New Releases by Kristina

2022 JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • Baking and Desserts 2022 JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • Emerging Voice, Books ONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker Magazine, The New York Times ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time Out, Glamour, Taste of Home Food blogger Kristina Cho (eatchofood.com) introduces you to Chinese bakery cooking with fresh, simple interpretations of classic recipes for the modern baker. Inside, you’ll find sweet and savory baked buns, steamed buns, Chinese breads, unique cookies, whimsical cakes, juicy dumplings, Chinese breakfast dishes, and drinks. Recipes for steamed BBQ pork buns, pineapple buns with a thick slice of butter, silky smooth milk tea, and chocolate Swiss rolls all make an appearance--because a book about Chinese bakeries wouldn’t be complete without them In Mooncakes & Milk Bread, Kristina teaches you to whip up these delicacies like a pro, including how to: Knead dough without a stand mixer Avoid collapsed steamed buns Infuse creams and custards with aromatic tea flavors Mix the most workable dumpling dough Pleat dumplings like an Asian grandma This is the first book to exclusively focus on Chinese bakeries and cafés, but it isn’t just for those nostalgic for Chinese bakeshop foods--it’s for all home bakers who want exciting new recipes to add to their repertoires.

This open access book provides an introduction to multimodality and the role of multimodal texts in today’s education. Presenting a comprehensive framework for analysing and working with multimodal texts in disciplinary education, it serves as a tool for researchers and teachers alike. The second part of the book focuses on sample analyses of a variety of educational texts for different age groups and from different disciplines, including games and online resources. The authors also comment on the specific challenges of each text, and how teachers can discuss such texts with their students to enhance both their understanding of the content and their multimodal literacy. The book is intended for researchers in fields like education and multimodal studies, and for teacher educators, regardless of school subject or age group. With the combined perspectives on text analysis and implications for education, the book addresses the needs of teachers who want to work with multimodal aspects of texts in education in informed ways, but lack the right tools for such work.

This book draws attention to political aspects of sustainable development goal-setting, exploring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global-national nexus during their first five years. After broad global deliberation and political negotiations, the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs were adopted in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2015, and by now many countries have political structures in place for working towards their realisation. This book explores three concepts to call attention to the political qualities of processes related to the SDGs: legitimacy, responsibility, and accountability. Legitimacy is required to obtain broad political ownership for policy goals in order for them to become effective in addressing cross-border sustainability challenges. Responsibility needs to be clearly distributed among political institutions if a long-term set of broad goals such as the SDGs are to be realised. Accountability to the public is the retrospective mirror of political responsibility. The Politics of the Sustainable Development Goals contributes new knowledge on political processes at the nexus of global and national levels, focussing on three countries at different levels of socio-economic development and democratisation: namely Ghana, Tanzania, and Sweden. These countries illustrate a variety of challenges related to the realisation of the SDGs. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of sustainable development, international organisations, and global politics.

Delivering inspiration and "parenting comedy at its finest,"* here is one woman''s story of ditching her fairytale dreams and falling in love with her unpredictable, chaotic, imperfect life from the author of I Can Fix This Kristina Kuzmic has made herself a household name, speaking directly to mothers from the trenches of parenthood via her viral videos and social media presence. She is now bringing her message of self-acceptance, resilience, and joy to book readers. With a refreshingly unpretentious, funny, and galvanizing voice, Kuzmic goes behind the scenes to reveal how she went from broke and defeated to unshakably grounded and brimming with thankfulness. Illuminating the hard-won wisdom from a life always spent one step behind--whether it was as a high school student new to America, a suddenly single mother to two kids, remarried and juggling two teens and a toddler, or the unexpected recipient of Oprah''s attention and investment--Hold On, But Don''t Hold Still is the book every mother needs to reassure her that she''s not only fine just as she is, but that she already has more tools and support than she can possibly imagine. Sparkling with wit, this heartfelt memoir is like a long coffee date with a best friend, or the eleventh-hour text message that gives you just the boost you need to get through the night. *The Huffington Post

Get through any relationship split with this collection of relatable, impassioned, and irreverent breakup haikus. When her marriage came to a sudden and infuriating end, noted relationship columnist Kristina Grish turned to writing impassioned breakup haikus as a creative way of processing all the messy and intense feelings she was experiencing. Now, in F*ck You Haiku, Kristina has compiled more than 100 breakup haikus—inspired by her past breakups as well as universal experiences—to help anyone going through a split deal with their heartbreak via poetry. Representing a range of emotions and clever ways to vent about your ex, these haikus are entertaining and enraging, as well as enlightening and empowering. So if you’re currently going through a breakup—whether you did the deed or are on the receiving end of it—let this collection of inventive poems help you say “f*ck you” to that special someone and eventually “love you” to yourself.

