Sensational headlines have publicized the drug trafficking, brutal violence, and other organized crime elements associated with Central America's mara gangs, but there have been few clear-eyed analyses of the history, hierarchies, and future of the mara phenomenon. The first book to look specifically at the Central American gang problem by drawing on the perspectives of researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds, Maras: Gang Violence and Security in Central America provides much-needed insight. These essays trace the development of the gangs, from Mara Salvatrucha to the 18th Street Gang, in Los Angeles and their spread to El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua as the result of members' deportation to Central America; there, they account for high homicide rates and threaten the democratic stability of the region. With expertise in areas ranging from political science to law enforcement and human rights, the contributors also explore the spread of mara violence in the United States. Their findings comprise a complete documentation that spans sexualized violence, case studies of individual gangs, economic factors, varied responses to gang violence, the use of intelligence gathering, the limits of state power, and the role of policy makers. Raising crucial questions for a wide readership, these essays are sure to spark productive international dialogues.

When Mara Highbridge determines it is time to find her birth parents, she is unprepared for her life to be turned upside down. She faces kidnapping, street gangs, even a reclusive baroness who wants to prevent her achieving her goal. But help is on hand from an old family friend she soon comes to think of as her knight in shining armor. Barnaby's attraction to Mara started the moment they met. He knows his past makes it impossible for him to marry her... Yet he will give his life to protect the woman he loves and uses every resource, even his former East End gang, to uncover the history of the fabulous necklace left to her by her mother. The race is on to find out the truth about everyone and everything, including if Mara and Barnaby's love will survive the turmoil.

vejk represents one of the most unique and successful survival strategies ever conceived by man. Joseph Heller said that if it weren't for his having read The Good Soldier vejk he would never had written his American novel Catch-22. The only Czech book on most 100 Best Books of the 20th Century lists. This is a new translation by Zdenek K. Sadlon and Emmett M. Joyce. The Good Soldier vejk is a picaresque series of tales about an ordinary man's successful quest to survive, and to enjoy life in the face of the endless absurdities imposed on him by the effects of the complex institutions of modern society that magnify the rational and moral shortcomings of individuals in direct proportion to their positions in the hierarchies they are a part of. "Like Diogenes, vejk lingers at the margins of an unfriendly society against which he is defending his independent existence." - Peter Steiner "Those people who wanted the novel banned in the newly independent Czechoslovakia (after World War I) and elsewhere, some of whom succeeded, were quite correct to see it as more than a satire on war and militarism (although it is that, as well, of course) the book is a very funny but unrelentingly savage assault on the very idea of bureaucratic officialdom as a human enterprise conferring benefits on those who live under its control and, equally important, on the various justifications such bureaucracies offer for their own existence." - Ian Johnston

As the leader of the Star Corps, the galaxy's elite peacekeeping force, Mara Keres was respected throughout the stars. But now, betrayed by her oldest friend, Kottura, she finds herself rotting in a prison cell, surrounded by the criminals she put away. When all seems lost, her new cellmates offer her a chance at escape. She'll take anything she can get her hands on, but is it a trap? Before she can make her move, Kottura reveals her long-held plans. The galaxy is in shambles, and it needs a new leader. Kottura is convinced the crown belongs to her. And Mara is the key to making it happen. With the galaxy on the brink of destruction, will Mara be the key to saving it or causing its downfall? Buy now and find out!

A testament to the power of stories, and how they may bring hope even in times of darkness. "Everyone gathers around, and from her lips to their ears the stories go, and for a little while the camp disappears, and for a little while they are all free." As night falls, the women gather their children to listen to Mara tell her stories. They are stories of light and hope and freedom, stories of despair and stories of miracles, stories of expected pain and stories of unexpected joy--all told in the darkness of the concentration camp barracks. Through extensive research noted in the back of the book, Gary Schmidt has skillfully woven together stories from such sources as the Jewish religious scholar, Martin Buber, Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel; and folklorists, Steve Zeitlin and Yaffa Eliach. Combining lore of the past with tales born in the concentration camps, Mara's stories speak to us from a time that must never be forgotten.

This is a story of Mara who has beautiful long hair. She decided that she did not want to brush it. This story describes action and consequences. Mara did not brush her hair and got into a bit of trouble because of that.

Were dragons and humans ever really friends? A young dragon called Mara intends to find out. She sets out to locate the Old One, a wise and ancient dragon, hoping he can answer her question. But soon she, a wise-cracking magpie called Eagle-beak and a head strong prince called Cameron, become embroiled in a struggle for the very survival of their world.This is a prize winning fantasy for children (age 9-13) and the young of heart. If you liked Dragon Rider, you'll love this. Check out the preview- it won't disappoint!