Other books that might interest you

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  The Zong - A Massacre the Law &...

  James Walvin

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  The first full review of the mass murder by crew members on the slave ship Zong and the lasting repercussions of this horrifying event 
   
   
   
  On November 29, 1781, Captain Collingwood of the British ship Zong commanded his crew to throw overboard one-third of his cargo: a shipment of Africans bound for slavery in America. The captain believed his ship was off course, and he feared there was not enough drinking water to last until landfall. This book is the first to examine in detail the deplorable killings on the Zong, the lawsuit that ensued, how the murder of 132 slaves affected debates about slavery, and the way we remember the infamous Zong today. 
   
   
   
  Historian James Walvin explores all aspects of the Zong's voyage and the subsequent trial—a case brought to court not for the murder of the slaves but as a suit against the insurers who denied the owners' claim that their "cargo" had been necessarily jettisoned. The scandalous case prompted wide debate and fueled Britain's awakening abolition movement. Without the episode of the Zong, Walvin contends, the process of ending the slave trade would have taken an entirely different moral and political trajectory. He concludes with a fascinating discussion of how the case of the Zong, though unique in the history of slave ships, has come to be understood as typical of life on all such ships.

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  The Ceely Rose Murders at...

  Mark Sebastian Jordan

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  The people of mid-Ohio's Pleasant Valley went on with their normal lives that cold and rainy spring of 1896, not knowing that young Ceely Rose was brooding. She'd been told to forget her obsession with handsome Guy Berry. She'd been told about the danger of Rough-on-Rats poison. She'd heard about murdering those who stand in the way of love. By the time she was done, her family would be dead and others threatened. Later, the place where these crimes took place became Malabar Farm, the estate of Pulitzer Prize-winning author and conservationist Louis Bromfield. Historian, playwright, and storyteller Mark Sebastian Jordan examines the story of the Poisoner of Pleasant Valley, Ceely Rose, and how it has resonated throughout the years.

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  Testing Education - A Teacher's...

  Kathy Greeley

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  Since the 2002 implementation of No Child Left Behind, the American public education system has been fundamentally changed. Excessive testing, standardized curriculums, destructive demands on children, corporate-­style evaluations, and top-­down mandates have become the norm. In response, record numbers of demoralized educators have quit, and millions of students have been left educationally impoverished. This troubling transformation has been exhaustively critiqued by scholars and commentators. Yet one crucial voice has been missing. 
   
   
   
  In Testing Education, Kathy Greeley recounts the impact of education reform from a teacher's point of view. Based on a teaching career ranging nearly forty years, Greeley details how schools went from learning communities infused with excitement, intellectual stimulation, and joy to sterile spaces of stress, intimidation, and fear. In this ultimately hopeful memoir, Greeley asks us to learn from the past to reimagine the future of public education.

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  The Shaking Woman or A History...

  Siri Hustvedt

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  While speaking at a memorial event in 2006, Siri Hustvedt suffered a violent seizure from the neck down. Despite her flapping arms and shaking legs, she continued to speak clearly and was able to finish her speech. It was as if she had suddenly become two people: a calm orator and a shuddering wreck. Then the seizures happened again and again. The Shaking Woman tracks Hustvedt's search for a diagnosis, one that takes her inside the thought processes of several scientific disciplines, each one of which offers a distinct perspective on her paroxysms but no ready solution. In the process, she finds herself entangled in fundamental questions: What is the relationship between brain and mind? How do we remember? What is the self? 
   
   
   
  During her investigations, Hustvedt joins a discussion group in which neurologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, and brain scientists trade ideas to develop a new field: neuropsychoanalysis. She volunteers as a writing teacher for psychiatric in-patients at the Payne Whitney clinic in New York City and unearths precedents in medical history that illuminate the origins of and shifts in our theories about the mind-body problem. Hustvedt synthesizes her experience and research into a compelling mystery: Who is the shaking woman? In the end, the story she tells becomes, in the words of George Makari, "a brilliant illumination for us all."

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  The Legends of China and Slavic...

  Odessa Nightshade

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  This bundle delves into the rich mythological traditions of the East, showcasing a fascinating collection of ancient stories from China, Slavic cultures, and the Hindu pantheon. These legends have shaped the spiritual and cultural landscapes of their respective regions, offering timeless wisdom, cosmic tales, and moral lessons that continue to resonate today. 
  The first part of the collection explores The Legends of Ancient China, where gods, dragons, and emperors abound. In Chinese mythology, celestial beings play pivotal roles in shaping the destiny of mankind, and the stories of ancient heroes and supernatural creatures offer insight into the balance between heaven and earth. The enduring tale of the Yellow Emperor, the story of the great flood, and the legendary journey of the Monkey King are just some of the captivating narratives woven into China’s ancient lore. 
  Next, The Mythology of the Slavs introduces a world of spirits, gods, and mystical beings who govern the natural world. From the powerful Perun, god of thunder and war, to the mischievous domovoi, a house spirit, Slavic mythology is filled with both divine and folk elements. These stories emphasize the deep connection between humans and nature, as well as the complex relationships between gods, demons, and ancestors. The Slavic pantheon reveals a culture steeped in rituals, symbolism, and reverence for the earth. 
  Lastly, The Hindu Pantheon takes readers on a journey through one of the world’s oldest and most intricate mythologies. The Hindu gods—each with their unique powers and personalities—shaped the spiritual landscape of India and beyond. From the creation stories involving Brahma to the heroic exploits of Vishnu and Shiva, these tales illustrate cosmic principles, divine intervention, and the eternal battle between good and evil.

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  Milk

  Matthew Evans

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  A powerful, entertaining and, at times, eviscerating commentary on the most controversial of original superfoods. 
   
  Milk. It's in our coffee, on our cereal. We see it in processed form – yoghurt, butter, cheese, skimmed and lactose free. It's there in almond form, or made from oats or soy, and is as lauded as the 'perfect' food or lambasted as not fit for human consumption and a toxic planet killer, depending on who you trust. Which type you drink, whether you were raised on breastmilk, what you think of it, is affected by culture, biology and fashion. How you view it is driven by your gender and your politics, as well as your geography. 
   
  The miracle liquid has suffered an image problem. It has been used to keep people poor, to keep women subjugated, and to build corporate and medical careers. It's been blamed for climate change, the breakdown of human health, and an enabler of the industrial revolution. From perfect food to pariah, milk's role in life has often been debased. 
   
  Milk celebrates the majesty of this noble liquid, and delves into the pretenders to its throne, from formula to Mylk. It looks at the transformation of what a milk-producer eats into one of the most nutrient dense foods available, and how that can be transformed again into the butter, cheese and clotted cream that we know and love today. It's an exploration of the science, history and politics of what makes mammals different from every other life form on earth.

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