In engaging, direct prose, Gene Jacobsen chronicles his three-and-a-half-year experience as a prisoner of war, during which time he endured the Bataan death march and subsequent horrors in the Philippines and Japan.

In the chaos of early 199s Russia, a paralyzed veteran's wife and stepdaughter conceal the Soviet Union's collapse from him in order to keep him--and his pension--alive, until it turns out the tough old man has other plans. Olga Slavnikova's The Man Who Couldn't Die is an instant classic of post-Soviet Russian literature.

"As the four girls stood by and watched still another family climb aboard the northbound train they renewed their vow. 'We cross our hearts and hope to die," they voiced in unison. 'We'll never leave Meadowsbrook." They felt this was a nice place to live, and since they were born here they planned to die here, convinced they could work together and make their town an even better place in which to live." During the summer of 1934 in Meadowsbrook, Mississippi, four girlfriends growing up in the small town struggle with issues of race, class, and the complex relationships between men and women. As they mature into adults, each searches for that one meaningful and lasting relationship. Georgia Mae Pastures finds love, but it only results in a senseless tragedy. Elizabeth Farrell falls in love with a white man at a time when such unions are considered taboo and dangerous. Natalie Dawson marries Shelton Lamont, a heartthrob who has a hard time keeping his pants above his knees. Tamara Mack marries Tobias Dupree-against her better judgment. Author Augusta Grimm delivers a hard-hitting look at the life of four very different, young African-American females as they journey from childhood to womanhood in "Meadowsbrook."

This book presents Chinese short-short stories in English and Chinese, integrating language learning with cultural studies for intermediate to advanced learners of Mandarin Chinese and students of contemporary Chinese literature. Each chapter begins with a critical introduction, followed by two or more stories in parallel Chinese and English texts; each story is followed by a vocabulary list, discussion questions, and a biography of the author. The chapters are organized around central concepts in Chinese culture such as li (ritual), ren (benevolence), mianzi (face/prestige), being filial, and the dynamics of yin and yang, as well as the themes of governance, identity, love, marriage, and change. The stories selected are short-shorts by important contemporary writers ranging from the most literary to everyday voices. Specifically designed for use in upper-level Chinese language courses, Contemporary Chinese Short-Short Stories: A Parallel Text offers students a window onto China today and pathways to its traditions and past as they gain language competence and critical cultural skills.

Zecharia Sitchin’s secret allegorical novel that brings to life the key concepts of his bestselling book The 12th Planet • Reimagines the Epic of Gilgamesh in the context of Sitchin’s discoveries • Details ancient Sumerian sex rituals, the Anunnaki lineage of the gods who lived in Sumer, Anunnaki spacecraft technology, the workings of the Oracle of Anu, and Gilgamesh’s relationship with the goddess Ishtar Written in secret so as not to incite criticism about his controversial discoveries, this novel from the late Zecharia Sitchin brings to life the key themes of his bestseller The 12th Planet. The story begins in London as Astra arrives at the British Museum’s opening for their new Gilgamesh exhibit. There she meets a handsome stranger who knows secrets about her that no stranger should know, including the source of the unusual scar on her hand. Taking her to his apartment, he reveals that she is descended from the goddess Ishtar and that he is the modern-day avatar of Gilgamesh seeking to claim the eternal life Ishtar denied him so long ago. Reenacting their sacred sex ritual from eons ago, they find themselves transported to ancient Sumer as Gilgamesh and Ishtar, where he is at last able to continue his quest for immortality. But as Gilgamesh fulfills his sacred duties with Ishtar, something goes awry and the Oracle of Anu will not renew its blessing upon his kingship. Following the direction of his mother, the Anunnaki goddess Ninsun--the source of his partial divinity--Gilgamesh flees the city for the Anunnaki forbidden zone in search of a way to the planet Nibiru and eternal life. Travel alongside Gilgamesh and his immortal companion Enkidu as they escape the fate pronounced by the oracle, discover a Tablet of Destiny meant for Ishtar, fight off Marduk’s raiders, and foil the plot of the high priest, Gilgamesh’s half-brother who is seeking Gilgamesh’s crown for himself. Retelling the Epic of Gilgamesh in the context of his discoveries about the Anunnaki, Zecharia Sitchin weaves a tale of ancient ceremony, accidental betrayal, gods among men, interplanetary travel, and a quest for immortality spanning millennia.