Gloria Whelan's National Book Award-winning novel chronicles the breathtaking story of a remarkable young woman who dares to defy fate. Like many girls her age in India, thirteen-year-old Koly faces her arranged marriage with hope and courage. But Koly's story takes a terrible turn when, in the wake of the ceremony, she discovers she's been horribly misled; her life has been sold for a dowry.

In prose both graceful and unflinching, this powerful novel relays the story of a rare young woman, who even when cast out into a brutal current of time-worn tradition, sets out to forge her own remarkable future. Inspired by a newspaper article about real teenage widows in India today, this universally acclaimed, best-selling novel, characterized by spare, lyrical language and remarkable detail, transports readers into the heart of a gripping tale of hope.

Koly's journey is a testament to the power of courage and hope, showing that fate can indeed be taken into one's own hands.

Στα τέλη του 19ου αιώνα, η Αθηνά ήταν μόλις 18 χρόνων, μια πανέξυπνη και δυναμική κοπέλα, κόρη του φημισμένου Καπετάν Βαγγέλη Καληβωκά. Όταν ο πατέρας και τα αδέρφια της χάθηκαν στη θάλασσα, μαζί τους χάθηκε και η ανεμελιά της ηλικίας της.

Η Αθηνά αναγκάστηκε ν' αφήσει πίσω τον τόπο της. Η μοίρα την οδήγησε σε τόπους μακρινούς, στη Βενετία, στη Ρωσία, ακόμη και στην Αίγυπτο. Γνώρισε ανθρώπους απλούς και ταπεινούς αλλά και βασιλιάδες, πολιτικούς και καλλιτέχνες. Από τους Ρομανόφ και τον Νιζίνσκι μέχρι τον Παύλο Μελά και τον Βενιζέλο, η Αθηνά κέρδισε το θαυμασμό και την εκτίμηση όλων ως μια γυναίκα μοναδική, γοητευτική, υπέροχη μα πάνω απ' όλα Ελληνίδα.

Η ιστορία της είναι μια ιστορία αληθινή. Κι αυτό την κάνει πραγματικά συγκλονιστική!

Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself is the creative expression of one young woman's attempt to understand herself as she grows into adulthood. Sabrina Ward Harrison shares her private journal and art, offering us lessons in life and empowerment that resonate with fresh, youthful wisdom. Written when Harrison was between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, Spilling Open captures the artist's journey of self-discovery with a powerful and courageous voice.

This book is an intimate and moving picture of what it means to enter a contemporary adult world filled with contradictions about womanhood. Harrison reveals with tender honesty that, in spite of the women's movement, she has found more questions than answers about growing up female.

Harrison's writing and multimedia art explore questions about love, faith, growing pains, being true, peer groups, and identity. A truly unique experience, Spilling Open will help open your heart and your mind.

Open House is a superb novel by the beloved author of Talk Before Sleep, The Pull of the Moon, and Until the Real Thing Comes Along. In this story, a woman re-creates her life after divorce by opening up her house and her heart.

Samantha's husband has left her, and after a spree of overcharging at Tiffany's, she settles down to reconstruct a life for herself and her eleven-year-old son. Her eccentric mother tries to help by fixing her up with dates, but a more pressing problem is money. To meet her mortgage payments, Sam decides to take in boarders.

The first is an older woman who offers sage advice and sorely needed comfort; the second, a maladjusted student, is not quite so helpful. A new friend, King, an untraditional man, suggests that Samantha get out, get going, get work. But her real work is this: In order to emerge from grief and the past, she has to learn how to make her own happiness.

In order to really see people, she has to look within her heart. And in order to know who she is, she has to remember—and reclaim—the person she used to be, long before she became someone else in an effort to save her marriage.

Open House is a love story about what can blossom between a man and a woman, and within a woman herself.

The Freedom Writers Diary is a powerful and unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination can change lives. This book presents the inspiring story of an idealistic young English teacher, Erin Gruwell, and her remarkable students at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California.

Confronted with a classroom of "unteachable, at-risk" students, Erin Gruwell discovered a note containing an ugly racial caricature. She used this moment to teach her students about the Holocaust, only to be met with uncomprehending looks. Determined to make a difference, she revamped her curriculum, using treasured books like Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo to combat intolerance and misunderstanding.

Through their journey, the students began to see parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries. They named themselves the "Freedom Writers," paying homage to the civil rights activists "The Freedom Riders." Their efforts led to significant recognition and educational success, with all 150 Freedom Writers graduating from high school and attending college.

