- Table View
- List View
Terrible But True: Awful Events In American History
by Dinah WilliamsTerrible But True invites readers to explore some of the weird, fascinating, scary, and altogether strange stories from America's past.Think American history is all boring battles and snooze-worthy old dudes? Think again!Welcome to Terrible But True, where you'll dig deep into America's forgotten past to uncover some creepy, disgusting, and just plain bizarre stories. From America's first serial killers and deadly vampire-like diseases to haunted ghost ships and vicious river pirates, our nation's history is weirder than you could have ever imagined. So dive in and prepare to be shocked, because sometimes the truth is even stranger than fiction.
Giddy Barber Explodes in 11
by Dina HavranekThe hilarious and heartening story of a teen girl who makes several astonishingly terrible decisions in an effort to find the support she needs.Giddy Barber knows with certainty she&’s going to become a mechanical engineer. What she doesn't know is the last time she smiled.With her parents overworked and unavailable, it falls to Giddy to make sure her siblings stay on track. But she&’s exhausted. When you&’re the person everyone else turns to, what do you do when you hit a wall?Giddy finds an answer online—if you can&’t handle how things are going, shake them up. Is it sound advice? Unclear. But is Giddy willing to try anything? Absolutely. Putting eleven days on the clock, she&’ll change her routine. But soon it becomes clear that some problems are bigger than what an online column can fix—her family is fracturing, her anxiety is mounting, and all she knows is this: Something. Has. To. Give.In Dina Havranek&’s Giddy Barber Explodes in 11, a long-time teacher dives into the issues of depression, overwork, and lack of support many of her students are dealing with. In a results-obsessed society, how much are we demanding of teens? And what happens when their burdens become too much?
Clientelism, Social Policy, and the Quality of Democracy
by Diego Abente Brun, Larry DiamondWorld-renowned scholars explore how political clientelism works and evolves in the context of modern developing democracies.What happens when vote buying becomes a means of social policy? Although one could cynically ask this question just as easily about the United States’s mature democracy, Diego Abente Brun and Larry Diamond ask this question about democracies in the developing world through an assessment of political clientelism, or what is commonly known as patronage. Studies of political clientelism, whether deployed through traditional vote-buying techniques or through the politicized use of social spending, were a priority in the 1970s, when democratization efforts around the world flourished. With the rise of the Washington Consensus and neoliberal economic policies during the late-1980s, clientelism studies were moved to the back of the scholarly agenda. Abente Brun and Diamond invited some of the best social scientists in the field to systematically explore how political clientelism works and evolves in the context of modern developing democracies, with particular reference to social policies aimed at reducing poverty.Clientelism, Social Policy, and the Quality of Democracy is balanced between a section devoted to understanding clientelism’s infamous effects and history in Latin America and a section that draws out implications for other regions, specifically Africa, Southeast Asia, and Eastern and Central Europe. These rich and instructive case studies glean larger comparative lessons that can help scholars understand how countries regulate the natural sociological reflex toward clientelistic ties in their quest to build that most elusive of all political structures—a fair, efficient, and accountable state based on impersonal criteria and the rule of law.In an era when democracy is increasingly snagged on the age-old practice of patronage, students and scholars of political science, comparative politics, democratization, and international development and economics will be interested in this assessment, which calls for the study of better, more efficient, and just governance.
Earnestly Contending: Religious Freedom and Pluralism in Antebellum America
by Dickson D. Bruce Jr.In Earnestly Contending, Dickson Bruce examines the ways in which religious denominations and movements in antebellum America coped with the ideals of freedom and pluralism that exerted such a strong influence on the larger, national culture. Despite their enormous normative power, these still-evolving ideals—themselves partly religious in origin—ran up against deeply entrenched concerns about the integrity of religious faith and commitment and the role of religion in society. The resulting tensions between these ideals and desires for religious consensus and coherence would remain unresolved throughout the period.Focusing on that era’s interdenominational competition, Bruce explores the possibilities for and barriers to realizing ideals of freedom and pluralism in antebellum America. He examines the nature of religion from the perspectives of anthropology and cognitive sciences, as well as history, and uses this interdisciplinary approach to organize and understand specific tendencies in the antebellum period while revealing properties inherent in religion as a social and cultural phenomenon. He goes on to show how issues from that era have continued to play a role in American religious thinking, and how they might shed light on the controversies of our own time.
