Differentiated book- It has a historical context with research of the time"A Spring Harvest" has been pulled from the pages of history and reformated in a pleasing, easy-to-read font with each poem individually highlighted so that readers can enjoy the works of Smith as Tolkien enjoyed them. . . . . "A Spring Harvest" is a delightful and insightful collection of poems by Geoffrey Bache Smith, a talented poet and very close high school and college friend of J.R.R. Tolkien. Smith's work shows he enjoyed writing and playing with different poetic forms and his mood varied from serious to whimsical.Smith and Tolkien, along with classmates Rob Gilson and Christopher Wiseman, formed a semi-secret society where they discussed their artistic interests and the impact each would have on the world. The society regularly met and took tea at the Tea Club and Barrovian Society, near their school. The men named their society T.C.B.S. . . . . . The personal bonds they formed through T.C.B.S. lasted their lifetimes. Unfortunately, World War I interrupted college and cut short the lives of Smith and Gilson, both killed in France at the Battle of the Somme. Gilson was shot leading a charge and Smith died of shrapnel wounds a few days later on December 3, 1916. Tolkien had contracted Trench Fever and was evacuated to England days before the battle started, escaping almost certain death. Tolkien was impressed by Smith's poems and felt the poetry would be a great help to English society as it recovered from the Great War. He took it upon himself to honor Smith by publishing "A Spring Harvest."

Winner of the 2015 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Winner of the 2014 James Tait Black Prize Shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize Shortlisted for the 2013 Goldsmiths Prize Shortlisted for the 2014 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction As late summer steals in and the final pearls of barley are gleaned, a village comes under threat. A trio of outsiders - two men and a dangerously magnetic woman - arrives on the woodland borders triggering a series of events that will see Walter Thirsk's village unmade in just seven days: the harvest blackened by smoke and fear, cruel punishment meted out to the innocent, and allegations of witchcraft. But something even darker is at the heart of Walter's story, and he will be the only man left to tell it . . .

Several years after the Arab Spring began, democracy remains elusive in the Middle East. The Arab Spring that resides in the popular imagination is one in which a wave of mass mobilization swept the broader Middle East, toppled dictators, and cleared the way for democracy. The reality is that few Arab countries have experienced anything of the sort. While Tunisia made progress towards some type of constitutionally entrenched participatory rule, the other countries that overthrew their rulers-Egypt, Yemen, and Libya-remain mired in authoritarianism and instability. Elsewhere in the Arab world uprisings were suppressed, subsided or never materialized. The Arab Spring's modest harvest cries out for explanation. Why did regime change take place in only four Arab countries and why has democratic change proved so elusive in the countries that made attempts? This book attempts to answer those questions. First, by accounting for the full range of variance: from the absence or failure of uprisings in such places as Algeria and Saudi Arabia at one end to Tunisia's rocky but hopeful transition at the other. Second, by examining the deep historical and structure variables that determined the balance of power between incumbents and opposition. Brownlee, Masoud, and Reynolds find that the success of domestic uprisings depended on the absence of a hereditary executive and a dearth of oil rents. Structural factors also cast a shadow over the transition process. Even when opposition forces toppled dictators, prior levels of socioeconomic development and state strength shaped whether nascent democracy, resurgent authoritarianism, or unbridled civil war would follow.

PLEASE NOTE: Some recent copies of Let Your Life Speak included printing errors. These issues have been corrected, but if you purchased a defective copy between September and December 2019, please send proof of purchase to [email protected] to receive a replacement copy. Dear Friends: I'm sorry that after 20 years of happy traveling, Let Your Life Speak hit a big pothole involving printing errors that resulted in an unreadable book. But I'm very grateful to my publisher for moving quickly to see that people who received a defective copy have a way to receive a good copy without going through the return process. We're all doing everything we can to make things right, and I'm grateful for your patience. Thank you, Parker J. Palmer With wisdom, compassion, and gentle humor, Parker J. Palmer invites us to listen to the inner teacher and follow its leadings toward a sense of meaning and purpose. Telling stories from his own life and the lives of others who have made a difference, he shares insights gained from darkness and depression as well as fulfillment and joy, illuminating a pathway toward vocation for all who seek the true calling of their lives.