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  • Book cover of Dear America: Young Readers' Edition

    In this young readers’ adaptation of his adult memoir Dear America, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas tells his story, in light of the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. Jose Antonio Vargas was only twelve years old when he was brought to the United States from the Philippines to live with his grandparents. He didn’t know it, but he was sent to the U.S. illegally. When he applied for a learner’s permit, he learned the truth, and he spent the next almost twenty years keeping his immigration status a secret. Hiding in plain sight, he was writing for some of the most prestigious news organizations in the country. Only after publicly admitting his undocumented status—risking his career and personal safety—was Vargas able to live his truth. This book asks questions including, How do you define who is an American? How do we decide who gets to be a citizen? What happens to those who enter the U.S. without documentation? By telling his personal story and presenting facts without easy answers, Jose Antonio Vargas sheds light on an issue that couldn’t be more relevant.

  • Book cover of Dear America

    THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER “This riveting, courageous memoir ought to be mandatory reading for every American.” —Michelle Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of The New Jim Crow “l cried reading this book, realizing more fully what my parents endured.” —Amy Tan, New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and Where the Past Begins “This book couldn’t be more timely and more necessary.” —Dave Eggers, New York Times bestselling author of What Is the What and The Monk of Mokha Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, called “the most famous undocumented immigrant in America,” tackles one of the defining issues of our time in this explosive and deeply personal call to arms. “This is not a book about the politics of immigration. This book––at its core––is not about immigration at all. This book is about homelessness, not in a traditional sense, but in the unsettled, unmoored psychological state that undocumented immigrants like myself find ourselves in. This book is about lying and being forced to lie to get by; about passing as an American and as a contributing citizen; about families, keeping them together, and having to make new ones when you can’t. This book is about constantly hiding from the government and, in the process, hiding from ourselves. This book is about what it means to not have a home. After 25 years of living illegally in a country that does not consider me one of its own, this book is the closest thing I have to freedom.” —Jose Antonio Vargas, from Dear America

  • Book cover of The First Texas Independence, 1813

    There were seven flags over Texas. The green flagit is the first flag of Texas independence. It is the spark that lit the revolt for liberty in our state. It started as a gentle glow of a peasants lantern. Then, it expanded to a beacons potent light; beckoning Don Bernardo led his army in answering the call for freedom. It was not a flag of conquest, but a flag of self-rule. It was not a flag to build an empire, but to end an unjust one. It was a precious flag, wrapping those who carried it with the ideals of equality. It was the first breath of a new life, the first step of a long journey, the sign of a new beginning. It is the green flag, the first flag of Texas independence.

  • Book cover of Nights of Wailing, Days of Pain

    Nights of Wailing, Days of Pain Life in 1920s South Texas Jose Antonio Lopez Summary Life in 1920s South Texas was mercilessly miserable for U.S. citizens of Spanish Mexican (Tejano) ancestry. The courageous descendants of Native Americans and the first Europeans to set foot in Texas had been reduced by this time to the status of foreigners in their own homeland. It had been over eighty years since the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, but the suffering of the native inhabitants continued unrestrained into the twentieth century. In short, Tejanos looked like the enemy, spoke Spanish like the enemy, worshipped as Catholics like the enemy, and thus were treated like the enemy. Akin to a never-ending nightmarish inferno stoked by constant Battle of the Alamo reminders, the damage to the tormented Tejano psyche persists to this day. Nights of Wailing, Days of Pain involves the day-to-day life of a Tejano family, whose members are living in two parallel worlds. One is the world of their Spanish Mexican ancestors, inventors of the ranch and cowboy phenomena, and the other is the world of Anglo Saxon Texas that treats them as strangers in the only homeland they have ever known. The first world is a sanctuary providing comfort, but it is slowly disappearing. The second world is fraught with overwhelming anxiety and continues unabated to the present time. The book typifies the saga of countless Tejano families struggling to make a living in the harsh brush country of South Texas while at the same time fighting off those who wanted their land at all costs. The story begins with a scene worthy of a Russian czar. A ranch foreman, bloodied by a brutal beating, hangs feet first from the arm of a large oak tree. Although not charged with any crime, he had been left there by the Texas Rangers. It was a most undignified sight! How could this be? After all, this was the 1920s. Wasn’t the United States of America the land of the free, where a person was innocent until proven guilty? Wasn’t South Texas part of the United States of America? Had not the country recently fought a world war, the Great War to guarantee freedom for others in Europe? What about basic freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution for citizens in this country, regardless of their race, creed, or color? The man hanging from the tree was a U.S. citizen. So how could this be happening? Why was he being treated in such a cruel manner? The first chapters introduce the several main characters of the storyline. Chapa, the Rancho La Paz foreman, is a strong and capable young man who valiantly absorbs the rangers’ brutal punishment without betraying his boss. The beautiful Dona Carmelita “Meli” is the ranch owner’s wife. She is the social conscience of the community. Don Roberto Gutierrez, her husband, is the former county sheriff who traces his lineage to the first Spanish Mexican Texas settlers. He is suddenly accused of smuggling contraband horses and mules from Mexico. Justa is the ranch matron. She is a wise curandera (folk healer) whose counsel is sought by all. Sabi is Justa’s daughter and helps her mother with her duties at La Paz. Both of them are part of Don Roberto’s extended family. Epifania “Epi” Martinez is a Gutierrez relative who works at the courthouse. Amble Macray is a rich Anglo-Saxon cattleman from Fort Worth. He grew up with the Gutierrez family. He and his family are very supportive of Tejano culture and respectful of the Spanish Mexican roots of Texas. Amble has two brothers. One of them (Deck) is now the sheriff. Deck reluctantly participates in Don Roberto’s persecution and prosecution. They have one sister, Libby. They also have a half-sibling, Raymundo, a U.S. marshal. Scott Johnson is Don Roberto’s defense attorney. Scott is an idealistic young lawyer who is defending his first case. George R. Reed is a former county judge who controls most significant activities in the community. As the area political boss, he wants Rancho La