My Revision Notes: Cambridge Technicals Level 3 Business Epub
by Dianne Wainwright Diane MitchellTarget success in Cambridge Technical Level 3 Business with this proven formula for effective, structured revision. Key content coverage is combined with exam-style tasks and practical tips to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge.With My Revision Notes, every student can:- plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner- consolidate subject knowledge by working through clear and focused content coverage- test understanding and identify areas for improvement with regular 'Now Test Yourself' tasks and answers- improve exam technique through practice questions, expert tips and examples of typical mistakes to avoid- get exam ready with extra quick quizzes and answers to the practice questions available online.
Creepy & Maud
by Dianne TouchellHilarious and heartbreaking, Creepy & Maud charts the relationship between two social misfits, played out in the space between their windows. Creepy is a boy who watches from the shadows keenly observing and caustically commentating on human folly. Maud is less certain. A confused girl with a condition that embarrasses her parents and assures her isolation. Together Creepy and Maud discover something outside their own vulnerability — each other's. But life is arbitrary; and loving someone doesn't mean you can save them. Creepy & Maud is a blackly funny and moving first novel that says; 'You're ok to be as screwed up as you think you are and you're not alone in that.'
Intervention Research: Designing, Conducting, Analyzing, and Funding
by Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk Dianne Morrison-BeedyThis book is a practical, user-friendly guide for health care researchers across multiple disciplines who are involved in intervention research. It provides all of the essential elements needed for understanding how to design, conduct, analyze, and fund intervention studies that are replicable and can withstand the scrutiny of the Institutional Review Board and peer review. Developed from an annual continuing education workshop on intervention studies conducted by Dr. Melnyk, this text is the most comprehensive body of information available on this topic. Contributors address the design of interventions that are ethically considerate and sensitive to culture, race/ethnicity, and gender, minimizing threats to external and internal validity, measurement, and budgeting. The guide explores such implementation issues as subject recruitment and retention, data management, and specialized settings, cost analysis, and explaining intervention effects. The text also guides readers in writing grant applications that fund, and addresses how to move intervention study findings into the real world. A unique addition to the book is the availability of digital examples of progress reports, final reports, and research grant applications that have received funding from the National Institutes of Health and other relevant organizations. This text is a valuable resource for all health care professionals conducting research and for doctoral students in health care studies. Key Features: Presents the essential tools for designing, conducting, analyzing, and funding intervention studies Designed for use by health care professionals conducting intervention research Provides comprehensive, accessible guidelines for doctoral students across all health care disciplines Instructs readers on writing grant applications that fund Includes digital examples of funded research grants, progress reports, and final reports.
From Workshop to Waste Magnet: Environmental Inequality in the Philadelphia Region
by Diane SicotteLike many industrialized regions, the Philadelphia metro area contains pockets of environmental degradation: neighborhoods littered with abandoned waste sites, polluting factories, and smoke-belching incinerators. However, other neighborhoods within and around the city are relatively pristine. This eye-opening book reveals that such environmental inequalities did not occur by chance, but were instead the result of specific policy decisions that served to exacerbate endemic classism and racism. From Workshop to Waste Magnet presents Philadelphia's environmental history as a bracing case study in mismanagement and injustice. Sociologist Diane Sicotte digs deep into the city's past as a titan of American manufacturing to trace how only a few communities came to host nearly all of the area's polluting and waste disposal land uses. By examining the complex interactions among economic decline, federal regulations, local politics, and shifting ethnic demographics, she not only dissects what went wrong in Philadelphia but also identifies lessons for environmental justice activism today. Sicotte's research tallies both the environmental and social costs of industrial pollution, exposing the devastation that occurs when mass quantities of society's wastes mix with toxic levels of systemic racism and economic inequality. From Workshop to Waste Magnet is a compelling read for anyone concerned with the health of America's cities and the people who live in them.
The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education
by Diane RavitchA passionate plea to preserve and renew public education, The Death and Life of the Great American School System is a radical change of heart from one of America’s best-known education experts. Diane Ravitch—former assistant secretary of education and a leader in the drive to create a national curriculum—examines her career in education reform and repudiates positions that she once staunchly advocated. Drawing on over forty years of research and experience, Ravitch critiques today’s most popular ideas for restructuring schools, including privatization, standardized testing, punitive accountability, and the feckless multiplication of charter schools. She shows conclusively why the business model is not an appropriate way to improve schools. Using examples from major cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, and San Diego, Ravitch makes the case that public education today is in peril. Ravitch includes clear prescriptions for improving America’s schools:leave decisions about schools to educators, not politicians or businessmendevise a truly national curriculum that sets out what children in every grade should be learningexpect charter schools to educate the kids who need help the most, not to compete with public schoolspay teachers a fair wage for their work, not “merit pay” based on deeply flawed and unreliable test scoresencourage family involvement in education from an early ageThe Death and Life of the Great American School System is more than just an analysis of the state of play of the American education system. It is a must-read for any stakeholder in the future of American schooling.
