John Trudell's potent imagery and passionate convictions have established his international reputation as a poet and musician. Using his commanding voice, the ''people's poet'' has also made great strides as a Native American activist, as a leader of the American Indian Movement, and as spokesperson for the All Tribes occupation of Alcatraz Island. For the first time, Lines from a Mined Mind brings together lyrics and musings from Trudell's 20-year recording career. More than a simple anthology, this collection goes deeper, revealing the incendiary intersection of music and activism.

A must-have anthology for political junkies, Best American Political Writing compiles the year 's best political stories from a variety of publications and points of view, in a single, comprehensive volume. Culling from the most memorable reporting of what promises to be a thrilling political year, the 2009 American Political Writing edition will include incisive coverage of the new Obama presidency and its impact nationwide, as well as the most pressing political concerns facing America today - from the depressed economy to our participation in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Part psychedelic road-trip travelogue, part Overheard in Graceland, part mystic-religious devotional, CAConrad's unabated love for the King puts him on a pilgrimage to Memphis; on an Advanced Elvis Course. These bizarre, multifaceted short pie...

The Dhammapada: one of three new editions of the books in Eknath Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality series ''As irrigators guide water to their fields, as archers aim arrows, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their lives.'' - Dhammapada (145).... Dhammapada means ''the path of dharma,'' the path of truth, harmony, and righteousness. Capturing the living words of the Buddha, this much-loved scripture consists of verses organized by theme: thought, joy, anger, pleasure, and others. The Dhammapada is permeated with the power and practicality of one of the world's most appealing spiritual teachers. Rejecting superstition on the one hand and philosophical speculation on the other, the Buddha taught the path to the end of suffering and showed how we can achieve lasting joy. He spells out our choices with a refreshing realism and frankness. And he insists that we be spiritually self-reliant: ''All the effort must be made by you. Buddhas only point the way.'' Easwaran believed that we need nothing more than the Dhammapada to follow the way of the Buddha. His main qualification for interpreting the Dhammapada, he said, was that he knew from his own experience that these verses can transform our lives.

Many believe that the world is entering a time of monumental historic change that will accelerate in the next five years. Our leaders need to be prepared to address life-altering events such as a rapid climate change, a severe restriction of the oil supply, a tipping point in the global financial system, a bird flu epidemic, or a new level of sophistication among terrorists, argues noted futurist John Petersen in this timely and insightful essay. A Vision for 2012 shows how the effectiveness of the new administration that takes office in 2009, and the future of the nation, depends upon whether our leaders grasp the extraordinary significance of what lies ahead.

The best of the street chronicles today, Ghetto Girls Too is a wonderfully hypnotic adventure that delves into the convoluted minds of criminals and the dark world of police corruption. Yet, there is something thrilling and surprisingly tender about this ongoing young-adult saga filled with mad flava. This latest installment of the popular, action-packed series follows Coco as her fortunes take a turn for the worse as she faces a looming threat while on the brink of fame. Simultaneously struggling with her own potential handicap and her mother's precarious sobriety, Coco calls on Deedee to help decode an enigmatic message from Miss Katie. Meanwhile, Deedee is in a quandary of her own, as she discovers that her uncle has been having a relationship with Josephine and sets her sights on reuniting him with his former fiance. The tension escalates as Eric Ascot continues to be pursued by the police, who are dead-set on framing him in a multiple murder plot, and the story speeds to its explosive and shocking end.

Since its formation in 1948, and particularly since the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin in 1995, Israel has experienced turbulent political change and numerous ongoing security challenges, including major party splits, collapsed peace talks with the Palestinians and Syria, nuclear threats from Iran, and even the specter of civil war as Israel withdrew from Gaza. This essential survey brings together Israeli and American scholars to provide a much-needed balanced introduction to Israel's domestic politics and foreign policy. Experts tackle this difficult subject in three parts; domestic politics, foreign policy challenges, and strategic challenges. Domestic topics include the Israeli Right and Left; religious, Russian, and Arab parties; the Supreme Court; and the economy. Part two discusses Israel's complicated and often fractious relationships with the Palestinians and the Arab world, as well as its improved relations with Turkey and India and continuing close relationship with the United States. The Israel-Hizbollah War of 2006 and existential threats to Israel, including the threat from Iran, are detailed in part three. This compelling and authoritative coverage provides students with the necessary framework to understand Israel's political past and present, as well as the direction Israel is likely to take in the future.