Fifteen short stories covering the political and personal struggles of today, yesterday, and the future. Stories of casual workers, holocaust survivors, refugees, slum dwellers, and trade unionists. Tales of protests and fight-backs against oppression, and the daily battles of ordinary people.

Strife,Struggle,Survival, Poetry,Life, Black,Experience

A hundred and thirty years have passed since Arathiel last set foot in his home city. Isandor hasn't changed-bickering merchant families still vie for power through eccentric shows of wealth-but he has. His family is long dead, a magical trap has dulled his senses, and he returns seeking a sense of belonging now long lost. Arathiel hides in the Lower City, piecing together a new life in a shelter dedicated to the homeless and the poor, befriending an uncommon trio. When one of them is accused of Isandor's most infamous assassination of the last decade, what little peace Arathiel has managed to find for himself is shattered. In order to save his friend, Arathiel may have to destroy the shreds of home he'd managed to build for himself. Arathiel could appeal to the Dathirii-a noble elven family who knew him before he disappeared-but he would have to stop hiding, and they have battles of their own to fight. The idealistic Lord Dathirii is waging a battle of honour and justice against the cruel Myrian Empire, objecting to their slavery, their magics, and inhumane treatment of their apprentices. One he could win, if only he could convince Isandor's rulers to stop courting Myrian's favours for profit. In the ripples that follow Diel's opposition, friendships shatter and alliances crumble. Arathiel, the Dathirii, and everyone in Isandor fights to preserve their homes, even if the struggle changes them irrevocably.

For much of the twentieth century, Ireland has been synonymous with conflict, the painful struggle for its national soul part of the regular fabric of life. And because the Irish have emigrated to all parts of the world--while always remaining Irish--"the troubles" have become part of a common heritage, well beyond their own borders. In most accounts of Irish history, the focus is on the political rivalry between Unionism and Republicanism. But the roots of the Irish conflict are profoundly and inescapably religious. As Marcus Tanner shows in this vivid, warm, and perceptive book, only by understanding the consequences over five centuries of the failed attempt by the English to make Ireland into a Protestant state can the pervasive tribal hatreds of today be seen in context. Tanner traces the creation of a modern Irish national identity through the popular resistance to imposed Protestantism and the common defense of Catholicism by the Gaelic Irish and the Old English of the Pale, who settled in Ireland after its twelfth-century conquest. The book is based on detailed research into the Irish past and a personal encounter with today's Ireland, from Belfast to Cork. Tanner has walked with the Apprentice Boys of Derry and explored the so-called Bandit Country of South Armagh. He has visited churches and religious organizations across the thirty-two counties of Ireland, spoken with priests, pastors, and their congregations, and crossed and re-crossed the lines that for centuries have isolated the faiths of Ireland and their history.

The Christmas card, with its enduring themes of peace, goodwill, justice and hope, has long been seen as an appropriate medium for individuals and groups to project similar aspirations. Over a 40-year period, Llew and Pam Smith have collected Christmas cards that highlight political, industrial and social turmoil. Many portray the words and deeds of the brave, who, in the face of injustice, refused to remain silent. Reproduced here in full color, these cards, numbering over 250 and accompanied by a detailed narrative of the issues they embody, present a unique portrait of British politics from the early days of the industrial revolution to the current coalition government and the Occupy Movement. They epitomize what Martha Gelhorn calls, 'An old and unending worldwide company, the men and women of conscience ... the blessed proof of the dignity of man.'