Silence Was Salvation

Roughly ten million children were victims of political repression in the Soviet Union during the Stalinist era, the sons and daughters of peasants, workers, scientists, physicians, and political leaders considered by the regime to be dangerous to the political order. Ten grown victims, who as children suffered banishment, starvation, disease, anti-Semitism, and trauma resulting from their parents' condemnation and arrest, now freely share their stories. The result is a powerful and moving oral history that will profoundly deepen the reader's understanding of life in the U.S.S.R. under the despotic reign of Joseph Stalin.

Winner, 2023 Clifford Geertz Prize in Anthropology of Religion, Society for the Anthropology of Religion The Jahriyya Sufis—a primarily Sinophone order of Naqshbandiyya Sufism in northwestern China—inhabit a unique religious soundscape. The hallmark of their spiritual practice is the “loud” (jahr) remembrance of God in liturgical rituals featuring distinctive melodic vocal chants. The first ethnography of this order in any language, The Sound of Salvation draws on nearly a decade of fieldwork to reveal the intricacies and importance of Jahriyya vocal recitation. Guangtian Ha examines how the use of voice in liturgy helps the Jahriyya to sustain their faith and the ways it has enabled them to endure political persecution over the past two and a half centuries. He situates the Jahriyya in a global multilingual network of Sufis and shows how their characteristic soundscapes result from transcultural interactions among Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and Chinese Muslim communities. Ha argues that the resilience of Jahriyya Sufism stems from the diversity and multiplicity of liturgical practice, which he shows to be rooted in notions of Sufi sainthood. He considers the movement of Jahriyya vocal recitation to new media forms and foregrounds the gendered opposition of male voices and female silence that structures the group’s rituals. Spanning diverse disciplines—including anthropology, ethnomusicology, Islamic studies, sound studies, and media studies—and using Arabic, Persian, and Chinese sources, The Sound of Salvation offers new perspectives on the importance of sound to religious practice, the role of gender in Chinese Islam, and the links connecting Chinese Muslims to the broader Islamic world.

Now with a new afterword by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI! In a time when technology penetrates our lives in so many ways and materialism exerts such a powerful influence over us, Cardinal Robert Sarah presents a bold book about the strength of silence. The modern world generates so much noise, he says, that seeking moments of silence has become both harder and more necessary than ever before. Silence is the indispensable doorway to the divine, explains the cardinal in this profound conversation with Nicolas Diat. Within the hushed and hallowed walls of the La Grande Chartreux, the famous Carthusian monastery in the French Alps, Cardinal Sarah addresses the following questions: Can those who do not know silence ever attain truth, beauty, or love? Do not wisdom, artistic vision, and devotion spring from silence, where the voice of God is heard in the depths of the human heart? After the international success of God or Nothing, Cardinal Sarah seeks to restore to silence its place of honor and importance. "Silence is more important than any other human work," he says, "for it expresses God. The true revolution comes from silence; it leads us toward God and others so as to place ourselves humbly and generously at their service."

It's easier to control tears than fear. ⠀It's easier to suffer in silence than ask for help. ⠀It's easier to be loved than to love.⠀Nadia has a past. A messy past full of grief, suffering, and regret. Broken and fragile, she's scared to share her secrets and struggles to move on.Until he comes along. A handsome face; an athletic build; the strength he emanates. He's everything she needs to regain control of her emotions. He's the flicker of light at the end of a dark tunnel. ⠀But she refuses to take advantage of what he offers, too scared it'll backfire.⠀Thomas carries a burden. A heavy burden that left him numb. He hides behind the mask of a playboy, refusing to feel, convinced that fate made a mistake and his job is to fix it. In his orderly world, there's no place for joy and happiness.Until she comes along. A beautiful face; a petite body; a sea of sadness in her eyes. She flips his world upside down with one look, and maybe - just maybe, there is a reason why he's still breathing. ⠀Except she's his best friend's off-limits little sister and if he touches her, she might just be the reason he stops breathing.★★★★★"This book is an emotional roller coaster let me put that out there first, but in the best way. I was hooked from the first few pages and couldn't put this book down."-S. Red ★★★★★"Their love is forbidden and hard-fought, and I kept wanting more and more..."-Ange★★★★★"I'm not even sure where to start! The slow burn that builds up to their relationship made the story so incredible!"-Narissa

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Big Sea" by Langston Hughes. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.