A sweeping adventure set in the Arabian Desert, where the shadow of British colonialism threatens to destroy a father and son. Three years ago, nineteen-year-old David Thomas beat his father to death. Actually, David only punched the old man, but it was hard enough to cause him to have a fatal stroke. And the man wasn’t really David’s father at all: The fight started because David learned that his true father was Col. Charles Stanley Whitaker, a legendary figure who made his fortune in the oil fields of the Arabian Desert. With the help of George Grant, a lawyer he’d just met, David escaped the police and set out to find his real father. But like so many travelers before him, he was swallowed by the desert and never seen again . . . Now, Grant is working for Colonel Whitaker, helping him negotiate the tangled politics of the turbulent Middle East. When he begins asking questions about the circumstances of David’s disappearance, he will be forced to confront the nightmare at the heart of the British Empire. A globe-trotting adventure with the sweep of Lawrence of Arabia, The Doomed Oasis is a thrilling political novel, one of the finest ever written by the legendary Hammond Innes.
In this young adult thriller for fans of Lost and The Twilight Zone, a group of teens are saved when they come across a mysterious oasis. But who will save them from the oasis? Alif had exciting summer plans: working on her father’s archeological dig site in the desert with four close friends ... and a very cute research assistant. Then the sandstorm hit. Their camp wiped away, Alif and the others find themselves lost on the sands, seemingly doomed ... until they find the oasis. It has everything they need: food, water, and shade—and mysterious ruins that hide a deadly secret. As reality begins to shift around them, they question what’s real and what’s a mirage. The answers turn Alif and her friends against each other, and they begin to wonder if they’ve truly been saved. And while it was easy to walk into the oasis, it may be impossible to leave ... An Imprint Book “Will stick to readers’ skin long after the final page is turned.” —Booklist (starred review) “de Becerra successfully builds a fraught tension throughout the book that mirrors the characters’ feelings as reality leaves them behind . . . well worth the payoff.” —The Bulletin
"If there was a price placed on clean water we might start treating it like it has value. Maybe when it's gone we'll realize we can't drink oil or money." -- Dave Matthews Less than 1 percent of the world's water is fresh and potable -- and no more will ever be available. Thanks to pollution, global warming, and population growth, water access is poised to become today's most explosive global issue. This book, based on the film Last Call at the Oasis by Academy Award-winning director Jessica Yu, offers insights into the coming water crisis from visionary scientists, policymakers, activists, and environmentalists, including: ROBERT MORAN on how oil and mineral development pollute and divert water supplies -- often beyond public scrutiny PETER H. GLEICK on discovering the "soft path" to global water security ROBERT GLENNON on how the power of markets can help protect the world's water LYNN HENNING on how a family farmer became a passionate "water activist" ALEX PRUD'HOMME on how the water crisis affects us all GARY WHITE on how innovative social and economic strategies can make clean water available even for the world's poorest people HADLEY ARNOLD AND PETER ARNOLD on how arid regions like America's Southwest can wisely husband water supplies for cities and farmers alike ROBYN BEAVERS on how today's smartest businesses are making sustainable water management a competitive advantage ZEM JOAQUIN on nine "ecofabulous" ways of saving water at home -- and doing it with style BILL MCDONOUGH on how smart design can preserve water's "Endless Resourcefulness" for generations to come No resource on earth is more precious -- or more endangered -- than water. Last Call at the Oasis is a powerful tool for learning about the water challenges we face as well as the remarkable solutions available to us -- if we have the will to use them.
How Service Orientation Will Change Your Business "The real value of this book is that it makes SOA and Webservices, which are critical and business-transforming,crystal-clear to the layman, both business and IT leaders. The bookstays focused on the real-world issues facing business andgovernment institutions today. In an industry full of experts ofmany stripes, Ron and Jason are the real thing: savvy, experienced,and realistic. They have produced a must-read book formanagement." —Paul Lipton, Senior Architect, Unicenter Web Services andApplication Management Computer Associates "This is by far the finest publication on SOA of our time. Fromcover to back, Service Orient or Be Doomed! strips away thelayers of confusion most IT stakeholders face when confronted withenterprise architecture, and illustrates pragmatic and practicalpaths towards a sustainable and efficient enterprise architecture.Both the technically savvy and the bean counters will enjoy thisbook that speaks to the critical points they need tounderstand." —Duane A. Nickull Senior Standards Strategist, Adobe Systems,Inc. Chair, OASIS SOA Reference Model Technical Committee Vicechair, United Nations CEFACT (UN/CEFACT) "If you're looking for a guide that's based on reality, this isit. These guys know how you can service-orient your enterprise andhave the best chance of success. This book is the best SOA tool youcan buy. I'm recommending it to everyone." —Dave Linthicum, CEO, BRIDGEWERX "Jason and Ron are experts on Service-Oriented Architecture(SOA) and have written the first book that is aimed at helping anontechnical businessperson understand why the SOA computingrevolution is critical to business. Rather than provide a nerdydeath via buzzword book, Jason and Ron take a humorous, clever, andinsightful romp through this new technology and how it impactsbusiness in general." —Brad Feld, Mobius Venture Capital Authors Jason Bloomberg and Ronald Schmelzer-senior analysts forhighly respected IT advisory and analysis firm ZapThink-say it allin the title of their new book, Service Orient or Be Doomed!:How Service Orientation Will Change Your Business. That is, ifyou fail to service orient your company, you will fail in competingwith the organizations that do. This provocative new book takes service orientation out of itsmore familiar technological surroundings within service-orientedarchitecture and introduces it as a philosophy that advocates itsrightful place within a business context, redefining it as a newway of thinking about organizing your business and itsprocesses. Informal, challenging, and intelligent in style, ServiceOrient or Be Doomed!: How Service Orientation Will Change YourBusiness shows you how you can best use technology resources tomeet your company's business goals and empower your company to gofrom "stuck" to "competitive."
Instant New York Times Bestseller Longlisted for Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence 2020 New England Society Book Award Winner for Fiction “The Guest Book is monumental in a way that few novels dare attempt.” —The Washington Post The thought-provoking new novel by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Blake An exquisitely written, poignant family saga that illuminates the great divide, the gulf that separates the rich and poor, black and white, Protestant and Jew. Spanning three generations, The Guest Book deftly examines the life and legacy of one unforgettable family as they navigate the evolving social and political landscape from Crockett’s Island, their family retreat off the coast of Maine. Blake masterfully lays bare the memories and mistakes each generation makes while coming to terms with what it means to inherit the past.
