Shard Of Glass

"Shards of Glass looks at the processes through which gender is constituted from a poststructuralist perspective: at the usual ways knowledge is constructed in classrooms, the nature of femininities and masculinities, and the children's experience of sexuality. The author challenges us to work with children to allow them as speaking subjects to invent, invert and break old structures and speak/write into existence other ways of being. The new edition involves a refining and developing of the theoretical framework and analysis."--Cover.

Once upon a time, Michael Katakis lived in a place of big dreams, bright colours and sleight of hand. That place was America. One night, travelling where those who live within illusions should never go, he stared into the darkness and glimpsed a faded flag where shadows gathered, revealing another America. It was a broken place, bred from fear and distrust – a thousand shards of glass – filled with a people who long ago had given away all that was precious; a people who had been sold, for so long, a foreign betrayal that finally came from within, and for nothing more than a handful of silver. These essays, letters and journal entries were written as a farewell to the country Michael loves still, and to the wife he knew as his 'True North'. A powerful and personal polemic, A Thousand Shards of Glass is Michael's appeal to his fellow citizens to change their course; a cautionary tale to those around the world who idealise an America that never was; and, crucially, a glimpse beyond the myth, to a country whose best days could still lie ahead.

Menashe Everett is a tormented man. He’s ruled by depression and addiction. He’s haunted by his past. At 37, he barely holds onto his job and lives in a haze of blurred reality. But to many in his life, he’s their only hope. For the past ten years, Menashe has been acting as a counselor to similarly afflicted clients who agree to his unorthodox brand of pseudo-therapy. After a grim but revelatory trip to Las Vegas in his late twenties, Menashe decided to open up a "glass museum"—an underground safe place where clients can vent their anguish by destroying rooms filled with clear glass art. The museum brings hope to those who have not responded to traditional therapy, but also gives Menashe a sense of purpose he desperately needs. Menashe’s work is always challenging, but now he’s taken on a particularly taxing caseload. Among others, he counsels Austin Gendron, a gruff Vietnam veteran prone to psychotic breaks; Murray Henderson, a timid college student trying to understand his episodes of anger and anxiety; and John Cook, Menashe’s best friend. As he works tirelessly for his clients, Menashe must also handle his increasingly complex personal life, which constantly forces him to relive his past and question his abilities as a therapist. Set in Cleveland in the late 1980s, Glass tests traditional ideas of interpersonal responsibility and what it means to struggle with mental illness.

In this time of ecological crisis, all that is holy calls us into a more intimate partnership with the diverse and beautiful beings of this earth. In Finding Our Way Home, Myke Johnson reflects on her personal journey into such a partnership and offers a guide for others to begin this path. Lyrically expressed, it weaves together lessons from a chamomile flower, a small bird, a copper beech tree, a garden slug, and a forest fern, along with insights from Indigenous philosophy, environmental science, fractal geometry, childhood Catholic mysticism, the prophet Elijah, fairy tales, and permaculture design. This eco-spiritual journey also wrestles with the history of our society's destruction of the natural world, and its roots in the original theft of the land from Indigenous peoples. Exploring the spiritual dimensions of our brokenness, it offers tools to create healing. Finding Our Way Home is a ceremony to remember our essential unity with all of life.

Specter in the Glass is the latest novel from fiction-mastermind, Keith R. Rees. Strange things are going on inside Sue Haslep's brand-new apartment. Objects are moved in her kitchen where she knew they weren't before. Is it her insomnia that's causing her to do these things as a sleepwalker? Or could it be something more other-wordly? Slowly she begins to piece the mysterious puzzle together when she is shocked to see ghostly messages written on her steamed bathroom mirror. She's terrified, but also fascinated with the visitations as she begins to converse with the specter via the mirror. She decides to enlist the help of her skeptical, but supportive best friend, Roshanda. They team up to try and piece together the wonder and mystery of the entity, all the while Sue is being pulled ever-closer to a horrifying revelation. As the messages become more chilling, so does the terrifying truth behind the ghost's presence. An old-fashioned ghost story of yesteryear, Specter in the Glass is a humorous, yet spine-tingling tale. Come and discover the secret behind the Specter in the Glass!

