At the core of this book is a passionate desire by the author to seek out Okobo and present it to the world. In a painstaking recollection of childhood memories, he started the book with a full-day homecoming journey to Okoboland from his place of work at Abuja, the new administrative capital of Nigeria in West Africa. The dramatic changes seen in one town known as Obufi was found replicated in all other towns and villages in Okoboland in domino. Anywhere he visited bore unmistakable evide...

In this inspiring series of letters to his grandchildren, David Suzuki offers grandfatherly advice mixed with stories from his own remarkable life and explores what makes life meaningful. He challenges his grandchildren - and us - to do everything at full tilt. He explains why sports, fishing, feminism, and failure are important; why it is dangerous to deny our biological nature; and why First Nations must lead a revolution. Drawing on his own experiences and the wisdom he has gained over ...

The incomparable Rebecca Solnit, author of more than a dozen acclaimed, prizewinning books of nonfiction, brings the same dazzling writing to the essays in Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness. As the title suggests, the territory of Solnit’s concerns is vast, and in her signature alchemical style she combines commentary on history, justice, war and peace, and explorations of place, art, and community, all while writing with the lyricism of a poet to achieve incandescence and ...

Don't just see the sights—get to know the people.Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues.These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing ga...

David Suzuki's lifelong work as an environmentalist, naturalist, and scientist have influenced countless others in their fight to save the planet, 20 such devotees of them have contributed to this inspiring collection. These journalists, scientists, writers and environmentalists have taken their enthusiasm for Suzuki's philosophy and funneled it into their own personal recollections, manifestos, and essays: Rick Bass describes his love for the Yaak Valley in Montana; Richard Mabey takes re...

Winner of the Green Prize for Sustainable LiteratureA growing body of law around the world supports the idea that humans are not the only species with rights; and if nature has rights, then humans have responsibilities.“Expertly written case studies in which legalese is accessibly distilled … empowering reminders that the seemingly inevitable slide toward planetary destruction can be halted.” — Publishers Weekly, starred re...

"[A] tour de force examination of the history of ivory . . . and the demise of the elephant and human decency in the process of this unholy quest." — The Huffington PostPraised for the nuance and sensitivity with which it approaches one of the most fraught conservation issues we face today, John Frederick Walker's Ivory's Ghosts tells the astonishing story of the power of ivory through the ages, and its impact on elephants. Long before gold and ge...

I was born and brought up in Kenya during the struggle for independence from the colonial rule. This book is about the trials and tribulations that took place during those difficult years. It is also about the cultural changes that the African families endured in that period, but where everyone looked out for each other. My family moved away from the village into the new emerging cosmopolitan towns and a new way of life where there was the merging of cultures from all over the world.This m...

Lying in the remote hills of southwest Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest harbors elephants, chimpanzees, monkeys, and half the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas.  For two years, Thor Hanson called that forest home, working with local guides and trackers to develop an ecotourism program for the newly-formed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.  Thoroughly researched and beautifully told, Hanson’s story blends natural history with cultural insight to place the fores...

"An anthology of nature writing by people of color, providing deeply personal connections to—or disconnects from—nature." —NPRFrom African American to Asian American, indigenous to immigrant, "multiracial" to "mixed-blood," the diversity of cultures in this world is matched only by the diversity of stories explaining our cultural origins: stories of creation and destruction, displacement and heartbreak, hope and mystery.With writing from Jamaica Kincaid on th...

Covering 500 years of Ghana's history, The Ghana Reader provides a multitude of historical, political, and cultural perspectives on this iconic African nation. Whether discussing the Asante kingdom and the Gold Coast's importance to European commerce and transatlantic slaving, Ghana's brief period under British colonial rule, or the emergence of its modern democracy, the volume's eighty selections emphasize Ghana's enormous symbolic and pragmatic value to global relations. They al...

For anyone who's ever dreamed of ruling over their own empire, here's your chance! Micronations are imaginary countries that have a lot of the same things as real ones: laws, customs, history, and their own flags, coins, and postage stamps. Micronations: Invent Your Own Country and Culture takes readers step-by-step to create their own unique realm, using examples from real nations, micronations, and fictional lands. What makes a country a country? What symbols and systems define ...