Most Popular Books by Andrea

This book provides a comprehensive overview of Southeast Asia’s newest nation, Timor Leste, and the challenges it faces building a stable future. It provides a comprehensive political history of the country, covering the Portuguese period, Indonesian occupation, the United Nation transition period, independence in 2002 through to the present day

Andrea Jones focuses on the familiar details of country life balanced by the larger responsibilities that come with living outside an urban boundary. Jones reflects on life in two homes in the Colorado Rockies, first in Fourmile Canyon in the foothills west of Boulder, then near Cap Rock Ridge in central Colorado. Whether negotiating territory with a mountain lion, balancing her observations of the predatory nature of pygmy owls against her desire to protect a nest of nuthatches, working to reduce her property''s vulnerability to wildfire while staying alert to its inherent risks during fire season, or decoding the distinct personalities of her horses, she acknowleges the effects of sprawl on a beloved landscape.--from publisher''s description.

This book examines the importance of work in human well-being, addressing several related philosophical questions about work and arguing on the whole that meaningful work is central in human flourishing. Work impacts flourishing not only in developing and exercising human capabilities but also in instilling and reflecting virtues such as honor, pride, dignity, self-discipline and self-respect. Work also attaches to a sense of purposefulness and personal identity, and meaningful work can promote both personal autonomy and a sense of personal satisfaction that issues from making oneself useful. Further still, work bears a formative influence on character and intelligence and provides a primary avenue for exercising complex skills and garnering esteem and recognition from others. The author defends a pluralistic account of meaningful work, arguing that work can be meaningful in virtue of developing capabilities, supporting virtues, providing a purpose, or integrating elements of a worker''s life. In light of the impact of meaningful work on living well, the author argues that well-ordered societies provide opportunities for meaningful work, that individuals would be well advised to pursue these opportunities, and that the philosophical view of value pluralism, which casts work as having no special significance in an individual''s life, is false. The book also addresses oppressive work that undermines human flourishing, examining potential solutions to mitigate the impact of bad work on those who perform it. Finally, a guiding argument of the book is that promoting meaningful work is a matter of ethics, more so than a matter of politics. Prioritizing people over profit, treating workers with respect, respecting the intelligence of working people, and creating opportunities for people to contribute developed skills are basic ethical principles for employing organizations and for communities at large.

The Indonesian record-breaking bestseller, in the tradition of Slumdog Millionaire and Shantaram. Ikal is a student at Muhammadiyah Elementary, on the Indonesian island of Belitong, where graduating from sixth grade is considered a major achievement. His school is under constant threat of closure. In fact, Ikal and his friends - a group called the Rainbow Troops - face threats from every angle: pessimistic, corrupt government officials; greedy corporations hardly distinguishable from the colonialism they''ve replaced; deepening poverty and crumbling infrastructure; and their own festering self-confidence. But in the form of two extraordinary teachers, they also have hope, and Ikal''s education is an uplifting one, in and out of the classroom. You will cheer for Ikal and his friends as they defy the town''s powerful tin miners. Meet his first love - a hand with half-moon fingernails that passes him the chalk his teacher sent him to buy. You will roar in support of Lintang, the class''s barefoot maths genius, as he bests the rich company children in an academic challenge. First published in Indonesia, The Rainbow Troops went on to sell over 5 million copies. Now it is set to captivate readers across the globe. This is classic story-telling: an engrossing depiction of a world not often encountered, bursting with charm and verve.

Against the backdrop of four decades of continuous conflict in Afghanistan, the Pashtun male protagonists of this book carry out their daily effort to internally negotiate, adjust (if at all), and respond to the very strict cultural norms and rules of masculinity that their androcentric social environment enjoins on them. Yet, in a widespread context of war, displacement, relocation, and social violence, cultural expectations and stringent tenets on how to comport oneself as a "real man" have a profound impact on the psychological equilibrium and emotional dynamics of these individuals. This book is a close investigation into these private and at times contradictory aspects of subjectivity. Stemming from five years of research in a southeastern province of Afghanistan, it presents a long-term, psychodynamic engagement with a select group of male Pashtun individuals, which results in a multilayered dive not only into their inner lives, but also into the cultural and social environment in which they live and develop. Behind the screen of what often seems like outward conformity, Andrea Chiovenda is able to point to areas of strong inner conflict, ambivalence, and rebellion, which in turn will serve as the seeds for cultural and social change. These dynamics play out in a setting in which what was considered legitimate and justifiable violence on the battlefield has now spilled over into everyday life, even among non-combatants.

