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And Gently He Shall Lead Them: Robert Parris Moses and Civil Rights in Mississippi
by Eric BurnerThe story of the remarkable life of Civil Rights leader Bob MosesFrom his role as one of the architects of the civil rights movement to his work with inner city children late into his life, Robert Moses was one of America's most courageous, energetic, and influential leaders. Wary of the cults of celebrity he saw surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and fueled by a philosophy that shunned leadership, Moses always labored behind the scenes. This first biography sheds significant light on the intellectual and philosophical worldview of a man who was rarely seen but whose work created a lasting impact on American life. Moses spent almost three years in Mississippi trying to awaken the state's Black citizens to their moral and legal rights before the fateful summer of 1964 would thrust him and the Freedom Summer movement into the national spotlight. We follow him through the civil rights years—his intensive, fearless tradition of community organizing, his involvements with SNCC and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and his negotiations with the Department of Justice—to his time in Canada after fleeing the draft for a war he opposed, through the decade he spent teaching in Tanzania. Returning in 1977 under President Carter's amnesty program, Moses dedicated the rest of his life to the Algebra Project—an innovative program he established to teach math to Boston's inner-city youth, an important extension of his tireless pursuit of equal rights.Quiet and intensely private, Moses quickly became legendary as a man whose conduct exemplified leadership by example. And Gently He Shall Lead Them tells the story of this remarkable man, an elusive hero of the civil rights movement whose flight from adulation only served to increase his reputation as an intellectual and moral leader.
And Give Up Showbiz?: How Fred Levin Beat Big Tobacco, Avoided Two Murder Prosecutions, Became a Chief of Ghana, Earned Boxing Manager of the Year, and Transformed American Law
by Josh YoungIn the early '90s, Big Tobacco was making a killing. There was no entity more powerful, and national tobacco-related deaths numbered in the hundreds of thousands each year. The economic loss from smoking-related illnesses was billions of dollars. And yet, Big Tobacco had never paid a nickel in court. Until one Southern, small-town lawyer figured out how Florida could sue Big Tobacco to reimburse the state for health care costs. The end result? Beyond the $13 billion settlement, hundreds of thousands of American lives have been, and will continue to be, saved. Meet Fred Levin. Called by his own son &“a philanthropist and a cockroach," Fred Levin is no ordinary attorney, and his remarkable story is far from squeaky clean. In And Give Up Showbiz?, New York Times bestselling author Josh Young works closely with Levin to give readers a glimpse into the extraordinary and entertaining life of the top trial lawyer who was a pioneer in establishing American personal injury law. Seen as an inspiring innovator by some and a flamboyant self-promoter by others, Levin has not only fought against Big Tobacco, he has won victories for women, African Americans, and workers everywhere. Levin's unprecedented legal career is just one aspect of his roller-coaster life story. From managing one of the world's greatest boxers to avoiding multiple disbarment attempts, and from becoming a chief in the country of Ghana to even being a person of interest in two separate murder investigations, his story reads like a novel suitable for the silver screen. And Give Up Showbiz? is both shockingly candid and wildly funny.
And Give You Peace
by Jessica TreadwayHow do you survive when the desperate action of a loved one has shattered your family? In And Give You Peace, a young woman, Anastasia Dolarn, courageously examines her seemingly normal childhood to uncover the motivations behind an unspeakable tragedy. Jessica Treadway flawlessly portrays the complexity of human experience in the face of incomprehensible loss, revealing yet again why the New York Times Book Review has called her "a writer with an unsparing bent for the truth. "
And Go to Innisfree
by Jean Lenox ToddieComedy/Drama. Jean Lenox Toddie . Characters: 3 female. Bare stage. . It's October. The beach is deserted. A woman appears, flowered parasol raised and long skirt sweeping the sand. She has come to make a decision, but will she make it alone? The middle aged matron she was argues for the comfort of a retirement home. The child she was urges her to sit again and eat blackberries, to lie under the brambles and study ants, and to arise at long last and go to Innisfree.
And God Belched
by Rob RosenIn this riotously funny romantic adventure, Randy and his younger brother Craig find themselves in a different universe, on a strange planet, desperately searching for Milo, a handsome stranger in imminent danger, all while being chased by the heavily armed local authorities. And that's just the start of this epic journey.But what else does fate have in store for our brave heroes? And can one human save two worlds, the handsome alien he's fallen in love with, his entire family, and a self-aware watch? Read on, dear Earthlings, to find out!
