Mother Country

Mother Country
Author: Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff
Publisher: Headline
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2018-10-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472261895

***LONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 JHALAK PRIZE*** A leading new exploration of the Windrush generation featuring David Lammy, Lenny Henry, Corinne Bailey Rae, Sharmaine Lovegrove, Hannah Lowe, Jamz Supernova, Natasha Gordon and Rikki Beadle-Blair. For the pioneers of the Windrush generation, Britain was 'the Mother Country'. They made the long journey across the sea, expecting to find a place where they would be be welcomed with open arms; a land in which you were free to build a new life, eight thousand miles away from home. This remarkable book explores the reality of their experiences, and those of their children and grandchildren, through 22 unique real-life stories spanning more than 70 years. "The story of Windrush, is, like any other, a story of humanity. Of life, love, struggle, hope, misery, success and failure. It's one that is too often neglected in our media ... but this volume acts as a remedy to that failure of story-telling, which I ask you to both savour and share." - David Lammy MP Contributors include: Catherine Ross, Corinne Bailey-Rae, David Lammy, Gail Lewis, Hannah Lowe, Howard Gardner, Jamz Supernova, Kay Montano, Kemi Alemoru, Kimberley McIntosh, Lazare Sylvestre, Lenny Henry, Maria del Pilar Kaladeen, Myrna Simpson, Naomi Oppenheim, Natasha Gordon, Nellie Brown, Paul Reid, Riaz Phillips, Rikki Beadle-Blair, Sharmaine Lovegrove, Sharon Frazer-Carroll.

Mother Country

Mother Country
Author: Irina Reyn
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2019-02-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1250076048

Starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly Award-winning author Irina Reyn explores what it means to be a mother in a world where you can't be with your child Nadia's daily life in south Brooklyn is filled with small indignities: as a senior home attendant, she is always in danger of being fired; as a part-time nanny, she is forced to navigate the demands of her spoiled charge and the preschooler's insecure mother; and as an ethnic Russian, she finds herself feuding with western Ukrainian immigrants who think she is a traitor. The war back home is always at the forefront of her reality. On television, Vladimir Putin speaks of the "reunification" of Crimea and Russia, the Ukrainian president makes unconvincing promises about a united Ukraine, while American politicians are divided over the fear of immigration. Nadia internalizes notions of "union" all around her, but the one reunion she has been waiting six years for - with her beloved daughter - is being eternally delayed by the Department of Homeland Security. When Nadia finds out that her daughter has lost access to the medicine she needs to survive, she takes matters into her own hands. Mother Country is Irina Reyn's most emotionally complex, urgent novel yet. It is a story of mothers and daughters and, above all else, resilience.

My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter

My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter
Author: Aja Monet
Publisher: Haymarket Books
Total Pages: 167
Release: 2017-05-01
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 1608467686

I am 27 and have never killed a man but I know the face of death as if heirloom my country memorizes murder as lullaby —from “For Fahd” Textured with the sights and sounds of growing up in East New York in the nineties, to school on the South Side of Chicago, all the way to the olive groves of Palestine, My Mother Is a Freedom Fighter is Aja Monet’s ode to mothers, daughters, and sisters—the tiny gods who fight to change the world. Complemented by striking cover art from Carrie Mae Weems, these stunning poems tackle racism, sexism, genocide, displacement, heartbreak, and grief, but also love, motherhood, spirituality, and Black joy. Praise for Aja Monet: ““[Monet] is the true definition of an artist.” —Harry Belafonte ““In Paris, she walked out onto the stage, opened her mouth and spoke. At the first utterance I heard that rare something that said this is special and knew immediately that Aja Monet was one of the Ones who will mark the sound of the ages. She brings depth of voice to the voiceless, and through her we sing a powerful song.” —Carrie Mae Weems Of Cuban-Jamaican descent, Aja Monet is an internationally established poet, performer, singer, songwriter, educator, and human rights advocate. Monet is also the youngest person to win the legendary Nuyorican Poet’s Café Grand Slam title.

My Mother's Island

My Mother's Island
Author: Marnie Mueller
Publisher:
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2002
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

"While caring for her mother, Sarah has a series of vivid flashbacks that reveal the troubled history of the Ellis family, including episodes of abuse. In these revived memories, Sarah relives her childhood trauma and moves toward a deeper understanding of her mother as well as the parental tensions that clouded her youth."--BOOK JACKET.

