Showing results by narrator "A’rese Emokpae" in All Categories

Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a lawyer who has been successful at everything until—betrayed and brokenhearted—she must turn to the person she thought she needed least. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s bold, outspoken cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria who begins to question how well she knows herself. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, is proudly raising her daughter in America—but faces an unthinkable hardship.

On the eve of trial, Assistant District Attorney Lainey Abbott gets a disturbing phone call. Her baby sister, Stephanie, who should have been back at her college dorm after visiting for the weekend, never arrived. At first, she isn’t too worried, because she’s a system insider and has plenty of resources available to locate her sister quickly, including Russ Sanders, the police detective she’s been on and off with for years. It’ll take a couple days, tops. They’ll find Steph and give her a piece of their mind for being so irresponsible. But a year later, Stephanie still hasn’t been found.

Today, a new generation of Buddhists searches for ways to adopt Vajrayana while staying true to its historical legacy. Modern Tantric Buddhism unpacks the principles and applications of this esoteric practice in an accessible and meaningful manner, connecting its roots to a socially engaged, modern-day dharma. Von Bujdoss challenges assumptions about what it means to be a socially engaged Buddhist, and presents Tantra as an ideal vehicle for critically examining today’s most pressing social issues.

Drawing strength from their ancestor, Aisha, a slave born free on the west coast of Africa, four Black women will do whatever is necessary to succeed—and will do even more to protect their daughters. Aisha’s granddaughter, Dinah, a plantation slave, fends off the advances of the master’s son and vows to prevent the same mistreatment of her daughter, Sarah. During the Harlem Renaissance, Augusta, an aspiring teacher, falls in love for the first time. Her mother, Julia, is determined to prevent her from getting hurt.

The Tiny Things Are Heavier follows Sommy, a Nigerian woman who comes to the United States for graduate school two weeks after her brother, Mezie, attempts suicide. Plagued by the guilt of leaving Mezie behind, Sommy struggles to fit into her new life as a student and an immigrant. Lonely and homesick, Sommy soon enters a complicated relationship with her boisterous Nigerian roommate, Bayo, a relationship that plummets into deceit when Sommy falls for Bryan, a biracial American, whose estranged Nigerian father left the States immediately after his birth.

Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a lawyer who has been successful at everything until she must turn to the person she thought she needed least. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s bold, outspoken cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria who begins to question how well she knows herself. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, is proudly raising her daughter in America – but faces an unthinkable hardship that threatens all she has worked to achieve.

Darkness has a way of bringing things to life. Things forgotten. Things from our past. This becomes all too apparent for Miracle Jenkins. All she wants is a normal life filled with friends, family, and the occasional red Slurpee. But a life-changing event involving the police turns her world upside-down. Miracle’s only retreat is music, which takes her soul on adventures in the past. But even music cannot hide her from the racism of her small California city. Nor can it shield her from the evils of this world. Still, she turns to the darkness.

Author, mental health expert, and professor David Bedrick helps us understand how shame shows up—and offers a revolutionary, stigma-free model to help us unshame and release its hold on our happiness. Shame is more than feeling guilty, sad, or responsible. It develops when we experience a trauma but can’t access the tools or freedom to express how we feel—or are denied the ability to ask for the care we need. It shows up when we aren’t witnessed—whether by a loved one, our community, our culture, or anyone from whom we need to hear.

Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a lawyer who has been successful at everything until—betrayed and brokenhearted—she must turn to the person she thought she needed least. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s bold, outspoken cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria who begins to question how well she knows herself. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, is proudly raising her daughter in America—but faces an unthinkable hardship.

Yoga for Bendy People was written for yoga teachers and practitioners who want a deeper understanding of hypermobility syndromes and how to optimize the benefits of yoga for people who have them. A well-designed yoga practice not only avoids injury, but leaves the body better supported, the nervous system better regulated, the mind clearer, and the heart more connected to its purpose.

Workplace leaders: white comfort comes at the safety of women of color—and it costs lives and livelihoods. Microaggressions, structural barriers, unpaid emotional labor: WOC in leadership disproportionately bear the burdens of white supremacist work cultures, even as they’re expected to take charge of reforms. But building better workplaces—less toxic, racist, and misogynistic workplaces—is everyone’s responsibility and for everyone’s benefit. And letting it fall solely to women of color is causing real harm. The stakes are high, and it’s past time for change.

The highly anticipated follow-up to Hospicing Modernity: how we activate responsibility, nurture care, and grow up in the face of collapse—includes reflections, exercises, and prompts.

Dera Edwards knows her life is over when she's shipped off to live with her estranged father in the middle of White Suburbia. To make matters worse, Dera learns that her new school doesn’t have a girls’ track team, shattering her dreams of getting a track scholarship and, one day, competing in the Olympics. Not one to give up easily, Dera joins the boys’ team instead. But while she has the school administration’s blessing, her new teammates and classmates are less than welcoming. Between that and her frustratingly distant father, Dera is positive her junior year is ruined.

Exploring her beloved forest, young Princess Chibuike “Chi” encounters a man unlike any she has seen. His skin is as pale as the moon that watches over the Queendom of Kana, a land where women rule fiercely and freely. But outside the comforting embrace of her homeland, a disturbing change blows with the wind.

Former ADA turned defense lawyer Lainey Abbott is beginning to worry. It looks like the rest of her professional life will be spent representing dope boys in stop-and-frisk cases, just to help keep the lights on at her and Greg Knight’s law practice. Then a star football player from an elite college shows up at their door. A young, beautiful classmate, with whom he had an erratic three-month fling, was just found dead, and right away he’s in the NYPD’s crosshairs. Could be a fairly straightforward case to defend. Or maybe not. He's Black, and the missing girl is white.

A memoir that unearths the layered emotional and sexual lives of women and exemplifies the satisfaction that comes when they assert their voices and power, Unsexed speaks to millions of women who have different narratives but face similar struggles in reclaiming their voices, bodies, and sexuality.

In the shadowy world of espionage, CIA agent Leta James has mastered the art of disappearing. Her most important mission: protecting her son. Every year, as he celebrates his birthdays and milestones, Leta watches from the shadows, a silent guardian, ensuring his safety from afar. But when a great political figure in Nigeria meets a mysterious and untimely demise, the fragile balance of power in the region is sent into a tailspin.

Miracle’s fingers roam through her hair as memories of her brother, Andre, float into her subconscious. His death changed her. It changed everything. All she wants to do now is try to survive life without him. But memories of her best friend, Kim, blaming Andre for his own death, linger in her mind. Her body tenses at the thought. “I saw him point the gun at the officers.” Kim’s words sink deep inside Miracle’s soul, shattering the love that once existed.

A mother's triumphant journey from darkness to light after suffering a traumatic loss. Behind the Face is a heart-wrenching story that will inspire you as Toranj Irani embarks on her path toward healing.

Even in the 23rd century, it’s hard to find lasting love. Unless you cash in your life savings and sign up for Gen-Mate, a genetic matchmaking service, with a 99.3 percent success rate. It’s been proven: People who use Gen-Mate will find their soul mate and live happily ever after. Despite the data, Annora Jones is not convinced. Great job, great condo, great friends, disastrous love life, but she’s still not willing to spit in the Gen-Mate cup of love.