Chronicles of a Nigerian Woman in America

Download Chronicles of a Nigerian Woman in America PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
ISBN 13 : 9781493146208
Total Pages : 98 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (462 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Chronicles of a Nigerian Woman in America by : Patriot Daisy

Download or read book Chronicles of a Nigerian Woman in America written by Patriot Daisy and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2014-01 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In our struggle through this fleeting life, what do we consider as our reason for being and doing? This book tries to answer that question. The chronicles of a Nigerian Woman in America presents the daily struggles, triumphs and summation of a human story while in search of the American dream. In the end, she discovers that the human essence is the same, and a glorious one. Discover and be thrilled, do not be left in the dark so that the entire world can come together and sing with one voice, and in unison, in a world where there is no second or third, but one world. If we as grown people never gave a thought to the essence of our lives, we have not intentionally lived. My message to you is, please; let us really now live, like never before, and let us really now love, like there is no tomorrow for surely, pay day is neigh! Shalome.

CHRONICLES OF A NIGERIAN WOMAN IN AMERICA

Download CHRONICLES OF A NIGERIAN WOMAN IN AMERICA PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
ISBN 13 : 1493146211
Total Pages : 99 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (931 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis CHRONICLES OF A NIGERIAN WOMAN IN AMERICA by : Patriot Daisy

Download or read book CHRONICLES OF A NIGERIAN WOMAN IN AMERICA written by Patriot Daisy and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2014-01-14 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In our struggle through this fleeting life, what do we consider as our reason for being and doing? This book tries to answer that question. The chronicles of a Nigerian Woman in America presents the daily struggles, triumphs and summation of a human story while in search of the American dream. In the end, she discovers that the human essence is the same, and a glorious one. Discover and be thrilled, do not be left in the darkso that the entire world can come together and sing with one voice, and in unison, in a world where there is no second or third, but one world. If we as grown people never gave a thought to the essence of our lives, we have not intentionally lived. My message to you is, please; let us really now live, like never before, and let us really now love, like there is no tomorrowfor surely, pay day is neigh! Shalome.

Shifting Allegiances

Download Shifting Allegiances PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781500133795
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (337 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Shifting Allegiances by : Amaka Lily

Download or read book Shifting Allegiances written by Amaka Lily and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Critically acclaimed story of a Nigerian girl's journey to America. If you had told Deka in 2005, as she sat on a plane bound for America, that she would one day wish to be in Nigeria, she would have spat in your face. Nigeria had been hell for her. She lived in a one room boys-quarter with 7 family members. She could not go to college or get a job. Poverty and Corruption were rampant. Nigerians who had the means had since fled the country. She would have left sooner, but had lacked the funds to do. She was never coming back. She was sure of it. America was going to be great. She was sure of it. But seven years later, Deka was doing just that, trying to return to Nigeria. America had turned out to be a nightmare, and she wanted to return home. It hadn't started out that way. When Deka first arrived, America had proven to be everything she had expected. But as America continued to unfold, she saw a side that no one had told her about. A side that she could not live with. On her first visit back, Deka realizes that not only has Nigeria moved on without her, but that she has changed. Irrevocably. She can no longer live in Nigeria the way she had previously done. Since she does not want to live in America, she arrives at a cross road. Does she continue with her plans to return to Nigeria or does she learn to work with America?

Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth

Download Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1526638223
Total Pages : 465 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (266 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth by : Wole Soyinka

Download or read book Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth written by Wole Soyinka and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Soyinka's greatest novel ... No one else can write such a book' - Ben Okri 'A high-jinks state-of-the-nation novel' - Chibundu Onuzo A FINANCIAL TIMES AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR A towering figure in world literature, Wole Soyinka aims directly at the corridors of power as he warns against corruption both of high office and of the soul, with a dazzling lightness of touch and gleeful irreverence. Much to Doctor Menka's horror, some cunning entrepreneur has decided to sell body parts from his hospital for use in ritualistic practices. Already at the end of his tether from the horrors he routinely sees in surgery, he shares this latest development with his oldest college friend, bon viveur, star engineer and Yoruba royal, Duyole Pitan-Payne, who has never before met a puzzle he couldn't solve. Neither realise how close the enemy is, nor how powerful. Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is at once a savagely witty whodunit, a scathing indictment of Nigeria's political elite, and a provocative call to arms from one of the country's most relentless political activists and an international literary giant. MORE PRAISE FOR WOLE SOYINKA: 'You don't see the things the same when you encounter a voice like that' - Toni Morrison 'One of the best there is today, a poet and a thinker, who knows both how the world works and how the world should work' - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