And God Created Squash
by Giuliano Ferri Martha Whitmore HickmanMartha Hickman's retelling of the Creation makes a familiar story as fresh and entrancing as an emerging world. Giuliano Ferri's playful paintings are inspired by wonder as he imagines a newborn earth, its varied inhabitants, and their infinitely loving Creator.
And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning
by Joel M. HoffmanFor centuries, translations of the Bible have obscured our understanding and appreciation of the original text. Now 'And God Said' provides readers with an authoritative account of significant mistranslations and shows how new translation methods can give readers their first glimpse into what the Bible really means. And God Said uncovers the often inaccurate or misleading English translations of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament that quotes from it. Sometimes the familiar English is just misleading. Other times the mistakes are more substantial. But the errors are widespread. This book tackles such issues as what's wrong with the Ten Commandments (starting with the word "commandments" ), the correct description of the "virgin" birth, and the surprisingly modern message in the Song of Solomon, as well as many other unexpected but thought-provoking revelations. Acclaimed translator Dr. Joel M. Hoffman sheds light on the original intention of the text and the newly developed means that readers can use to get closer to it. In And God Said his fresh approach has united the topics of religion, language, and linguistics to offer the first modern understanding since the Bible was written.
And God Saw That It Was Good
by Ken HamA wise preacher once said that from the beginning, God's existence has been obvious to all. That is the basis for all reality. But for many years, His very creative acts have been scorned by that one creature He loved above all others: man. In this astonishing new gift book from the popular speaker Ken Ham, the wonder and distinctness of god's creative acts are shared. Each devotion touches on an aspect of our world as seen through a biblical lens. For those who delight in the unique loving Creator, and for those seekers who wonder if He is real, these selected topics will inspire. Read and believe.
And God Spoke to Abraham: Preaching from the Old Testament
by Fleming RutledgeSixty superlative sermons on familiar Old Testament texts. Many Christian preachers today largely neglect the Old Testament in their sermons, focusing instead on the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ teachings and activities. As Fleming Rutledge points out, however, when the New Testament is disconnected from the context of the Old Testament, it is like a house with no foundation, a plant with no roots, or a pump with no well. In this powerful collection of sixty sermons on the Old Testament, Rutledge expounds on a number of familiar Old Testament passages featuring Abraham, Samuel, David, Elijah, Job, Jonah, and many other larger-than-life figures. Applying these texts to contemporary life and Christian theology, she highlights the ways in which their multivocal messages can be heard in all their diversity while still proclaiming univocally, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”
And Good Will to All
by J. D. WalkerIt's the middle of a very cold December, and Charlie Mayburn is in desperate need of a seasonal night manager at his self-storage facility. When he comes across a résumé from his childhood sweetheart, Lonnie "Mack" McDaniel, he’s beyond surprised. Mack left right after high school, determined to see the world and abandoning both Charlie and their small town for greener pastures. So what’s he doing back twenty years later?As he's desperate and Mack is the most qualified applicant, Charlie hires him on the spot, along with leasing him a ten-by-ten unit. Mack does good work, but something’s off about him. He's very secretive, often bedraggled, and has holes in his well-worn shoes. Definitely not the clean-cut Mack Charlie grew up with.When Charlie discovers, quite by accident, that Mack has been living in the storage unit he rented -- in the middle of winter -- he takes matters in hand. He offers Mack a place to stay, no strings attached. It takes some doing, but Charlie finally gets Mack to tell him how he ended up homeless. The tale almost breaks his heart, but Charlie is determined to take care of his long lost friend, no matter what.Perhaps this Christmas, both men can find their way through old hurts and forge a new beginning, with good will for all.
