Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Holocaust Novel of 14-Year-Old Author Christopher Huh



25 Feb 2013 14:30 Africa/Lagos

14-Year-Old Author Christopher Huh Debuts Keeping My Hope, A Historical Fiction Graphic Novel About the Holocaust

GERMANTOWN, Md., Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Christopher Huh, an 8th grade middle school student, has just published a new hand-drawn historical fiction graphic novel about the Holocaust, Keeping My Hope. To write Keeping My Hope, Christopher spent over 1,000 hours conducting research on WWII and the Holocaust. It took him about a year and a half to complete the book.

The storyline circles around the life of Ari. Ari is a teenager whose entire life is turned upside down by the horrors of the Holocaust. He and his family are torn apart and moved to Auschwitz, where the reader gains an inside look at what prisoners in the concentration camps suffered through. However, even with these atrocities, the power of friendship shines through and gives Ari hope to keep surviving through the darkest blizzards of terror. Informative yet touching, Keeping My Hope spreads the message of how powerfully racism and prejudice can affect those around us.



Christopher says, "I started out writing Keeping My Hope just for myself. I wanted to organize and retain the knowledge that I gained from my research by creating an illustrated story. By creating these characters and giving them life, I felt like I was participating in history. Learning about WWII and the Holocaust in this way was not only fun for me but also helped me to remember what I'd learned. As the pages accumulated, I began to show my drawings to people around me and after much support, I decided to turn my work into a published book. I hope to share the valuable lessons I have learned through my book."

His teacher Ms. Schiller says, "This is one-of-a-kind book. Christopher has captured history in a new way, reaching out to the younger generation. Readers of all ages will be touched by the story."

Informative yet touching, Keeping My Hope provides another opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the Holocaust and its impact on countless people.

Keeping My Hope is available at
www.amazon.com/author/christopherhuh
Title: Keeping My Hope
Author: Christopher Huh
Published date: February 18, 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1479348831

About Christopher Huh:
Christopher Huh has enjoyed drawing and creating stories since he was very young. Christopher has never taken an art or creative writing class and takes pride in his unique drawing style and being a self-taught author. Keeping My Hope is Christopher's first book. Besides drawing and writing, he enjoys watching movies, listening to music, playing the viola and the piano, and playing tennis. Christopher is a second generation Korean-American born and raised in the US. For more on the author, please visit his website at www.keepingmyhope.com.

This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Chris Huh

CONTACT: Christopher Huh, +1-301-814-6372, ChristopherHuh [at] gmail.com

Web Site: http://www.keepingmyhope.com










submit to reddit

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Five Books Advance to the 2013 Lionel Gelber Prize Shortlist



19 Feb 2013 15:00 Africa/Lagos

Five Books Advance to the 2013 Lionel Gelber Prize Shortlist

TORONTO and WASHINGTON, February 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Patricia Rubin, President of the Lionel Gelber Prize Board, today announced the 2013 prize shortlist:

Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Anne Applebaum (Washington, DC and Poland)
The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics by Paul Bracken (Connecticut, USA)
Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else by Chrystia Freeland (New York City, USA)
Ghosts of Empire: Britain 's Legacies in the Modern World by Kwasi Kwarteng (London, England)
From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia by Pankaj Mishra (London, England)

"These five books offer fresh perspectives from the past that bring deeper understanding of current global issues, and compelling perspectives on the future that speak of things to come. The wisdom of this small crowd is worth the world's attention," said Jury Chair William Thorsell.

The 2013 prize jurors are: Jury Chair William Thorsell (Toronto, Canada), Daniel W. Drezner (Medford, USA), Gaynor Lilian Johnson, Ph. D. (Manchester, UK), Walter Russell Mead (Annandale-on-Hudson, USA), and Margaret Wente (Toronto, Canada).

About the Lionel Gelber Prize: Presented annually by The Lionel Gelber Foundation, in partnership with Foreign Policy Magazine and the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, the Lionel Gelber Prize is a literary award for the world's best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs that seeks to deepen public debate on significant international issues.

For further information:

Media Contact: June Dickenson: junedickenson@cogeco.ca / +1-905-689-0388
Prize website: http://www.utoronto.ca/munk/gelber/
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter


















submit to reddit

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Invisible Giants: Changing the World One Step at a Time


6 Feb 2013 09:00 Africa/Lagos

Invisible Giants: Changing the World One Step at a Time, a Book by Lindsay Levin, is Out on 5th March


LONDON, February 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

"An extraordinary, warts-and-all account designed to jump leaders into 21st century realities." John Elkington, Executive Chairman, Volans Ventures; Co-founder of Environmental Data Services (ENDS) and SustainAbility

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130206/594060-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130206/594060-b )

Invisible Giants is a book about leadership, choices in life and the potential in everyone to make a difference. Author Lindsay Levin, who founded the social enterprise Leaders' Quest in 2001, tells the stories of some of the people she has met through her work, and their impact on the world.

Levin takes readers on a journey from Canary Wharf to the streets of Mumbai, and from a high-security prison in Johannesburg to Chengdu, where thousands of new tower blocks are transforming the city. We meet individuals who are overcoming obstacles, and often their own frailties, to change the lives of those around them.

The invisible giants of Levin's story are grassroots leaders who, despite a lack of education and resources, are re-energising their communities, and business executives who strive to integrate purpose alongside profit, in the face of institutional resistance. They are female activists in slums campaigning to end the exclusion of girls from school, and environmentalists tackling the effects of industrialisation on the world's ecosystem. They are also ordinary Israelis and Palestinians committed to peaceful coexistence who are delivering a courageous and sometimes unpopular message to their own people.