Facts, myths, statistics, science, and history about communicable illnesses from around the world that will have you equally freaked out and fascinated. Taking a friendly approach to a serious subject, The Big Book of Infectious Disease Trivia answers your questions about pandemics, epidemics, and diseases—and covers the bizarre questions you never thought to ask. From familiar diseases like influenza to ancient diseases like leprosy to oddly named diseases like mad cow disease, this book tackles the mind-blowing facts and obscure details about many infectious diseases—past, present, and future. Get ready to broaden your understanding of humanity’s many illnesses, from survivable to deadly, with answers to questions like: What’s the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic? What is the oldest known infectious disease? How is COVID-19 different from the flu and pneumonia? Who invented the face mask? What is herd immunity? What does it take to have an infectious disease declared “eradicated"? With historical facts along with pop culture references, The Big Book of Infectious Disease Trivia is a must-have for anyone fascinated by infectious diseases.

When a virus keeps Mira indoors and isolated, she misses her friends. She misses karate. She even misses school. To return to normal life, she must fight the nasty germs, and her imagination runs wild. In the end, it''s Mira''s use of hygiene and healthy habits that save the day Written and illustrated by three moms during the COVID-19 outbreak, microbiologist and epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bondurant, author Jen Holman, and award-winning artist Cary Smith, this book is meant to help parents explain tough topics like pandemics and social distancing. The beautifully-illustrated picture book delicately reveals to children how viruses spread, what "pandemic" means, and what they can do to help. Included in the back of the book are a history and timeline of pandemics, as well as a glossary-- all simplified so children can better understand the science behind how viruses affect the world.

In Colombia, decades of social and armed conflict and the US-led war on drugs have created a seemingly untenable situation for scientists and rural communities as they attempt to care for forests and grow non-illicit crops. In Vital Decomposition Kristina M. Lyons presents an ethnography of human-soil relations. She follows state soil scientists and peasants across labs, greenhouses, forests, and farms and attends to the struggles and collaborations between farmers, agrarian movements, state officials, and scientists over the meanings of peace, productivity, rural development, and sustainability in Colombia. In particular, Lyons examines the practices and philosophies of rural farmers who value the decomposing layers of leaves, which make the soils that sustain life in the Amazon, and shows how the study and stewardship of the soil point to alternative frameworks for living and dying. In outlining the life-making processes that compose and decompose into soil, Lyons theorizes how life can thrive in the face of the violence, criminalization, and poisoning produced by militarized, growth-oriented development.

From the bestselling author of THE DISAPPEARED and UNWANTED comes the newest thriller by the Queen of Scandi Crime A man, wearing his daughter''s wedding ring, is found in front of his fireplace, a bullet hole in his chest. A funeral director searches desperately for his brother - a man who doesn''t seem to be missed. A woman struggles to protect her children and her life as her husband turns ever more dangerous. Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht believe that these three cases are totally unrelated... until they uncover a connection between these three people that changes everything. Soon Bergman and Recht are pulled into an escalating series of events where old sins return to haunt all involved. And someone is leaving them taunting messages... but who, and why? Kristina Ohlsson has already sold nearly a million copies worldwide. Now discover for yourself what makes her one of the world''s favourite crime writers. Praise for KRISTINA OHLSSON, the QUEEN OF SCANDI CRIME ''Kristina Ohlsson has managed to achieve what many before her have only attempted: to take the Swedish crime novel to a new and unexpected level'' Arne Dahl ''The writing is tense, dense and very atmospheric. The stories sharp and impossible to let go. Kristina Ohlsson is a true queen of Scandinavian crime.'' Mons Kallentoft ''Kristina Ohlsson is a rising star of Scandinavian crime fiction'' Sunday Times ''Superbly crafted, and with a set of police detectives who are all too human, it seeps into your subconscious, as only truly good thrillers can do'' Daily Mail ''Expect Ohlsson to join Nesbo on most readers'' can''t-miss lists'' Booklist (starred review)

