August 2009 New Arrivals:
the first 5 titles are 25% off in August!

Listening to Grasshoppers: Field Notes on Democracy, Arundhati Roy, Hamish Hamilton, $26.00
This series of essays by award-winning author and activist, Arundhati Roy, examines the dark side of democracy in contemporary India. She looks closely at how religious majoritarianism, cultural nationalism and neo-fascism simmer just under the surface of a country that projects itself as the world's largest democracy. She writes about how the combination of Hindu Nationalism and India's Neo-liberal economic reforms which began their journey together in the early 1990s are now turning India into a police state, and describes the systematic marginalization of religious and ethnic minorities – Muslim, Christian, Adivasi and Dalit, the rise of terrorism and the massive scale of displacement and dispossession of the poor by predatory corporations. The collection ends with an account of the of the August 2008 uprising of the people of Kashmir against India's military occupation and an analysis of the November 2008 attacks on Mumbai.

Face, Sherman Alexie, Hanging Loose Press, $20.75
Face marks the first full poetry collection of celebrated, award-winning First Nations author Sherman Alexie in over nine years. Addressing a variety topics – from colonial violence to his love for his wife, and odes to F. Scott Fitzgerald, porn star Ron Jeremy, and Richard Pryor – Alexie combines humour, irony and audacity to offer forth thought-provoking insight and truly inspiring poetry.

Intersex (for lack of a better word), Thea Hillman, Manic D, $17.25
Performance activist Thea Hillman redefines the memoir in this series of compelling stories that takes a no-holds-barred look at sex, gender, family, and community. In first-person prose that feels as intimate as a diary, Intersex chronicles one person’s search for self in a world obsessed with “normal”. Whether pondering quirky family tendencies or recounting adventures in San Francisco’s sex clubs, Hillman’s brave and fierce vision for cultural and societal change shines through.

Say You’re One of Them, Uwem Akpan, Back Bay Books, $16.99
Nigerian-born Jesuit priest Uwem Akpan transports the reader to the grit and chaos of worn-torn Africa in his first collection of five long stories. Seen through the eyes of children, Akpan’s collection addresses the violence of prostitution and human trafficking, exacerbated through the violence of desperate poverty and families torn apart by illness and war. Nominated for a number ofinternational writing awards, Say You’re One of Them won the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book (Africa Region) for 2009.

A Mercy, Toni Morrison, Knopf, $21.00
Nobel laureate Morrison returns more explicitly to the net of pain cast by slavery, in a book that reads almost like a prelude to Beloved. Set at the close of the 17th century, the story details America's untoward foundation: dominion over Native Americans, indentured workers, women and slaves. A slave at a plantation in Maryland offers up her daughter, Florens, to a relatively humane Northern farmer, Jacob, as debt payment from their owner. The ripples of this choice spread to the inhabitants of Jacob's farm, populated by women with intersecting and conflicting desires. At its heart, A Mercy is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and of a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment.

A Good Land, Nada Awar Jarrar, Harper Collins Publishers, $29.95
From the 2004 Commonwealth Best First Book (Southeast Asia Region) award winner comes this tale of friends Leila and Marie. When Marie suddenly does, Leila comes to learn that what she thought she knew about her friend may be nothing more than lies. Travelling from Beirut to Prague, Leila searches for the truth about Marie and the life she hid from her family. Jarrar bring together the
survivors of wars old and new, generations apart but inexplicably intertwined.

The Wish Maker, Ali Sethi, Harper Collins, $32.99
This debut novel from Pakistani author Sethi follows the life of main character Zaki Shirazi as he comes to age in a household full of women. Set in Lahore, The Wish Maker also tells the story of Pakistan, tracing the nation’s entire history from its conception. Part history lesson, part autobiography, The Wish Maker is sure to please readers with its intense nuances and humour.

Atmospheric Disturbances, Rivka Galchen, Harper Collins, $19.99
Atmospheric Disturbances is at once a moving love story, a dark comedy, a psychological thriller, and a deeply disturbing portrait of a fracturing mind. With tremendous compassion and dazzling literary sophistication, Rivka Galchen investigates the moment of crisis when you suddenly realize that the reality you insist upon is no longer one you can accept, and the person you love has become merely the person you live with. This highly inventive debut explores the mysterious nature of human relationships, and how we spend our lives trying to weather the storms of our own making.

Bone China, Roma Tearne, Harper Collins Publishers, $22.99
Bone China tells the story of one family’s love and loss in the contrasting landscapes of Sri Lanka and England. Having fled Sri Lanka herself, author Tearne is able to intimately portray the tragic experiences of a family uprooted by war, incapable of escaping violence no matter their circumstances. Bone China is a compelling story brought vividly to life through unforgettable characters.

She Who Sleeps With Bones, Tanya Shirley, Peepal Tree, $16.95
Jamaican-born author Tanya Shirley offers this collection of haunting and spiritual poetry. Addressing such issues as death, immigration status, and unrequited love, Shirley’s poetry portrays an incredible resilience and joy despite the complications that life may have. Ultimately, Shirley’s is a world full of wonder and joy that she manages to make sublimely contagious for her reader.

