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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.
The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System
by James RickardsThe next financial collapse will resemble nothing in history. . . . Deciding upon the best course to follow will require comprehending a minefield of risks, while poised at a crossroads, pondering the death of the dollar.The U.S. dollar has been the global reserve currency since the end of World War II. If the dollar fails, the entire international monetary system will fail with it. But optimists have always said, in essence, that confidence in the dollar will never truly be shaken, no matter how high our national debt or how dysfunctional our government.In the last few years, however, the risks have become too big to ignore. While Washington is gridlocked, our biggest rivals—China, Russia, and the oil-producing nations of the Middle East—are doing everything possible to end U.S. monetary hegemony. The potential results: Financial warfare. Deflation. Hyperinflation. Market collapse. Chaos.James Rickards, the acclaimed author of Currency Wars, shows why money itself is now at risk and what we can all do to protect ourselves. He explains the power of converting unreliable investments into real wealth: gold, land, fine art, and other long-term stores of value.
The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks
by Randall RobinsonThe national bestseller by the author of Defending the Spirit.In this powerful and controversial book, distinguished African-American political leader and thinker Randall Robinson argues for the restoration of the rich history that slavery and segregation severed. Drawing from research and personal experience, he shows that only by reclaiming their lost past and proud heritage can blacks lay the foundation for their future. And white Americans can make reparations for slavery and the century of racial discrimination that followed with monetary restitution, educational programs, and the kinds of equal opportunities that will ensure the social and economic success of all its citizens.In a book that is both an unflinching indictment of past wrongs and an impassioned call to our nation to educate all Americans about the history of Africa and its people, Robinson makes a persuasive case for the debt white America owes blacks, and the debt blacks owe themselves.
The Decadent Duke (The Peer of the Realm Trilogy #1)
by Virginia HenleyThe New York Times bestselling author of Notorious From the New York Times bestselling author comes an epic Regency love story, filled with all the sensuality, glitter, and drama that Virginia Henley?s readers have come to expect. Lady Georgina?s four sisters have all married prominent dukes or earls, and much to her dismay and frustration, she is expected to make an even better match. Georgina?s mother has no doubt who her daughter should marry: Francis Russell, Duke of Bedford. The dull duke does absolutely nothing for Georgina, but despite her best efforts, she finds herself engaged to marry him. But Georgina cannot deny the passionate sparks between herself and a different man?John Russell, the duke?s younger brother. . . .
The Deceiver's Heart (The Traitor's Game #2)
by Jennifer A. NielsenCritically acclaimed author Jennifer A. Nielsen delivers the gripping second installment of her New York Times bestselling epic young adult fantasy.In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Traitor's Game, Kestra Dallisor has finally gained possession of the Olden Blade. With the dagger in her control, she attempts to destroy the tyrannical Lord Endrick. But when Kestra fails, the king strips her of her memory, and leaves her weak and uncertain, bound to obey him. Heartbroken, Simon is desperate to return Kestra to the rebel she was, but refuses to use magic to heal her. With untrusting Coracks and Halderians threatening to capture and kill her, and war looming on the horizon, Kestra and Simon will have to learn to trust each other again if they have any hope of surviving. But can a heart once broken ever be healed?The Deceiver's Heart marks a stunning return to Jennifer A. Nielsen's gorgeously rendered world of Antora and all its treachery and magic.
The Deception (Shadow of the Unicorn #2)
by Suzanne De MontignySixty years after the unicorns’ narrow escape from extinction, Azaria's Legacy has gone wrong. The new generation barely exists, hidden in the depths of the forest. Their cruel and ruthless leader, Icarus, threatens them daily with Jaresh, an invisible being capable of taking away their powers. Angry, the young colt Ulysees and his friend Téo rebel, following an old, abandoned trail where they’re discovered by humans. Now the entire herd must flee. But Ulysees learns there’s a far greater danger than humans when he meets a giant creature who warns him of impending doom…
The Deck of Omens (The Devouring Gray #2)
by C. L. HermanThis thrilling fantasy will draw in fans of The Raven Cycle and Stranger Things, as the fearless May Hawthorne finds danger waiting for her at every corner. Though the Beast is seemingly subdued for now, a new threat lurks in Four Paths: a corruption seeping from the Gray into the forest. And with the other Founders preoccupied by their tangled alliances and fraying relationships, only May Hawthorne seems to realize the danger. But saving the town she loves means seeking aid from the person her family despises most—her father, Ezra Bishop. May's father isn't the only newcomer in town—Isaac Sullivan's older brother has also returned, seeking forgiveness for the role he played in Isaac's troubled past. But Isaac isn't ready to let go of his family's history, especially when that history might hold the key that he and Violet Saunders need to destroy the Gray and the monster within it. Harper Carlisle isn't ready to forgive, either. Two devastating betrayals have left her isolated from her family and uncertain who to trust. As the corruption becomes impossible to ignore, Harper must learn to control her newfound powers in order to protect Four Paths. But the only people who can help her do that are the ones who have hurt her the most. With the veil between the Gray and the town growing ever thinner, the Founder descendants must put their grievances with one another aside to stop the corruption and kill the Beast once and for all. But the monster they truly need to slay may never been the Beast . . .
