July 2008, Issue #111

Hurricane Katrina was an unprecedented reckoning – for New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast. After the shock of the floods, we mourned the people who perished, the neighborhoods ravaged, and the possessions lost. Now those of us living in the New Orleans area have had time to reflect on the importance of our architectural heritage and feel a curatorial responsibility as guardians and guides to our out-of-town friends and family who so often visit. After taking inventory of the oldest historic houses profiled here, it was a relief to find that all survived because they were mostly built on the higher ground of the original city. …Of course, many homes built outside the highest ground of the original city were destroyed after the levees broke and Katrina's floodwaters overtook them. The remaining structures will survive because of our attention. We are the caretakers, supporting these great homes in spirit and action. Happily, New Orleans is still a treasure trove of vernacular architecture. The city and surrounding area's collection of building styles is culturally diverse – as are the architects, builders, craftsmen, draftsmen, engineers, laborers, occupants, owners, restoration nonprofits, and work crews who created and restored them. And for those who visit New Orleans, it's hard to imagine this city without its setting of architecturally distinct houses and buildings, which provides a beautiful backdrop for strolling around to see, smell, and taste what is most assuredly nothing like what is back home. – from the Preface

Since the 1700s, a blend of peoples – Native American, French, Creole, Spanish, Caribbean, and West African – has called New Orleans home. As a result, the architectural styles showcased in the city’s homes are as diverse as the population that has lived there over the years. The Spanish-influenced garden courtyards and cast-iron balconies in the French Quarter are a stark contrast to the massive Greek revival brick columns and Victorian turrets found in homes in the Garden District and Uptown. The opulent parlors of an Old South plantation home are offset by the sparsely furnished servant’s quarters nearby.

Plantations & Historic Homes of New Orleans celebrates the grand homes and plantations of the Big Easy that largely escaped the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina, most of which survive as testament to the city’s rich and colorful history.

This photographic tour takes readers to the city’s most storied mansions. From the French Quarter and Garden District to Uptown, Marigny, and Bayou St. John, many of New Orleans’ grandest old homes and nearby plantations are featured in Plantations & Historic Homes of New Orleans, showcasing the massive brick columns, intricate cast-iron balconies, wide verandas, sumptuous parlors, and humble servants quarters that give this area its charm. Inside these pages, many of New Orleans’ homes are profiled – from the Old Ursuline Convent and Madame John’s Legacy, survivors of the city’s devastating 1788 fire, to Longue Vue House and Gardens, an elaborate fountain-filled estate completed in 1943. For example, readers travel to Destrehan, the oldest plantation house in the Mississippi Valley, originally built of hand-hewn bald cypress timber using briquette entre’pateaux, mud (clay, river sand, and Spanish moss) between post; the homes artist Edgar Degas and author William Faulkner lived in during their New Orleans’ stays; and the 1850 House located in the Lower Pontalba building on Jackson Square. Readers learn about the building’s namesake, a baroness with a tumultuous family life who managed to escape murder and was also responsible for building the American embassy in Paris.

The text was written by Jan Arrigo, a New Orleans-area-based writer, and photographed by Laura McElroy, an Atlanta-based freelance travel photographer.

With lavish photographs of exteriors and rooms of special interest, gardens and curiosities, and detailed information about New Orleans’ diverse architecture and history, Plantations & Historic Homes of New Orleans is both a perfect guide for visitors and natives alike and an enchanting visual tour of one of the greatest cities in the United States.

Arts & Photography / Travel / Nature & Wildlife

Lake Tahoe: A Fragile Beauty by Thomas Bachand, with an introduction by Charles R. Goldman (Chronicle Books)

Known across the country for its dramatic natural splendor, in many respects Lake Tahoe is a microcosm of the environmental challenges facing America – as we attempt to balance economic pressures with ecological sustainability. As hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the region around Lake Tahoe each year, environmental researchers work tirelessly to preserve the ecosystem for future generations.

While the landscape photography in Lake Tahoe explores Tahoe's timeless beauty, rich history, and universal appeal, it also conveys the challenges of protecting the area's extraordinary character and our collective responsibility to understand and care for this unique jewel. Photographer Thomas Bachand has explored the shores and mountains of Lake Tahoe for 35 years; having visited Tahoe since childhood, he is both inspired by its beauty and concerned for its future. He has been making photographs of the lake and its environs for more than ten years, capturing the sublime beauty of this natural wonder, creating images that possess a timeless vocabulary of water, rock, and sky. Bachand's work, here for the first time, reveals the delicate balance between conservation and recreation, as images of both majestic landscapes and development are juxtaposed.

