Born into poverty in an age of heroes and kings, a future as a courtesan is the best Eka expects in the Maghada Empire. Initiation into the service of the snake goddess gives her a fleeting glimpse of power - until the king discovers Eka's talent for poisons, and demands her services as a vish kanya, or poison girl. Eka and her childhood companion Ira are told the venom they've imbibed makes them lethal to touch, and they grow up as feared members of court - able to touch only each other. And when a young invader sweeps towards their empire in India, Eka and Ira are chosen to infiltrate Alexander the Great's army. In Alexander's court Eka must play a dangerous political game, all while her feelings for Ira unfurl. Raised to do the bidding of one king, and confronted with the power and destruction of another, the fate of a world will rest on the choice she makes.

The Song of Achilles meets The Power: an astonishing feminist debut fusing the Indian myth of the poison girls with the legend of Alexander the Great

The Legends Before the Lionesses examines how the legends who pioneered women's internationals from 1972 onwards inspired successive generations until that glorious day in 2022 when England won the Euros. It details for the first time how the Lionesses have become not only the pride of a nation but agents of social change.

Into Nowhere: Bruce Springsteen and The Cold War Blues, by Marilisa Merolla--an internationally renowned professor focusing on rock and roll music's impact on world history--investigates the role played by Springsteen as a “Born in the U.S.A.” sound ambassador, particularly in Italy, and sheds light on the invisible trauma that affected the Cold War generation, a trauma profoundly interpreted by Springsteen.The groundbreaking book threads two separate perspectives: one inspired by the psychological interpretation of the effects of the “Blues” on contemporary societies, and another anchored to the current debate among historians about music and international relations. The author uses these two separate threads to investigate the role played by Bruce Springsteen as an American “sound ambassador” outside the US, particularly in Italy and the Mediterranean area; and sheds light on the invisible trauma that affected the Cold War generation. A trauma Bruce Springsteen interpreted, as a sort of “Born in the U.S.A” Dionysus.Through the lens of Springsteen’s Neapolitan roots and Italian heritage via his mother’s family, this book examines the diffusion of the Blues during fascist Italy, and goes deep into the impact of rock and roll music, from Elvis to Bruce, during the Cold War.Since World War II, the US Department of State had used jazz and the Blues as a “sonic weapon” to combat the perception of the US as a racist society. By the Fifties, rock and roll arrived in its raw version in the Mediterranean area through the U.S. soldiers at the Naples-based AFSouth (Allied Forces Southern Europe) Headquarters. Paradoxically, the military use of the Blues, now distilled in rock and roll, represented a double-edged sword which spread the seeds of the dark side of the American way of life among the youth.In the Sixties, with the upheaval of the Vietnam War, the split between the expectations of a more democratic and individualized society and a bipolar geopolitical order of an unexploded atomic war made the frustration of the youth even more unsolvable.From the Seventies to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Bruce Springsteen expressed the peculiar feeling of helplessness of so many people in Western society, offering a transnational Cold War generation a sense of connection. While giving an implicit, alchemical voice to different political identities—Atlanticist, Catholic, and Communist—his music makes the “Nowhere” recognizable in a geopolitical entity drawn by the Blues. His darkness provides redemption through the genuine religious experience of rock and roll. The performance of a collective trauma. A path to healing from the Cold War Blues.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches young readers to practise gratitude in this wonderfully illustrated board book for children.Gratitude can change your perspective of the world, and is a state of mind that can be easily achieved. By noticing the positive aspects in life, young readers can strengthen relationships and improve your emotional and psychological wellbeing - making this a perfect topic to introduce to children from a young age. Featuring beautiful illustrations and comprehensible text, it has never been easier to start practising gratitude!Other titles in the series include: Loving Kindness, Acts of Kindness, and Peaceful Mind.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches the concept of acts of kindness to young readers in this wonderfully illustrated board book for children.An act of kindness can be big or small. It could be as simple as holding the door open for someone, or checking in on a friend you haven't heard from in a while. Reducing stress and anxiety, improving self-esteem, and boosting confidence are all examples of the benefits of acts of kindness to your mental well-being. By reading Acts of Kindness with your little one, you will be teaching them the power of being kind, and the positive impact that they will bring to the world around them.Other titles in the series include: Loving Kindness, Gratitude, and Peaceful Mind.

