Interlink Publishing Group, Inc

A revolutionary graphic guide to changing the world, written and illustrated by journalist Jesse Mechanic (@JesseMechanic).Legendary labor activist Dolores Huerta famously said, “Don’t be a marshmallow. Walk the street with us into history. Get off the sidewalk.” Don’t Be a F*#king Marshmallow is an illustrated guide to changing the world—informed by the words and actions of freedom fighters like Dolores Huerta, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, Noam Chomsky, Rosa Parks, Edward Said, Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, and Fannie Lou Hamer, tied together with insight and illustrations from journalist and artist Jesse Mechanic (@JesseMechanic). It’s a book for those who have grown tired of tepid, performative activism that all too often fails to confront the corrupt, inequitable, and inhumane systems that define modern society—and a rallying cry for the work ahead. Overflowing with color, humor, camaraderie (and the occasional friendly dress-down), it’s a vibrant, motivational companion, designed specifically for those of us who want to build a better world right now.

What in the world is beautiful forever? When disconnection rocks a family, the mistakes of one generation become the heartaches of the next ... 1959, the West Bank, Palestine. Khaled''s bossy, hot-tempered father insists that his son go to college in the States so he can learn to help him run his business. Khaled, Arabic for forever, is reluctant to leave his secret, hometown crush. But he''s bullied into taking off for Ann Arbor. There he falls for a blue-collar American girl. One thing leads to another, including a daughter named Jamila, Arabic for beautiful. Family mayhem erupts on all sides. Fast forward to 1984. Jamila has come of age growing up in Ann Arbor during the turbulent sixties and seventies. There she falls for her brother''s best friend, Ali, who she''s known for years. But even though he''s practically a member of the family, Ali is Black. Interracial marriages in the US are still few and far between. Mayhem breaks out again, tearing close ties apart. And so, what might Sitti, the grandmother conciliator, have to say? The names and heartaches of Khaled and Jamila ask, what in this mad world is beautiful forever? In Anan Ameri''s noisy, impatient, vibrant novel, enduring beauty is the kind of love that family can teach us. And it''s the larger, ever-expanding family of connections that love can show us when we learn to let it.

A lavishly illustrated and meticulously guided excursion through the mapping of historic Palestine from the earliest record through to the twenty-first century.Palestine is as much a place in the psyche of those who mapped it as it is a region of the earth. An authority on the history of cartography who has also written extensively on Palestine, Thomas Suárez is uniquely qualified to address the mapping of this region “from the river to the sea.”Richly illustrated, Palestine Mapped guides the reader through the Greek and Roman concepts of Palestine, those of various medieval Mediterranean civilizations, and the European “Holy Land” mapping that has dominated for half a millennium and continues to inform modern political thought. Suárez dissects that prevailing mindset rather than viewing the land through its lens, setting the book apart from all others on the mapping of the region.

In 2009, prompted by the Israeli siege of Gaza, Palestinian American poet Deema Shehabi and Jewish American poet Marilyn Hacker started a correspondence. It took the form of responding to each other''s poems. They resumed their poetic dialogue by email after Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. Their project involved an alternating call and response between them in the tradition of the Japanese renga form, each poet picking up a word, phrase, or image from the poem preceding. The result is a fascinating poetic conversation. The two poetic voices are beautifully meshed together, so that it actually reads as one long poem. The poetry is rich in vivid imagery, leaving lasting impressions along with the emotions it evokes-such as the feelings unrest and exile. While television and social media present images of the world''s reaction to this genocide on the surface, this book offers an intimate glimpse into the thoughts of these two poets wrangling with the devastation and fallout. WATER TO WATER: Gaza Renga is a dignified celebration of humanity in and among atrocities. Although triggered by events in Gaza, it weaves in other conflicts past and present. Through its pages, the words transcend differences, linking individual voices into a collective expression of grief, hope, and defiance. It reminds us that even in devastation, poetry can bear witness, ignite healing, and inspire compassion and connection.

