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Sacred Places, Sacred Teachings: Following the Footsteps of the Buddha
by Khenchen Konchog GyaltshenA guide to following the footsteps of the Buddha—for the pilgrim in India and at home.The holy sites of India—Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Shravasti, and others— became holy because the Buddha blessed them by performing his enlightened activities there. When we become holy through our practice of the Buddha&’s instructions, then the places we go will be made holy, too. Through meditation practice, we can realize and capture what the Buddha described as the profundity of the mind, which is completely peaceful, free from elaboration, luminous, and uncompounded. In this wise, heartfelt, and indispensable guide, Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen takes us on a journey through the major holy sites for Buddhist pilgrimage by offering profound teachings related to each of the sacred places. In Bodh Gaya, the site of the Bodhi tree and the Buddha&’s enlightenment, we learn of how the Buddha became enlightened and what it means to take refuge in him; we uncover the profundity of emptiness at the site where the Buddha expounded the Heart Sutra; at the place of the Buddha&’s passing, we learn that the legacy of his vast teachings came about through his perfection of bodhicitta—a core quality we can master, too. In chapters based on these and other sacred places, we find that the wisdom the Buddha uncovered is available to us all. The Buddha discovered total satisfaction, the ultimate achievement, and left instructions on how we, too, can achieve the same. We already have this great path; we just have to follow it. In that way, we experience the joy of following the footsteps of the Buddha.
How Do I Wonder?
by Gianna DavyThrough lyrical text and vivid images, How Do I Wonder? invites young readers to open the door to their miraculous minds, exploring the wacky and wonderful 'What-ifs' and 'Whys' of the world around—and within—them."A thought-provoking tale with a much-needed message: The mind is a place of limitless wonders."—Kirkus Reviews A book can be a powerful tool to spark creativity and imagination. Do snails view turtles as slow? Why is water wet? From the author of No One Owns the Colors comes an entertaining and beautifully illustrated picture book that shows children how to ask questions that help them see the world in a different way. Written and illustrated for all children, each page showcases a diverse and engaging world and helps kids ages 4-8 develop a growth mindset. Let the silly prompts show how the joy of a simple question can entertain the mind and spirit, no matter where you happen to be. • Curriculum Connection—Creative prompts help open up pathways to discovery and spark a catalyst to classroom engagement. • Infinite Curiosity—Teach the innate sense of wonder that demonstrates joy is everywhere, not just in a certain place. • Evocative Words—The lyrical text is entertaining to read and the vivid imagery helps keep the curiosity in children flowing. Start helping your little ones see the world in a new way with How Do I Wonder?
Killer Story: The Truth Behind True Crime Television
by Claire St. AmantFollow a journalist and TV producer from 48 Hours and 60 Minutes as she carves out a career in the ruthless, knives-out world of true crime television . . . one killer story at a time.Serial killers. Homicidal spouses. Sociopathic criminals. Claire St. Amant has met them all. She spent nearly a decade in network television chasing the biggest true crime stories in the country, including the murder of Chris Kyle, plastic-surgeon-turned-murder-for-hire suspect Thomas Michael Dixon, the Parkland high school mass shooting, the disappearance of Christina Morris, and serial killer Samuel Little. Bringing a true crime story to network television requires quick thinking and tenacious stamina, and in her debut memoir, Claire offers true crime fans a rare in-depth look from the other side of the yellow tape. In Killer Story, readers will learn what it really takes to get these gripping cases on the air with insights such as: How it feels to share space with a dead-eyed murderer Which TV show has a reputation for &“eating their young&” How reporters win over skeptical cops and reluctant lawyers Why TV journalists are always racing against the clock—and competitor sabotage What happens when a district attorney decides journalists have committed a felony The unresolved crimes that still haunt Claire to this day This eye-opening look behind the scenes of true crime television offers an unforgettable read—and a window into the daily reality of investigative journalism.
Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution: A Handbook for Entrepreneurs, Updated Edition
by Uri LevineA Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
Medicinal Lichens: Indigenous Wisdom and Modern Pharmacology
by Robert Dale Rogers• Explores more than 400 species of lichens, alongside full-color photos• Shows the ways that indigenous peoples of North America have traditionally used lichens for food, clothing, dye, paint, and medicine• Explains in detail the scientific research behind the potency of lichen chemicals to heal many human conditionsLichens—a symbiosis of fungi, algae, bacteria, and yeast—can grow on nearly any surface and thrive in an extremely wide range of environments, including on the International Space Station. Used for millennia by Indigenous people, lichens are now being recognized by modern science for their unique medicinal potential, particularly against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, viruses, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.In Medicinal Lichens, Robert Dale Rogers explores more than 400 species of North American lichens, including full-color photographic examples. He explains how lichens are members of the Fungi kingdom and, surprisingly, more biologically related to humans than to plants. He looks at what types of lichens we can find in geographic regions and habitats and shows how lichens are an indicator species, revealing the health of the environment and neighboring life forms, including that of humans. Rogers also explores each lichen chemical&’s healing properties, showing how pharmacological researchers are rediscovering the ancient wisdom of lichens long known by Indigenous peoples.Showcasing the benefits as well as the beauty of lichens, this book demonstrates how lichens are the perfect example of strength, cooperation, and harmonious living—Indigenous wisdom with the power to inform our modern way of life.
Ancient Bovillae: History, Art, and Archaeology of a Lost City in the Roman Hinterland
by UnknownAncient Bovillae is the first comprehensive study in English about the ancient city south of Rome that flourished for centuries before eventual abandonment. After its peak of prosperity and influence in the first and second centuries CE, Bovillae went into steady decline as an urban center, then disappeared as an identifiable physical entity during the Middle Ages, and finally came to suffer complete abandonment in modern times. Despite previous archaeological inquiries, no major study on Bovillae has appeared in any language other than Italian, nor has there been one as comprehensive as this volume's examination. Ancient Bovillae goes well beyond the work of any previous publication by gathering together all known evidence about the city from the ancient, medieval, and modern ages, with contributors analyzing the significance of Bovillae in art, architecture, religion, and history. Written by a distinguished team of scholars and featuring nearly one hundred images of artifacts, monuments, and technical drawings associated with Bovillae, this book boldly pieces together evidence about the history, art, and archaeology of Bovillae. It draws attention to Bovillae’s significance within the Roman world as well as its transformation and decline in the post-Roman era.
Lecture Notes in Analog Electronics: Testing and Diagnosis of Analog and Mixed-Signal Electronic Circuits (Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering #1265)
by Vančo B. LitovskiProf. Vančo Litovski was born in 1947 in Rakita, South Macedonia, Greece. He graduated from the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in Niš in 1970 and obtained his M.Sc. in 1974 and his Ph.D. in 1977. He was appointed as a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in 1970 and became a full professor at the same faculty in 1987. He was elected as a visiting professor (honoris causa) at the University of Southampton in 1999. From 1987 until 1990, he was a consultant to the CEO of Ei and was the head of the Chair of Electronics at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in Niš for 12 years. From 2015 to 2017, he was a researcher at the University of Bath.. He received several awards including from the Faculty of Electronic Engineering (Charter in 1980, Charter in 1985, and a Special Recognition in 1995) and the University of Niš (Plaque 1985).
Imagining Modern Poetry: Poetic Modernisms in Taiwan (Sinophone and Taiwan Studies #8)
by Nikky LinThis book offers an in-depth discussion of the evolution of modernist poetry in Taiwan, with a focus on periods preceding and following World War II, and contextualizes the movement within the broader frameworks of Western, Japanese, and Chinese modernism. Through a comparative, dialectical approach, each chapter introduces individual poets and their works to explore key modernist themes such as intellectualism, fudo, pure poetry, translinguistic practice, exile, Cold War cultural ideology, and irony. Despite its significance, Taiwan’s modern poetry has received inadequate scholarly attention within Sinophone language and literature studies; this work aims to address the gap in the literature, offering fresh perspectives and innovative methodological and theoretical frameworks for those interested in Taiwan’s modernist poetic tradition.
