Search results for ""avalon publishing group""

Whether you're stopping for a day hike or spending a long weekend under the stars, escape to the great outdoors with Moon Best of Zion & Bryce. Inside you'll find: Easy itineraries for one to three days in Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, from a morning hike to Weeping Rock, to a day of river rafting, to a weekend exploring both parks with mix-and-match itineraries The top hikes in Zion & Bryce: Whether you're looking to stretch your legs for a couple hours or challenge yourself to an epic trek, you'll find trailheads, detailed trail descriptions, individual maps, mileage, and elevation gains Can't-miss experiences: Make it the perfect getaway for you with the best views, picnic spots, and more. Snap a pic on a sunrise hike or get your adrenaline pumping on a white-water rafting excursion down the Colorado River. Explore the beautiful remains of ancient Native American rock art throughout the par

Read more less

Whether they're being urged to "man up" or warned that "boys don't cry," young men are subjected to damaging messages about manliness: they must muzzle their emotions and never show weakness, dominate girls and compete with one another.Boys: What It Means to Become a Man examines how these toxic rules can hinder boys' emotional and social development. If girls can expand the borders of femaleness, could boys also be set free of limiting, damaging expectations about manhood and masculinity? Could what's been labelled "the boy crisis" be the beginning of a revolution in how we raise young men? Drawing on extensive research and interviews with educators, activists, parents, psychologists, sociologists, and young men, Giese--mother to a son herself--examines the myths of masculinity and the challenges facing boys today. She reports from boys-only sex education classes and recreational sports leagues; talks to parents of transgender children and plays video games with her son. She tells stories of boys navigating the transition into manhood and how the upheaval in cultural norms about sex, sexuality and the myths of masculinity have changed the coming of age process for today's boys. With lively reportage and clear-eyed analysis, Giese reveals that the movement for gender equality has the potential to liberate us all.

Read more less

Necessary Trouble is the definitive book on the movements that are poised to permanently remake American politics. We are witnessing a moment of unprecedented political turmoil and social activism. Over the last few years, we've seen the growth of the Tea Party, a twenty-first-century black freedom struggle with BlackLivesMatter, Occupy Wall Street, and the grassroots networks supporting presidential candidates in defiance of the traditional party elites.Sarah Jaffe leads readers into the heart of these movements, explaining what has made ordinary Americans become activists. As Jaffe argues, the financial crisis in 2008 was the spark, the moment that crystallized that something was wrong. For years, Jaffe crisscrossed the country, asking people what they were angry about, and what they were doing to take power back. She attended a people's assembly in a church gymnasium in Ferguson, Missouri; walked a picket line at an Atlanta Burger King; rode a bus from New York to Ohio with student organizers; and went door-to-door in Queens days after Hurricane Sandy.From the successful fight for a $15 minimum wage in Seattle and New York to the halting of Shell's Arctic drilling program, Americans are discovering the effectiveness of making good, necessary trouble. Regardless of political alignment, they are boldly challenging who wields power in this country.

Read more less

State secrecy is increasingly used as the explanation for the shrinking of public discussion surrounding national security issues. The phrase that's classified" is increasingly used not to protect national secrets from legitimate enemies, but rather to stifle public discourse regarding national security. Washington today is inclined to see secrecy as a convenient cure to many of its problems. But too often these problems are not challenges to national security, they involve the embarrassment of political figures, disclosure of mismanagement, incompetence and corruption and even outright criminality.For national security issues to figure in democratic deliberation, the public must have access to basic facts that underlie the issues. The more those facts disappear under a cloak of state secrecy, the less space remains for democratic process and the more deliberation falls into the hands of largely unelected national security elites. The way out requires us to think much more critically and systematically about secrecy and its role in a democratic state.

Read more less

From the pastel rooftops of Positano to the soaring peak of Monte Solaro, immerse yourself in la dolce vita with Moon Amalfi Coast. Inside you'll find: Flexible itineraries for spending five to seven days on the Amalfi Coast, whether you want to island-hop in the Gulf of Naples or spend your days hiking and sunbathing in Amalfi Must-see highlights and unique experiences: Swim in turquoise waters, relax on sun-soaked beaches, or hop on a boat and cruise past cliffs, coves, and secret caves. Go underground to see ancient ruins in Naples or climb the towers of medieval castles. Take a day trip to Pompeii and hike to the top of Mount Vesuvius, ride a chairlift to the summit of Monte Solaro, or unwind in the natural hot springs that dot the island of Ischia The best local flavors: Stroll quiet village streets where the scent of Sunday ragù fills the air, feast on fresh seafood step