“You either love Andrea Camilleri or you haven’t read him yet. Each novel in this wholly addictive, entirely magical series, set in Sicily and starring a detective unlike any other in crime fiction, blasts the brain like a shot of pure oxygen. Aglow with local color, packed with flint-dry wit, as fresh and clean as Mediterranean seafood — altogether transporting. Long live Camilleri, and long live Montalbano.” A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window Andrea Camilleri''s Inspector Montalbano has garnered millions of fans worldwide with his sardonic take on Sicilian life. Montalbano''s latest case begins with a mysterious têtê à têtê with a Mafioso, some inexplicably abandoned loot from a supermarket heist, and dying words that lead him to an illegal arms cache in a mountain cave. There, the inspector finds two young lovers, dead for fifty years and still embracing, watched over by a life-sized terra-cotta dog. Montalbano''s passion to solve this old crime takes him on a journey through Sicily''s past and into one family''s darkest secrets. With sly wit and a keen understanding of human nature, Montalbano is a detective whose earthiness, compassion, and imagination make him totally irresistable.

In this sweeping epic fantasy comes a story of magic, betrayal, love, and loyalty, where two sisters will clash on opposite sides of a war against the gods. A divine war shattered the world leaving humanity in ruins. Desperate for hope, they struck a deal with the devious god Kluehnn: He would restore the world to its former glory, but at a price so steep it would keep the mortals indebted to him for eternity. And as each land was transformed, so too were its people changed into strange new forms - if they survived at all. Hakara is not willing to pay such a price. Desperate to protect herself and her sister, Rasha, she flees her homeland for the safety of a neighboring kingdom. But when tragedy separates them, Hakara is forced to abandon her beloved sister to an unknown fate. Alone and desperate for answers on the wrong side of the world, Hakara discovers she can channel the magic from the mysterious gems they are forced to mine for Kluehnn. With that discovery comes another: her sister is alive, and the rebels plotting to destroy the God Pact can help rescue her. But only if Hakara goes to war against a god.

“You either love Andrea Camilleri or you haven’t read him yet. Each novel in this wholly addictive, entirely magical series, set in Sicily and starring a detective unlike any other in crime fiction, blasts the brain like a shot of pure oxygen...transporting. Long live Camilleri, and long live Montalbano.” —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano novels have become an international sensation, with fans eagerly awaiting each new installment. In Game of Mirrors, Inspector Montalbano and his colleagues are stumped when two bombs explode outside empty warehouses—one of which is connected to a big-time drug dealer. Meanwhile, the alluring Liliana Lombardo is trying to seduce the Inspector over red wine and arancini. Between pesky reporters, amorous trysts, and cocaine kingpins, Montalbano feels as if he’s being manipulated on all fronts. That is, until the inspector himself becomes the prime suspect in an unspeakably brutal crime.

Politics is relevant and participation matters--now more than ever

“You either love Andrea Camilleri or you haven’t read him yet. Each novel in this wholly addictive, entirely magical series, set in Sicily and starring a detective unlike any other in crime fiction, blasts the brain like a shot of pure oxygen. Aglow with local color, packed with flint-dry wit, as fresh and clean as Mediterranean seafood — altogether transporting. Long live Camilleri, and long live Montalbano.” A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window Half the retirees in Vigáta have invested their savings with a financial wizard who has disappeared, along with their money. As Montalbano investigates this labyrinthine financial scam, he finds himself at a serious disadvantage: a hostile superior has shut him out of the case, he’s on the outs with his lover Livia, and his cherished Sicily is turning so ruthless and vulgar that Montalbano wonders if any part of it is worth saving. Drenched with atmosphere, crackling with wit, The Smell of the Night is Camilleri at his most addictive.

The author that movement is triggered by the geometry of phrase structure.

Is the glorified reputation of the chivalrous, loyal, virtuous, and larger-than-life Knight actually true, or were they simply ambitious power-hungry opportunists? Hopkins compares the fictional aspects of the Knight as read and heard throughout literature, and the actual lives of real-life Knights.