The Decoy Princess
by Dawn CookThe Princess Contessa of Constenopolie has just learned of her true identity-that of an orphan adopted and raised as a decoy to protect the real princess. That doesn't make Contessa less of a royal target.
The Deep (Ingo #3)
by Helen DunmoreSapphire lives in two worlds. On land she walks the rocky shores of the Cornwall coast—but under the sea she can swim like a seal by the side of her Mer friend Faro. Now both of Sapphy's worlds are threatened. In the profound depths of the ocean, where the Mer cannot go, a monster called the Kraken is stirring. He has the power to sweep Ingo away and shake the land from its foundation. Because of her mixed blood, Sapphire can enter the Deep. With a great whale as her guide, she will journey to a place so far from the sun, no light can find it—and confront an evil that's even darker.
The Deep Beyond (Alliance-Union Universe)
by C. J. CherryhThis omnibus volume combines two Alliance-Union novels: Hugo Award nominee Cuckoo’s Egg and Locus Best Novel Award nominee Serpent’s Reach. In Cuckoo’s Egg: They named him Thorn. They told him he was of their people, although he was ugly in their eyes, strange, sleek-skinned instead of furred, clawless, different. Yet he was of their power class: judge-warriors, the elite, the defenders. Thorn knew his difference was important—but not important enough to prevent murderous conspiracies against him, his protector, his caste, and perhaps against the peace of the world. But when Thorn finally learned what his true role in life was to be, that on him might hang the future of two worlds, then he had to stand alone to justify his very existence. In Serpent’s Reach: Raen a Sul Meth-maren was very young when the machinations of her distant kin erupted into a bloodbath. Years passed and Raen bided her time. Then, on a voyage to the outermost planet of the Reach, Raen encountered Betas with an intriguing tale to tell, an Azi unlike any other, and a Blue Warrior who remembered her contribution to the Hive mind. And she knew her time had come….
The Deep Blue Between
by Ayesha Harruna AttahTwin sisters Hassana and Husseina have always shared their lives. But after a raid on their village in 1892, the twins are torn apart. Taken in different directions, far from their home in rural West Africa, each sister finds freedom and a new start. Hassana settles in in the city of Accra, where she throws herself into working for political and social change. Husseina travels to Salvador, Brazil, where she becomes immersed in faith, worshipping spirits that bridge the motherland and the new world. Separated by an ocean, they forge new families, ward off dangers, and begin to truly know themselves. As the twins pursue their separate paths, they remain connected through their shared dreams. But will they ever manage to find each other again? “Uplifting . . . sizzles with sister-love and magic. What an incredible storyteller!”—Yaba Badoe, author of A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars
The Deep Dark: A Graphic Novel
by Molly Knox OstertagFrom Molly Knox Ostertag, writer-illustrator of the New York Times and ABA Indie bestselling The Witch Boy trilogy and The Girl from the Sea, comes a darkly beautiful story of identity, family, love, loss, and magic.Everyone has secrets. Mags’s has teeth.Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school, but she already feels like an adult with serious responsibilities: caring for her ailing grandmother; working a part-time job; clandestine makeouts with a girl who has a boyfriend. And then there’s her secret, which pulls her into the basement each night, drains her of energy, and leaves her bleeding. A secret that could hurt and even kill if it ever got out -- like it did once before.So Mags keeps her head down, isolated in her small desert community. That is, until her childhood friend Nessa comes back to town, bringing vivid memories of the past, an intoxicating glimpse of the future, and a secret of her own. Mags won’t get attached, of course. She’s always been strong enough to survive without anyone’s help.But when the darkness starts to close in on them both, Mags will have to drag her secret into the daylight, and choose between risking everything... or having nothing left to lose.
