DIVTen essayists discuss the black church's public activism on natioonal policy issues in the post Civil Rights period, focusing on issues such as health care, affirmative action, welfare reform, and public education./div

"The March to Magdala" is an engrossing ancient novel penned with the aid of George Alfred Henty, a prolific British creator regarded for his adventurous and educational works for young readers. Published in 1866, the book is set in opposition to the backdrop of the British day trip to Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) in 1868. Henty's narrative follows the journey of two British protagonists, Harry and his pal, who find themselves embroiled within the perilous marketing campaign to rescue British captives held through Emperor Tewodros II. The story is a thrilling account of the dangerous journey, fraught with demanding situations which include treacherous landscapes, opposed tribes, and confrontations with the Ethiopian forces. Henty's novel skillfully combines journey and history, presenting readers a vibrant portrayal of the Abyssinian excursion. The tale now not handiest entertains but also educates, providing precious insights into the geography, politics, and culture of 19th-century Abyssinia. "The March to Magdala" exemplifies Henty's willpower to historical accuracy and his capacity to make history handy and attractive for young readers. The book's enduring reputation lies in its capacity to move readers to a charming historic period and immerse them in a exciting journey that is both enjoyable and instructive.

The story of Amit Shah's political life, struggles, rise and triumph is little known. For a leader who is often referred to as the Chanakya of Indian politics, who has dominated India's fast-paced and complex political stage since 2014, has altered its electoral map by leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to successive historic victories post the May 2014 general elections, there is very little that is recorded or narrated. So, it's no surprise that the curiosity he evokes is ever on the rise. Most of what is written about Amit Shah is based on conjectures, hearsay, assumptions and biases. The real Amit Shah-the once booth-worker and now national president of the largest political party in the world, the master strategist who has pushed the BJP to an organisational pinnacle and yet talks of scaling peaks, a man who is unhesitant in his stand on nationalism and on anything which concerns India's national interest-has remained in the shadows, self-effaced, away from the limelight. The story of how he expanded the BJP into a pan-India party and the convergence of organisational science and ideology that has made the BJP a unique and formidable political entity is a story that needs to be told. The book narrates the personal and political journey of Amit Shah, captures the ideological world that shaped him and gives an account of the party that he is leading and shaping today. It is for the first time that his story is being told-an authentic, no-holds-barred portrayal of one of the most influential leaders of our times. To the political worker, the observer and to anyone even remotely interested in Indian politics, irrespective of their profession or political leaning, especially since the unfolding of Indian politics in the summer of 2014, this is a captivating exploration of the political life and journey of one of its central characters.

This landmark book documents little-known wartime Japanese atrocities during World War II. Yuki Tanaka’s case studies, still remarkably original and significant, include cannibalism; the slaughter and starvation of prisoners of war; the rape, enforced prostitution, and murder of noncombatants; and biological warfare experiments. The author describes how desperate Japanese soldiers consumed the flesh of their own comrades killed in fighting as well as that of Australians, Pakistanis, and Indians. He traces the fate of sixty-five shipwrecked Australian nurses and British soldiers who were shot or stabbed to death by their captors. Another thirty-two nurses were captured and sent to Sumatra to become “comfort women”—sex slaves for Japanese soldiers. Tanaka recounts how thousands of Australian and British POWs were massacred in the infamous Sandakan camp in the Borneo jungle in 1945, while those who survived were forced to endure a tortuous 160-mile march on which anyone who dropped out of line was immediately shot. This new edition also includes a powerful chapter on the island of Nauru, where thirty-nine leprosy patients were killed and thousands of Naurans were ill-treated and forced to leave their homes. Without denying individual and national responsibility, the author explores individual atrocities in their broader social, psychological, and institutional milieu and places Japanese behavior during the war in the broader context of the dehumanization of men at war. In his substantially revised conclusion, Tanaka brings in significant new interpretations to explain why Japanese imperial forces were so brutal, tracing the historical processes that created such a unique military structure and ideology. Finally, he investigates why a strong awareness of their collective responsibility for wartime atrocities has been and still is lacking among the Japanese.