The co-founder of Essence magazine recounts how his early life in a violent South Bronx neighborhood and a strong family work ethic inspired him to create a magazine for black women and overcome the career challenges that followed --

The co-founder of Essence magazine recounts how his early life in a violent South Bronx neighborhood and a strong family work ethic inspired him to create a magazine for black women and overcome the career challenges that followed --

The Essence of Man is a re-evaluation, or perhaps a renovation, of what has for centuries been indisputably accepted as the fundamental teachings of Islam. By deconstructing the outer conventional meanings of the many religious or, more specifically, Islamic labels and concepts, the reader is taken to explore the underlying universal meanings of the symbols and metaphors of their faith, and hence the essence of their self. What is the purpose of religion? What is Sufism? What state of existence lies beyond death? Who or what is referenced by the name 'Allah'? What was the ultimate reality Muhammad (saw) wanted to share with mankind? Why does one have to engage in certain practices and comply with the sunnah? How can one escape 'duality' and advance to higher states of consciousness? And, most important of all, what is the essence of all of these 'essential teachings' man has been advised to follow? Through a compilation of various writings and talks, Ahmed Hulusi takes his readers back to the core and redefines what it means to be a Muslim.

The best of ESSENCE. magazine's food pages and African-American cuisine For more than two decades, millions of men and women across the country have relied on ESSENCE magazine to cater to their taste for great food. Now, Jonell Nash, former food editor for ESSENCE, brings together in one definitive volume the best recipes, cooking tips, nutritional information, food folklore, and stunning color photographs from the food pages of the magazine. Rooted in tradition, with bits of history and culture, ESSENCE BRINGS YOU GREAT COOKING culls more than 300 recipes that answer the needs of a new era of health-consciousness, hectic schedules, and renewed appreciation of African-American and home cooking. Included are classics such as Chicken and Dumplings, Baked Red Snapper, and Braised Cabbage, as welt as unique contemporary dishes such as Fruited Duck Salad and Orange-Blossom Grits. There are wonderful options for all kinds of diets with recipes that excite meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, from Creole Okra and Tomatoes and Ali's Vegetable Curry to Sweet Pepper and Crabmeat Quiche. This easy-to-follow book guides you through the preparation of a weekday meal as well as elegant recipes perfect for formal and informal entertaining.

Over the past four decades ESSENCE introduced our readers to inspirational voices such as Susan L. Taylor (In the Spirit; Lessons in Living; All About Love); and New York Times Best-Sellers Iyanla Vanzant ("In the Meantime," and "One Day My Soul Just Opened Up"), Juanita Bynum ("Matters of the Heart"), and Bishop T.D. Jakes ("Before You Do" and "Reposition Yourself"). Now, ESSENCE is pleased to share an incredible new uplifting and empowering voice with its 7.5 million readers and book lovers everywhere. In the tradition of Iyanla Vanzant's blockbuster 1993 book Acts of Faith: Daily Meditations for People of Color, ESSENCE is pleased to collaborate with powerhouse musician Ledisi for a soulful and enlightening collection of the singer's inspiring meditations, quotes, and anecdotes charting her astonishing transformation as a woman and an artist. Ledisi, who has been described as having a mix of Tina Turner's energy, Nina Simone's brilliance, and Ella Fitzgerald's range, is a multiple Grammy nominee who has quickly connected with ESSENCE readers because of her authenticity and tenacity to strive for success on her own terms.

From the author of the smash hit #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race, an "illuminating" (New York Times Book Review) history of white male identity in America What happens to a country that tells generations of white men that they deserve power? What happens when their identity is defined by status over women and people of color? Through the last 150 years of American history, Ijeoma Oluo exposes the devastating consequences of white male supremacy. She then envisions a new white male identity, one free from racism and sexism. Now with a new preface addressing the harrowing 2021 Capitol attack, Mediocre confronts our founding myths, in hopes that we will write better stories for future generations.

For the first time, this book presents to Western readers a current in the late Soviet philosophy of the 1960s and 1970s known as the ‘activity approach’. It had to some degree a counterpart in so-called cultural-historical psychology, but whilst the work of Vygotsky and Leontyev was received in the West decades ago, its sibling in philosophy has remained virtually unnoticed. Started by Evald Ilyenkov and other young Moscow philosophers in the early 1960s, the activity approach soon became an intellectual mode, leading to several different interpretations of human activity and challenging Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy. The book depicts in detail the rise and fall of this remarkable phenomenon in Soviet Marxism. Contributors are: David Bakhurst, Aleksandr Khamidov, Vladislav Lektorsky, Alex Levant, Pentti Määttänen, Andrey Maidansky, Sergei Mareyev, Elena Mareyeva, Vesa Oittinen, Edward Swiderski, and Inna Titarenko.