  • Book cover of The Last Knight

    The Last Knight The Story of Don Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara Uribe (1774-1841), a Texas Hero (By Jose Antonio Lopez) Once there was a magical land called Tejas. Here is where our Spanish-Mexican ancestors settled to raise families, build their homes, and ranching communities. They were a rare breed of men and women; a hearty stock, strong of both mind and body. They tamed what historian Jerry Thompson calls the Wild and Vivid Land of South Texas. In so doing, they invented the ranching and cowboy phenomena. However, all was not well. Spain ruled Tejas with oppressive and unjust laws. In response for direction to rid America of European colonial rule, several great American-born leaders answered the call to duty during those turbulent times of the late 1700s and early 1800s. Among these were George Washington, Simon Bolivar, and Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara Uribe. While most people may have heard of the first two, few are familiar with Don Bernardo. The Last Knight is the story of this great Texas hero. To begin with, Don Bernardos life has the drama, action, and intrigue of a Hollywood movie, but it is a true story. He was born in Revilla (now Guerrero), on the southern bank of the Rio Grande back when the Rio was just another South Texas river. (The shape of Texas was very different than it is today.) As a young man, Don Bernardo decided to get involved in bringing social change in his community and throughout Texas and Mexico. It was in this restless period of early Texas history that Don Bernardo volunteered to help Father Miguel Hidalgo in his struggle to gain Mexicos independence from Spain. That is why September 16th is today celebrated in Texas. Don Bernardo was appointed a Lt Colonel in the Republican Army. After a trip to the U.S. to seek help and volunteers, he began his revolution in Nacogdoches. That the struggle began here in the Louisiana border was very significant in a historical sense. Nacogdoches and Los Adaes represented the eastern boundary of New Spain. As a matter of fact, Los Adaes is the first capital of Texas. On April 17, 1813, he wrote Texas first Declaration of Independence and its first constitution. He won a series of battles. He became the first President-Protector (governor) of the Independent State of Texas. However, his hope of victory over the Spanish forces vanished quickly, when he was relieved of command and forced to move to Natchitoches, Louisiana in exile. When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Don Bernardo was asked to return to his homeland. He did so in 1824. Upon arriving, he became the governor of the new state of Tamaulipas. He also was appointed to several military posts, including Commandant General of Tamaulipas and Commandant General of the Eastern Interior States (Texas, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo Leon.) He died in 1841 after an illustrious career as a rancher, military leader, Indian fighter, gifted communicator, skilled diplomat, governor of two states (Texas and Tamaulipas), and commandant general of four states. He was a man who possessed rare leadership qualities. We owe our gratitude to this great hero who shared in the first vision of a free and independent Texas.

  • Book cover of Pocho: En Espanol

    A young Mexican-American struggles to achieve adulthood as a youth influenced by two conflicting worlds.

