Birth West

The tenth century dawned in violence and disorder. Charlemagne’s empire was in ruins, most of Spain had been claimed by Moorish invaders, and even the papacy in Rome was embroiled in petty, provincial conflicts. To many historians, it was a prime example of the ignorance and uncertainty of the Dark Ages. Yet according to historian Paul Collins, the story of the tenth century is the story of our culture’s birth, of the emergence of our civilization into the light of day.

According to even the most conservative estimates, China will overtake the United States as the world's largest economy by 2027 and will ascend to the position of world economic leader by 2050. But the full repercussions of China's ascendancy-for itself and the rest of the globe-have been surprisingly little explained or understood.

A Western Adventure by Ronnie Ashmore "Ashmore creates fierce characters with confidence and authority. A fresh and welcome Western narrative." -Best-Selling Author Ralph Cotton Texas in the years leading up to the Civil War was a dangerous place. No one knew this better than Johnny Cole. An orphan, he came of age in the violence and upheaval that was all around him. Befriended by outcasts, he was forced to kill at a young age. Now, on the run from the law, he finds himself in gunfight after gunfight, standing up for what he believes is right, living by his own code. Is he driven by the ...

Don't miss out on a single moment of the Glover family saga in this bridge story linking Ward and Judge's love stories! The Glovers love God, country, dogs, horses, and family. Not necessarily in that order. ;) Many of them are married now, with babies on the way, and there are lessons to be learned, forgiveness to be had and given, and new names coming to the family tree in southern Three Rivers! Willa, Holly Ann, Montana, and Zona all have babies coming, one right after the other in the first four months of the year. What will their names be? How will the deliveries go? Will Zona really ...

HEGEMON IN THE MAKING is the first part of the account of the hegemons that shaped the Western World, a thousand-year story per se about ancient Rome and the nature of its world. This involves the empires it fought against, the lands and people it conquered, the “Barbarian” invasions it defeated and failed to stop, and the influence it exerted in Europe, Africa, and East Asia (The Middle East), making it the target of other powerful forces determined to bring it down while cherishing its civilization, the positive attributes that constitute the bedrock of Western civilization today ...

Western exceptionalism - the idea that European civilizations are freer, wealthier, and less violent - is a widespread and powerful political idea. It has been a source of peace and prosperity in some societies, and of ethnic cleansing and havoc in others. Yet in The Invention of Power, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita draws on his expertise in political maneuvering, deal-making, and game theory to present a revolutionary new theory of Western exceptionalism: that a single, rarely discussed event in the 12th century changed the course of European and world history.

Annie Pruitt has worked for the Whittaker brothers for years, and now with the lodge a full-fledged mountain resort, she's the full-time maid up the canyon. She's watched all these people come through Whiskey Mountain Lodge who've found love. And she wants to be next.

Amid rising gang violence, the crack epidemic, and police brutality, a group of unlikely voices cut through the chaos of late 1980s Los Angeles: N.W.A. Led by a drug dealer, a glammed-up producer, and a high school kid, N.W.A. gave voice to disenfranchised African Americans across the country. And they quickly redefined pop culture across the world. Their names remain as popular as ever: Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. Dre soon joined forces with Suge Knight to create the combustible Death Row Records.

In the last three decades of the 19th century, an American buffalo herd once numbering 30 million animals was reduced to 23. It was the era of Manifest Destiny, a gilded age that viewed the West as nothing more than a treasure chest of resources to be dug up or shot down. Supporting hide hunters was the US Army, which considered the eradication of the buffalo essential to victory in its ongoing war on Native Americans.

The complete cowboy collection at the ranch in Quinn Valley will sweep you away with heartwarming, uplifting stories of love, faith, and forgiveness - all with a sexy-and-sweet cowboy at the center of the romance & family saga! Contracted Cowboy: A fake ad brings a cowboy to Georgia's door just in time for all the Quinn family holiday parties, so she hires Logan to be her boyfriend. Nothing can go wrong with this plan...except she might lose her heart to her newly contracted cowboy. Secret Sweetheart: She's a domestic goddess. He works on her father's ranch. They could have forever...if ...