An uplifting picture book about the true story of a man who planted thousands of his wife''s favorite flower in their small Japanese town after she suffers the loss of her sight. An epic love story that delights young readers. Mr. and Mrs. Kuroki live in Japan. They dream of traveling to distant countries once their cows are old and their children have grown up. But before this dream can come true, tragedy strikes. Mrs. Kuroki loses her sight, and with it, her joy for life. Determined to ease his wife’s sorrow, Mr. Kuroki decides to create an immense garden filled with his wife''s favorite flower, the Shibazakura.This breathtaking and unique garden soon gains attention from all over the world. Over time, visitors arrive, eager to witness with their own eyes the place where a man''s love has blossomed in an effort to bring back his wife''s smile.Inspired by a true story, this poignant album, rich in poetic depth, beautifully illustrates human resilience, love, and beauty. Ohara Hale, drawing from her Japanese heritage and memories of her grandmother, infuses this story with the warmth and delicacy of a timeless Japan, bringing the touching tale of the Kurokis to life.

A moving multigenerational novel by the celebrated Palestinian American author of The Beauty of Your FaceIn the middle of dinner one evening, Intisar Jaber receives a phone call that will upend her quiet life in Chicago: her father is dying and she must go to Palestine to pay her final respects. But Intisar hasn''t seen or heard from Hafez for nearly two decades, ever since he abandoned her and her mother to join the resistance.After a fateful mission, Hafez was thrown into the notorious Gahana Prison to serve a life sentence—permanently removed from her life. As soon as Intisar arrives in his village of Bayt al-Hawa, she discovers what it means to be a stranger in her ancestral land, the inheritance of loss, and the high price of freedom.Meanwhile, Hafez’s mother Sundus battles to save the home that she built with her husband from thieving hands. Will Intisar, her estranged granddaughter, help Sundus fight to reclaim it? Can they close the gaping distance between them before it’s too late?Powerfully etched in Sahar Mustafah’s honest and lyrical prose, The Slightest Green explores the place—and people—we call home and how far we will go to reach them.

Yacoub, a Kuwaiti man in his sixties, devotes all his time to managing his many successful businesses. His wife, frustrated by the deteriorating situation of their marriage, fills the void in her existence with unbridled consumption. But the luxury in which their family bathes cannot hide the echoes of a terrible absence, that of Ahmad, the youngest son, who has turned his back on his family to join a jihadist organization in Syria. When Yacoub discovers an attraction - as irremediable as it is unexpected - for one of his employees, a young woman of Iranian origin, he almost loses his footing. Caught between worry for the fate of his son and the exaltation that this budding relationship gives him, he suddenly learns that Ahmad is being held hostage by a rival terrorist group who is demanding a colossal ransom. This captivating and suspenseful novel - a true immersion in the daily life of an ultra-rich Kuwaiti family - questions desire, painful family dynamics, and the preoccupations with jihadism. Through the doubts of this patriarchal figure brought to review his life and his choices through the prism of unforeseen upheavals, it is the picture of a very current society that the author paints, in which generations and visions of the world are opposed.

Perceptive and satirical, Indigene highlights revealing moments in the everyday lives of four introspective professional Nigerian women who grapple with circumstances out of their control. In the novella, Indigene, a sequel to Atta''s debut novel, Everything Good Will Come, Enitan, a law partner in Lagos, takes stock of herself after she turns sixty. In the short stories that follow, ''Unsuitable Ties,'' ''Debt,'' and ''Housekeeping,'' Yemisi, a caterer attending a London dinner party as a guest, assesses the company she keeps; Grace, a consultant for a Big Four accounting firm, confronts her shopping habit in a New Jersey mall; and Abi, an ER physician staying in an Atlanta hotel, reflects on the peculiarities of working in the American South. Set in cities where Atta has lived, Indigene leans into social criticism as it explores the dilemmas of these and other characters.

A heartfelt picture book that explores the special bond between mother and child—with captivating illustration by Palestinian artist, Baraa Awoor. Perfect for families, this story brings comfort and connection to anyone navigating times apart.Every kid knows—all mamas are unique! This gentle, heartfelt picture book explores the deep connection between children and their mothers. From infancy, a mother’s scent becomes a familiar, comforting presence that helps children feel at home as they grow. Sahar Naja Mahfouz captures this beautiful bond through poetic language, told from the perspective of a child.Accompanied by captivating illustrations by Baraa Awoor, Mama''s Scent tugs at the heart and explores themes of separation anxiety and belonging.