For Women and the Nation

Download For Women and the Nation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Illinois Press
ISBN 13 : 9780252066139
Total Pages : 246 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (661 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis For Women and the Nation by : Cheryl Johnson-Odim

Download or read book For Women and the Nation written by Cheryl Johnson-Odim and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a Nigerian feminist who fought for suffrage and equal rights for her countrywomen long before the second wave of the women's movement in the United States. She also joined the struggle for Nigerian independence as an activist in the anticolonial movement.For Women and the Nation is the story of this courageous woman, one of a handful of full-length biographies of African women activists. It will be welcomed by students of women's studies, African history, and biography, as well as by opponents of the Nigerian military regime that has held one of her sons, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, in solitary confinement since August 1995.CHERYL JOHNSON-ODIM, chair and associate professor of history at Loyola University in Chicago, is coeditor of Expanding the Boundaries of Women's History. NINA EMMA MBA, senior lecturer in history at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, is the author of Nigerian Women Mobilized and Ayo Rosijc.

What Will My Mother Say

Download What Will My Mother Say PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor Trade Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 456 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis What Will My Mother Say by : Dympna Ugwu-Oju

Download or read book What Will My Mother Say written by Dympna Ugwu-Oju and published by Taylor Trade Publishing. This book was released on 1995 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a Nigerian Ibo woman living in the United States & raising daughters, the author frequently finds herself in conflict between her native culture & her adoptive culture. Her attempts to resolve this conflict are the basis of a fascinating autobiography.

Akata Witch

Download Akata Witch PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0142420913
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (424 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Akata Witch by : Nnedi Okorafor

Download or read book Akata Witch written by Nnedi Okorafor and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-07-11 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Nnedi Okorafor writes glorious futures and fabulous fantasies. Her characters take your heart and squeeze it; her worlds open your mind to new things." -- Neil Gaiman, author of The Graveyard Book and American Gods Affectionately dubbed "the Nigerian Harry Potter," Akata Witch weaves together a heart-pounding tale of magic, mystery, and finding one's place in the world. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone! Sunny Nwazue lives in Nigeria, but she was born in New York City. Her features are West African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discovers something amazing—she is a "free agent" with latent magical power. And she has a lot of catching up to do. Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But as she’s finding her footing, Sunny and her friends are asked by the magical authorities to help track down a career criminal who knows magic, too. Will their training be enough to help them combat a threat whose powers greatly outnumber theirs? World Fantasy Award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor blends magic and adventure to create a lush world. Her writing has been called “stunning” by The New York Times and her fans include Neil Gaiman, Rick Riordan, John Green, Ursula K. Le Guin, and many more! Raves for Nnedi Okorafor's writing: "There’s more imagination on a page of Nnedi Okorafor’s work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics." —Ursula K. Le Guin, award-winning author of A Wizard of Earthsea “The most imaginative, gripping, enchanting fantasy novels I have ever read!” —Laurie Halse Anderson, National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Speak "I always loved science fiction, but I didn’t feel I was part of it—until I read first Octavia Butler, and now Nnedi Okorafor." —Whoopi Goldberg "Highly original stuff, episode after amazing episode, full of color, life, and death. Nnedi Okorafor's work is wonderful!" —Diana Wynne Jones, award-winning author of The Chronicles of Chrestomanci "Jam-packed with mythological wonders." —Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series "Okorafor's imagination is stunning." —The New York Times Book Review

West African Women in the Diaspora

Download West African Women in the Diaspora PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000474488
Total Pages : 112 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (4 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis West African Women in the Diaspora by : Rose A. Sackeyfio