An introduction by Charles R. Goldman, founding director of the Tahoe Research Group at the University of California, Davis, professor of Limnology at UC Davis, addresses how factors as diverse as development and global climate change threaten Lake Tahoe's legendary clear blue waters.

In addition, US Poet Laureate, Robert Haas (who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry earlier this year) contributes ‘Tahoe in August’ – which offers Tahoe as a backdrop to our modern, personal, and, often, distracted lives. And in excerpts from the seminal volume ‘Roughing It’ Mark Twain writes across the centuries, as if speaking directly to our time, describing the American pioneering character, one torn between awe and exploitation.

Bachand's exploration of Tahoe's singular loveliness, rich history, and universal challenges conveys the area's character. Bachand's stunning photographs capture the sublime allure and fragility of this beloved leisure destination. Lake Tahoe is for anyone enchanted by Tahoe's beauty, engaged by its history, and concerned for its welfare.

Business & Investing / Biographies & Memoirs / Environment / Hazardous Waste

Night Fire: Big Oil, Poison Air, and Margie Richard's Fight to Save Her Town by Ronnie Greene (Amistad)

In their quest to become leader of the free world, U.S. presidential hopefuls have said little or nothing concerning the matter of environmental justice. But, if Margie Eugene Richard has her way, this soon will change.

As told in Night Fire, the Diamond neighborhood was an all-black enclave in the mostly white town of Norco, Louisiana, aptly named for the New Orleans Refining Co., an industrial processing plant. Richard was raised in the shadow of a giant chemical plant operated by Shell Oil, and witnessed her neighbors fall ill amid the toxic waste the plant emitted year after year. Her own sister, Naomi, eventually succumbed to a rare lung disease linked to environmental hazards.

Determined to see Shell take responsibility for its actions, Richard and her neighbors – largely poor and with few obvious resources – educated themselves not only on the consequences of environmental poison but also on how to fight back. The battle took them from Diamond's four streets all the way to The Hague and beyond. The unexpected results won Richard the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize and helped clean up a community. With narrative drive, Night Fire illustrates how determination and grit can move even the most stubborn of corporate giants.

In the book, prize-winning investigative reporter Ronnie Greene, journalism teacher at the University of Miami, examines three timely topics: the environment, Big Oil, and Southern Louisiana, particularly the fate of poor blacks in the area. He also leaves readers with three messages. First, Night Fire shows the power of one voice. Then, it analyses how environmental racism thrives in the U.S. Finally, it celebrates traditional family values.

Drawing on extensive interviews, court documents and other public records, Greene explains that Richard's Diamond, LA community was seemingly powerless in the face of giant Shell. It was a working-class neighborhood where only a few children went off to college and most residents were poor. Yet, from this four-street community sprouted an environmental grassroots fight that has become a revered model for activism internationally.

At its forefront, Richard was a single mother and public school student – in 1958 a pregnant 16-year-old, not someone most people might envision as an environmental activist – who lived just across the street from a chemical plant. Richard, who went on to earn a degree in Theology, became an inspired and passionate leader in her town and successfully battled the multi-billion dollar corporation using simple, grassroots techniques.

Richard and her neighbors kept at the fight, after losses in the courts and death in the streets. Attracting support from activists in and out of Louisiana, she was heard and the decades-long fight to relocate from the Chemical Corridor that was her home was won.

The Diamond neighborhood persevered in its quest, but across the U.S., many other towns have yet to find such success. From Florida to Texas to Louisiana to California and beyond, other fence-line communities have encountered contamination from big industry, but they are still in the fight for relocation. They have one thing in common: they are minority communities of working-class and poor residents that straddle companies of great wealth. "You won't find any chemical plants close to a country club in Louisiana," a community lawyer told Greene. Scholars in the field contend this sentiment echoes across the country.

As told in Night Fire, the battle in Diamond resonates on many levels, raising issues of race, wealth, Civil Rights and environmental justice. The lessons Richards learned as a child from her father helped shape her fight decades later. "People of industry have children too," she told neighbors, insisting that even corporate giants would want to know if their plant was spoiling the air. "If we don't tell them, how will they know?"

