An American woman struggles with the genital mutilation she endured as a child in Africa in a New York Times bestseller “as compelling as The Color Purple” (San Francisco Chronicle). In Tashi’s tribe, the Olinka, young girls undergo female genital mutilation as an initiation into the community. Tashi manages to avoid this fate at first, but when pressed by tribal leaders, she submits. Years later, married and living in America as Evelyn Johnson, Tashi’s inner pain emerges. As she questions why such a terrifying, disfiguring sacrifice was required, she sorts through the many levels of subjugation with which she’s been burdened over the years. In Possessing the Secret of Joy, Alice Walker exposes the abhorrent practice of female genital mutilation in an unforgettable, moving novel. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. Possessing the Secret of Joy is the 3rd book in the Color Purple Collection, which also includes The Color Purple and The Temple of My Familiar.

IS THE HALF SISTER THAT REBECCA STRAND HAS NEVER MET SHORT? TALL? RICH? POOR? PRETTY? FUNNY? MARRIED? LONELY? HAPPY?... Rebecca is about to find out. The New York City paralegal thought nothing could shake her life off its fast track -- which includes her handsome lawyer boyfriend and their extravagant condo. The shocking revelation that she even has a half sister comes from her dying father, in a hospital bed confession of a long-past summer affair...and now the dad she adores has one last wish: would Rebecca deliver a cache of letters he never sent to his other daughter, Joy Jayhawk, in a tiny coastal Maine town? But when Rebecca arrives in Wiscasset, with the life-changing letters stashed in a leather box, nothing goes as she imagined -- and Joy Jayhawk is less than thrilled to meet her. Joy already has her own life, her own family, and her own business: she runs a bus tour for singles, a matchmaking excursion that's brought lovers together, healed broken hearts, and changed lives. Rebecca joins the singles tour in the hopes of unlocking a door into Joy's life and forming a relationship with the only family she has left. But as she spends more and more time with Joy and the women who dub themselves The Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset -- and starts a flirtation with a seriously hunky local carpenter -- Rebecca realizes it's her life and heart that are ready for healing and change...and that sometimes, you just have to go along for the ride.

An innovative walk through Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, perfectly tailored to young girls by the Secret Power for Girls concept -- leading students to understand the "secrets" of God's plan for their lives; and revealing the spiritual power that can be theirs by the Holy Ghost - through Susie Shellenberger's unique teaching gifts. Readers will "join" Paul in his struggles and revelations; will examine God's plan and their own responses; and will come to a deeper relationship with God and k

An instant New York Times bestseller. Over 1 million copies sold! Two spiritual giants. Five days. One timeless question. Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships—or, as they would say, because of them—they are two of the most joyful people on the planet. In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness's eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of life's inevitable suffering? They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our time and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy. This book offers us a rare opportunity to experience their astonishing and unprecedented week together, from the first embrace to the final good-bye. We get to listen as they explore the Nature of True Joy and confront each of the Obstacles of Joy—from fear, stress, and anger to grief, illness, and death. They then offer us the Eight Pillars of Joy, which provide the foundation for lasting happiness. Throughout, they include stories, wisdom, and science. Finally, they share their daily Joy Practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. The Archbishop has never claimed sainthood, and the Dalai Lama considers himself a simple monk. In this unique collaboration, they offer us the reflection of real lives filled with pain and turmoil in the midst of which they have been able to discover a level of peace, of courage, and of joy to which we can all aspire in our own lives.