Download or read book West African Women in the Diaspora written by Rose A. Sackeyfio and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-09-08 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines fictional works by women authors who have left their homes in West Africa and now live as members of the diaspora. In recent years a compelling array of critically acclaimed fiction by women in the West African diaspora has shifted the direction of the African novel away from post-colonial themes of nationhood, decolonization and cultural authenticity, and towards explorations of the fluid and shifting constructions of identity in transnational spaces. Drawing on works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Buchi Emecheta, Ama Ata Aidoo, Sefi Atta, Chika Unigwe and Taiye Selasie, this book interrogates the ways in which African diaspora women’s fiction portrays the realities of otherness, hybridity and marginalized existence of female subjects beyond Africa’s borders. Overall, the book demonstrates that life in the diaspora is an uncharted journey of expanded opportunities along with paradoxical realities of otherness. Providing a vivid and composite portrait of African women’s experiences in the diasporic landscape, this book will be of interest to researchers of migration and diaspora topics, and African, women’s and world literature.

Someday, Maybe

Download Someday, Maybe PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harlequin
ISBN 13 : 0369719204
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (697 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Someday, Maybe by : Onyi Nwabineli

Download or read book Someday, Maybe written by Onyi Nwabineli and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2022-11-01 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK • A LIBRARYREADS PICK “If you are someone who gravitates toward emotional gut punch reads, allow me to introduce you to this spectacular debut…”—BuzzFeed Here are three things you should know about my husband: He was the great love of my life despite his penchant for going incommunicado. He was, as far as I and everyone else could tell, perfectly happy. Which is significant because… On New Year’s Eve, he died. And here is one thing you should know about me: I found him. Bonus fact: No. I am not okay. Someday, Maybe is a stunning, witty debut novel about a young woman’s emotional journey through unimaginable loss, pulled along by her tight-knit Nigerian family, a posse of friends, and the love and laughter she shared with her husband. “Incisive and witty. I couldn’t put it down.”—Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström, internationally bestselling author of In Every Mirror She's Black “A masterfully woven exposition on love and loss. Nwabineli is magic with words.”—Bolu Babalola, internationally bestselling author of Honey and Spice Don't miss Onyi Nwabineli's next stunning page-turner, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF, where a former kidfluencer must overcome her toxic family, reclaim her identity and, ultimately, find the freedom to be herself...

The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature

Download The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0198031750
Total Pages : 514 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (98 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature by : William L. Andrews

Download or read book The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature written by William L. Andrews and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2001-02-15 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A breathtaking achievement, this Concise Companion is a suitable crown to the astonishing production in African American literature and criticism that has swept over American literary studies in the last two decades. It offers an enormous range of writers-from Sojourner Truth to Frederick Douglass, from Zora Neale Hurston to Ralph Ellison, and from Toni Morrison to August Wilson. It contains entries on major works (including synopses of novels), such as Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Richard Wright's Native Son, and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. It also incorporates information on literary characters such as Bigger Thomas, Coffin Ed Johnson, Kunta Kinte, Sula Peace, as well as on character types such as Aunt Jemima, Brer Rabbit, John Henry, Stackolee, and the trickster. Icons of black culture are addressed, including vivid details about the lives of Muhammad Ali, John Coltrane, Marcus Garvey, Jackie Robinson, John Brown, and Harriet Tubman. Here, too, are general articles on poetry, fiction, and drama; on autobiography, slave narratives, Sunday School literature, and oratory; as well as on a wide spectrum of related topics. Compact yet thorough, this handy volume gathers works from a vast array of sources--from the black periodical press to women's clubs--making it one of the most substantial guides available on the growing, exciting world of African American literature.

Chronicles of Barrington, Illinois

Download Chronicles of Barrington, Illinois PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
ISBN 13 : 162585661X
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (258 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Chronicles of Barrington, Illinois by : Diane P. Kostick

Download or read book Chronicles of Barrington, Illinois written by Diane P. Kostick and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-30 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nestled in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago, Barrington offers a treasure-trove of fascinating history and area lore. Meet the passionate guardians of this bucolic landscape who embody the pioneering midwestern spirit. While the community maintains a proud tradition of civic improvement and conservation, its citizens ably represent Barrington in the national arena. The town's record of military service and veteran care dates back to the Civil War. Floyd Bateman helped organize the 1933 World's Fair, while Christine O'Malley won acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival for her crossword documentary. Three members of the 1985 Bears championship squad called the enclave home. Author Diane Kostick paints a portrait of those whose vision, resourcefulness and dedication contributed to the strength and character of this proud community.