Read more less

From snowy mountains to golden beaches, beauty awaits around every bend on these dramatic islands. Find your adventure with Moon New Zealand. Inside you'll find: Strategic, flexible itineraries, including a trip to experience both the North and South Islands in 16 days The top spots for outdoor adventures, like surfing, mountain biking, and trekking the Great Walks, as well as tips for taking an epic road trip. Go bungee jumping or paragliding, soak in refreshing thermal pools, or embark on a multi-day trek to rugged coasts, glacial valleys, volcanoes, and fjords Can't-miss sights and unique experiences: Cruise the hypnotic black waters of the Milford Sound, spot wild dolphins, kiwis, and blue penguins, and explore the sprawling Waitomo Caves lit by twinkling glowworms. Sample local sauvignon blancs in Marlborough and craft beers in Wellington, or sip cider in the Shire. Learn about Polynesia

Read more less

Experience the city that never sleeps like a local: on foot! Whether you're strolling along tree-lined streets in the Village or hustling down Fifth Avenue, discover the best of the Big Apple with Moon New York City Walks. Walk through the city's coolest neighborhoods, including Soho, the West Village, the Lower East Side, Williamsburg, and more, with color-coded stops and turn-by-turn directions Find your scene with top ten lists for restaurants, nightlife, and arts and culture Get to know the real New York on six customizable walks: Stroll past icons like the Flatiron Building, the Empire State Building, and Rockefeller Center, or learn more about the history of jazz and the Harlem Renaissance. Take in jaw-dropping views along the High Line, shop the trendiest brands in the Meatpacking District, and explore world-famous galleries and museums. Cross the Williamsburg Bridge, hit a flea market, and discover coffee shops

Read more less

Criss-cross the country on America''s two-lane highways with the ultimate guide to the classic road trip. Inside Road Trip USA you''ll find:- 11 routes through the heart of America, color-coded and extensively cross-referenced to allow for hundreds of possible itineraries- Mile-by-mile highlights celebrating the best of Americana, including roadside curiosities, parks, diners, and the local history and personality that makes each small town and big city unique- Over 125 streamlined maps covering more than 35,000 miles of two-lane American blacktop- Full-color photos and illustrations of America both then and now- Expert advice from road-warrior Jamie Jensen, who sped along nearly 400,000 miles of highway in search of the perfect stretches of pavement- Insight into the great American road trip, as well as resources, history, and fun facts along the wayAbout Moon Travel G

Read more less

From stunning coastline to charming towns to wildlife watching, find your adventure with Moon Coastal Oregon. Inside you'll find: Flexible itineraries, including a weeklong road trip to experience the best of the Oregon Coast The top outdoor adventures: Go tidepooling, watch for migrating whales, and see hundreds of sea lions. Hike along epic coastal dunes, take a surfing lesson, and catch a sunset at iconic Haystack Rock. Join a fishing charter, camp beside the ocean, or take a jet boat tour to spot wildlife on the Rogue River. Can't-miss experiences and unique activities: Feast on fresh seafood in quaint seaside towns, check out Astoria's craft beer scene, or try tasty treats at the famous Tillamook cheese factory. Climb to the top of historic lighthouses, explore a shipwreck, and learn about local maritime history. Expert insight from Oregon

Read more less

We now live in two Americas. One,now the minority,functions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other,the majority,is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. To this majority,which crosses social class lines, though the poor are overwhelmingly affected,presidential debate and political rhetoric is pitched at a sixth-grade reading level. In this other America," serious film and theatre, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins of society. In the tradition of Christopher Lasch's The Culture of Narcissism and Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death , Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges navigates this culture,attending WWF contests, the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, and Ivy League graduation ceremonies,to expose an age of terrifying decline and heightened self-delusion.

Read more less

Necessary Trouble is the definitive book on the movements that are poised to permanently remake American politics. We are witnessing a moment of unprecedented political turmoil and social activism. Over the last few years, we've seen the growth of the Tea Party, a twenty-first-century black freedom struggle with BlackLivesMatter, Occupy Wall Street, and the grassroots networks supporting presidential candidates in defiance of the traditional party elites.Sarah Jaffe leads readers into the heart of these movements, explaining what has made ordinary Americans become activists. As Jaffe argues, the financial crisis in 2008 was the spark, the moment that crystallized that something was wrong. For years, Jaffe crisscrossed the country, asking people what they were angry about, and what they were doing to take power back. She attended a people's assembly in a church gymnasium in Ferguson, Missouri walked a picket line at an Atlanta Burger King rode a bus from New York to Ohio with student organizers and went door-to-door in Queens days after Hurricane Sandy.From the successful fight for a 15 minimum wage in Seattle and New York to the halting of Shell's Arctic drilling program, Americans are discovering the effectiveness of making good, necessary trouble. Regardless of political alignment, they are boldly challenging who wields power in this country.

