Books with author James Melvin

In the aftermath of the collapse of the USSR, the American invasion of Iraq, and the Arab uprisings of 2010-11, a new Middle East has emerged. The Syrian civil war has displaced half the country's population, and ISIS and other jihadi groups thrive in the political vacuum there and in Iraq, setting a new standard for political violence. Meanwhile, regimes in Egypt and Bahrain have become even more repressive after the uprisings there, and Libya and Yemen have virtually ceased to exist as states. The hallmarks of this new Middle East are rebellion and repression, proxy wars, sectarian strife, the rise of the Islamic State, and intraregional polarization. International and regional actors stoke the flames, with the United States and Russia seeking to reposition themselves in the region and Saudi Arabia and Iran vying for supremacy. In the long term, perils including climate change, food and water insecurity, and population growth, along with bad governance and stagnant economies, will determine the destiny of the region. In The New Middle East: What Everyone Needs to Know®, renowned Middle East scholar James L. Gelvin explains all these developments and more in a concise question-and-answer format. Outlining the social, political, and economic contours of the New Middle East, he illuminates the current crisis in the region and explores how the region will continue to change in the decades to come.

Helena is plagued by nightmares. A darkness constantly pulls at her until one day it succeeds in drawing her in.She wakes in a sinister world populated by strange, cruel creatures where no-one can be trusted and everyone hides their true intentions. But Helena discovers she holds a power, an ability to shape her destiny, if only she can discover how to control it.With Peter, a shadow of his human self, she must work out how to use her gift to escape the nightmare world before it captures her completely.

First time being called pretty…first crush…first flutter of anticipation for a first kiss… first boy to kill himself inches from her lips. In the Four Points we enter the world of a young teenage outsider and her struggle to be accepted-her struggle to accept herself. But ERIKA is far from a regular teen. Erika hears people's thoughts. She has blackout spells, waking up in places with no idea of how she got there...and strange, inexplicable things keep happening around her.On the first day of 11th grade, Erika is compelled to intervene during a mass shooting at her high school. She is reluctantly propelled into the spotlight. A series of strangers start to enter her life...all connected by an odd symbol-a DIAMOND containing two eyes-a symbol similar to the birthmark on the back of Erika's neck. One of these strangers is a gorgeous young man named LIAM, who shares the very same marking. Erika will soon find out that she and Liam are, in fact, at the center of a worldwide struggle between the forces of good and evil. They are part of a secret society of "Diamonds" compelled to protect the world. And Erika is the "Western Point". As the battle heats up between the forces of good and evil, Erika's instinct to push people away will be tested when she falls for Liam. Erika struggles to face the demons within her, the fear of being abandoned again. Erika must choose between the risky path of love and the familiar call of the Collector-a sinister, seductive immortal. Will Erika learn to trust? Will she ever feel worthy of Liam's love? Or will she let her insecurities, her fears, destroy the world?PREFACEWould I have fallen in love if I knew he would leave? Did I believe the saying, “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?”I should have listened to my own voice telling me to stay away from him, the only voice trying to protect my heart. All men leave… I had learned this from an early age. I tried my best to fight, to keep him at bay, but he broke down my defenses. He was able to make me do something I swore I would never do... fall in love.He helped show me who I truly was. He helped me recognize my power, realize my potential, and understand my destiny. I was sworn to protect the earth, sworn to be one of its defenders, but the Watchers were right about me, my soul held darkness. All evidence of the insecure little girl I once was had disappeared. I was ready for war. The windows shattered as my fury grew. The winds blew faster and faster; the tornado was easy to create, but would I be able to control my powers as my wrath became unleashed? I gazed into the moist blue eyes that had on many occasions before promised to love me forever—promised to stay—yet there he was…leaving. I didn’t care whether it was his choice or not; love was being taken away just like it had always been. I could feel my heart turning cold. I was losing myself.Could I remain on the side of light when I was being enveloped by anger? Did the world deserve my protection when it did not protect me? Staring into the face of the man that became my everything, I knew I could never regret loving him—but would losing him be the end of me, the end of Erika?

After Helena's dramatic escape from the chilling world of her nightmares, her initial relief is tempered by the realisation that she will constantly be dragged back. She resolves to finish the Light Man's work, to understand the link between the Earth and it's shadowy twin, and to save as many lost souls as she can. But familiar dangers lurk in the grey wasteland waiting to exact revenge, whilst a new evil threatens to destroy everything Helena holds dear.What sacrifices will Helena have to suffer to find the answers that she seeks? And will she ever find Peter and keep her promise to bring him home?Losing Sleep is the second part of the Fighting Sleep trilogy.

First time being called pretty. First crush. First flutter of anticipation for a first kiss. First boy to kill himself inches from her lips.In the Four Points we enter the world of a young teenage outsider and her struggle to be accepted—her struggle to accept herself. But ERIKA is far from a regular teen. Erika hears people's thoughts. She has blackout spells, waking up in places with no idea of how she got there...and strange, inexplicable things keep happening around her.On the first day of 11th grade, Erika is compelled to intervene during a mass shooting at her high school. She is reluctantly propelled into the spotlight, a place where she is profoundly uncomfortable. A series of strangers start to enter her life...all connected by an odd symbol—a DIAMOND containing two eyes—a symbol similar to the birthmark on the back of Erika's neck. One of these strangers is a gorgeous young man named LIAM, who shares the very same marking. Erika will soon find out that she and Liam are, in fact, at the center of a worldwide struggle. They are part of a secret society of "Diamonds" chosen to protect the world. And Erika is the "Western Point". As the battle heats up, Erika's instinct to push people away will be tested when she falls for Liam. Erika struggles to face the demons within her, the fear of being abandoned again. Erika must choose between the risky path of love and the familiar call of the Collector—a sinister, seductive immortal. Will Erika learn to trust? Will she ever feel worthy of Liam's love? Or will she let her insecurities, her fears, destroy the world?

Anthony, who knows that he is adopted, also learns that he is biracial. With his parents' guidance, he learns that as long as he loves himself, it doesn't matter what others think or say. He comes to understand that people who treat him differently, or say dumb things to him, have difficulty meeting and accepting someone who is different from those that they are used to.

First time being called pretty…first crush…first flutter of anticipation for a first kiss… first boy to kill himself inches from her lips. In the Four Points we enter the world of a young teenage outsider and her struggle to be accepted-her struggle to accept herself. But ERIKA is far from a regular teen. Erika hears people's thoughts. She has blackout spells, waking up in places with no idea of how she got there...and strange, inexplicable things keep happening around her. On the first day of 11th grade, Erika is compelled to intervene during a mass shooting at her high school. She is reluctantly propelled into the spotlight. A series of strangers start to enter her life...all connected by an odd symbol-a DIAMOND containing two eyes-a symbol similar to the birthmark on the back of Erika's neck. One of these strangers is a gorgeous young man named LIAM, who shares the very same marking. Erika will soon find out that she and Liam are, in fact, at the center of a worldwide struggle between the forces of good and evil. They are part of a secret society of "Diamonds" compelled to protect the world. And Erika is the "Western Point". As the battle heats up between the forces of good and evil, Erika's instinct to push people away will be tested when she falls for Liam. Erika struggles to face the demons within her, the fear of being abandoned again. Erika must choose between the risky path of love and the familiar call of the Collector-a sinister, seductive immortal. Will Erika learn to trust? Will she ever feel worthy of Liam's love? Or will she let her insecurities, her fears, destroy the world?