The Other Half of My Soul

Abrams confronts centuries-old conflicts that arise when lovers are forced to collide with the hatreds that often divide Jew and Muslim. Drawing upon her background growing up in a tightly-knit, closed Syrian-Jewish community, she weaves a powerful, action-packed story of political intrigue with an exploration of irrational hatred and unconditional love. 
 Syrian-born Rami, a passionate Muslim drawn into the clutches of an extremist organization, and American-born Syrian Jew Rayna, raised in the orthodox tradition but longing to experience life beyond the confines of her upbringing, meet at an American university. They endure backlash from intolerant and hostile parents and suffer at the hands of an erratic and fanatical Muslim leader.

Literature & Fiction

Bahia Abrams

Contemporary

Grateful Steps

Gazzybow Goose is startled when he finds himself in a shower of purple drops. In panic, he rushes to the more knowledgeable birds, Wise Wisenhymer and Freckle Face Froyd. At first they don't believe his story of purple rain falling in dear Zanzibar. Together they solve the mystery, and end up laughing.

The Purple Rain in Zanzibar (Mom's Choice Awards Winner 2009) (Hardcover)

Children's Books

Walter Rein

Jack Ferrell

Animals

Hoist the sails of a Windjammer schooner in the West Indies. Hear and feel the hurricane-downed flora of your childhood haunts break underfoot. Cave dive in Mexico and watch alcoholic monkeys raid leftovers in the tiki bar on St. Kitts. Swim as fast as you can away from the sharks that, as the title of this collection of exciting and insightful essays reveals, are circling your fin tips. Each chapter impacts the reader with stunning detail. Simone Lipscomb devours adventure the same way Thoreau indulged solitude as a means of connecting with the primal self within. 
Simone Lipscomb explores in this book the fragile ecosystems of coral, the endangerment of marine species and the impact of hurricanes and development on precious wetlands. She does so in the context of personal adventure and encounter with the natural world. 
On diving an old wreck: A huge sea turtle came out from under a large section of decking as I hovered over a timber. We met in the dark, silent ocean, the tip of her large beak only inches from the tip of my mask-encased nose. 
On sharks: My legs dangled uselessly behind me, cramped into two balls of pain. I focused my attention and allowed myself to think only of the drift line even though I intuitively knew sharks were following closely behind me. It was perfect Zen practice. 
On cave diving: The unique scene ahead of us exaggerated the sensation of floating weightless in space and the formations surrounding us became more pronounced. As divers, we were transformed into astronauts on a space walk through geologic time. 
 The essays in this collection educate, inspire and celebrate the creatures and ecosystems she encounters, be it in scuba gear, from the deck of a schooner, in a kayak or on a shore. The writing is lucid. The observations are stunning. In her writing she balances tales of external and internal discovery, informing readers of the fragility of coral reefs as much as the ease with which we can lose touch with our instinctual self. Readers can glean techniques for coping with fear, danger and risk, and embracing the value of reaching beyond their comfort zone. From "Weather Wise"-- 
Growing up on the Alabama Gulf Coast exposed me to extremes in weather. The coastal humidity, Gulf of Mexico and tropical sun created afternoon thunderstorms that could humble the bravest sailor. But courage does not necessarily yield intelligent decisions. In the Deep South, children are taught to respect their elders and defer to the wisdom of grandparents; however, as a young adult nobody could tell me anything. If I decided to do something it would take more than a brick wall or my grandfather's sage advice to stop me. 
One summer afternoon I wanted to launch our ski boat at Nolte Creek Marina and motor downriver to my grandparent's home on Week's Bay. My grandfather warned me that afternoon thunderstorms were building and it might be wise to wait until they passed. I saw heavy clouds in the distance over Mobile Bay but decided to launch the boat and spend some time alone on the water. In hindsight, I wish I had listened to my grandfather. 
Women adventurers abound in this world, but not all are also blessed with the ability to convey in words the depths to which we go to retrieve and connect with our wild nature. In each of these essays, Lipscomb takes us into the beyond--the beyond of the natural realm and the beyond of the sacred self.

Sharks On My Fin Tips

Religion & Spirituality

Simone Lipscomb

New Age & Spirituality

Remember the tales shared around the family Christmas tree year after year? This collection will delight children of all ages from one to ninety-one. From the manger to the chimney, traditional and modern settings provide delightful variety to this imaginative compilation, which includes The Forest Christmas Party, Clarence, the Christmas Cat, and  Amminadab, the Truly Wise Man.

