Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Kwame Mbalia's epic fantasy, a middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods.Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he's going to spend ...

Upon losing his wife, an ex-adventurer must contend with politics, monsters, and fatherhood, in the first book of a moving and imaginative fantasy series.Not much daunts Rakta Velbrun. He has immigrated from Rusk to the Certillian Empire, traveled the realm battling unspeakable creatures with his adventuring guild, and faced off against the Warlock King himself. But when his wife, Lydia, passes away in childbirth, leaving him the sole caretaker of their three infan...

In 1852, Frederick Douglass, former slave and, by then, a leading figure in the abolitionist movement was asked by the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Association to address the group for their July 4th celebration at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York.Delivered, in fact, on the 5th of July, the speech caused an immediate sensation and swiftly became a seminal rallying cry of the abolitionist movement in America. The audience in Rochester included none other than President Millar...

A polyphonic tale of immigration and community by "the most promising Senegalese writer of his generation" (Le Monde) and winner of the 2021 Prix GoncourtSeventy-two men arrive in the middle of the Sicilian countryside. They are "immigrants," "refugees" or "migrants." But in Altino, they're called the ragazzi, the "guys" that the Santa Marta Association have taken responsibility for. In this small Sicilian town, their arrival changes life for ever...

William Shakespeare, long hailed as the history's greatest dramatic writer, has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters. These skills are perhaps best exemplified in the monologues he gives his various protagonists, villains and bit players.From King Henry V's inspiring speech to his soldiers on the field of Agincourt to the villainous Merchant of Venice Shylock...

This is a special production from SoundCraft Audiobooks and is Volume 9 in the "History's Greatest Speeches" series.The struggle for human rights, emancipation, civil rights, social justice, voting rights and freedom from discrimination and tyranny is captured here in this volume of speeches by some of the most influential and brilliant black orators in history.From Sojourner Truth (Rochelle Young) questioning society's role in subjugating black women to Nelson Mandela (Ami...

Finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for Translated LiteratureFull of wit, music, and a rollicking cast of characters, The Villain's Dance shows Fiston Mwanza Mujila is back with a bang.Zaire. Late 90's. Mobutu's thirty-year reign is tottering. In Lubumbashi, the stubbornly homeless Sanza has fallen in with a trio of veteran street kids led by the devious Ngungi. A chance encounter with the mysterious Monsieur Guillaume seems ...

William Shakespeare, long hailed as the history's greatest dramatic writer, has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters.These skills are perhaps best encapsulated in the monologues he gives his various protagonists, villains and bit players. From the murderous Lady Macbeth, planning to assassinate the king to advance her husband's career, to the droll, melanchol...

A sly, madcap novel about supervillains and nothing, really, from an American novelist whose star keeps risingThe protagonist of Percival Everett's puckish new novel is a brilliant professor of mathematics who goes by Wala Kitu. (Wala, he explains, means "nothing" in Tagalog, and Kitu is Swahili for "nothing.") He is an expert on nothing. That is to say, he is an expert, and his area of study is nothing, and he does nothing about it. This makes him the per...

With the publication of his two early works, Black Theology & Black Power (1969) and A Black Theology of Liberation (1970), James Cone emerged as one of the most creative and provocative theological voices in North America. His books offered a searing indictment of white theology and society and introduced a radical presentation of the Christian message of our time. Combining the visions of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., Cone radically reappraised Christianity from...

Riding for America is a story about a mother's sacrifice and inspiration as she guides her only son, Isaac Burns Murphy, to become the highest-paid and most successful sports icon of the 19th century.Although both of Isaac's parents, America Murphy and Jerry Burns, were born into slavery-and Jerry fought in some of the most decisive battles of the Civil War-Isaac was able to overcome challenges and become the "Prince of Jockeys." Isaac was known for his intellect, strategy, good sp...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful general-purpose technology that is reshaping the modern economy, but misperceptions about AI stand in the way of harnessing it for the betterment of humanity. In Thrive, Ravi Bapna and Anindya Ghose counter the backlash by showcasing how AI is positively influencing the aspects of our daily lives that we care about most: our health and wellness, relationships, education, the workplace, and domestic life. In the process the authors help ex...