African Women Narrating Identity

Download African Women Narrating Identity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000917134
Total Pages : 167 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis African Women Narrating Identity by : Rose A. Sackeyfio

Download or read book African Women Narrating Identity written by Rose A. Sackeyfio and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-08-08 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the complexities of women’s lives in Africa and the transnational spaces of Europe and North America through the literary works of key African women writers. Using a postcolonial analytical framework, the book highlights the commonalities of African women’s identities and experiences across national, ethnic, linguistic, and religious boundaries in Africa and in western settings. It collates the multi-regional narratives of key African women writers who convey how women’s lives are shaped by social, economic, and political factors at home and abroad. It also illustrates the intersection of ethnicity, class, and gender that flows through all the texts examined. Unlike existing works that explore African women’s fiction, this book uncovers the transformation from postcolonial themes of nationhood to global modalities of post-independence writing through the lens of gender. The book engages with feminist expression through broad themes including religion, war and ethnic conflict, women’s status in society, tradition and modernity and local and global tensions. A unique approach to literary criticism of Anglophone African women’s writing, this book will be of interest to scholars and students in the field of African Literature, African Studies, Women’s Literature, Postcolonial Literature, Cultural and Ethnic Studies and Migration and Diaspora Studies.

Sojourners

Download Sojourners PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 0822237873
Total Pages : 90 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (222 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sojourners by : Mfoniso Udofia

Download or read book Sojourners written by Mfoniso Udofia and published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc.. This book was released on 2018-02-07 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SOJOURNERS is Part One of the Ufot Cycle, Udofia’s sweeping, nine-part saga which chronicles the triumphs and losses of Abasiama Ufot, a Nigerian immigrant, and her family. Abasiama came to America with high hopes for her arranged marriage and her future, intent on earning a degree and returning to Nigeria. But when her husband is seduced by America, she must choose between the Nigerian or American Dream.

Escape from Nigeria

Download Escape from Nigeria PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781569024881
Total Pages : 170 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (248 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Escape from Nigeria by : Angelina Ihejirika

Download or read book Escape from Nigeria written by Angelina Ihejirika and published by . This book was released on 2016-06-01 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A riveting and heartwarming memoir, Escape from Nigeria: A Memoir of Faith, Love and War summons Angelina Ihejirika's childhood in Nigeria, her early quest for an education, marriage, teaching career, uncommon courage and determination in the midst of a vicious civil war, and her eventual and miraculous escape to the United States. It is a love story, full of wisdom, pain and unwavering optimism, a testament to the resilience and ultimate triumph of the human spirit"--Provided by publisher.

African American Authors, 1745-1945

Download African American Authors, 1745-1945 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 0313007403
Total Pages : 544 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (13 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis African American Authors, 1745-1945 by : Emmanuel S. Nelson

Download or read book African American Authors, 1745-1945 written by Emmanuel S. Nelson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2000-01-30 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There has been a dramatic resurgence of interest in early African American writing. Since the accidental rediscovery and republication of Harriet Wilson's Our Nig in 1983, the works of dozens of 19th and early 20th century black writers have been recovered and reprinted. There is now a significant revival of interest in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s; and in the last decade alone, several major assessments of 18th and 19th century African American literature have been published. Early African American literature builds on a strong oral tradition of songs, folktales, and sermons. Slave narratives began to appear during the late 18th and early 19th century, and later writers began to engage a variety of themes in diverse genres. A central objective of this reference book is to provide a wide-ranging introduction to the first 200 years of African American literature. Included are alphabetically arranged entries for 78 black writers active between 1745 and 1945. Among these writers are essayists, novelists, short story writers, poets, playwrights, and autobiographers. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a biography, a discussion of major works and themes, an overview of the author's critical reception, and primary and secondary bibliographies. The volume concludes with a selected, general bibliography.