The Deepest Cut
by Natalie Flynn"Powerful and moving. The story and characters will stay with me for a long time." – Keris Stainton‘You haven’t said a single word since you’ve been here. Is it on purpose?’ I tried to answer David but I couldn’t … my brain wanted to speak but my throat wouldn’t cooperate…Adam blames himself for his best friend’s death. After attempting suicide, he is put in the care of a local mental health facility. There, too traumatized to speak, he begins to write notebooks detailing the events leading up to Jake’s murder, trying to understand who is really responsible and cope with how needless it was as a petty argument spiralled out of control and peer pressure took hold.Sad but unsentimental, this is a moving story of friendship and the aftermath of its destruction.
The Defector (Gabriel Allon #9)
by Daniel SilvaGrigori Bulganov once saved Gabriel Allon's life in Moscow-and Allon always repays his debts. So when the former Russian intelligence officer vanishes, Allon gathers his team of operatives to go after those responsible. But, in a running battle that rages across the globe, Allon soon realizes that his enemy may already hold the key to victory. And that if he continues, it will cost him more than he can bear...
The Defender
by Alan GibbonsGuns, violence, mob rule or defending the cause? We all have choices. Or do we? Who would choose blood, sacrifice and exile? At the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland Ian's dad did. He thought he was fighting for a cause, for his people. But the price was too high - after the murder of his sister's husband and his own wife's death, he's paying for trying to get out. Somewhere along the line the cause got blurred by organised crime and revenge, and all it's left is a bitter taste. He's still a target, still a victim. Now he faces a lifetime of running with nowhere to go and constantly putting at risk the son he loves.This page turner tackles a controversial topic head-on and makes powerful and memorable reading.
The Defiant: The Forsaken Trilogy (The Forsaken Trilogy)
by Lisa M. StasseIn this gripping conclusion to The Forsaken Trilogy, Alenna’s loyalties are put to a test of life and death.Alenna Shawcross and the others who escaped the wheel are working toward an all-out assault on the United Northern Alliance. The plan is to dismantle it from the inside—and Alenna is one of the few people who can access the organization’s inner sanctum. But when she returns to the home she has nearly forgotten, she encounters old friends and is swept into a secret plan that puts everything she loves in danger.Knowing what is at stake for her and her friends, Alenna ventures into the heart of the treacherous UNA. She’s determined to bring them down, because freedom is the only choice. Or is it?“Reminiscent of both The House of the Scorpion and The Hunger Games,” says VOYA, who recommends The Defiant if you “enjoy dystopian tales with a touch of science.”
The Delinquent Housewife, 1 (The Delinquent Housewife!)
by Nemu YokoA family comedy manga about a high school boy and his sister in law who moves in, who has a BIG secret from her past.Tohru Komukai and his bride-to-be, Komugi, move in with his family just until they find a place of their own. Or, that was the plan, until Tohru suddenly leaves for a long-term business trip overseas, leaving Komugi to fend for herself on her in-laws&’ turf. While Komugi is pretty, considerate and appears to be an ideal housewife, the truth is she doesn&’t know how to do a lick of housework, and can&’t cook at all. Also, she has a secret past as a member of an all-girls bosozoku biker gang! The only member of the family to learn these secrets is Dai, Tohru&’s younger brother, and he helps Komugi keep up appearances until she can learn how to hold her own as a domestic goddess…
The Delinquent Housewife, 3 (The Delinquent Housewife!)
by Nemu YokoDai finds his crush on his sister-in-law Komugi growing by the day. But suddenly, Dai&’s classmate Yoshino kisses him—right in front of Komugi, no less! Komugi, totally oblivious to Dai&’s true feelings, starts pushing him to pursue Yoshino. While Dai wants to set the record straight, he also comes to realize that dating Yoshino would be healthier anyway, so he invites her out on a date. Meanwhile, Yoshino, aware of Dai&’s crush on Komugi, drafts a plan to defeat her rival…
The Delta Anomaly (Star Trek: Starfleet Academy)
by Rick BarbaThe year is 2250, and it has been six months since James Kirk joined Starfleet Academy. A rebellious young man, Kirk is used to doing things his way--and whenever he feels like it. However, the Academy is changing him little by little, showing him how to transform his headstrong attitude and ambition into qualities that make him a leader. Kirk's behavior often brings him to clash with another Starfleet Academy member, a half-Vulcan, half-human named Spock. This book series will delve into the lives and relationships of Kirk and the other recruits at the Academy, their training, their missions, and their romances. In The Delta Anomaly, a shocking San Francisco crime shakes up Starfleet Academy, entangling Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, and Spock…. and turns out to have chilling intergalactic implications.
