Looking After the Ashes: Old Wives' Tales, Taboos; Supernatural and Childhood Superstitions

Author: Kopi Soh
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789814882101
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Book Description
If you eat while lying down, you will turn into a snake. If you don't polish off all the rice on your plate you will marry a man full of pimples and pockmarks. Looking After the Ashes is a semi-biographical fiction of Kopi Soh's childhood stories. Growing up in a large extended Taoist influenced Peranakan family filled with strong women, Soh hears these words of 'wisdom' daily. She used to live in a world where clipping finger nails at night was strictly forbidden, pointing at the moon would result in one's ears getting chopped off, and children were forced to stay indoors during sundown for fear of collision with evil forces. A world where mental disorders and illnesses were believed to be caused by malevolent spirits. Talisman, mediums and fortune tellers were a part of everyday life.

From the Ashes

Author: Jesse Thistle
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1982101210
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Book Description
*#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER *Winner, Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Nonfiction *Winner, Indigenous Voices Awards *Winner, High Plains Book Awards *Finalist, CBC Canada Reads *A Globe and Mail Book of the Year *An Indigo Book of the Year *A CBC Best Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar, chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is. If I can just make it to the next minute...then I might have a chance to live; I might have a chance to be something more than just a struggling crackhead. From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up. Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, whose tough-love attitudes quickly resulted in conflicts. Throughout it all, the ghost of Jesse’s drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling with all that had happened, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. Finally, he realized he would die unless he turned his life around. In this heartwarming and heart-wrenching memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful past, the abuse he endured, and how he uncovered the truth about his parents. Through sheer perseverance and education—and newfound love—he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family. An eloquent exploration of the impact of prejudice and racism, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help us find happiness despite the odds.

After the Ashes

Author: Cheryl Howe
Publisher: Leisure Books
ISBN: 9780843951738
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 326

Book Description
Lorelei Sullivan is placed by the law between two men: the brother, with whom she had moved to the New Mexico territory to escape the past, and the bounty hunter, who is her brother's one shot at redemption. Original.

Ashes

Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab ™
ISBN: 1512401110
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 484

Book Description
An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions. When it happens, Alex was hiking in the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP. For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it's now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human. Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

Ashes, Ashes

Author: Jo Treggiari
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 0545388805
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Book Description
A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

A Sky Beyond the Storm

Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0448494558
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 504

Book Description
Prepare for the jaw-dropping finale of Sabaa Tahir's beloved New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes fantasy series, and discover: Who will survive the storm? Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off... The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning. By his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family. Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory—or to an unimaginable doom. And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life—and love—he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save—or destroy—all that he knows.

Fire in the Ashes

Author: Jonathan Kozol
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 1400052475
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 370

Book Description
In this powerful and culminating work about a group of inner-city children he has known for many years, Jonathan Kozol returns to the scene of his previous prize-winning books, and to the children he has vividly portrayed, to share with us their fascinating journeys and unexpected victories as they grow into adulthood. For nearly fifty years, Jonathan has pricked the conscience of his readers by laying bare the savage inequalities inflicted upon children for no reason but the accident of being born to poverty within a wealthy nation. But never has his intimate acquaintance with his subjects been more apparent, or more stirring, than in Fire in the Ashes, as Jonathan tells the stories of young men and women who have come of age in one of the most destitute communities of the United States. Some of them never do recover from the battering they undergo in their early years, but many more battle back with fierce and often jubilant determination to overcome the formidable obstacles they face. As we watch these glorious children grow into the fullness of a healthy and contributive maturity, they ignite a flame of hope, not only for themselves but also for our society.

Life from the Ashes

Author: Shari O’Loughlin
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
ISBN: 1683507320
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 128

Book Description
How does life go on after losing a child? Life from the Ashes shares the dark and raw story of Shari O’Loughlin’s loss of her 14-year-old son, Connor, who was shockingly killed in an airplane crash on his way home from a four-day vacation. Like all parents, Shari was struck with the most unimaginable nightmare when her family received the soul-numbing news. Parents trying to navigate the perilous journey of traumatic loss know the path is agonizing. Happiness, faith, and wholeness seem reserved for everyone else but them. Shari shares her story to help bring the same unexpected hope and healing she experienced to parents alike. She helps answer questions on how parents can trust again, feel happiness, and have faith after God let their child die. She addresses how to live with this new life, take steps toward healing, and live a more purposeful life after loss. In honor of Connor and her family, Shari shares her path from darkness to light so other parents may better find their way. Although Shari’s story shares the journey after the loss of a child, it contains tools that can help anyone who has suffered a loss of any type move forward in life.

"Oh, I Thought I was the Only One!!"

Author: Kopi Soh
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781470095109
Category : Conduct of life
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Have You Ever Felt That No One Understands You? Have You Ever Wanted To Stop The Pain In Your Heart And Wished That The Hurt Would Just Dissipate?"Discover Ways To Cope With The Downturns in Your LifeDear Reader, You have come to the right place. This book was written for you. It was written with you in mind, with the hopes of easing your pain by letting you feel less alone in dealing with the troubles in life. Through little insights, the book shows us how to live fully in every moment and how to be successful without compromise- the deep soul searching for harmony and happiness we all can achieve.Instead of chapters, this book is made up of 30 petals, as a metaphor for the exquisitely beautiful and ephemeral nature of life, each dealing with a commonly undiscussed dilemma in life. Like the cherry blossom, this book will bestow on its readers the license to hope, the courage to dream again and perhaps the optimism to look toward a brighter future. Each petal tells a simple story of an experience or life event - struggles of people just like you and me. More importantly, these blossoms serve as a reminder that life is transient and all problems are impermanent.Packed With Real Life StoriesThese issues are closely guarded dark secrets, little-known to even family and friends. Many people suffer alone, desperately struggling for years while keeping their secrets hidden for fear of humiliation, rejection and being ostracized by society.The author uses light humor to help readers identify and courageously deal with such issues within themselves, as well as in their relationships with others. By reading this book, you will feel less alone in coping with your problems and daily stressors. You will be able to pursue your passion in life, find your own happiness and perhaps someday learn to smile again."The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved." - Mother Theresa

You Might Want To Marry My Husband

Author: Yap Swi Neo
Publisher: Monsoon Books
ISBN: 1912049996
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 149

Book Description
My first aunt, Tua-Ee, left hand on hip, right hand holding a ladle of boiling salted vegetable and duck soup, would administer the test. Looking straight into our eyes, she would ask, “Is the soup done?” If we got it wrong, she scolded us, “Next time, what would your mother-in-law say, ah? Your mother n-e-v-e-r teach you. Where to put your face? So malu!” My cousin and I swore we would never ever get married and live with mothers-in-law who would administer the “Is the soup done?” test and put our mothers to shame. In this intimate collection of autobiographical stories that every woman should read, Swi offers tales of deep reflection that relate to the tears and laughter, and the love and pain felt by girls and women in Malaysia and Singapore over the last 75 years. Swi recalls the convent sisters in Malacca who educated her and her classmates about sex, the camaraderie among girlfriends, and desires fulfilled. She explores issues of life and death and shares memories of the unforgettable men in her life. Swi holds in high regard the mothers under banana leaf umbrellas who dreamed great dreams for their children, and she introduces us to memorable characters inclduing ‘bling, bling, the real thing, Pansy’, a lecherous Baba patriarch and his complaining wife, a Jonker Street cake shop baker whose strong arms are made to hug, a Singaporean academic with low EQ, and a nameless Malaysian bondmaid who must secure her place in a wealthy household. These are stories from the heart.