Arwa El Masri is a child of many countries. She was born in Saudi Arabia, lived in America for a time, and yet, as the daughter of Palestinian migrants, Arwa did not have a country that she could call home. Her parents came to Australia to give all their daughters the greatest gift they could, somewhere they could belong. It took a teenage Arwa time to find her way in her new country and to reconcile her Muslim faith with her life as a young woman in western Sydney. But slowly Australia got under her skin . . . and into her heart. She lost her accent and stopped being startled when kookaburras laughed. She met her future husband, Hazem El Masri, in the most unlikely way. But he was not who she thought she should marry. Getting to know him made Arwa look at her own prejudice, reassess what was important to her and how she wanted to live her life. Her grandmother’s wisdom helped guide her. When she was twenty-three and newly married, this Aussie girl who loved John Farnham and Vegemite decided it was time for her to wear the veil. The first time she went out in public with it on she was shocked. Many assumed she did not speak English or that her husband had told her what to wear. Both were incorrect. Through telling her story, Arwa shows the importance of belonging for everyone and how alike we all are. Regardless of faith, we are all looking for the same things: safety, love, and a sense of home . . .

The fate of an empire rests in the hands of a young woman with magical blood and nothing left to lose, and an outcast prince determined to save his family at any cost, in this "dark, melodious, and memorable" new fantasy (Library Journal, starred review) from the author of Empire of Sand. The Ambhan Empire is crumbling. A terrible war of succession hovers on the horizon. The only hope for peace lies in the mysterious realm of ash, where mortals can find what they seek in the echoes of their ancestors' dreams. But to walk there requires a steep price. Arwa is determined to make the journey. Widowed by a brutal massacre, she's pledged service to the royal family and will see that pledge through to the end. She never expected to be joined by Zahir, the disgraced, illegitimate prince who has turned to forbidden magic in a desperate bid to save those he loves. Together, they'll walk the bloody path of their shared past. And it will call into question everything they've ever believed...including whether the Empire is worth saving at all. "Those with a penchant for lyrical prose, intricate world building, beautifully imagined characters, [and] compelling immersive folklore...need look no further." -- Booklist (starred review) The Books of AmbhaEmpire of SandRealm of Ash

Mariam continued, “Police brutality against Black people has become so common in the USA, and it reflects the fact that there are some people that still cannot tolerate racial diversity, so how come they’ll tolerate religious diversity?” Uncle Salih responded, “This case of George Floyd that you have mentioned and other cases of police brutality against Black people reflects the evil spirit that God, the Almighty, wants people to stop and to treat each other humanly. The more harm people impose on others, the more harm will be imposed on everyone. I believe that if we do good in this world, then goodness will come to us, but if we keep trying to destroy each other because of meaningless reasons like the color of our skin, then we will forever live a life full of tragedies. God, the Almighty, reward us for our good deeds, but he also punishes us for our evil ones, this pandemic can be a punishment for our evil deeds. COVID-19 is a deadly virus, but racism is another. If we can tolerate our differences and coexist in peace, God will bless us.” 0

*Named one of TIME's Top 100 Fantasy Books Of All Time A nobleman's daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri's lush, dazzling, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy. The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Ambhan Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited. When Mehr's power comes to the attention of the Emperor's most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda. And should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance. . . "An ode to the quiet, fierce strength of women. . .pure wonder." —Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree "Stunning and enthralling." —S. A. Chakraborty, USA Today bestselling author of The City of Brass "A darkly intricate, devastating, and utterly original story." —R. F. Kuang, award-winning author of the The Poppy War By Tasha Suri: The Books of Ambha duology Empire of Sand Realm of Ash The Burning Kingdoms trilogy The Jasmine Throne

Focussing on the epistemic – the way in which knowledge is understood, constructed, transmitted and used – this book shows the way social work knowledge has been constructed from within a white western paradigm, and the need for a critique of whiteness within social work at this epistemic level. Social work, emerging from the western Enlightenment world, has privileged white western knowledge in ways that have been, until recently, largely unexamined within its professional discourse. This imposition of white western ways of knowing has led to a corresponding marginalisation of other forms of knowledge. Drawing on views from social workers from Asia, the Pacific region, Africa, Australia and Latin America, this book also includes a glossary of over 40 commonly used social work terms, which are listed with their epistemological assumptions identified. Opening up a debate about the received wisdom of much social work language as well as challenging the epistemological assumptions behind conventional social work practice, this book will be of interest to all scholars and students of social work as well as practitioners seeking to develop genuinely decolonised forms of practice.

"The Spirit of Tea" is a radical departure from all of the tea books on the market today. It touches upon tea's transcendental nature that no book has yet examined. While a lot is written about tea's healing benefits and curative properties, tea's more spiritual and mystical attributes gets little attention. The author was motivated to write this book because of the profound absence of information in this area. What is it that keeps us coming back to humanity's favorite beverage next to water. Forget about English tea, cucumber sandwiches and petite fours. You won't find them here because controversial aspects of tea's intrinsic qualities are discussed. Myths about tea are debunked while others are reanimated while the reader is also given practical information, including the history and characteristics, special properties and features of the sixclassical catagories of tea: White, Yellow, Green, Oolong, Black (or Red in China), and Puerh teas. All are explained in great detail with information their varieties, their traditions, the nature of each, brewing techniques, along with an fascinating narrative. (1166)

Medicinal and aromatic crops (MACs) are high-value crops since the natural products obtained from them are low-volume high-value commodities that have numerous applications in various sectors such as the food, beverage, food supplement, flavor and fragrance, perfumery and cosmetics, pharmaceutical and aromatherapy industries. In addition, the plant biomass is used in the production of teas and medical applications in traditional and also modern medicines. MACs are important mainly because they contain plant secondary metabolites such as essential oils, alkaloids, glygosides, saponins, tannins, vitamins and other bioactives. Plant secondary metabolites are differentiated from plant primary metabolites of photosynthesis and respiration since they are directly involved in growth and development of plants. Some MACs are used as spices and culinary herbs since they contain mainly essential oils, and are used as tonic to the digestive system, appetite modification and other systems and may facilitate nutrient uptake and utilization from various foods. A significant amount of MACs and their natural products have also demonstrated antimicrobial, antifungal and bactericidal activity and significant antioxidant capacity. In the past, MACs and their natural products have been used as a source for various medicines, in food and beverage production and in aroma products. Essentials of Medicinal and Aromatic Crops summarizes the current knowledge on medicinal and aromatic crops, including the agronomical practices of important MACs and their products, their beneficial effects and utilization of MAP and their products. The chapters provide a comprehensive guide to the most important and used medicinal and aromatic crops and their use in functional foods, nutraceuticals and as bioactives against various ailments, providing researchers, teachers, chemists, food scientists, agronomists and agroecologists in academia, industry and government a fully up to date singular source on this important topic.