A moving portrait of school reform in New Orleans through the eyes of the students and educators living it.

Building on the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with God and on the story of her own battle with life-changing disappointment, Sister Joan Chittister deftly explores the landscape of suffering and hope, considering along the way such wide-ranging topics as consumerism, technology, grief, the role of women in the Catholic Church, and the events of September 11, 2001.

Ruth survived the Holocaust and the long journey to Palestine. Now she finds herself once again in a war zone as Israel battles for its existence. Her brother is on the front lines. Ruth and her boyfriend are injured and cannot fight, so they care for children in a hospital. Ruth tells the children stories to distract them and help them make sense of their situation. As she recovers, she too must return to the fight. A trauma forces her back to another time when she told stories: to her fellow prisoners in Auschwitz. We discover what Ruth went through in the camps, the horrors she saw, the friends she made and lost. Through it all Ruth comes to understand that she must find a new way to live, a way that does not give up on hope.

I've told my kids for years that God doesn't make mistakes," writes Mary Beth Chapman, wife of Grammy award winning recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. "Would I believe it now, when my whole world as I knew it came to an end?" Covering her courtship and marriage to Steven Curtis Chapman, struggles for emotional balance, and living with grief, Mary Beth's story is our story--wondering where God is when the worst happens. In Choosing to SEE, she shows how she wrestles with God even as she has allowed him to write her story--both during times of happiness and those of tragedy. Readers will hear firsthand about the loss of her daughter, the struggle to heal, and the unexpected path God has placed her on. Even as difficult as life can be, Mary Beth Chapman Chooses to SEE. Includes a 16-page full color photo insert.

This book contains selections from the writings and sayings of Swami Vivekananda, a great Indian Saint and Philosopher. These quotes can be referred to when one feels dispirited and lost in life. These words of Swami Vivekananda are sure to give a new ray of life and hope to the individuals battling the struggle of life. This book is a subset of “Be One With God: A guiding light to mankind.” The selections are from “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.” This book has been prepared so that people who like to read smaller books may derive benefit from this. “Be One With God” is available as paperback and hardbound in many online channels and offline stores

“A crucial text” – Rev Bill Shaw, CEO of 174 Trust, Belfast “Touching … thoughtful collection … of rich testimonies” – Prof Maggie Scull, Syracuse University, London The working-class community of Ardoyne has been described as a Catholic and Nationalist island within the Protestant Unionist sea of North Belfast. No other community suffered as much during the Troubles as Ardoyne. During the three-day period of 14–16 August 1969, stoked by the Battle of the Bogside in Derry, long-lived tensions in the area boiled over into riots. Streets became battlefields, houses went up in fire, and the first of many lives were lost. Ardoyne ’69: Stories of Struggle and Hope explores the stories of 14 people who share one experience in common – the violence of 14, 15 and 16 August 1969. The book highlights their memories, but also asks how they interpreted the violent events they witnessed, and what impact these events had upon their subsequent lives. It illustrates how people from the one community who experienced a common event have different memories, interpretations and reactions to what they saw. Stories come from people as varied as IRA prisoners and a local teacher to an RUC officer, an Irish Times journalist, a former Director General of RTE and a former President of Ireland. Illustrated by contemporary photographs, Ardoyne ’69: Stories of Struggle and Hope is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how seismic events can shape our lives in radically different ways. Brian McKee is an Ardoyne man to the core. He has almost 40 years’ experience of teaching, retreat work and youth ministry. The majority of his work is in the field of peace and reconciliation in the parish of Holy Cross, Ardoyne, with the Passionist Peace Office. He is also manager of the nearby Passionist Retreat and Conference Centre at Tobar Mhuire, Crossgar.

ÿMda Mda, legally Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni Mda (born 1948), is a South African novelist, poet and playwright. He has won major South African and British literary awards for his novels and plays. He is currently a Patron of the Etisalat Prize for Literature.ÿ