A journalist’s travelogue of war-torn Sri Lanka “brings refreshing clarity and enlightenment” to our understanding of terrorism (Robert Young Pelton).Armed with a map and a motorcycle, Mark Stephen Meadows ventures to Sri Lanka’s war zone to interview terrorists, generals, and heroin dealers on their own terms. He seeks only to understand the conflict and witness the civil war’s effects on the country. As he travels north through Colombo, Kandy, and the damaged cit...

A native of Bombay, Suketu Mehta gives us an insider’s view of this stunning metropolis. He approaches the city from unexpected angles, taking us into the criminal underworld of rival Muslim and Hindu gangs, following the life of a bar dancer raised amid poverty and abuse, opening the door into the inner sanctums of Bollywood, and delving into the stories of the countless villagers who come in search of a better life and end up living on the sidewalks.As each individual story unfol...

India for first time visitors. A guide to the cultural quirks of India.

"The Cage is a tightly written and clear-eyed narrative about one of the most disturbing human dramas of recent years. . . . A riveting, cautionary tale about the consequences of unchecked political power in a country at war. A must-read." —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker staff writer and author of The Fall of BaghdadIn the closing days of the thirty-year Sri Lankan civil war, tens of thousands of civilians were killed, according to United N...

POCKET-SIZED INSPIRATION: This collection of Thich Nhat Hanh’s timeless wisdom reminds us that we can find peace and freedom, even in difficult times.Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves.Based on a talk given to prison inmates facing death row, this compendium of Thich Nhat Nah’s core teachings shows how mindfulness practice can cultivate freedom no matter where you are.Presented in a hand...

Warned by a Hong Kong fortune-teller not to risk flying for a whole year, Tiziano Terzani — a vastly experienced Asia correspondent — took what he called “the first step into an unknown world. . . . It turned out to be one of the most extraordinary years I have ever spent: I was marked for death, and instead I was reborn.”Traveling by foot, boat, bus, car, and train, he visited Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Geo...

One of the best travel writers now at work in the English language brings back the sights and sounds from a dozen different frontiers. A cryptic encounter in the perfumed darkness of Bali; a tour of a Bolivian prison, conducted by an enterprising inmate; a nightmarish taxi ride across southern Yemen, where the men with guns may be customs inspectors or revolutionaries–these are just three of the stops on Pico Iyer’s latest itinerary.But the true subject of Sun After Dark

The story of Mojud which Osho introduces here is one of the greatest stories. It has that special flavor that only a Sufi story can have. It is incomparable. It is not just a story; Sufi stories are not just stories. They are not to entertain, but they are teaching devices.This story describes the path or the journey of spiritual discovery, personal transformation and growth.Osho says: "So listen to this story as attentively as possible. Let this story sink into your being....

Samanth Subramanian has written about politics, culture, and history for the New York Times and the New Yorker. Now, Subramanian takes on a complex topic that touched millions of lives in This Divided Island.In the summer of 2009, the leader of the dreaded Tamil Tiger guerrillas was killed, bringing to an end the civil war in Sri Lanka. For nearly thirty years, the war's fingers had reached everywhere, leaving few places, and fewer people, untouched. What ...

Thich Nhat Hanh explains how to find true safety in an age of terror. With simple insight, he illustrates how we can transform and uproot terrorism through the practices of compassion, deep listening, and mindful communication. This book offers key teachings to heal the misunderstandings that divide us. With his signature empathy and insight, Nhat Hanh addresses the deep questions of how to create individual and national safety while at the same time showing true compassion. Calming the Fe...

"An extraordinary book. This dignified, just and unbearable account of the dark heart of Sri Lanka needs to be read by everyone." - Roma Tearne, author of Mosquito The tropical island of Sri Lanka is a paradise for tourists, but in 2009 it became a hell for its Tamil minority, as decades of civil war between the Tamil Tiger guerrillas and the government reached its bloody climax. Caught in the crossfire were hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren, doctors, farmers, fishermen, nuns, and ot...

The thirty-year-long civil war in Sri Lanka which ended in 2009 shook the island-nation. Now there is peace, rapid development - and a new government. But questions remain. What do Tamils and Sinhalese feel about their new country? What are their dreams for the future?Sri Lanka: The New Country is insightful and unusual reportage from the dispassionate eye of a foreign correspondent who covered the bloody conflict for two decades. It is anecdotal narrative at its best: about ordinary Sri L...