"Walk barefoot and the thorns will hurt you…" —Iraqi-Turkmen proverb A riveting story of hope and despair, of elation and longing, Barefoot in Baghdad takes you to the front lines of a different kind of battle, where the unsung freedom fighters are strong, vibrant—and female. An American aid worker of Arab descent, Manal Omar moves to Iraq to help as many women as she can rebuild their lives. She quickly finds herself drawn into the saga of a people determined to rise from the ashes of war and sanctions and rebuild their lives in the face of crushing chaos. This is a chronicle of Omar's friendships with several Iraqis whose lives are crumbling before her eyes. It is a tale of love, as her relationship with one Iraqi man intensifies in a country in turmoil. And it is the heartrending stories of the women of Iraq, as they grapple with what it means to be female in a homeland you no longer recognize. "Manal Omar captures the complex reality of living and working in war-torn Iraq, a reality that tells the story of love and hope in the midst of bombs and explosions."—Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International, and author (with Laurie Becklund) of the national bestselling book Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam "A fascinating, honest, and inspiring portrait of a women's rights activist in Iraq, struggling to help local women while exploring her own identity. Manal Omar is a skilled guide into Iraq, as she understands the region, speaks Arabic, and wears the veil. At turns funny and tragic, she carries a powerful message for women, and delivers it through beautiful storytelling."—Christina Asquith, author of Sisters in War: A Story of Love, Family and Survival in the New Iraq "At turns funny and tragic…a powerful message for women, [delivered] through beautiful storytelling."—Christina Asquith, author of Sisters in War

The Church Blessing festival was an important celebration in many villages of the Danube Swabians. It was just one of the ways in which they kept their distinctive German heritage alive as they established themselves in strange and sometimes harsh lands, first in the Austria-Hungary region and then as they migrated to America. The author recalls taking part in her first Kirchweih, and illustrates the tradition with her own beautiful copper-plate prints.

Now with a new Preface and Afterword by the author “Outstanding . . . [Isobel Coleman] takes us into remote villages and urban bureaucracies to find the brave men and women working to create change in the Middle East.”—Los Angeles Times In this timely and important book, Isobel Coleman shows how Muslim women and men across the Middle East are working within Islam to fight for women’s rights in a growing movement of Islamic feminism. Journeying through Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Coleman introduces the reader to influential Islamic feminist thinkers and successful grassroots activists working to create economic, political, and educational opportunities for women. Their advocacy for women’s rights based on more progressive interpretations of Islam are critical to bridging the conflict between those championing reform and those seeking to oppress women in the name of religious tradition. Socially, culturally, economically, and politically, the future of the region depends on finding ways to accommodate human rights, and in particular women’s rights, with Islamic law. These reformers—and thousands of others—are the people leading the way forward. Featuring new material that addresses how the Arab uprisings and other recent events have affected the social and political landscape of the region, Paradise Beneath Her Feet offers a message of hope: Change is coming to the Middle East—and more often than not, it is being led by women. Praise for Paradise Beneath Her Feet “Clearly written, deeply moving, and wonderfully enlightening.”—Reza Aslan, author of No god but God “[An] engrossing portrait of real Muslim women that reveals how Islamic feminists . . . are working with and within the culture, rather than against it . . . to forge ‘a legitimate Islamic alternative to the current repressive system.’ Coleman doesn’t diminish the enormity of the struggle, but she argues convincingly that it might yet rewrite Islam’s future.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A nuanced view of Islam’s role in public life that is cautiously hopeful.”—The Economist “Eye-opening . . . Deeply religious, profoundly determined and modern in every way, these are twenty-first-century women bent on change. Hear them roar and see a future being born before our eyes.”—Booklist

The Book Is My Memoir Of My Experience In A Concentration Camp 1944 - 1947 In Gakowa, Yugoslavia. The Book Also Includes My Husband's Memoir During That Time. It Is Historical And Told From The Eyes Of A Nine Year Old Girl. The Story Progresses From 1944 Thru 1956 When I Met My Husband In Chicago, Il.