Staying with a friend and her husband is sexier—and deadlier—than anyone could have imagined, in this “delightfully salacious” (Shondaland) domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club pick We Were Never Here. “A fresh and sexy ride, perfect for reading poolside.”—People (Best New Book) “Sexy, atmospheric, deliciously creepy, and ingeniously plotted: the best kind of up-all-night page-turner.”—Lucy Foley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Apartment and The Guest List A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Elle, PopSugar, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, CrimeReads Kelly’s new life in Philadelphia has turned into a nightmare: She’s friendless and jobless, and the lockdown has her trapped in a tiny apartment with the man she gave up everything for, who’s just called off their wedding. The only bright spot is her newly rekindled friendship with her childhood friend Sabrina—now a glamorous bestselling author with a handsome, high-powered husband. When Sabrina and Nathan offer Kelly an escape hatch, volunteering the spare room of their remote Virginia mansion, she jumps at the chance to run away from her old life. There, Kelly secretly finds herself falling for both her enchanting hosts—until one night, a wild and unexpected threesome leads the couple to open their marriage for her. At first, Kelly loves being part of this risqué new world. But when she discovers that the last woman they invited into their marriage is missing, she starts to wonder if they could be dangerous . . . and if she might be next. Packed with Andrea Bartz’s signature tension, twists, and toxic relationships, The Spare Room marks an edgy, boundary-pushing new direction from the “master of the ‘feminist thriller’” (Los Angeles Times).

This devotional, designed as a pick-me-up for teenage girls who feel negative about themselves while experiencing puberty, is full of inspiring quotes and anecdotes about young women like themselves, and older women they can emulate, to help these girls realize there is so much to look forward to.

A young Don Juan is found murdered in front of his apartment building early one morning, and an elderly couple is reported missing after an excursion to the ancient site of Tindari – two seemingly unrelated cases for Inspector Montalbano to solve amid the daily complications of life at Vigata police headquarters.But when Montalbano discovers that the couple and the murdered young man lived in the same building, his investigation stumbles onto Sicily''s brutal "New Mafia", which leads him down a path more evil and more far-reaching than any he has been down before.

`A mischievously entertaining crime novel'' SIMON BRETT The first instalment in The Falconer Files, Andrea Frazer''s insanely gripping village detective series with a delightful slice of humour. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Lillian Jackson Braun and Midsomer Murders. READER''S CAN''T GET ENOUGH OF ANDREA''S QUIRKY CRIME NOVELS! ***** ''Probably one of the best mystery novels I have read. Such complex characters... and a lovely description of village life'' Reader Review ***** ''Fantastic read. Nice and easy with interesting characters. So lifelike you could conjure up a picture of each member. Brilliant!'' Reader Review ***** ''This is simply an excellent classic whodunnit in the same library as Agatha Christie or Lillian Jackson Braun!!'' Reader Review ***** ''Brilliantly written kept me thinking who done it. Highly recommended. Will be reading more...'' Reader Review ___________ In the village of Castle Farthing a mean-spirited, spiteful, curmudgeonly old man is found drugged and strangled in the kitchen of his cottage, with no obvious clues to the perpetrator of the crime. DI Falconer and Acting DS Carmichael are summoned from the police headquarters in the nearby town of Market Darley and begin to uncover a web of grudges against the old man and a sea of familial connections between those who knew him. As the heat of July continues relentlessly, tempers flare, disturbing the usual rural calm of the village, and the normally imperturbable Harry Falconer. Faced with a crime with no obvious prime suspect and the idiosyncrasies of his new partner, Carmichael, is he gradually losing his grip on the case as the body count rises?

Lonely Planet''s Berlin is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Get up close to the Brandenburger Tor, visit the Berlin Wall, and explore the museums of Museumsinsel; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Berlin and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet''s Berlin Travel Guide: Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020u0092s COVID-19 outbreak NEW pull-out, passport-size ''Just Landed'' card with wi-fi, ATM and transport info - all you need for a smooth journey from airport to hotel Planning tools for family travellers - where to go, how to save money, plus fun stuff just for kids What''s New feature taps into cultural trends and helps you find fresh ideas and cool new areas our writers have uncovered Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Over 40 maps Covers Historic Mitte, Museumsinsel & Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten, Scheunenviertel, Kreuzberg, Neukolln, Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg, City West & Charlottenburg and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Berlin, our most comprehensive guide to Berlin, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled. Looking for just the highlights? Check out Pocket Berlin, a handy-sized guide focused on the can''t-miss sights for a quick trip. Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet Germany for a comprehensive look at all the country has to offer. Authors Written and researched by Lonely Planet, and Andrea Schulte-Peevers. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we''ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You''ll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. ''Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.'' u0096 New York Times ''Lonely Planet. It''s on everyone''s bookshelves; it''s in every traveller''s hands. It''s on mobile phones. It''s on the Internet. It''s everywhere, and it''s telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.'' u0096 Fairfax Media (Australia)