And Grant You Peace (The Joe Burgess Mystery Series #4)
by Kate Flora"...nailed the culture of a Portland cop...beautifully written, and suspensefully told." ~Mystery Lover, Verified ReviewerWhen a boy raps on Detective Burgess's car window summoning him to a burning commercial building now serving as a mosque, Burgess rushes through the intensifying flames to rescue a screaming woman and her baby locked in a closet.The young mother survives, but suffers traumatic muteness. Autopsy shows the infant was gravely ill, suggesting someone was trying to keep mother and child away from hospitals that might have asked questions.Questioning suspicious‚ uncooperative refugees‚ members of a motorcycle gang‚ and shady businessmen‚ results in threats to Burgess's family, newly grown by two adopted children.Burgess persists, certain that finding justice for the child and mute mother will solve everything, until a witnesses draws him and his team into a building... booby-trapped to explode."An incredible cast of characters and a plot that keeps you guessing to the very last page. Kate Flora is a master of the genre." ~Skye Writer, Verified Reviewer"...the pace ramps up on page one and continues throughout the book. The side stories are so much to the richness of the tale. Wholeheartedly recommend." ~Verified ReviewerTHE JOE BURGESS MYSTERIESPlaying GodThe Angel of Knowlton ParkRedemptionAnd Grant You PeaceLed AstrayA Child Shall Lead ThemA World of Deceit
And He Gave Pastors: Pastoral Theology in Action
by Thomas F. ZimmermanOffers insights into pastors' personal and devotional lives, legal affairs, counseling, resumes, and other aspects of pastoring.
And He Shall Appear
by Kate van der BorghFrom a mesmerizing new literary voice comes a story of obsessive friendship, chilling powers, and untimely death for readers of dark academia classics like If We Were Villains and The Secret History. An unnamed narrator arrives at Cambridge University in the early aughts determined to reinvent himself. His northern accent marks him as an outsider, but thanks to his musical gifts, he manages to fall in with his wealthy classmate, Bryn Cavendish. A charismatic party host and talented magician, Bryn enthralls the narrator. But something seems to happen to those who challenge or simply irk Bryn—and they aren&’t ever the same again. The narrator begins to suspect that Bryn may be concealing terrifying gifts under the guise of magic tricks. As the tension between them grows, a harrowing encounter is followed by Bryn&’s death. Alternating between their time as students and the narrator&’s return to Cambridge years later, where he fears the ghosts of his past are waiting for him, And He Shall Appear performs an astounding slight-of-hand that throws every version of the story into question. This propulsive novel about the dark power of privilege will haunt readers like a familiar piece of music with endless iterations.
And Hell Followed With Her: Crossing the Dark Side of the American Border
by David NeiwertIt began with a frantic 911 call from a woman in a dusty Arizona border town. A gang claiming to be affiliated with the Border Patrol had shot her husband and daughter. It was initially assumed that the murders were products of border drug wars ravaging the Southwest until the leader of one of the more prominent offshoots of the Minutemen movement was arrested for plotting the home invasion as part of a scheme to finance a violent antigovernment border militia.And Hell Followed With Her: Crossing to the Dark Side of the American Border is award-winning journalist David Neiwert's riveting account of the life and death of America's Minutemen--and the terrifying story and psychology of movement leader Shawna Forde. A compulsive and brilliant portrait of cold-blooded killers and true believers, And Hell Followed With Her is at once a horrifying crime story and a frontline report on America's nativist foot soldiers.
And Hell Followed: An Anthology
by Jeff StrandSeventeen authors re-imagine the biblical apocalypse and all the hell that follows in sixteen horrifying tales. What if the prophecies of Revelation hit today? What sort of craziness and evil would ensue? With this list of excellent authors contributing, it's sure to be a Hell of a read!Wrath James White Sam WestThe Sisters of SlaughterJeff StrandK Trap JonesC Derick MillerChristine MorganPatrick C. Harrison IIIJohn Wayne ComunaleCody HigginsDelphine QuinnJames WattsWile E. YoungChris MillerMark DeloyRichard Raven
And Here's The Kicker
by Mike Sacks"Did you hear the one about. . . " Every great joke has a punch line, and every great humor writer has an arsenal of experiences, anecdotes, and obsessions that were the inspiration for that humor. In fact, those who make a career out of entertaining strangers with words are a notoriously intelligent and quirky lot. And boy, do they have some stories. In this entertaining and inspirational book, you'll hear from 21 top humor writers as they discuss the comedy-writing process, their influences, their likes and dislikes, and their experiences in the industry. You'll also learn some less useful but equally amusing things, such as: How screenwriter Buck Henry came up with the famous "plastics" line for "The Graduate. " How many times the cops were called on co-writers Sacha Baron Cohen and Dan Mazer during the shooting of "Borat. " What David Sedaris thinks of his critics. What creator Paul Feig thinks would have happened to the "Freaks and Geeks" crew if the show had had another season. What Jack Handey considers his favorite "Deep Thoughts. " How Todd Hanson and the staff ofThe Onionmanaged to face the aftermath of 9/11 with the perfect dose of humor. How Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais created the original version of "The Office. " What it's really like in the writers' room at SNL. Funny and informative,And Here's the Kickeris a must-have resource#151;whether you're an aspiring humor writer, a fan of the genre, or someone who just likes to laugh.