A comprehensive guide to the safe and ethical application of expanded states of consciousness for therapists, healing practitioners, and sincere explorers Psychedelic medicines also known as entheogens are entering the mainstream. And it’s no wonder: despite having access to the latest wellness trends and advances in technology, we’re no healthier, happier, or more meaningfully connected. Psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, and LSD—as well as other time-tested techniques with the power to shift consciousness such as drumming, meditation, and vision quests—are now being recognized as potent catalysts for change and healing. But how do we ensure that we’re approaching them effectively? Françoise Bourzat—a counselor and experienced guide with sanctioned training in the Mazatec and other indigenous traditions—and healer Kristina Hunter introduce a holistic model focusing on the threefold process of preparation, journey, and integration. Drawing from more than thirty years of experience, Bourzat’s skillful and heartfelt approach presents the therapeutic application of expanded states, without divorcing them from their traditional contexts. Consciousness Medicine delivers a coherent map for navigating nonordinary states of consciousness, offering an invaluable contribution to the field of healing and transformation.

This book introduces readers to the many arguments and controversies concerning abortion. While it argues for ethical and legal positions on the issues, it focuses on how to think about the issues, not just what to think about them. It is an ideal resource to improve your understanding of what people think, why they think that and whether their (and your) arguments are good or bad, and why. It''s ideal for classroom use, discussion groups, organizational learning, and personal reading. From the Preface To many people, abortion is an issue for which discussions and debates are frustrating and fruitless: it seems like no progress will ever be made towards any understanding, much less resolution or even compromise. Judgments like these, however, are premature because some basic techniques from critical thinking, such as carefully defining words and testing definitions, stating the full structure of arguments so each step of the reasoning can be examined, and comparing the strengths and weaknesses of different explanations can help us make progress towards these goals. When emotions run high, we sometimes need to step back and use a passion for calm, cool, critical thinking. This helps us better understand the positions and arguments of people who see things differently from us, as well as our own positions and arguments. And we can use critical thinking skills help to try to figure out which positions are best, in terms of being supported by good arguments: after all, we might have much to learn from other people, sometimes that our own views should change, for the better. Here we use basic critical thinking skills to argue that abortion is typically not morally wrong. We begin with less morally-controversial claims: adults, children and babies are wrong to kill and wrong to kill, fundamentally, because they, we, are conscious, aware and have feelings. We argue that since early fetuses entirely lack these characteristics, they are not inherently wrong to kill and so most abortions are not morally wrong, since most abortions are done early in pregnancy, before consciousness and feeling develop in the fetus. Furthermore, since the right to life is not the right to someone else’s body, fetuses might not have the right to the pregnant woman’s body—which she has the right to—and so she has the right to not allow the fetus use of her body. This further justifies abortion, at least until technology allows for the removal of fetuses to other wombs. Since morally permissible actions should be legal, abortions should be legal: it is an injustice to criminalize actions that are not wrong. In the course of arguing for these claims, we: 1. discuss how to best define abortion; 2. dismiss many common “question-begging” arguments that merely assume their conclusions, instead of giving genuine reasons for them; 3. refute some often-heard “everyday arguments” about abortion, on all sides; 4. explain why the most influential philosophical arguments against abortion are unsuccessful; 5. provide some positive arguments that at least early abortions are not wrong; 6. briefly discuss the ethics and legality of later abortions, and more. This essay is not a “how to win an argument” piece or a tract or any kind of apologetics. It is not designed to help anyone “win” debates: everybody “wins” on this issue when we calmly and respectfully engage arguments with care, charity, honesty and humility. This book is merely a reasoned, systematic introduction to the issues that we hope models these skills and virtues. Its discussion should not be taken as absolute “proof” of anything: much more needs to be understood and carefully discussed—always.

