Neal Petersen was born physically disabled and impoverished in apartheid-era South Africa, but was introduced to healing and equality in the waters surrounding Cape Town. Journey of a Hope Merchant recounts the epic journey that took this misfit kid from a racially segregated, working class neighborhood to the prestigious world of solo yacht racing.
In Culturize, Jimmy Casas shares insights into what it takes to cultivate a community of learners who embody the innately human traits our world desperately needs, such as kindness, honesty, and compassion. His stories reveal how these "soft skills" can be honed while meeting and exceeding academic standards of twenty-first-century learning.
A child shivers in the darkest of forests. A powerful force threatens the entire Kingdom of Galiwell, and it's pulling her closer, closer into a swirling, smoky mist of evil. Hope and the Kingdom of Galiwell is a novel about that child and a fantasy world filled with magical creatures. In the Kingdom of Galiwell, ten-year-old Princess Hope is eager to join the fight against her father's enemies. Hope looks up to her older brother, Prince Beckon, who travels throughout the realm, fighting the evil that threatens their father and the kingdom. But Hope has a lot to learn about herself before she can meet her own ambitions. Hope's headstrong, adventurous nature soon brings her to a corrupted forest filled with warped beings. Here she finds herself at the very doorstep of Dark Star, a formidable, evil being eager to destroy Galiwell--and capturing the princess would give him the power to do so. In these twisted woods, Hope learns the secret of her true identity. She also meets good friends who will fight to help her escape the clutches of Dark Star. But when she discovers an unexpected weakness in her own character, Hope becomes enslaved to the very evil she despises. As her brother battles desperately against Dark Star's cruel servants and their plot concerning an ancient agreement, Hope struggles to free herself from the wickedness that ensnares her. And when Dark Star demands a great sacrifice, will Hope be able to break free from the shadows that darken her soul? This novel will capture the attention of young and old as it takes the reader on a journey to face evil and overcome it.
WINNER OF THE 2023 RALPH GOMORY BOOK PRIZE "A superb book."--Jerry Brotton "Wonderfully wide-ranging and deeply-researched."--William Dalrymple "Sharply observed, innovatively analysed, and always accessible."--Nandini Das A new history of English trade and empire--revealing how a tightly woven community of merchants was the true origin of globalized Britain In the century following Elizabeth I's rise to the throne, English trade blossomed as thousands of merchants launched ventures across the globe. Through the efforts of these "mere merchants," England developed from a peripheral power on the fringes of Europe to a country at the center of a global commercial web, with interests stretching from Virginia to Ahmadabad and Arkhangelsk to Benin. Edmond Smith traces the lives of English merchants from their earliest steps into business to the heights of their successes. Smith unpicks their behavior, relationships, and experiences, from exporting wool to Russia, importing exotic luxuries from India, and building plantations in America. He reveals that the origins of "global" Britain are found in the stories of these men whose livelihoods depended on their skills, entrepreneurship, and ability to work together to compete in cutthroat international markets. As a community, their efforts would come to revolutionize Britain's relationship with the world.
When the Goddess of Light threatens the world with her corruptive influence and power, four heroes who will be chosen by the God of Darkness to become his champions in taking up his dark mantle, will be sent on a long and grueling journey to not only prove themselves worthy but also save the world from the wrath of light.
