New Releases by Maurice Hines

The secret to navigating the confusion of religious conflict and metaphysical debates is through unraveling the Ancient Mystery Schools. Who and what were they? How did they lose their status as the dominant religion of the Near East and perhaps the entire ancient world? What factors led them to be replaced by the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? And how do they connect to the Sabians of the Qur''an, an enigmatic group mentioned only thrice in the Muslim scripture? More importantly, how does understanding this history relate to our current understanding of religions today? Islam and the Ancient Mysteries Volume One will address these questions and more, starting by demystifying the Mystery Schools. Representing over 20 years of research, the author will guide you through the religious history of the Near East and show what role the Mysteries played in the political, intellectual, and theological debates of Christian Antiquity. Then he will show what became of the Mysteries under Islamic rule in early Medieval times. He will elucidate the meanings of Qur''anic terms such as Ṣābi''ūn, Ḥanīf, and Naṣārā, using what we know of the Mysteries/Sabians from esoterica and classical Arabic texts. As you read, the nature of religious conflicts will become apparent, revealing the Sabian - Ḥanīf dichotomy. Upon completing this volume, your mind will be open to a fresh approach of reading scripture, doctrine, and history that will prepare you to appreciate the role of the Mysteries in the religious discourse.

Muslims have shaped the history of the United States since its inception. However, the means of preserving their mark on this history have not been as available as they are now. This manual serves as a guide to the purposeful preservation of the history as it is today. It covers how to start, conduct, and store an oral history project on Muslim American communities and the specific challenges that one may face in conducting such a project on this demographic.

In the summer of 2008, as the author prepared to embark on his graduate studies in Khartoum, Sudan, little did he know that this journey would thrust him into a whole new world. One that few Americans would see and the end of an era for the Sudanese people. The three years he spent in Sudan was a curious historical moment that would mirror what was happening inside of him. Thoughts From Sudan is an account of this turbulent rite of passage the author, a young American convert to Islam, endured while studying Arabic in Sudan between the years 2008 and 2011. Not only was this a major transitional period in the Sudanese society, but in the author''s life as well. Based on a series of monthly emails sent to loved ones, he chronicled his travels and brutally honest commentary on culture, politics, and religion in Sudan vis-a-vis his American paradigm. An atypical travel log, this book provides real-time insights into the struggles of an American Muslim and his search for spiritual knowledge while the world whips and runs around him. His monthly correspondences feature funny stories from everyday life as an American living in Sudan. He was growing up and facing daunting experiences of faith, education, and relationships and it was happening in a different country, a different language, and a different society than he was used to. Far from empirical research, Thoughts is simply the musings of the author''s younger self trying to make sense of an awkward situation.

When the Nicholas Brothers danced, uptown at the Cotton Club, downtown at the Roxy, in segregated movie theatres in the South, and dance halls across the country, audiences cheered, clapped, stomped their feet, and shouted out uncontrollably. Their exuberant style of American theatrical dance--a melding of jazz, tap, acrobatics, black vernacular dance, and witty repartee--was dazzling. Though daredevil flips, slides, and hair-raising splits made them show-stoppers, the Nicholas Brothers were also highly sophisticated dancers who refined a centuries-old tradition of percussive dance into the rhythmic brilliance of jazz tap. In Brotherhood in Rhythm, author Constance Valis Hill interweaves an intimate portrait of these great performers with a richly detailed history of jazz music and jazz dance, both bringing their act to life and explaining their significance through a colourful analysis of their eloquent footwork, their full-bodied expressiveness, and their changing style. Hill vividly captures their soaring careers, from the Cotton Club appearances with Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Jimmy Lunceford, to film-stealing big-screen performances with Chick Webb, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller. Drawing on a deep well of research and endless hours of interviews with the Nicholas brothers themselves, she also documents their struggles against the nets of racism and segregation that constantly enmeshed their careers and denied them the recognition they deserved. More than a biography of two immensely talented but underappreciated performers, Brotherhood in Rhythm offers a profound understanding of this distinctively American art and its intricate links to the history of jazz.