The Kaleidoscope of International Law
by Kazuhiro NakataniThis book is a collection of updated and enhanced versions of the author's articles published in English over the past 30 years. It covers a wide range of areas and deals with many practical problems of international law which, despite their diplomatic importance, have been neglected by academics. For example, the book explores the applicability of negotiorum gestio to the planetary climate crisis, international legal problems between sovereign wealth fund holders and recipients, and the possibility of using the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank. Through joint research and discussions with diplomats and government officials, the author came to realise that what really matters in diplomacy is different from what academics are interested in. On the basis of this conviction, he has included here articles which he considers useful not only for the academic study of international law but also for diplomatic practice. This book covers broad areas of international law and also touches on Japanese ideas of international law.
Advances in Photonics Integrated Circuits, LASER and Applications: Proceedings of PHOTONICS 2023, Volume 1 (Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering #1241)
by Jaya Prakash Varun Raghunathan Ambarish GhoshThis book presents the select proceedings of the Biennial Photonics Conference (Photonics 2023) held at IISc, Bengaluru on 5-8 July 2023. It covers topics across multiple areas of photonics, including established areas like optical communication and networks, quantum optics, non-linear and ultrafast photonics, nanophotonics, biophotonics and bioimaging, photonic integrated circuits, fibers and sensors, optical materials and fabrication techniques, optical metrology, and instrumentation, optofluidics, laser applications, optoelectronics. The book also covers emerging areas in photonics, such as THz photonics, structured Light, 2D materials, optomechanics, topological photonics, and AI/ML in photonics. The book will be useful for researchers and professionals interested in the broad field of photonics.
Rural Affective Economies: An Ethnographic Approach to Local Development in Rural Italy
by Michele Filippo FontefrancescoThis book delves into the development trajectories of rural Europe, with a specific focus on Italy. The book addresses the key challenges rural communities face and explores the potential for grassroots development. The concept of affective economy is central to the book, which is introduced and utilized to analyze these dynamics. The book assesses local food heritage and agrifood chains to showcase how these elements can serve as pillars for sustainable local development. It provides tools and methodologies for identifying and documenting food heritage, offering practical insights for public and private stakeholders interested in fostering local economic growth, and shows how emotional and social bonds within communities can drive sustainable growth. This book is a must-read for academics and practitioners passionate about sustainable development who want to envision concrete strategies for rural development.
Populist Identification in Public Discourse: Pakistanis Constructing Pakistaniat (Palgrave Studies in Populisms)
by Ihsan Yilmaz Fizza BatoolBased on semi-structured interviews with ordinary citizens in Pakistan, this book analyses the complex relationship between populism, political identity, and historical experiences in Pakistan, highlighting how populist discourse influences and is influenced by varied interpretations of Pakistaniat - the identification with Pakistan. It introduces a novel theoretical framework for analysing populism in the public sphere, using Laclau's view of populism as a discursive logic and Panizza's definition as a mode of identification. This connection allows for a deeper understanding of how populist constructs form a collective identity amidst diverse demands, particularly through the concept of "the people" as an empty signifier. The book also examines the multiple meanings associated with Pakistani identity and their ties to the rise of populism, addressing gaps in existing literature regarding the demand side of populism and its impact on both politicians and the public.
Green Nudging: Der Schlüssel zur nachhaltigen Veränderung (Edition Nachhaltig wirtschaften)
by Andrea Rumler Laura WagnerDieses Buch zeigt, wie man nachhaltiges Verhalten durch kleine, gezielte Anstöße – sogenannte Nudges – effektiv fördert. Zunächst führen die Autorinnen in die Bedeutung und Dringlichkeit nachhaltiger Veränderungen ein. Danach beleuchten sie die psychologischen Prinzipien, die dem Nudging-Ansatz zugrunde liegen, und stellen verschiedene Formen des Green Nudgings vor. Erfolgreiche Praxisbeispiele veranschaulichen die Wirkung dieses Ansatzes. Abschließend werden die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen von Green Nudging diskutiert und ein Ausblick auf zukünftige Potenziale gegeben. Die Autorinnen liefern allen, die nachhaltiges Handeln in Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft vorantreiben möchten, praxisnahe Einblicke und Werkzeuge, mit denen sie Green Nudging in verschiedenen Kontexten erfolgreich einsetzen können.
