Tara lives in the rustic mountain village of Jomo, where the villagers have banned the internet after a terrible tragedy. Amidst financial difficulties, Tara inherits a substantial uninhabitable forest land on the mountain. However, a multinational corporation with a benign facade arrives at Jomo with an ulterior motive. Tara is pressured to sell the land and seeks help from her friend, GK, to find her long-lost uncle, Nilaav, who has an equal share in the inheritance. But where is Nilaav? And why is a technology company interested in the mountain? Idyllic wilderness clashes with addictive consumerism to protect a mountain village.

After giving up the Internet for a month, a writer shares how we can all learn from her experience and rethink our relationship with the digital world. There’s no doubt that technology has overrun our lives. Over the past few decades, the world has embraced “progress” and we’re living with the resultant clicking, beeping, anxiety-inducing frenzy. But a creative backlash is gathering steam, helping us cope with the avalanche of data that threatens to overwhelm us daily through our computers, tablets, and smartphones. The Joy of Missing Out considers the technologically focused life, with its impacts on our children, relationships, communities, health, work, and more, and suggests opportunities for those of us longing to cultivate a richer on- and off-line existence. By examining the connected world through the lens of her own Internet fast, author Christina Crook creates a convincing case for increasing intentionality in our day-to-day lives. Using historical data, typewritten letters, chapter challenges, and personal accounts, she invites us to explore a new way of living, beyond our steady state of distracted “connectedness.” Most of us can’t throw away our smartphone or cut ourselves off from the Internet. But we can all rethink our relationship with the digital world, discovering new ways of introducing balance and discipline to the role of technology in our lives. This book is a must-read for anyone wishing to rediscover quietness of mind, and seeking a sense of peace amidst the cacophony of the modern world. Praise for The Joy of Missing Out “Crook’s book does a marvelous job of examining where we’ve gone awry and how we might begin to take ourselves and our lives back, while acknowledging the reality and importance of our wired world.” —Dr. Susan Biali, MD, Psychology Today “Offers thoughtful consideration of how online communications have evolved, as well as the value we place on being ever present in a digital world, often to the determinant of personal space and quiet time. Through practical examples and directions, Crook champions developing healthier habits for a more mindful online experience.” —Lori A. May, Portland Book Review

Set in Washington, DC and the US island territory of St. Croix, Tithe of Blood is the coming of age story of Hope Taylor. Growing up in Contentment, a small, close-knit community in St. Croix, Hope is a feisty, energetic, beauty who develops an early interest in public service. In high school, she is valedictorian and president of her senior class and voted most likely to succeed by her peers. One thing is clear--her political aspirations have no limits. When Hope arrives on the Howard University campus in Washington, DC her freshman year, she meets and falls in love with Wes Carter, a former Army Sergeant. Hope's ambition is equaled only to Wes' and the relationship is doomed. Later, when she gets the coveted White House intern position, she meets the political insider Trent Williams. After a brief courtship, Hope marries Trent in a lavish ceremony in St. Croix. All of Contentment attend the wedding and cheer their beloved daughter. Hope is not aware that on the surface Trent appears to be a successful attorney and political advisor to Washington's elite, but underneath he is a functional manic depressive with dark secrets from his childhood. It is not long before Trent's deteriorating mental condition endangers her life and she becomes a victim of his psychotic, violent episodes. Hope has a choice to make. She can choose to seek help or continue the charade in order to prevent a public relations nightmare and jeopardize her political career. Her choice will forever change her life and the lives of the people around her. Tithe of Blood is written with bluntness as it follows the timely political and emotional journey of Hope Caryn Taylor.

Set in the past, present, and future, this progression of three tales holds a message that is relevant in each era. These thought-provoking stories pose questions focusing on the promotion of greed being endemic within each society and being accepted as the norm.

Conflict of Interest; Money Drives Medicine. And People Die. By: Leonard A. Zwelling, MD, MBA and Marianne L. Ehrlich About the Book Money drives medicine. All doctors are not good. Hospitals are dangerous places. People die. With the incisive eye of those who have lived the experiences of health care delivery gone wrong, Dr. Zwelling and Ms. Ehrlich weave a frightening narrative about shocking and grievous events that occur when conflicts of interest among the staff and faculty of a major academic medical center prevail over the Hippocratic Oath, Primum Non Nocere. First do no harm.

Set in both the wilds and slums of Kenya, a powerful story about a brother and sister's brave journey to find a place to call home. 13-year-old Muchoki and his younger sister, Jata, can barely recognize what's become of their lives. Only weeks ago they lived in a bustling Kenyan village, going to school, playing soccer with friends, and helping at their parents' store. But sudden political violence has killed their father and destroyed their home. Now, Muchoki, Jata, and their ailing mother live in a tent in an overcrowded refugee camp. By day, they try to fend off hunger and boredom. By night, their fears about the future are harder to keep at bay. Driven by both hope and desperation, Muchoki and Jata set off on what seems like an impossible journey: to walk hundreds of kilometers to find their last remaining family.

After intense military training abroad, Umkhonto we Sizwe freedom fighters are determined to return home to South Africa as armed combatants alongside the masses struggling for liberation. Their planned route back necessitates crossing through Rhodesia. So they share their intentions with fellow comrades from the ZPRA forces also battling Rhodesia’s regime. This dialogue gives rise to a joint military alliance when ZAPU and ANC leadership approve the strategy. Thus, the Luthuli Detachment is born – a combined battalion from ZPRA and Umkhonto we Sizwe named in honour of the late ANC President General Albert Luthuli. On the eve of departing to reach South Africa, these joint forces cross into Rhodesia, though not without casualties. After successfully navigating the treacherous Zambezi river into Rhodesian land, an explosive encounter in Hwange Game Reserve turns it into the chilling rendezvous point where the Luthuli Detachment’s destiny collides with history’s call to duty. Will they accomplish their mission of participating alongside South African masses hungering for emancipation?