Featuring entries from the students’ diaries and narrative text by Erin Gruwell, this book remains a vital read for anyone who believes in second chances and the transformative power of education.

Anju is the daughter of an upper-caste Calcutta family; her cousin Sudha is the daughter of the black sheep of the family. Sudha is as beautiful, tenderhearted, and serious as Anju is plain, whip-smart, and defiant. Yet since the day they were born, Sudha and Anju have been bonded in ways even their mothers cannot comprehend.

The cousins' bond is shattered, however, when Sudha learns a dark family secret. Urged into arranged marriages, their lives take sudden, opposite turns: Sudha becomes the dutiful daughter-in-law of a rigid small-town household, while Anju goes to America with her new husband and learns to live her own life of secrets.

Then tragedy strikes them both, and the women discover that, despite the distance that has grown between them, they have only each other to turn to. Set in the two worlds of India and America, this is an exceptionally moving novel of love, friendship, and compelling courage.

Fat? Chunky? Less than svelte? So what! In this hilarious and eye-opening book, fat and proud activist/zinester Marilyn Wann takes on America's biggest fear—worse than the fear of public speaking or nuclear weapons—our fear of fat.

Statistics tell us that about a third of Americans are fat, and common sense adds that just about everyone, fat or thin, male or female, has worried about their appearance. FAT!SO? weighs in with a more attractive alternative: feeling good about yourself at any weight—and having the style and attitude to back it up.

Internationally recognized as a fat-positive spokesperson, Wann has learned that you can be absolutely happy, healthy, and successful...and fat. With its hilarious and insightful blend of essays, quizzes, facts, and reporting, FAT!SO? proves that you can be out-and-out fabulous at any size.

Solar Storms by Pulitzer Prize finalist Linda Hogan tells the moving story of Angela Jenson, a troubled Native American girl coming of age in the foster system in Oklahoma, who decides to reunite with her family.

At seventeen, Angela returns to the place where she was raised—a stunning island town that lies at the border of Canada and Minnesota. Here, she discovers that an eager developer is planning a hydroelectric dam that will leave sacred land flooded and abandoned.

Joining forces with three other concerned residents, Angela fights the project, reconnecting with her ancestral roots as she does so. This harrowing, lyrical, and boldly incisive novel is a powerful examination of the clashes between cultures and the traumatic repercussions that have shaped American history.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than 2.7 million copies sold! • “A deeply spiritual book [that] honors what is tough, smart and untamed in women.”—The Washington Post Book World Book club pick for Emma Watson’s Our Shared Shelf Within every woman there lives a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. She is the Wild Woman, who represents the instinctual nature of women. But she is an endangered species. For though the gifts of wildish nature belong to us at birth, society’s attempt to “civilize” us into rigid roles has muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls. In Women Who Run with the Wolves, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés unfolds rich intercultural myths, fairy tales, folk tales, and stories, many from her own traditions, in order to help women reconnect with the fierce, healthy, visionary attributes of this instinctual nature. Through the stories and commentaries in this remarkable book, we retrieve, examine, love, and understand the Wild Woman, and hold her against our deep psyches as one who is both magic and medicine. Dr. Estés has created a new lexicon for describing the female psyche. Fertile and life-giving, it is a psychology of women in the truest sense, a knowing of the soul.

Precious Jones, an illiterate sixteen-year-old, has up until now been invisible: invisible to the father who rapes her and the mother who batters her and to the authorities who dismiss her as just one more of Harlem's casualties. But when Precious, pregnant with a second child by her father, meets a determined and highly radical teacher, we follow her on a journey of education and enlightenment as Precious learns not only how to write about her life, but how to make it her own for the first time.

After years of soul-searching, Jeanne Safer made the conscious decision not to have children. In this book, Safer and women across the country share insights that dispel the myth of childless women as emotionally barren or incomplete, and encourage all women to honestly confront their needs—whether they choose motherhood or not.

Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self Esteem, and the Confidence Gap is a groundbreaking book by Peggy Orenstein that explores the decline in confidence among young girls as they reach adolescence.

Inspired by an American Association of University Women survey, Orenstein investigates the obstacles girls face in school, at home, and within our culture. Through months of observation and interviews with eighth-graders from diverse communities, she uncovers the causes behind traditional patterns of self-censorship and self-doubt.

Orenstein brings to life the struggles of real young women dealing with eating disorders, sexual harassment, and declining academic achievement. She skillfully highlights the adolescent roots of issues that remain significant throughout the lives of American women.

This book challenges us to rethink how we raise and educate girls, making it a must-read for anyone interested in empowerment and social change.

