How Great Books, Art, Language, and the Internet Unite Two People, Two Cultures, and All of UsWhen Pakistani artist and polio survivor Sana Nasim reaches out to Caleb Powell, blogger for the Karachi-based Express Tribune, an extraordinary and transformative friendship begins. She questions her will to live and wants to improve her English, he wants to create a work of art.In the tradition of Azar Nafisi's "Reading Lolita in Tehran", they read and discuss the opuses of Truma...

An impassioned, funny, probing, fiercely inconclusive, nearly-to-the-death debate about life and art—beers included.Caleb Powell always wanted to become an artist, but he overcommitted to life (he’s a stay-at-home dad to three young girls), whereas his former professor David Shields always wanted to become a human being, but he overcommitted to art (he has five books coming out in the next year and a half). Shields and Powell spend four days together at a cabin in the Cascade Mount...

A frank and entertaining memoir, from the daughter of Edward Said, about growing up second-generation Arab American and struggling with that identity.The daughter of a prominent Palestinian father and a sophisticated Lebanese mother, Najla Said grew up in New York City, confused and conflicted about her cultural background and identity. Said knew that her parents identified deeply with their homelands, but growing up in a Manhattan world that was defined largely by...

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini | Conversation StartersLimited Time Offer: $3.99 ($4.99)And the Mountains Echoed is a book about war and its long-term, widely-felt effects. It shows how circumstancescan affectthe lives of people who are unaware of how their lives and futures will be shaped by events that take placefar away from them.Abdullah and Pari live in a small village in Afghanistan and when food gets ...

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Kite Runner with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which tells the story of the young Amir and his journey through life as he learns the meaning of redemption, family and loyalty, against the background of the political unrest in Afghanistan. It is the author's first novel, and has topped bestseller lists aro...

This Step 4 Biography Reader shares the inspiring story of Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Even as a young girl in Pakistan, Malala spoke up about the importance of girls’ education, via speeches and a blog. Since the Taliban regime was intent on denying girls an education and silencing anyone who disagreed with their laws, this was very dangerous. Malala was shot, but she survived the attack and it did not silence her. In fact, she spoke at the United Na...

You haven't asked, but yes, you both may stay in our house for the time being. And use our things. I figure it'll take a war to settle it all.A compelling story of two families - one Palestinian, one Israeli - forced by history into an intimacy they didn't choose.In 1948, Palestinian couple Said and Safiyya fled their home during the Nakba. Now, in the aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War, the borders are open for the first time in twenty years, and they dare to retur...

"The images Sacco draws are so powerful that they burn deep into your retina and reconfigure how you see the world... Journalism displays Sacco at the top of his game."—National Post (Toronto)The award-winning and bestselling comic book author Joe Sacco demonstrates outstanding commitment to his craft in this riveting, truth-seeking tour around the world.Over the past decade, Joe Sacco has increasingly turned to short-form...

"A rich smorgasbord of cultural information full of surprising and helpful revelations" (Roger Axtell, author of Do's and Taboos Around the World).Your friend's mother-in-law is visiting from Korea. When greeting her, do you bow, shake hands, or kiss her on both cheeks?The meeting with his international customers is going well for the corporate president—until he gives the thumbs-up sign. Why?You welcome your new neighbors with a bouquet of...

`You may wonder why the Middle East gets so much airtime. Well, regions of the world were competing to host the apocalypse and the Middle East won.' Online sensation Karl reMarks disagreed with the idea that reality had become too strange to satirise. Then he read that bin Laden was radicalised by Shakespeare. Since then, Karl has been bringing the best of the Middle East news and views to his followers around the world. Now Karl's wildly wry observations and sketches are available in one ...

The youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate, Pakistani women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai, is the 26th hero in the New York Times bestselling picture book biography series for ages 5 to 8.Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 for speaking out against injustice even when it was terrifying to do so. She was an ordinary Muslim girl who wanted to attend school, and she refused to stop protesting for her rights even after being attacked b...

She grew up in a world where women were supposed to be quiet. But Malala Yousafzai refused to be silent. Discover Malala's story through this powerful narrative telling, and come to see how one brave girl named Malala changed the world.