Theory and Treatment Planning in Family Therapy: A Competency-Based Approach
by Diane R. GehartTHEORY AND TREATMENT PLANNING IN FAMILY THERAPY: A COMPETENCY-BASED APPROACH prepares readers for the realities of practicing therapy. This book's outcomes-based approach engages readers in an active learning process, introducing family therapy theories using theory-specific case conceptualization and treatment planning. These assignments empower readers to apply theoretical concepts and develop real-world skills as early as possible in their training. The author uses a down-to-earth style to explain concepts in clear and practical language. She also includes extensive discussions about how diversity issues and research inform contemporary practice of family therapy.
Assistive Technology For People With Disabilities (Second Edition)
by Diane Pedrotty Bryant Brian R. BryantAssistive Technology for People with Disabilities, Second Edition, includes eight comprehensive chapters that focus on devices and software to enhance the lives and promote the independence of people with disabilities. Updated with new research, content and features to address current developments in the field, the book approaches assistive technology and education in a lifespan, multidisciplinary manner by discussing the use of current technology in the fields of special education, rehabilitation, speech-language pathology, and other disciplines. Featured devices and software will help you understand how areas such as mobility, communication, education, independent living, and access to information media affect learning and living for individuals with disabilities. You will also gain a great understanding of the foundational and historical perspectives of AT, assessment, universal design, and the ADAPT framework, which is a tool to help educators make decisions about appropriate AT, student needs, and the demands of the environment. Developed from the authors' years of experience teaching both K-12 students and adults, as well as their own framework for understanding assistive technology application and integrating technology into instruction, this new edition addresses assistive technology that promotes knowledge and skills, practical application and a myriad of opportunities that good technology provides for persons with disabilities.
Braille Literacy: A Functional Approach
by Diane P. WormsleyWormsley (program director, Professional Preparation Program in Education of Children with Visual and Multiple Disabilities, Pennsylvania College of Optometry) describes an approach to braille reading and writing instruction based on students' individual interests, needs, and goals. She offers general guidelines for a functional approach to braille literacy, then offers case studies of how the program can be modified for at-risk learners. The approach works with children and adults learning braille for the first time. B&w photos of instructional materials are included. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Superstorm Sandy
by Diane C. BatesSandy was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history after Katrina, but the waters had barely receded from the Jersey coast when massive efforts began to "Restore the Shore." Why do people build in areas open to repeated natural disasters? And why do they return to these areas in the wake of major devastation? Drawing on a variety of insights from environmental sociology, Superstorm Sandy answers these questions as it looks at both the unique character of the Jersey Shore and the more universal ways that humans relate to their environment. Diane C. Bates offers a wide-ranging look at the Jersey Shore both before and after Sandy, examining the many factors--such as cultural attachment, tourism revenues, and governmental regulation--that combined to create a highly vulnerable coastal region. She explains why the Shore is so important to New Jerseyans, acting as a key cultural touchstone in a state that lacks a central city or even a sports team to build a shared identity among the state's residents. She analyzes post-Sandy narratives about the Jersey Shore that trumpeted the dominance of human ingenuity over nature (such as the state's "Stronger than the Storm" advertising campaign) or proclaimed a therapeutic community ("Jersey Strong")--narratives rooted in emotion and iconography, waylaying any thought of the near-certainty of future storms. The book also examines local business owners, politicians, real estate developers, and residents who have vested interests in the region, explaining why the Shore was developed intensively prior to Sandy, and why restoration became an imperative in the post-storm period. Engagingly written and insightful, Superstorm Sandy highlights the elements that compounded the disaster on the Shore, providing a framework for understanding such catastrophes and preventing them in the future.
