Documenting one family's dangerous journey across the harshest deserts of the Southwest, a day-by-day account of adventure and personal growth is also an informative exploration of Navajo life and history. The adventure of a lifetime, this is the true story of a family's perilous trek into the sacred landscapes described in the Navajo creation story. This book is both a story of personal growth and a fascinating exploration of Navajo life, history,...

Where do we come from? Why do stars shine and the seasons change? What is evil? Since the beginning of time, people have answered such questions by crafting imaginative stories that have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In his irreverent a question-and-answer style, Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world, as well as the works of literature that have made them famous. He tackles Mesopotamia's Gilgamesh,...

This is the chronicle of three generations of Clearys, Australian ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. Most of all, it is the story of only daughter Meggie and her lifelong relationship with the haunted priest Father Ralph de Bricassart - an intense joining of two hearts and souls that dangerously oversteps sacred boundaries of ethics and dogma. Some...

Produced in association with the Smithsonian, Music: The Definitive Visual History guides readers through the progression of music since its prehistoric beginnings, discussing not just Western classical music, but music from all around the world. Profiles the lives of groundbreaking musicians from Mozart to Elvis, takes an in-depth look at the history and function of various instruments, and includes listening suggestions for each music style.

"Thirty elders of the ancient Hopi tribe of Northern Arizona ... reveal the Hopi worldview. They record their myths and legends, and the meaning of their religious rituals and ceremonies ..."--Publisher's description from back cover.

""As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power--which groups have it and which do not." In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched...

The 2 Navaho police officers, Jim Chee & Joe Leaphorn, featured together in the author's earlier A Thief of Time & Skinwalkers, once more solve a puzzling, complex murder mystery set in New Mexico. Washington politics and protests lead Chee and Leaphorn to cases of grave robbing and to a body that was found stripped of all identification. Lt. Joe Leaphorn seeks the identity of a murder victim. Officer Jim Chee arrests a Smithsonian conservator for...

This multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history. Historian Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius, as the one-term congressman rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals to become president. When Lincoln emerged as the victor at the Republican National Convention, his rivals were dismayed. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically...