"Readers who enjoyed Storm's classic Seven Arrows, an exploration of Native American culture, will especially treasure the engrossing reading experience provided in this magnificent volume." --Body, Mind &amp; Spirit In this gripping spiritual autobiography that begins where Seven Arrows ends, Hyemeyohsts Storm chronicles his life and how it has been enriched by the power and intricate sophistication of a discipline that reaches back tens of thousands of years to the Mayans and beyond. As a young Cheyenne-Sioux-German mixed blood--a metis--distrusted by white and "full blood" alike, Lightningbolt is a "reservation kid" bitterly obsessed with poverty and warfare. He seems destined for a tragic end until he meets Estcheemah, one of the most powerful Medicine Chiefs who has ever lived. Moved by her power as a Healer and Self-Teacher, Lightningbolt begins his initiation, learning of the old temple-schools, the discovery of the eternal Zero, and the myriad interlocking Medicine wheels which mirror Sacred Life and the Universe; the balance of Female and Male; and the Circle of Law, the first democracy created by humans. These teachings are shared with the reader not only through words but through full-color Medicine Wheel illustrations, breathtaking nature photography, and fascinating re-creations of Mayan art and artifacts. A rich blend of spiritual adventure, lyrical beauty, profound wisdom, and love, Lightningbolt delivers a courageous and timely message--that the Medicine Wheels are an inheritance that belongs to all of Earth's peoples. They have the power to transform not only each individual but also the course of humanity. The legacy of the Medicine Wheels renews our understanding of the true intelligence of our Sacred Mother Earth, and teaches that without healing of the Self there can be no healing of the world.

Lightningbolt

Politics & Social Sciences

STORM, HYEMEYOHSTS

Social Sciences

One World/Ballantine

* Sherman Alexie * Paula Gunn Allen * Esther Belin * Betty Louis Bell * Beth Brant * Joseph Bruchac * Michelle Clinton * Robert J. Conely * Dan L. Crank * Michael Dorris * Debra Earling * Louise Erdrich * Diane Glancy * Roxy Gordon * Joy Harjo * Linda Hogan * Dean Ing * Thomas King * Lee Maracle * N. Scott Momaday * Louis Owens * Opal Lee Popkes * Susan Power * D. Renville * Ralph Salisbury * Leslie Marmon Silko * Patricia Clark Smith * Martin Cruz Smith * Mary Randle TallMountain * Luci Tapahonso * Alice Walker * Karen Wallace * Anna Lee Walters * Emma Lee Warrior * James Welch In this stunning collection of American Indian literature, scholar and literary critic Paula Gunn Allen gathers together the best Native writing--indeed, some of the best American writing--from the last two decades. Song of the Turtle creates an eloquent cycle of story and self-exploration from the works of both major writers and emerging talents, and represents a unique survey of contemporary Native American work. In more than thirty luminous stories, American Indian writers explore the ways in which spirituality, ritual, and identity infuse and define the contemporary Native world. Patricia Clark Smith creates an Albuquerque housewife seduced by the music of the Hump Back Flute Player. Louise Erdrich immerses us in danger, conflict, and mystery during an evening of bingo. Michael Dorris tells a droll tale of courtship in a gynocentric Native society. Recent Native fiction is a powerful sign of the sense of renewal and hope emanating from urban neighborhoods, rural communities, and reservations. This sense arises from the collision of despair, rage, laughter, and celebration, the intense meeting of the ancient and the not-yet-come. From it Allen has created Song of the Turtle, the canon of the future and an immensely powerful contribution to American literature.

