naware that hunger, sickness and deprivation were awaiting him, a young idealist leaves the United States and embarks on a spiritual journey to West Africa. Repeatedly challenged by a world beyond his understanding and thrown into harsh, critical self-reflections, he is repulsed by the image of himself that Africa forces him to confront. Road of Ash and Dust: Awakening of a Soul in Africa is a deeply intimate and, somewhat, voyeuristic unveiling of aspects of The African-American Experience rarely committed to print. ROAD allows you access to one of the most universal rites of passage, the discovery of self. Author E.L. Cyrs channels voices from a distant and muted past, guiding us into understanding that many of the answers to our most troubling questions do, truly, come from within.

Acclaimed author Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal-winning novel-in-verse explores the life of fourteen-year-old Billie Jo growing up in the dust bowls of Oklahoma. Out of the Dust joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!"Dust piles up like snow across the prairie. . . ."A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can't talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better -- playing the piano -- is impossible with her wounded hands.To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma -- and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.