This is the personal saga of a young Yugoslavian artist who, well aware of the Nazi danger from its earliest days, was drafted into the Yugoslav army and taken prisoner of war. Released from the work camp because of his personal courage, Alcalay returned to Nazi-occupied Belgrade where German reprisals caused the execution of over one hundred Jews. Despite the dangers, he and his family began a journey of escape that led them in various directions until an Italian family saved them. He survived to flourish in postwar Rome as a prominent member of a successor generation to the great Jewish Emotionalist movement that included Soutine, Pascine, Modigliani, Zadkine, and Chagall. Albert Alcalay is retired from Harvard University. - Publisher.

A young woman details her experience working with refugee children, illustrating how she was able to connect with them through art and storytelling. The book highlights the positivity surrounding the immigration narrative through the art of the children, demonstrating that despite the hardships refugee and migrant children from Africa and Latin America have gone through, their hopeful hearts remain intact.

The true story of Kalman Willner, a remarkable man who survived numerous labor camps and the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Dachau, from the time he was 14 until the age of 20. It is an account of one man's incredible, harrowing journey of courage and undying hope as he struggles to survive mankind's darkest hour, and the miraculous resiliency of the human spirit he imparts. Ultimately, it is a story of hope and grace, for he went on to live a happy and successful life. A must read for anyone interested in the humanity and inhumanity of man and the forces of good and evil. A testimonial for a new generation at a time when the few remaining witnesses of the old are slowly passing from us forever. The ultimate story of survival!

A better and healthier time to be alive than ever -- An unhealthy country -- An unhealthy world -- Who we are, the foundational forces -- Where we live, work, and play -- Politics, power, and money -- Compassion -- Social, racial, and economic justice -- Health as a public good -- Understanding what matters most -- Working in complexity and doubt -- Humility and informing the public conversation.

“[A] landmark book . . . Solnit illustrates how the uprisings that begin on the streets can upend the status quo and topple authoritarian regimes” (Vice). A book as powerful and influential as Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me, her Hope in the Dark was written to counter the despair of activists at a moment when they were focused on their losses and had turned their back to the victories behind them—and the unimaginable changes soon to come. In it, she makes a radical case for hope as a commitment to act in a world whose future remains uncertain and unknowable. Drawing on her decades of activism and a wide reading of environmental, cultural, and political history, Solnit argues that radicals have a long, neglected history of transformative victories, that the positive consequences of our acts are not always immediately seen, directly knowable, or even measurable, and that pessimism and despair rest on an unwarranted confidence about what is going to happen next. Now, with a moving new introduction explaining how the book came about and a new afterword that helps teach us how to hope and act in our unnerving world, she brings a new illumination to the darkness of our times in an unforgettable new edition of this classic book. “One of the best books of the 21st century.” —The Guardian “No writer has better understood the mix of fear and possibility, peril and exuberance that’s marked this new millennium.” —Bill McKibben, New York Times–bestselling author of Falter “An elegant reminder that activist victories are easily forgotten, and that they often come in extremely unexpected, roundabout ways.” —The New Yorker

Want to write a novel? This book is the motivation you need! Part writing guide and part memoir, this inspiring book from the author of Flipped and The Running Dream is like Bird by Bird for YA readers and writers. Wendelin Van Draanen didn't grow up wanting to be a writer, but thirty books later, she's convinced that writing saved her life. Or, at least, saved her from a life of bitterness and despair. Writing helped her sort out what she thought and felt and wanted. And digging deep into fictional characters helped her understand the real people in her life better as well. Wendelin shares what she's learned--about writing, life, and what it takes to live the writing life. This book is packed with practical advice on the craft: about how to create characters and plot a story that's exciting to read. But maybe even more helpful is the insight she provides into the persistence, and perseverance, it takes to live a productive, creative life. And she answers the age-old question Where do you get your ideas? by revealing how events in her own life became the seeds of her best-loved novels. Hope in the Mail is a wildly inspirational read for anyone with a story to share.

This book tells true and poignant stories from both sides of the physician-patient/parent relationship and provides a unique glimpse into how parents and physicians think, feel, and interact. The stories are grouped under four sections: Hope, Compassion, Communication, and Trust. Each section includes stories contributed by parents from all across the United States and by pediatricians practicing at many of the best children’s hospitals throughout the country. The parents tell of interactions with physicians that had a significant impact on them and their child and offer context and insight that promote empathy and reflection. The physicians tell of interactions with patients and families that served as learning moments in their career and promote the humanization of medicine and show there is more to a physician beyond their scientific knowledge and white coat. The stories are edited by Barry P. Markovitz - a pediatrician specializing in critical care medicine who has been in practice for more than 20 years and by Ann F. Schrooten - the parent of a child born with a chronic complex condition who has more than 15 years of experience interacting with pediatric subspecialists and other healthcare professionals who cared for her son. The editors have written commentaries to the stories to provide an independent perspective on the events and messages conveyed and to encourage reflection, inquiry, and discussion. In addition to being a valuable resource for pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists, nurses and other healthcare professionals, the book will also appeal to families of children living with complex medical conditions because it shares physician encounters and behaviors many have experienced in the care of their own children. By giving a voice to both parents and physicians, the goal is to create a bridge to better understanding that can improve communication, minimize conflicts, and foster trust and compassion among physicians, patients, and families.