Publisher Description

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger comes a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Ella Fitzgerald! Having lost her mother at a young age, Ella Fitzgerald struggled as a child, especially during the Great Depression. But after winning over the audience with her singing at an Amateur Night at the Apollo, Ella''s career began, and she eventually went on to become a world-renowned singer known as the First Lady of Song. In this chapter book biography by award-winning and bestselling author Andrea Davis Pinkney, readers learn about the amazing life of Ella Fitzgerald--and how she persisted. Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Ella Fitzgerald''s footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum. And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted!

The most rhetorically grounded comprehensive handbook for composition, The St. Martin’s Handbook continues to do what it has always done: Present Andrea Lunsford’s substantial and timely research with student writers for student writers. The ninth edition reflects a nationwide survey of students and teachers related to how young people interact with others from different language and cultural backgrounds and with people with whom they disagree. New material on college expectations helps students think critically about barriers to and benefits of open and respectful dialogue and offers strategies for communicating outside of one’s comfort zone. Attention to gender and pronouns and to language varieties and identities supports students as they learn to write to include rather than to exclude. And throughout the ninth edition, which assumes students are writing traditional and multimodal projects in a mobile world, Andrea Lunsford asks students to see themselves as communicators in a global world. With new student writing, stronger coverage of argument, new material on defensive reading and fact-checking, more visual help with field research, the most up-to-date citation models, and a range of practice activities, The St. Martin’s Handbook helps a wide variety of college writers succeed.

International BestsellerThe discreet lives of Vigata''s drug dealers and prostitutes are disrupted when the body of a well known engineer is found. Although the cause of death is ruled as natural causes, Inspector Salvo Montalbano will pick his way through a labyrinth of high comedy corruption, delicious meals, vendetta firepower, and carefully planted false clues to get to the heart of the matter.

First published in four volumes in Venice in 1570, "The Four Books of Architecture" is the important architectural treatise by the famed Italian architect Andrea Palladio. Often considered to be one of the most important and influential figures in the history of architecture, Palladio''s designs in the city of Vicenza are designated a World Heritage Site and have inspired countless architects and artists. Palladio''s seminal work was first published in English in 1663 and remains widely read and studied. The four volumes of Palladio''s work cover every important aspect of architecture and design. The first book examines materials, techniques, elements, and defines the five classic orders, Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and composite, and all their respective parts. The second part explores the design of private residences, such as city townhouses and country estates. The third book addresses city planning issues, such as streets, public spaces, and places of worship. The fourth and final book describes the design of specific Roman temples and structures, including detailed measurements, both of buildings that were still standing and those that could be found only in ruin. Palladio''s classic work is an essential addition to the library of everyone who studies and appreciates architecture and design. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the translation of Isaac Ware.

The dangerous decline in vaccinations in many developed countries is at the heart of a lively debate that confirms how important the subject is today. Vaccinations are among mankind’s most important scientific discoveries, yet they continue to be viewed with suspicion by part of the public – the victims of disinformation campaigns, instrumentalization and unfounded fears. There is, however, also an evolutionary explanation for these irrational beliefs, and countering the growing social opposition will be extremely difficult without grasping it. This book, which sheds new light on the safety and importance of vaccinations, is intended both for parents and those readers who want to understand the role of vaccinations in contemporary society, where the ease of access to knowledge is both a great opportunity and a great responsibility. The chapters follow a historical progression and conclude with a discussion of the most recent cognitive theories on how to overcome this opposition to vaccinations.

A corpse is found on a boat--poisoned--and two boats are still in port. Sailors from all over the Mediterranean are questioned; something mysterious occurred aboard a luxury yacht--and the only thing that is clear is that the rules of the sea are different than those on land.

