{"603635":{"#nid":"603635","#data":{"type":"event","title":"John D. Cressler Book Launch at Barnes \u0026 Noble @ Georgia Tech! Join us!","body":[{"value":"\u003Ch1\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFortune\u0026rsquo;s Lament\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/h1\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003Eby John D. Cressler\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nA New Historical Novel Set in Medieval Muslim Spain\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA book launch for Georgia Tech professor John D. Cressler\u0026rsquo;s new historical novel, Fortune\u0026rsquo;s Lament, will be held at Barnes \u0026amp; Noble Bookstore @ Georgia Tech, on Wednesday, April 18th, at 7:00pm. Cressler\u0026rsquo;s fiction revolves around love stories set against the backdrop of pivotal historical events in medieval Muslim Spain, and each has a strong interfaith theme. There will be a presentation, followed by Q\u0026amp;A, and a book signing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMuch of modern Spain were under Muslim control for nearly 800 years (from 711 to 1492 C.E.). Medieval Muslim Spain (al\u2010Andalus\u0026mdash;Andalusia, in English) was deeply influential in world history, for a multitude of reasons, including the rediscovery, translation and dissemination of the lost works of medicine, science, and philosophy of the ancient Greeks. The Muslim Umayyads (with roots tracing back to Syria), were lovers of books and learning, and helped launch a cultural revolution in C\u0026oacute;rdoba which transformed the western world. An exceptional (even by today\u0026rsquo;s standards) 200 year period of peaceful coexistence (la convivencia) between the three Abrahamic faith traditions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) transpired under Muslim Umayyad rule, providing a powerful lesson in the practice of multiculturalism for our 21st century world.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFortune\u0026rsquo;s Lament\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E is the third release in the \u003Cem\u003EAnthems of al\u2010Andalus \u003C\/em\u003ESeries, which break open this largely forgotten and fascinating history for modern readers. All three novels are love stories set at pivotal moments in the history of medieval Muslim Spain. Fortune\u0026rsquo;s Lament is set in Granada\u0026rsquo;s Alhambra Palace 120 years after Emeralds of the Alhambra, and tells the story of Danah, a young Muslim woman who aspires to be the first female physician in the city. Love unexpectedly blossoms between Danah and Yusef, a valiant prince of court from a rival clan, during the bloody final conquest of Granada by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Christian Spain. As the light of al\u2010Andalus dims, the Inquisition looms large on the horizon, as does the coming voyage of Columbus to discover the Americas.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJohn D. Cressler is Schlumberger Chair Professor at Georgia Tech and the author of five non\u2010fiction books (two for general audiences) and the historical novels Emeralds of the Alhambra, Shadows in the Shining City, and Fortune\u0026rsquo;s Lament, love stories set in medieval Muslim Spain. Visit http:\/\/johndcressler.com\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe event is free and open to all. Join the fun!\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A book launch for Georgia Tech professor John D. Cressler\u2019s new historical novel, Fortune\u2019s Lament, will be held at Barnes \u0026 Noble Bookstore @ Georgia Tech, on Wednesday, April 18th, at 7:00pm."}],"uid":"27863","created_gmt":"2018-03-12 15:17:08","changed_gmt":"2018-03-12 15:17:08","author":"Christa Ernst","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2018-04-18T20:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2018-04-18T22:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2018-04-18T22:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2018-04-19 00:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2018-04-19 02:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2018-04-19 02:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"198081","name":"Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC)"},{"id":"197261","name":"Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"177362","name":"John D. Cressler\u2019s"},{"id":"177363","name":"historical fiction"},{"id":"166855","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"id":"177364","name":"Muslim Spain"},{"id":"3626","name":"Book signing"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1792","name":"Arts and Performance"},{"id":"1795","name":"Seminar\/Lecture\/Colloquium"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78761","name":"Faculty\/Staff"},{"id":"78771","name":"Public"},{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"},{"id":"78751","name":"Undergraduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn D. Cressler: cressler@ece.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}