Duncan Rouch first began writing poems as portraits of people who he met overseas, to remember and honour them. Here in this book are new poems of that portrait type. These poems also connect to the idea that it would useful to acknowledge the positive characteristics of people. This concept is a response to people in the public eye being generally criticised on and on and on, by the media. Also here are poems to reflect on challenges that people face in life, from both internal and external issues, including domestic and institutional violence. These poems, then, often have an emotionally darker feel, though often with at least a little light open for hope.
Engulfed in the darkness of Irian Jaya's Snow Mountains live the Yali, naked cannibals who call themselves lords of the earth. Yet, in spite of their boldness, they live in terror and bondage to the women-hating, child-despising gods they serve. Missionary Stan Dale dared to enter their domain and be an instrument to change their future. Peace Child author, Don Richardson, tells the story of Dale, his wife, his companions, and thousands of Yali tribesmen in Lords of the Earth. This unforgettable tale of faithful determination and zeal against overwhelming odds brings unlikely characters together in a swirl of agony and bloodshed climaxing in a dramatic, unexpected ending. Readers will find their perceptions of how God moves enlarged and inspired by this classic story. For parents and youth leaders looking for real-life role models for the new generation of young people, you will want to meet the Dales in Lords of the Earth.
"I can always sell the land, if I have to." Jess knew in his heart that Reau would do it. All of his hard work since he was able to help his mother in the fields would have gone to waste. He hated Reau then with a greater capacity than he knew existed within him. The depth of his feelings frightened him into silence, and he walked away from the house and across the fields to the riverbank. He sat in the growing darkness, throwing bits of bark and sticks into the flowing water, thinking about what he should do. He had never thought that Reau would ever stay for any length of time, and he knew that he couldn't bear the thought of losing what his mother had considered her home. He must stay, or he would lose it. The place meant nothing to Reau except as a place to come when he needed to. Staying would be a bitter medicine, but it was the only possibility. He made his decision to stay for as long as he could tolerate his father.
Six-year-old Francine Stonehenge lives with her parents near the ocean in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island when the unthinkable happens: both her parents drown. Her aging uncles, whom she has never met, take her by bus, ferry, and train to live with them on their sheep farm in Manitoba. As she settles into her new home, Francine remains traumatized by the death of her parents, for which she feels responsible. Even the pristine peace and stillness of the prairies doesn’t keep her recurring nightmares at bay. With the loving support of her uncles and new stepmother, Francine builds friendships and before long, becomes one of a foursome with Cassandra Jamison, Jessica Yang, and Hope Harding. This epic prairie saga tells stories of bullying, elopement, prodigious talent, fraudulent greed, heartbreak, death, joy, and deep love. As the girls lose their innocence and mature into young women, they forge lifelong friendships; share the pinnacles of success; the depths of despair; and, experience how all too often people are valued for what they have or what they do, rather than for who they are.
Fiction. The young roughnecks in LORDS OF THE SCHOOLYARD, best friends since eighth grade, smell the roses in their own way: tormenting and manipulating smaller kids, sassing teachers, throwing smoke bombs, and sneaking cigarettes in the school bathroom. They may be outcasts, unable to fit in or to follow rules, but they never take it lying down; instead, they take it out on others. Stark, brutal, at times darkly humorous, and written in a powerfully pared-down style purged of any ostentation, Hamilton's story is told from the point of view of one such antisocial bully. The effect of identification with a character so blithely inconsiderate of his own cruelty is exquisitely uncomfortable, even shocking, and captures with unforgettable force the anomie and amoralism of the adolescent mind, as well as the fundamental, sorrowful human innocence that lies beneath it. This harrowing immersion into the inner reality of a little boy who chooses victimization over victimhood casts an all-too-timely light on contemporary society in 2017.
A Walking Parody is a funny and moving portrait of an impassive man awakened to life when his world is broken apart. It is a tale of redemption and healing incorporating wit and satire with drama and adventure to illustrate the complications faced by the individual in modern life. Slow of foot the donkey walks with his head down, unaware of the actions and events that transpire around it. Boyd Adamson is finally becoming aware of the problems that exist in his life, but he cannot understand them. Only when he is forced to face his private demons does he begin to comprehend that even a simple life, like a garden, needs to be tended. Having lived a sheltered life Boyd must first find a way to understand the pain before he can begin to heal, and as he progresses through an improbable journey he finds personal awareness and discovers a passion for life that he never knew existed within him. Afraid of being alone, and not being able to cope, he impetuously agrees to accompany his oldest friend, someone seeking to reclaim the life he lost through tragedy, on a bold adventure. Boyd learns about love, about life, about being a father and, with his imagination suddenly out of control, about understanding the parallels between reality and imagination. Personal conflict is the theme, as each of the characters must find personal resolution and understanding in a confusing world. Each character is lost in their own chasm between observation and confession and they must test the boundaries of their existence to understand themselves and their place in the world. Poetic and lyrical A Walking Parody is a study of the human condition in a shifting world that continues to thin out our level of understanding
When pain can be sealed away and forgotten, what else is lost? In this mesmerizing science fiction novel The Melody of Memory, prepare to be transported to Tyra, a troubled world plagued by cycles of collapse and darkness that have haunted its colonists for centuries. As civilization begins to claw its way back from the brink, a haunting question emerges—will the curse repeat itself once more? For amidst the tragic cycles, a unique technology persists—a way to tie traumatic memories to melodies and store them away in boxes. While this gift can be a blessing, it has also become a tool of repression, inhibiting humanity's growth and ability to learn from past mistakes, for no one remembers making them, and the cycle continues. Enter Aya. Caught on the wrong side of the border as a child, Aya Voss has always been unlucky. Separated from her homeland and family, she endures a life of isolation and torment, perpetually an outsider. Forced to abandon her education and manufacture weapons against her own people, Aya struggles to survive while yearning to reconnect with the loved ones she left behind. War, plague, and madness ravage her world, tearing away everything she holds dear. Can Aya and her new generation break free from this destructive cycle and forge a new destiny? The Melody of Memory weaves a compelling coming-of-age story as Aya finds herself thrust into a revolution—a revolution fueled by courage, purpose, and the determination to heal a wounded world. With each step, she discovers the strength to transcend her own pain and help shape a brighter future for Tyra. Written by the incomparable Cheryl Brin, The Melody of Memory provokes deep meditation on how humans process pain. Buy today and join the conversation.
The new face of big evil is a little . . . small. Dastardly deeds aren’t exactly the first things that come to mind when one hears the name “Clementine,” but as the sole heir of the infamous Dark Lord Elithor, twelve-year-old Clementine Morcerous has been groomed since birth to be the best (worst?) Evil Overlord she can be. But everything changes the day her father is cursed by a mysterious rival. Now, Clementine must not only search for a way to break the curse, but also take on the full responsibilities of the Dark Lord. But when it’s time for her to perform dastardly deeds against the townspeople—including her brand-new friends—she begins to question her father’s code of good and evil. What if the Dark Lord Clementine doesn’t want to be a dark lord after all?