And Here's the Kicker: 21 Top Comedy Writers on Boosting Your Craft to the Highest Level
by Mike SacksInterviews with David Sedaris, Dave Barry, Jack Handey, Bob Odenkirk, and other humor-writing pros: &“Sure to captivate anyone who loves a good comedy.&” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) If you aspire to write sitcoms, standup, screenplays, or satirical essays—or are just a connoisseur of comedy—you should learn from the professionals. With interviews from twenty-one top humor writers whose credits include everything from Marx Brothers movies to Borat and The Office, readers will score not only professional advice but personal details about their processes, influences, and experiences in the industry—and, of course, more than a few amusing stories. Discover what Paul Feig thinks would have happened to Freaks and Geeks if the show had had another season; what the writers&’ room at SNL is really like; how the Onion editorial staff dealt with the aftermath of 9/11; and much, much more. These humor writers are among the best in the business, ranging from veterans to newcomers, and have collectively been involved with many of the pop culture touchstones of the last half-century.Interviewees include: Stephen Merchant (The Office) · Harold Ramis (Animal House, Groundhog Day) · Dan Mazer (Da Ali G Show, Borat) · Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks) · Bob Odenkirk (The Ben Stiller Show) · Todd Hanson (The Onion) · Mitch Hurwitz (Arrested Development) · David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day) · Al Jaffee (Mad) · Allison Silverman (The Colbert Report) · Robert Smigel (Late Night with Conan O&’Brien) · Dave Barry (Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up) · Larry Wilmore (In Living Color, The Bernie Mac Show) · Jack Handey (Saturday Night Live) · Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H, Tootsie) · Buck Henry · Merrill Markoe · Irving Brecher · Marshall Brickman · George Meyer · Dick Cavett &“Remarkably frank interviews . . . reads like a secret history of popular culture.&” —Time &“Loaded with information for people interested in comedy, not just those who want to work in the business.&” —PopMatters
And Home Was Kariakoo
by M. G. VassanjiFrom M.G. Vassanji, two-time Giller Prize winner and a GG winner for nonfiction, comes a poignant love letter to his birthplace and homeland, East Africa--a powerful and surprising portrait that only an insider could write. Part travelogue, part memoir, and part history-rarely-told, here is a powerful and timely portrait of a constantly evolving land. From a description of Zanzibar and its evolution to a visit to a slave-market town at Lake Tanganyika; from an encounter with a witchdoctor in an old coastal village to memories of his own childhood in the streets of Dar es Salaam and the suburbs of Nairobi, Vassanji combines brilliant prose, thoughtful and candid observation, and a lifetime of revisiting and reassessing the continent that molded him--and, as we discover when we follow the journeys that became this book, shapes him still.
And Hope to Die
by Louis CharbonneauPassion, at any cost.Accountant Carl Davenport had all but given up on women after his bitter divorce. Until he met the beautiful and mysterious Jean Fleming, a young seductress whose every word, every kiss, is laced with lies and betrayal.Jean's lifestyle is extravagant, expensive... and dangerous. If her gentlemen benefactor ever found out she was seeing Carl on the side, she would lose everything. Though Carl offers Jean his heart, love won't pay for her luxury apartment.Driven by his desperation to win Jean, Carl gets caught up in a complicated and treacherous game of high-stakes theft, embezzlement, and fraud. He knows he's risking everything--even his life--but he's in so deep now, he just can't afford to lose.