Claude Cahun er en kunstnerisk pseudonym, der delvis dækker over Lucy Schwob, født i Nantes i 1894 – død 1954 på øen Jersey, og som blev en af de få kvindelige skikkelser i den franske surrealistiske bevægelse. Efter Første Verdenskrig indgår hun i et kunstnerisk og privat partnerskab med Suzanne Malherbe, som også delvis bliver en del af Cahun-pseudonymet. Kristina Stoltz roman skildrer frit meddigtende og legesygt Cahuns tilværelse som kunster og modstandskvinde op til og under Anden Verdenskrig. Læserne præsenteres for et levende drama, hvor kærlighed, livseksperiment, identitet og politisk modstand indgår i en forunderlig skæbnefortælling – med djævelen og forfatteren selv mellem linjerne. Kristina Stoltz er helt sin egen og fornyer sig fra bog til bog, men skriver sig ofte ind i en international litterær tendens: det autobiografiske i Som om, den politisk engagerede behandling af flygtninges vilkår i Æsel, det grænsesøgende erotiske i Et kød og aktuelt det ”eksobiografiske”, den fiktive behandling af en historisk skikkelse, i romanen Cahun. Kristina Stoltz når i disse år nye kunstneriske højder. Hun kan sammenlignes med Christina Hesselholdt, Merete Pryds Helle og en Josefine Klougart, som i kraft af kunstnerisk kvalitet og integritet høster anerkendelse, møder et publikum og får en vis international interesse.

Interaction design that entails a qualitative shift from a symbolic, language-oriented stance to an experiential stance that encompasses the entire design and use cycle. With the rise of ubiquitous technology, data-driven design, and the Internet of Things, our interactions and interfaces with technology are about to change dramatically, incorporating such emerging technologies as shape-changing interfaces, wearables, and movement-tracking apps. A successful interactive tool will allow the user to engage in a smooth, embodied, interaction, creating an intimate correspondence between users'' actions and system response. And yet, as Kristina Höök points out, current design methods emphasize symbolic, language-oriented, and predominantly visual interactions. In Designing with the Body, Höök proposes a qualitative shift in interaction design to an experiential, felt, aesthetic stance that encompasses the entire design and use cycle. Höök calls this new approach soma design; it is a process that reincorporates body and movement into a design regime that has long privileged language and logic. Soma design offers an alternative to the aggressive, rapid design processes that dominate commercial interaction design; it allows (and requires) a slow, thoughtful process that takes into account fundamental human values. She argues that this new approach will yield better products and create healthier, more sustainable companies. Höök outlines the theory underlying soma design and describes motivations, methods, and tools. She offers examples of soma design “encounters” and an account of her own design process. She concludes with “A Soma Design Manifesto,” which challenges interaction designers to “restart” their field—to focus on bodies and perception rather than reasoning and intellect.

With the increasing pressure to excel at parenting, work, and personal relationships, it''s easy to feel stressed and dissatisfied. This targeted Positive Discipline guide gives parents the tools to parent effectively without sacrificing their well-being or giving up on their life goals. Instead of creating unachievable expectations, you will instead learn to play to your strengths at work and at home. You’ll integrate your seemingly disparate areas of life and use Positive Discipline to make the most out of your time, energy and relationships. By helping you get to the bottom of the underlying causes of misbehavior, busy parents will also be able to avoid pampering and keep permissive and punitive parenting at bay. Instead of feeling fragmented and guilty, you’ll have the presence of mind to explore what works best for you and your family. Attitude is key – we’ll help you feel confident in your parenting abilities and your professional choices, making your children more likely to adopt an attitude of self-reliance and cooperation. Armed with communication strategies and tips for self-reflection, moms (and dads!) won''t have to feel guilty about leaving their child with a sitter during the day, or leaving work early to go to a soccer game.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WITH MORE THAN A MILLION COPIES SOLD—Sold on a Monday is the unforgettable book-club phenomenon, inspired by a stunning piece of Depression-era history. "A masterpiece that poignantly echoes universal themes of loss and redemption...both heartfelt and heartbreaking."—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan''s Tale 2 CHILDREN FOR SALE. The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931, but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices. For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family''s dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined. Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday has celebrated five months on the New York Times bestsellers list and continues to especially captivate fans of Lisa Wingate''s Before We Were Yours and Kristin Hannah''s The Four Winds. Look for the new novel by Kristina McMorris, The Ways We Hide, a sweeping World War II tale of an illusionist whose recruitment by British intelligence sets her on a perilous, heartrending path.

