Until the whispers began, Joshua was like all the other village boys, helping out at the market, making a little money from the tourists, getting up to mischief. So what if his father was the only butcher in a village of fishermen, a loner who preferred to spend his evenings carving wood? Is it true what everyone is saying -- that Joshua's father is a 'mountain man', one of the people feared and mistrusted by the villagers? When Joshua's life takes an surprising turn, he discovers that being different does matter. Maybe it's not enough to be just Joshua?
Shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Awards - the UK's only prize for funny children's books A brilliant collection of poems by an exciting young poet, this book is perfect, whether you like poetry or not! 'When you read this book, the windows will burp and the grass will turn blue. That's how magic these poems are.' Michael Rosen Packed full of silly, funny, or downright hilarious poems (with a few serious ones mixed in) this brilliant collection from exciting young poet, Joshua Seigal is perfect for fans of Michael Rosen and anyone else who needs a giggle. If you like poetry, you'll like this book. And if you don't like poetry you'll LOVE it! With poems on every topic from the power of books to the joys of fried chicken, this collection is a fabulous mix of Joshua Seigal's subversive humour and insight into the world of children. With hilarious doodle style illustrations by Chris Piascik, if you don't like poetry after reading this, there's probably something wrong with you! Book band: Grey - Ideal for Age 8 - 9
The story goes... Grandmama could hit the ball a mile, catch anything that was thrown, and do everything else -- just like Josh Gibson. But unfortunately, no matter how well a girl growing up in the 1940s played the game of baseball, she would have faced tremendous challenges. These challenges are not unlike those met by the legendary Josh Gibson, arguably the best Negro-League player to never make it into the majors. In a poignant tribute to anyone who's had a dream deferred, two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson and celebrated artist Beth Peck offer up this reminder -- that the small steps made by each of us inspire us all.
Professional magician Joshua Jay's (author of Magic: The Complete Course) brief and fascinating essays offer an inside look at how the very best magicians think about magic, how they practice and put together a show, what inspires them, and the psychology behind creating wonder and being tricked when we expect both, as well as why we seek magic in the first place.
Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of practicing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct complex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By completing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the methods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard keyboard, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the simple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Figure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcomponents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accurate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chainsaws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.
This is a book about the American Dream: how to understand this central principle of American public philosophy, the ways in which it is threatened by a number of winner-take-all economic trends, and how to make it a reality for workers and their families in the 21st century. Integrating political philosophy and the history of political thought with recent work in economics, political science, and sociology, this book calls for renewed political and policy commitment to “just work.” Such a commitment is essential to combat the negative moral externalities of an economy where the fruits of growth are increasingly claimed by a relatively small portion of the population: slower growth, rising inequality, declining absolute mobility, dying communities, the erosion of social solidarity, lack of faith in political leaders and institutions, exploding debt, ethnic and nationalist backlash, widespread hopelessness, and the rapid rise in what economists Angus Deaton and Anne Case call deaths of despair. Covid-19 threatens to pour gasoline on these winner-take-all fires, further concentrating economic and political power in the hands of those best suited to withstand (and even profit from) the pandemic-driven economic crisis. In this book, the author provides a model for understanding the American Dream and making it a reality in a post-Covid-19 economy. A tour de force, this book is essential reading for scholars and researchers of political philosophy, political economy, political theory, and economics, as well as for the layperson trying to make sense of the post-pandemic world.
The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context. The book of Joshua recounts major transitions in the lives of God's chosen people and speaks of subjects that are difficult to comprehend, such as war and ethnic cleansing. Robert Hubbard navigates through these chapters, probing beneath the surface of the biblical text to apply the timeless themes of the book of Joshua to our lives in the twenty-first century. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's context, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help the reader understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, between the original context and the contemporary context, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies situations that are comparable to those faced by the original audience and explores personal, cultural, and societal applications of the passage to those situations. The author also alerts the reader to problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights, they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.
Born-and-raised a cowboy, Vietnam vet Joshua Jacobs looks out across the West Texas plain. All the land stretching to the uncluttered western horizon is his. From just a patch of land he built an empire, one he runs by his own rules. Yet, Joshua learned a hard lesson ... that his family couldn’t be run the same way. Joshua deeply regretted not being on speaking terms with his only son when James died serving his country. James’s wife Katy never forgave Joshua for trying to run their lives. Heartache upon heartache, Joshua’s beloved wife Sarah passed not long after. Now, the only legacy Joshua has left is his grandson, but like his dad and granddad before him, young Josh also chose to serve his country. Joshua spends his days waiting for letters from him. In the latest letter, young Josh said he was thinking of finally leaving the military to take his place on the ranch at his grandfather’s side. Joshua was overjoyed, but his joy was cut short when he saw a picture of his grandson on the news. The report said young Josh was taken hostage by the head of the most violent ISIS unit, known as the “Storm Demons.” Their leader, Shakir was infamous for beheading his hostages and broadcasting the horrors online to the world. Threatening Joshua Jacobs’ grandson was a mistake. Now, an Islamic Extremist’s hate for America faces an old cowboy’s love for his grandson. From the creator of the Amazon-bestselling action & adventure CRIS DE NIRO and ARCHANGEL thriller series, Gerard de Marigny. OTHER TITLES BY GERARD DE MARIGNY CRIS DE NIRO BOOK 1: THE WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM BOOK 2: SIGNS OF WAR BOOK 3: RISE TO THE CALL BOOK 4: PROJECT 111 BOOK 5: NOTHING SO GLORIOUS BOOK 6: NEW DETROIT ARCHANGEL MISSION LOG #1: THE EAGLE'S PLUME MISSION LOG #2: RESCUE FROM SANA’A MISSION LOG #3: WHITE WIDOW [coming soon]
From the ground breaking legal decisions on gay marriage to the promotion of marriage for low-income families, the "sacred institution" of marriage has turned into a public battleground. Who should be allowed to marry and is marriage a public or private act? Should marriage be abandoned completely? Or should marriage be redefined as a civil institution that promotes sexual and racial equality? As the fierce national debate over same-sex marriage and civil unions continues, Mary Lyndon Shanley argues that while the state should continue to play a role in regulating personal relations, the law must be fundamentally reformed if marriage is to become a more just institution. Fourteen prominent writers and thinkers respond, including Nancy F. Cott, William N. Eskridge, Jr., Amitai Etzioni, Martha Albertson Fineman, and Cass R. Sunstein.