And Hope to Die
by Richard Powell''When my wife Arabella and I decided to take our summer vacation in Florida, I dreamed of lying under a coconut palm sipping a cool drink while Arab lovingly fanned a breeze my way. I have had dreams of that type before and something always goes wrong. Four years of being married to Arab should have taught me that. Whenever my lovely blond wife decides to stir up a breeze for my benefit, it is time for the Coast Guard to run up two square flags, red with black centers, one flying above the other. They tell me that's the signal for a hurricane.''Thus wrote Andy Blake, wistfully, at the start of his Florida vacation. Readers who have followed his adventures through the years of his tempestuous and almost fatal marriage with Arab could have told him at once. True, there was nothing more lethal on the landscape than sunlit palm trees, a lazy river, and Andy. No spies, guns, corpses, or blood stains. But there was Arab.She began innocently enough-with fish. Even Arab couldn't have known that it would end with Andy, as bait, hanging off the end of a line while sharks nipped at his heels, and the gleam of a fish spear prodding through the dark water for his body. Had She But Known-she would have gone right ahead. It seemed so inevitable to Arab. First, the deserted green houseboat hidden in a tiny cove. Arab was sure she had seen a woman's face at the window, and Arab was obviously not the type to leave well enough alone. Investigation was called for, said Arab.It was not called for, said Andy. They investigated. So they found the girl, Sherry, with the red marks on her wrists and ankles, and the wild explanations that differed every time she told them.Then along came Georgia Wood and Chuck Holley and the gay fishing trip when Georgia almost drowned although she was an expert swimmer. And Harry Fink, an expert fish spearer, who began to take a great interest in the Blakes, an interest that extended to skulking around dark corners brandishing guns.''Now,'' Arab said, her eyes sparkling, ''we're getting somewhere.''
And Hope to Die: An Arab and Andy Blake mystery
by Richard Powell''When my wife Arabella and I decided to take our summer vacation in Florida, I dreamed of lying under a coconut palm sipping a cool drink while Arab lovingly fanned a breeze my way. I have had dreams of that type before and something always goes wrong. Four years of being married to Arab should have taught me that. Whenever my lovely blond wife decides to stir up a breeze for my benefit, it is time for the Coast Guard to run up two square flags, red with black centers, one flying above the other. They tell me that’s the signal for a hurricane.''Thus wrote Andy Blake, wistfully, at the start of his Florida vacation. Readers who have followed his adventures through the years of his tempestuous and almost fatal marriage with Arab could have told him at once. True, there was nothing more lethal on the landscape than sunlit palm trees, a lazy river, and Andy. No spies, guns, corpses, or blood stains. But there was Arab.She began innocently enough-with fish. Even Arab couldn’t have known that it would end with Andy, as bait, hanging off the end of a line while sharks nipped at his heels, and the gleam of a fish spear prodding through the dark water for his body. Had She But Known-she would have gone right ahead.It seemed so inevitable to Arab. First, the deserted green houseboat hidden in a tiny cove. Arab was sure she had seen a woman’s face at the window, and Arab was obviously not the type to leave well enough alone. Investigation was called for, said Arab.It was not called for, said Andy.They investigated.So they found the girl, Sherry, with the red marks on her wrists and ankles, and the wild explanations that differed every time she told them.Then along came Georgia Wood and Chuck Holley and the gay fishing trip when Georgia almost drowned although she was an expert swimmer. And Harry Fink, an expert fish spearer, who began to take a great interest in the Blakes, an interest that extended to skulking around dark corners brandishing guns.''Now,'' Arab said, her eyes sparkling, ''we’re getting somewhere.''