Read more less

Soccer is much more than just the most popular game in the world. It is a matter of life and death for millions around the world, an international lingua franca. Simon Kuper traveled to twenty-two countries to discover the sometimes bizarre effect soccer can have on politics and culture. At the same time he tried to discover what makes different countries play a simple game so differently. Kuper meets a remarkable variety of fans along the way, from the East Berliner persecuted by the Stasi for supporting his local team, to the Argentine general with his own views on tactics. He also illuminates the frightening intersection between soccer and politics, particularly in the wake of the attacks of 9-11, where soccer is obsessed over by the likes of Osama bin Laden. The result is one of the world's most acclaimed books on the game, and an astonishing study of soccer and its place in the world.

Read more less

The Alexander Technique (AT) is a remarkably simple but powerful method for learning to skillfully control how your brain and body interact, allowing you to better coordinate your movements while increasing the accuracy of your mind's thoughts and perceptions. Now, in How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live , leading Alexander Technique master teacher Missy Vineyard sheds a completely fresh light on this revolutionary method and, in the process, offers path-breaking insight into the mind-body connection. Vineyard thoroughly explains and teaches the central skills of the AT through simple self-experiments, and she offers engaging stories of students in their lessons to show its effective application across a range of disciplines, including the performing arts, athletics, health, psychology, and education. How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live introduces us to a world within ourselves that we know surprisingly little about- and thereby helps us to understand why we often cannot do what we should be able to do, why we harm ourselves with chronic tension and anxiety, and why our thoughts often seem beyond our control. Vineyard is also the first AT teacher to draw on cutting-edge research in neuroscience and to synthesize those findings with AT theories and techniques. She fully illuminates the benefits to be reaped by mastery of the Alexander Technique, which include: Release from acute or chronic physical pain Enhanced mental attention and focus Reduced anxiety Improved balance and coordination Relief from tension and stress Increased ease and efficiency performing precise movement skills

Read more less

We hear them on talk radio airwaves bellowing about minorities. We watch them organize anti-immigration demonstrations on the border. We read their opinions regarding the demise of white male privilege. And sometimes, tragically, we witness their aggression through vigilante violence, as in the cases of Wade Michael Page, James Eagan Holmes, Elliot Rodger, George Zimmerman, and many more. They are America's angry white men, including "men's rights" activists who think white men are the victims of discrimination, as well as members of the "white wing" of the rightward fringes of the American political spectrum. Why are they so angry?Sociologist Michael Kimmel, one of the leading writers on men and masculinity in the world today, has spent hundreds of hours in the company of America's angry white men in pursuit of an answer. Raised to expect unparalleled social and economic privilege, white men are suffering today from what Kimmel calls "aggrieved entitlement": a sense that those benefits that white men believed were their due have been snatched away from them. In Angry White Men, Kimmel presents a comprehensive diagnosis of their fears, anxieties, and rage.

Read more less

From the misty mountains in Maine to the coastal charms of Cape Cod, there's no shortage of adventure in New England: Get ready to hit the road with Moon New England Road Trip. Inside you'll find: Multiple Routes: Choose from flexible road trips like a fall foliage tour, getaways from the cities, or the ultimate two-week route through all of New England Eat, Sleep, Stop and Explore: With lists of the best hikes, views, eateries, and more, you can trek among spruce trees in the White Mountains, cycle through Acadia National Park, or cruise down bucolic lanes of Woodstock. Take to the sea and spot humpback whales and puffin colonies, shop for wood-fired maple syrup, or snag a buttery lobster roll after a day at the beach. Dive into Boston's revolutionary history, sample farm-fresh produce in the Berkshires, party in Providence, or sip your way through some of the area's best micr