On her fortieth birthday, Madame Wu carries out a decision she has been planning for a long time: she tells her husband that after twenty-four years their physical life together is now over and she wishes him to take a second wife. The House of Wu, one of the oldest and most revered in China, is thrown into an uproar by her decision, but Madame Wu will not be dissuaded and arranges for a young country girl to come take her place in bed.

Elegant and detached, Madame Wu orchestrates this change as she manages everything in the extended household of more than sixty relatives and servants. Alone in her own quarters, she relishes her freedom and reads books she has never been allowed to touch. When her son begins English lessons, she listens, and is soon learning from the foreigner, a free-thinking priest named Brother Andre, who will change her life.

Few books raise so many questions about the nature and roles of men and women, about self-discipline and happiness.

A collection of beloved poems about women from the iconic Maya Angelou.

These four poems, "Phenomenal Woman," "Still I Rise," "Weekend Glory," and "Our Grandmothers," are among the most remembered and acclaimed of Maya Angelou's poems. They celebrate women with a majesty that has inspired and touched the hearts of millions.

These memorable poems have been reset and bound in a beautiful edition—a gift to keep and to give.

Sent by her family to work in a silk factory just prior to World War II, young Pei grows to womanhood, working fifteen-hour days and sending her pay to the family who abandoned her.

In "Women of the Silk", Gail Tsukiyama takes her readers back to rural China in 1926, where a group of women forge a sisterhood amidst the reeling machines that reverberate and clamor in a vast silk factory from dawn to dusk. Leading the first strike the village has ever seen, the young women use the strength of their ambition, dreams, and friendship to achieve the freedom they could never have hoped for on their own.

Tsukiyama's graceful prose weaves the details of "the silk work" and Chinese village life into a story of courage and strength.

Lara Cameron is a famous, powerful, and wealthy New York building developer. She struggled from brutal poverty in Glace Bay, where a banker took her body as part of her first deal, to Chicago, where she took banker Keller's love lightly for granted. As her skyscrapers and boutique hotels tower on earth, she is at the top of a male-dominated field.

She lies and cheats to close a deal, making cruel enemies. At forty, she is beautiful, glamorous, insecure, ruthless, vulnerable, secretly generous, and rich—and still wants more. She marries an international concert pianist, the Lochinvar of her childhood dreams, but someone puts him in the hospital and threatens to take down her empire.

In a dazzling global setting from London to New York, Reno to Rome, Lara will find everything she has won—her fortune, her fame, and the man she loves—shockingly endangered by a secret with the devastating power to destroy her.

Dynamic and inspirational, FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY is filled with concrete techniques to turn passivity into assertiveness. Dr. Susan Jeffers teaches you how to stop negative thinking patterns and reeducate your mind to think more positively.

You will learn:

• The vital 10-Step Positive Thinking Process
• How to risk a little every day
• How to turn every decision into a No-Lose situation
• And much more!

The Princess Elizabeth is slated to marry Prince Ronald when a dragon attacks the castle and kidnaps Ronald. In a resourceful and humorous fashion, Elizabeth finds the dragon, outsmarts him, and rescues Ronald—who is less than pleased at her un-princess-like appearance.

With her wits alone and nothing but a paper bag to wear, the princess challenges the dragon to show his strength in the hopes of saving the prince. But is it worth all that trouble? This classic story of girl power has captivated readers worldwide.

Every woman was once a little girl. And every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the Beauty of the story.

Yet, how many women do you know who ever find that life? Most women think they have to settle for a life of efficiency and duty, striving to be the women they "ought" to be but often feeling they have failed. Sadly, too many messages for Christian women add to the pressure. "Do these ten things, and you will be a godly woman." The effect has not been good on the feminine soul.

The message of "Captivating" is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly captivating.

Using fairy and goblin in lieu of female and male, the author has created a timely allegorical fairy tale. A youngster named Julep, who lives in a forest tribe, insists on growing up to be a goblin rather than a fairy. The tribe learns to accept that Julep is a goblin at heart, eventually coming around to support the physical transition that must be made for Julep to live as a goblin.

Pinagsama-sama sa kasalukuyang pagpupunyaging ito ang mga batayang sanaysay gayundin ang mga bagong sanaysay ukol sa KABABAIHAN sa Kalinangan at Kasaysayang Pilipino. Tampok sa aklat na ito ang mga sinulat nina Dr. Zeus A. Salazar, Dr. Lilia Quindoza-Santiago, Dr. Judy M. Taguiwalo, Dr. Francis A. Gealogo, Ma. Reina Boro-Magbanua, Mary Jane Salazar-Tatel, Mary Dorothy dL. Jose, Atoy M. Navarro, Jerome A. Ong, Francisco M. Nunez Jr., Jely A. Galang, Janet S. Reguindin, at Adonis Ramy L. Elumbre.