Hisham Al Khattab is Yazid ibn Abih. At least he thinks he is. Some 13 centuries separate the two, but in the despaired mind of Hisham Al Khattab, and through the magical power of dreams, Hisham is Yazid. Hisham, who is passionate about ancient manuscripts and lives off the antique book trade, is haunted by a dream in which he sees angels picking all the jasmine flowers in Basra. However, this dream is listed and interpreted in a very old book that he loves: it would be the premonitory sign of the disappearance of all the thinkers of the city. Prey to fantasies, he constantly navigates between two worlds: contemporary Cairo where he lives and Basra at the end of the 8th century, a fascinating city and a major intellectual and religious centre of the nascent Islamic empire. In this parallel world, Hisham meets a character in whom he recognizes his double, a man named Yazid Ibn Abihi, who frequents the circle of rationalist theologians and adopts their doctrines, later harshly opposed by orthodoxy. A strong friendship immediately links him with one of their disciples, and their story - made of terrible betrayals - then becomes the pivot of the novel. The author alternates scenes, periods, and interior monologues, and masterfully handles levels of language, giving her story a polyphonic dimension. In passing, she manages to finely address certain theological questions debated at the time, notably the creation by God of human acts. A message, perhaps, emerges here, in resonance with Hisham''s dream: if there is no longer jasmine in the orchards of Basra, it is because with the closure of the sacred texts on themselves, Muslim religious thought has gradually become ossified. In this almost historical fiction, dream and reality are one and the same, and the boundaries between reason and madness are dangerously shifting. Similarly to the life of Yazid bin Abih, the life of Hisham is tainted with violence - a violence so crude, it strangely gives reality to the tales of the 8th century.

Today tourists flock to the warm waters of Myrtle Beach, explore refurbished plantations, and stroll the picturesque streets of old Charleston. In this history of the state, Kenneth Townsend examines the rich and complicated past of these places. Beginning with the area''s earliest settlers, Townsend traces the state''s integral role in the American Revolution and its rise as an agricultural powerhouse; the Civil War and the legacy of slavery; its recent economic reemergence after the Civil Rights era.

Part activist memoir, part crash course in Jewish and Palestinian history, Genocide Bad dismantles Zionist propaganda in ten unapologetic essays. Drawing connections between Biblical promises and exploding pagers, medieval dress codes and modern-day apartheid, Kern sketches a sweeping history of imperialism with their characteristic blend of far-ranging research, pop-culture insights, and scathing humour. Kern, a former teacher, journalist, novelist, and book influencer, gained international recognition as an anti-Zionist Jewish activist in the days after October 7th, 2023. At a time when social media was flooded with ''I Stand with Israel'' posts, Kern started sharing content encouraging their followers to read Palestinian books, learn Palestinian history, and question Western reporting on Palestine - videos which went viral into tens of millions of views. Despite facing hate messages, death threats, and exile from the Zionist Jewish community, Kern has remained steadfast in their advocacy over the past year. They''ve posted daily videos on Palestinian, Jewish, and colonial history, and they''ve raised over 500,000 dollars in direct aid for families in Gaza - all while navigating the challenges of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting a newborn. In Genocide Bad, Kern reflects on the life experiences that led them to anti-Zionist activism, while capturing and expanding upon their online educational content. Kern doesn''t flinch when confronting the horrors of genocides past and present, but there is also tremendous hope contained in these pages - hope that springs from examples of courage and resilience in the face of extreme violence, and from the kinds of resistance that might just lead to our collective liberation.

Let''s Talk About Abortion is a groundbreaking and essential resource designed to help parents, caretakers, and providers discuss the topic of abortion with children ages 6 to 12. Authored and illustrated by experienced abortion doulas and vetted by early childhood educators, this book is crafted with the intention of fostering intentional, compassionate, and nonjudgmental conversations about abortion care. In a landscape where no other children''s books discuss this topic, Let''s Talk About Abortion fills a crucial gap. It provides a medically accurate, gender-inclusive, and nonjudgmental resource that acknowledges the diverse and complex nature of abortion care. The book''s text is carefully constructed without gender-specific language or one specific character, recognizing that each abortion experience is unique and personal. This book serves as a starting point for discussion, offering parents, educators and caretakers a thoughtful and sensitive tool to approach discussions about abortion. By avoiding the portrayal of ''good'' or ''bad'' reasons for seeking an abortion, the authors ensure that all experiences are respected and validated. Let''s Talk About Abortion is more than just a book; it''s a compassionate guide designed to support honest and open dialogue, empowering young readers with knowledge and understanding in a safe and supportive manner.

