Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity


Janell L. Carroll - 2004
    Janell Carroll clearly conveys foundational biological and health issues, extensively cites both current and classic research, and addresses all material in a fresh and fun way; her book helps teach students what they need, and want, to know about sexuality. Her focus takes into account the social, religious, ethnic, racial, and cultural contexts of today's students. Dr. Carroll has used feedback from the first edition to add even further value to this popular title-streamlining student pedagogy and providing dynamic learning opportunities through Active Summaries at the end of chapters, a new online student tutorial, new video components, and content for Classroom Response Systems. This continues to be the text most representative of today's students, incorporating new sexual position art, a new pronunciation guide, and (for instructors) a new cross-cultural Slang Guide.

The Myth of Ability: Nurturing Mathematical Talent in Every Child


John Mighton - 2003
    John Mighton-the founder of a revolutionary math program designed to help failing math students-feels that not only is this wrong, but that it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.A pioneering educator, Mighton realized several years ago that children were failing math because they had come to believe they were not good at it. Once students lost confidence in their math skills and fell behind, it was very difficult for them to catch up, particularly in the classroom. He knew this from experience, because he had once failed math himself.Using the premise that anyone can learn math and anyone can teach it, Mighton's unique teaching method isolates and describes concepts so clearly that students of all skill levels can understand them. Rather than fearing failure, students learn from and build on their own successes and gain the confidence and self-esteem they need to be inspired to learn. Mighton's methods, set forth in The Myth of Ability and implemented in hundreds of Canadian schools, have had astonishing results: Not only have they helped children overcome their fear of math, but the resulting confidence has led to improved reading and motor skills as well.The Myth of Ability will transform the way teachers and parents look at the teaching of mathematics and, by extension, the entire process of education.

Phil Lynott: The Rocker


Mark Putterford - 1994
    Using dozens of frank interviews with family friends and band members, this is a touching and shocking account of the life of the Irish legend.Mark Putterford's eye opening biography traces Lynott's visionary ambitions to fuse dance music and heavy rock as well as influences on the early careers of future stars like Bob Geldof, Midge Ure, Huey Lewis and Mark Knopfler.Using dozens of frank interviews with family, friends and band members, Putterford gives us a touching and sometimes shocking account of the life of the one and only black Irish rock legend.Includes full discography.

Garden of the Lost and Abandoned: The Extraordinary Story of One Ordinary Woman and the Children She Saves


Jessica Yu - 2017
    Some forget the names of their villages. The youngest may not know the names of their parents. But Gladys Kalibbala—part journalist, part detective, part Good Samaritan—does not hesitate to dive into difficult or even dangerous situations to aid a child. Author of a newspaper column called “Lost and Abandoned,” she is a resource that police and others turn to when they stumble across a stranded kid with a hidden history.  Jessica Yu delivers an acutely observed story of this hardnosed and warmhearted woman, the children she helps, and the twists of fate they experience together. The subplot of Gladys’s garden—her precarious dream of providing a home and livelihood for her vulnerable charges—adds fascinating depth. Garden of the Lost and Abandoned chronicles one woman’s altruism, both ordinary and extraordinary, in a way that is impossible to forget, and impossible not to take to heart.

Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Make a Difference


William MacAskill - 2015
    We donate our time and money to charities and causes we deem worthy, choose careers we consider meaningful, and patronize businesses and buy products we believe make the world a better place. Unfortunately, we often base these decisions on assumptions and emotions rather than facts. As a result, even our best intentions often lead to ineffective—and sometimes downright harmful—outcomes. How can we do better? While a researcher at Oxford, trying to figure out which career would allow him to have the greatest impact, William MacAskill confronted this problem head on. He discovered that much of the potential for change was being squandered by lack of information, bad data, and our own prejudice. As an antidote, he and his colleagues developed effective altruism, a practical, data-driven approach that allows each of us to make a tremendous difference regardless of our resources. Effective altruists believe that it’s not enough to simply do good; we must do good better. At the core of this philosophy are five key questions that help guide our altruistic decisions: How many people benefit, and by how much? Is this the most effective thing I can do? Is this area neglected? What would have happened otherwise? What are the chances of success, and how good would success be? By applying these questions to real-life scenarios, MacAskill shows how many of our assumptions about doing good are misguided. For instance, he argues one can potentially save more lives by becoming a plastic surgeon rather than a heart surgeon; measuring overhead costs is an inaccurate gauge of a charity’s effectiveness; and, it generally doesn’t make sense for individuals to donate to disaster relief. MacAskill urges us to think differently, set aside biases, and use evidence and careful reasoning rather than act on impulse. When we do this—when we apply the head and the heart to each of our altruistic endeavors—we find that each of us has the power to do an astonishing amount of good.