Song of the Turtle: American Indian Literature 1974-1994

Literature & Fiction

United States

"[AN] OUTSTANDING COLLECTION... The powerful opening excerpt by Frederick Douglass evokes his boyhood as a slave, and the collection closes with an eloquent discussion of the race problem today by Cornel West. A distinguished addition to black studies." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) The purpose of this extraordinary anthology is made abundantly clear by the editors' stated intention: "to create a living mosaic of essays and stories in which Black men can view themselves, and be viewed without distortion." In this, they have succeeded brilliantly. Brotherman contains more than one hundred and fifty selections, some never before published--from slave narratives, memoirs, social histories, novels, poems, short stories, biographies, autobiographies, position papers, and essays. Brotherman books us passage to the world that Black men experience as adolescents, lovers, husbands, fathers, workers, warriors, and elders. On this journey they encounter pain, confusion, anger, and love while confronting the life-threatening issues of race, sex, and politics--often as strangers in a strange land. The first collection of its kind, Brotherman gathers together a multitude of voices that add a new, unforgettable chapter to American cultural identity. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America -- An Anthology

Boyd, Herb

"A DEEPLY AFFECTING NOVEL about the hidden legacy of slavery--from the waning of the Civil War to the early twenty-first century." --Essence Georgia McCloud lives to see emancipation. Her daughter Sadie discovers that, though she might be free, she is powerless to break with a man who abuses her. But at the center of their communal pain is Sadie's intelligent, beautiful, ambitious daughter Story, who wants more from life than she's been led to expect. Her uncompromising desire for safety corrupts Story to her very soul, dooming her to wander an emotional desert, repressed, rigid, enslaved to propriety. Her daughter Hermine must then challenge the lie that life is hardship. But can Hermine finally break the cycle of oppression that has chained the women of her family? Can she alone cross over Jordan? Reminiscent of the early work of Alice Walker and Gloria Naylor, Crossing Over Jordan deftly explores the themes of the mother-daughter relationship, the emotional scars left by history, the struggle to be authentic in the throes of great personal pain, and the transforming power of love. "Written with passion, force, and compelling clarity, Crossing Over Jordan is a priceless novel that immerses us--even baptizes us--in the deep waters of our humanity. . . . A must-read that deserves a prominent place among books written by African-American women." --Gloria Wade-Gayles Author of Pushed Back to Strength: A Black Woman's Journey Home "ENTERTAINING AND ENLIGHTENING." --Library Journal From the Trade Paperback edition.

Crossing Over Jordan

Brown, Linda Beatrice

"[AN] OUTSTANDING COLLECTION... The powerful opening excerpt by Frederick Douglass evokes his boyhood as a slave, and the collection closes with an eloquent discussion of the race problem today by Cornel West. A distinguished addition to black studies." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) The purpose of this extraordinary anthology is made abundantly clear by the editors' stated intention: "to create a living mosaic of essays and stories in which Black men can view themselves, and be viewed without distortion." In this, they have succeeded brilliantly. Brotherman contains more than one hundred and fifty selections, some never before published--from slave narratives, memoirs, social histories, novels, poems, short stories, biographies, autobiographies, position papers, and essays. Brotherman books us passage to the world that Black men experience as adolescents, lovers, husbands, fathers, workers, warriors, and elders. On this journey they encounter pain, confusion, anger, and love while confronting the life-threatening issues of race, sex, and politics--often as strangers in a strange land. The first collection of its kind, Brotherman gathers together a multitude of voices that add a new, unforgettable chapter to American cultural identity.

Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America--An Anthology

LGBTQ+ Books

More than just a sweet Chinese pastry eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a moon cake is a morsel of tradition.... The second daughter of successful Chinese parents, Maya Li grows up in Ohio, raised on equal measures of steamed rice and sliced white bread. Never a stellar student or an ambitious careerist, Maya seems content to stand in the reflected light of her beautiful, talented sister. Now, working in New York City in a series of dead-end jobs, she finds herself heartbroken and in search of the sense of self she lost with the sudden death of her beloved father and with the end of a poignant love affair. Then, almost accidentally, she is drawn to the country of her parents' youth. Maya embarks on a trip to China, much to the bewilderment of her aloof sister and preoccupied mother, both of whom never looked back on their legacy of sadness. Seeing too much in too little time, Maya and her tour group rush through temples, tombs, and beyond the Forbidden City. As she emerges into the rural peasant countryside, Maya's mind is awash with both memory and discovery, remorse and wonder. One thing emerges clearly: She is on a journey of the soul, and her connection to the land of her parents' birth is enduring. The unfolding geography--of both China and Maya's inner, private landscape--emerges vividly in this haunting first novel about a young woman coming to terms with her personal and ancestral history and with the increasing complexities of what it means to be American.