Three novels by a New York Times–bestselling author—including the Pulitzer Prizewinner The Color Purple—that speak to the African experience in America. The Color Purple is Alice Walker’s stunning, Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of courage in the face of oppression. Celie grows up in rural Georgia, navigating a childhood of ceaseless abuse. Not only is she poor and despised by the society around her, she’s badly treated by her family. As a teenager she begins writing letters directly to God in an attempt to transcend a life that often seems too much to bear. Her letters span twenty years and record a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through the guiding light of a few strong women and her own implacable will to find harmony with herself and her home. In The Temple of My Familiar, Celie and Shug from The Color Purple follow the lives of a brilliant cast of characters, all dealing in some way with the legacy of the African experience in America. From recent African immigrants, to a woman who grew up in the mixed-race rainforest communities of South America, to Celie’s own granddaughter living in modern-day San Francisco, all must come to understand the brutal stories of their ancestors to come to terms with their own troubled lives. Possessing the Secret of Joy portrays Tashi’s tribe, the Olinka, where young girls undergo genital mutilation as an initiation into the community. Tashi manages to avoid this fate at first, but when pressed by tribal leaders, she submits. Years later, married and living in America as Evelyn Johnson, Tashi’s inner pain emerges. As she questions why such a terrifying, disfiguring sacrifice was required, she sorts through the many levels of subjugation with which she’s been burdened over the years. Hailed by the Washington Post as “one of the best American writers of today,” Alice Walker is a master storyteller and a major voice in modern literary fiction. Includes a new letter written by the author on The Temple of My Familiar.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Astonishing . . . one of those hard-to-put-down-until-four-in-the morning books . . . a story with characters who enter a reader’s life, take up residence, and illuminate the myriad decisions and stories that make up human history.”—Los Angeles Times In her most powerful novel yet, acclaimed author Lisa See returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the Communist regime. Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives. BONUS: This edition contains a Dreams of Joy discussion guide. Praise for Dreams of Joy “[Lisa] See is a gifted historical novelist. . . . The real love story, the one that’s artfully shown, is between mother and daughter, and aunt and daughter, as both of the women who had a part in making Joy return to China come to her rescue. . . . [In Dreams of Joy,] there are no clear heroes or villains, just people who often take wrong turns to their own detriment but for the good of the story, leading to greater strength of character and more durable relationships.”—San Francisco Chronicle “A heartwarming story of heroic love between a mother and daughter . . . No writer has better captured the voice and heart of Chinese culture.”—Bookreporter “Once again, See’s research feels impeccable, and she has created an authentic, visually arresting world.”—The Washington Post

Heaven conducts its most serious business in an atmosphere of joy. In The Secret Power of Joy, Mark Hankins shows believers how to bring the heavenly atmosphere of joy into the reality of their daily lives. This triumphant joy brings victory in every circumstance. Faith laughs at impossibilities - don't doubt, just shout and God will work it all out. You will see the relationship between the Blood of Jesus and joy in the Holy Spirit. Respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and rejoice - watch God turn your life around! *If you only knew what happens in the spirit when you rejoice, you would rejoice every day. *Unspeakable joy is a container for the glory of God. *Joy is the bridge between believing and receiving.

What is joy? Ask ten different people and you'll get ten different answers. Yet if you asked: a man who grew up fatherless and destitute in the slums of Atlanta a young widow who decided to bring a neglected garden back to life in spite of agonizing physical pain and a deeply wounded spirit or author Dan Lord himself, ex-frontman for a popular indie rock band each would point to the one source of their joy: Jesus. They made the choice for joy, against all odds, and so can you, though the obstacles might seem insurmountable. Worry and anxiety, pain and suffering, the daily grind -- all these and more can block your path. When faced with such challenges, is it possible to get past the barriers, let go, and experience God's joy? When you look around, you might wonder -- although joy is a fruit of the Spirit, it doesn't seem to be hanging visibly from many Christian boughs. Choosing Joy aims to change that -- and change your life in the process -- as it helps you discover the key to this most attractive but seemingly elusive gift. Choosing Joy will help you overcome the obstacles and focus your heart, mind and strength on God so that you can receive the happiness and peace that the world cannot give.

Four years before the current ''secret'' phenomenon, acclaimed Kabbalist Michael Berg shared the amazing truths from the world's oldest spiritual tradition in his own book, The Secret. Now in paperback, this book reveals the essence of life in its most concise and powerful form. Using stories and insights from the greatest scholars of Kabbalah, Berg, himself a descendent of distinguished Kabbalists, shows readers how to free themselves from unhappiness and create the success and fulfillment that is their destiny. Berg spent years studying tantalizing pieces of this ancient, once-secret knowledge before finally putting the puzzle together and sharing it with the modern world in The Secret. Its life changing wisdom helps readers discover their true purpose and create a life of lasting joy.

A young, hip, sexy novel that takes readers behind the velvet rope of the glamorous and shady entertainment industry Nothing prepares Tyler Blake for the fast-paced living of New York City. A small-town girl from Georgia, she quickly gets caught up in the glamorous entertainment industry. While pursuing her dream of becoming an actress, Tyler continually gets sidetracked by men who promise to help her and finds herself going from one dysfunctional relationship to another. Just when Tyler finally believes she has found her ideal man, in hip-hop producer Brian McCall, everything begins to go horribly wrong. Trapped in a nightmarish relationship, Tyler is determined not to go down without a fight. "Passion, deception, heartbreak, love and a delicious read...what more do you need!" -- B. Lawson Thornton, Essence bestselling author of Misery Loves Company