This book explores the depths of human emotion, revealing the echoes of one's heart and soul, and the courage to face pain and heal from wounds. The poems are not meant to be easy or comfortable, but to challenge and make readers think and feel. The verses explore bitter secrets, love ache, and yearning for an absent soul. These poetic tunes resonates with both wanderers and heavenly loves, providing an elixir darker than blood. The book explores life and death, love and conflict, and the beauty of a moonlit ballet, creating a brilliant light that reveals the intricacy of human emotion. It acknowledges the challenges and tribulations inherent in the human experience and speaks a solid truth: light will be revealed even in the deepest darkness.
There are times when love and war are at their peak, when death and life unite, when everyone praises moon but never reflects that the ultimate cause of its light is merely sun. This book is for those who believe, who are just like me. They look out the window with blank eyes. They've been in love, they've bitter secrets. They are lost or just missing somebody. Transgressions and feelings of love and pain are penned with elixir darker than blood.
In "Empire of Hearts," Abdulla, a man in his late twenties, carries the weight of a heartbreaking experience from his past that has left him resentful towards women. He has built emotional walls, shielding himself from the possibility of love. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters Maysa, a vibrant and compassionate young woman determined to break down his defenses. As Abdulla and Maysa cross paths repeatedly, their unintentional encounters chip away at Abdulla's cynical mindset. Maysa's unwavering kindness and genuine care slowly penetrate his heart, causing him to question the hate he has harbored for so long. A transformation begins to unfold within Abdulla as he finds himself drawn to Maysa's warmth and sincerity. Through shared vulnerability, Abdulla opens up about his past heartbreak to Maysa. Their emotional connection deepens, and trust blossoms between them. Overcoming various challenges that test their relationship, Abdulla's newfound fondness for Maysa drives him to confront his fears and protect their growing bond. As their love continues to grow, Abdulla undergoes a healing process, gradually letting go of his resentment and finding solace in the connection he shares with Maysa. Together, they forge an empire of hearts built on trust, forgiveness, and a mutual understanding of each other's pain. However, their journey is not without obstacles. External conflicts and societal pressures threaten their newfound happiness. Abdulla must navigate these challenges, drawing strength from his love for Maysa and the empire of hearts they have built together. In the culmination of their emotional journey, Abdulla and Maysa prove that true healing and growth are possible when fueled by love. Their story serves as a testament to the transformative power of genuine connection, offering hope that love can triumph over past pain and create a lasting empire of hearts. "Empire of Hearts" is a poignant and captivating novel that explores the depth of emotional resilience and the potential for love to mend even the most wounded hearts.
In the tradition of No Country for Old Men, Shattered Dreams is a story about the ties that bind us to the land and each other, about changing times, and about the forces that can tear us apart. When he’s called to the scene of a burnt-out trailer in a remote corner of the southwest, Sheriff Virgil Dalton finds a body charred beyond recognition and the telltale signs of a meth lab gone wrong. But he also sees enough evidence to convince him there was foul play, and before long he and his deputies are searching the vast desert landscape to discover who was behind it. When word of another fatality reaches Virgil, he learns of a supposedly accidental death that seems like anything but, and the pattern emerging tells Virgil he’s dealing with a killer who will go to great lengths to cover his tracks. With signs pointing to the possible involvement of a local company that is growing by leaps and bounds and changing his beloved landscape faster than he can keep track of, Virgil knows he’s headed for a high-stakes confrontation that will force him to put himself and everything he holds dear at risk . . . Praise for Death at the Black Bull: “Move over, Walt Longmire. There’s a new sheriff in town. Virgil Dalton is the kind of character that comes along maybe once a decade—a classic Western hero and so much more. When you’re done with Frank Hayes’ stellar debut, Death at the Black Bull, you’ll smell the sagebrush in the air and have to clean the dust off your boots. An absolute must-read for fans of Craig Johnson and Tony Hillerman.” —Reed Farrel Coleman, Shamus Award–winning author of The Hollow Girl “This is one of the most impressive debut crime novels I’ve ever read. There’s such depth and humanity in the characters, such tension in the story itself, and the sense of place is as good as it gets. I know I’ll be reading every book in this series!”—Steve Hamilton, Edgar Award–winning author of Let It Burn “Virgil Dalton takes no prisoners in Hayes’s satisfying debut novel, and fans of Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire will cheer the sheriff’s desire to protect his town. With its strong sense of place, this series launch will also keep fans of Western mysteries enthralled.” —Library Journal “Hayes’s strong debut introduces a complex and likable lawman . . . readers will want to see a lot more of Virgil and friends.” —Publishers Weekly “Hayes is a skillful storyteller and a deft hand at witty dialogue.” —Booklist
Thoroughly updated and expanded, this new edition of Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace examines the history of recurrent efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict and identifies a pattern of negative negotiating behaviors that seem to repeatedly derail efforts to achieve peace. In a lively and accessible style, Laura Zittrain Eisenberg and Neil Caplan examine eight case studies of recent Arab-Israeli diplomatic encounters, from the Egyptian-Israeli peace of 1979 to the beginning of the Obama administration, in light of the historical record. By measuring contemporary diplomatic episodes against the pattern of counterproductive negotiating habits, this book makes possible a coherent comparison of over sixty years of Arab-Israeli negotiations and gives readers a framework with which to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of peace-making attempts, past, present, and future.