Andrea Tinnemeyer''s book examines the nineteenth-century captivity narrative as a dynamic, complex genre that provided an ample medium for cultural critique, a revision of race relations, and a means of elucidating the U.S.?Mexican War?s complex and often contradictory significance in the national imagination. The captivity narrative, as Tinnemeyer shows, addressed questions arising from the incorporation of residents in the newly annexed territory. This genre transformed its heroine from the quintessential white virgin into the Mexican maiden in order to quell anxieties over miscegenation, condone acts furthering Manifest Density, or otherwise romanticize the land-grabbing nature of the war and of the opportunists who traveled to the Southwest after 1848. Some of these narratives condone and even welcome interracial marriages between Mexican women and Anglo-American men. By understanding marriage for love as an expression of free will or as a declaration of independence, texts containing interracial marriages or romanticizing the U.S.?Mexican War could politicize the nuptials and present the Anglo-American husband as a hero and rescuer. This romanticizing of annexation and cross-border marriages tended to feminize Mexico, making the country appear captive and in need of American rescue and influencing the understanding of ?foreign? and ?domestic? by relocating geographic and racial boundaries. In addition to examining more conventional notions of captivity, Tinnemeyer?s book uses war song lyrics and legal cases to argue that ?captivity? is a multivalenced term encompassing desire, identity formation, and variable definitions of citizenship.

Half the retired people of Vigata have invested their savings with a financial wizard who has disappeared. As Montalbano investigates this labyrinthine financial scam, he finds that a hostile superior has shut him out of the case and his cherished Sicily seems to be becoming so ruthless that Montalbano wonders if any part of it is worth saving.

Returning to England after the war Gilbert Joseph is treated very differently now that he is no longer in an RAF uniform. Joined by his wife Hortense, he rekindles a friendship with Queenie who takes in Jamaican lodgers. Can their dreams of a better life in England overcome the prejudice they face?

Strategic Sport Communication, Third Edition, presents a comprehensive examination of the evolving field of sport communication. With a complete approach to the multifaceted and interrelated applications of sport communication, this text will help the reader understand modern trends and industry demands. The book’s topics align with the Common Professional Component topics outlined by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA). Organized into three parts for easy understanding, part I familiarizes students with the field by defining sport communication, presenting historical analysis, and providing an extensive discussion of career opportunities. Part II focuses on the elements of the Strategic Sport Communication Model (SSCM). This model details the three main components of sport communication: personal and organizational aspects of communication, mediated communication in sport, and sport communication services and support systems. Students will understand how each component plays an integral role in sport management, sport marketing, and operational goals at all levels of sport organizations. Part III examines legal aspects and critical sociological and cultural issues. Significant updates throughout the third edition capture the evolution of sport communication: A look at emerging communication platforms and modern technologies such as fantasy sports and online gambling New content covering the cutting-edge topics of customer-centric marketing, influencer marketing, the rise of digital media in integrated marketing, and the use of data analytics in marketing communication A new discussion of digital public relations tools and new examples of crises in sport, including a case study that provides a real-world example of a crisis in sport communication Learning aids—including key terms, chapter objectives, and chapter wrap-ups with review questions and individual exercises—provide for an engaging and focused learning experience. Updated for this edition, Sport Communication at Work sidebars feature industry experts applying chapter content, and Profile of a Sport Communicator sidebars highlight professional opportunities. In Strategic Sport Communication, Third Edition, students will develop a thorough understanding of the vast and varied field of sport communication. As the exciting field of sport communication continues to present new challenges, the analysis provided within this text will provide the foundational and theoretical understanding necessary for aspiring sport communication professionals to succeed.

From Andrea Camilleri, the bestselling author of the Inspector Montalbano mysteries, comes The Brewer of Preston, a hilarious standalone comedy. 1870s Sicily. Much to the displeasure of Vigàta''s stubborn populace, the town has just been unified under the Kingdom of Italy. They''re now in the hands of a new government they don''t understand, and they definitely don''t like. Eugenio Bortuzzi has been named Prefect for Vigàta, a regional representative from the Italian government tasked to oversee the town. But the rowdy and unruly Sicilians don''t care much for this rather pompous mainlander nor the mediocre opera he''s hell-bent on producing in their new municipal theatre. The Brewer of Preston, it''s called, and the Vigàtese are revving up to wreak havoc on the performance''s opening night . . .