Read more less

Canoe through the Amazon, explore the bustling capital of Quito, snorkel in the Galápagos, or kick back on the coast: Embark on an unforgettable adventure with Moon Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands. Inside you'll find: Flexible itineraries for spending time in the Sierras, the Amazon, the coast, Quito, and the Galápagos Islands Must-see highlights and unique experiences: Hike through the Amazon rainforest, paddle across lily-covered lagoons, and spot camian, tapir, or pink river dolphins. Dive with hammerhead sharks in the Galápagos, cycle the epic waterfall route in Baños, and watch the sun rise over the peaks where the Amazon meets the Andes. Wander cobbled colonial streets and gaze up at snow-capped volcanoes rising from wildflower-strewn grasslands. Take a surfing lesson in Montañita, and relax on the beach with a mojito in hand How to ethically experience Ecuador like an insider, <

Read more less

From relaxing on sun-soaked beaches to hiking Mount Etna, immerse yourself in la dolce vita with Moon Sicily. Inside you'll find: Flexible itineraries for exploring the best of Sicily, including Palermo, Western Sicily, the Aeolian Islands, Catania, Mount Etna, Syracuse, and more Strategic advice for foodies and oenophiles, art lovers, hikers, history buffs, beach bums, and more Must-see highlights and unique experiences for any season: Go climbing and wine-tasting on scenic Mount Etna. Visit the noble palaces and flourishing outdoor markets of Palermo. Island-hop and soak up the spectacular beaches of the Aegadian Islands. Walk among Greek ruins at the Valle dei Templi and wander romantic towns like Cefalú and Taormina The best local flavors: Savor fresh seafood straight from the Mediterranean, sample locally made sheep cheese, and taste some of Italy’s best street foo

Read more less

Experience stunning Maya ruins, dreamy beaches, and epic outdoor thrills, from cenote-diving to kiteboarding, with Moon Yucatán Peninsula. Inside you'll find: Flexible itineraries including a ten-day eco-adventure and a two-week road trip across the whole peninsula Strategic advice for road-trippers, foodies, wellness seekers, outdoor adventurers, honeymooners, families, and more The top outdoor activities: Kayak through lush mangrove forests, or sign up for a mountain bike tour through the jungle for a peek at hidden ruins, remote beaches, and dazzling marine life. Spend a day relaxing on the beach, dive into crystal-clear cenotes, or try standup paddle-boarding Unique, local experiences: Peruse the markets, museums, and churches of Mérida or Tulum, or take a short walk from the shore to visit jaw-dropping Maya ruins. Find the best spots to fill up on authentic salbute and panucho<

Read more less

How do you learn to be a black man in America? For young black men today, it means coming of age during the presidency of Barack Obama. It means witnessing the deaths of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Akai Gurley, and too many more. It means celebrating powerful moments of black self-determination for LeBron James, Dave Chappelle, and Frank Ocean.In Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching, Mychal Denzel Smith chronicles his own personal and political education during these tumultuous years, describing his efforts to come into his own in a world that denied his humanity. Smith unapologetically upends reigning assumptions about black masculinity, rewriting the script for black manhood so that depression and anxiety aren't considered taboo, and feminism and LGBTQ rights become part of the fight. The questions Smith asks in this book are urgent--for him, for the martyrs and the tokens, and for the Trayvons that could have been and are still waiting.

Read more less

Written at the height of the Great Depression, It's Up to the Women is Eleanor Roosevelt's advice to women of all ages on every aspect of life. During a time of extreme hardship, she called on women particularly to do their part-cutting costs where needed, spending reasonably, and taking a personal responsibility to keep the economy going. She wrote, "Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world and with so many of them now holding important positions and receiving recognition and earning the respect of the men as well as the members of their own sex, it seems more than ever that in this crisis, 'It's Up to the Women!'"Roosevelt was among the earliest and most influential people of the time to compile such a wide-ranging treatment of the roles women should take in both private and public life. Her opinions about women's equality, civil rights, and a higher standard of education in the United States were ahead of her times. She argued for:* the need for equal pay for equal work* the sheer necessity of quality education* less indifference regarding the right to vote* the necessity of knowing one's neighbors for both urban and rural citizens.She also commented on the stark "condition" changes related to the Great Depression-homelessness, hunger, and alterations in the social order within communities and within families. Within this context, she calls upon the women to lead with this timely advice:Although Roosevelt was still within her first year as First Lady of the United States when she wrote this book, she had already rewritten the role with her active participation politics, speaking tours around the country, and her participation in press conferences. In this book, she showed a firm grasp of what was going on in the lives of the American women and of the role women could and should fulfill in the life of the nation.

