• Men Across Time: Contesting Masculinities in Ghanaian Fiction and Film

    Men Across Time: Contesting Masculinities in Ghanaian Fiction and Film examines the various constructions and manifestations of masculinities from precolonial, colonial, independent and post-independent Ghana as portrayed in selected Ghanaian fiction, film and music videos. Two main questions are engaged here:

    • What predominant masculine images are present in Ghanaian texts?
    • In what ways has the passage of time affected the subversion of dominant masculine images, contested hegemony and created room for the presence of alternative masculinities?

    This book submits that in questioning the various masculine modes of behaviours portrayed in these texts, and negotiating their own masculine identities, the male characters showcase the mutations that are taking place within masculine representations over time and aver that other models of masculine expression are possible.

    This study’s engagement with the theory of hegemonic masculinity represents an important contribution to the discourse in gender studies in Ghana and Africa. In addition, it is well researched and presents a cutting-edge analysis of masculinity across genres. I cannot think of any other study in Ghanaian literary and cultural studies that provides such a broad historical background context and the book is certainly original in its approach.” — Professor Mansah Prah, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast, Ghana

    “The book’s major strength is in adding significantly to an area of study that is currently under theorised. This has the potential to make a robust and important contribution to the field of knowledge on representation of masculinities in African and specifically Ghanaian popular culture.” — Associate Professor Nicky Falkof, Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

  • My Life: A Historical Narrative – Autobiography of Ivan Addae-Mensah (Hardcover)

    This autobiography should be a best seller. It is a lucid, engaging, fascinating account of a very complex man with an eclectic life that the author has managed to masterfully present as a mainstream Ghanaian. It is so enjoyable to read.
    Dr. Ing Kwame Boakye
    Former President, Ghana Institution of Engineers
    Former Vice Chairman, AT&T Paradyne, Florida, USA

    With this autobiography, “My Life – A Historical Narrative”- Professor Emeritus- Ivan Addae-Mensah, the highly reputable and respected scientist and academic, has established his credentials as a writer par excellence and a master storyteller by every definition. . It is a well –written, riveting book, easy to read and absolutely interesting . I highly recommend this inspirational book.
    Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere
    Author, Former Chairman of the Ghana Media Commission,
    Former Ghana High Commissioner to Sierra Leone and Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire

    During our university days we conferred the accolades “Versatile” and “Walking Encyclopaedia” on Emeritus Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah. Reading his book “My Life, a Historical Narrative” has confirmed that we were right. Ivan’s experiences in life, especially in the Ghana Public Service and in the political arena confirm the notion that serving one’s nation with honesty and integrity could be hazardous, but it pays. I highly recommend the book to all and sundry.
    Ambassador Sir James K. Bebaako-Mensah
    Former Secretary to the Cabinet, Former Secretary to President J.E.A Mills and Former Ghana Ambassador to the Holy See (Vatican)

    In this absorbing autobiography, Emeritus Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah takes the reader on a journey through an extraordinary life that provides insights into his own life as well as Ghana’s social and political history from the 1940s till today; Written in an accessible and humorous style, this captivating chronicle is a must-read for anyone seeking to learn about Ghana’s contemporary history.
    Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo,Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana

  • Chasing the Elephant Into the Bush: The Politics of Complacency

    Chasing the Elephant Into the Bush: The Politics of Complacency is an insider’s account of how the governing New Patriotic Party lost power in the closest elections in Africa’s history. The writer believes that providing an accurate account will begin the process of correcting the rumours, lies and myths that are out there about the 2008 elections in Ghana.

    Throughout, the book is liberally sprinkled with quotes and historical references that makes it very informative and interesting. He begins with the state of the nation and the governing party as Ghana approached 2008.

    He then takes the reader through the NPP primary and his own experiences as a losing candidate. There is candid discussion of the rivalries in the campaign that undermined its effectiveness. He takes the reader inside meetings and quotes some of the key players at key moments in the campaign.

    There is candid discussion of the roles of the media, the security forces and civil society. The identification of issues and their use in the campaign is discussed thoroughly. While his sympathies are never in doubt, he is very objective and acknowledges the mistakes made by the campaign, the government and the party. He credits the NDC Campaign for doing certain things well. Amongst these are the deployment of President Mills and former President Rawlings as well as Vice-President John Mahama.

