Told with inimitable charm and humour, this is a personal story of family, friendship and faith, beautifully demonstrating God’s love at work in the turbulence of Africa’s recent history.

The autobiography of Dr. Michael Cassidy, one of the most influential people in the development of modern South Africa and a key figure in the growth of the Christian church in Southern Africa over the last fifty years.

As the nations of Africa shook off the shackles of colonialism and embraced their newfound independence in the 1960s, a singular figure burst into prominence in the tumultuous and expectant atmosphere gripping the continent. A son of apartheid South Africa, Michael Cassidy appeared an unlikely candidate to bring a Gospel message of salvation, reconciliation and hope to a land throwing off the chains of apartheid.

Told with inimitable charm and humour, this is a personal story of family, friendship and faith and beautifully demonstrates God’s love at work in the turbulence of Africa’s recent history.

"As the nations of Africa shook off the shackles of colonialism and embraced their newfound independence in the 1960s, a singular figure burst into prominence in the tumultuous and expectant atmosphere gripping the continent. A son of apartheid South Africa, Michael Cassidy appeared an unlikely candidate to bring a Gospel message of salvation, reconciliation and hope to a land throwing off the chains of white rule. Undaunted, he forged vital friendships with black heroes such as Ugandan Bishop Festo Kivengere, preaching - and living - a searing message of Kingdom love, grace, justice and non-racialism. Cassidy beat a unique path of Gospel faithfulness by calling Africa uncompromisingly to embrace Christ as Saviour and Lord, while fearlessly challenging oppressors such as the South African National Party to treat all citizens justly. Educated at Cambridge and Fuller Theological Seminary, Cassidy nevertheless operated as a layman, yet graced with the authority to summon the church in Africa to unprecedented gatherings. The Pan African Christian Leadership Assembly in 1976 brought 5,000 Christian leaders from nearly every country to Nairobi to strategize together how to tackle the Great Commission across so vast a space during a time of pain and convulsion. Following the South African Christian Leadership Assembly in Pretoria in 1979, Cassidy helped push the Dutch Reformed Church to declare unequivocally in 1986 that apartheid was a sin. The National Party, now shorn of theological justification, began to dismantle its racist governing apparatus in 1990. Throughout his 55-year ministry, Cassidy saw clearly the glaring need for quality leadership across Africa, and especially as South Africa finally transitioned to democracy. He fostered vital dialogue among top politicians in the run-up to the Beloved Country's 1994 elections. As the country hurtled toward civil war that year, Cassidy brought in a Kenyan Christian politician who engineered a last-minute negotiated settlement that paved the way for the miraculously peaceful inauguration of Nelson Mandela. As Founder of African Enterprise, Cassidy laboriously built up over five decades what has emerged as the first African-led global partnership impacting a continent of vast untapped potential. Empowering Africans to rise up and call their fellow men and women to embrace Christ and live out the power of the Gospel in every facet of their lives is enabling Africa in the 21st century to realize the hopes that beat so strongly in the hearts of forbears who sought the freedom that only Jesus Christ can offer."

Ben Affleck directs and stars in this Academy Award-winning political thriller based on real events that took place during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. In November 1979, the American embassy in Tehran is stormed by militants and 52 Americans are taken hostage. In the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to escape and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing that it is only a matter of time before they are found out and probably killed, CIA 'exfiltration' specialist Tony Mendez (Affleck) implements a life-or-death undercover operation to smuggle them safely out of the country. The film won three Oscars including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay and also received the Golden Globe Awards and BAFTAs for Best Film and Best Director.

It is 1944 and Major Myles Foley parachutes from his damaged aeroplane flying over southern Germany. He is taken prisoner and an interview with the local Gestapo proves to be particularly unpleasant. During his interrogation, he encounters a very beautiful SS woman. Foley is sent to the local prisoner of war camp, but is clearly on a mission. Two parts of his mission are accomplished before he has the opportunity to 'escape.' He escapes by joining the British Free Corps, a fledgling division of the German SS. Two beautiful women feature in Foley's escapades. One is in the SS and working at Gestapo HQ, the other is a barmaid at one of the town's hotels. Which one, if either, will win Foley's heart? A permanent thorn in Foley's side is the local Gestapo chief! As the Allies advance, will Foley accomplish the third and most important part of his mission?

In recent years, Detroit has been touted as undergoing a renaissance, yet many people have been left behind. A People's Atlas of Detroit, edited by Linda Campbell, Andrew Newman, Sara Safransky, and Tim Stallmann comes from a community-based participatory project called Uniting Detroiters that sought to use collective research to strengthen the organizing infrastructure of the city's long-vibrant grassroots sector and reassert residents' roles as active participants in the development process. Drawing on action research and counter-cartography, this book aims to both chart and help build movements for social justice in the city. A People's Atlas of Detroit is organized into six main chapters. Chapter 1 excavates three centuries of Detroit's past to unearth the histories of racial citizenship that have shaped the city. Chapter 2 adopts a ground-level view of Detroit's contemporary landscapes and highlights the meanings that land holds for residents. Chapter 3 highlights urban farming as one of the key ways that Detroiters have been repurposing vacant land over the last several decades. Chapter 4 analyzes struggles over governance and finances between the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit and other majority African American cities. Chapter 5 moves beyond the gentrification debate-a dominant paradigm since the 1980s-which is neither the only nor the most important factor behind displacement. Chapter 6 focuses on residents' plans and mobilizations to reclaim and rethink public services in the city, including water, transit, and schools. As a whole, the book seeks to highlight and explain current visions for radical change-both in Detroit and cities around the world. A People's Atlas of Detroit weaves together maps, poetry, interviews, photographs, essays, and stories by over fifty residents, activists, and community leaders who offer alternative perspectives on the city's past, present, and future. This volume will reinforce conversations being had by scholars of many disciplines and will inspire communities to continue to raise their voices in the name of representation and change.