Read more less

Acclaimed journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges is one of the great moral voices of our age. He has the rare combination of decades of experience reporting from conflict zones in Central America, the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans, and the erudition one would expect from a student of Christian ethics and the classics at Harvard University. He prizes the truth over news and facts. And in the pursuit of truth he has risked his career even his life. I never sought to be objective," he writes. How can you be objective about death squads in El Salvador, massacres in Iraq, or Serbian sniper fire that gunned down unarmed civilians including children in Sarajevo? How can you be neutral about the masters and profiteers of war who lie and dissemble to hide the crimes they commit and the profits they make? How can you be objective about human pain? And finally, how can you be objective about those who are responsible for this suffering?" The World As It Is is a collection of Hedges essays originally published by Truthdig, the Webby award-winning progressive news website. Hedges lyrically and fearlessly dissects the most controversial issues of the day: America's wars of self-destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, the decay of American empire (at home and abroad), Israel's ghettoization of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and the failure of American liberalism. His essays draw on his extraordinary experiences as a journalist but also his conviction that the centres of power in America have been seized and hijacked by corporations, something the American media pays deference to. Because the press is not concerned with distinguishing truth from news, because it lacks a moral compass, it has become nothing more than courtiers to the elite, shameless hedonists of power and absurd court propagandists."Chris Hedges insists that unless we begin to stand fast around moral imperatives, ones we cannot abandon and must be willing to fight the formal systems of power to advance, we will be complicit in our self-annihilation.

Read more less

On December 9, 2014, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a 576-page report that strongly condemned the CIA for its secret and brutal use of torture in the treatment of prisoners during the George W. Bush Administration after 9/11. This deeply researched and fully documented investigation caused monumental controversy, interest, and concern, yet much of the American public found the report to be dense and inaccessible to the general reader. Using their tried, tested, and celebrated graphic storytelling method, Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón have summarized, illustrated, and made accessible the damning torture report. Jacobson's text highlights the key lessons learned from the Report-that the CIA lied about the brutality of the techniques used, about their effectiveness, about how many people they detained and subjected to these techniques, and that they routinely dismissed the concerns expressed by interrogators in the field. Colón's unmistakable talent as an illustrator adds power and poignancy to the facts, infusing them with a sense of immediacy and humanity that is unforgettable. With its unique format, The Torture Report will finally allow Americans to lift the veil and fully understand the crimes committed by the CIA.

Read more less

Brilliant, painful, enlightening, tearful, tragic, sad, and funny, this photo-essay book is at its core about healing, and about the social justice work that still needs to be done in the era of hip-hop, Black Lives Matter, and the historic presidency of Barack Obama." ,Kevin Powell, author of The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood A brilliantly conceived volume. Bryan Shih and Yohuru Williams demonstrate why the Panthers'story,its lessons and failures,even fifty years after its founding remains key to understanding national and international struggles for freedom and justice today." ,Cheryl Finley, professor and director of visual studies, Cornell UniversityEven fifty years after it was founded, the Black Panther Party remains one of the most misunderstood political organizations of the twentieth century. But beyond the labels of extremist" and violent" that have marked the party, and beyond charismatic leaders like Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, and Eldridge Cleaver, were the ordinary men and women who made up the Panther rank and file.In The Black Panthers , photojournalist Bryan Shih and historian Yohuru Williams offer a reappraisal of the party's history and legacy. Through stunning portraits and interviews with surviving Panthers, as well as illuminating essays by leading scholars, The Black Panthers reveals party members' grit and battle scars,and the undying love for the people that kept them going.

Read more less

A New York Times Bestseller New York Times Book Review Editor's ChoiceHow do you learn to be a black man in America? For young black men today, it means coming of age during the presidency of Barack Obama. It means witnessing the deaths of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Akai Gurley, and too many more. It means celebrating powerful moments of black self-determination for LeBron James, Dave Chappelle, and Frank Ocean.In Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching , Mychal Denzel Smith chronicles his own personal and political education during these tumultuous years, describing his efforts to come into his own in a world that denied his humanity. Smith unapologetically upends reigning assumptions about black masculinity, rewriting the script for black manhood so that depression and anxiety aren't considered taboo, and feminism and LGBTQ rights become part of the fight. The questions Smith asks in this book are urgent,for him, for the martyrs and the tokens, and for the Trayvons that could have been and are still waiting.