    He reveals the roles of key people, including the President, the Presidential candidate and powerful groups, like the “Kyebi Mafia”. He offers candid assessments of all the key players. He suggests reasons for the NPP defeat and the way to recapture power.

    This will be a very significant first cut and reference point for an account of the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana.

  • The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER • ONE OF TIME’S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2022

    In an inspiring follow-up to her critically acclaimed, #1 bestselling memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world.

    There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life’s big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?

    Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.

    “When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” writes Michelle Obama. A rewarding blend of powerful stories and profound advice that will ignite conversation, The Light We Carry inspires readers to examine their own lives, identify their sources of gladness, and connect meaningfully in a turbulent world.

  • More Than My Scars: The Power of Perseverance, Unrelenting Faith, and Deciding What Defines You

    The first thing you will notice when you meet Kechi Okwuchi is her scars. One of just two survivors of a devastating plane crash that killed more than 100 people, 16-year-old Kechi was left with third-degree burns over 65 percent of her body. More Than My Scars is her incredible story. A story of not just surviving impossible odds but thriving in a world that is too often caught up with how we look on the outside rather than seeing that our true value is within.

    Now in her early 30s, Kechi has spent the last 16 years refusing to be defined by her trauma. Follow her as she decides for herself what role her scars will play in her life before society decides for her. Her strong sense of identity, rooted in seeing herself the way God sees her, has allowed her to live authentically in a world that constantly seeks to define us by its ever-changing (and ever-shallow) standards. Kechi’s story will inspire you to love and accept yourself as you are and confidently present your true self to the world.

  • I Speak of Freedom

    A selection from the speeches of Kwame Nkrumah up to 1960, linked by narrative.

    The main theme is Ghana’s independence, political freedom preparing the way for a socialist programme of economic and social development, and an intensification of the struggle for the total liberation and unification of the African continent.

  • Beyond the Political Spider: Critical Issues in African Humanities (African Humanities Series)

    Beyond the Political Spider: Critical Issues in African Humanities by Kwesi Yankah is the first title in the newly established African Humanities Association (AHA) publication series.

    By integrating his own biography into a critique of the global politics of knowledge production, Yankah, through a collection of essays, interrogates critical issues confronting the Humanities that spawn intellectual hegemonies and muffle African voices. Using the example of Ghana, he brings under scrutiny, amongst others, endemic issues of academic freedom, gender inequities, the unequal global academic order, and linguistic imperialism in language policies in governance.

    In the face of these challenges, the author deftly navigates the complex terrain of indigenous knowledge and language in the context of democratic politics, demonstrating that agency can be liberatory when emphasising indigenous knowledge, especially expressed through the idiom of local languages and symbols, including Ananse, the protean spider, folk hero in Ghana and most parts of the pan-African world.

    “Fascinating snapshots from an engaged scholarly life in Africa, valuable as an archival resource for the understanding of this period of higher education in Africa.” – John Higgins, Arderne Chair in Literature, Department of English Literary Studies, University of Cape Town

    “This book is unique and gives a powerful rendition of the state of the Humanities in Africa (with Ghana as a case in point). It grapples with some of the pertinent issues dogging the Humanities in Africa. It comments on the Humanities scholarship in Africa, and subtly throws a challenge for future scholarship. It draws on African traditions, communal heritage, and governance in discussing the role and place of the Humanities in Africa. It also brings into the analysis the ever-changing imperatives and modernity in re-configuring African Humanities.” – Mark Benge Okot, Head of Department, Literature, Makerere University, Uganda

    “Beyond the Political Spider’ effectively draws, in a unique fashion, from literature, history, linguistics and other cognate disciplines in the African Humanities.” – Sati Umaru Fwatshak, Department of History, University of Jos, Nigeria

  • Booknook Leadership Pack: They Call Me Archie, The Bold New Normal, Broken for Use (3 Exceptional Ghanaian Leaders)0

    Get these 3 books by three amazing Ghanaian leaders and enjoy free shipping across Ghana!

