Book picks similar to
Social Security: The Unfinished Work by Charles Blahous


retirement-social-security
social-work
career-skills
disability

New World Disorder: Mech Command Book 1


George S. Mahaffey Jr. - 2018
     Seal Team 6 … Delta Force … Paw Patrol. They’re all gone now, vaporized during an alien invasion that has only recently ended. What’s left behind is a small group of survivors led by a former scavenger named Danny Deus, who’ve been selected to compete for a spot as operators in the Mech Command, a global mechanized fighting force dedicated to defending the Earth, kicking the crap out of wannabe alien invaders, and looping back through time every now and again. What most would consider a lifetime’s worth of work—battling extraterrestrial bad guys and saving the universe—Danny and the operators call a busy Tuesday. If you enjoy over-the-top sci-fi action, cool mechs, and smartass characters, saddle up with the Mech Command and enjoy a series that’s been described as READY PLAYER ONE meets PACIFIC RIM.

I'm Walking as Straight as I Can: Transcending Disability in Hollywood and Beyond


Geri Jewell - 2011
    This candid memoir details her experiences from her traumatic birth in Buffalo, New York, to her rise to stardom as a stand-up comic to becoming a television star. She documents the harsh realities of show business by recounting the relentless discrimination and abuse she suffered at the hands of people she trusted. Her experiences in the shark-infested waters of Hollywood led her on a journey from the Comedy Store to the White House, followed by a downward spiral, tax problems, drug addiction, marriage, and an accident that nearly claimed her life.When Deadwood creator David Milch recognized Jewell at a pharmacy, he offered her a role in his new HBO series on the spot, and she began to find hope and happiness once again. I'm Walking As Straight As I Can is an inspiring story, told with grace and self-deprecating humor, one that gives readers a rare glimpse of true courage and perseverance.

Twilight of American Sanity: A Psychiatrist Analyzes the Age of Trump


Allen Frances - 2016
    Trump as darkly symptomatic of a deeper societal distress. Equally challenging and profound, Twlilight of American Sanity makes sense of our time and charts the way forward.It is comforting to see President Donald Trump as a crazy man, a one-off, an exception—not a reflection on us or our democracy. But in ways I never anticipated, his rise was absolutely predictable and a mirror on our soul. … What does it say about us, that we elected someone so manifestly unfit and unprepared to determine mankind’s future? Trump is a symptom of a world in distress, not its sole cause. Blaming him for all our troubles misses the deeper, underlying societal sickness that made possible his unlikely ascent. Calling Trump crazy allows us to avoid confronting the craziness in our society—if we want to get sane, we must first gain insight about ourselves. Simply put: Trump isn’t crazy, but our society is. – from TWILIGHT OF AMERICAN SANITYMore than three years in the making: the world's leading expert on psychiatric diagnosis, past leader of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM (“the bible of psychology”), and author of the influential international bestseller on the medicalization of ordinary life, Saving Normal, draws upon his vast experience to deliver a powerful critique of modern American society’s collective slide away from sanity and offers an urgently needed prescription for reclaiming our bearings. Widely cited in recent months as the man who quite literally wrote the diagnostic criteria for narcissism, Allen Frances, M.D., has been at the center of the debate surrounding President Trump’s mental state—quoted in Evan Osnos’s May 2017 New Yorker article (“How Trump Could Get Fired”) and publishing a much-shared opinion letter in the New York Times (“An Eminent Psychiatrist Demurs on Trump’s Mental State”). Frances argues that Trump is "bad, not mad"--and that the real question to wrestle with is how we as a country could have chosen him as our leader. Twilight of American Sanity is an essential work for understanding our national crisis.

The Evil Hours: A Biography of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder


David J. Morris - 2015
    Morris — a war correspondent, former Marine, and PTSD sufferer himself — has written the essential account of this illness. Through interviews with individuals living with PTSD, forays into the scientific, literary, and cultural history of the illness, and memoir, Morris has written a book that will speak not only to those with the condition and to their loved ones, but also to all of us struggling to make sense of an anxious and uncertain time.

