Each poem captures the resilience and ugliness of prejudice. – Dr Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu has assembled an essential anthology on race and racism. It chronicles the plethora of race-based prejudices that seem to be an ingredient of our very being as humans. Devoid of anger, even as it is so impassioned, this collection is a very worthwhile read and singularly relevant for contemporary, global society. – Mavuso Msimang In a time when the struggle is between the responsibility of remembering and the danger of forgetting, we are called to conscientiousness. In this book, Ndlovu bottles the tension between memory and the forging of a future in the most delicate way. Not only does he boast exquisite talents as a writer, but he also makes a gallant attempt to remind us about what is now at stake. – Xhanti Payi
"An exhilarating, multi-layered new play."—The Guardian "Stirring and stylishly told . . . McCraney's crispest and most confident work."—Daily News "Greatly affecting. . . . It takes a brave writer to set his language against the plaintive beauty of the hymns and spirituals . . . but McCraney's speech holds its own, locating poetry even in casual vernacular and again demonstrating his gift for simile and metaphor."—The Village Voice The Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys is dedicated to the creation of strong, ethical black men. Pharus wants nothing more than to take his rightful place as leader of the school's legendary gospel choir, but can he find his way inside the hallowed halls of this institution if he sings in his own key? Known for his unique brand of urban lyricism, Tarrell Alvin McCraney follows up his acclaimed trilogy The Brother/Sister Plays with this affecting portrait of a gay youth trying to find the courage to let the truth about himself be known. Set against the sorrowful sounds of hymns and spirituals, Choir Boy premiered at the Royal Court in London before receiving its Off-Broadway premiere in summer 2013 to critical and popular acclaim. Tarell Alvin McCraney is author of The Brother/Sister Plays: The Brothers Size, In the Red and Brown Water, and Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet. Other works include Wig Out!, set in New York's drag clubs, and The Breach, which deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His awards include the 2009 Steinberg Playwrights Award and the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award.
In his powerful novel, Motherless Child, Bram Stoker Award–nominee Glen Hirshberg, author of the International Horror Guild Award–winning American Morons, exposes the fallacy of the Twilight-style romantic vampire while capturing the heart of every reader. It's the thrill of a lifetime when Sophie and Natalie, single mothers living in a trailer park in North Carolina, meet their idol, the mysterious musician known only as "the Whistler." Morning finds them covered with dried blood, their clothing shredded and their memories hazy. Things soon become horrifyingly clear: the Whistler is a vampire and Natalie and Sophie are his latest victims. The young women leave their babies with Natalie's mother and hit the road, determined not to give in to their unnatural desires. Hunger and desire make a powerful couple. So do the Whistler and his Mother, who are searching for Sophie and Natalie with the help of Twitter and the musician's many fans. The violent, emotionally moving showdown between two who should be victims and two who should be monsters will leave readers gasping in fear and delight. Originally published in a sold-out, limited edition, Motherless Child is an extraordinary Southern horror novel that Tor Books is proud to bring to a wider audience. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Well-respected educator and best-selling author Jerry Snyder has put together the most versatile guitar method available. This comprehensive method for classroom or individual study comes in two sections: the first section teaches chords and accompaniment, while the second teaches note reading. This flexible method allows you to start with either section or use both sections simultaneously. The Teacher's Guide helps the instructor develop and organize a guitar class curriculum and provides background on the guitar class, teaching tips, elements of music and how to address the National Standards for Arts Education. The Teacher's Guide also includes 48 pages of reproducible worksheets. The ensemble book offers graded duets, trios and quartets as well as optional parts for bass.
When a spunky mouse invites a passing bird to see what's inside a People House, chaos ensues while beginning readers learn the names of 65 common household items—and that people are generally not pleased to find mice and birds in their houses! A super simple, delightfully silly introduction to objects around the home—from none other than Dr. Seuss!
