For seven months, Esperanza and Artie have lived in wedded bliss on their little farm, reveling in the success of Artie’s music career. Married life has been kind to them. Experience has taught them to keep an eye out for danger, but no such threats appear—not even from Don Raúl, Esperanza’s jilted fiancé. However, their peace is not destined to last. When Artie receives an invitation to perform at a wealthy doña’s social event in a nearby city, he finds the extra money impossible to refuse. Promising to return soon, he leaves his pregnant wife behind—but Esperanza quickly realizes that Artie is walking straight into danger, and there’s nothing she can do to warn him. As bloody revolution erupts all around her, Esperanza must face her worst nightmares if she is to survive. Alone and terrified, her salvation comes in an unlikely form... but will she be able to accept it, knowing that her beloved musician will never be able to fulfill his promise? ———— After marrying the love of his life, everything takes a turn for the better for Artie. He has a comfortable home, a baby on the way, and best of all, he has Esperanza. Life is wonderful. However, Artie’s idyllic world does not last long. The whispers of revolution grow louder every day, turning to roars as the country he loves descends into chaos. Before long, his brothers Ed and Alejandro go missing in action, and Diego is racing headlong into a bloody massacre, oblivious to the horrors that await him. Artie has one chance to save his brother from certain death, but it means becoming an unwilling soldier in a battle beyond the wildest horrors of his imagination. Armed only with a revolver and his prayers, he throws himself into the fray—with deadly consequences. He promised Esperanza he would come back. He needs to get home, whatever it takes. If Artie stands any chance of survival, he will need to learn to fight—and fast. But when the moment comes, will he be able to pull the trigger, knowing it will end an innocent man’s life? ———————— "A rip-roaring, romantic adventure that is impossible to put down." - Starred Review "A well-written and well-researched story against the background of early 20th century Mexico." - D. Wells, author "Class intrigue, dynastic maneuvering, and dangerous politics against growing civil unrest in pre-revolutionary Mexico. Can an unlikely friendship blossom into more? I couldn't put it down, and nor will you!" - Jennifer Nugée, editor "This beautifully written novel will have you gripped right from the start." - Melissa Hoskins, author "A riveting peek into a time of Mexico's history where huge change, excitement and danger are on the horizon. Hugely engaging characters really pulled me in." - Starred Review "I fell in love with the characters and laughed and cried with them all the way on their exciting journey. They feel like my best friends. It was wonderful to read about this little-known part of Mexican history that happened before the revolution. I cannot wait to read what will happen next." - Starred Review "A book that will make you weep, rage, and fall in love with an array of characters so realistic they might step off the page. An excellent novel." - Jessica Leather, author

Too often Christians say the sinner's prayer, only to fall back into the sin from which they were saved. Others fear the same fate as they struggle to resist old temptations and habits. We blame God, as though He didn't save us completely. When doubts come to the surface, we feel it's impossible to stay a faithful Christian. The truth is, the spiritual warfare you experience is not because you are not free. You're attacked because you are free. You are now a threat to the darkness, so the opposition increases. The enemy knows you are instrumental in spreading the gospel and in advancing God's kingdom. It is possible to stay in the light and never go back into the darkness. As the Bible says in John 8:36, "If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed" (MEV). Sophia Ruffin uses her personal experience of overcoming homosexuality, rage, bitterness, and so much more to bring you the tools and strategies to maintain your deliverance. Put on the armor of the Lord, and develop a proactive strategy to overthrow the enemy's agenda. Set Free and Delivered features prayers, confessions, and Ruffin's inspiring testimony to prepare you for the battles that come after giving your life to God.

"Multilayered, compassionate, and thought-provoking." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Thirteen-year-old Sophie isn’t happy about spending the summer of 1960 at her grandmother’s old house in the bayou. Bored and lonely, she can’t resist exploring the house’s maze, or making an impulsive wish for a fantasy-book adventure with herself as the heroine. What she gets instead is a real adventure: a trip back in time to 1860 and the race-haunted world of her family’s Louisiana sugar plantation. Here, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation is still two years in the future and passage of the Thirteenth Amendment is almost four years away. And here, Sophie is mistaken, by her own ancestors, for a slave.

Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Books Paterson Prize for Books for Young People Grateful American Prize – Honorable Mention Missouri State Teachers Association Recommended Books Dred Scott’s daughter learns what it means to pay the price for freedom in this compelling middle-grade historical fiction novel. Eleven year old Eliza Scott has a lot to live for. Eliza and her family will soon be free. She is learning to read and write at a secret school. And she has a new friend she can share her dreams with. But when Eliza is confronted by vicious slave catchers, the spread of cholera, and a devastating fire, she is forced to come to terms with what it really takes to be on her own. Will she ever be able to fulfill her childhood dreams? Michaela MacColl and Rosemary Nichols delve deep into the history of the Dred Scott decision and pre–Civil War America to tell Eliza Scott’s riveting coming-of-age story. Freedom’s Price is the second in the Hidden Histories series about children and little-known events in American history.

A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

This volume offers eight interdisciplinary readings to the films of Sofia Coppola, analyzing her oeuvre with a focus on her treatment of masculinity, sexual politics, bodies, and love.

The Central Synagogue of Sofia was built between 1905 and 1909 as a highly visible and monumental structure in the social, commercial, and religious center of the Bulgarian capital. Having survived the Second World War, it remains a testament to early 20th century Sofia and its majority Sephardic Jewish community. In its architecture, it reflects the city's search for its own modern, European, and national identity, whilst attesting to the struggle of the Sofia Jewish community headed by its chief rabbi Marcus Ehrenpreis to claim its place within the nation building project. In this first in-depth study of the building, Fani Gargova illuminates the history of the Central Synagogue of Sofia and the motivations behind its construction by positioning its appearance and architecture vis-à-vis Central European Reform synagogues and the emerging Bulgarian national style. By looking at the building through the lens of urban planning, building material and technique, liturgy, as well as musical performance, this book significantly expands the common notion of synagogue architecture.

The Routledge Handbook of Medical Anthropology provides a contemporary overview of the key themes in medical anthropology. In this exciting departure from conventional handbooks, compendia and encyclopedias, the three editors have written the core chapters of the volume, and in so doing, invite the reader to reflect on the ethnographic richness and theoretical contributions of research on the clinic and the field, bioscience and medical research, infectious and non-communicable diseases, biomedicine, complementary and alternative modalities, structural violence and vulnerability, gender and ageing, reproduction and sexuality. As a way of illustrating the themes, a rich variety of case studies are included, presented by over 60 authors from around the world, reflecting the diverse cultural contexts in which people experience health, illness, and healing. Each chapter and its case studies are introduced by a photograph, reflecting medical and visual anthropological responses to inequality and vulnerability. An indispensible reference in this fastest growing area of anthropological study, The Routledge Handbook of Medical Anthropology is a unique and innovative contribution to the field.

Contributions by Alice Knox Eaton, Mar Gallego, Maxine Lavon Montgomery, Evelyn Jaffe Schreiber, Shirley A. Stave, Justine Tally, Susana Vega-González, and Anissa Wardi In her eleventh novel, God Help the Child, Toni Morrison returned to several of the signature themes explored in her previous work: pernicious beauty standards for women, particularly African American women; mother-child relationships; racism and colorism; and child sexual abuse. God Help the Child, published in 2015, is set in the contemporary period, unlike all of her previous novels. The contemporary setting is ultimately incidental to the project of the novel, however; as with Morrison’s other work, the story takes on mythic qualities, and the larger-than-life themes lend themselves to allegorical and symbolic readings that resonate in light of both contemporary and historical issues. New Critical Essays on Toni Morrison's “God Help the Child”: Race, Culture, and History, a collection of eight essays by both seasoned Morrison scholars as well as new and rising scholars, takes on the novel in a nuanced and insightful analysis, interpreting it in relation to Morrison’s earlier work as well as locating it within ongoing debates in literary and other academic disciplines engaged with African American literature. The volume is divided into three sections. The first focuses on trauma—both the pain and suffering caused by neglect and abuse, as well as healing and understanding. The second section considers narrative choices, concentrating on experimentation and reader engagement. The third section turns a comparative eye to Morrison's fictional canon, from her debut work of fiction, The Bluest Eye, until the present. These essays build on previous studies of Morrison’s novels and deepen readers’ understanding of both her last novel and her larger literary output.

How I Met Princess Sofia by Angel Ortiz __________________________________