Showing titles in Activists

Ordinary is not as ordinary as you think. History is written by the loudest and most charismatic victors, but are silent about the true movers and shakers: the rebels, the honest servants, the quiet doers, the square pegs in a round hole, and the ordinary believers who kept showing up.Through...

Canadian Nathalie Morin's four children cannot leave Saudi Arabia without exit visas signed by Nathalie's abusive husband. Her mother chronicles her decades-long struggle to bring her daughter and four grandchildren home to safety in Montreal.

These stories are about light and hope in the midst of unimaginable human suffering in war zones and places of extreme poverty around the world. Important lessons from a childhood in rural western Iowa are woven throughout, as are examples of human strength and resiliency.

Un día la mujer cuyos hijos cuidaba le contó la verdad: Soy puta. Poco después le preguntó si quería atender a uno de sus clientes. Georgina Orellano calculó: con sus ingresos como niñera jamás podría superar la pobreza. Así que aceptó. En un rato ganó más que el salario mensual de su madre, empleada doméstica.

Frederick Douglass, born into slavery in Maryland in 1818, became one of the most prominent abolitionists, orators, and writers in American history. His life story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the pursuit of freedom. Douglass escaped slavery in his early twenties and dedicated his life to the abolitionist cause. Through his powerful speeches, autobiographical writings, and activism, he fought for the rights of African Americans and became a leading voice in the fight against slavery.

United States, early 1800’s. On a Maryland plantation, a young child is cruelly separated from his mother, setting the stage for the dehumanizing conditions of slavery that would define his early life. The brutal attempts to break Douglass's spirit only serve to strengthen his resolve to escape from that life. Despite the obstacles, the young boy is determined to educate himself, and he secretly learns to read and write.

Ihre Geschichte sorgte international für Erschütterung: Am 9. Oktober 2012 wird die junge Pakistanerin Malala Yousafzai auf ihrem Schulweg von Taliban-Kämpfern überfallen und brutal niedergeschossen. Die Fünfzehnjährige hatte sich den Taliban widersetzt, die Mädchen verbieten, zur Schule zu gehen. Obendrein führte sie für die BBC ein vielbeachtetes Blog über ihren Alltag unter den Islamisten. Damit war ihr Todesurteil gefällt. Die Kugel traf Malala aus nächster Nähe in den Kopf; doch wie durch ein Wunder kam das mutige Mädchen mit dem Leben davon. Schon kurz danach hat sie erklärt, dass dieser Anschlag sie nicht davon abhalten wird, auch weiterhin für die Rechte von Kindern, insbesondere Mädchen, einzutreten. Dies ist ihre Geschichte.

Ein einzigartiger Blick auf eine Zentralfigur der neueren deutschen Geschichte. Wer von Attentätern hört, der denkt an Terroristen, die aus einer fanatischen Ideologie heraus Angst und Schrecken verbreiten wollen. Nichts davon trifft auf Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg zu. Stauffenberg und sein gescheiterter Versuch, den nationalsozialistischen Wahnsinn zu stoppen, sind zu einem Mythos geworden. Allerdings basiert der inzwischen abenteuerliche Gegenentwurf auf schwachen Fakten. Der wirkliche Mensch Stauffenberg in seiner Vielfalt tritt hinter all diesen Zuschreibungen zurück.

Ahmet Altan è stato travolto dall'ondata di arresti che ha seguito, nel 2016, il fallito colpo di stato del 15 luglio contro Erdogan. Da allora è recluso in un carcere nei pressi di Istanbul. L'accusa a suo carico è di aver favoreggiato il golpe tramite "messaggi subliminali". Nel febbraio 2018 il suo processo-farsa si è concluso con un'atroce sentenza: ergastolo senza condizionale. "Non rivedrò più il mondo" è il messaggio che Altan lancia dalla sua cella: è un testo breve, che contiene molti universi.

Nineteen people from across the globe, ranging in age from 20 to 70-plus, tell their stories of living and thriving in diverse fields - in sport, the arts, medicine, business, and more. With refreshing frankness, they share their successes along with their struggles - grit is the one characteristic they all have in common. These are not stories of people overcoming disability - they’re stories of people accommodating disability while pursuing their dreams. Pure Grit shines a light on boundless possibility whatever the individual challenge.

Using exclusive interviews with Suu Kyi since her release from 15 years of house arrest, as well as recently disclosed diplomatic cables, Pederson uncovers new facets to Suu Kyi's extraordinary story. The Burma Spring also reveals the extraordinary steps taken by First Lady Laura Bush to help Suu Kyi, as well as how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton injected new momentum into Burma's democratic rebirth.

In 2018, 34 people were shot at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Jaime Guttenberg, a 14-year-old, was the second to last victim. That she and so many of her fellow students were struck down in cold blood galvanized many to action, including Jaime's father, Fred, who has become an activist dedicated to passing common-sense gun-safety legislation. This book is not about gun safety or Parkland. Instead, it tells the story of Fred Guttenberg's journey since Jaime's death and how he has been able to get through the worst of times thanks to the kindness and compassion of others.

At 15, Samra Zafar had big dreams for herself. She was going to go to university, and forge her own path. Then with almost no warning, those dreams were pulled away from her when she was suddenly married to a stranger at 17 and had to leave behind her family in Pakistan to move to Canada. Her new husband and his family promised that the marriage and the move would be a fulfillment of her dream, not a betrayal of it. But as the walls of their home slowly became a prison, Samra realized the promises were empty ones.

Inside this biography, you’ll learn about Douglass’ incredible life. From his time as a slave in Maryland to his journey to becoming one of America’s most influential and famous anti-slavery voices, you’ll discover how he taught himself to read, then went on to become a powerful speaker and oralist, and how he worked with the Underground Railroad to free slaves across the country. Including his early years, his travels across the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the speeches which changed the world, this biography is a powerful reminder of America’s history.

After nearly a year struggling to find a home for a particular foster dog, Cara begins to wonder how the story ends - when will all the dogs be saved? Even after the 100th foster dog passes through Cara’s home, the stream of homeless dogs appears endless. Seized by the need to act, Cara grabs her best friend, fills a van with donations, and heads south to discover what’s really happening in the rural shelters where her foster dogs originate.

"Manning reads her book in a sharp voice that is clearly accustomed to marshaling information..."- Washington Post "[Manning's] text and performance create a blistering autobiography that is both observant and instructive."- AudioFile "In both content and narration, Manning displays a keen...

Latinos across the United States are redefining identities, pushing boundaries, and awakening politically in powerful and surprising ways. Many—Afrolatino, indigenous, Muslim, queer and undocumented, living in large cities and small towns—are voices who have been chronically overlooked in...

Best-selling author and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel has influenced millions around the globe with his lessons of compassion and love in the face of hardship. Born in 1928, Wiesel found himself in a fight for his life during World War II as he was persecuted for his faith and eventually sent to Auschwitz. Following World War II, Wiesel used his life to tell of the tragedies he witnessed in hopes future generations would not make the same mistakes.

In the spring of 1974, as the last American troops were being pulled out of Vietnam, Ron Kovic and a small group of other severely injured veterans in a California VA hospital launched the American Veterans Movement. In a phenomenal feat of political organizing, Kovic corralled his fellow AVM members into staging a sit-in, and then a hunger strike, in the Los Angeles office of Senator Alan Cranston, demanding better treatment of injured and disabled veterans.

Brothers and sisters often dare each other to do things - it's what siblings do. However, when Connie Johnson dared her brother Samuel to embark on a one-wheeled odyssey around Australia, she knew it was a big ask. But Connie knew exactly what she was doing and was sure he wouldn't say no. Not...