"[This book] has a bit of everything. . . . It looks good, both visually (large-scale, hard-back, glossy) and in terms of content."—Glass Art Society News

The Newbery Medal-winning tale of an orphan boy whose dream of becoming a master potter leads to unforeseen adventure in ancient Korea. Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean village renowned for its ceramics. When he accidentally breaks a delicate piece of pottery, he volunteers to work to pay for the damage. Putting aside his own dreams, Tree-ear resolves to serve the master potter by embarking on a difficult and dangerous journey, little knowing that it will change his life forever. "Despite the odds against him, Tree-ear becomes courageous, brave and selfless, a hero as enduring as the porcelain Park so lovingly describes." (New York Times) “Intrigues, danger, and a strong focus on doing what is right turn a simple story into a compelling read. A timeless jewel.” (Kirkus starred review) *A broken piece of pottery sets events in motion as an orphan struggles to pay off his debt to a master potter. This finely crafted novel brings 12th-century Korea and these indelible characters to life." (School Library Journal starred review) "Tree-ear's determination and bravery in pursuing his dream of becoming a potter takes readers on a literary journey that demonstrates how courage, honor and perseverance can overcome great odds and bring great happiness. Park effectively conveys 12th century Korea in this masterful piece of historical fiction." (Kathleen Odean, chair of the Newbery Award Selection Committee)

WINNER OF THE BSFA AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL Jack Glass is the murderer. We know this from the start. Yet as this extraordinary novel tells the story of three murders committed by Glass the reader will be surprised to find out that it was Glass who was the killer and how he did it. And by the end of the book our sympathies for the killer are fully engaged. Riffing on the tropes of crime fiction (the country house murder, the locked room mystery) and imbued with the feel of golden age SF, JACK GLASS is another bravura performance from Roberts. Whatever games he plays with the genre, whatever questions he asks of the reader, Roberts never loses sight of the need to entertain and JACK GLASS has some wonderfully gruesome moments, is built around three gripping HowDunnits and comes with liberal doses of sly humour. Roberts invites us to have fun and tricks us into thinking about both crime and SF via a beautifully structured novel set in a society whose depiction challanges notions of crime, punishment, power and freedom. It is an extraordinary novel.

The tyrannous Huntsmen have declared everyone in one village to be outlaws, since they insist on supporting the magical beings of neighbouring Darkwood. Why won’t they accept that magic is an abomination? Far from being abominable, the residents of Darkwood are actually very nice when you get to know them, even Snow the White Knight, who can get a bit tetchy when people remind her she’s a Princess. In order to stop the Huntsmen from wiping out all magical beings, Snow and her friends have to venture into the Badlands of Ashtrie, and seek the support of the Glass Witch – but she has plans of her own, and let’s just say they’re not good ones. Praise for Gabby Hutchinson Crouch: ‘Gabby is one of the funniest writers I know.’ Sarah Millican ‘...very funny. If you like Terry Pratchett, or think gothic fairytales should have more LOLs, ’tis the book for ye.’ Greg Jenner ‘I have read this and it is great. Pratchetty fun for all the family.’ Lucy Porter ‘...magical, surprising and funny.’ Jan Ravens What people are saying about the Darkwood series: ‘Clever and funny and so very very entertaining. I would encourage everyone of every age to go ahead and read Darkwood.’ ‘Completely fabulous, can’t wait for the rest of the series.’ ‘A fun, exciting, action-packed story that once I started reading I couldn't put down.’ ‘I loved the mix of humour and fantasy, the tongue in cheek style of writing and the quirky characters.’ ‘I could go on and on about how much I love this book and why.’ ‘A delightful new mashup of old familiar fairy tale characters and themes, with loads of originality and memorable characters. ... I think this may well turn into one of my all-time favourites.’ ‘...incredible! It made me laugh out loud in several places, but also managed to pull off some intricate themes around power and bigotry – I adored the characters and the fun, genre-savvy writing.’