Dreams for my Country

Dreams for my Country
Author: Pedro Vilanculo
Publisher: Europa Edizioni
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2024-07-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

A Mozambican who has hope in the possibility of the progress of his country and Africa, in “Dreams for my Country”, Pedro Vilanculo unapologetically unveils the nature and origins of the challenges of his country and proposes a new mindset and a new deal for Mozambique and by extension for Africa towards building a better and shared future for all and for the generations to come. Dreams for my Country is a conduit for the educated Mozambicans and Africans, the like of those the author has interacted with in Africa, North America and Europe who are hungry for change in their countries and for the continent. It is a book that the leadership of the Western World and Asia and their think tanks, diplomats, strategists and policy makers can’t ignore, if they want to understand the mindset and priorities of the African leaders of tomorrow and the new rules of engagement. Contrary to the common approaches, Dreams for my Country calls Mozambicans and Africans to take full responsibility for our failures and sees developing confidence in ourselves, a mindset shift and coming about with a clear and definite long-term agenda as a solution that will bring change and prosperity. Pedro Vilanculo was born and raised in the small Mozambican town of Vilankulo, a territory named after his ancestors. Despite his unfavorable origins he grew up believing in a future that could be better- and today he expands his hope for a Mozambique and Africa that will prosper and deliver for the people. He had the privilege of studying in different countries and his educational background includes in the areas of law and management. Pedro is a Chevening Alumnus, and he currently lives in Luxembourg.

Esperanza Rising (Scholastic Gold)

Esperanza Rising (Scholastic Gold)
Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0545532345

A modern classic for our time and for all time-this beloved, award-winning bestseller resonates with fresh meaning for each new generation. Perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Rita Williams-Garcia. Pura Belpre Award Winner * "Readers will be swept up." -Publishers Weekly, starred review Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--because Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

Mother Country

Mother Country
Author: Marilynne Robinson
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2011-04-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1429944730

At the time when Robinson wrote this book, the largest known source of radioactive contamination of the world's environment was a government-owned nuclear plant called Sellafield, not far from Wordsworth's cottage in the Lakes District; one child in sixty was dying from leukemia in the village closest to the plant. The central question of this eloquently impassioned book is: How can a country that we persist in calling a welfare state consciously risk the lives of its people for profit. Mother Country is a 1989 National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction.

Where the Light Gets In

Where the Light Gets In
Author: Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2016-04-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1101902965

“The relationship between a mother and daughter is one of the most complicated and meaningful there is. Kimberly Williams-Paisley writes about her own with grace, truth, and beauty as she shares her journey back to her mother in the wake of a devastating illness.” —Brooke Shields Many know Kimberly Williams-Paisley as the bride in the popular Steve Martin remakes of the Father of the Bride movies, the calculating Peggy Kenter on Nashville, or the wife of country music artist, Brad Paisley. But behind the scenes, Kim was dealing with a tragic secret: her mother, Linda, was suffering from a rare form of dementia that slowly crippled her ability to talk, write and eventually recognize people in her own family. Where the Light Gets In tells the full story of Linda’s illness—called primary progressive aphasia—from her early-onset diagnosis at the age of 62 through the present day. Kim draws a candid picture of the ways her family reacted for better and worse, and how she, her father and two siblings educated themselves, tried to let go of shame and secrecy, made mistakes, and found unexpected humor and grace in the midst of suffering. Ultimately the bonds of family were strengthened, and Kim learned ways to love and accept the woman her mother became. With a moving foreword by actor and advocate Michael J. Fox, Where the Light Gets In is a heartwarming tribute to the often fragile yet unbreakable relationships we have with our mothers.

My Country, 'Tis of Thee

My Country, 'Tis of Thee
Author: Keith Ellison
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2014-01-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1451666896

As the first Muslim elected to Congress, Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison explores what it's like to be an American in the twenty-first century. As a Black, Latino, and former Catholic who converted to Islam, Keith Ellison, is the first Muslim elected to Congress—from a district with fewer than 1 percent Muslims and 11 percent Blacks. With his unique perspective on uniting a disparate community and speaking to a common goal, Ellison takes a provocative look at America and what needs to change to accommodate different races and beliefs. Filled with anecdotes, statistics, and social commentary, Ellison touches on everything from the Tea Party to Obama, from race to the immigration debate and more. He also draws some very clear distinctions between parties and shows why the deep polarization is unhealthy for America. Deeply patriotic, with My Country ’Tis of Thee, Ellison strives to help define what it means to be an American today.