Refugees from the violence of wars and the brutality of famished lives have knocked on other people's doors since the beginning of time. For the people behind the doors, these uninvited guests were always strangers, and strangers tend to generate fear and anxiety precisely because they are unknown. Today we find ourselves confronted with an extreme form of this historical dynamic, as our TV screens and newspapers are filled with accounts of a 'migration crisis', ostensibly overwhelming Europe and portending the collapse of our way of life. This anxious debate has given rise to a veritable 'moral panic' - a feeling of fear spreading among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well-being of society. In this short book Zygmunt Bauman analyses the origins, contours and impact of this moral panic - he dissects, in short, the present-day migration panic. He shows how politicians have exploited fears and anxieties that have become widespread, especially among those who have already lost so much - the disinherited and the poor. But he argues that the policy of mutual separation, of building walls rather than bridges, is misguided. It may bring some short-term reassurance but it is doomed to fail in the long run. We are faced with a crisis of humanity, and the only exit from this crisis is to recognize our growing interdependence as a species and to find new ways to live together in solidarity and cooperation, amidst strangers who may hold opinions and preferences different from our own.

Jesus Told Us Where to Find Him. Just Look for an Outcast. His first followers knew that Jesus could be found with the fatherless, the widows, and the hungry and homeless. He said that he himself was a stranger, and commended those who welcomed him. If he really meant these things, what would happen if you opened your door to every person who came with a need? Jonathan and Leah Wilson-Hartgrove decided to find out. The author and his wife moved to the Walltown neighborhood in Durham, North Carolina, where they have been answering the door to anyone who knocks. When they began, they had little idea what might happen, but they counted on God to show up. In Strangers at My Door, Wilson-Hartgrove tells of risks and occasional disappointments. But far more often there is joy, surprise, and excitement as strangers become friends, mentors, and helpers. Immerse yourself in these inspiring, eye-opening accounts of people who arrive with real needs, but ask only for an invitation to come in. You will never view Jesus and the people he cares about the same way again.

Christians in the West are living among some of the least-reached people groups in the world and have the unprecedented opportunity to share the gospel with them. Here J. D. Payne introduces the phenomenon of human migration to the West and discusses how the Western church ought to respond.

The Balkans have been so troubled by violence and misunderstanding that we have the verb “balkanize,” meaning to break up into smaller, warring components. While some of the region’s artists and thinkers have invariably fallen into nationalistic tendencies, the twenty-two prominent authors represented here, from the erstwhile Yugoslavia and its neighbors Albania and Bulgaria, have chosen to attempt to bridge these divides. The essays, biographical sketches, and stories in The Stranger Next Door form a project of understanding that picks up where politics fail. The English-language translation joins editions of the book that appeared concurrently in all of the participating countries.

When a man appears at the door of her home in the Sonoran desert lost and half-dead, Peg Bowden must examine her personal values, which aren't currently aligned with the politics of her homeland. This true story of shared humanity explores the significance of the borders in all our lives, and the fear and xenophobia that keep them standing.

At the beginning of a new writing project—whether it’s the first page of a new novel or a less ambitious project, writers often experience exhilaration, fear, or dread. For Kristjana Gunnars, the call of a new project is “like someone you don’t know knocking on your door—you either choose to let the person in or not. It’s both exciting and dangerous to start a new manuscript.” This book is an engagement with that “stranger” called writing. Creative or imaginative writing is a complex process that involves more than intellect alone. Writers make use of everything: their sensibilities, history, culture, knowledge, experience, education, and even their biology. These essays seek out, and gather into a discussion, what writers have said about their own experiences in writing. Although the writers are from around the world and of very different backgrounds, the commonality of their remarks brings home the realization that writers everywhere are grappling with similar problems—with the seemingly simple problems of when, where, why, and what to write, but also larger questions such as the relationship between writer and society, or issues of privacy, appropriation, or homelessness. While none of these questions can be definitively answered, they can be fruitfully discussed. Originating as questions posed in creative-writing seminars, these essays have grown into companion texts for both writers and readers who want to participate in a conversation about what writers do.

When Emile and Juliette Hazel move into their new, secluded home to enjoy retirement, their peace is interrupted by the daily visits of the bizarre man who is their only neighbor

SHE WAS THE PERFECT NEIGHBOUR. UNTIL SHE WASN'T. 'A brilliant, twisty, read, that kept me reading late into the night' SUE WATSON 'All the very best ingredients for a perfect thriller! I thoroughly recommend it' SAMANTHA HAYES 'A fascinating and unputdownable thriller with a devious twist' JOHN MARRS 'So many twists and turns. I never saw the ending coming' RACHEL ABBOTT 'I read it over two nights' PATRICIA GIBNEY _________________ When Matt and Imogen move out of the city, they're hoping for a much-needed fresh start. Matt throws himself into his new job, but Imogen struggles to adjust to life in the suburbs. She's grateful for the kind welcome from new neighbour Nancy, and they soon become close friends. So when Nancy makes a shocking accusation, Imogen doesn't know who to trust. This isn't the first time Matt has found himself on the wrong end of a false accusation. . . but is Nancy hiding secrets of her own? As simmering tensions threaten to boil over, Imogen is in more danger than she realises. Can she uncover the truth before she loses everything? A completely gripping and nail-biting thriller with a jaw-dropping twist, perfect for anyone who loved The Couple at No. 9, The Family Upstairs, Here to Stay or An Unwanted Guest. _________________ READERS LOVE THE STRANGER NEXT DOOR: 'So sinister and so much simmering tension - and that final twist! I'm usually good at foreseeing a twist but not this time...' JACKIE KABLER 'Twisty, compelling and incredibly pacy, The Stranger Next Door will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last' PHOEBE MORGAN 'I tore through this perfectly plotted tale of secrets and lies' VICTORIA SELMAN 'A superb domestic drama that smolders the whole way through' JAMES DELARGY 'It was completely addictive! . . . the twist at the end was genuinely (and I don't get to say this all that often) unexpected' ELLE CROFT

When fires are set and street signs get knocked down in the community, newcomer Rocky thinks that it may have something to do with him and his family while another newcomer, Alex, wonders why Rocky and his family would ever generate such acts of violence. Reprint.

In The Stranger Next Door, Alrene Stein explores how a small community with a declining industrial economy became the site of a bitter battle over gay rights. Fearing job loss and a feeling of being left behind, one Oregon town’s working-class residents allied with religious conservatives to deny the civil liberties of queer men and women. In a book that combines strong on-the-ground research and lucid analysis with a novelist’s imaginative sympathy, Stein’s exploration of how fear and uncertainty can cause citizens to shift blame onto “strangers” provides insight into the challenges the country faces in the age of Trump. Winner of the 2001 Ruth Benedict Award