Few women''s voices have survived from the antiquity period, but evidence shows that, especially in the area of religion, women were influential in Greek culture. Drawing on Socrates'' Symposium , Nye advances this notion by not only exploring the original religious meaning of Diotima''s teaching but also how that meaning has been lost throughout time.

This book develops a credible scenario for interstellar exploration and colonization. In so doing, it examines: • the present situation and prospects for interstellar exploration technologies; • where to go: the search for habitable planets; • the motivations for space travel and colonization; • the financial mechanisms required to fund such enterprises. The final section of the book analyzes the uncertainties surrounding the presented scenario. The purpose of building a scenario is not only to pinpoint future events but also to highlight the uncertainties that may propel the future in different directions. Interstellar travel and colonization requires a civilization in which human beings see themselves as inhabitants of a single planet and in which global governance of these processes is conducted on a cooperative basis. The key question is, then, whether our present civilization is ready for such an endeavor, reflecting the fact that the critical uncertainties are political and cultural in nature. It is written in such a way as to allow the non-professional reader to become part of the debate on the future of space programs.

A cryptic e-mail after a series of tragic events leaves psychologist and successful radio personality, Taylor Halstead, feeling terrified--someone wants her dead and she''s not sure who she can trust.

Presenting widely varying opinions on provocative topics, The Presence of Others invites every student to enter a dialogue with the readings and with accompanying commentaries from the editors, student writers, and experts in other disciplines and fields. Noted scholars Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz -- whose takes on political and academic culture differ markedly -- have selected a range of visual and written texts that cover issues of importance in academic and public life, from education to ethics, science and technology to American cultural myths. With its diverse selection of ideas, The Presence of Others encourages students to respond thoughtfully to arguments and to move toward excellence in articulating and supporting their own positions.

This book studies the house of prisoners at the city of Uruk during the revolt against king Samsu-iluna (ca. 1741-1739 BC). The history of this period is not widely known and there is no previous comprehensive treatment of the institution under co

In this voice-driven young adult debut by Andrea Mosqueda, Maggie Gonzalez needs a date to her sister''s quinceañera - and fast. Growing up in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, Maggie Gonzalez has always been a little messy, but she’s okay with that. After all, she has a great family, a goofy group of friends, a rocky romantic history, and dreams of being a music photographer. Tasked with picking an escort for her little sister’s quinceañera, Maggie has to face the truth: that her feelings about her friends—and her future—aren’t as simple as she’d once believed. As Maggie’s search for the perfect escort continues, she’s forced to confront new (and old) feelings for three of her friends: Amanda, her best friend and first-ever crush; Matthew, her ex-boyfriend twice-over who refuses to stop flirting with her, and Dani, the new girl who has romantic baggage of her own. On top of this romantic disaster, she can’t stop thinking about the uncertainty of her own plans for the future and what that means for the people she loves. As the weeks wind down and the boundaries between friendship and love become hazy, Maggie finds herself more and more confused with each photo. When her tried-and-true medium causes more chaos than calm, Maggie needs to figure out how to avoid certain disaster—or be brave enough to dive right into it, in Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster.

This paper estimates the fiscal costs of population aging in Latin America and provides policy recommendations on reforms needed to make these costs manageable. Although Latin American societies are still younger than most advanced economies, like other emerging markets the region is already in a process of population aging that is expected to accelerate in the remainder of the century. This will directly affect fiscal sustainabil-ity by putting pressure on public pension and health care systems in the region that are already more burdened than, for example, in emerging Asia, a region with a similar demographic structure. A stylized cross-country exercise, drawing on demographic projections from the United Nations and methodologies developed by the IMF to derive public spending projections, is used to quantify long-term fiscal gaps generated by population aging in 18 Latin American countries.1 Several aspects of current pensions and health care systems in Latin Amer-ica make the region’s long-term fiscal positions particularly vulnerable to population aging.