Moon Cakes

Louie, Andrea

When Cecil Foster's No Man in the House was published, E. Annie Proulx proclaimed that "he shows the brave characters of West Indian women as no one else has." Now, in Sleep On, Beloved, Foster tells the moving story of a Caribbean immigrant woman who leaves behind everything in order to build a better life for her family. Ona Morgan is a passionate, determined woman who leaves her Jamaican home, her friends and traditions, and her newborn daughter, Suzanne, to come to North America. Thwarted by the demons of bad luck, lack of money, and an unfortunate marriage, Ona is plunged into an alien culture and a painful struggle against racism. As her young daughter grows up in Jamaica, devotedly cared for by her beloved grandmother, Ona must defer her plans to bring Suzanne to Toronto again and again. It takes twelve long years before Suzanne and Ona are reunited. But Suzanne cannot warm to this mother who left her behind, and who never prepared her for the harsh realities of life in North America. Now Ona is left to struggle with the rebelliousness of her beloved daughter. Ona and Suzanne find themselves locked in battle, each too proud and too damaged to ask for help. Suzanne punishes her mother by hiding the obedient, devout Suzanne of Jamaica and creating a new, urban Suzanne--hard, rebellious, and detached. It is only when Ona, overwhelmed by worldly pressures, becomes utterly lost that Suzanne allows her true self to emerge--strong, resourceful, and able to rebuild her mother's shattered hopes.

Sleep On, Beloved

Foster, Cecil

"Messengers of the Wind goes beyond the autobiographies of everyday women. These are women who have long been an invisible part of American culture. Their stories are haunting, frightening, encouraging, and courageous. . . . Katz is a faithful guide." --The Minnesota Daily In Messengers of the Wind, Native American women, old and young, from a variety of tribal groups, speak with eloquence and passion about their experience on the land and in urban areas; about their work as artists, activists, and healers; as grandmothers, mothers, and daughters; as modern women with a link to the past. And as each woman, renowned and obscure, tells her remarkable personal story, it is clear that each has tapped into the power that comes from within and has reached back into a history that brings with it courage and hope. " 'Giving energy to Mother Earth' -- Yes. That is our duty as women, as Natives, and as human beings. Messengers of the Wind is a way of doing just that. It is not a dance, feet patting our mother, but it is an offering, the voices of the women sent to comfort her. Thank-you, Jane Katz, for your offering. It is a special and much-needed gift." --Paula Gunn Allen Author of Voice of the Turtle "COMPELLING. . . INTIMATE." --The Cleveland Plain Dealer "A RICH COLLECTION OF PERSONAL STORIES. . .REWARDING. . . These are powerful women with important stories to tell." --Kirkus Reviews From the Trade Paperback edition.