Dad's Christmas Stories

Robert Boerner

Suddenly, the hand that had been gently, but insistently guiding me forward clenched my shoulder with a viselike grip, and I was forced into a wooded area just beyond the church grounds. I had no way of knowing what was to come, but I whimpered, "I want to go home now." The man said nothing but took off his jacket and placed it on the ground in a clearing covered with a mixture of pine needles, moss, and leaves. What little light there was from the moon illuminated his features as he spoke words that burn in my brain to this day: "Lie down and do as I say," he whispered hoarsely, pulling a switchblade from his back pocket and unbuckling his belt. "If you scream, I'll cut your throat . . ." Knight Chamberlain was nine years old when he was raped and sodomized by a stranger in 1965. Fifty years later he wrote Sidestepping the Pit to understand how he rose above what could have been a life-crippling experience to cope with the loss of his innocence. Instead he became a happy optimist with no drug use, alcohol addiction or debilitating depression. Follow Knight's confounding, surprising, and ultimately life-affirming journey, which led him-over time-to forgive his attacker and find the courage to share his story and help others. Knight Chamberlain's writing and occasional photographs, have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina), Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina), Associated Press, and Reuters International. He has been honored by The North Carolina Press Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute. He received two Carolina Case Media Fellowships from UNC-Chapel Hill. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife, Rose. He has two sons and a daughter. Sidestepping the Pit is his first published book.

Sidestepping the Pit: How I survived sexual assault without drugs, alcohol, or depression, and forgave my attacker

Knight Chamberlain

Look Up Asheville is a creative exploration of Asheville's architecture rendered through stunning photography by Michael Oppenheim and creative prose by Laura Hope-Gill. This journey through Asheville's eclectic architecture takes us back to the early 20th century, the Golden Age of Engineering and the rise of this mountain town to international regard as the "Paris of the South." Asheville's early architects experimented with new materials while exploring styles of the past, from Romanesque to Renaissance and Neo-Classical, and also reached for the Art Deco and European Sytle.

Look Up Asheville

Arts & Photography

Laura Hope-Gill

Photography & Video

This book is designed for children who have a sibling in a newborn intensive care unit. It teaches the child key aspects of the baby's care through the comparison with mother-baby animal pairs and through the eyes of a child.The author, who is also the illustrator, had twins at 27 weeks' gestation. She noted that children seemed overwhelmed and confused when visiting their tiny siblings and believed a children's book would help them.

My Sister Is Like a Baby Bird

Amy Tiller

Growing Up & Facts of Life

Play with the ever-present energy of life in Mother Earth--play with Gaia! This is not yoga, dance or tai chi; it is an awakening and discovery of playfulness and inner freedom. Open a new doorway with yourself or the children in your life. Together you can heal wounds, dissolve boundaries, create deep inner bonds and bring new creativity and awareness into your world. Be independently joyful. Expand your awareness of beauty, support and love found in nature. Connect with Mother Earth--play with Gaia!

Playing with Gaia . . . discovering the spirit of Mother Earth (Gold Medal--Moonbeam Children's Book Awards)

Cindy Bowen

Activities, Crafts & Games

Wunschkind --German for coveted child--offers a different perspective on the Holocaust. The moving story chronicles the violent awakening of a young girl, who was born in 1941 as her parents gift to Adolf Hitler, and dedicated to him at two weeks of age. The story is autobiographical and rendered especially for young readers. It follows her early childhood and adolescence. Shocked and confused when she learns of Kristallnacht from a former Jewish neighbor, Liesel begins her journey into adulthood, bearing the secret and unspeakable weight of her parent s guilt. Since her publication in the Los Angeles Times and adult memoir, The Neighbor's Son, Appel has toured the USA and Canada teaching audiences about the value of multiculturalism and love in a world prone to prejudice and hate. 
Appel s writing motivation is her desire to achieve a small measure of justice for her family s former Jewish neighbors, to keep the lessons of the Shoah alive for present and future generations and to empower young people to make choices which are just.

Wunschkind: Child Without a Country

Teen & Young Adult

Liesel Appel

Biographies

Rich with ranger lore, wilderness savvy and tracking expertise, Meigs Linefollows Dwight McCarter and Joe Kelley, two retired rangers, on their search for Meigs Line, a survey line that resolved for years prior survey controversies between the Cherokee and American nations in 1802. Using an antique compass, cameras, old maps and a copy of what survives of Meigs' journal, they found very clear, preserved evidence of the survey--albeit only on the mountain tops--and a story to tell about a period in history when two nations worked together to resolve a dispute over territory.

Meigs Line

History

Dwight McCarter

Joe Kelley

Americas

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Books by Grateful Steps