Long plagued by poverty, India's recent economic growth has vaulted it into the ranks of the world's emerging powers, but what kind of power it wants to be remains a mystery. Our Time Has Come explains why India behaves the way it does, and the role it is likely to play globally as its prominence grows.
An engaging and provocative new novel that challenges all the political, social, and economic inadequacies of the American civil rights system and its discrimination towards black Americans. In a dazzling display of political insight and masterful storytelling, Sylvester Stephens presents a new novel about what has been wrong throughout America's past—and what can be made right in its future. Solomon Chambers is born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1940. His parents and his uncle moved to Michigan from Mississippi years earlier, hoping to avoid the racism of their home state. Solomon eventually becomes a lawyer, and when his uncle is murdered in Mississippi he serves as a witness for the prosecution—and has his first real brush with the reality of racism. Later, in the year 2007, Affirmative Action and the Voting Rights Acts are abolished. When African Americans charge the United States government with violating their constitutional rights, Solomon is called to try the most significant case of his career, and one of the most important in history. Full of powerful political commentary and dramatic narrative, Our Time Has Come is the inspiring story of a man who must confront himself and his own history—and fight for a just future that can heal the pains of a violent past.
From his perspective as a fully accredited, elected Jackson delegate to the 1984 Democratic National Convention, Lucius Barker tells the story of his active participation in the drama-recounting the excitement and challenges, successes and achievements, and the problems, disappointments, and frustrations; describing what he believed to be the campaign's deeper sense and meaning; and recording his views of its great historical significance.
In the vein of Tim Wise’s White Like Me and Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, The Time Has Come —by co-founder of the White Ribbon campaign Michael Kaufman — offers a plain-spoken and forthright look at why and how men must actively fight for gender equality. From founding the White Ribbon Campaign, the world’s largest organized effort of men working to end violence against women, in the early 1990s, to his appointment as the only male member of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, Michael Kaufman has been a major figure in promoting social justice and women’s rights for decades. Now, in The Time Has Come, he issues a stirring call for men to mobilize in the movement for gender equality. Weaving together sociological data, personal experiences, and insights gleaned from decades of work with governments and NGOs around the globe, Kaufman explores topics ranging from domestic violence to parental leave, grappling with the ways in which a culture of toxic masculinity hurts women and men (and their children). Informative and provocative, The Time Has Come demonstrates how real gender equality creates advancements in both the workplace and the global economy, and urges men to become dedicated allies in dismantling the patriarchy.
The story of the behind-the-scenes political battle to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act: “Excellent . . . a highly readable play-by-play.” —The Atlantic It was a turbulent time in America—a time of sit-ins, freedom rides, a March on Washington, and a governor standing in the schoolhouse door—when John F. Kennedy sent Congress a bill to bar racial discrimination in employment, education, and public accommodations. Countless civil rights measures had died on Capitol Hill in the past. But this one was different because, as one influential senator put it, it was “an idea whose time has come.” In this revealing book, Todd S. Purdum tells the story of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, recreating the legislative maneuvering and the larger-than-life characters who made its passage possible. From the Kennedy brothers to Lyndon Johnson, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Hubert Humphrey and Everett Dirksen, Purdum shows how these all-too-human figures managed, in just over a year, to create a bill that prompted the longest filibuster in the history of the US Senate—yet was ultimately adopted with overwhelming bipartisan support. He evokes the high purpose and low dealings that marked the creation of this monumental law, drawing on extensive archival research and dozens of new interviews that bring to life this signal achievement in American history—an example in our own troubled time of what is possible when bipartisanship, decency, and patience rule the day. “Brilliantly rendered and emotionally powerful—a riveting account of one of the most dramatic and significant moments in American history.” —Doris Kearns Goodwin “Today’s reader will be startled, if not astonished, by how the bill made its way through Congress.” —The Washington Post “Worthy, timely, and intelligent.” —The New Yorker “A first-rate narrative.” —The Wall Street Journal
"Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves." These powerful words, spoken by Nelson Mandela in his inaugural address as the new president of South Africa, are taken from just one of the forty important and thought-provoking speeches in this collection. Ranging from 1945 to the present day, they provide an important insight into the modern world. Inspirational speeches by Winston Churchill, Mikhail Gorbachev, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama and many others are supplemented with biographies of each speaker, as well an exploration of their words' significance and an historical account of the consequences of their oratory. This is a history of the recent and contemporary world told through the speeches that shaped it.
This book brings together 42 speeches by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, most of which were delivered after the elections of April 1994. These speeches reflect the remarkable consistency and logic in Mbeki's thoughts on issues such as socio-economic justice, the alleviation of poverty, the opening up of opportunities, the need for development, and the achievement of reconciliation through transformation - all of which are recurrent themes throughout his speeches. Coupled with Mbeki's vision for South Africa is his devotion to, and identification with the African continent, and his dream of an African renaissance.
On 1 August 2008 Ger McDonnell became the first Irish person to summit K2. The decent of his expedition became one of the worst disasters in mountaineering history. An extensively researched story of bravery and heroism in the face of terrible odds.