Insane Consequences: How the Mental Health Industry Fails the Mentally Ill


D.J. Jaffe - 2017
    DJ Jaffe blames the mental health industry and the government for shunning the 10 million adults who are the most seriously mentally ill--mainly those who suffer from schizophrenia and severe bipolar disorder--and, instead, working to improve -mental wellness- in 43 million others, many of whom are barely symptomatic. Using industry and government documents, scientific journals, and anecdotes from his thirty years of advocacy, Jaffe documents the insane consequences of these industry-driven policies: psychiatric hospitals for the seriously ill are still being closed; involuntary commitment criteria are being narrowed to the point where laws now require violence rather than prevent it; the public is endangered; and the mentally ill and their families are forced to suffer. Insane Consequences proposes smart, compassionate, affordable, and sweeping reforms designed to send the most seriously ill to the head of the line for services rather than to jails, shelters, prisons, and morgues. It lays out a road map to spend less on mental -health- and more on mental -illness---replace mission creep with mission control and return the mental health system to a focus on the most seriously ill. It is not money that is lacking; it's leadership. This book is a must-read for anyone who works in the mental health industry or cares about the mentally ill, violence, homelessness, incarceration, or public policy.

Britain's Most Notorious Prisoners: Victorian to Present-Day Cases


Stephen Wade - 2011
    It is a place where time stops and lives are held in suspension, taken out of circulation. Amongst the jail population are the dangerous inmates: killers and rapists, gang 'hit-men' and serial offenders. They are the most notorious, their reputations sometimes enhanced by glamour, horrendous tales of their misdeeds and by their very incarceration.

Shade King: An Urban Fantasy Military Adventure (The Awakened World Book 2


William Stacey - 2020
    Seven days ago, I was struggling to survive without my magic. Now I’m on the run with a family of werewolf super-soldiers. Not gonna lie. I’m in trouble—a lot of trouble: a cult of dragon-worshipping fanatics wants to cut my heart out, vampire assassins hunt me, and even my own countrymen want to hang me for treason.Oh, and a dark empire plots to conquer the entire West Coast. It may be led by a pair of dragons, honest-to-god dragons.Did I mention I’m possessed by an ancient entity of unimaginable power?Last week was hell on Earth, literally. I think this week is gonna be worse.At least my magic’s back—wow, is it ever back!Warning: Contains scenes of sexual situations, realistic violence, and soldiers talking like soldiers.If you like Myke Cole, Michael Anderle, K.F. Breene, and Shayne Silvers, you’ll love this exciting new series.

The Dubrow Diet: Interval Eating to Lose Weight and Feel Ageless


Terry Dubrow - 2018
    

Tales from Another Mother Runner: Triumphs, Trials, Tips, and Tricks from the Road


Dimity McDowell - 2015
    A story about how she realized, fifteen years after being told that she’s best being a bookworm, that there is an athlete inside her. Or the one about how she, fifty pounds overweight and depressed, finally found the courage---and time---to lace up her running shoes. Or maybe it’s about setting a seemingly impossible goal---going under two hours in the half-marathon---and then methodically running that goal down and tearing up across the finish line. Or it might be an account of friendship: she was new to town, was having a hard time making friends, was asked to join a group run, and now she's got four BRFs (best running friends) who are her allies, her cheerleaders, her reality checks. Maybe it's just a simple story of the beauty of starting the day off with an endorphin rush. Or, sadly, it could be about how, through the guidance of a thoughtful running friend, she found the space and rhythm to process being raped---and regained her strength and sense of self through every footstep.In Mother Runners, elite runners Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea share not only their own stories of personal triumph on the pavement but also the inspiring stories of many members of the vibrant mother runner community they've built on their popular site, Run Like a Mother. While the common theme is running, the variations that happen through the miles are as endless as the miles themselves: losing weight, gaining confidence, finding yourself, connecting with friends, expecting more, setting goals, dealing with disappointment, figuring out how to train efficiently, clearing your head, reconnecting with your memories, building a better you. Whether you've run more marathons than you can remember, or you're just getting started, you'll find the inspiration you need to get out there, keep pushing, and run like a mother.

