Sankofa


Book Description

A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION FUTURES PRIZE AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A captivating story about a mixed-race British woman who goes in search of the West African father she never knew' REESE WITHERSPOON Anna is at a stage of her life when she's beginning to wonder who she really is. She has separated from her husband, her daughter is all grown up, and her mother - the only parent who raised her - is dead. Searching through her mother's belongings, she finds clues about the West African father she never knew. Through reading his student diary, chronicling his involvement in radical politics in 1970s London, she discovers that he eventually became the president (some would say the dictator) of a small nation in West Africa - and he is still alive. She decides to track him down and so begins a funny, painful, fascinating journey, and an exploration of race, identity and what we pass on to our children. 'A real pleasure, it's funny, thought-provoking and holds a light up to everything from cultural differences to colonialism' STYLIST 'I LOVED Sankofa SO MUCH' MARIAN KEYES 'Slick pacing and unpredictable developments keep the reader alert right up to the novel's exhilarating ending' GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE DAY 'Onuzo's sneakily breezy, highly entertaining novel leaves the reader rethinking familiar narratives of colonisation, inheritance and liberation' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 'A really great book, very poignant' SARA COX




Soil Conservation


Book Description




Learning from the Land


Book Description

This all-new set of original science tales for children utilizes the power of storytelling to explore ecology's big ideas, providing extensive accompanying teacher support for maximum impact. Former teacher and an acclaimed author Brian "Fox" Ellis is a master at using creative storytelling to open up the natural world to students. With this new edition of his highly praised Learning from the Land: Teaching Ecology through Stories and Activities, Ellis gives educators 12 captivating science-based stories as well as the supporting material they need to use those stories at a variety of learning levels. This latest edition immerses students in both the process and the excitement of science. Ellis's original stories explore everything from the Big Bang theory to plate tectonics, from the water cycle to the food web, from forest ecology to animal intelligence. The accompanying lesson plans—all based on national standards—include tips for discussions, writing activities, mapmaking, storytelling, scientific observations, and other activities—everything teachers need to break through the walls of the classroom and immerse their students in the interworkings of the world outside.




Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground


Book Description

Down where worms wriggle and microbes squirm, there's a whole world waiting to be discovered... Under Your Feet delves beneath the Earth's surface and explores the diverse wonders hidden there. Encounter creatures of the deep and marvel at the mind-boggling size of the humongous fungus - the biggest organism in the world. Learn how one handful of ordinary soil contains more organisms than there are people on Earth, and carry out experiments using dirt from your own back garden. Under Your Feet offers you the opportunity to expand your knowledge of the natural world and soil-dwelling creatures big and small. Bursting with colorful illustrations and photography, this is the perfect book for budding young plant experts, animal fanatics, and geologists, and anyone who is curious about the ground we walk on.







Soil and Sacrament


Book Description

Recounts the author's experiences founding a faith-based community garden in rural North Carolina, and emphasizes how growing one's own food can help readers reconnect with the land and divine faith.




The Sons of the Soil


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The Gurkha's Daughter


Book Description

A number one bestseller in India and a shortlisted nomination for the Dylan Thomas Prize, The Gurkha's Daughter is a distinctive debut from a rising star in South Asian literature. This collection of stories captures the textures and sounds of the Nepalese diaspora through eight intimate, nuanced portraits, taking us from the hillside city of Darjeeling, India to a tucked away Nepalese restaurant in New York City. The daily struggles of Parajuly's characters reveal histories of war, colonial occupation, religious division, systemized oppression, and dispossession in the diverse geographical intersection of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and China. In a cruel remark by a wealthy doctor to her tenant shopkeeper, we hear the persistent injustice of the caste system; in the contentious relationship between a wealthy widow and her sister-in-law, we glimpse the restricted lives and submissive social roles of Nepalese women; and in a daughter's relationship with her father, we find a dissonance between modernity and tradition that has echoed through the generations in unexpected ways. Across different ethnicities, religions, and other social distinctions, the characters in these share a universal yearning, not just for survival but for a better life; one with love, dignity, and community. In The Gurkha's Daughter, Parajuly reveals the small acts of bravery--the sustaining, driving hope--that bind together the human experience.




The Songs of Trees


Book Description

WINNER OF THE 2018 JOHN BURROUGHS MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING NATURAL HISTORY WRITING “Both a love song to trees, an exploration of their biology, and a wonderfully philosophical analysis of their role they play in human history and in modern culture.” —Science Friday The author of Sounds Wild and Broken and the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Forest Unseen visits with nature’s most magnificent networkers — trees David Haskell has won acclaim for eloquent writing and deep engagement with the natural world. Now, he brings his powers of observation to the biological networks that surround all species, including humans. Haskell repeatedly visits a dozen trees, exploring connections with people, microbes, fungi, and other plants and animals. He takes us to trees in cities (from Manhattan to Jerusalem), forests (Amazonian, North American, and boreal) and areas on the front lines of environmental change (eroding coastlines, burned mountainsides, and war zones.) In each place he shows how human history, ecology, and well-being are intimately intertwined with the lives of trees. Scientific, lyrical, and contemplative, Haskell reveals the biological connections that underpin all life. In a world beset by barriers, he reminds us that life’s substance and beauty emerge from relationship and interdependence.




Soils as a Key Component of the Critical Zone 1


Book Description

This introductory book to the six volume series includes an introduction defining the critical zone for mankind that extends from tree canopy and the lower atmosphere to water table and unweathered rock. Soils play a crucial role through the functions and the services that they provide to mankind. The spatial and temporal variability of soils is represented by information systems whose importance, recent evolutions and increasingly performing applications in France and in the world must be underlined. The soil functions, discussed in this book, focus on the regulation of the water cycle, biophysicochemical cycles and the habitat role of biodiversity. The main services presented are those related to the provision of agricultural, fodder and forest products, energy, as well as materials and the role of soil as infrastructure support. They also include the different cultural dimensions of soils, their representations being often linked to myths and rites, as well as their values of environmental and archaeological records. Finally, the issue is raised of an off-ground world.