An award-winning, alarming account of “one of the central challenges facing civilization” (The Washington Post Book World). Offering ecological, historical, and cultural perspectives, this “well-researched and thought-provoking book” (Minneapolis Tribune) explains how we are using, misusing, and abusing our planet’s most vital resource. Reporting from hot spots as diverse as China, Las Vegas, and the Middle East, where swelling populations and unchecked development have stressed fresh water supplies nearly beyond remedy, this account reveals how political struggles for control of water are raging around the globe, and rampant pollution increases already dire environmental threats. This powerful narrative about the lifeblood of civilizations is “a wake-up call for concerned citizens, environmentalists, policymakers, and water drinkers everywhere” (Publishers Weekly). Winner of the Governor General’s Award
The first book for general readers about the storied past of one of the world’s most fabled cities. Timbuktu — the name still evokes an exotic, faraway place, even though the city’s glory days are long gone. Unspooling its history and legends, resolving myth with reality, Marq de Villiers and Sheila Hirtle have captured the splendour and decay of one of humankind’s treasures. Founded in the early 1100s by Tuareg nomads who called their camp “Tin Buktu,” it became, within two centuries, a wealthy metropolis and a nexus of the trans-Saharan trade. Salt from the deep Sahara, gold from Ghana, and money from slave markets made it rich. In part because of its wealth, Timbuktu also became a centre of Islamic learning and religion, boasting impressive schools and libraries that attracted scholars from Alexandria, Baghdad, Mecca, and Marrakech. The arts flourished, and Timbuktu gained near-mythic stature around the world, capturing the imagination of outsiders and ultimately attracting the attention of hostile sovereigns who sacked the city three times and plundered it half a dozen more. The ancient city was invaded by a Moroccan army in 1600, beginning its long decline; since then, it has been seized by Tuareg nomads and a variety of jihadists, in addition to enduring a terrible earthquake, several epidemics, and numerous famines. Perhaps no other city in the world has been as golden — and as deeply tarnished — as Timbuktu. Using sources dating deep into Timbuktu’s fabled past, alongside interviews with Tuareg nomads and city residents and officials today, de Villiers and Hirtle have produced a spectacular portrait that brings the city back to life.
What is the fate of the world as we know it? Tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, pandemics, cosmic radiation, gamma bursts from space, colliding comets, and asteroids—these things used to worry us from time to time, but now they have become the background noise of our culture. Are natural calamities indeed more probable, and more frequent, than they were? Are things getting worse? Are the boundaries between natural and human-caused calamities blurring? Are we part of the problem? If so, what can we do about it? In The End, award-winning writer Marq de Villiers examines these questions at a time when there is an urgent need to understand the perils that confront us, to act in such a way as best we can for the inevitable disasters when they come. We can do nothing about some natural calamities, but about others we can do a great deal. De Villiers helps us understand which is which, and lays out some provocative ideas for mitigating the damage all such calamities can inflict on us and our world. The End is a brilliant and challenging look at what lies ahead, and at what we can do to influence our future.
Like many of you, this year started out with great promise for prosperity. An international health crisis was not in anyone's plan. This was to be a year of grinding, promoting, and launching, as well as further defining our message of not giving up on the possibilities of first marriage, second chances, and endless love. Instead, we were offered a much-needed chance to slow down and talk to each other about our story and purpose. What did God really have in mind for our union when we said, "I do...again"? My first marriage? My husband's second? What aspects of our relationship did we still need to strengthen? We never want to present to readers that we are a perfect pair or the ultimate power couple. We always want to be transparent with ourselves first and honest with those we encounter. Marriage is hard work but worth the investment. Our story, thus far, has taught us many lessons and personal observations that we want to add to the ongoing conversation about finding happiness and contentment. No, we are not marriage experts. We are humble students of marriage. Sometimes our outcomes are funny and, in other instances, quite poignant. As we emerge from quarantine, we pray that our journey finds its way to your reading nook, date night, study group or book club. Most of all, we hope our internal work makes an enjoyable read, causes you to giggle a lot, creates a tear or two, and becomes a source of inspiration to tackle the "finallys" and "agains" in your own relationships, whatever they may be. -Marq and Bev Redmond
Revelations of a Real Man (or Woman) is a short jaunt through the life of a man who has gained introspective on the choices he's made as a son, brother, father, and husband. Some decisions bolstered his future, while others left his growth stagnant. This book will give you, the reader, insight on how God is still in the miracle-making business despite our many shortcomings. The author traverses through the quandary of losing a loved one, divorce, amputation, parenting, and even finding love. While on this journey, the author learns that God's infinite wisdom is the driving force behind his life's mission. At the conclusion of each chapter is a "Character Challenge." These challenges allow readers to transfer their thoughts on paper relevant to the theme of the moment, whether it is gifts you possess to help others, mistakes you have made and overcame, or recovery from a lingering illness. Sharing similar experiences is a unique feature of the book that grants a level of commonality between author and reader. Revelations of a Real Man is chock-full of quotes and scriptures designed to illuminate the darkness that encompasses our lives periodically and brings all into God's magnificent light. It is an easy read that resonates with every genre, walk of life, and level of faith.
Global warming, energy shortages, overpopulation — it's no wonder that as a society, we're in an apocalyptic mood. Out of an endless stream of gloomy prognoses for humanity's future, we have emerged with little inspiration and few concrete ideas for change. Our Way Out is the first time that our most urgent global challenges have been treated as aspects of a single, larger crisis — and the first to acknowledge that while crises reinforce each other, solutions enable each other. The transformation to sustainability is already happening, in many small ways, in many parts of the world. Our Way Out shows us how we can scale up these efforts to create meaningful and lasting change. This is not a book on climate change, energy, or any other single issue — it is the story of how within the solutions to the global crises we face, lie the seeds of something greater. It is a handbook for immense and exciting worldwide change. And, not least of all, it offers us robust hope that we can make things better.
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