’s control of the regionHow the Almoravids impacted the Ghana Empire;The decline and eventual downfall of this mighty power;And so much more! 
  Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to begin learning about the Ghana Empire today!

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  The Time of My Life - Dirty Dancing

  Andrea Warner

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  An engaging exploration into the enduring popularity of Dirty Dancing and its lasting themes of feminism, activism, and reproductive rights
  		 
  When Dirty Dancing was released in 1987, it had already been rejected by producers and distributors several times over, and expectations for the summer romance were low. But then the film, written by former dancer Eleanor Bergstein and starring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze as a couple from two different worlds, exploded. Since then, Dirty Dancing’s popularity has never waned. The truth has always been that Dirty Dancing was never just a teen romance or a dance movie — it also explored abortion rights, class, and political activism, with a smattering of light crime-solving.
  		 
  In The Time of My Life, celebrated music journalist Andrea Warner excavates the layers of Dirty Dancing, from its anachronistic, chart-topping soundtrack, to Baby and Johnny’s chemistry, to Bergstein’s political intentions, to the abortion subplot that is more relevant today than ever. The film’s remarkable longevity would never have been possible if it was just a throwaway summer fling story. It is precisely because of its themes — deeply feminist, sensitively written — that we, over 30 years later, are still holding our breath during that last, exhilarating lift.
  		 
  About the Pop Classics Series
  		 
  Short books that pack a big punch, Pop Classics offer intelligent, fun, and accessible arguments about why a particular pop phenomenon matters.

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  Knights Templars at the priory...

  Jean-Patrick Pourtal

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  The dissolution of the Order of the Temple and the persecution of the Knights Templar are still fresh in people's minds. Why did King Philip the Fair and Pope Clement V set out to destroy them? What secrets did the Knights Templar hold? Just as the Da Vinci Code revealed the existence of the Order of the Priory of Sion and left its mark on the world, Jean-Patrick Pourtal takes you on an investigative journey from the 14th century to the present day. The author develops his hypotheses on the historical implications of the Knights Templar, mixing royal dynasty and hidden messages. He returns to mythical sites such as Arginy, Gisors and Rennes-Le-Château, and meets the characters who were instrumental in bringing about the so-called Templar resurgence.

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