Messengers of the Wind: Native American Women Tell Their Life Stories

Biographies & Memoirs

Katz, Jane

Community & Culture

Courageous. Uplifting. Triumphant. The story of Kweisi Mfume is a classic American saga. Uprooted from the rural tranquillity of Turners Station and thrust upon the gritty streets of west Baltimore, the child born Frizzell Gray seemed fated to become another statistic of Black urban pathology. In a household shattered by domestic violence and emotional strife, Frizzell had only the strong arms of his loving mother to protect him and his three younger sisters. But when he was sixteen years old, his cancer-stricken mother died in his arms, and his world was shattered. To survive, he turned to the streets. He dropped out of school, worked odd jobs, and hustled for money. Torn apart by the rough code of street gangs and the Vietnam war that sent his best friends home in body bags, Frizzell had fathered five children out of wedlock by the time he was twenty-two. But fate stepped in. In a life-altering moment of revelation, Frizzell saw where he was headed and realized that everything about the old Frizzell Gray would have to die. As he embarked on the journey to transform himself, he affirmed his spiritual rebirth and took the name Kweisi Mfume, Ghanian for "Conquering Son of Kings." Today, a quarter-century later, Kweisi Mfume is among the most respected and influential leaders in the United States. Mfume's journey into the nations power elite was as rocky as it was colorful: from night GED courses to college student activism to militant radio disc jockey, where his first philosophical battles were fought against James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul." Mfume's emergence as a political figure broke every rule--he parlayed his burgeoning fame as a talk-radio provocateur to win a seat as a maverick member of the Baltimore City Council. He then took on the local political machine to represent a Congressional district that encompasses both the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich. Once he arrived in Washington, Mfume proved to be a bold political strategist, facing off against Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton on such issues as aid to the Nicaraguan contras, the Civil Rights Bill, Lani Guinier's embattled nomination for Attorney General, and sending U.S. armed forces into Haiti. As Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, he led the CBC through a period of unprecedented dynamism. And in international affairs, Mfume's relentless campaign to end apartheid has earned him the respect and friendship of Nelson Mandela. Far from a kiss-and-tell political memoir, No Free Ride illuminates the forces that helped shape a new wave of Black leaders left to carry the torch for Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Mfume moves beyond the divisive rhetoric of white fear and Black anger generated by the assault on affirmative action, the O.J. verdict, and the Million Man March. He exposes the myth of arrogant, self-righteous values and affirms the real value of values. And while Mfume asserts that " the government can't and won't solve every one of our problems," he doesn't hesitate to indict those who collude in the soul murder of America's poor and forgotten. In this candid and insightful memoir, Mfume reminds us that everything has a price, and that as citizens of a democracy, none of us can expect a free ride. His visionary blueprint for all Americans, white and Black, can guide us as we face the challenge of fashioning a society in which our two nations can at last become one.

No Free Ride: From the Mean Streets to the Mainstream

Stodghill, Ron

Mfume, Kweisi

"I have never believed in the impossible," declares Wattleton, acknowledging that it is a motto she learned at her mother's knee. By any measure, Faye Wattleton has led an extraordinary life. The daughter of a black female fundamentalist preacher, Faye Wattleton went on to become president of Planned Parenthood from 1978 to 1992, the first African American (and the first woman) to head the organization since Margaret Sanger founded it in 1916. During a period of explosive conflict, Wattleton played a crucial role in defining our national debate over sex education, contraception, and abortion. Her mission has inspired millions--while the issues she has strongly defended have become targets for Congressional attacks, legal challenges, and fiery zealots. Faye Wattleton has literally put her life on the line for what she believes, and this fascinating book is both a chronicle of her life and our times. The young Faye found strength and pride in her mother's achievements: at a time when most black women were struggling under the double repression of racism and sexism, Ozie Wattleton became a fiery fundamentalist minister who riveted congregations, both white and black, all over the country. Ozie's devotion to her calling made her a wonderful role model for her only child, but as the minister's daughter Faye was expected to be the living exemplar of her mother's teachings. Committed to her own identity, Faye chose a very different path from her mother's. A nursing student at Ohio State University and later a graduate of Columbia University's midwifery program, Wattleton dedicated herself to healing--only to be stunned by the harsh realities of women's lives in America, especially the humiliation and danger inflicted on women by illegal abortions. She joined Planned Parenthood because it offered dignity and reproductive options to women, rising quickly to the top of the organization. During the fourteen years of her controversial leadership, Wattleton moved Planned Parenthood into the forefront of the movement to preserve and extend women's reproductive rights, standing up to an increasingly vocal and violent right-wing opposition. This battle--waged through our judicial, legislative, and social systems--is recounted with both clarity and passion in Life on the Line. As we continue to shape and define the global initiatives that will preserve women's right to choose, Faye Wattleton remains a voice of reason. She is a woman of action who has courageously placed herself in the center of the most explosive issue of our time without losing her compassion.

Life on the Line

Wattleton, Faye

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