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“Papa explains the war like this: ‘When the elephants dance, the chickens must be careful.’ The great beasts, as they circle one another, shaking the trees and trumpeting loudly, are the Amerikanos and the Japanese as they fight. And our Philippine Islands? We are the small chickens.” Once in a great while comes a storyteller who can illuminate worlds large and small, magical and true to life. When the Elephants Dance introduces us to the incandescent voice of Tess Uriza Holthe, who sets her remarkable first novel in the waning days of World War II, as the Japanese and the Americans engage in a fierce battle for possession of the Philippine Islands. The Karangalan family and their neighbors huddle for survival in the cellar of a house a few miles from Manila. Outside the safety of their little refuge the war rages on—fiery bombs torch the beautiful Filipino countryside, Japanese soldiers round up and interrogate innocent people, and from the hills guerillas wage a desperate campaign against the enemy. Inside the cellar, these men, women, and children put their hopes and dreams on hold as they wait out the war, only emerging to look for food, water, and medicine. Through the eyes of three narrators, thirteen-year-old Alejandro Karangalan, his spirited older sister Isabelle, and Domingo, a passionate guerilla commander, we see how ordinary people must learn to live in the midst of extraordinary uncertainty, how they must find hope for survival where none seems to exist. They find this hope in the dramatic history of the Philippine Islands and the passion and bravery of its people. Crowded together in the cellar, the Karangalans and their friends and neighbors tell magical stories to one another based on Filipino myth and legend to fuel their courage, pass the time, and teach important lessons.

Inspiration for Brave Girls Who Love STEM AZ is a young girl who finds herself in a robot building competition. Can she use girl power to overcome crashes, explosions, and hackers to beat school bully and three-time champ? Smart and strong is the new pretty. In this funny, action-packed story about STEM for kids, the talented AZ fights gender stereotypes and learns tough lessons on leadership. With the help of her quirky friends, Li and 10, the team builds a feisty robot named Ada. Together, they work hard, solve puzzles, grow in confidence, and learn the importance of friendship and collaboration. Calling all girls who code, techgirls, Grace Hopper fans, and stemettes. Written to raise awareness about the challenges faced by women in science and engineering, She’s Building a Robot celebrates voices from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. More importantly, it gives girls in science the opportunity to relate to strong, brave, smart characters. If your child enjoyed books like Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls , The Fourteenth Goldfish , Women in Science , or Hidden Figures Young Reader’ Edition , then She’s Building a Robot is your next read!

Bestselling author and renowned Zen teacher Steve Hagen penetrates the most essential and enduring questions at the heart of the Buddha's teachings: How can we see the world in each moment, rather than merely as what we think, hope, or fear it is? How can we base our actions on reality, rather than on the longing and loathing of our hearts and minds? How can we live lives that are wise, compassionate, and in tune with reality? And how can we separate the wisdom of Buddhism from the cultural trappings and misconceptions that have come to be associated with it? Drawing on down-to-earth examples from everyday life and stories from Buddhist teachers past and present, Hagen tackles these fundamental inquiries with his trademark lucid, straightforward prose. The newcomer to Buddhism will be inspired by this accessible and provocative introduction, and those more familiar with Buddhism will welcome this much needed hands-on guide to understanding what it truly means to be awake. By being challenged to question what we take for granted, we come to see the world as it truly is. Buddhism Is Not What You Think offers a profound and clear path to a life of joy and freedom.

Murder can be most foul… Is a sweet ending possible when a rival meets his bitter end? Marilyn Hayes, amateur sleuth and owner of SubLime Sweets, Key West’s most popular pie shop, is stunned when a nearby rival starts selling Key Lime pie. The pie mysteriously tastes all too similar to Marilyn’s, and when her rival starts giving his Key Lime pie away for free, Marilyn’s business takes a huge hit. Furious, she tries to beat him at his own game, but when she lashes out, and her rival is later found dead in his shop, her actions look more than suspicious. A special investigator comes in to tackle the case, and his gaze is laser-focused on Marilyn…as the prime suspect. With business dwindling rapidly, and a detective who is ready to close the case and throw Marilyn in jail, the stressed-out pie baker has to find the real killer before it’s too late. Will she clear her name and save her business? Find out in this delicious Cozy Culinary Mystery!