A timely, illuminating plan for how trans and cis athletes can both fairly play sports Fair Game offers an insightful, timely examination of the ongoing battle for equality in athletics. As LGBTQ athletes break barriers in the Olympics, transgender athletes still face harsh restrictions in many areas. With twenty-four states passing anti-trans sports legislation in the last two years, nearly half of Americans live under laws that restrict or ban transgender individuals from participating in sports. Fair Game explores why taking the next step and increasing the acceptance of trans athletes is important not only for everyone with an Olympic dream but also everyone whose kids just want to join the town soccer league. Fair Game explores the role of sports in the lives of transgender youth and adults, offering a comprehensive, nuanced, and multivoiced picture of the transgender athletic experience. Through a woven collection of the narratives from a marginalized population, Fair Game examines the patterns of fear and gender stereotypes that undergird anti-trans legislation and offers helpful historical and political context about sex segregation in sports and how bodies (including trans bodies) work in sports. Timely, accessible, inspiring, and rigorous, Fair Game presents a sports landscape beyond our current conceptions, a world changed by unrestricted and joyful movement in sports.

A first-of-its-kind compilation of restorative justice dialogues, with a foreword by bestselling author Howard Zehr, author of the bestselling Little Book of Restorative Justice The use of restorative justice is becoming more commonplace around the country. This practice brings victims together with offenders to discuss the impact of the offense, restore breaches of community, and together draw up a plan for repair. Unlike proceedings in a court of law that prioritize punishment, restorative justice addresses victims' desire for repair, understanding, and healing. But it is also a confidential process--rarely videotaped or accessible to those who want to know: what actually happens in a restorative justice session? Restorative Justice Up Close is the first book to relate stories of actual dialogues, in the words of participants. Affecting and direct, the book features stories from K-12 school staff about restorative circles that got to the root of misbehavior without suspensions, and from skeptical police and probation officers who learn that a facilitated dialogue can produce better outcomes than a prosecution ever could. And in stories that will make readers cry, Restorative Justice Up Close recounts meetings between survivors of violent crime and those responsible, where both parties emerge with a sense of relief and healing. A book for educators, justice reformers, and anyone curious about a more humane approach to wrongdoing, Restorative Justice Up Close offers a compelling picture of what it means to truly "do justice."

A sobering revelation of the law's ramped-up attacks on the most vulnerable among us, and what to do about it Pink Crime is a revealing and deeply researched examination of the strategic use of criminal law by today's right-wing movement to limit the bodily autonomy of women and queer people. The criminal justice system increasingly targets the most vulnerable populations, particularly women, pregnant individuals, and queer people. This powerful book examines the alarming rate of wrongful convictions among women, uncovering how bias, stigma, and unreliable evidence have led to prosecution where no crime occurred. It paints a disturbing picture of how the deaths of loved ones--whether a husband who passed in his sleep or a child with a health condition--have been twisted into false accusations of murder due to systemic prejudices and prosecutorial overreach. The book goes beyond wrongful convictions to explore the criminalization of identity, revealing how today's legal system disproportionately punishes actions related to pregnancy, motherhood, and queer identity. Pink Crime emphasizes how these legal mechanisms not only strip away basic rights but also lay the groundwork for even more oppressive measures in the future. This deep and comprehensive analysis provides readers with historical context, real-life case studies, and a legal framework to understand the current threat posed by the strategic use of criminal law. By examining the interplay of wrongful convictions and the criminalization of vulnerable communities, the book offers vital insights into the coercive power of the legal system. It serves as a wake-up call to advocates, lawyers, and citizens, equipping them with the knowledge and tools necessary to push back against these injustices and fight for systemic reform to protect bodily autonomy and fundamental rights.

A clarion call for taking back the American Revolution from the far right, published for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence Who gets to claim the legacy of the American Revolution and the mantle of patriotism that goes along with it? In a sharp, irreverent, deeply informed account of the nation's founding moment and its enduring legacies, historian Thomas Richards Jr. invites us to see the Revolution not just as a one-time fight for political freedom from Britain but as an ongoing struggle for equality, justice, and social and political independence for all Americans. A riveting work of narrative history, The Unfinished Business of 1776 shows that the Revolutionary struggle did not end in 1787, when the Constitution was ratified: across ten dramatic chapters, Richards introduces readers to the vividly drawn characters who kept the Revolution alive for the next century and beyond, including the women's rights advocate Judith Sargent Murray, the enslaved rebel Gabriel, the protosocialist Solomon Sharpe, and the utopian dreamer Joseph Smith--each pushing for freedoms that extended well beyond the traditional narrative of the Revolution, and each revealing how the unfinished work of 1776 fueled demands for economic, social, and legal equality that lasted well beyond the Revolution itself. A myth-busting book about the history we think we know, The Unfinished Business of 1776 is the perfect antidote to jingoistic celebrations of America--offering an inclusive vision of our common past.

Influential! Brave! Groundbreaking! Discover and celebrate the amazing stories and achievements of some of America's most inspiring artists, athletes, scholars, advocates and activists, political and civic leaders, entrepreneurs, physicians, educators, and more. Explore the vibrant experiences and vital roles of LGBTQ people in America!