Feminist Pedagogy: Looking Back to Move Forward, edited by Robbin Crabtree, David Alan Sapp, and Adela C. Licona, Johns Hopkins, $40.25
The editors of this collection argue that feminist scholars must critically engage in dialogue and reflection about both what and how they teach, as well as how who they are affects how they teach. The contributors identify the practical applications of feminist theory in teaching practices, classroom dynamics, and student-teacher relationships. This volume will help readers develop theoretically grounded classroom practices informed by the advice and experience of fellow practitioners and feminist scholars.

Cosmopolitanism and the Geographies of Freedom, David Harvey, Columbia University Press, $31.50
Considered one of the world’s leading geographers and social theorists, Harvey charts a cosmopolitan order more appropriate to an emancipatory form of global governance. He begins with an insightful critique of the political uses of freedom and liberty, especially during the George W. Bush administration. Then through a careful consideration of the issues of space, place, and environment, Harvey
radically reframes geographical knowledge as a basis for social theory and political action. Harvey’s cosmopolitanism, then, is one rooted in human experience rather than illusory ideas.

Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth Century America, Margot Canaday, Princeton University Press, $34.50
The Straight State has been described as the most expansive study of the federal regulation of homosexuality in the United States. Uncovering new evidence from the National Archies, Canaday shows how the state systematically came to penalize homosexuality and give rise to a regime of second-class citizenship that sexual minorities still live under today. Indeed, in drawing boundaries around national citizenship, she argues, the state helped to define the very meaning of homosexuality in America.

Feminist Agendas and Democracy in Latin America, edited by Jane S. Jaquette, Duke University Press, $26.50
This collection examines how women’s movements in South and Central America have responded to dramatic political, economic, and social changes over the last twenty years. Leading scholars and activists reflect on women’s access to political power at the national level, women’s use of legal strategies, and the international impact of Latin American feminists. Features contributions by Kathleen Staudt, Gabriela L. Montoya, Jutta Borner, and many more.

International Adoption: Global Inequalities and the Circulation of Children, Edited by Diane Marre and Laura Briggs, New York University Press, $27.75
One of the most comprehensive set of essays on the topic, International Adoption challenges dominant understandings of transnational adoption as an outgrowthof American wealth and power by considering a number of sending and receivingnations (particularly those in Europe) that make up the transnational, global webof adoption. The text challenges those who consider transnational adoption asrooted in a desire to help children by highlighting the ways relations betweennations, the inequalities between the rich and poor, and the history or race andracialization.

Out in the Country: Youth, Media and Queer Visibility in Rural America, Mary Gray, New York University Press, $25.25
Out in the Country maps out the experiences of queer youth living in small towns across rural Kentucky. Gray demonstrates that, against a backdrop of increasing poverty and privatized rural America, LGBT youth and their allies are visibility and vibrantly working the boundaries of the public spaces available to them. Out fundamentally redefines out understanding of the term “queer visibility” and its political stakes.

Who Ate Up All the Shinga?: An Autobiographical Novel, Park Wan-Suh, Columbia University Press, $28.25
Who Ate Up All the Shinga is the latest work from prolific Korean writer Park Wan‐Suh. Set in Korea, the novel recounts Park’s experiences growing up during the Japanese occupation of Korea and the Korean War. With wit and insight, Park describes the characters and events that came to shape her young life. At the same time, Who Ate the Shinga portrays the pervasive ways in which collaboration, assimilation, and resistance are intertwined within the Korean social fabric before the outbreak of war. A wholly engrossing and charming tale.

Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book, The Nelson Mandela Foundation with Umlando Wezithombe, W.W. Norton, $25.00
Based around his 1994 memoir, Long Road to Freedom, Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book relays in picture form the life story of the man described by some as the world’s greatest moral and political hero. The text follows Mandela from his boyhood in a small South African village to his growing political activism and his twenty-seven year imprisonment on Robbens Island, to his dramatic release and triumphant years as president of South Africa. With new interviews, firsthand accounts, and archival material that has only recently been uncovered, this visually dramatic biography promises to introduce Mandela’s gripping story to a whole new generation of readers.

Paulina P (for Petersen), Lisa Cener, Simply Read Books, $16.95
Paulina Peterson prefers the letter P, and loves all things P – from ping‐pong, to polka dots to parsnips. Paulina’s best friend, Penny Lee, however, likes hearts, dresses and colour-by-numbers. Paulina cannot understand how Penny could prefer hearts. This charming picture book teaches the importance of not giving up what you love while learning to accept others’ passions too.

Missing the Moon, kenji tokawa, $5.00
Kenji Tokawa is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, the program coordinator of an arts-based radical Asian history and activism program for pan-Asian youth, a trans activist and a grandson.  He is currently studying Equity Studies and Diaspora Studies.  If you ask him, he may also give workshops on do-it-yourself silk-screen printing with a focus on empowering race and gender identities.  Check out his poetry book!

Drive Away Home, Good Asian Drivers, $17.00
The Good Asian Drivers are kick-ass. Together, musician Melissa Li and spoken word artist Kit Yan tackle issues of racism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism with candor, eloquence, and humor. Listening to Kit spit his words over Melissa's guitar is pretty powerful stuff. Their art delivers with a mighty punch, leaving the listener transfixed.