Growing up in a village where few families believed in educating their daughters, Umm Kulthum (1898-1975), who was named after a daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, defied expectations early by memorizing the Qur’an. Described as “no ordinary girl,” she became known across the countryside for her resonant voice. She appears here with a large head […]
It’s 1960 and Gabriel Dax is flying home to England after interviewing Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba when a series of “strange coincidences” begins. He’s upgraded to first class and a woman on the plane is reading one of his travel books. Back home he finds someone has left his flat in “careful disarray,” and […]
Twelve-year-old Mendel’s incapable of doing anything right. When he hugs his mother, he knocks her into the washtub. While setting the table, he lights the table on fire. And when he chops wood, he almost decapitates his sister. Mendel’s mother tells him it isn’t his fault: Years ago, Starface Matja cursed Mendel when his pregnant […]
In her quest to become self-sustaining, independent of father or husband, Rosalind has met with a great deal of success. She earns enough helping other women solve their domestic problems to own her own home, complete with cook and footman. She no longer relies on the generosity of her clients; her man of business now […]
Artificial intelligence, according to its advocates, holds out the promise of an end to mind-numbing, exploitative work. Casilli, a professor of sociology at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris and the author of numerous books on the social impact of technology, vehemently disagrees. He argues that it has merely changed the type of labor and the […]
Hazel and Fox have been married for more than 10 years, and they both adore their little daughter, Bibi. Hazel, an artist, has hung up her paintbrush to become a stay-at-home mom, and Fox is out breadwinning at an investment company every day. So what if they might have sex a little less often than […]
Featuring 10 popular party themes, from dinosaurs to superheroes, fairies to pirates, each section of the book includes a cake, a main, side dishes, party crafts and favors, and decor for a festive atmosphere. Party planners are encouraged to mix and match, adding and adapting material from different sections to best fit their needs, and […]
Flowers, founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice and recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, writes with passion and gracefulness about her life and experiences as an advocate for the rural poor. While she is best known for her work to secure safe water and sanitation for people living near toxic conditions, Flowers […]
Walger’s autobiographical novel abounds with contradictions, both in the lives it covers and the structure it takes. The first chapter acknowledges that the story told here is only part of its narrator’s life—and that her mother isn’t thrilled by her decision to write about her absent father. “My mother tells me she will never read […]
Sal and Charo, both in their early 20s, are relative newcomers to the city. Charo arrived first, after an uncle living in the United States agreed to adopt her so she could immigrate more easily. As if repaying her debt to him and sending money to her parents back home weren’t hard enough, she’s now […]