Saudi Arabia: oil-rich, devoutly Muslim, and a vital allyTo many in the West, Saudi Arabia is easy to criticize. It is the birthplace of Osama bin Laden and fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers. Saudi women are not permitted to drive, work with men, or travel without a man's permission. Prior to 9/11, the Saudis sent millions of dollars abroad to schools that taught Muslim extremism and to charities that turned out to be fronts for al-Qaeda.In Prophets and Princes, a high...

Giants of Japan brings to life fifteen centuries of Japanese history through lively biographical sketches of the great men and women who have shaped this fascinating and complex country. Covering industry, the arts, religion, and politics, the book includes business titans such as Morita Akio, founder of Sony, and Toyoda Eiji, the man behind Toyota's incredible success; creative giants such as writer Mishima Yukio and film director Kurosawa Akira; and historical icons such as Shotoku, the ...

'Mark Weston's book is a delight. From charming neighbourhood children to failing fish stocks, not forgetting the perfect recipe for banana beer, The Saviour Fish is a compelling account of life on a remote Tanzanian island, told by a writer who has his eyes wide open and his heart fully engaged.' James Copnall, Presenter, Newsday, BBC World Service, and author of A Poisonous Thorn in our Hearts: Sudan and South Sudan's Bitter and Incomplete Divorce

Tucked away in a remote part of Africa, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso, three of the world's poorest countries, are in the throes of great upheaval. Globalisation has shown their people that a more comfortable life is possible, but as they strive to attain it, climate change, the population boom, the tyrants of the old guard and the firm grip of tradition block their way. The clash between old and new is explosive. Civil wars erupt without warning, with drugged up rebels figh...

Bernie is a book for all ages.It has become very popular in India and the SAARC countries bordering India.Finally, the novel has become available throughout the United States through First Books.Lost and abandoned dogs on a vacation island off the coast of Maine, discover the meanings and answers to life through Wolf, an aged Saint Bernard.He shares his knowledge and philosophies with Bernie, a young black Labrador retriever, and other canines.Wolf acquires his scholarly brilliance...

Kirkus StarJunior Library Guild Gold SelectionMark Weston’s high-interest story and Rebecca Evans’s colorful graphics make scientific discovery the coolest thing this side of Jupiter.More than two centuries before Einstein, using a crude telescope and a mechanical timepiece, Danish astronomer Ole Romer measured the speed of light with astounding accuracy. How was he able to do this when most scientists didn’t even b...

The "Story" chapter-book line debuts with this compelling biography of Soichiro Honda, the innovative motorcycle and car manufacturer and Japanese business pioneer.When Soichiro Honda was seven years old, an astonishing, moving dust cloud appeared in his small Japanese town. The cause was a leaky, noisy machine called an automobile--the first Honda had ever seen. At that moment he fell in love with cars, and a dream took hold: He would one day make them himself.

An entertaining and important account of presidential elections in which the winner of the popular vote lost or came all too close to losing, focusing on the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the disputed elections of 1876 and 2000, the deadlocks of 1800 and 1824 (when the elections were thrown to the House of Representatives) and the close call during the tumultuous year of 1968. Author and historian Mark Weston explains how electoral votes emerged as a compromise between the free states...