They're Your Kids: An Inspirational Journey from Self-Doubter to Home School Advocate


Sam Sorbo - 2016
    There were class clowns, ruthless bullies, teacher’s pets, popular kids, and students no one wanted to be around. What if we admitted to ourselves that the public school system is tragically flawed, instead of blindly relying on the same misguided, decrepit bureaucracy for our precious children? “Because that’s how I grew up,” just doesn’t cut it anymore. Our children deserve better than to be institutionalized in an education system developed during the Industrial Age. School shootings, homework, and failing grades are all on the rise. Even school administrators admit that their students are falling farther behind. Politicians throw money at the problem and implement unproven and illogical new “standards,” while the teachers' unions contribute to their campaigns and protect their own. Sam Sorbo knows there is a better way… As a mom of three and the wife of Kevin Sorbo, an actor who travels frequently, Sam struggled with simply relying on the status quo for their young children’s public school education. On an extended trip for one of Kevin’s film shoots, Sam discovered she was playing a role herself, as the “substitute teacher.” Nobody likes the sub! Public school was forming a wedge between her and her young ones. It was this sobering recognition that launched her remarkable journey into home education. Home schooling provides a safer, sounder, and more spirit-centered didactic alternative, even for busy parents, and it's not as difficult as our bloated, entrenched education establishment wants you to believe. With extensive data and many shudder-worthy examples, Sam explores the systemic inadequacies plaguing the public education system. They may leave you wondering why any discerning parent still puts her faith in public school. Once you understand the disintegration behind the classroom door, the solution becomes clear. This book then guides you through implementing a better educational approach for your family, one that is tried and true. Sam’s extraordinary story, her discoveries, challenges, and triumphs, will encourage you to embrace the wonderful benefits and incredible possibilities of home education for your beloved children. * Concerned for the future of your children? * Think you can’t home school because you work full-time? * Frustrated with your child’s so-called teachers? * Anxious about schoolyard bullies? * Too scared to even consider home schooling your children? Be a hero to your children, skip the school drop-off lines and fund-raisers, and enjoy a better kind of parent-teacher meeting – the one in the mirror! This book can show you how.

Concepts of Chemical Dependency


Harold E. Doweiko - 1990
    Topics include: the abuse of and addiction to alcohol; how the active agent in marijuana, THC, affects neural growth and development; the emerging body of evidence suggesting a relationship between marijuana abuse and psychotic disorders; the emerging body of evidence suggesting that marijuana is not as benign as it was thought to be even a few years ago; and updated information on the abuse of cough syrups, a trend that has evolved in adolescent substance abusers in the past decade. Adding to the book's usefulness and relevance, Doweiko also covers topics not usually discussed in other substance abuse texts, including: abuse of anabolic steroids; inhalants; many of the forms of infectious disease associated with substance abuse; how the "war on drugs" has actually contributed to the problem of substance abuse/addiction in this country; the relationship between substance abuse and many infectious diseases; and the latest information on the "medical marijuana" debate. Providing a comprehensive overview of the problems of substance abuse and addiction, students report that they appreciate the author's balanced approach in contrast to a tendency to "preach" to the reader that "drugs are bad for you." Student feedback indicates that they value the clear and detailed information provided, allowing the student to form their own opinion about the compound(s) being discussed in each chapter.

I Closed My Eyes: Revelations of a Battered Woman


Michele Weldon - 1999
    Domestic violence, thriving after abuse

Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day


Garry R. Morgan - 2012
    What once seemed like the religions of exotic faraway lands are now practiced by families next door. These short, easily digestible readings give an overview of the beliefs, histories, and practices of dozens of religions, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and many more. Garry Morgan blends the knowledge of a college professor with real-world experience and an accessible style. Broken into forty brief chapters, this book can be used as a reference for those who need quick and clear answers or read straight through by curious readers.