It''s Time to Rediscover America. Our nation is deteriorating. Slowly but surely the virtues and values we once celebrated—responsibility, resilience, dignity, respect—have been abandoned. Our work ethic has been replaced by an entitlement ethic. And as we lose the cultural traits that brought us to our leadership position, America''s standing in the world will surely fall as well. But there is good news, say David and Andrea R. Reiser. By rediscovering the qualities that made America great, we can start to turn things around. We can teach our young people—not to mention ourselves, our employees, and our fellow Americans of all ages—what truly leads to success, prosperity, and fulfillment. That''s what Letters from Home is about. Written in the form of letters to the authors'' four sons, it explores fifteen basic American virtues that built our country and that foster individual success. Each chapter includes profiles of exceptional "real people"—the authors'' wealth management clients, friends, and neighbors—who truly walk the talk. A few examples of what the book teaches: Work hard. Go above and beyond in all that you do. Be resilient and learn from adversity. Seize opportunity when it comes (and it comes every day). Follow your moral compass faithfully and consistently. When you fall, take responsibility for getting back up. Save prudently and spend thoughtfully. Practice gratitude. Know that you’re blessed. Part cultural treatise and part kick-in-the-pants, Letters from Home is a moving reminder that we live in a land of freedom and opportunity. It should inspire us all—parents, influential leaders, and ordinary citizens alike—to do everything in our power to honor and perpetuate that legacy. The authors are proud to contribute 100% of royalties from the publication of this book to three personally meaningful organizations: Share Our Strength (www.strength.org), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (www.mskcc.org), and FORCE (www.facingourrisk.org).

In the new novel in the transporting New York Times bestselling Inspector Montalbano mystery series, Montalbano finds his answers to a murder in a theatrical play Mimi Augello is visiting his lover when the woman''s husband unexpectedly returns to the apartment; he climbs out the window and into the downstairs apartment, but one danger leads to another. In the dark he sees a body lying on the bed. Shortly after, another body is found, and the victim is Carmelo Catalanotti, a director of bourgeois dramas with a harsh reputation for the acting method he developed for his actors. Are the two deaths connected? Catalanotti scrupulously kept notes and comments on all the actors he worked with, as well as strange notebooks full of figures and dates and names. Inspector Montalbano finds all of Catalanotti''s dossiers and plays, the notes on the characters, and the notes on his last drama, Dangerous Turn--the theater is where he''ll find the answer.

After World War I, diplomats and leaders at the Paris Peace Talks redrew the map of Europe, carving up ancient empires and transforming Europe''s eastern half into new nation-states. Drawing heavily on the past, the leaders of these young countries crafted national mythologies and deployed them at home and abroad. Domestically, myths were a tool for legitimating the new state with fractious electorates. In Great Power capitals, they were used to curry favor and to compete with the mythologies and propaganda of other insecure postwar states. The new postwar state of Czechoslovakia forged a reputation as Europe''s democratic outpost in the East, an island of enlightened tolerance amid an increasingly fascist Central and Eastern Europe. In Battle for the Castle, Andrea Orzoff traces the myth of Czechoslovakia as an ideal democracy. The architects of the myth were two academics who had fled Austria-Hungary in the Great War''s early years. Tomáas Garrigue Masaryk, who became Czechoslovakia''s first president, and Edvard Benes, its longtime foreign minister and later president, propagated the idea of the Czechs as a tolerant, prosperous, and cosmopolitan people, devoted to European ideals, and Czechoslovakia as a Western ally capable of containing both German aggression and Bolshevik radicalism. Deeply distrustful of Czech political parties and Parliamentary leaders, Benes and Masaryk created an informal political organization known as the Hrad or "Castle." This powerful coalition of intellectuals, journalists, businessmen, religious leaders, and Great War veterans struggled with Parliamentary leaders to set the country''s political agenda and advance the myth. Abroad, the Castle wielded the national myth to claim the attention and defense of the West against its increasingly hungry neighbors. When Hitler occupied the country, the mythic Czechoslovakia gained power as its leaders went into wartime exile. Once Czechoslovakia regained its independence after 1945, the Castle myth reappeared. After the Communist coup of 1948, many Castle politicians went into exile in America, where they wrote the Castle myth of an idealized Czechoslovakia into academic and political discourse. Battle for the Castle demonstrates how this founding myth became enshrined in Czechoslovak and European history. It powerfully articulates the centrality of propaganda and the mass media to interwar European cultural diplomacy and politics, and the tense, combative atmosphere of European international relations from the beginning of the First World War well past the end of the Second.

Ada Twist is a very curious girl who shows perseverance by asking questions and performing experiments to find things out and understand the world.