"Christian Wiman, a thinker "at the very source of theology" (Marilynne Robinson), braids poetry, memoir, and criticism to create an inspired, career-defining work"-- Few contemporary writers ask the questions about faith, morality, and God that Christian Wiman does, and even fewer--perhaps none--do so with his urgency and eloquence. Wiman, an award-winning poet and the author of My Bright Abyss, lays the motion of his mind on the page in this genre-defying...

"Faith, a mother of two young children, Cece and Connor, is in need of summer childcare. As a member of a staid old beach club in her town and a self-made business consultant, she is appalled when her brother-in-law sends her an unruly, ill-mannered teenager named Lee-Ann who appears more like a wayward child than competent help. What begins as a promising start to a redemptive relationship between the two ends in a tragedy that lands Faith in a treatment...

"How would a clock, night-light, or teddy bear say good night? In this enchanting poetry collection, Lee Bennett Hopkins and thirteen other poets imagine the wishes whispering through a young girl's bedroom as she falls asleep. The bookshelf's stories curl through her head; the pillow transforms into a hot air balloon; the rocking horse waits expectantly for tomorrow's adventures" -- "Featuring fourteen poems by multiple authors, this anthology imagines...

In The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades, the story of the Crusades is told in a history that ranges from the preaching of the First Crusade in 1095 to the legacy of the crusading ideals and imagery that continues today. Here are the ideas of apologists, propagandists, and poets about the Crusades, as well as the perceptions and motives of the crusaders themselves and the means by which they joined the movement. The authors describe the elaborate...

DI Annika Strandhed, the speedboat-driving head of Glasgow's newly-formed Marine Homicide Unit, juggles baffling cases and a rebellious teenage daughter. Joined by DS Michael McAndrews, Annika's old colleague; DC Blair Ferguson, the forensic brains behind the unit; and DS Tyrone Clarke, the new cop at the station. A police procedural with wit, Annika delighted critics during its recent UK broadcast. 'The dialogue is so droll and the performances so...

"In the midst of civil unrest in the summer of 2020 following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, one of the great literary voices of our time, Elizabeth Alexander, wrote a moving reflection on the psyche of young Black America, turning a mother's eye to her sons' generation. Originally published in the New Yorker, the essay brilliantly and lovingly observed the lives and attitudes of young people who even as children could...

A bilingual collection of poetry by the late Francisco X. Alarcn, acclaimed Chicano poet celebrating the days of the week and everyday childhood experiences.

"If you go to the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, you can see a massive American flag: thirty feet tall and forty-two feet long. That's huge! But how did it get there? And where did it come from? Well ... The story of this giant flag begins in 1812 and stars a major on the eve of battle, a seamstress and her mighty helpers, and a poet named Francis Scott Key. This isn't just the story of one flag. It's the story of "The Star Spangled-Banner," a poem...

"Gregory Pardlo described Joshua Bennett's first collection of poetry, The Sobbing School, as an "arresting debut" that was "abounding in tenderness and rich with character," with a "virtuosic kind of code switching." Bennett's new collection, Owed, is a book with celebration at its center. Its primary concern is how we might mend the relationship between ourselves and the people, spaces, and objects we have been taught to think of as insignificant,...