The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor


William Easterly - 2014
    Yet all too often, experts recommend solutions that fix immediate problems without addressing the systemic political factors that created them in the first place. Further, they produce an accidental collusion with "benevolent autocrats,” leaving dictators with yet more power to violate the rights of the poor.In The Tyranny of Experts, economist William Easterly, bestselling author of The White Man’s Burden, traces the history of the fight against global poverty, showing not only how these tactics have trampled the individual freedom of the world’s poor, but how in doing so have suppressed a vital debate about an alternative approach to solving poverty: freedom. Presenting a wealth of cutting-edge economic research, Easterly argues that only a new model of development—one predicated on respect for the individual rights of people in developing countries, that understands that unchecked state power is the problem and not the solution —will be capable of ending global poverty once and for all.

No More Victims


Frank E. Peretti - 2001
    People are deeply wounded by the words and actions of those around them. And it affects them for the rest of their lives. We've all been there - we've all been wounded and we've all wounded others. But it's time to become "wounded healers," loving and protecting the people around us. "The Wounded Spirit" has become more than a book. The message has connected with thousands and has become a national movement. This 64-page call to action, entitled "No More Victims," is designed as a giveaway to students for them to join in the fight against bullying.

The Great Surge: The Ascent of the Developing World


Steven Radelet - 2015
    Never before have so many people, in so many developing countries, made so much progress. Most people believe the opposite: that with a few exceptions like China and India, the majority of developing countries are hopelessly mired in deep poverty, led by inept dictators, and living with pervasive famine, widespread disease, constant violence, and little hope for change. But a major transformation is underway—and has been for two decades now. Since the early 1990s more than 700 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty, six million fewer children die every year from disease, tens of millions more girls are in school, millions more people have access to clean water, and democracy—often fragile and imperfect—has become the norm in developing countries around the world. The Great Surge tells the remarkable story of this unprecedented economic, social, and political transformation. It shows how the end of the Cold War, the development of new technologies, globalization, courageous local leadership, and in some cases, good fortune, have combined to dramatically improve the fate of hundreds of millions of people in poor countries around the world. Most importantly, The Great Surge reveals how we can fight the changing tides of climate change, resource demand, economic and political mismanagement, and demographic pressures to accelerate the political, economic, and social development that has been helping the poorest of the poor around the world.

Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism


Ha-Joon Chang - 2007
    Using irreverent wit, an engagingly personal style, and a battery of examples, Chang blasts holes in the "World Is Flat" orthodoxy of Thomas Friedman and other liberal economists who argue that only unfettered capitalism and wide-open international trade can lift struggling nations out of poverty. On the contrary, Chang shows, today's economic superpowers—from the U.S. to Britain to his native Korea—all attained prosperity by shameless protectionism and government intervention in industry. We have conveniently forgotten this fact, telling ourselves a fairy tale about the magic of free trade and—via our proxies such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization—ramming policies that suit ourselves down the throat of the developing world.Unlike typical economists who construct models of how the marketplace should work, Chang examines the past: what has actually happened. His pungently contrarian history demolishes one pillar after another of free-market mythology. We treat patents and copyrights as sacrosanct—but developed our own industries by studiously copying others' technologies. We insist that centrally planned economies stifle growth—but many developing countries had higher GDP growth before they were pressured into deregulating their economies. Both justice and common sense, Chang argues, demand that we reevaluate the policies we force on nations that are struggling to follow in our footsteps.

On Secular Education


Robert Lewis Dabney - 1996
    It is the one business for which the earth exists. To it all politics, all war, all literature, all money-making, ought to be subordinated; and every parent especially ought to feel, every hour of the day, that, next to making his own calling and election sure, this is the end for which he is kept alive by God—this is his task on earth." -R.L. Dabney

Mind Play: A Guide to Erotic Hypnosis


Mark Wiseman - 2013
    Many of us know that hypnosis doesn't really have the kind of mind-melting power we see in movies. Still, we can't help but get turned on at the thought of either controlling someone, or being controlled by someone, into doing things we've been told we shouldn't do ... but really, inside, kind of want to.In this book, Mark Wiseman (Wiseguy) will teach you how to put your partner into a hypnotic trance safely and effectively. Then the fun begins as you learn how to:Create or intensify arousal and desire Turn their entire body into an erogenous zone eager for your touch Get kinky with hypnotic bondage, flogging, or tickling Give them intense pleasure using his Five-Point Palm Exploding Orgasm technique and more! Whether you are new to hypnosis or have already learned the basics, Mind Play will give you the tools you need to become a skilled, responsible erotic hypnotist.