The novel explains the origins of the Latin American death squads when former SS experts joined Argentina's military establishment after WWII.

Simón Bolívar’s heart, allegedly separated from his body during an autopsy, has been the focus of many folk tales. While most of these stories have never been well-documented, they inspire millions in Venezuela, Colombia, Perú, Bolivia, and Ecuador—all of whom look to Bolívar as their “father and protector.” This historical novel seeks to find the truth of what really happened to Bolívar’s heart as it follows Isabel Condorcanqui, who attempts to kill herself as soon as a unit of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement surrounds the house where she’s being held by Mexican smugglers. Isabel ends up in the psychiatric ward of a Dallas hospital after making manic accusations against authorities far removed from the scene, both chronologically and geographically. Peruvian officials, she says, had kidnapped her. Gloria García, a licensed attorney in Texas, and her boss, David Levin, must sort through her story to find out who Isabel really is as they try to save her from being deported back to Perú As a passionate advocate of global education, author Margaret Donnelly taps into the Quechua version of what happened to Bolívar’s heart in this thrilling story that weaves history with humanitarian, economic, and political issues of today.

In a dream, Maya prayer man, Pablo Balam, learns that the path of life (kuxan sum) is under threat. Running from Lord Jaguar's sacred altar at the Chichén Itza pyramids in Mexico up through Texas and continuing north, the kuxan sum is an ancient, energetic path that shields the earth from disaster. The protector of every village, Lord Jaguar serves as the guardian of prophecy and the enabler of the living cord connecting the people of the Americas to the heavens (the kuxan sum).Working with the striking, Nigerian priestess, Kemi Adisa, Pablo goes on a quest to defeat the dark forces bent on destroying the power of Lord Jaguar and the path he protects. The fabulously wealthy estate where Pablo and Kemi work holds the secrets of an evil man whose destructive actions are blocking the power of the kuxan sum. In order to save millions from impending catastrophe, Pablo and Kemi must uncover his secrets and restore the protective power of the nine Maya Underworlds. Relying on the ancient wisdom of their spiritual traditions and their own wits, this duo risk everything to go to battle with this dark power.

"In a kaleidoscopic narrative ... bestselling author David Talbot tells the gripping story of San Francisco in the turbulent years between 1967 and 1982--and of the extraordinary men and women who led to the city's ultimate rebirth and triumph."--P. [4] of cover.

Introduction to shan'ge, the most popular type of rural Chinese folk song, and to the master performers, the 'kings' and 'queens' of this genre. A major focus of this study is monothematism: the existence of 'one-tune' folk song areas, where singers perform the bulk of their lyrics to a single tune or to two or three closely related tune forms. Monothematism is examined here in relation to tune variation, processes of remembering, and mechanisms of oral transmission.

"[A] magnificent history of money and finance."—New York Times Book Review "Convincingly makes the case that finance is a change-maker of change-makers."—Financial Times In the aftermath of recent financial crises, it's easy to see finance as a wrecking ball: something that destroys fortunes and jobs, and undermines governments and banks. In Money Changes Everything, leading financial historian William Goetzmann argues the exact opposite—that the development of finance has made the growth of civilizations possible. Goetzmann explains that finance is a time machine, a technology that allows us to move value forward and backward through time; and that this innovation has changed the very way we think about and plan for the future. He shows how finance was present at key moments in history: driving the invention of writing in ancient Mesopotamia, spurring the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome to become great empires, determining the rise and fall of dynasties in imperial China, and underwriting the trade expeditions that led Europeans to the New World. He also demonstrates how the apparatus we associate with a modern economy—stock markets, lines of credit, complex financial products, and international trade—were repeatedly developed, forgotten, and reinvented over the course of human history. Exploring the critical role of finance over the millennia, and around the world, Goetzmann details how wondrous financial technologies and institutions—money, bonds, banks, corporations, and more—have helped urban centers to expand and cultures to flourish. And it's not done reshaping our lives, as Goetzmann considers the challenges we face in the future, such as how to use the power of finance to care for an aging and expanding population. Money Changes Everything presents a fascinating look into the way that finance has steered the course of history.