Read more less

Modern soccer is big business. From the ill-received takeover of Manchester United by the Glazer family to Paris Saint Germain's current shopping spree for the best footballers on the planet, soccer finance has become an increasingly important part of the game.Barely a summer goes by now without a cherished club going into administration or a wealthy businessman funding a mid table team's ascension to Champions League competitor. Meanwhile, the twice-annual multi-million dollar merry-go-round of transfer season sees players (and now managers) signed for sums thought impossible just a decade ago. Understanding soccer finance has become essential for comprehending the beautiful game. But for many fans, soccer finance remains, frustratingly, a world that is opaque and difficult to grasp.Stefan Szymanski, co-author of the bestselling Soccernomics, tackles every soccer fan's burning questions in Money and Soccer: A Soccernomics Guide. From the abolition of the maximum wage in the 1960s, through to the impact of TV money both at home and abroad in the 1990s and 2000s, Szymanski explains how money, or lack of, affects your favorite club. Drawing on extensive research into financial records dating back to the 1970s, Szymanski provides clear analysis of the way that clubs have transformed in the modern era.This book isn't limited to European clubs. Szymanski, a renowned expert on sports management and economics, looks at what we can learn from comparing the ascension of Europe's biggest clubs to their lofty perches and with new financial models across the world. Through careful research and informative stories drawn from around the globe, Szymanski provides an accessible guide to the world of soccer finance.

Read more less

Cecily McMillan didn't come from much: she had a hardscrabble life bouncing between the members of a broken family scattered from Texas to Atlanta. Her relationship with her parents became increasingly strained, and at sixteen she was legally emancipated and taken in by a beloved teacher. She became politically active at a young age, leading walkouts against the Iraq War in high school and protesting against union busting in college. When she moved to New York for a masters degree at the New School, she found herself planning what would later become Occupy Wall Street.On St. Patrick's Day, 2012, her life changed forever. Cecily swung by Zuccotti Park to pick up friends on her way to meet others at a nearby Irish pub- but she never made it out. The celebration was cut short by a police raid that cleared the square. In the melee, she was grabbed from behind by a police officer. Two years later she faced a Kafkaesque trial and was sentenced to three months at Rikers Island.Inside Rikers, Cecily grew close to her fellow inmates, women with precarious lives who took her under their wings and taught her how to navigate life in prison. Through them, she remembered where she came from and who she was fighting for. And through them, she found her voice. The Emancipation of Cecily McMillan is an intimate, brave, bittersweet memoir of a remarkable young woman trying to make sense of her place in the world.

Read more less

Immerse yourself in San Miguel's baroque architecture, thriving art scene, and local flavors with Moon San Miguel de Allende. Inside you'll find: Flexible, strategic itineraries, from a week covering the best of San Miguel de Allende to three days exploring the art and architecture of the city The top sights and unique experiences: Admire colonial architecture and browse contemporary art galleries and streetside markets. Soak in a hot spring, sample mezcal, and snack on gorditas. Stroll the Franciscan missions of the Sierra Gorda or enjoy the mariachis serenading diners on the sidewalks. Celebrate Mexico's independence at the colorful parades of the fiestas patrias, or indulge in handmade tamales before siesta time Focused advice from expat Julie Doherty Meade, who shares her passion for the vida mexicana In-depth coverage of San Miguel de Allende and the vicinity, Guanajuato, and Qu

Read more less

Trek across salt flats, scale towering rocks, and explore the marble canyons of this otherworldly landscape with Moon Death Valley National Park. Inside you'll find: Flexible Itineraries: Easy-to-follow itineraries for seeing the best of Death Valley in one day or one week, plus lists of the best scenic drives, desert oases, stargazing spots, and more The Best Hikes in Death Valley: Detailed trail descriptions, mileage and elevation gains, and backpacking options Experience the Outdoors: Hike through forested trails to sweeping canyon views and discover abandoned mining camps, remote ghost towns, and hidden springs. Go four-wheeling in the backcountry and admire surreal salt flats, rock formations, and sculpted sand dunes, and find the best vistas for that perfect sunset photo-op How to Get There: Up-to-date information on gateway towns, park entrances, park fees,

Read more less

Whether you're visiting the park for a day hike or spending a long weekend under the stars, escape to the great outdoors with Moon Best of Yosemite. Inside you'll find: Easy itineraries for one to three days in Yosemite National Park, from a morning drive along the Tioga Pass Road, to a day hike along the Panorama Trail, to a full weekend exploring the park The top hikes in Yosemite: Whether you're looking to stretch your legs for a couple hours or challenge yourself to an epic trek, you'll find trailheads, detailed trail descriptions, individual maps, mileage, and elevation gains Can't-miss experiences: Make it the perfect getaway for you with the best waterfalls, views, picnic spots, and more. Ride the open-air tram through Yosemite Valley or hike downhill from Glacier Point past roaring waterfalls. Admire the towering trees in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, or spot black bears and bighorn sheep