Intelligent Systems: Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Machine Learning, IoT and Big Data (ICMIB 2024), Volume 2 (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems #1149)
by George Ghinea Siba Kumar Udgata Sanjay Kumar Kuanar Srinivas SethiThis book features best selected research papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Machine Learning, Internet of Things and Big Data (ICMIB 2024) held at GIET University, Gunupur, India, during 8–10 April 2024. It comprises high-quality research work by academicians and industrial experts in the field of machine learning, mobile computing, natural language processing, fuzzy computing, green computing, human–computer interaction, information retrieval, intelligent control, data mining and knowledge discovery, evolutionary computing, IoT and applications in smart environments, smart health, smart city, wireless networks, big data, cloud computing, business intelligence, Internet security, pattern recognition, predictive analytics applications in health care, sensor networks and social sensing, and statistical analysis of search techniques.
Wilhelm I as German Emperor: Staging the Kaiser (Palgrave Studies in Modern Monarchy)
by Frederik Frank SterkenburghThis book offers the first-ever scholarly study of Wilhelm I as Germany’s first Kaiser. For decades, Wilhelm has been dismissed by historians as a political nullity and an unwilling imperial figurehead, who was perpetually overruled by chancellor Otto von Bismarck. As a result, scholars concluded that the imperial role did not reach maturity until the accession of Wilhelm II. This book challenges this assumption by analysing how Wilhelm used self-staging to effectuate his role as German emperor and set the precedent for his successors, Friedrich III and Wilhelm II. It explores how he oversaw and intervened in the political and military decision-making processes, his use of politics of history, his understanding and practicing of the imperial role towards other German states and dynasties, his self-presentation in the new German capital, and how his public persona was distorted in German cultural memory after his death in 1888. The book draws on a wealth of previously unexplored sources, including material from Wilhelm’s personal archive, the archives of the Hohenzollern monarchy, the Prussian state, and local archives. It offers a much-needed reassessment of Wilhelm I and makes an important contribution to debates on the role of the Kaiser in German politics, the political system, and culture of the early German nation state, and how the Hohenzollern monarchy adapted to the demands of generating popular support for its new German imperial role.
Experimental and Clinical Methods in Hepatic Encephalopathy Research (Neuromethods #219)
by Tiziano BalzanoThis volume explores the latest experimental and clinical protocols used to study hepatic encephalopathy (HE). The chapters in this book are organized into three parts, each focusing on different aspects of HE research. Part One covers protocols for diagnosing and monitoring HE in clinical practice. Part Two talks about various animal models and experimental techniques designed to investigate the pathogenesis of HE and evaluate potential treatments. Part Three looks at the underlying mechanisms and pathophysiological processes involved in HE, and presents advanced techniques and strategies for investigating the complex interactions that contribute to HE. In the Neuromethods series style, chapters include the kind of detail and key advice from the specialists needed to get successful results in your laboratory. Cutting-edge and authoritative, Experimental and Clinical Methods in Hepatic Encephalopathy Research provides researchers and clinicians with a comprehensive guide of both experimental and clinical methods, and the mechanisms underlying the complex condition of HE.
Russia, the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights: A Troubled Membership and Its Legacy
by Andrew Forde Ed Bates Kanstantsin DzehtsiarouIn March 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe after 26 years as a member. This timely and in-depth analysis explores Russia's tumultuous relationship with the Council of Europe and European Court of Human Rights. It examines Russia’s membership record and the profound impacts of its expulsion for Europe’s human rights system. The authors provide valuable insights for future policy to safeguard the integrity of international human rights institutions. The book fills an important gap in legal scholarship by exploring the legality and legitimacy of Russia’s membership and expulsion, and represents a key reference in understanding the challenge of protecting human rights in the face of rising authoritarianism.
Wolf Act (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiog)
by AJ RomriellAs a child, AJ Romriell strove to obey his Mormon leaders’ every rule. If he was faithful enough, he was taught, God would remove temptations. But at nineteen, returning home early from his mission after admitting his attraction to men, he was forced to make a decision: either stay the course or work to accept himself fully and risk losing family, community, and the Church he’d devoted his life to. His decision to pursue radical acceptance would turn out to be just one step toward reclaiming his life. Through linked personal essays crafted in lyric, fabulist, and fragmented forms, Wolf Act charts a young man’s transformation. Weaving together wolfish fairy tales and mythology, Mormon theology and practice, piercings and tattoos, cave explorations, ghost stories, and more, Romriell explores a childhood of hiding, a familial reckoning, a religious exodus, and an effort to understand one’s life as worth saving—even when the meaning of the word “saving” must be reimagined.
Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman
by Mallory O'MearaFrom Los Angeles Times bestselling author Mallory O'Meara, the exhilarating story of America's first professional stuntwoman, Helen Gibson, who worked during a time when women ruled Hollywood Helen Gibson was willing to do anything to give audiences a thrill. Advertised as &“The Most Daring Actress in Pictures,&” Helen emerged in the early days of the twentieth-century silent film scene as a rodeo rider, producer, performer and stunt double for iconic stars of the era. Her exploits were as dangerous as they were glamorous, featured in hundreds of films and serials—yet her legacy was quickly overshadowed by the increasingly hypermasculine and male-dominated evolution of action films in the decades that would follow her. In this fast-paced and feminist biography, award-winning author Mallory O'Meara presents Helen&’s life and career in exhilarating detail, including:• Helen&’s rise to fame in The Hazards of Helen, the longest-running serial in history • How Helen became the first-ever stuntwoman in American film • The pivotal and overlooked role of Helen&’s contemporaries—including female directors, stars and stuntwomen who shaped the making of narrative film. Through the page-turning story of Helen&’s pioneering legacy, Mallory O'Meara gives readers a glimpse of the Golden Age of Hollywood that could have been: an industry where women call the shots.
A Curse for the Homesick: A Novel
by Laura Brooke RobsonOn Stenland, there comes a time known as skeld season: when a woman can wake with three black lines on her forehead, the mark of a skeld, and turn anyone she sees to stone. Skeld season comes around without warning, and while each only lasts three months, the people skelds turn to stone are very much dead. That&’s how Tess&’s mother killed Soren&’s parents. Maybe for this reason alone, Tess and Soren should not have fallen in love. Since the time her mother was a skeld, Tess has wanted to leave Stenland, to run from the windswept island, from her family and friends. She is unwilling to bear the responsibility of one day killing anyone, let alone someone she loves. Soren, though, has always been determined to stay, to live out his life in the only place he&’s ever known as home, even if that life could be cut short. They cannot see eye to eye—and yet, they cannot stay apart. She tries to come back for him. He tries to leave for her. But can your love for one person outweigh everything else? And how do you decide how much you&’re willing to risk, if it might mean destroying someone else in the process? Laura Brooke Robson has crafted a fascinating story about the choices we make, the responsibilities we carry, and the ambiguities of regret.
Sapiens [Tenth Anniversary Edition]: A Brief History of Humankind
by Yuval Noah HarariNew York Times Readers’ Pick: Top 100 Books of the 21st CenturyThe tenth anniversary edition of the internationally bestselling phenomenon that cemented Yuval Noah Harari as one of the most prominent historians of our time—featuring a new afterword from the author.One hundred thousand years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens. How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations, and human rights; to trust money, books, and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables, and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come?In Sapiens, Professor Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical—and sometimes devastating—breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural, and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology, and economics, and incorporating full-color illustrations throughout the text, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Can we ever free our behavior from the legacy of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come?Bold, wide-ranging, and provocative, Sapiens integrates history and science to challenge everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our heritage...and our future.
Unconditional: Break Through Past Limits to Transform Your Future
by Kim Pittaway Dr. Samra ZafarLived experience and the science of healing tell the life-changing truth: unlearning is the key to setting yourself free In an inspirational, practical self-help book, bestselling author of A Good Wife Samra Zafar weaves together research and personal stories to share how she has broken free of beliefs that held her back, and how readers can too.After escaping an abusive marriage in her twenties with her two daughters in tow, Samra Zafar thought the biggest challenges she would face would be supporting her family, putting herself through school, working in the corporate world, and rebuilding a support system for herself and her daughters. But she discovered the hardest challenge of all was within her own heart. Her childhood conditioning to criticize her every move paralyzed her from pursuing what she truly wanted, landed her in relationships that held her back rather than lifting her up, and constrained the way she wanted to mother her children. Finally, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she sought help.In Unconditional, Samra shares everything she has learned, as a woman, physician and mother, about unlearning the harmful beliefs we store deep within ourselves. Through the hard work of digging out past trauma, unpacking faulty ideas that no longer serve you, creating healthier neural pathways, and embracing who you truly want to be, you can learn to love yourself—unconditionally.
