A family sets off on a journey to find freedom. They leave all their livelihood behind and scale one of the world's most dangerous mountains. Beyond the mountains lies the hope for freedom-the beginning of a new life. But the perils they face are here and now as they Journey into Paradise.

The story of a refugee, Haroon Monis, and his family who struggle in order to come to the USA only to continue the struggle as they try to assimilate.

Shortly before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, David Chaffetz and a fellow American student slipped from the protection of Western culture and immersed themselves in the customs, fears, and hopes of the Afghan people, setting out on horseback through the mountains and into a lonely, hermetic world of nomads and isolated villages. Chaffetz's vivid, honest, and often poignant account of their experience reveals a great deal about the people of Afghanistan-and Willard Wood, his traveling companion, contributes a foreword considering the experience of the Afghan people in the new light of autumn, 2001.

This book covers the theological, philosophical, mystical, topographical, architectural and ritual aspects of the Muslim belief in paradise and hell.

Hell in Barbados is the powerful true story of a drug-addicted smuggler who found his salvation in the unlikeliest of places. Told with disarming honesty, the book propels the reader into the mind of an addict and shows us the depths of degradation one man sunk to before finding the inner strength to save himself. Terry Donaldson met with success early in life but his struggle with addiction soon became an all-out war. His Jekyll and Hyde lifestyle – TV presenter by day, whilst he scoured the streets of London in search of drugs and prostitutes by night – caused him to lose everything. Facing financial ruin, he agreed to smuggle drugs from Barbados, but was caught and sent to one of the world’s worst prisons, where he remained for over 3 years. Honest and disturbing, Hell in Barbados is the true story of how Donaldson witnessed stabbings, beatings, shootings and a full scale riot as the prison went up in flames. In this extraordinary book, he describes the true horror of prison life in the Caribbean, the depravity that brought him there, and the years of brutality he was forced to endure.

Marcus Caldwell, and English widower and Muslim convert, lives in an old perfume factory in the shadow of the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan. Lara, a Russian woman, arrives at his home one day in search of her brother, a Soviet soldier who disappeared in the area many years previously, and who may have known Marcus’s daughter. In the days that follow, further people arrive there, each seeking someone or something. The stories and histories that unfold, interweaving and overlapping, span nearly a quarter of a century and tell of the terrible afflictions that have plagued Afghanistan—as well of the love that can blossom during war and conflict.

China's most popular traditional novel, Journey to the West is the thrilling story of the Monkey King and his epic quest, with his trusted companions, to redeem himself. They face fantastic foes, demons and monsters during their amazing adventures traveling to the Western paradise. No matter what obstacle was put before him, the clever, wily Monkey King always got what he wanted-unimaginable strength, eternal life, even his own position in the Celestial Realm with the gods. More than anything else, though, the Monkey King loved mischief and rule-breaking and was sure he was the most powerful creature in the world. But after defeat and punishment for his tricks, the Monkey King found himself wanting some things he never expected: to be disciplined and good enough to help the monk Hsuan Zhang on his mission to bring Buddhist Scriptures-and enlightenment-to China. Readers of all ages will thrill to Timothy Richard's retelling of the Monkey King's exploits-whether in the Dragon King's underwater castle, the Halls of the Dead or the palace of Buddha himself-and find themselves captivated as the Monkey King joins Hsuan Zhang and their companions the Dragon Horse, the Monk Sand and the equally mischievous Pig on the dangerous trek West. Despite the tale's ancient origins, Journey to the West proves as fresh and engaging an adventure as anything written today.

We first meet, Archangel Gabriel, with his personal accomplishments behind him, proclaimed the left hand and will of Yahweh, and with the love and respect of his fellow angels, he has become the most powerful angel in heaven. During his past five-thousand years of afterlife, he first believed that he had everything he could ever want, but something was missing, he needed and wanted more. Originally, a still-born, human soul, he never had a chance at life outside of heaven. But then something happened that made him desire what he had lost. It was Yahweh’s encouragement and plan for him to return to Earth and live as a human, however, returning would not be that simple. Becoming the first of his kind, Gabriel would retain his angel powers, but be without the memory of his past, thusly, forced to learn how to survive his dual nature, and obligated to recall his unknown previous life; he would require the help from one of his guardian-angel allies. But it will be Yahweh who orchestrates the situation by keeping Gabriel from knowing his fate and future destiny. Many adventures befall our hero, as he navigates through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and the difficulties with romance. When Gabriel is forced to persevere over earthly and un-earthly villains, his lessons become more profound. With the help from his heavenly company, his fated time-line will take him through progressively greater challenges. Gabriel’s weapons will go beyond his charms and magical powers, which must include his knowledge, wisdom, and resolve. This illustrious legendary figure, is the nice guy who will finish first, ultimately finding personal fulfillment, and becoming more than he could ever imagine.

Successfully navigate the rich world of travel narratives and identify fiction and nonfiction read-alikes with this detailed and expertly constructed guide. Just as savvy travelers make use of guidebooks to help navigate the hundreds of countries around the globe, smart librarians need a guidebook that makes sense of the world of travel narratives. Going Places: A Reader's Guide to Travel Narratives meets that demand, helping librarians assist patrons in finding the nonfiction books that most interest them. It will also serve to help users better understand the genre and their own reading interests. The book examines the subgenres of the travel narrative genre in its seven chapters, categorizing and describing approximately 600 titles according to genres and broad reading interests, and identifying hundreds of other fiction and nonfiction titles as read-alikes and related reads by shared key topics. The author has also identified award-winning titles and spotlighted further resources on travel lit, making this work an ideal guide for readers' advisors as well a book general readers will enjoy browsing.