    *This Free shipping offer does not apply to destinations outside Ghana

    They Call Me Archie

    There are some life stories you just cannot beat. Each time the names of such champions drop, one might as well perform a rite of acknowledgment…any. Their lives have graced hundreds of lives, and hundreds of lives continue to be redeemed through them. They have seen it all. Done it all. They love and they are loved. These individuals have given, and still have more in store.  According to the Canon of the Classics, these persons, even the gods envy.

    Rosina Aboagye Acheampong is one such mortal.  From the precocity of her childhood, her dance with life has been one amazing ball of faith … and chance, nay, destiny. These captivating pages reel out the adventures of a pathfinder, a mould breaker and a pacesetter. Yes, her name might be synonymous with Wesley Girls, but be it at the national or community level, to list what she has achieved is to embark on the impossible.

    Beautifully, however, Archie the Matriarch does not seem to see the power of her influence. She only wants to give thanks and praise.

     

    Broken For Use

    Broken for Use is a moving, intimate memoir which takes you on a truly tumultuous journey with Rev’d Akua. By the time she takes you from her early days in school, through the various turns in her life that finally bring her to the priesthood, you feel you have experienced many lifetimes. She tells her story as it is, straight and unadorned.

    Reverend Akua Buabema Ofori-Boateng is an expressive clergy and philanthropist with a strong belief in excellence.

     

    The Bold New Normal

    Have you ever wondered what it will take to transform each African country into a prosperous nation where each citizen has a real opportunity to thrive? Africa’s narrative has been shaped by a vision of the future that remains bleak. A vision that says a little more is okay for the African. It is time to challenge and change our paradigm of what great outcomes look like for an African country.

    It is time for The Bold New Normal of an Africa where citizens of each country genuinely have the opportunity to prosper.

    The formula for sustainable prosperity has been tried and tested world over. Why then do we continue to hope that a different method, that has thus far failed the continent, will create sustainable prosperity?

    The Bold New Normal is a timely publication that coincides with the 400th anniversary of the start of slavery: the year of return. 400 years since the unraveling of African began, it is time to piece her back together and focus forward. It is surely the time for The Bold New Normal!

  • The Law of Mortgages in Ghana

    The Law of Mortgages in Ghana discusses the Law relating to the use of immovable property as security for the repayment of a loan or the performance of some other obligations. It explores the historical contours of mortgages tracing its evolution from ancient Roman times through its development in English Law and how it was received in Ghana as a legacy of colonization as well as statutory interventions in Ghana. It discusses the various ways in which a mortgage may be created under Ghanaian Law as well as the essential characteristics of a mortgage and the incidents captured in the maxim “once a mortgage, always a mortgage”.

    In this regard, it also discusses the nuances and legal ramifications of mortgaging marital property or property belonging to a spouse, particularly married women, as well as the considerations of independent legal advice leading to the conclusion of a mortgage transaction.

    This book also addresses the remedies available to a mortgage in the event of default. The remedies discussed include suing the mortgagor on his personal covenant to perform; sale of the mortgaged property (judicially and statutorily); exercise of the right of possession; and the appointment of a Receiver. These discussions are done in the context of the various relevant statutes such as the Mortgages Act, 1972 (NRCD 96), the Home Mortgage Finance Act, 2008(Act 770) and the Borrowers and Lenders Act, 2008 (Act778). It also discusses the vexed question of priority of mortgages which determines the sequence in which competing claims over a mortgaged property or sale proceeds of a mortgaged property are settled, particularly in the event that the proceeds of sale are not enough to pay all mortgages. Furthermore, it discusses technical concepts relating to priority of mortgages such as tacking, consolidation, marshaling, exoneration and contribution.

    The book also treats the subject of transfer of mortgages by both the transferor and transferee; redemption of mortgages; and pledges. The last chapter of the book is the practitioner’s chapter which focuses on the intricacies of a mortgage action.

  • Leadership: Theory, Practice and CasesHot

    Leadership: Theory, Practice and Cases

    Leadership is the most important ingredient of success in Human Endeavour.

