A young Roman woman living in Africa in 203 CE was confronted with a dilemma. Should she renounce her faith and save her life? Or should she affirm it and endure a gruesome death, mauled by wild animals before a cheering crowd of thousands? This young woman, Perpetua, chose to persevere, and this book tells her story, much of it from her own remarkable prison diary. The account transports readers to another, much earlier age, but it also asks us to consider what we would die for - and indeed, what we are living for today.

Christmas is a time of celebration, rich with ritual and detail. But more than just a season for angels and wrapping paper, Christmas has its own heritage which intersects in fascinating ways with human history and human beliefs, behaviors, and experiences. In this book of fifty Christmas questions, Joseph Walsh gives us the details behind Christmas traditions, such as Santa's origin and appearance, the story of Rudolph, holiday decorations and greenery, the nativity, Christmas tales, celebrations and rituals, gift-giving, and card-sending. He links contemporary practices and historical tradition, explaining why, for instance, we kiss under the mistletoe, and describing the time when Christmas was responsible for a truce in World War I. In this illustrated book, readers will find answers to questions they've often asked and some they've never thought about.

Christmas is a time of celebration, rich with ritual and detail. But more than just a season for angels and wrapping paper, Christmas has its own heritage which intersects in fascinating ways with human history and human beliefs, behaviors, and experiences. In this book of fifty Christmas questions, Joseph Walsh gives us the details behind Christmas traditions, such as Santa's origin and appearance, the story of Rudolph, holiday decorations and greenery, the nativity, Christmas tales, celebrations and rituals, gift-giving, and card-sending. He links contemporary practices and historical tradition, explaining why, for instance, we kiss under the mistletoe, and describing the time when Christmas was responsible for a truce in World War I. In this illustrated book, readers will find answers to questions they've often asked and some they've never thought about.