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One of Chinua Achebe's many achievements in his acclaimed first novel, Things Fall Apart, is his relentlessly unsentimental rendering of Nigerian tribal life before and after the coming of colonialism First published in 1958, just two years before Nigeria declared independence from Great Britain, the book eschews the obvious temptation of depicting pre-colonial life as a kind of Eden. Instead, Achebe sketches a world in which violence, war, and suffering exist, but are balanced by a strong sense of tradition, ritual, and social coherence. His Ibo protagonist, Okonkwo, is a self-made man. The son of a charming ne'er-do-well, he has worked all his life to overcome his father's weakness and has arrived, finally, at great prosperity and even greater reputation among his fellows in the village of Umuofia. Okonkwo is a champion wrestler, a prosperous farmer, husband to three wives and father to several children. He is also a man who exhibits flaws well-known in Greek tragedy:

Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children. Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw. Okonkwo's fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.

And yet Achebe manages to make this cruel man deeply sympathetic. He is fond of his eldest daughter, and also of Ikemefuna, a young boy sent from another village as compensation for the wrongful death of a young woman from Umuofia. He even begins to feel pride in his eldest son, in whom he has too often seen his own father. Unfortunately, a series of tragic events tests the mettle of this strong man, and it is his fear of weakness that ultimately undoes him.

Achebe does not introduce the theme of colonialism until the last 50 pages or so. By then, Okonkwo has lost everything and been driven into exile. And yet, within the traditions of his culture, he still has hope of redemption. The arrival of missionaries in Umuofia, however, followed by representatives of the colonial government, completely disrupts Ibo culture, and in the chasm between old ways and new, Okonkwo is lost forever. Deceptively simple in its prose, Things Fall Apart packs a powerful punch as Achebe holds up the ruin of one proud man to stand for the destruction of an entire culture. --Alix Wilber.
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Offering an ideal balance of theory and skills, this book provides a solid grounding in the how's and why's of public speaking, placing particular emphasis on critiquing, ethics, and critical thinking. Written in a casual, lively style and clearly organized, this edition of Mastering Public Speaking builds on its previous success. The fourth edition retains its popular and distinctive emphasis on the ethical contract between speaker and listener and on the value of critiquing speeches to improve your own skills. Learn how to think critically as you choose speech topics, conduct research, organize content, select language, manage nervousness, and deliver speeches. For anyone interested in Public Speaking..
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In Dinner With a Perfect Stranger, David Gregory relates the story of two men sharing a meal. The point of interest is knowing that one man believes he is Jesus. What will the other man think by the time the evening is through? The conversation begins, as one could imagine, scratching the dry hard surface of skepticism and doubt, but gently and persistently goes deeper and deeper, spiraling in from that starting point until they are eventually talking about the true stuff of life; the career drifting off-track, the marriage experiencing its own kind of strain, the life being lived where the philosophical questions of youth have given way to simply coping with modern day-to-day living.

Gregory's book is a refreshing reminder of what evangelical Christianity is at its very best -- a faith enlivened by the personal relationship between the Creator and the created. In the end, evangelical Christians are focused on who Jesus Christ is, and more specifically, who He is to them. Doctrinal stances, theological conundrums, questions about literal or non-literal Biblical interpretation, these are all beside the point for the certain type of Christian whose central focus is the life and person of Jesus.

In the Narnia series, C.S. Lewis touched on some of the core questions of religion, from the Christian viewpoint (is there a hell? What is heaven like, really? How can other religions be wrong, and just one be right?) Taking his cue from Lewis, Gregory does the same, realizing that questions like these come alive when they're in the context of a story, and we can be the third party, watching with interest while they are put on the table and considered. In the end, Gregory's book succeeds because of his willingness to approach interesting, hard questions like these. He is always, undoubtedly, aiming for the heart, but he realizes that to win the heart one must never forget that the mind has to come along for the ride. --Ed Dobeas.
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Professional C# 2008

Updated for .NET 3.5 and Visual Studio® 2008, this book is the ultimate guide to C# 2008 and its environment Beginning with a look into the architecture and methodology of .NET, the team of superlative authors explains why the C# language cannot be viewed in isolation, but rather, must be considered in parallel with the .NET Framework. After gaining an understanding of the foundation of C#, you'll then go on to examine the fundamentals of C# programming with each successive chapter.

New examples provide helpful explanations on how to use C# to solve various tasks. Plus, completely new chapters on LINQ, SQL, ADO.NET entities, Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation, Windows Presentation Foundation, arrays, system transactions, tracing, and event logging all deliver essential information to help you gain a clear and thorough understanding of all that C# 2008 has to offer.

What you will learn from this book

• How to write Windows® applications and Windows® services

• Ways to use ASP.NET 3.5 to write web pages

• Techniques for manipulating XML using C#

• How to use ADO.NET to access databases

• Ways to generate graphics using C# 2008

• Numerous C# add-ins

• How to use LINQ to easily work with your SQL Server databases and XML

Who this book is for
This book is for experienced developers who are interested in learning the latest version of the number one developer language: C#.

Wrox Professional Guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job..
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A proven motivator for readers of diverse mathematical backgrounds, this book explores mathematics within the context of real life using understandable, realistic applications consistent with the abilities of any reader. Graphing techniques are emphasized, including a thorough discussion of polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions and conics. Includes Case Studies; New design that utilizes multiple colors to enhance accessibility; Multiple source applications; Numerous graduated examples and exercises; Discussion, writing, and research problems; Important formulas, theorems, definitions, and objectives; and more. For anyone interested in algebra and trigonometry..
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This benchmark volume is the foremost source for cartridge information. Hunters, target shooters, military history buffs, ammunition reloaders and cartridge collectors alike will find all the answers to their cartridge and shotshell questions in this comprehensive book that includes 1,500+ cartridges.

This reference book includes detailed photos, dimensional drawings and loading data. Descriptions of obsolete American cartridges tell the tale of ammunition used by settlers, cowboys and outlaws during the nation's westward expansion, and offer insights into unusual rounds that never caught on. Hunters and shooters can improve their success with the useful ballistics tables.

-Completely updated with new cartridges and information on electronically fired rounds.
-Includes European and American cartridges, shotshells, wildcats and black powder rounds.
-450 b&w photos for helpful reference.
-Handy index included..
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"A vivid, insightful account....Told with wit and warmth."—Kirkus Reviews

Through ten examples of ingenious experiments by some of psychology's most innovative thinkers, Lauren Slater traces the evolution of the century's most pressing concerns—free will, authoritarianism, conformity, morality. Beginning with B. F. Skinner and the legend of a child raised in a box, she takes us from a deep empathy with Stanley Milgram's obedience subjects to a funny and disturbing re-creation of an experiment questioning the validity of psychiatric diagnosis. Previously described only in academic journals and textbooks, these often daring experiments have never before been narrated as stories, full of plot, wit, personality, and theme..
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This fictional outline of a modern utopia has been a center of controversy ever since its publication in 1948. Set in the United States, it pictures a society in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct..
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