American Culture and the Nigerian Society

Download American Culture and the Nigerian Society PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : AuthorHouse
ISBN 13 : 1463460910
Total Pages : 220 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (634 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis American Culture and the Nigerian Society by : Innocent Emechete

Download or read book American Culture and the Nigerian Society written by Innocent Emechete and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2007-01-09 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American Culture and the Nigerian Society by Innocent Emechete Visit the Order Page Description About the book: An experiential observation of behavioral problems in some American and Nigerian children by the author sparks off this inquiry. Thus "American Culture and the Nigerian Society", an investigation into whether America has influenced other countries like Nigeria and to what extent, is born. It starts by looking at the word culture which makes a people unique and the cultural ramifications within and outside America. The author researches into whether or not these American influences are for better or for worse in the recipient countries. Incidentally Nigeria and the United States have something in common: both were once British Colonies; Nigeria for two months shy of forty seven years (Jan.1, 1914 to Oct. 1, 1960) and America for one hundred and twenty four years (1651-1775). The author finds out that technological advancements have made it possible for American culture to take root in other countries like Nigeria. There are cultural exchanges in goods and services; the good, the bad, and the ugly are also exchanged: crime and drug culture, and sexual revolutions of the sixties are no exceptions. In Churches there are religious cultural exchanges too. Through televangelism American religious views spread through many countries like Nigeria. The sense of the sacred disappears within a few decades. The author discovers too that the Church loses its moral fiber and its moral high ground by the day and replaces them with money, the 'almighty' dollar. The congregation in the pews is desensitized by losing a big chunk of the sense of humanity and feeling. Killing innocent lives becomes a common place activity that does no longer raise eyebrows. Moral decadence sets in because there is nothing sacred and no more sanctity of life in the very young and the very old. The lawmakers, being part of the congregation in the pews across America, almost resoundingly say 'amen' to the foregoing. After all they make the laws, which the Presidents sign. The third branch of Government, the courts, register their consent through activist Judges. Then things completely fall apart. Who are the victims in all this? Our children! Since children do not stay passive, they become negatively active. We see it school shootings, students cutting school or classes, drug activities, bank robberies, and other deviant behaviors that land about two million of our children in prison. The author has some suggestions that can rescue our children from this downward trend if 'all hands are on deck'. As in America so it is in satellite countries associated with America. The author focuses on Nigeria in particular and makes some recommendations to help Nigerian children to fight with the giant and not be crushed unto death. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lever of Riches

Download The Lever of Riches PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 019987946X
Total Pages : 513 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Lever of Riches by : Joel Mokyr

Download or read book The Lever of Riches written by Joel Mokyr and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1992-04-09 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a world of supercomputers, genetic engineering, and fiber optics, technological creativity is ever more the key to economic success. But why are some nations more creative than others, and why do some highly innovative societies--such as ancient China, or Britain in the industrial revolution--pass into stagnation? Beginning with a fascinating, concise history of technological progress, Mokyr sets the background for his analysis by tracing the major inventions and innovations that have transformed society since ancient Greece and Rome. What emerges from this survey is often surprising: the classical world, for instance, was largely barren of new technology, the relatively backward society of medieval Europe bristled with inventions, and the period between the Reformation and the Industrial Revolution was one of slow and unspectacular progress in technology, despite the tumultuous developments associated with the Voyages of Discovery and the Scientific Revolution. What were the causes of technological creativity? Mokyr distinguishes between the relationship of inventors and their physical environment--which determined their willingness to challenge nature--and the social environment, which determined the openness to new ideas. He discusses a long list of such factors, showing how they interact to help or hinder a nation's creativity, and then illustrates them by a number of detailed comparative studies, examining the differences between Europe and China, between classical antiquity and medieval Europe, and between Britain and the rest of Europe during the industrial revolution. He examines such aspects as the role of the state (the Chinese gave up a millennium-wide lead in shipping to the Europeans, for example, when an Emperor banned large ocean-going vessels), the impact of science, as well as religion, politics, and even nutrition. He questions the importance of such commonly-cited factors as the spill-over benefits of war, the abundance of natural resources, life expectancy, and labor costs. Today, an ever greater number of industrial economies are competing in the global market, locked in a struggle that revolves around technological ingenuity. The Lever of Riches, with its keen analysis derived from a sweeping survey of creativity throughout history, offers telling insights into the question of how Western economies can maintain, and developing nations can unlock, their creative potential.