This book introduces readers to lived experience in the Late Roman Empire, from c.250-600 CE.

Each year, hundreds of aspiring and experienced actors head to LA hoping to make it big in Hollywood. While many of them have their acting chops in shape, few realize what it actually takes to survive in Tinseltown. Even if they happen to make it onto a set, many are clueless about what’s expected of them and how they should behave. Acting in LA: How to Become a Working Actor in Hollywood is exactly what these actors need: a handbook to arriving, surviving, and thriving on- and off-set in LA. Written by veteran Hollywood actor, acting coach, and acting teacher Kristina Sexton, this comprehensive guide takes no prisoners. With just enough snark to keep readers entertained—and on their toes—Acting in LA delivers solid advice on such topics as: Headshots, resumes, and reels How to find your “image” and market it The SAG/AFTRA debate Networking Agents and managers The importance of creating your own opportunities Maintaining a life outside of acting Setiquette On-set terminology And much more A comprehensive guide that can be utilized by actors either inside or outside Hollywood, Acting in LA relies on Kristina’s real-life experience as a working actress and exposes the pleasures, pitfalls, and practicalities of pursuing a career in acting.

In this comprehensive resource for elementary school teachers, Kristina J. Doubet and Jessica A. Hockett explore how to use differentiated instruction to help students be more successful learners--regardless of background, native language, learning preference, or motivation. They explain how to Create a healthy classroom community in which students'' unique qualities and needs are as important as the ones they have in common. Translate curriculum into manageable and meaningful learning goals that are fit to be differentiated. Use pre-assessment and formative assessment to uncover students'' learning needs, tailor tasks accordingly, and ensure that students are "getting it." Provide interactive learning experiences that encourage students to engage with both the content and one another. Present students with avenues to take in, process, and produce knowledge that appeal to their varied interests and learning preferences. Navigate potential roadblocks to differentiation. Each chapter provides a plethora of practical tools, templates, and strategies for a variety of subject areas developed by and for real teachers. Whether you''re new to differentiated instruction or looking to expand your repertoire of DI strategies, Differentiation in the Elementary Grades will show you classroom-tested ways to better engage students and help them succeed every day. Includes URL and password for free downloadable forms.

They thought ghosts didn''t exist . . . But when Aladdin’s parents discover food is being stolen from their restaurant, he and his friends decide to investigate. Soon, Aladdin notices a strange boy – dressed in short trousers, despite the freezing cold. But as hard as he tries to catch him, the boy always disappears – leaving no tracks in the fresh snow. Before long, Aladdin and his friends are pulled into a web of secrets and history, treasure and crime. Can they uncover the mystery of the curious Silver Boy?

FIVE BRUTAL MURDERS IN TWO COUNTRIES. ''Hollywood blockbuster material...you''ll finish it in one gulp'' Metro A WOMAN CONFESSES TO THE KILLINGS, THEN LEAPS OFF A BRIDGE TO HER DEATH. ''Kristina Ohlsson is a rising star of Scandinavian crime fiction'' Sunday Times HER BROTHER INSISTS SHE WAS INNOCENT, AND WANTS THE CASE REOPENED. ''Expect Ohlsson to join Nesbo on most readers'' can''t-miss lists'' Booklist BUT HOW DO YOU VINDICATE A DECEASED, SELF-PROCLAIMED KILLER? ''Superbly crafted'' Daily Mail

Born into slavery in 1862, Ida B. Wells went on to become an influential reformer and leader in the African American community. A Southern black woman living in a time when little social power was available to people of her race or gender, Ida B. Wells made an extraordinary impact on American society through her journalism and activism. Best-known for her anti-lynching crusade, which publicly exposed the extralegal killings of African Americans, Wells was also an outspoken advocate for social justice in issues including women''s suffrage, education, housing, the legal system, and poor relief. In this concise biography, Kristina DuRocher introduces students to Wells''s life and the historical issues of race, gender, and social reform in the late 19th- and early 20th-century U.S. Supplemented by primary documents including letters, speeches, and newspaper articles by and about Wells, and supported by a robust companion website, this book enables students to understand this fascinating figure and a contested period in American history.

