Based on a true story, The Jacarandas is about a brutal and morally challenging world, and yet where human dignity and forgiveness find a way to break through the darkness.Daniel is a university student who joins the federal police hunting leftist subversives in Buenos Aires during Argentina's Dirty War in the 1970s. But it's an occupation that eats its young, and he soon learns that besides fitness and hate, the military regime requires loyalty, batons, and electric prods.And the disappeared.When Daniel returns to the university as an infiltrator in this subversive hotbed, he begins a struggle between duty and morality and between friendship and survival.The Jacarandas is the story of the purple bloom of the jacaranda tree, whose beauty and messiness are the inextricably intertwined saga that has always been Argentina. It's an untold perspective on this dark stain in Argentina's history that sears its social conscience even today.

Hope looms in a vast land wide open with possibilities... Dr. Sunny Rubenstein travels the night train through the black void of Africa to check out his 51st job prospect on the rich Cheetah Gold Mine. Along the way he hears that the mine might be running out. But the appendage to it, Umzimtuti, the smallest municipality in the world, could be big-even King George VI will stop off for tea on his Victory Tour on the Royal White Train. The mine's bonus is a free rambling house with the only indoor toilet in town. It's the perfect antidote to his wife Mavourneen's difficult war years with their ailing son, Douglas. Sunny cannot afford to lose a case in his first year to secure the post permanently. There's plenty to challenge him. Early morning sick parade under the shadeless blue gum trees is followed by surgery, then on to afternoon clinics ending with calls to far-away farms and mud huts. Umzimtuti's a town where poker stakes are high. Liquor flows freely at the Umzimtuti Hotel bar. Bullet holes in the wall attest to its wild past. Sunny will have to unseat the tight-fisted, short-sighted Mayor if Umzimtuti's ever going to put in street lights, get rid of bucket toilets and the honeysuckle brigade so the town can capture the new surge in post-war industry. Sunny's belief that competence, hope, hard work and idealism are enough will be sorely tested.

A stunning debut novel set in post-revolutionary Iran that gives voice to the men, women, and children who won a war only to find their livesNand those of their descendantsNimperiled by its aftermath.

In the heart of Lusaka, where the jacaranda trees paint the skyline with hues of purple, Mari, a young woman from the USA, discovers a city that breathes with the rhythm of resilience and love. Visiting her grandparents, Mari's journey takes an unexpected turn when she meets Hayden, a local architect, at the airport. Their chance encounter blooms into a love story that unfolds beneath the sprawling branches of a jacaranda tree in a vibrant courtyard—a space that becomes a witness to the evolving tapestry of their lives. As Mari navigates her role in building an orphanage, Hayden becomes more than an architect; he becomes a partner in dreams and a steadfast presence in her journey. "Under the Lusaka Sky" is a tale of love that transcends borders, a celebration of a city that nurtures dreams, and a testament to the enduring power of community. Join Mari and Hayden as they discover the enchantment of Lusaka, where every jacaranda bloom echoes the heartbeat of a love that knows no bounds. An Exquisite Tale of Love, Resilience, and the Magic of Lusaka Discover the allure of Lusaka and the transformative power of love beneath the jacaranda tree.

Stories and autobiographical narrations have particular importance in society, whether they are told, shared or just listened to. This book presents 19 narrations of authors about their own experiences as migrants. Coming from different parts of the world, they tell stories about struggles, development, doubt, challenges, hope and empowerment, sometimes amusing the reader and then again containing a saddening or thought-provoking undertone. These creative works are set in various cultural contexts such as for example Germany, Australia, South Africa, America, India or Hungary and describe how life experiences in different countries contribute to and influence the development of transcultural identities. This book is a must for readers interested in transcultural stories, creative writing and identity development in cultural and transcultural contexts.

With wonder and a sense of humor, Nature Obscura author Kelly Brenner aims to help us rediscover our connection to the natural world that is just outside our front door--we just need to know where to look. Through explorations of a rich and varied urban landscape, Brenner reveals the complex micro-habitats and surprising nature found in the middle of a city. In her hometown of Seattle, which has plowed down hills, cut through the land to connect fresh- and saltwater, and paved over much of the rest, she exposes a diverse range of strange and unknown creatures. From shore to wetland, forest to neighborhood park, and graveyard to backyard, Brenner uncovers how our land alterations have impacted nature, for good and bad, through the wildlife and plants that live alongside us, often unseen. These stories meld together, in the same way our ecosystems, species, and human history are interconnected across the urban environment.

Five friends are feeling bored on a hot sticky day. Just when they think theyll never find anything fun to place, a simple gust of wind changes everything Jacaranda Magic is a unique rhyming picture book that celebrates imaginative play and highlights the value of boredom and nature in inspiring creativity.