Lying in the Deep
by Diana UrbanA juicy thriller of jealousy, love, and betrayal set on a Semester at Sea-inspired cruise ship, with a diverse cast of delightfully suspicious characters who&’ll leave you guessing with every jaw-dropping twist.After being jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn't be more ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime—11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship—and to wedge an entire globe between her and the people who broke her heart.But when Jade discovers the backstabbing couple are also setting sail, her obsession with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their friends begin to drop like flies, Jade and her new crush must race to clear her name and find the killer they&’re trapped at sea with….before anyone else winds up in body bags.Perfect for readers of Natalie D. Richards, E. Lockhart, and Karen McManus!
Under the Surface
by Diana UrbanAn epic survival-thriller about four teens who get lost in the Paris catacombs for days—a gripping and propulsive story of love, danger, betrayal, and hope… even when all seems lost."Tense and fast-moving, with a unique setting and compelling characters, Under the Surface is Diana Urban&’s best yet."—Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is LyingRuby is terrified to cave to her feelings for Sean and risk him crushing her heart. Sean is pumped to spend a week with Ruby in Paris on their senior class trip, and he&’ll wait however long until she&’s ready to take things further.But when Ruby&’s best friend sneaks out the first night to meet a mysterious French boy, Ruby goes after her with two classmates, but caves to another temptation: attending mystery boy&’s exclusive party in the Paris catacombs, the intricate web of tunnels beneath the city, home to six million long-dead Parisians. Only they never reach the party.Underground, as something sinister chases them, they get lost in the endless maze of bones, uncovering dark secrets about the catacombs…..and each other. And if they can&’t find a way out, they&’ll die in the dark beneath the City of Light. Aboveground, Sean races to find the girl he loves as a media frenzy over the four missing teens begins.From award-winning author and rising YA star Diana Urban comes a twisty tale of four teens lost in the dark beneath the City of Light and the race to find them.
Iron Dads: Managing Family, Work, and Endurance Sport Identities
by Diana Tracy CohenAmong the most difficult athletic events a person can attempt, the iron-distance triathlon--a 140.6 mile competition--requires an intense prerace training program. This preparation can be as much as twenty hours per week for a full year leading up to a race. In Iron Dads, Diana Tracy Cohen focuses on the pressures this extensive preparation can place on families, exploring the ways in which men with full-time jobs, one or more children, and other responsibilities fit this level of training into their lives. An accomplished triathlete as well as a trained social scientist, Cohen offers much insight into the effects of endurance-sport training on family, parenting, and the sense of self. She conducted in-depth interviews with forty-seven iron-distance competitors and three prominent men in the race industry, and analyzed triathlon blog postings made by Iron Dads. What sacrifices, Cohen asks, are required--both at home and at work--to cross the iron-distance finish line? What happens when work, family, and sport collide? Is it possible for fathers to meet their own parenting expectations while pursuing such a time-consuming regimen? With the tensions of family economics, how do you justify spending $5,000 on a racing bike? At what point does sport become work? Cohen discovered that, by fostering family involvement in this all-consuming effort, Iron Dads are able to maintain a sense of themselves not only as strong, masculine competitors, but also as engaged fathers. Engagingly written and well researched, Iron Dads provides a penetrating, firsthand look at extreme endurance sports, including practical advice for aspiring racers and suggestions for making triathlons more family-friendly.
Sex Offenders, Stigma, and Social Control
by Diana RickardThe 1990s witnessed a flurry of legislative initiatives--most notably, "Megan's Law"--designed to control a population of sex offenders (child abusers) widely reviled as sick, evil, and incurable. In Sex Offenders, Stigma, and Social Control, Diana Rickard provides the reader with an in-depth view of six such men, exploring how they manage to cope with their highly stigmatized role as social outcasts. The six men discussed in the book are typical convicted sex offenders--neither serial pedophiles nor individuals convicted of the type of brutal act that looms large in public perceptions about sex crimes. Sex Offenders, Stigma, and Social Control explores how these individuals, who have been cast as social pariahs, construct their sense of self. How does being labeled in this way and controlled by measures such as Megan's Law affect one's identity and sense of social being? Unlike traditional criminological and psychological studies of this population, this book frames their experiences in concepts of both deviance and identity, asking how men so highly stigmatized cope with the most extreme form of social marginality. Placing their stories within the context of the current culture of mass incarceration and zero-tolerance, Rickard provides a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between public policy and lived experience, as well as an understanding of the social challenges faced by this population, whose re-integration into society is far from simple or assured. Sex Offenders, Stigma, and Social Control makes a significant contribution to our understanding of sex offenders, offering a unique window into how individuals make meaning out of their experiences and present a viable--not monstrous--social self to themselves and others.