One night. Two paths. Infinite danger. On the night of the big spring break party, seventeen-year-old Hadley "borrows" her boyfriend Ben''s car without telling him. As payback, he posts a naked picture of her online for the entire senior class to see. Now Hadley has a choice. She can go back to the party and force Ben to delete the picture. Or she can raise the stakes and take his beloved car on a road trip as far away from their hometown of Oak Grove, Ohio, as she can get. Each storyline plays out in alternating chapters. In one strand, Hadley embarks on a reckless adventure with her best friends, spinning the perfect plan for revenge. In the other, stuck in a car with her ex-boyfriend, Josh, she''s forced to revisit the mistakes they each made, including whether they should ever have broken up at all. As events of a wild night race toward an explosive conclusion, old feelings are rekindled, friendships are tested, and secrets uncovered that are so much worse than a scandalous photo. A Million Times Goodnight is a fast-paced romantic contemporary thriller ripped right from the headlines.

Sikhs in Europe are neglected in the study of religions and migrant groups: previous studies have focused on the history, culture and religious practices of Sikhs in North America and the UK, but few have focused on Sikhs in continental Europe. This book fills this gap, presenting new data and analyses of Sikhs in eleven European countries; examining the broader European presence of Sikhs in new and old host countries. Focusing on patterns of migration, transmission of traditions, identity construction and cultural representations from the perspective of local Sikh communities, this book explores important patterns of settlement, institution building and cultural transmission among European Sikhs.

A love letter from two Americans to their adopted city, Tasting Rome is a showcase of modern dishes influenced by tradition, as well as the rich culture of their surroundings. Even 150 years after unification, Italy is still a divided nation where individual regions are defined by their local cuisine. Each is a mirror of its city’s culture, history, and geography. But cucina romana is the country’s greatest standout. Tasting Rome provides a complete picture of a place that many love, but few know completely. In sharing Rome’s celebrated dishes, street food innovations, and forgotten recipes, journalist Katie Parla and photographer Kristina Gill capture its unique character and reveal its truly evolved food culture—a culmination of two thousand years of history. Their recipes acknowledge the foundations of Roman cuisine and demonstrate how it has transitioned to the variations found today. You’ll delight in the expected classics (cacio e pepe, pollo alla romana, fiore di zucca); the fascinating but largely undocumented Sephardic Jewish cuisine (hraimi con couscous, brodo di pesce, pizzarelle); the authentic and tasty offal (guanciale, simmenthal di coda, insalata di nervitti); and so much more. Studded with narrative features that capture the city’s history and gorgeous photography that highlights both the food and its hidden city, you’ll feel immediately inspired to start tasting Rome in your own kitchen.

In attempting to carve out a place for themselves in local and global contexts, young Sikhs mobilize efforts to construct, choose, and emphasize different aspects of religious and cultural identification depending on their social setting and context. Young Sikhs in a Global World presents current research on young Sikhs with multicultural and transnational life-styles and considers how they interpret, shape and negotiate religious identities, traditions, and authority on an individual and collective level. With a particular focus on the experiences of second generation Sikhs as they interact with various people in different social fields and cultural contexts, the book is constructed around three parts: ''family and home'', ''public display and gender'', and ''reflexivity and translations''. New scholarly voices and established academics present qualitative research and ethnographic fieldwork and analyse how young Sikhs try to solve social, intellectual and psychological tensions between the family and the expectations of the majority society, between Punjabi culture and religious values.