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout continues the life of her beloved Olive Kitteridge, a character who has captured the imaginations of millions. “Strout managed to make me love this strange woman I’d never met, who I knew nothing about. What a terrific writer she is.”—Zadie Smith, The Guardian “Just as wonderful as the original . . . Olive, Again poignantly reminds us that empathy, a requirement for love, helps make life ‘not unhappy.’”—NPR NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PEOPLE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • Vogue • NPR • The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • Vanity Fair • Entertainment Weekly • BuzzFeed • Esquire • Real Simple • Good Housekeeping • The New York Public Library • The Guardian • Evening Standard • Kirkus Reviews • Publishers Weekly • BookPage Prickly, wry, resistant to change yet ruthlessly honest and deeply empathetic, Olive Kitteridge is “a compelling life force” (San Francisco Chronicle). The New Yorker has said that Elizabeth Strout “animates the ordinary with an astonishing force,” and she has never done so more clearly than in these pages, where the iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspire us—in Strout’s words—“to bear the burden of the mystery with as much grace as we can.” Praise for Olive, Again “Olive is a brilliant creation not only because of her eternal cantankerousness but because she’s as brutally candid with herself about her shortcomings as she is with others. Her honesty makes people strangely willing to confide in her, and the raw power of Ms. Strout’s writing comes from these unvarnished exchanges, in which characters reveal themselves in all of their sadness and badness and confusion. . . . The great, terrible mess of living is spilled out across the pages of this moving book. Ms. Strout may not have any answers for it, but she isn’t afraid of it either.”—The Wall Street Journal
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2018 BY NPR AND THE NEW YORK TIMES A PBS NEWSHOUR-NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB PICK "Somehow Casey Gerald has pulled off the most urgently political, most deeply personal, and most engagingly spiritual statement of our time by just looking outside his window and inside himself. Extraordinary." —Marlon James "Staccato prose and peripatetic storytelling combine the cadences of the Bible with an urgency reminiscent of James Baldwin in this powerfully emotional memoir." —BookPage The testament of a boy and a generation who came of age as the world came apart—a generation searching for a new way to live. Casey Gerald comes to our fractured times as a uniquely visionary witness whose life has spanned seemingly unbridgeable divides. His story begins at the end of the world: Dallas, New Year's Eve 1999, when he gathers with the congregation of his grandfather's black evangelical church to see which of them will be carried off. His beautiful, fragile mother disappears frequently and mysteriously; for a brief idyll, he and his sister live like Boxcar Children on her disability checks. When Casey--following in the footsteps of his father, a gridiron legend who literally broke his back for the team--is recruited to play football at Yale, he enters a world he's never dreamed of, the anteroom to secret societies and success on Wall Street, in Washington, and beyond. But even as he attains the inner sanctums of power, Casey sees how the world crushes those who live at its margins. He sees how the elite perpetuate the salvation stories that keep others from rising. And he sees, most painfully, how his own ascension is part of the scheme. There Will Be No Miracles Here has the arc of a classic rags-to-riches tale, but it stands the American Dream narrative on its head. If to live as we are is destroying us, it asks, what would it mean to truly live? Intense, incantatory, shot through with sly humor and quiet fury, There Will Be No Miracles Hereinspires us to question--even shatter--and reimagine our most cherished myths.
The next installment in the critically acclaimed lectionary series that focuses on women's stories. In this second volume of the three-volume Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, widely praised womanist bible scholar and priest Wil Gafney selects scripture readings that emphasize women's stories. Focusing especially on the Gospel of Mark, Year B of A Women's Lectionary features Gafney's fresh, inclusive, and thought-provoking translations of every reading, alongside commentary on each reading. Designed for liturgical use or scriptural study, this resource offers a new perspective on the Bible and the liturgical year. “Gafney's paradigm-shifting scholarship will influence biblical preaching and teaching for generations to come." —National Catholic Reporter
Are you a ukulele beginner? Learn to play 21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs today! Beginner-friendly "21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs" may be the best way to learn, play and master traditional folk music on the ukulele. Here's why... This is not just a book of ukulele songs. The authors teach you how to play them in the book and via free online tutorial videos included with your purchase. All songs are arranged in order from easiest to hardest, starting with great-sounding 2-chord ukulele beginner songs you can learn in minutes. Diagrams and photos of finger placement for all chords eliminate frustration. All songs include lyrics and both musical and tab notation. Don't read music? Difficulty with chords? Simply follow the tabs and play melody. The authors make it as easy as falling off a log! You'll be learning from the award-winning musicians and music teacher duo who authored the best-selling ukulele book 21 Easy Ukulele Songs for Christmas and developed a popular ukulele teaching curriculum used by thousands of students. FREE BONUS VIDEOS: Your purchase includes online video instructions for all 21 songs, so you can hear the songs and see how to play them. There's a whole section in the book with directions and screenshots on how to activate your free membership at the authors' website. In no time, you'll be filling your home with these nostalgic folk song favorites: Lovely Evening Lil' Liza Jane Happy Birthday Go Tell Aunt Rhody Wabash Cannonball Big Rock Candy Mountain Worried Man Blues St. Louis Blues Goodnight, Irene Down by the Riverside Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child Sakura All Through the Night Beautiful Dreamer Molly Malone Shenandoah The Ash Grove Take Me Out to the Ball Game Turkey in the Straw My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean Sweet Betsy from Pike 21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs Also Teaches You: How to read tablature (tabs) - even if you've never played before, this book is all you need to play familiar folk songs, quickly and easily. How to perform easy or elaborate strumming patterns for each song to suit your skill level and add interesting variety. How to fingerpick and use simple techniques to create different sounds to add your own flair to your folk song performances. Plus a brief history of each song, a glossary of terms, and more. It's never been easier to learn, play and master traditional folk songs. You'll be ready to impress and entertain your friends and family at gatherings and sing-a-longs throughout the year. Grab your copy of 21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs today!