DIVDIVIshmael Reed’s inspired fable of the ragtime era, in which a social movement threatens to suppress the spread of black culture—hailed by Harold Bloom as one of the five hundred greatest books of the Western canon/divDIV In 1920s America, a plague is spreading fast. From New Orleans to Chicago to New York, the “Jes Grew” epidemic makes people desperate to dance, overturning social norms in the process. Anyone is vulnerable and when they catch it, they’ll bump and grind into a frenzy. Working to combat the Jes Grew infection are the puritanical Atonists, a group bent on cultivating a “Talking Android,” an African American who will infiltrate the unruly black communities and help crush the outbreak. But PaPa LaBas, a houngan voodoo priest, is determined to keep his ancient culture—including a key spiritual text—alive. /divDIV /divDIVSpanning a dizzying host of genres, from cinema to academia to mythology, Mumbo Jumbo is a lively ride through a key decade of American history. In addition to ragtime, blues, and jazz, Reed’s allegory draws on the Harlem Renaissance, the Back to Africa movement, and America’s occupation of Haiti. His style throughout is as avant-garde and vibrant as the music at its center./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Ishmael Reed including rare images of the author./div/div

"Let's face it: educators speak a language all their own filled with complicated words, terms and acronyms. They call it 'Educationese' but to parents and caregivers, it's just Mumbo Jumbo. This book uses the principles of broadcast journalism to help educators recognize and translate Mumbo Jumbo into clear, concise, effective communications. It's designed to help them form rich relationships with parents and caregivers. Readers will learn how to use the right words, tone and body language to engage families. [This] is not a typical education book. It is short, simple, practical and easy to read. It's no wonder. It was written by a former broadcast journalist with a passion for families and for translating Educationese"--Page [4] of cover.

What characterizes our era? Cults, quacks, gurus, irrational panics, moral confusion and an epidemic of mumbo-jumbo, that's what. In How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World, Francis Wheen brilliantly laments the extraordinary rise of superstition, relativism and emotional hysteria. From Middle Eastern fundamentalism to the rise of lotteries, astrology to mysticism, poststructuralism to the Third Way, Wheen shows that there has been a pervasive erosion of Enlightenment values, which have been displaced by nonsense. And no country has a more vivid parade of the bogus and bizarre than the one founded to embody Enlightenment values: the USA. In turn comic, indignant, outraged, and just plain baffled by the idiocy of it all, How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World is a masterful depiction of the absurdity of our times and a plea that we might just think a little more and believe a little less.

Finding his passion in teaching, after years in the corporate world, transformed Peter Wilson's life. In this new book, experience what it's like to do what you're meant to do, teach with heart and use creativity to open up students' minds to incredible math instruction. Hearing Peter's joys, challenges, anecdotes and strategies will inspire you. His unique approach to classroom relationships and teaching of math keeps students intrigued, engaged and encouraged. Find out how he does it.

A rooster vows he will not end up in the Mardi Gras community gumbo and warns the animals throughout Acadiana so they too can stay out of the pot. Includes recipe for Gumbo Z'herbes.

From acclaimed artist Michael Roberts comes this concoction of handmade paper cutout collages and original verse that is both an ideal ABC primer and joyful read. Younger kids can learn the alphabet by matching up letters with pictures, while older children can read it as a book of verse. Full-color illustrations.

This title examines the work of 35 artists, including Jimmie Durham, David Hammons, José Bedia, Rebecca Belmore and James Lee Byars, who began using ritualistic practices during the 1970s and 1980s as a way of reinterpreting aspects of their cultural heritage.