“Suspenseful…emotionally compelling. I found myself eagerly following in a way I hadn’t remembered for a long time, impatient for the next twist and turn of the story."—NPR An Afghan American woman returns to Kabul to learn the truth about her family and the tragedy that destroyed their lives in this brilliant and compelling novel from the bestselling author of The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, The House Without Windows, and When the Moon Is Low. Kabul, 1978: The daughter of a prominent family, Sitara Zamani lives a privileged life in Afghanistan’s thriving cosmopolitan capital. The 1970s are a time of remarkable promise under the leadership of people like Sardar Daoud, Afghanistan’s progressive president, and Sitara’s beloved father, his right-hand man. But the ten-year-old Sitara’s world is shattered when communists stage a coup, assassinating the president and Sitara’s entire family. Only she survives. Smuggled out of the palace by a guard named Shair, Sitara finds her way to the home of a female American diplomat, who adopts her and raises her in America. In her new country, Sitara takes on a new name—Aryana Shepherd—and throws herself into her studies, eventually becoming a renowned surgeon. A survivor, Aryana has refused to look back, choosing instead to bury the trauma and devastating loss she endured. New York, 2008: Thirty years after that fatal night in Kabul, Aryana’s world is rocked again when an elderly patient appears in her examination room—a man she never expected to see again. It is Shair, the soldier who saved her, yet may have murdered her entire family. Seeing him awakens Aryana’s fury and desire for answers—and, perhaps, revenge. Realizing that she cannot go on without finding the truth, Aryana embarks on a quest that takes her back to Kabul—a battleground between the corrupt government and the fundamentalist Taliban—and through shadowy memories of the world she loved and lost. Bold, illuminating, heartbreaking, yet hopeful, Sparks Like Stars is a story of home—of America and Afghanistan, tragedy and survival, reinvention and remembrance, told in Nadia Hashimi’s singular voice.

(Vocal Selections). Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning blisteringly funny masterwork exposes the heart and soul of a young artist grappling with desires, identity, and instincts he boths loves and loathes. This collection features 15 songs from the show arranged for vocal line with piano accompaniment. Songs include: Boundaries * Didn't Want Nothin' * Exile in Gayville * Inner White Girl * Intermission Song * Inwood Daddy * Memory Song * Periodically * Precious Little Dream / AIDS Is God's Punishment * Second Wave * A Strange Loop * A Sympathetic Ear * Today * Tyler Perry Writes Real Life * We Wanna Know.

A holiday story that is sure to warm the hearts and inspire the imaginations of readers of all ages—from the Land of the Lost and Days of Our Lives actor. Set mostly inside of Santa’s magical red sack, the action takes place in a land that most of us would call make-believe. However, for one orphaned boy named Albert, this place becomes very real. Wandering the streets of nineteenth-century London on Christmas Eve, Albert seeks warmth and finds it in a red, velvety sack. When he crawls in to sleep, he expects to dream of happiness and love, but ends up discovering something quite different. Young Albert enters the magical realm of Santa’s great red sack and is welcomed into this fantasy world by a host of happy toys, waiting to be given to grateful children on Christmas Day. However, Albert soon learns that he has not left the danger of the outside world behind. A diabolical toy, known only as No-Name, is determined to stop Christmas. He and the other “Garbles” are snatching the smiles of Albert’s new friends. It’s up to Albert, who is mistaken for a toy, to stop the ever more desperate war. Wesley Eure’s imaginative writing and Ronald G. Paolillo’s full-color artistic renderings give each character a special breath of life as they cross the pages. The Red Wings of Christmas is sure to become a family holiday classic to be shared season after season.

Mark Poster considers how new media&—from TiVO to digital file sharing&—affects society, and he traces its implications for cultural theory and progressive political change.

Mark Owen is a pseudonym for Matt Bissonnette.

The Ruby programming language is perfect for beginners: easy to learn, powerful, and fun to use! But wouldn't it be more fun if you were learning with the help of some wizards and dragons? Ruby Wizardry is a playful, illustrated tale that will teach you how to program in Ruby by taking you on a fantastical journey. As you follow the adventures of young heroes Ruben and Scarlet, you’ll learn real programming skills, like how to: –Use fundamental concepts like variables, symbols, arrays, and strings –Work with Ruby hashes to create a programmable breakfast menu –Control program flow with loops and conditionals to help the Royal Plumber –Test your wild and crazy ideas in IRB and save your programs as scripts –Create a class of mini-wizards, each with their own superpower! –Organize and reuse your code with methods and lists –Write your own amazing interactive stories using Ruby Along the way, you’ll meet colorful characters from around the kingdom, like the hacker Queen, the Off-White Knight, and Wherefore the minstrel. Ruby Wizardry will have you (or your little wizard) hooked on programming in no time. For ages 10+ (and their parents!)