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  The Divine Comedy Purgatory

  Dante Alighieri

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  Purgatorio (Italian: [purɡaˈtɔːrjo]; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy, following the Inferno, and preceding the Paradiso. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of Dante up the Mount of Purgatory, guided by the Roman poet Virgil, except for the last four cantos at which point Beatrice takes over as Dante's guide.Purgatory in the poem is depicted as a mountain in the Southern Hemisphere, consisting of a bottom section (Ante-Purgatory), seven levels of suffering and spiritual growth (associated with the seven deadly sins), and finally the Earthly Paradise at the top. Allegorically, the Purgatorio represents the penitent Christian life. In describing the climb Dante discusses the nature of sin, examples of vice and virtue, as well as moral issues in politics and in the Church. The poem outlines a theory that all sins arise from love – either perverted love directed towards others' harm, or deficient love, or the disordered or excessive love of good things.

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  Whack Job - A History of Axe Murder

  Rachel McCarthy James

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  A brilliant and bloody examination of the axe's foundational role in human history, from prehistoric violence, to war and executions, to newspaper headlines and popular culture.For as long as the axe has been in our hands, we have used it to kill.Much like the wheel, the boat, and the telephone, the axe is a transformative piece of technology—one that has been with us since prehistory. And just as early humans used the axe to chop down trees, hunt for food, and whittle tools, they also used it to murder. Over time, this particular use has endured: as the axe evolved over centuries to fit the needs of new agricultural, architectural, and social development, so have our lethal uses for it.Whack Job is the story of the axe, first as a convenient danger and then an anachronism, as told through the murders it has been employed in throughout history: from the first axe murder nearly half a million years ago, to the brutal harnessing of the axe in warfare, to its use in King Henry VIII's favorite method of execution, to Lizzie Borden and the birth of modern pop culture. Whack Job sheds brilliant light on this familiar implement, this most human of weapons. This is a critical examination of violence, an exploration of how technology shapes human conflict, the cruel and sacred rituals of execution and battle, and the ways humanity fits even the most savage impulses into narratives of the past and present.A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

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  The Gospel of Philip - Mystical...

  Philip the Apostle (Gnostic...

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  What is the nature of divine love? How do truth and the sacred guide the soul toward enlightenment? 
  The Gospel of Philip is one of the most poetic and profound texts of the Gnostic tradition. Attributed to Philip the Apostle, this ancient work explores the mystical union between the human and the divine, revealing hidden truths about creation, love, salvation, and the inner journey toward spiritual awakening. 
  Now presented in a clear, modern translation, this edition brings the symbolic richness and spiritual depth of The Gospel of Philip to today’s listener—inviting deeper reflection and personal discovery. 
  What you'll discover inside:The Mysteries of Love and Union – Teachings on the sacred bond between soul and spirit, and love as a path to the divineTruth Revealed in Symbols and Images – Poetic insights expressed through layered, mystical languageThe Light Within – Gnostic wisdom on the divine spark present in each person and the journey toward enlightenmentA Window into Early Christian Mysticism – Explore the Gnostic view of sacred knowledge, salvation, and divine reality 
  Whether you’re a spiritual seeker, a student of early Christianity, or simply drawn to mystical teachings, The Gospel of Philip offers timeless wisdom on love, truth, and the sacred union of soul and spirit. 
  Begin your journey today—and uncover a vision of divine love that continues to inspire across the ages.

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  Black Bear - A Story of...

  Trina Moyles

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  When Trina Moyles was five years old, her father, a wildlife biologist known in Peace River as "the bear guy," brought home an orphaned black bear cub for a night before sending it to the Calgary Zoo. This brief but unforgettable encounter spurred Trina's lifelong fascination with Ursus americanus—the most populous bear on the northern landscape, often considered a nuisance to human society. As a child roaming the shores of the Peace in the footsteps of her beloved older brother, Brendan, she understood bears to be invisible entities: always present but mostly hidden and worthy of respect.After years of working for human rights organizations, Trina returned to northern Alberta for a job as a fire tower lookout. Over four summers, Trina begins to move beyond fear and observe the extraordinary essence of the maligned black bear—a keystone species who is as subject to the environmental consequences of the oil economy as humans. At the same time, she searches for common ground with Brendan on the land that bonded them.Impassioned and eloquent, Black Bear is a story of grief and a vision of peaceful coexistence in a divided world. It captures the fragility of our relationships with human and nonhuman species alike, and the imperative to protect the wild—along with the people we hold closest.

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  The Silk Finisher - Bigotry...

  Daniel Melchior

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  What happens when toxicity invades a life at every turn? 
   
   
   
  A 1963 murder leads to a decade-long journey for a son to uncover truths about his family, an American town, and ultimately himself. 
   
   
   
  In the "Crossroads of America," three active-duty US Army paratroopers commit a more heinous crime than the one they are trying to cover up. Their arrests and trial shock and divide residents of the town between those who see the soldiers as heroes and those who view them as cold-blooded killers. 
   
   
   
  Author Dan Melchior unearths the story of Rudolph Ziemer, known by some as the "Queer Undertaker." Along the way, he uncovers forgotten often toxic stories involving the Cold War and the Jim Crow south, infidelity, addiction, bigotry, murders, and accidents all woven into the fabric of one woman's life as a laboring silk finisher. The stories link the Civil Rights era to World War II to the march of the MAGA movement and parallel the divisions and challenges facing America today. Journey along with Melchior as he discovers how one man's murder—someone he never knew—led him to a deeper understanding of his family, his beliefs, his country, and his triumphant relationship with his mom, a silk finisher.

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  Solace - Life loss and the...

  Catherine Drea

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  Solace is that feeling of calm and comfort, that sense of peace that is all around us when we are open to finding it.
  Writer and photographer Catherine Drea explores the solace to be found in nature and creativity. She reflects on loss, the cycle of life and the healing power of family and community. She muses on the joy of finding a place to call home, the escape that travel brings and the exhilaration of plunging into our waters – all the while embracing the therapeutic power of observing the ordinary and the everyday.
  
  With the passing seasons, her camera captures fleeting moments in nature – the light and lie of the land with its precious wildlife: among them sentinel robins, elusive Irish hares and serene swans.
  
  Solace is quite simply a balm for the soul.
  
  
  'In this beautiful book Catherine Drea explores deeply emotive issues, calms the mind, soothes the soul, and focuses her sensitive lens on the wonders of the natural world.'
  
  Alice Taylor, author of To School through the Fields

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