  • Book cover of Football that Comes from God

    This is a different soccer book. People say that only Europeans implement new features in soccer. But it's not true. We are competent in creating theories, measurement systems, and classifications for the development of soccer. This is a book unlike anything you've ever read about soccer. And the reasons are: - It considers football art a gift given by God. - It treats football art as something dynamic to be developed. - It provides nine parameters for your improvement. - It proposes criteria for assigning parameter scores to players. - It proposes classification levels and colors that reveal the player's position in football art. - It proposes a sequence of steps for monitoring and analyzing the player in the practice of football art. - It shows that football art can be implemented regardless of the team's social or financial status. - It shows football art in amateur and professional teams in the 70s in Tupã and Bauru cities. The theories and cases presented are based on the author's experience as a soccer player and practitioner. This book has five parts, and the topics covered are: PART I - Book Presentation - Football Art and the Soccer Stars PART II - Football Art Reference Parameters - Parameter 1 - Physical Conditioning - Parameter 2 - Dribble - Parameter 3 - Intelligence and Reasoning - Parameter 4 - Emotional Control - Parameter 5 - Intuition - Parameter 6 - Technical Quality - Parameter 7 - Gifts and Talents - Parameter 8 - Technical Conditioning - Parameter 9 - Focus on the Game PART III - Football Art in Amateur and Professional Teams - Football Art in the Noroeste of Bauru - Football Art in the Bonsucesso of Tupã - Football Art in the Tupã FC PART IV - Rating Soccer Players in Football Art - Assignment of the Grades to the Parameters - Analysis of a Soccer Player - Analysis of a Soccer Team - Analysis of Soccer Stars of the Past People who like soccer, including players, coaches, coordinators, executives, journalists, head scouts, analysts, and soccer academics, among others, can put the concepts and methods described in this book into effect. I hope you find the book entertaining and that it enchants you. If you are or are not associated with the game we so adore and admire, the essence of which we refer to as "football art." Author Jose Antonio (Zezinho).

  • Book cover of Big Data for Executives and Market Professionals - Second Edition

    Hi! Welcome to the book "Big Data for Executives and Market Professionals - Second Edition" Big Data is a technology "Moonshot," those that arise and change people's lives and their professional careers. This eBook is organized to summarize Big Data, Data Science, Analytics and Machine Learning, structuring knowledge, less technical, for a better understanding and rapid learning, demystifying and guiding Executives and Market Professionals on how to use Big Data on their favor, for greater professional success. It is the first stage to become interested in Big Data. Check the learning summary you take on this journey. - Introduction to Big Data and Data Science. Main Technologies applied to Big Data. Cloud technologies, systems, hardware, and software. - Hadoop Ecosystem and its importance to Big Data. The parallel programming paradigm of MapReduce to solve problems in Big Data. Data Lake, Data Warehouse, and ETL processes for Big Data. - Analytics Science and its derivations for Predictive and Big Data. Analytics Tools and their Big Data applications. Machine Learning (ML) and its relationship with Big Data. ML Applications for Big Data. Data Visualization introduction. - Professional careers in Big Data. Companies that created Big Data and adopted the technology. Big Data applications for social networks and the Internet of things. - Privacy and Governance in Big Data. Big Data and Data Science Influencers. How to be a Data Scientist. - Big Data for Executives. Big Data for Market Professionals. Big Data summary and general conclusions. Its implications for business and professional life. What goes on in this Second Edition? In this eBook Second Edition, we looked at the content and revised the texts for readability. The eBook includes more information to refresh the content. The new sections included are: Chapter 3 - Section 2 - Data is Files Chapter 7 - Section 5 - Success Case - Tesla Chapter 8 - Section 2 - GDPR and LGPD Privacy Chapter 10 - Section 6 - Edge Computing Chapter 10 - Section 7 - Digital Transformation Chapter 11 - Section 10 - The Spark Importance Chapter 16 - Section 7 - Big Data + Data Science + ML Chapter 18 - Section 4 - Analytics Translator Chapter 18 - Section 5 - Is it worth going for a new career?

  • Book cover of Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, and Democracy

    This book questions the reasons why presidential democracies more likely to break down than parliamentary ones.

  • Book cover of open pit: a story about morococha and extractivism in the américas

    The open pit: a story about morococha and extractivism in the américas explores the role of extraction under the current capitalist accumulation model, through the specific story of the town of Morococha, located in the central Peruvian Andes, and the ways in which extraction permeates most aspects of human activity. An assemblage of collective enunciations woven through a letter to the author’s seven-year-old son, the book connects the world of mining and extraction to everyday life, personal histories of growing up in Lima, Perú, and living in California.