Heiress Apparently (Daughters of the Dynasty)
by Diana MaDiana Ma’s Heiress Apparently is the first book in the epic and romantic Daughters of the Dynasty YA series following the fictionalized descendants of the only officially recognized empress regent of China. Gemma Huang is a recent transplant to Los Angeles from Illinois, having abandoned plans for college to pursue a career in acting, much to the dismay of her parents. Now she’s living with three roommates in a two-bedroom hovel, auditioning for bit roles that hardly cover rent. Gemma’s big break comes when she’s asked to play a lead role in an update of M. Butterfly filming for the summer in Beijing. When she arrives, she’s stopped by paparazzi at the airport. She quickly realizes she may as well be the twin of one of the most notorious young socialites in Beijing. Thus kicks off a summer of revelations, in which Gemma uncovers a legacy her parents have spent their lives protecting her from—one her mother would conceal from her daughter at any cost. “More than a cute rom-com, this novel highlights LGBTQ+ rights, contemporary attitudes held by Chinese citizens, Chinese history, Hollywood’s ethnic prejudices, and pride in culture and family. . . this is a fun start to a promising series.” —Booklist Daughters of the Dynasty series:Heiress ApparentlyHer Rebel Highness
Social Welfare: Politics And Public Policy
by Diana M. Dinitto David H. JohnsonAcknowledged as the most comprehensive, easy-to-read introduction to social welfare policy available, Social Welfare: Politics and Public Policy, 8/e, emphasizes the current political aspects of policy making and major social welfare programs, including public assistance, Social Security, disability, health insurance, child welfare, and much more. Social Welfare does more than describe the major social welfare policies and programs; it also tackles the conflict and controversies involved in the processes and outcomes of policy making. It contrasts rational and political approaches to policy making, policy analysis, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. The authors present conflicting perspectives, encouraging students to think critically, to debate, and to consider their own views on issues.
Choke
by Diana LopezA heartfelt novel about the disturbing "choking game" trend -- and one girl's struggle for self-acceptance.If she could -- if her parents would let her -- eighth-grader Windy would change everything about herself. She'd get highlights in her hair, a new wardrobe; she'd wear makeup. But nothing ever changes. The mean girls at school are still mean, and Windy's best friend Elena is still more interested in making up words than talking about boys. And then one day, Windy gets the change she's been looking for. New girl Nina -- impossibly cool, confident, and not afraid of anyone -- starts hanging out with Windy! Nina even wants to be "breath sisters." Windy isn't sure what that means, exactly, but she knows she wants to find out. It sounds even better than a BFF. Windy is right, at first. Being a breath sister gains her a whole new set of friends, girls she feels closer to and cooler with than anyone else. But her inclusion in the new crowd comes at a dangerous price. Windy wants to change everything about her life ... but is she really willing to give up everything in the process?
Slice of Cherry
by Dia ReevesPerfect for fans of Lisa Frankenstein and Bones and All, this &“brutally beautiful&” (Cassandra Clare) coming-of-rage horror novel about girl villains and monstrosity follows two sisters…and their growing body count—now with a brand-new look!Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, confidantes, and accomplices. Daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that&’s just the way they like it. But in their otherworldly East Texan town, where the weird and wild run rampant, they are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around. Despite their mother&’s efforts to curtail their worst impulses, Kit and Fancy eventually give into their deepest, most secret desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren&’t killing just anyone—only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father and know that any shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a gateway into another world, she opens a door to the perfect body disposal…and to endless possibilities.