Intuition is the hot buzzword in business, but specific guidelines on how to trust your gut have been sorely lacking. Put Your Intuition to Work provides that missing link. Business is about making money, but it's also about making decisions. There are relatively small decisions, like when to call a meeting or which emails to answer quickly. Then there are the big decisions that can make or break a business--which product to launch, whom to hire, how to spend. Hard work, analytics, past successes, intelligence, and a great business plan aren't enough anymore. Many of us are scrambling to discover the path to success but have found instead that we've lost our way. Although many business leaders won't publicize it, intuition is a key part of their decision-making success. Put Your Intuition to Work offers numerous compelling stories from entrepreneurs and executives about how they successfully use intuition in their daily lives. It is an inspiring and practical guide to help you: Make successful decisions when you don't have all the facts. Tap into your passion as a personal source of guidance. Discover the many ways to listen to your "inner CEO."

Many young people today are seeking something more—purpose, meaning, a cause. Compassionate Careers is filled with examples of people who have meaningful jobs in cause-focused organizations. These stories capture their spirit, intelligence, imagination, and heart. The book is an inspirational guide to finding purpose-driven work and offers advice to anyone who feels that sitting on the sidelines is just not enough. It includes stories from people of all walks of life who have jobs that make a difference, including Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, and Dave Matthews; information on how to get started in a cause-focused career; an online assessment that identifies the type of organizational culture for which you are best suited; and exercises and resources for hands-on exploration of compassionate career opportunities. An old Yaqui Indian proverb reads, "If you have a choice of paths to take in life, take the path with a heart." Compassionate Careers will show you how.

We often feel powerless in our lives. We have many desires but are limited in our ability to transform those wishes into tangible results. We are confused and unsure about what will really make us happy. In Eternal Dharma, Vishnu Swami guides you on a journey to align yourself with the natural flow of existence through the ancient Eastern knowledge of Veda. Eternal Dharma distills 5,000 years of spiritual wisdom so you can learn to live an enlightened, effective, and fulfilled life. Vishnu Swami inspires you to take action and manifest your fullest spiritual potential in everything you do: Explore the subtle and physical domains to achieve a totally new relationship with reality. Learn the radical new system of effectiveness. Gain clarity on all spiritual and religious paths. Free yourself from pain and suffering to reach pure, transcendental love.

Part memoir, part cultural exploration, this book covers the author’s journey as she grows up in an evangelical Christian home, leaves religion behind as a young adult, and goes on to raise children in a family outside of religious belief. Maria Polonchek weaves a personal story with up-to-date studies and philosophic exploration of what it means to raise secular children in an otherwise religious world. Offering careful and respectful advice for other parents who are raising their children outside of a particular religious belief system, she explores the many other ways of instilling identity, belonging, and meaning into our lives and the lives of children. Honest and irreverent, the author admits to her religious “baggage” and searches for better understanding of such topics as religious education, morality, awe, death, purpose, and meaning, and tradition from secular perspectives. She interviews experts, looks at various studies, and turns to a variety of sources for answers, while maintaining a casual and personal tone. While she ultimately argues for parents to let their children shape their own beliefs, she encourages families to tend to existential and social needs that sometimes go unnoticed or unconsidered in life outside religion.

Silvia Pond thought that she could make Neil Remus fall in love with her three years into their marriage. Yet, all she got were photos of him having sex with her twin sister!Silvia eventually gave up on him and decided to free herself from their marriage. However, when Silvia passed Neil the divorce agreement, he tore it up right in front and threatened her. “You want a divorce? Over my dead body!”Silvia only felt indifferent when she saw his enraged expression. “You can only choose one. It’s either me or Ada.”In the end, Neil chose Ada. But when he lost Silvia for good, he finally realized that he had fallen in love with her a long time ago.

Auri Meadows, 19, was waiting for the day her mate would reject her. After an attack on her pack, she had been left blind and scarred. With how she looked, she knew no one would want her and she would be free to live out the secret life she had built. But Alpha Logan wasn’t about to let his mate go. Not after all the years he had searched for her. But as her secrets are revealed, their mate bond continues to be tested and leaves both of them wondering if the Moon Goddess turned their back on them.