Author and translator Marcela Grad explores the life of the late Afghan leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, through personal stories told to her by those who accompanied Massoud during his struggle to liberate Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion and the Taliban, and by others from around the world who knew and helped Massoud. Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated by Al Qaeda suicide bombers posing as journalists just two days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is widely believed that Massoud was killed to help pave the way for 9/11. Today, Massoud is considered the national hero of Afghanistan and the September 9th anniversary of his death is a national holiday there. Grad spent over four years interviewing a diverse group of Afghans who were commanders, members of the mujahideen, personal secretaries, envoys, women of the resistance, and members of Massoud’s family.

The first biography in a decade of Afghan resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the forces of resistance were disparate. Many groups were caught up in fighting each other and competing for Western arms. The exception were those commanded by Ahmad Shah Massoud, the military strategist and political operator who solidified the resistance and undermined the Russian occupation, leading resistance members to a series of defensive victories. Sandy Gall followed Massoud during Soviet incursions and reported on the war in Afghanistan, and he draws on this first-hand experience in his biography of this charismatic guerrilla commander. Afghan Napoleon includes excerpts from the surviving volumes of Massoud’s prolific diaries—many translated into English for the first time—which detail crucial moments in his personal life and during his time in the resistance. Born into a liberalizing Afghanistan in the 1960s, Massoud ardently opposed communism, and he rose to prominence by coordinating the defense of the Panjsher Valley against Soviet offensives. Despite being under-equipped and outnumbered, he orchestrated a series of victories over the Russians. Massoud’s assassination in 2001, just two days before the attack on the Twin Towers, is believed to have been ordered by Osama bin Laden. Despite the ultimate frustration of Massoud’s attempts to build political consensus, he is recognized today as a national hero.

From actor and avid traveler Mena Massoud comes a collection of diverse, delicious, and accessible vegan recipes inspired from dishes all over the world, perfect for the aspiring vegan! It’s safe to say that veganism is no longer just a trend. Lifelong vegans, part-time vegans, and the vegan curious are a diverse and eclectic group of people from all walks of life and backgrounds, and yet, there’s very little out there in mainstream media that reflects this new reality. The Evolving Vegan cookbook celebrates both flavors and stories from a wide array of plant-based eateries all across North America, proving that a plant-friendly diet is truly accessible to all! Some of the recipes you will learn to make include: -Sausage Shakshuka in a Skillet from the restaurant Chickpea in Vancouver -Young Coconut Ceviche from the restaurant Rosalinda in Toronto -BBQ Pulled “Pork” Jackfruit Sandwiches from the Butcher’s Son in Oakland, CA -Indian Tofu Curry from The Sudra in Portland, OR -Boston Cream Pie-Cake from Veggie Galaxy in Cambridge, MA -Plus authentic Egyptian dishes from Mena’s mother, and many from Mena’s own SoCal home kitchen Come travel with Mena to meet Cyrus Ichiza from Ichiza Kitchen in Portland, whose Taiwanese mother inspired him to share his Southeast Asian roots through authentically flavorful vegan dishes. Get a behind-the-scenes peek at the secrets of San Francisco’s Peña Pachamama, a Bolivian plant-based restaurant that serves national dishes like pique macho and aji de fideo. Containing recipes from many different countries and cultures, and including helpful tips for lifelong vegans or flexitarians looking to expand their repertoire of vegan dishes, Evolving Vegan takes you on a food-based road trip to explore the vibrancy of veganism across North America.

WINNER OF THE ARAB AMERICAN BOOK AWARD • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR The stunning debut of a brilliant nonfiction writer whose vivid account of his grandparents' lives in Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, and Los Angeles reclaims his family's Jewish Arab identity There was a time when being an "Arab" didn't mean you were necessarily Muslim. It was a time when Oscar Hayoun, a Jewish Arab, strode along the Nile in a fashionable suit, long before he and his father arrived at the port of Haifa to join the Zionist state only to find themselves hosed down with DDT and then left unemployed on the margins of society. In that time, Arabness was a mark of cosmopolitanism, of intellectualism. Today, in the age of the Likud and ISIS, Oscar's son, the Jewish Arab journalist Massoud Hayoun whom Oscar raised in Los Angeles, finds his voice by telling his family's story. To reclaim a worldly, nuanced Arab identity is, for Hayoun, part of the larger project to recall a time before ethnic identity was mangled for political ends. It is also a journey deep into a lost age of sophisticated innocence in the Arab world; an age that is now nearly lost. When We Were Arabs showcases the gorgeous prose of the Eppy Award–winning writer Massoud Hayoun, bringing the worlds of his grandparents alive, vividly shattering our contemporary understanding of what makes an Arab, what makes a Jew, and how we draw the lines over which we do battle.

Shari'a, Inshallah shows how people have used shari'a to struggle for peace, justice, and human rights in Somalia and Somaliland.

This book uncovers how colonial administrators, postcolonial governments and international aid agencies have promoted stability and their own visions of the rule of law in Sudan.

Human Detritus is a collection of nine short works about the kind of people we've all encountered: a victim. A teacher. A dysfunctional family. A slut and a factory worker. Told with caustic anger and sardonic humor, these are stories of human debris left behind by some and absorbed by others. Tales of surviving, failing and awakening, Human Detritus is an examination of the impact that every day nobodies make on one another, leaving us all a little less rotten or maybe a little more despicable in the process.