Golwalkar: The Myth Behind the Man, The Man Behind the Machine
by Dhirendra K JhaFROM THE AUTHOR OF GANDHI'S ASSASSIN &‘A compelling portrait of M. S. Golwalkar.&’—Thomas Blom Hansen&‘…[biography of] one of the most secretive public figures of post-independence India.&’—Chistophe Jaffrelot&‘A disturbing book, because of its revelations on the inner working of the RSS.&’—Mridula Mukherjee Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, or Guruji as he is reverentially referred to by his followers, is regarded as the demi-god of Hindutva politics and often accorded a status higher than even the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, K. B. Hedgewar. In 1940, when 34-year-old Golwalkar unexpectedly assumed charge of the RSS on Hedgewar&’s death, the Hindu militia was still in its nascent stage, with pockets of influence mainly in Maharashtra. Under Golwalkar&’s leadership over the next three decades, the RSS and its allied organizations, known as the Sangh Parivar, extended its network across the entire country and penetrated almost every aspect of Indian society. Golwalkar&’s ideological influence was enormous—and it did not end with his death. Golwalkar&’s prescriptions in his incendiary book We or Our Nationhood Defined, published in 1939, now became central to the ideological training and radicalization of youth dedicated to the idea of a Hindu Rashtra. Here, Golwalkar prescribed a solution to India&’s &‘minority problem&’ based on the Nazi treatment of Jews in the Third Reich. As Dhirendra K. Jha conclusively establishes in this book, this would eventually provide the core of the Sangh&’s credo and, as events in the recent past have borne out, have a lasting influence on Indian politics. Drawing from a wealth of original archival material and interviews, the deeply researched and scholarly Golwalkar: The Myth Behind the Man, the Man Behind the Machine pierces through the many legends built around the man in the biographies written by his loyalists during his own lifetime. Jha traces Golwalkar&’s path from a directionless youth to a demagogue who plotted to capture political power by countering the secularist vision of nationalist leaders from Nehru to Gandhi. Ambitious, insecure, tactical and secretive—Jha draws a compelling and sinister portrait of one of the most prominent Hindutva leaders, and of the RSS and its worldview that evolved under him.
Automata and Computability
by Dexter C. KozenThis textbook provides undergraduate students with an introduction to the basic theoretical models of computability. Students who have already some experience with elementary discrete mathematics will find this a well-paced first course. Plenty of exercises are provided, ranging from the easy to the challenging.
The Mauryas: Chandragupta to Ashoka: The Backstories, The Sagas, The Legacies
by Devika RangachariFrom c. 324 BCE to c. 185 BCE, the Mauryas controlled almost the entire Indian subcontinent with efficiency and administrative finesse. Beginning with the origins of Magadha in the sixth century BCE, this definitive book on the Mauryas captures the drama, the colourful betrayals and the intrigues of the Mauryan dynasty in Magadha, starting with its enigmatic founder, Chandragupta Maurya, and his even more enigmatic mentor, Chanakya/ Kautilya, who helped him to get the throne. Chandragupta&’s son and heir, Bindusara, is an extremely shadowy, elusive figure in the historical narrative of the Mauryas. Sandwiched between his well-known father and his even more well-known son, Ashoka, Bindusara has slipped through the cracks of known history. Yet the little bits of evidence that we glean about him from varied sources suggest a ruler of power and foresight. A man of eclectic and whimsical tastes, even, who ensured that his heir would inherit a vaster empire than he did. Ashoka, Bindusara&’s son, was not only the most powerful Mauryan ruler but also one of the best-known monarchs in Indian history. There are several wildly imaginative tales that document his transition from Ashoka the Fierce to Ashoka the Contrite, consequent on the battle of Kalinga in c. 261 BCE where, horrified at the bloodshed, he underwent a radical personal and spiritual transformation and documented this fact all over his empire through inscriptions on pillars and rocks that have endured till today—a brilliant, pioneering method of communication. An incisive wit and humour makes Devika Rangachari&’s The Mauryas sparkle even when it is disentangling grave accounts of significant battles or tedious details of city planning. Culling details from secular and religious literary traditions, Graeco-Roman accounts and archaeological evidence to elucidate this lesser-known period of our ancient past, The Mauryas concludes with an analysis of the enduring legacy of this remarkable dynasty and its strong resonances in our present.
Cat People
by Devapriya RoyIn Karachi, a writer house-sits for her father and his cat, while keeping track of his - the cat&’s - list of obsessions: ironed white sheets, kheer, KFC fries, warm custard, finely chopped sausages, and the flaky tops of chicken patties. In San Francisco, a couple adopt a cat, without anticipating what it will do to their relationship. In Noida, a cat and two dogs line up peacefully every morning for their daily dose of vitamin syrup. In Bombay, a lyricist and screenwriter roots through the litter tray first thing in the morning, to investigate if his cat&’s UTI is better. In wintry London, a young millennial wonders if she is actually a cat.Capturing the many moods of felines and their humans, in many forms and voices, Cat People, is a timely celebration of the most memed creature today: the cat. This collection of short stories, personal essays, lists, original art and photographs is are a treat, not just for cat lovers everywhere, but for all who love a story well-told – and, on occasion, a theory well-spun.