Our 41st Year
There had been times during the earlier years of my enslavement when I literally felt as though the suffocating atmosphere of prison life would smother me to death….Lying in the soul breaker, feeling as if God had forsaken the good of me, the part of me that wanted to do right and live just…Therein the darkness of my grief, visions of things that had life would pull me away just like that! Something as trivial as visualizing a beautiful flower swaying in a summer breeze could hold me prisoner within my mind for hours at a time. Could this act of captivation be the powers of a muse at work?
—From the Introduction
For information or purchase: e-mail gagaladybug2015@gmail.com
As a Native American “free thinker” in the year 2001, this book is my own interpretation of the Medicine Wheel and its use of symbolism. Symbols access the imaginary realm of our subconscious minds. They help us connect spiritually to the mystery, the center, the 5th part of our four section circle.
My own experience of the thought process of Native Americans, generally speaking, has often been to note a natural tendency toward artistic and spiritual right brain function.
There are some Native Americans on reservations today whose families have maintained in the traditional culture, and I want to give due recognition to these ones. But, many Native Americans today on reservations, and in urban areas alike, are out of touch with traditional values.
Because there has been a lack of knowledge and of experience in age-old customs and ceremonies, one may think the old values, the old ways are being lost. I have found that the opposite is true. The values are still strong for anyone ready to receive them into their life.
According to my experience as an urban Indian, this is my own interpretation of some underlying values and contributions of my Native American heritage.
“Osuagwu’s poetic style takes the reader through cerebral twist and turns that question or responds to decisions of human life”
“Ice Cream Melts is a fusion of raw experiences seasoned with the spices of inner truth and a twist of reality served on a sweet and sour dish of life!”
“Ice Cream Melts is a mirror in the face of society. What it reflects is our innermost ambitions, vulnerabilities, imperfections, and reflections.”
“Too many medical professionals still don’t understand that losing weight and keeping it off has less to do with the food we eat, and more to do with reasons behind the eating and the need to change behaviors. As a result, I wrote this book to allow anyone on any diet the opportunity to gain control, identify and understand their own issues, create new skills and behaviors, and learn to keep the weight off for the rest of their life.
I have no doubt this book will bring you inspiration, laughter, and the thoughts and knowledge to truly create a new and healthy lifestyle.
This is the perfect pre-December book for pet lovers or that special young person in your life. From beginning to end, Buster is sure to tug at your heart and delight readers young and old. The story includes a special visit from a plump fellow wearing black boots and a red suit.
Includes reader’s Diary and December Calendar–also available in Braille.
Incoming Rounds by Hamel Morris is a minimalistic but powerful record of one young man’s experience in the Hell of Viet Nam. For any reader who has never been in combat, this account is shocking, poignant, and enlightening.
The juxtaposition of the ordinary—receiving mail, getting food rations after two days, being able to bathe in a river after days of sweating on the trails of the jungle—with the deeply horrific is like a jolt of lightning to any complacency.
Within one day’s entry, the writer may describe anything from building a “hooch” out of his poncho to keep out the monsoon rains, to the brutal interrogation of a VC member by a Lieutenant, from a sandbag-making detail to the massacre of villagers in retribution for a mortar attack, atrocities he despises but is powerless to prevent….
Though Shaded Canvas is fiction, throughout the novel Isis I wields bold brushstrokes of advocacy for awareness and needed social change.
Isis I lives part of the year in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area and the other part of the year in Atlanta, Georgia. A passionate traveler, Isis I has spent the last two decades in an all-embracing, cultural adventure throughout Africa. She was in Johannesburg during the celebration of Nelson Mandela’s inauguration and then continued her trek north to Egypt. There she visited the Great Pyramids of Giza as well as the museums in Luxor, home of the Royal Mummies. Isis I attended the opening ceremony of The Great Man Made River in Libya. She also has added the continents of South America, Europe and Asia to her extensive travel portfolio. Though Isis I has experienced such international charm and beauty, she nevertheless sings praises that there is no place more wonderful than the United States of America.
Daniel D. Thomas is what some may call the new age Renaissance man. He found his talent of writing at a young age and has mixed his passion for it with an adventurous life, traveling the world and dabbling in many things; including athletics, real-estate, music, art, business, and of course writing. Daniel has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Philosophy from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, but has studied in numerous places including Paris, Rome, Greece, and the Caribbean. Daniel’s Theory is that “Love is the strongest force, and through it we find purpose.” The young author goes by his own personal saying “Live for the beauty in life, work for the better of the world”. Another title written by Daniel D. Thomas is his first book Prophecies of Life which takes us through the prophecies of an adolescent.
Bat-Shachar, a teenaged girl, gifted with beauty and intellect, languishes in the household of her father, a prominent Israelite scholar. Intimidated by Bat-Shachar’s coming of age, her father grows aloof. He scrutinizes her actions, and his discipline is heavy-handed. Her father’s rages drive Bat-Shachar from home. In the company of the family’s Canaanite maidservant, Bat-Shachar happens upon pagan rituals. The visions she sees shake her to the core of her existence.
Tzuriel is a metalworking apprentice. Upon seeing the agony of his people butchered by marauders, he vows to equip his nation for battle. After infiltrating enemy territory to acquire the forbidden skills of crafting iron weapons, Tzuriel faces an awesome fate, borne of a fleeting indiscretion.
The paths of Bat-Shachar and Tzuriel intertwine when they are expelled from their tribal villages. They race towards a city of refuge as bloodthirsty enemies pursue them relentlessly.
City of Refuge is set in the early years of Israelite nationhood. The tale of love, death, and vengeance captures a reader’s attention at the outset and does not relinquish it until the final page.
Bear biologists, wildlife researchers, adventurers, young, old. Everyone has a good bear story to share, of an unforgettable experience.
Essays: Explore why we are so passionate about bears, and how we can go wrong.
Photographs: Wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen shares a series of photographs of grizzlies and polar bears
Bear Facts: Eight species, hundreds of facts
Advice: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country