In Defiance is a corrective. American history has historically suffered from the systematic effort of many in power to suppress the stories of those whose lives serve as models for those who came after - models of conscience, activism, and dedication to the cause of the abolition of enslavement. Following an introduction to the history of enslavement in the Americas, twenty people''s lives, Black and white, men and women, are profiled in order to convey the monumental commitment - its source and its expression - they carried with them throughout their lives. Those people - and the circumstances that influenced, inspired, and motivated them to risk their well-being and their lives for the freedom and equality of enslaved people - are conveyed in vivid vignettes, often including their own words. Their stories are an antidote to the numerous attempts being made to deny, suppress, erase, and whitewash the actual people and events that occurred and that, in the telling, can cause discomfort. These stories need to be shared and recounted in classrooms. They are intended ''to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted'' as Black and white people will experience them differently, a significant reason for the authors'' choice to write the book together. The book''s other primary purpose is to inspire and embolden readers to make John Lewis''s ''good trouble'' and Drew Gilpin-Faust''s ''necessary trouble'' in the face of on-going racism, now 160 years after the proclamation that accomplished at least some of the defiant quest of the men and women whose stories the book contains. The authors bring their life experiences and activism into the telling of the stories and into the decisions about what to focus upon in the telling. It is their hope that readers will benefit from the two voices and see the importance of having such stories resonate with all people, regardless of race. As you read, consider the obstacles faced by the people profiled and then imagine what it will take for you to become an advocate for racial justice. Then take whatever action you deem necessary and remember those who came before.

If you have ever wondered ''Why is there so much violence in the Middle East?'', ''Who are the Palestinians?'', ''What are the occupied territories?'' or ''What does Israel want?'', then this is the book for you. With straightforward language, Phyllis Bennis, longtime analyst of the region, answers basic questions about Israel and Israelis, Palestine and Palestinians, the US and the Middle East, Zionism and anti-Semitism; about complex issues ranging from the Oslo peace process to the election of Hamas to the Goldstone Report and the Palestinians'' UN initiatives. Together her answers provide a comprehensive understanding of the longstanding relationship between Palestine and Israel. This new edition will cover an in-depth history of events, bringing readers right up to the catastrophe beginning on October 7th, 2023.

It is spring of the year 830. Baghdad, the capital of a vast Islamic empire, is one of the world''s glorious cities. There, a powerful, forward-thinking Sunni caliph champions reason, knowledge, and creativity against forces of ignorance and superstition. A hub of scientific, philosophical, and artistic discovery, the city is home to an Islam of free debate and philosophical inquiry. The Caliph''s court has become a dazzling academy of poets, musicians, philosophers, and theologians, a picture of a vibrant, self confident, fun-loving society. Yet, it bears the fateful seeds of future strife. For its leader''s rule is austere and ruthless, as he quells discontent, division, and rebellion in the surrounding lands. Then the Caliph is afflicted by a mysterious illness. Akin to madness, his condition worsens as physicians desperately search for a cure. Only Abu Mansour, Baghdad''s most famous doctor, is able to diagnose the cause. The malady turns out to be the Caliph''s passion for a humble, beautiful, young woman named Murjana (''Small Pearl''). It is an affliction that only one remedy can cure - marriage. But Murjana is from a Shia family, and it is discovered that her brother was executed for insurrection against the caliphate. Such a union could reopen wounds, posing many dangers. The controversial marriage of Murjana and the Caliph captures Baghdad under its spell. A tribute to a treasured ancient city, the story of their night journey becomes an ode on the power of love to erase boundaries. At the same time, it reveals the power of passion and vengeance to erect dividing lines, and the futility of conflict that can destroy all sides.