Sadyang pinagsama-sama rito ang mga batikan at bagong mananaliksik sa Araling Kababaihan — babae man o lalaking mananaliksik — upang salungguhitan ang pagiging kolektibo ng pag-aaral at pananaliksik hinggil sa kababaihan kaugnay ng paninindigang feminista at panunuring malay sa kasarian.

Sa KABABAIHAN sa Kalinangan at Kasaysayang Pilipino, iginigiit bilang pangkahalatang layunin at tunguhin ang kolektibong pag-aaral at pananaliksik hindi lamang upang makapagbigay ng pangkahalatang larawan sa konteksto ng kababaihan sa kalinangan at kasaysayang Pilipino kundi upang makapagbigay rin ng mainam na tuntungan sa patuloy na kabayanihan at kilusang kababaihan sa Pilipinas.

Rahvasuu naljatab, et Jumal, kes oli maailmaloomise protsessis mehe valmis meisterdanud, silmitses teda hetke ja mõtles: „Ma suudan paremini.“ Ning tegi naise. Väeline naine on jumaliku loomingu kauneim meistritöö.

Kuidas aga elada oma elu selliseks, et jumalik läte naises ei kuivaks, et sära aastatega ei tuhmuks, vaid väge tuleks vanusega juurde? Et sellest väest saaks toitu enesehinnang, mis on kõikide suhete aluseks? Selline elu on kunst.

Naise süvamaailma allhoovuseid, mis juhivad ta mõtlemist, tundmusi ja käitumist, võib kutsuda naise arhetüüpideks. Eluterved arhetüübid muudavad naise väeliseks, variarhetüübid kahandavad ta väetiks. Arhetüübid – Tütarlaps, Armastaja, Perenaine ja Kuninganna – avalduvad naise elu erinevates tahkudes. Tütarlaps toob naise ellu emotsionaalsuse, elurõõmu, mängu ja liikuvuse, tantsu ja spordi. Sensuaalse Armastaja abil astub naine füüsilisse kontakti mehega. Perenaine kannab naise elus hoolt tema perekondlike suhete, koduhoiu, puhtuse ja enda sisemise maailma hoidmise eest. Kuninganna ilmneb suhetes välismaailmaga, oma väärtuse teadmises ning oma seisukohtade selges ja julges avaldamises.

Arhetüüpide palett on igal naisel sünnihetkel olemas, see on justkui tema Ürgnaise kood, mis peaks tagama täisverelise elu. Paraku juhtub elu käigus sageli, et naine hälbib elutervetest arhetüüpidest variarhetüüpide küüsi. Temas on eluterve arhetüübi energiat kas liiga vähe või vastupidi, liiga palju.

Mis on need põhjused, miks naine kaotab kontakti väeliste arhetüüpidega? Milliseid arhetüüpe mehed suhetes naistega otsivad? Milliseid arhetüüpe vajab naine suhete õnnestumiseks? Millised variarhetüübid toovad garanteeritult kinnijäämise negatiivsetesse emotsioonidesse?

„Naiseks olemise kunst“ viib lugeja naise psüühika inglite ja deemonite – arhetüüpide ja variarhetüüpide – juurde. Lootuses, et varjupoolte teadvustamise ja elutervete arhetüüpide väljendamise kaudu saab naine uurida end uuest vaatevinklist ja parema kunstilise tulemuse nimel ehk muuta oma elu.

Raamatu süvapsühholoogiline sisu on esitatud erakordselt lihtsalt ja selgelt ning see on põnev lugemistükk neilegi, kes akadeemilisest psühholoogiast kauge kaarega mööda käivad. Katrin Saali Saul on suurepärane jutustaja, tema mahlakas keel ja võrratud kujundid avavad naise hingeelu salasoppe sügavamalt kui keegi eales varem on suutnud teha. Igaühel on siit midagi võtta. See on suurepärane käsiraamat naistele, kes on parasjagu iseendaga vaenujalal või vajavad suhete klaarimise õpetust, rõõmuks neile, kes eluga kenasti hakkama saavad, kuid vajavad juurde vürtsi ja värvi. Asendamatu teejuht meestele, kes soovivad oma mõistatuslikku Muusat paremini tundma õppida.

Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity for putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places.