This biography of one of the few women in her generation to devote herself entirely to the pursuit of meditation also includes Dipa Ma's spiritual teachings, which have made her a major figure in contemporary Buddhism.

This title offers perspectives on civil rights not found in history books. This anthology of drama, essays, fiction, and poetry presents a thoughtful, classroom-tested selection of the best literature for learning about the long civil rights movement. Unique in its focus on creative writing, the volume also ranges beyond a familiar 1954-1968 chronology to include works from the 1890s to the present. The civil rights movement was a complex, ongoing process of defining national values such as freedom, justice, and equality. In ways that historical documents cannot, these collected writings show how Americans negotiated this process - politically, philosophically, emotionally, spiritually, and creatively.Gathered here are works by some of the most influential writers to engage issues of race and social justice in America, including James Baldwin, Flannery O'Connor, Amiri Baraka, and Nikki Giovanni. The volume begins with works from the post-Reconstruction period when racial segregation became legally sanctioned and institutionalized. This section, titled 'The Rise of Jim Crow,' spans the period from Frances E. W. Harper's Iola Leroy to Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. In the second section, 'The Fall of Jim Crow,' Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' and a chapter from ""The Autobiography of Malcolm X"" appear alongside poems by Robert Hayden, June Jordan, and others who responded to these key figures and to the events of the time.'Reflections and Continuing Struggles,' the last section, includes works by such current authors as Rita Dove, Anthony Grooms, and Patricia J. Williams. These diverse perspectives on the struggle for civil rights can promote the kinds of conversations that we, as a nation, still need to initiate.

This life story of one of the few women in her generation to devote herself entirely to the pursuit of meditation also includes Dipa Ma's spiritual teachings, which have made her a major figure in contemporary Buddhism. Dipa Ma was the first truly accomplished female meditation master in the Thereavada tradition to teach in the United States and, while she had a deep devotion to the tradition, she also had a fierce understanding that the spiritual accomplishments of women could be in every way equal to those of the predominantly male religious hierarchy. Her influence on the teaching of insight meditation practice in the West is presented here through stories and encounters told by sources such as family members, her students in Calcutta, and several of America's leading Buddhist and meditation teachers.

The people of Spontania had to walk miles each day for clean, fresh water-until PlayPumps International came to the rescue. Witness the struggles and transformation of this small village in Mozambique, Africa through the eyes of the story's 8-year old narrator, Samora. Experience the challenges and opportunities facing such communities through a unique blend of vivid photography and rich illustrations. Dream Village uses picture books and the web to help children explore and address the world's most pressing issues. Kids "learn" about these issues by reading our stories and visiting our web portal (filled with photography, videos, animation, and games). Kids "vote" for their favorite cause-we donate 50% of our profits to nonprofits based on the votes cast our readers cast on our website. And finally, kids "do," by using the tools on our website to spread the word, volunteer their time, or even, organize a fundraiser Dream Village: Where Kids Build Better Tomorrows