How can we unlock whole-body movement when our feet have been bound for decades? Is it as simple as kicking off our shoe-shackles and releasing our feet into the wild? Whole Body Barefoot will help you safely and effectively transition to minimal footwear, reaping the enormous benefits of freeing your feet without injuring yourself along the way. Whole Body Barefoot presents: How conventional shoes can cause your body to lose mobility and muscle, The importance of walking on natural surfaces, The corrective exercises that can transition your shoe-adapted feet and legs, Vitamin "Texture"-and how the latest research on toe-walking and texture might mean that barefoot time is essential to walking well, With clear, science-based explanations, biomechanist Katy Bowman lays out the issues created by conventional shoes and artificial environments, and describes in detail the steps necessary to transition to more natural footwear safely and effectively. With over twenty exercises, this is a must-have for anyone hoping to restore lost foot function, and improve their health...naturally! Book jacket.

This book is based on a true story. Characters, names, places and incidents are based on the biography of a Danube Swabian child, Therese Herscha, living in the former Yugoslavia, who survived the consequences of war during and after the end of World War II. She pretended to lead a normal life among her friends and family, while she continued to suffer those consequences internally. Persons, living or dead, and events are true stories that had never been told until now. (For personal reasons, some of the names have been changed)

Fall in love with two "lovely, lush, and layered" beach romances from a renowned New York Times bestselling author (Kristan Higgins) — together for the first time in print! Barefoot in the Sand When a hurricane roars through Lacey Armstrong's home, she decides the rubble is a chance to finally achieve her dreams. Nothing is going to distract her from running her own hotel—not even the hot, younger architect eager to work alongside her. Both have experienced heartbreak in the past, but after meeting Lacey, Clay Walker can't imagine his life without her. Clay has until the end of the project to build Lacey's trust in their future together—one that will last forever. Barefoot in the Rain When scandal strikes for celebrity life coach Jocelyn Bloom, she hides in the one place no one would think to search: Barefoot Bay. But her hometown is nothing like she remembers. Her father is a shell of the man he once was, and Will Palmer, the man who broke her heart, is his caretaker. Jocelyn's return brings back old feelings for them both, but her presence also unearths the turmoil that once led to her leaving. Jocelyn has guided countless clients to happiness-but can she and Will learn to let go of their own past to find a sunny new future together?

Happiness is something we all crave for, whether in food, sex, entertainment, relationships, children, career, hobbies, or sleep. Happiness drives us, and indeed, it defines the quality of our life. One may have immense wealth, but if they are not happy, then mostly they have failed in life. Without happiness, life loses its value. And with a decrease in satisfaction, we are witnessing an increase in suicide all over the world. In a world where mental and physical stimuli are in abundance, it seems inconceivable that anyone could be unhappy. Surely, everyone can find some form of happiness, but alas, many people fail and go through life sad and exasperated or hope against hope for some sliver of joy to miraculously appear over the horizon of their destiny. Happiness is the nature of the spirit. The Vedanta-sutras states, Anandamayo ‘bhyst — “The soul is, by nature, full of joy.” However, due to misidentifying our true self with matter, we lose touch with this natural blissful state and identify with the pain and suffering of a physical form. The 7 Maxims of Soul Happiness will provide the key to unlock the door to a more blissful life.

A “gripping” look at the massive disasters that could strike at any moment, from a New York Times–bestselling author (San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle). Far beneath the earth’s surface, great tectonic plates grind against one another with incredible pressure that must—inevitably—be released. Earthquakes manifest with little warning, upending buildings, shattering infrastructure, and unleashing devastating tsunamis. In this remarkable survey of the history of seismology and the extraordinary seismic events that have occurred in the United States, Mexico, China, and other locales, author John J. Nance traces the discoveries of the scientists who have dedicated their lives to understanding and predicting one of the deadliest threats known to mankind. From the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest and the East Coast, most of the United States—not just California—is in danger of a massive quake, and few citizens are adequately prepared. Through riveting firsthand interviews with earthquake survivors, and with the same command of technical detail and gripping style that he brings to his New York Times–bestselling thrillers, Nance demonstrates the need for readiness—because the next big quake could happen tomorrow.