"She remains a thinker and activist who 'insists upon complexity.' "Reamy Jansen, San Francisco Chronicle*Some of Us Did Not Die brings together a rich sampling of the late poet June Jordan's prose writings. The essays in this collection, which include her last writings and span the length of her extraordinary career, reveal Jordan as an incisive analyst of the personal and public costs of remaining committed to the ideal and practice of democracy. Willing to venture into the most painful contradictions of American culture and politics, Jordan comes back with lyrical honesty, wit, and wide-ranging intelligence in these accounts of her reckoning with life as a teacher, poet, activist, and citizen.

A posthumous collection of essays, noted for its "love of language" and "expression of social identity" (Reamy Jansen, "San Francisco Chronicle") "Some of Us Did Not Die" brings together a rich sampling of the late poet's prose writings.

"She remains a thinker and activist who 'insists upon complexity.' "Reamy Jansen, San Francisco Chronicle*Some of Us Did Not Die brings together a rich sampling of the late poet June Jordan's prose writings. The essays in this collection, which include her last writings and span the length of her extraordinary career, reveal Jordan as an incisive analyst of the personal and public costs of remaining committed to the ideal and practice of democracy. Willing to venture into the most painful contradictions of American culture and politics, Jordan comes back with lyrical honesty, wit, and wide-ranging intelligence in these accounts of her reckoning with life as a teacher, poet, activist, and citizen.

“This June Jordan treasure is a rare piece of fiction from one of America's most vital poets and political essayists—a tender story of young love in the face of generational opposition, a modern-day Romeo and Juliet that sings and sways.” —Walter Mosley Nominated for a National Book Award in 1971, His Own Where is the story of Buddy, a fifteen-year-old boy whose world is spinning out of control. He meets Angela, whose angry parents accuse her of being "wild." When life falls apart for Buddy and his father, and when Angela is attacked at home, they take action to create their own way of staying alive in Brooklyn. In the process, the two find refuge in one another and learn that love is real and necessary. His Own Where was one of The New York Times' Most Outstanding Books and was on the American Library Association's list of Best Books in 1971. June Jordan was a poet, essayist, journalist, dramatist, activist, and educator known for challenging oppression through her inspirational words and actions. She was the founder of Poetry for the People at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught for many years. The author of over twenty books, her poetry is collected in Directed by Desire; her selected essays in Some of Us Did Not Die. Sapphire is the author of American Dreams, Black Wings & Blind Angels, and Push, which was made into the 2009 award-winning motion picture Precious.

Khorramshahr, Iran, May 1982—It was the bloodiest battle of one of the most brutal wars of the twentieth century, and Najah, a twenty-nine-year-old wounded Iraqi conscript, was face to face with a thirteen-year-old Iranian child soldier who was ordered to kill him. Instead, the boy committed an astonishing act of mercy. It was an act that decades later would save his own life. This is a remarkable story. It is gut-wrenching, essential, and astonishing. It’s a war story. A love story. A page-turner of vast moral dimensions. An eloquent and haunting act of witness to horrors beyond grimmest fiction, and a thing of towering beauty. More importantly, it is a story that must be told, and a richly textured view into an overlooked conflict and misunderstood region. This is the great untold story of the children and young men whose lives were sacrificed at the whim of vicious dictators and pointless, barbaric wars. Little has been written of the Iran-Iraq war, which was among the most brutal conflicts of the twentieth century, one fought with chemical weapons, ballistic missiles, and cadres of child soldiers. The numbers involved are staggering: —All told, it claimed 700,000 lives—200,000 Iraqis, and 500,000 Iranians. —Young men of military service age—eighteen and above in Iraq, fifteen and above in Iran—died in the greatest numbers. —80,000 Iranian child soldiers were killed, mostly between the ages of sixteen and seventeen. —The two countries spent a combined 1.1 trillion dollars fighting the war. Rarely does this kind of reportage succeed so power- fully as literature. More rarely still does such searingly brilliant literature—fit to stand beside Remarque, Hemingway, and O’Brien—emerge from behind “enemy” lines. But Zahed, a child, and Najah, a young restaurateur, are rare men—not just survivors, but masterful, wondrously gifted storytellers. Written with award-winning journalist Meredith May, this is literature of a very high order, set down with passion, urgency, and consummate skill. This story is an affirmation that, in the end, it is our humanity that transcends politics and borders and saves us all.

A witty, subversive guide that turns conventional "wisdom"" upside down! Too many books tell us what to do to achieve happiness---unfortunately, often at great risk, expense, or effort. 101 Things NOT to Do Before You Die is not one of those books. It's a book for the rest of us. Robert W. Harris says it's what we don't do that determines our happiness quotient. Using the exciting principle of "selective inaction," the author helps us adjust our thinking so we can make more satisfying decisions in everyday situations. For example, do you think you'll feel complete if you try to run with the bulls? Don't do it! Do you feel compelled to drive around searching for the "best" parking spot? Don't do it! Are you sometimes tempted to confuse Randy Quaid with Dennis Quaid? Just don't do it! Do you think that you should watch the colorized version of It's a Wonderful Life? Or ponder the lyrics to "Louie, Louie"? Or read War and Peace? Or push an elevator button more than twice? Think again! In many cases, you'll be better off not doing what "they" say you should do. Let 101 Things NOT to Do Before You Die be your guide to getting more out of life---simply by doing less.

The year 2014 started with great promise. Author Cathy Dillard Byrum’s youngest son, Dan, had graduated college, had a new job, and was moving to a nearby town. Her oldest son, Derick, returned home after two years overseas and proposed to his girlfriend, Jill. Then came the news no one expects and everyone dreads. Cathy was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and the prognosis was grim. In I Shall Not Die, she narrates her story, including details about treatment, losing her hair, an emergency ride on a helicopter, and a stem cell transplant. Cathy offers an inside look at her battle with cancer, and she shares what it took for her to make it to her son’s wedding and beyond. I Shall Not Die offers a brave, open memoir that focuses on Cathy’s experience with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, including how she dealt with it physically and emotionally. She tells how she stayed strong through the grace of God and the love of her family and friends. Her story serves to inspire others facing adversity.