And How Are You, Dr. Sacks?: A Biographical Memoir of Oliver Sacks
by Lawrence Weschler“A wonderful portrayal of a brilliant, eccentric man,” this biographical memoir by an award-winning author is the untold story of Dr. Oliver Sacks (People).Lawrence Weschler began spending time with Oliver Sacks in the early 1980s, when he was profiling the neurologist for The New Yorker. Almost a decade earlier, Dr. Sacks had published Awakenings—the account of his long-dormant patients’ miraculous return to life. Over the ensuing four years, the two men worked closely together until, for personal reasons, Sacks asked Weschler to abandon the profile. The two remained close friends over the next thirty years and then, just as Sacks was dying, he urged Weschler to take up the project once again. This book is the result of that entreaty.Weschler sets Sacks’s brilliant personality in vivid relief. We see Sacks rowing and ranting and caring deeply; composing the essays that would form The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and waging intellectual war against a medical and scientific establishment that failed to address his greatest concern: the spontaneous specificity of the individual human soul. Here is the definitive portrait of Sacks, whose entire practice revolved around the single fundamental question he asked each of his patients: How are you? Which is to say, How do you be?A question which Weschler, with this book, turns back on the good doctor himself.“Engrossing. . . . This is Sacks at full blast: on endless ward rounds, observing his post-encephalitic patients . . . exulting over horseshoe crabs and chunks of Iceland spar.” —Barbara Kiser, Nature“Thoroughly engaging and enchanting.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review“Does a particularly good job intertwining Sacks’s searching empathy with his sheer strangeness.” —New York Times Book Review
And How Does That Make You Feel?: Everything You (N)ever Wanted to Know About Therapy
by Joshua FletcherPsychotherapist Josh Fletcher takes us on a tour of the inner mind of a therapist—revealing a hilariously candid point of view on the therapeutic process, a practical guide to therapy, and maybe a few more cobwebs and dark corners than one might expect. It’s everything you ever wanted to know about therapy (and maybe a few things you didn’t). Trauma, heartbreak, anxiety, and mourning are all parts of the human experience, and Josh Fletcher’s mission in life is to normalize the need to find a trusted professional with whom you can discuss all of life’s scariest aspects. Through the lens of four of his patients—Daphne, a wildly successful actor who still struggles to find contentment; Levi, an intimidating bouncer with obsessive tendencies who’s trapped in a sex cult; Zahra, an anxious, people-pleasing doctor in the midst of unpacking serious trauma; and Noah, a shy newcomer with some major closet skeletons—you’ll share in their self-discovery and recovery as they untangle themselves from an all-too-familiar web of emotions. In between sessions, Fletcher struggles to balance his own well-being with that of his patients as details from his sometimes messy but always heartfelt personal life reveal that therapists aren’t immune to getting tripped up by the same hurdles as the rest of us. And How Does That Make You Feel? is a primer on what to expect from therapy, how to find the right therapist, and the most common afflictions treated in therapy (such as depression, OCD, and panic attacks) as well as a darkly hilarious narrative about what’s going on in your therapist’s mind before, during, and after your session. Above all, it’s filled with the promise that a better future is always possible . . . if we’re willing to seek help and do the work.
And How Does That Make You Feel?: everything you (n)ever wanted to know about therapy
by Joshua FletcherExtraordinary. The psychology world has found its own Adam Kay. Dr Sophie Mort, clinical psychologist & Sunday Times bestselling author of A Manual for Being HumanHave you ever wondered what goes on behind the closed door of the therapist's office? What's revealed there may surprise you.Psychotherapist Josh Fletcher takes us on a candid and human journey into the individual sessions of four patients - Levi, Zahra, Noah and Daphne - sharing their self-discovery and recovery as they engage in therapy for the first time. And he lets us into the inner thoughts of a therapist, from shock and sympathy while in session, to how it feels to run into a former client on a messy night out. Interspersed with straight-talking advice on common issues such as anxiety, OCD and panic attacks, as well as a therapist's guide to how to find the right therapist, And How Does That Make You Feel? is darkly funny, illuminating and full of promise that a better future is always possible.It's everything you wanted to know about therapy (and quite a few things you probably didn't).Hilarious, honest and helpful. Dr Alex George, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mind ManualRaw and honest. It will change the way you think about and treat your own mental health. Dr Nicole LePera, New York Times number one bestselling author of How to Do the WorkAn amazing and important book. Practical, profound, entertaining and enlightening. Cathy Rentzenbrink, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Last Act of Love
And I Darken (And I Darken #1)
by Kiersten White<p>This vividly rendered novel reads like HBO's Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. Ambitious in scope and intimate in execution, the story's atmospheric setting is rife with political intrigue, with a deftly plotted narrative driven by fiercely passionate characters. <p>Fans of Victoria Aveyard's <i>The Red Queen</i>, Kristin Cashore's <i>Graceling</i>, and Sabaa Tahir's <i>An Amber in the Ashes</i> won't want to miss this visceral, immersive, and mesmerizing novel, the first in a trilogy. <p>No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets. <p>Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who's expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he's made a true friend--and Lada wonders if she's finally found someone worthy of her passion. <p>But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against--and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point. <p>From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes the first book in a dark, sweeping new series in which heads will roll, bodies will be impaled . . . and hearts will be broken.