Helmut Schmidt is the neglected chancellor of modern German history, overshadowed by ''the greats'' - Bismarck, Adenauer, Brandt and Kohl. This volume retrieves Schmidt''s true significance as a pivotal figure who helped reshape the global order during the crisis-ridden 1970s. This major reinterpretation, based on detailed research in Schmidt''s private papers and numerous archives in Europe and America, reveals him as a leader equally skilled in economics and security, and adept at personal diplomacy, who dared to act as a ''double interpreter'' between the superpowers during the nadir of the Cold War. Schmidt was no mere ''crisis-manager'': in fact he brought to the chancellorship a depth of reflection, evident in two decades of writings and speeches that justifies considering him an intellectual statesman on a par with Henry Kissinger. His achievements were prodigious. Hailed as the ''world economist'', Schmidt helped create the G7 forum for global economic governance and the European Monetary System at a time when capitalism seemed on the rocks. And as the ''strategist of balance'', he designed NATO''s ''dual-track'' response to the crisis caused by the massive Soviet arms buildup of Euro-missiles. This decision, Kristina Spohr argues, played a crucial part in holding together the Western alliance and paved the way to defusing the Cold War in Europe. Schmidt brought his country to the top table of world politics - what he unashamedly called Weltpolitik - as an equal of the wartime victor powers. It was through his Chancellorship that West Germany came of age on the global stage.

Kristina was born in 1977 in Vladivostok, East Russia, a bleak naval town closed to foreigners under Soviet rule. Despite the limitations this imposed, Kristina’s early years were spent in a creative home, in which her father’s love of music saw her dancing from an early age. It was Latin music, in particular, that stirred her passion. From the age of seven, Kristina was already winning competitions and from sixteen she had established herself as a renowned dance teacher and champion. After university, her life was to change forever: she was invited to the United States to compete professionally with an American dancer - a partnership that propelled her to win international competitions. After retiring from the competitive world, Kristina joined the US TV series Dancing With The Stars on their Winter Tour 2007/8 and was so popular with the public that she was invited to London to take part in Strictly Come Dancing. This brought with it a new level of fame. In this frank and heartfelt memoir, Kristina describes for the first time the struggles she faced in her younger years, when those dearest to her were falling apart, as well as the sheer nerve and determination she needed to succeed in the competitive world. From her high-profile relationships to what it is like dancing with her celebrity partners such as John Sergeant, Joe Calzaghe and Ben Cohen, she reveals the truth behind the tabloid headlines and how it feels to be at the heart of a global franchise. Speaking candidly about the impact world travel and stardom have had on her character, Kristina offers a glimpse behind the sparkle of sequins and glitter balls. This absorbing tale, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, is one of courage and honesty; and, while Kristina may not perform forever, she will keep dancing with a song in her heart.

"This book is a godsend a moving portrait for anyone wanting to go beyond the simplified labels and metrics and really understand an urban high school, and its highly individual, resilient, eager and brilliant students and educators." -- Dave Eggers, co-founder, 826 National and ScholarMatch Darrell is a reflective, brilliant young man, who never thought of himself as a good student. He always struggled with his reading and writing skills. Darrell''s father, a single parent, couldn''t afford private tutors. By the end of middle school, Darrell''s grades and his confidence were at an all time low. Then everything changed. When education journalist Kristina Rizga first met Darrell at Mission High School, he was taking AP calculus class, writing a ten-page research paper, and had received several college acceptance letters. And Darrell was not an exception. More than 80 percent of Mission High seniors go to college every year, even though the school teaches large numbers of English learners and students from poor families. So, why has the federal government been threatening to close Mission High -- and schools like it across the country? The United States has been on a century long road toward increased standardization in our public schools, which resulted in a system that reduces the quality of education to primarily one metric: standardized test scores. According to this number, Mission High is a "low-performing" school even though its college enrollment, graduation, attendance rates and student surveys are some of the best in the country. The qualities that matter the most in learning -- skills like critical thinking, intellectual engagement, resilience, empathy, self-management, and cultural flexibility -- can''t be measured by multiple-choice questions designed by distant testing companies, Rizga argues, but they can be detected by skilled teachers in effective, personalized and humane classrooms that work for all students, not just the most motivated ones. Based on four years of reporting with unprecedented access, the unforgettable, intimate stories in these pages throw open the doors to America''s most talked about -- and arguably least understood -- public school classrooms where the largely invisible voices of our smart, resilient students and their committed educators can offer a clear and hopeful blueprint for what it takes to help all students succeed.

Series information from the publisher''s author page.