Read more less

Explore granite domes, thundering waterfalls, and towering trees: Moon Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon reveals the best of these stunning national parks. Inside you''ll find:- Flexible Itineraries: Unique and adventure-packed ideas for day hikers, winter visitors, families with kids, campers, and more- The Best Hikes in Each Park: Detailed hike descriptions, individual trail maps, mileage and elevation gains, and backpacking options- Experience the Outdoors: Ride the open-air tram through Yosemite Valley or hike downhill from Glacier Point past roaring waterfalls. Drive the legendary Generals Highway or take a scenic bike ride to pristine lakes (and yes, more waterfalls!). Go for a horse-drawn wagon ride on a history tour or take a rock-climbing lesson. Walk among the goliaths of Sequoia''s Giant Forest and stop at a historic lodge for dinner and a well-deserved drink- How to Get There: Up-to-date information on trave

Read more less

Baseball is called America's pastime for a reason. Experience the best of the MLB cities and stadiums with Moon Baseball Road Trips! Flexible Itineraries: Explore the 30 major league cities with a variety of road trip options, including a Boston to DC route, a loop through the Midwest, a dip into Toronto, a cruise along the West Coast, and more Visit all the Ballparks: From the ivy walls of Wrigley to Fenway's Green Monster and Dodger Stadium's gorgeous mountain views, experience every ballpark in the league and dive into local fan culture Catch a Game: Find valuable tips for snagging tickets and get the inside scoop on the best places to park or catch public transit, where to eat and drink nearby, and events like music festivals, the Hall of Fame Weekend, Fourth of July celebrations, and more Explore the Major League Cities: Get to know the MLB hometowns with full chapters on each city. Pay

Read more less

'Island time' isn't just for the tropics: Escape to evergreen forests, rocky shorelines, and the glittering sea with Moon San Juan Islands. Inside you'll find: Flexible itineraries like a 10-day best of the islands and a weeklong family camping trip, with coverage of gateway towns such as Anacortes, Whidbey Island, and Bellingham, plus nearby Seattle Unique experiences and can't-miss sights: Picnic on cliffs overlooking the ocean or paddleboard on a tranquil lake. Visit local farms filled with fragrant lavender or fluffy alpacas and sip wine or cider at island vineyards. Savor the flavors of the Pacific Northwest at incredible farm-to-table restaurants, sample oysters fresh from the sea, or browse your way through quirky bookstores and funky antique shops The best outdoor adventures: Go sea kayaking or glide through glimmering nighttime waters during a bioluminescence tour. Marvel

Read more less

For devotees of Bird by Bird and The Artist's Way, a memoir-driven guide to healing through the craft of writing A cinematic exploration of the writing life by Francesca Lia Block, the bestselling author of the Weetzie Bat series of magical-realism novels, The Thorn Necklace offers visceral insights and healing exercises for the writer who creates as a way to process pain and adversity. Gently guiding the reader down the write-to-heal path, Block offers guideposts of awareness for writers, such as how to find a muse, channeling agony into art, putting chaos into order, ignoring the inner critic, fostering personal perseverance, and thriving as an artist in a troubled world. The author also addresses the intrinsic value of channeling our experiences into the written word and provides compassionate support to the reader for his or her own write-to-heal process.

Read more less

Paris, 1911. Picasso, Debussy, and Proust were revolutionizing art, music, and literature. Electricity had transformed the City of Lights. And the Parisian elites were mad about their fancy new cars. The Belle Époque was well underway, yet it was not without incident. That year, Paris was gripped by a violent crime streak that obsessed and frightened its citizens. Before Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger, the Bonnot Gang, led by the coarse Jules Bonnot, captured the minds of a nation with their Robin Hood-esque capers. With guns blazing, the Bonnot Gang robbed banks and wealthy Parisians and killed anyone who got in their way in spectacularly cinematic fashion--all in the name of their particular brand of anarchism.In Ballad of the Anarchist Bandits, John Merriman describes the Bonnot Gang's murderous tear and the Parisian police force's botched efforts to stop them. At the heart of the book are two anarchist idealists who wanted to find an alternative to Bonnot's crimes and the French government's unchecked violence. Victor Kibaltchiche and Rirette Maîtrejean met and fell in love at an anarchist rally, and together ran the radical Parisian newspaper L'Anarchie, which covered the Bonnot Gang with great sympathy. The couple and their anarchist friends occupied a world far apart from the opulent Paris of the Champs-Élysées. Their Paris was a vast city of impoverished workers who lived near bleak canals, cemeteries, and empty lots around smoky factories. Victor and Rirette found hope in radical politics, Bonnot and his gang in crime, but none could escape the full might of the French military. The lovers were arrested and imprisoned for their political views, Bonnot was murdered after an hours-long standoff with the police, and his gang was hunted down and sentenced to death by guillotine or lifelong imprisonment.Ballad of the Anarchist Bandits is a classic tale of lost causes, tragic heroes, and the true costs of justice and revenge.