"In my experience, people have infinite potential to grow and to create. I have written this book to try and share some of this optimism," says Levin.

After 15 years as a successful entrepreneur, Levin founded the social enterprise Leaders' Quest in 2001, to bring together people from all disciplines and sectors who want to use their unique influence to create positive change in the world. Her work has brought her into contact with an extraordinary range of leaders from across the world - some highly visible, and some not.

"Our work at Leaders' Quest is about bringing people together - from CEOs to grassroots activists - to learn from the unfamiliar and recognise the capacity they have to improve the world around them. The lives of these invisible giants have struck a chord with me. Not because they are inherently more virtuous than high profile leaders, but because their stories are rarely told and because they have a vital role to play in creating a brighter future."

"The book is also the story of my own quest to ask: "what really matters?" and to find out where the answers can take me."

Invisible Giants is published by Vala and will be available to buy online, at high street bookshops, or directly from the publishers at http://www.valapublishers.coop/invisiblegiants , from March 2013. It costs £16.99, and all the author's royalties go to the Leaders' Quest Foundation, a registered charity.

A launch event will be held on Tuesday 5th March at London's Paramount, on the 31st floor of Centre Point, 101-103 New Oxford Street (right next to Tottenham Court Road tube station), from 6.30pm until 8.30pm. It will be a stimulating gathering of corporate and community leaders, including some of the invisible giants who feature in the book. Lindsay will be speaking about the book and her work and taking part in a short Q&A.

The event is free but places are strictly limited. To reserve a place, please contact Richard.roberts@leadersquest.org.

What readers are saying

"Generous, deeply personal and beautifully written." Tom Glocer, former CEO, Thomson Reuters

"An important and enjoyable read for business leaders who want to better understand the complex relationships between people, culture, attitudes and opportunities that shape our world. Invisible Giants challenges us to think differently about business and the role of leaders. Reading it is, in itself, an inspiring journey, with wonderful stories of exceptional people beating the odds to accomplish extraordinary things." Bob Bechek, Worldwide Managing Director, Bain & Company

"It's not about privileged do-gooders who clamour for media attention, but "karmayogis": people who bring about change in quiet and purposeful ways. Truly inspiring, with powerful lessons for everyone." Anu Aga, Chairperson, Teach For India ; Director, Thermax Limited

About the author

After 15 years as a successful entrepreneur, Lindsay Levin founded Leaders' Quest in 2001, to connect leaders from all disciplines and sectors, and explore solutions to global issues.

A strong NGO advocate, her work ranges from searching for new initiatives that address poverty and environmental sustainability, to helping businesses redefine values and shift culture.

From 2008 to 2012 she was Chair of the International Steering Committee of OneVoice, a conflict resolution movement working to strengthen civil society in Israel and Palestine, and she regularly facilitates workshops and dialogues in the region.

About Leaders' Quest

Leaders' Quest works with people from all walks of life - from CEOs of multinational companies, to grassroots organisers - who use their unique influence to create positive change in the world. It designs experiential learning journeys which enable them to ask tough questions about business, society and their own leadership, and look for answers together. It runs programmes in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.

Find out more at: http://www.leadersquest.org

About the publisher

The Vala Publishing Co-operative is an adventure in community supported publishing. They publish high quality books that explore and celebrate the human spirit with brave and authentic ways of thinking and being.

Vala is co-owned and democratically managed by its members.

Find out more at: http://www.valapublishers.coop

Media contact

For more information, to order a review copy of Invisible Giants, or to schedule an interview with Lindsay Levin, please contact either Richard.roberts@leadersquest.org or melanie.george@leadersquest.org, or call +44(0)208-948-5208.










submit to reddit

Monday, February 4, 2013

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie


From the award-winning author of Half of a Yellow Sun, a dazzling new novel: a story of love and race centered around a young man and woman from Nigeria who face difficult choices and challenges in the countries they come to call home.
As teenagers in a Lagos secondary school, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are leaving the country if they can. Ifemelu—beautiful, self-assured—departs for America to study. She suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships and friendships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze—the quiet, thoughtful son of a professor—had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London.
Years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly democratic Nigeria, while Ifemelu has achieved success as a writer of an eye-opening blog about race in America. But when Ifemelu returns to Nigeria, and she and Obinze reignite their shared passion—for their homeland and for each other—they will face the toughest decisions of their lives
.
Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today’s globalized world: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s most powerful and astonishing novel yet.




“An incredibly readable and rich tapestry of Nigerian and American life, and the ways a handful of vivid characters—so vivid they feel like family—try to live in both worlds simultaneously. As she did so masterfully with Half of a Yellow Sun, Adichie paints on a grand canvas, boldly and confidently, equally adept at conveying the complicated political backdrop of Lagos as she is in bringing us into the day-to-day lives of her many new Americans—a single mom, a student, a hairdresser. This is a very funny, very warm and moving intergenerational epic that confirms Adichie’s virtuosity, boundless empathy and searing social acuity.”
< b> —Dave Eggers, author of A Hologram for the King.

“Adichie’s great gift is that she has always brought us into the territory of the previously unexplored. She writes about that which others have kept silent. Americanah is no exception. This is not just a story that unfolds across three different continents, it is also a keenly observed examination of race, identity and belonging in the global landscapes of Africans and Americans. If Joyce had silence, exile and cunning for his defense, Adichie has flair, loss and longing. And Adichie is brave enough to allow the story to unfold with a distinct straightforward simplicity that never loses its edgy intellect.”

—Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin.

















submit to reddit