Maya & Natasha: A Novel
by Elyse DurhamThis stunning debut novel set in the fascinating world of Cold War Soviet ballet follows the fates of twin sisters whose bond is competitive, complicated, but never broken.Maya and Natasha are twin sisters born in the midst of the Siege of Leningrad in 1941 and immediately abandoned by their mother, a prima ballerina at the Kirov Ballet who would rather die than not dance. Taken in by their mother’s best friend at the Kirov, the girls are raised to be dancers themselves. The Vaganova Ballet Academy—and the totalitarian Soviet regime—is the only world they know.In 1958, now seniors at the Vaganova at the height of the Cold War, all Maya and Natasha and their classmates want is to dance with the Kirov, and to join the company on its tour to America next year. But a new law from the Kremlin upends Maya and Natasha’s lives: due to fears of defection, family members may no longer travel abroad together. The Kirov can only accept one of them.Maya, long accustomed to living in her sister’s shadow, accepts her bitter fate, until a new dance partner inspires her to dream bigger and practice harder. For the first time—and at the cruelest possible moment—the sisters are equally matched. And then one sister betrays the other, altering their lives forever and splitting them in two, though neither will stray far from the other’s orbit.As one of the twins pursues her ballet career and experiences a world outside Russia for the first time, the other is cast in an epic film adaptation of War and Peace, produced and financed by the Soviet State. As the Cold War heats up, Maya and Natasha must confront their loyalties: to East versus West; to the government that saved them versus their dreams of freedom; and, always, to each other.
A Wedding in the Lowcountry: A Novel
by Preslaysa WilliamsPreslaysa Williams, author of the “emotionally stirring debut” A Lowcountry Bride (Oprah Daily), returns to the Lowcountry with a heartwarming friends to lovers story about the courage to fall in love again.Avila Rogers’ mother kicked her out of the house as a teenager when a one night stand left her pregnant. So when her mother passes away and Avila must return to Myrtle Beach to get her mother’s house ready to put on the market, her feelings are complicated, to say the least. Things get even more complicated when she runs into her childhood friend, Trevor, who is now a professor at the nearby HBCU. Years ago when Trevor left Myrtle Beach to attend Hampton University, Avila felt abandoned, but it’s clear that their connection hasn’t faded… and may even be something more than the friendship they once shared. As Trevor supports Avila in the wake of her mother’s passing, they have to deal with the feelings that they have for one another. Avila is wary of trusting others—she’s used to taking care of herself and her daughter, but could Trevor hold the key to opening her heart?
Rick Kotani's 400 Million Dollar Summer
by Waka T. BrownOregon Book Award–winning author Waka T. Brown hits a home run in this middle grade novel about a baseball-obsessed twelve-year-old who moves to Oregon to help his grandfather—an elusive old man with a shrouded past—but ends up learning unexpected truths about his family and how they mysteriously parallel the Japanese folktale of Urashima Taro. Rick Kotani is looking forward to spending the entire summer playing baseball. Sure, his team never wins, but he's been practicing a special pitch he knows is going to land him a 400-million-dollar major-league contract . . . someday. That all changes when his mother throws a curveball of her own: Instead of playing ball in California, Rick will be heading to Oregon to help keep an eye on Grandpa Hiroshi while they move him to a retirement home. Trading no-hitters to be a babysitter? Rick is beyond bummed.But once there, Rick discovers Grandpa is actually pretty cool, and the two bond over a Japanese folktale about a fisherman, Urashima Taro, who trades his life on earth for the riches of an underwater kingdom. And like the fisherman, Rick soon forgets about his team back home when he joins a supercompetitive local league that only cares about being the best—at any cost.As the team racks up the wins and Grandpa makes his final move, Rick must decide which ending he wants for his story: Will he fall in line with his ruthless teammates and their victory-obsessed coach in his own "underwater kingdom," or will family, true friendship, and integrity lead him back to shore?