Everyone has dreams! Sometimes these dreams seem too good to be true. Sometimes these dreams do come true, at least for a while. This is what happened to me. Everything seemed to fall into place and I was literally on cloud nine. I already had a rough life up to this point and I was convinced that this event was going to erase all the bad memories from the past. I was convinced that this relationship was going to last forever, that he was going to help me move forward in life, and also help me put the past where it rightfully belongs. Eventually, my dreams would be shattered into a million pieces and my heart broken beyond repair. I found myself fighting a new battle. I found myself fighting against life itself. If God had not intervened when and how He did, I would not be here today.
James A. Harnish, from the Introduction: “I’m broken. So are you. We’re all broken people who live in a broken world. The critical question is, how do we find strength to put broken things back together again? This book is an invitation to touch the scars that mark the broken places in our lives, in the same way the risen Christ invited a doubting disciple to touch the nail scars in his hands. It is a challenge to explore some of the dark places in our human experience, to uncover the sinister power of sin, and to experience the way the grace of God meets us in our broken places to bring new life.”
Emmalynn Gallagher threw caution to the wind once—and found herself in the middle of a tornado. Needless to say, she won’t be doing that again. Now she fills her life with plans and to-do lists. Having moved home for a fresh start, Emma’s facing the ultimate re-do list when she abruptly comes face to face with Aubrey Glass, the source of Emma’s teenage yearning. Aubrey wouldn’t recognize yearning if it tornadoed into her face, but she does recognize Emma…even if she wishes she didn’t. Socializing, especially with her past, is Aubrey’s least favorite activity. She’s tender in spots no one can see and would prefer to fade into the background. Amidst the backdrop of towering shelves of books and the persistent aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Emma and Aubrey navigate their post-high school reunion. With plenty of fumbles and missteps, it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll manage to merge their paths, nor does it always seem that they want to…until suddenly, it’s the only thing that makes sense to either one of them.
Raffaella A. Del Sarto examines the creation of Israel's neo-revisionist consensus about security threats and regional order, which took hold of Israeli politics and society after 2000 and persists today. The failed Oslo peace process and the trauma of the Second Palestinian Intifada triggered this shift to the right; conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah and the inflammatory rhetoric of Iranian President Ahmadinejad additionally contributed to the creation of a general sense of being under siege. While Israel faces real security threats, Israeli governments have engaged in the politics of insecurity, promoting and amplifying a sense of besiegement. Lively political debate has been replaced by a general acceptance of the no-compromise approach to security and the Palestinians. The neo-revisionist right, represented by Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud, has turned Israel away from the peace process and pushes maximalist territorial ambitions. But they have failed to offer a vision for an end to conflict, and there has been little debate about whether or not the hardline policies toward the region are counterproductive. Del Sarto explains this disappearance of dissent and examines the costs of Israel’s policies. She concludes that Israel’s feeling of being under siege has become entrenched, a two-state solution with the Palestinians is highly unlikely for the foreseeable future, and Israel’s international isolation is likely to increase. Del Sarto’s analysis of this tense political situation will interest scholars and students of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Middle East Studies, and International Relations.
Israel's next great crisis may come not with the Palestinians or Iran but with young American Jews A dramatic shift is taking place in Israel and America. In Israel, the deepening occupation of the West Bank is putting Israeli democracy at risk. In the United States, the refusal of major Jewish organizations to defend democracy in the Jewish state is alienating many young liberal Jews from Zionism itself. In the next generation, the liberal Zionist dream—the dream of a state that safeguards the Jewish people and cherishes democratic ideals—may die. In The Crisis of Zionism, Peter Beinart lays out in chilling detail the looming danger to Israeli democracy and the American Jewish establishment's refusal to confront it. And he offers a fascinating, groundbreaking portrait of the two leaders at the center of the crisis: Barack Obama, America's first "Jewish president," a man steeped in the liberalism he learned from his many Jewish friends and mentors in Chicago; and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister who considers liberalism the Jewish people's special curse. These two men embody fundamentally different visions not just of American and Israeli national interests but of the mission of the Jewish people itself. Beinart concludes with provocative proposals for how the relationship between American Jews and Israel must change, and with an eloquent and moving appeal for American Jews to defend the dream of a democratic Jewish state before it is too late.