Read more less

Named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon.com and the Washington Post Three years ago, Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges and award-winning cartoonist and journalist Joe Sacco set out to take a look at the sacrifice zones, those areas in America that have been offered up for exploitation in the name of profit, progress, and technological advancement. They wanted to show in words and drawings what life looks like in places where the marketplace rules without constraints, where human beings and the natural world are used and then discarded to maximize profit. Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt is the searing account of their travels.

Read more less

On a hot and dusty December day in 1980, the bodies of four American women- three of them Catholic nuns- were pulled from a hastily dug grave in a field outside San Salvador. They had been murdered two nights before by the US-trained El Salvadoran military. News of the killing shocked the American public and set off a decade of debate over Cold War policy in Latin America. The women themselves became symbols and martyrs, shorn of context and background.In A Radical Faith , journalist Eileen Markey breathes life back into one of these women, Sister Maura Clarke. Who was this woman in the dirt? What led her to this vicious death so far from home? Maura was raised in a tight-knit Irish immigrant community in Queens, New York, during World War II. She became a missionary as a means to a life outside her small, orderly world and by the 1970s was organizing and marching for liberation alongside the poor of Nicaragua and El Salvador.Maura's story offers a window into the evolution of postwar Catholicism: from an inward-looking, protective institution in the 1950s to a community of people grappling with what it meant to live with purpose in a shockingly violent world. At its heart, A Radical Faith is an intimate portrait of one woman's spiritual and political transformation and her courageous devotion to justice.

Read more less

The police in America belong to the people,not the other way around. Yet millions of Americans experience their cops as racist, brutal, and trigger-happy: an overly aggressive, militarized enemy of the people. For their part, today's officers feel they are under siege,misunderstood, unfairly criticized, and scapegoated for society's ills. Is there a fix? Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper believes there is.Policing is in crisis. The last decade has witnessed a vast increase in police aggression, misconduct, and militarization, along with a corresponding reduction in transparency and accountability. It is not just noticeable in African American and other minority communities,where there have been a series of high-profile tragedies,but in towns and cities across the country. Racism,from raw, individualized versions to insidious systemic examples,appears to be on the rise in our police departments. Overall, our police officers have grown more and more alienated from the people they've been hired to serve.In To Protect and Serve , Stamper delivers a revolutionary new model for American law enforcement: the community-based police department. It calls for fundamental changes in the federal government's role in local policing as well as citizen participation in all aspects of police operations: policymaking, program development, crime fighting and service delivery, entry-level and ongoing education and training, oversight of police conduct, and- especially relevant to today's challenges- joint community-police crisis management. Nothing will ever change until the system itself is radically restructured, and here Stamper shows us how.

Read more less

In the first week of June 2013, the American people discovered that for a decade, they had abjectly traded their individual privacy for the chimera of national security. The revelation that the federal government has full access to all phone records and the vast trove of presumably private personal data posted on the Internet has brought the threat of a surveillance society to the fore.But the erosion of privacy rights extends far beyond big government. Big business has long played a leading role in the hollowing out of personal freedoms. In this new book, Robert Scheer shows how our most intimate habits, from private correspondence, book pages read, and lists of friends and phone conversations have been seamlessly combined in order to create a detailed map of an individual's social and biological DNA.From wiretapping to lax social media security, from domestic spy drones to sophisticated biometrics, both the United States government and private corporate interests have dangerously undermined the delicate balance between national security and individual sovereignty. Without privacy, Scheer argues, there is neither freedom nor democracy. The freedom to be left alone embodies the most basic of human rights. Yet this freedom has been squandered in the name of national security and consumer convenience.The information revolution has exposed much of the world's population to a boundless world of universally shared information. But it has also stripped both passive and active participants of their every shred of privacy in ways most don't comprehend. No authoritarian regime ever could have hoped to gain the power to control the power and aspirations of their subjects that today's off-the-shelf information technology already provides. The technology of surveillance, Scheer warns, represents an existential threat to the liberation of the human spirit.

Read more less