The Orphan Daughter


Sheila Riley - 2019
     Evie Kilgaren is a fighter. Abandoned by her mother and with her father long gone, she is left to raise her siblings in dockside Liverpool, as they battle against the coldest winter on record. But she is determined to make a life for herself and create a happy home for what's left of her family.Desperate for work, Evie takes a job at the Tram Tavern under the kindly watch of pub landlady, and pillar of the community, Connie Sharp. But Connie has problems of her own when her quiet life of spinsterhood is upturned with the arrival of a mysterious undercover detective from out of town. When melting ice reveals a body in the canal, things take a turn for the worst for the residents of Reckoner's Row. Who could be responsible for such a brutal attack? And can Evie keep her family safe before they strike again? A gritty, historical family drama full of laughter and tears from the author of Annie Groves' bestsellers including Child of the Mersey and Christmas on the Mersey. Perfect for fans of Lyn Andrews, Katie Flynn and Nadine Dorries.

Patience


Victoria Scott - 2021
    I could barely put the book down until its equally heart-wrenching and heart-warming ending. A wonderful, smart and funny book - I know readers will absolutely love it' Louise Fein, bestselling author of People Like UsThe Willows have been through a lot. Louise has devoted her life to caring for her disabled youngest daughter. Pete works abroad, almost never seeing his loved ones. And their eldest, Eliza, is burdened by all the secrets she's trying to keep from her overloaded family.Meanwhile, Patience observes the world while trapped in her own body. She laughs, she cries, she has opinions and knows what she wants. But those who love her most - and make every decision about her life - will never know.Or will they? When the Willows are offered the opportunity for Patience to take part in a new gene therapy trial to cure her Rett syndrome, they face an impossible dilemma. Are the very real risks worth the chance of the reward, no matter how small?'An extraordinary novel about love and hope and family and what happens in the space between the words. I adored it' Kirsten Hesketh, author of Another Us

Sister Surrogate


LaChelle Weaver - 2016
    Yet these sisters always manage to come together in times of need.When Savannah, the youngest sister, is faced with a life-altering illness, which threatens her lifelong desire to have children, one of her sisters offers to give her the ultimate gift- to become her surrogate.While Savannah is overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude about her impending motherhood, not everyone in the family shares her sentiments. In fact, the upcoming bundle of joy has created a discord that this family may never be able to overcome.

The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Health Care


Zena Sharman - 2016
    This anthology is a diverse collection of real-life stories from queer and trans people on their own health-care experiences and challenges, from gay men living with HIV who remember the systemic resistance to their health-care needs, to a lesbian couple dealing with the experience of cancer, to young trans people who struggle to find health-care providers who treat them with dignity and respect. The book also includes essays by health-care providers, activists and leaders with something to say about the challenges, politics, and opportunities surrounding LGBTQ health issues.Both exceptionally moving and an incendiary call-to-arms, The Remedy is a must-read for anyone--gay, straight, trans, and otherwise--passionately concerned about the right to proper health care for all.Contributors include Amber Dawn, Sinclair Sexsmith, Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco, Cooper Lee Bombardier, Kara Sievewright, and Kelli Dunham.Zena Sharman is a passionate advocate for queer and trans health. She has over a decade's experience in health research; currently she is Director of Strategy at the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Zena is also co-editor of Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Social Work with Groups


Thelma Lee-Mendoza - 1999
    

Safe House: How Emotional Safety Is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well


Joshua Straub - 2015
     And Dr. Joshua Straub has good news for you: You can do it!   You don’t need to do all the “right” things as a parent. Both science and the Bible show us that the most important thing we can provide for our kids is a place of emotional safety. In other words, the posture from which we parent matters infinitely more than the techniques of parenting.   Emotional safety—more than any other factor—is scientifically linked to raising kids who live, love, and lead well. Learn how to use emotional safety as a foundation from which you parent—and make a cultural impact that could change the world!   In Safe House, Dr. Straub draws from his extensive research and personal experience to help you:  - Foster healthy identity and social development in children of any age - Win the war without getting overwhelmed in the daily battles - Discipline in a way that builds relationship - Understand how the culture is affecting your child and what you can do about it - Cultivate responsible, self-regulating behavior in your kids- Establish an unshakeable sense of faith, morality, and values in your home- Feel more confident and peaceful as a parent- Find a greater perspective on parenting than what you might see on a daily basis    Also includes a Safe House Parenting Assessment.