The award-winning author of The Battle of Bretton Woods reveals the gripping history behind the Marshall Plan—told with verve, insight, and resonance for today.

In the wake of World War II, with Britain’s empire collapsing and Stalin's on the rise, US officials under new secretary of state George C. Marshall set out to reconstruct western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism. Their massive, costly, and ambitious undertaking would confront Europeans and Americans alike with a vision at odds with their history and self-conceptions. In the process, they would drive the creation of NATO, the European Union, and a Western identity that continues to shape world events.

Focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Benn Steil’s thrilling account brings to life the seminal episodes marking the collapse of postwar US-Soviet relations—the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany. In each case, we see and understand like never before Stalin’s determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe.

Given current echoes of the Cold War, as Putin’s Russia rattles the world order, the tenuous balance of power and uncertain order of the late 1940s is as relevant as ever. The Marshall Plan provides critical context into understanding today’s international landscape. Bringing to bear fascinating new material from American, Russian, German, and other European archives, Steil’s account will forever change how we see the Marshall Plan and the birth of the Cold War. A polished and masterly work of historical narrative, this is an instant classic of Cold War literature.

Bear decides to give his friend the moon a birthday present. He thinks the echoes of his own voice are the moon's answers to his questions about what the moon would like.

Embarking on motherhood, Bridget enjoys the role as both mother and stepmother while dancing through the Disco years, divorce, marriage, becoming lesbian identified, and partying in the Eighties. Always the rebel, she becomes involved with the Free Clinic in West Hollywood during the AIDS epidemic and the election of the first all-gay city council in West Hollywood. But again, love gets the better of her. Her lover insists they move. Bridget returns to college and gets her degree. While there, she finds her niche in the New Age movement of the ‘90s. She gains friends while still living ...

The Age of Genius explores the eventful intertwining of outward event and inner intellectual life to tell, in all its richness and depth, the story of the 17th century in Europe. It was a time of creativity unparalleled in history before or since, from science to the arts, from philosophy to politics. Acclaimed philosopher and historian A. C. Grayling points to three primary factors that led to the rise of vernacular (popular) languages in philosophy, theology, science, and literature.

A manifesto for deep and radical change, Creating Freedom explores the limits placed on freedom by human nature and society. It explodes myths, calling for a profound transformation in the way we think about democracy, equality, and our own identities.

Don't Look Back is a sweet, clean Victorian story. Hannah Dawes loves to paint. She dreams of being a great artist. Her sand sculptures and paintings win her acclaim in her local community of New Beach, New Jersey, but when circumstances take her away from the Jersey shore, she must learn to love the sprawling vistas of High Bend, Colorado. Strangers in a strange land, Hannah and her family travel across the country to live with Hannah's Uncle James, a bachelor rancher whom Hannah has never met. Life on the ranch is hard, and Hannah misses her old home, that is until she starts to pain the ...

Peter is having a birthday party. When he goes to mail the special letter he has written to Amy to invite her, something extraordinary happens that makes the little boy feel "all mixed up". Beautiful landscapes of the city fill the story with colors that reflect Peter's moods.

The dream of capturing and organizing knowledge is as old as history. From the archives of ancient Sumeria and the Library of Alexandria to the Library of Congress and Wikipedia, humanity has wrestled with the problem of harnessing its intellectual output. The timeless quest for wisdom has been as much about information storage and retrieval as creative genius. In Cataloging the World, Alex Wright introduces us to a figure who stands out in the long line of thinkers and idealists who devoted themselves to the task.

Enthralling History offers a vivid dive into the revolutionary turmoil that changed the world. Discover the fiery spirit of a nation forged in rebellion and the heroes who led the charge toward freedom.

In The Birth of Politics, Melissa Lane introduces the listener to the foundations of Western political thought, from the Greeks, who invented democracy, to the Romans, who created a republic and then transformed it into an empire. Tracing the origins of our political concepts from Socrates to Plutarch to Cicero, Lane reminds us that the birth of politics was a story as much of individuals as ideas.