    The changes we see and experience in societies and organisations around the world lead to new and different paradigms that necessitate different and appropriate responses. These lead directly into the realm of how we come to think about leadership. In short, we cannot see leadership competence and its practice in the same way as societies and organisations evolve. Those who take leadership positions and duties must be willing to explore and create new ways of thinking and interacting with those they lead and continue to lead.

    To this end, this book is written for leaders and aspiring leaders who want to learn or enhance their leadership competence and confidence. Whether you are in government or in a non-profit or private sector business, the leadership framework and knowledge covered here constitute a theoretical and practical enough help for you to create societal and organisational growth and change.

    “Wisdom on leadership from a distinguished practitioner, with advice for leaders and students alike. ” — Emeritus Professor Tudor Richards, Formerly Professor of Creativity and Organisational Change, Alliance Manchester Business School

    Price range: ₵350.00 through ₵450.00

    Leadership: Theory, Practice and Cases

    Price range: ₵350.00 through ₵450.00
  • Baffour Osei Akoto: A Royal Patriot and the Making of Ghana (Hardcover)

    Foreword by President John Agyekum Kufuor

    This book is primarily composed of speeches presented at the 16th edition of the annual Re-Akoto Memorial Lectures held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. The Re Akoto Memorial Lectures, instituted by His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, life patron of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Law, seeks, amongst other things, to promote research, study and educate the citizenry on the development of Ghana’s constitutional democracy and human rights. Over the years, it has been presented by a good number of eminent Ghanaians and through which they have illuminated various spheres of life, especially issues regarding law and fundamental human rights, which are the key components that form the genesis of the famous Re-Akoto Case.

    The presenters included Kwame Pianim, one of Ghana’s eminent economists; Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, then-acting Director of the Ghana School of Law; Chief Justice Kwasi Anim Yeboah and Attorney-General Godfred Dame. Prof Mike Aaron Oquaye, a veritable political scientist and accomplished politician, knitted the strains together to discuss how Baffour’s strides and successes reaffirmed the liberal democratic political philosophy of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He indicated that human beings have a dignity that must be protected and that dictatorial tendencies must not be accepted. Finally, provided a historical trajectory of Ghana’s stint with an authoritarian regime focusing on the country’s post-independence one-party political system.

    “Baffour excelled in this career as an Asante diplomat, a valuable repository of Asante and Ghanaian social, cultural and political history, and a defender of the power of traditional leadership in the face of the onslaught of modern post-colonial politics in Ghana.” – His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene

  • The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    “In her book, Melinda tells the stories of the inspiring people she’s met through her work all over the world, digs into the data, and powerfully illustrates issues that need our attention―from child marriage to gender inequity in the workplace.” ― President Barack Obama

    “The Moment of Lift is an urgent call to courage. It changed how I think about myself, my family, my work, and what’s possible in the world. Melinda weaves together vulnerable, brave storytelling and compelling data to make this one of those rare books that you carry in your heart and mind long after the last page.”

    ― Brené Brown, Ph.D., author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Dare to Lead

    “Melinda Gates has spent many years working with women around the world. This book is an urgent manifesto for an equal society where women are valued and recognized in all spheres of life. Most of all, it is a call for unity, inclusion and connection. We need this message more than ever.” ― Malala Yousafzai

    “Melinda Gates’s book is a lesson in listening. A powerful, poignant, and ultimately humble call to arms.” ― Tara Westover, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Educated

    A debut from Forbes’ third most powerful woman in the world, Melinda Gates; a timely and necessary call to action for women’s empowerment.

    “How can we summon a moment of lift for human beings – and especially for women? Because when you lift up women, you lift up humanity.”

    For the last twenty years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down.

    In this moving and compelling book, Melinda shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her work and travels around the world. As she writes in the introduction, “That is why I had to write this book―to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life. I want all of us to see ways we can lift women up where we live.”

    Melinda’s unforgettable narrative is backed by startling data as she presents the issues that most need our attention―from child marriage to lack of access to contraceptives to gender inequity in the workplace. And, for the first time, she writes about her personal life and the road to equality in her own marriage. Throughout, she shows how there has never been more opportunity to change the world―and ourselves.

    Writing with emotion, candor, and grace, she introduces us to remarkable women and shows the power of connecting with one another.

    When we lift others up, they lift us up, too.

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