This is a book of many stories, several of them themed on the author's experiences in Africa and/or as a private pilot. Most of them are told in free-flowing verse: but they end rather more conventionally in prose with a real-life African flying adventure. Vic's themes are varied, and his narrative poetry is written in a genuinely fresh poetic style, largely uninterrupted by punctuation, relying on almost anarchic line changes and a very unstructured use of rhyme to achieve its rhythms and emotional power.In complete contrast, his final short story surely stands as a vivid cautionary tale for any novice pilot. It gives a fast-moving first-person account of one near-death experience he had over Africa as an inexperienced pilot in the 1970s, when a basic error of judgement - together with a sudden change in the weather - conspired to leave him lost in an electric storm and confronted by the imminent approach of darkness.

A distinct voice in the nature/nurture debate, Rose's series of essays are a response to the biological reductionism of Richard Dawkins's book, The Selfish Gene (OUP, 1990), which insists that all aspects of human life are in our genes, and everything arises as a consequence of natural selection. Rose argues that life depends on the elaborate web of interactions that occur within cells, organisms, and ecosystems, and in which DNA has but one part to play.

Is there something youve been hiding from me these past couple years? Jack asked, his words cracking. What? Do you have a well-kept secret? Carrie could tell her shrill laughter spooked Jack. She said, finally, Nope. Th is is the child who calls to me in my sleep. Ive told you about him. About a zillion times. She guided Jack into the den Jacks eyes bugged at the baby portrait on the easel in the middle of the room. He stumbled forward, setting his bouquet on the edge of the desk as if he didnt have the strength to hold it another second. Carrie air-kissed the portrait of the cherubic child and introduced him to Jack. Sweetie, meet my former boyfriend. Weve only recently parted ways. You see, Im making way for you, and he, well, hes making way for himself. Carrie stopped, lest Jack think she was berserk and call 911. Jack stared at her for what seemed an eternity before whispering, Darlin, I know youve got this maternal instinct going, but this, its too much. No, Jack. Its not enough. It wont be enough until this child is in my arms and in my life. from Lifelines

This little book contains the wisdom of the ages, and is guaranteed to produce a smile of appreciation at the sheer sense of the proverbs you will find inside. From advice you wish your mother had given you, to things you probably suspected, but had never put into words, Lifelines is a book to be read, absorbed and treasured.—Pearl Cleage, New York Times best selling author of What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day This illustrated treasury of proverbs unites the timeless wisdom of Black communities in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, while speaking to the triumphs and challenges of everyday life. Lifelines: The Black book of Proverbs travels to all corners of the globe to reclaim and preserve African wisdom. This book offers the remarkably wise heart of Africa and her children to readers experiencing career changes, new births, weddings, death, and other rites of passage. Readers will find truth in the African saying, “When the occasion arises, there is a proverb to suit it.” Proverbs are presented in vibrant story-poem form; and are uniquely arranged by key life cycle events such as birth, initiation, marriage, and death. The proverbs can be found under themes such as “wealth”, “parenting”, “change” and “strength.” Inspired illustrations introduce each section along with beautiful vignettes showing how African proverbs comfort, inspire and instruct during different phases of life. Lifelines illuminates how traditions, civilization and spirit survive and thrive, despite centuries of loss of freedom, family, identity, language, land, and wealth. The proverbs offer wisdom for every stage of our lives. Collected in one place as never before, it is the perfect addition to the book shelves of families large and small, from Nairobi to New Orleans and every city in between. From Birth: Every cackling hen was an egg at first. -Rwanda to Marriage: A woman's clothes are the price her husband pays for peace. -Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa (Bantu) and Elderhood: Every time an old man dies it is as if a library has burnt down. -West Africa as well as every stage of life in between, the proverbs found in Lifelines offer the guidance and wisdom to last a life time. Unlike other collections of proverbs, Lifelines hews closely to the cycle of life and draws inspiration from the authors combined 110 years of experience. Askhari Johnson Hodari and Yvonne McCalla Sobers have set out to let their proverbs both tell a story and stand alone. So whether you flip it open to a random page, read it through from start to finish, or go searching for a proverb to match your unique circumstance, you’ll find just the right lifeline to provide the comfort and guidance you’re looking for. From the Hardcover edition.

"A graceful, attentive, and beautiful debut." --George Saunders "Gorgeous...Lifelines has everything you'd want in a book." --Cosmopolitan Named a Best Book of the Summer by O Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune For fans of Meg Wolitzer and Maggie Shipstead: a sweeping debut novel following an American artist who returns to Germany--where she fell in love and had a child decades earlier--to confront her past at her former mother-in-law's funeral. It's 1971 when Louise leaves Oregon for D sseldorf, a city grappling with its nation's horrific recent history, to study art. Soon she's embroiled in a scene dramatically different from the one at home, thanks in large part to Dieter, a mercurial musician. Their romance ignites quickly, but life gets in the way: an unplanned pregnancy, hasty marriage, the tense balance of their creative ambitions, and--finally, fatally--a family secret that shatters Dieter, and drives Louise home. But in 2008 she's headed to Dieter's mother's funeral. She never returned to Germany, and has since remarried, had another daughter, and built a life in Oregon. As she flies into the heart of her past, she reckons with the choices she made, and the ones she didn't, just as her family--current and former--must consider how Louise's life has shaped their own, for better and for worse. Exquisitely balanced, expansive yet wonderfully intimate, Lifelines explores the indelible ties of family; the shape art, history, and nationality give to our lives; and the ways in which we are forever evolving, with each step we take, with each turn of the Earth.

'Wisdom on how to live.' Matt Haig 'Beautiful, wise and playful.' Brene Brown Some days arrive with questions so vast we feel like strangers on earth. Other times our joy makes us feel entirely at home in ourselves. So where do we find inspiration for living a good life? Drawing on lifelines thrown down by poets, thinkers and dreamers, the sceptical and the faithful, Malcolm Doney and Martin Wroe suggest that how we live may be more important than what we believe. How do I make a good decision? Can I forgive him? Will this darkness pass? Do I say something or keep quiet? Less of an instruction manual and more of a sketchbook, these are lines for living rewarding days. 'Sacred text for the more earthy reader.' Bono 'Challenging, profound and generous...' Vanessa Kisuule 'Wonderful combination of hard-won wisdom and memorable quotes.' Richard Rohr

“My poems are observations on life, love, losses and the beauty of nature. I use poetry to express my own thoughts and feelings or those I see in others as we each respond to life’s experiences. Quite a few of my poems deal with sadness and my hope is that they may help others in their own personal journeys through grief and sorrow to fi nd joy once again.”