Maras

Sensational headlines have publicized the drug trafficking, brutal violence, and other organized crime elements associated with Central America's mara gangs, but there have been few clear-eyed analyses of the history, hierarchies, and future of the mara phenomenon. The first book to look specifically at the Central American gang problem by drawing on the perspectives of researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds, Maras: Gang Violence and Security in Central America provides much-needed insight. These essays trace the development of the gangs, from Mara Salvatrucha to the 18th Street Gang, in Los Angeles and their spread to El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua as the result of members' deportation to Central America; there, they account for high homicide rates and threaten the democratic stability of the region. With expertise in areas ranging from political science to law enforcement and human rights, the contributors also explore the spread of mara violence in the United States. Their findings comprise a complete documentation that spans sexualized violence, case studies of individual gangs, economic factors, varied responses to gang violence, the use of intelligence gathering, the limits of state power, and the role of policy makers. Raising crucial questions for a wide readership, these essays are sure to spark productive international dialogues.

As the leader of the Star Corps, the galaxy's elite peacekeeping force, Mara Keres was respected throughout the stars. But now, betrayed by her oldest friend, Kottura, she finds herself rotting in a prison cell, surrounded by the criminals she put away. When all seems lost, her new cellmates offer her a chance at escape. She'll take anything she can get her hands on, but is it a trap? Before she can make her move, Kottura reveals her long-held plans. The galaxy is in shambles, and it needs a new leader. Kottura is convinced the crown belongs to her. And Mara is the key to making it happen. With the galaxy on the brink of destruction, will Mara be the key to saving it or causing its downfall? Buy now and find out!

vejk represents one of the most unique and successful survival strategies ever conceived by man. Joseph Heller said that if it weren't for his having read The Good Soldier vejk he would never had written his American novel Catch-22. The only Czech book on most 100 Best Books of the 20th Century lists. This is a new translation by Zdenek K. Sadlon and Emmett M. Joyce. The Good Soldier vejk is a picaresque series of tales about an ordinary man's successful quest to survive, and to enjoy life in the face of the endless absurdities imposed on him by the effects of the complex institutions of modern society that magnify the rational and moral shortcomings of individuals in direct proportion to their positions in the hierarchies they are a part of. "Like Diogenes, vejk lingers at the margins of an unfriendly society against which he is defending his independent existence." - Peter Steiner "Those people who wanted the novel banned in the newly independent Czechoslovakia (after World War I) and elsewhere, some of whom succeeded, were quite correct to see it as more than a satire on war and militarism (although it is that, as well, of course) the book is a very funny but unrelentingly savage assault on the very idea of bureaucratic officialdom as a human enterprise conferring benefits on those who live under its control and, equally important, on the various justifications such bureaucracies offer for their own existence." - Ian Johnston

A testament to the power of stories, and how they may bring hope even in times of darkness. "Everyone gathers around, and from her lips to their ears the stories go, and for a little while the camp disappears, and for a little while they are all free." As night falls, the women gather their children to listen to Mara tell her stories. They are stories of light and hope and freedom, stories of despair and stories of miracles, stories of expected pain and stories of unexpected joy--all told in the darkness of the concentration camp barracks. Through extensive research noted in the back of the book, Gary Schmidt has skillfully woven together stories from such sources as the Jewish religious scholar, Martin Buber, Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel; and folklorists, Steve Zeitlin and Yaffa Eliach. Combining lore of the past with tales born in the concentration camps, Mara's stories speak to us from a time that must never be forgotten.

Were dragons and humans ever really friends? A young dragon called Mara intends to find out. She sets out to locate the Old One, a wise and ancient dragon, hoping he can answer her question. But soon she, a wise-cracking magpie called Eagle-beak and a head strong prince called Cameron, become embroiled in a struggle for the very survival of their world.This is a prize winning fantasy for children (age 9-13) and the young of heart. If you liked Dragon Rider, you'll love this. Check out the preview- it won't disappoint!

A charming new Irish saga seriesA jilted bride to be, a woman with a secret past and a pesky red fox...Take a break you'll never forget at O'Mara's Manor House--the Georgian Guesthouse in the heart of Dublin's Fair City. Its cozy and elegant setting is where you'll fall in love with a cast of characters who'll stay with you long after you finish the book. Oh, and a full Irish breakfast is included.If Aisling O'Mara hadn't winged her way home to the Emerald Isle to take over the running of the family guesthouse she'd never have met Marcus, and her heart wouldn't have been broken. She's been trying to put her life back together since he left, but now he's back and says he's sorry. Can she trust him again?Una Brennan's booked into the guesthouse she used to walk past each morning when she was a girl full of hopes and dreams for her happy ever after. She left Dublin more than fifty years ago vowing she'd never set foot in the city again. Why did she leave and what's brought her back?Meanwhile, the little red fox who raids the bins outside O'Mara's basement kitchen door at night would like to know why the woman in Room 1, cries herself to sleep each night.Witty, sad, and insightful with a touch of romance. Come and stay at O'Mara's.

In this thrilling and epic YA fantasy debut, the only hope for a city trapped in the eye of a cursed storm lies with the daughter of failed revolutionaries and a prince terrified of his throne. Vesper Vale is the daughter of revolutionaries. Failed revolutionaries. When her mother was caught by the queen’s soldiers, they gave her a choice: death by the hangman’s axe, or death by the Storm that surrounds the city and curses anyone it touches. She chose the Storm. And when the queen’s soldiers—led by a paranoid prince—catch up to Vesper’s father after twelve years on the run, Vesper will do whatever it takes to save him from sharing that fate. Even arm herself with her father’s book of dangerous experimental magic. Even infiltrate the prince’s elite squad of soldier-sorcerers. Even cheat her way into his cold heart. But when Vesper learns that there’s more to the story of her mother’s death, she’ll have to make a choice if she wants to save her city: trust the devious prince with her family’s secrets, or follow her mother’s footsteps into the Storm.

The lovely and spirited Mara Haviland, heiress to a large English estate, finds her world overturned when she is betrayed by a powerful man, and she must journey -- first across Cromwell's war-torn 1640s Britain, then to the dangers of the New World -- in her quest to restore her rightful life and regain the man she loves. Mara will evade soldiers, cross a dangerous ocean, confront angry colonists, and navigate between the men who adore her, all for a chance at redemption. At 440 pages and 137,000 words, "Mara Haviland" is a sprawling, page-turning saga of romance and revenge. Writing as Suzanne W. Hull, Sue wrote two non-fiction books: "Chaste, Silent & Obedient: English Books for Women 1475-1640" (1982, 1988), and "Women According to Men: The World of Tudor-Stuart Women" (1996, in Japanese 2003), both available at Amazon.com. She was a director of the Huntington Library, where she founded its Women's Studies Group, and president of the YWCA of Los Angeles. She died in 2006.