The Demographic Cliff: How to Survive and Prosper During the Great Deflation of 2014-2019
by Harry S. DentBestselling author and financial guru Harry Dent shows why we're facing a "great deflation" after five years of desperate stimulus -- and what to do about it nowThroughout his long career as an economic forecaster, Harry Dent has relied on a not-so-secret weapon: demographics. Studying the predictable things people do as they age is the ultimate tool for understanding trends. For instance, Dent can tell a client exactly when people will spend the most on potato chips. And he can explain why our economy has risen and fallen with the peak spending of generations, and why we now face a growing demographic cliff with the accelerating retirement of the Baby Boomers around the world.Dent predicted the impact of the Boomers hitting their highest growth in spending in the 1990s, when most economists saw the United States declining. And he anticipated the decline of Japan in the 1990s, when economists were proclaiming it would overtake the U.S. economy.But now, Dent argues, the fundamental demographics have turned against the United States and will hit more countries ahead. Inflation rises when a larger than usual block of younger people enter the workforce, and it wanes when large numbers of older people retire, downsize their homes, and cut their spending. The mass retirement of the Boomers won't just hold back inflation; it and massive debt deleveraging will actually cause deflation--weakening the economy the most from 2014 into 2019.Dent explores the implications of his controversial predictions. He offers advice on retirement planning, health care, real estate, education, investing, and business strategies. For instance . . .BUSINESSES should get lean and mean now. Identify segments that you can clearly dominate and sell off or shut down others. If you don't, the economy will do it for you, more painfully and less profitably.INVESTORS should sell stocks by mid-January 2014 and look to buy them back in 2015 or later at a Dow as low as 5,800.FAMILIES should wait to buy real estate in areas where home prices have gone back to where the bubble started in early 2000.GOVERNMENTS need to stop the endless stimulus that creates more bubbles and kills the middle class, and should assist in restructuring the unprecedented debt bubble of 1983-2008.Dent shows that if you take the time to understand demographic data, using it to your advantage isn't all that difficult. By following his suggestions, readers will be able to find the upside to the downturn and learn how to survive and prosper during the most challenging years ahead.
The Demon Catchers of Milan
by Kat BeyerMia's ordinary life is disrupted for good in the most horrifying way possible when she is possessed by a hungry and powerful demon--and saved only by the arrival of relatives from Italy, the country her grandfather fled many decades ago. Now her cousins, the charming and gorgeous Emilio and stern, elderly Giuliano, say the only way to keep Mia safe is for her to come back with them to Milan, to live, to learn Italian, to fall in and out of love, and to master the family trade: fighting all demons with the ancient lore of bell, book, and candle. Milan is not what Mia expected, but it will change her forever.
The Demon King: Collecting The Demon King, The Exiled Queen, The Gray Wolf Throne, And The Crimson Crown (Seven Realms #1)
by Cinda Williams ChimaNew York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima presents the first installment in a thrilling new fantasy series, in which the lives of Han Alister and the brave Princess Raisa collide in a magical and dangerous adventure.One day Han Alister catches three young wizard setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet away from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against him. The amulet once belonged to the Demon King, who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece so powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana'Marianna has her own battle to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of riding and hunting with her father's family. Raia aspires to be like Hanalea, the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems that her mother has other plans for her-plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning page-turner from best-selling author Cinda Williams Chima.
The Demon Princes
by Jack VanceThis contains the five novels in the series: The Star Kings;The Killing Machine; The Palace of Love; the Face; and The Book of Dreams. Kit Gersen seeks revenge for the los of his whole family by trying to kill the five most powerful people in the galaxy.
The Demon's Covenant (The Demon's Lexicon Trilogy #2)
by Sarah Rees BrennanMae has always thought of herself as in control, but in the last few weeks her life has radically changed. She’s learned that her brother Jamie has magical powers—and Gerald, the new leader of the Obsidian Circle, is trying to persuade Jamie to join the magicians. Even worse…Jamie hasn’t told Mae a thing about any of it.Mae turns to brothers Nick and Alan to help her rescue Jamie, but they are in danger from Gerald themselves because he wants to steal Nick’s powers. Will Mae be able to find a way to save them all from the power-hungry magician’s devious trap?
The Demonata #3: Slawter (The Demonata #3)
by Darren ShanLights. Camera. Slawter!Grubbs Grady and his half-brother Bill-E are thrilled to join their uncle Dervish as onset consultants for the newest movie by cult horror producer David A Hayms. Shot in a deserted town renamed Slawter, the demon-themed movie is to be Hayms's masterpiece. But as strange incidents disrupt the set, Grubbs begins to wonder whether more than filming is afoot.