Ronnie Greene is one of the finest investigative reporters in the country. He's also a first-rate writer. I can't think of a better person to tell the outrageous story of how a Shell chemical plant poisoned a small Louisiana community, and how a handful of ordinary citizens fought back against all odds to save their town. – Carl Hiaasen

This passionate book . . . demonstrates that humble grassroots activism can eventually unsettle a corporate Goliath. . . . Greene's mix of vivid oral history and hard evidence is a rousing reminder that with stubborn determination, ordinary citizens can prevail against the most powerful of opponents. – Publishers Weekly

A passionate, exquisitely written book about one woman's decades-long fight for justice. For those who believe there's no winning against corporate monoliths, Ronnie Greene presents Margie Richard.... A poignant story about the triumph of justice over callous indifference and a lasting testament to the idea that a few good people can change the world. – Ana Menendez, bestselling author of Loving Che

A personality-rich narrative of one community's successful fight against a polluter, as well as a wade mecum for other towns facing similar problems... – Kirkus Reviews

Night Fire is a poignant and riveting story of one community's success. This passionate book from a Miami Herald journalist demonstrates that humble grassroots activism can eventually unsettle a corporate Goliath. Greene's mix of vivid oral history and hard evidence is a rousing reminder that with stubborn determination, ordinary citizens can prevail against the most powerful of opponents. But it also is a reminder that other such battles continue.

Business & Investing / Careers / Retirement / Health, Mind & Body / Self-Help

Smart Women Don't Retire – They Break Free: From Working Full-Time to Living Full-Time by The Transition Network & Gail Rentsch, with a foreword by Lynn Sherr (Springboard Press)

You spent your career seeking out new challenges.
You enjoyed countless successes.
You broke new ground in your field.

To those readers who are approaching what is traditionally thought of as retirement age, the last thing they want to do is spend the next twenty, thirty, or more years taking trips to the mall or perfecting their recipes for peach cobbler.

Boomer women have been trailblazers throughout their professional lives. Now that their careers are losing their edge and children leave the nest, these women are ready to do for retirement what they did for the working world – redefine it.

They are not alone. Several years ago, a group of highly successful, professional women found themselves facing retirement with trepidation. They didn't want to let go of the fast pace and intellectual stimulation they had enjoyed throughout their careers, so they formed The Transition Network, now a national organization that has reinvented this stage of life.

Smart Women Don't Retire – They Break Free is the first book from The Transition Network; in it Gail Rentsch, a founding member of the network and a veteran book-publishing professional, focuses on the unique needs of women as they explore new possibilities and redesign the old model of retirement, which no longer offers the challenges that these women experienced throughout their careers. The book is a response to what is fast becoming the outdated model of retirement showing how to create new and exciting work and volunteer opportunities, and how to discover new outlets for creativity and passion.

From determining what professional experience readers would like to pursue next, to building a new community like the one they enjoyed with their colleagues, to rethinking how they would like to spend their evenings and weekends now that the kids have left the nest, Smart Women Don't Retire – They Break Free is a blueprint for women seeking a new set of life choices and reinventing retirement. Drawing on research and interviews, Rentsch explores a range of topics, from preparing for and deciding when to retire to overcoming self-defeating stereotypes about aging women and uplifting ideas about a meaningful retirement.

Whereas parents before aspired to the ideal of completely escaping the work world for a warmer climate, baby boomers are developing new models for their ‘golden years.’ … Each chapter presents frank discussions, inventories and checklists, and case studies of real women's lives. Interpersonal topics like coordinating retirement with a spouse and cultivating friendships as one ages are also covered... This insightful book reinforces the idea that retirement can be transformative and even ‘cool.’ – Library Journal
All women 50+ should read this book ... regardless of where they are on their retirement journey! – Jeri Sedlar, co-author, Don't Retire, REWIRE! and Senior Advisor to the Conference Board on the Mature Workforce
Women are investing in their health by being part of the Transition Network, making the connections to explore retirement, finding new friends, and engaging in social and volunteer activities. This book will spread that message to women across the country. – Eileen Hoffman, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine
The Transition Network (TTN) ... is the only organization I know that zeroes in on the needs of successful women as they enter a new and productive transition in their lives.... Now they have developed an invaluable handbook that spells out the challenges along the way, along with solid advice about how to meet them. – Suzanne Braun Levine, first editor-in-chief of Ms. Magazine and author of Inventing the Rest of Our Lives: Women is Second Adulthood
… This book from The Transition Network provides a valuable orientation to this process; it is rich in practical advice and inspiring stemming from the stories of women who have just recently journeyed through and navigated this complex stage of their lives... – Jennie Chin Hansen, President-Elect, AARP

At last, an inspiring alternative to the R-word.

For the female pioneers who shattered the glass ceiling, Smart Women Don't Retire – They Break Free is a practical and inspiring guide to reinventing what's next. The voices in this book will inspire readers to find their way and further prove that life after fifty can be a special and valuable time. Filled with practical advice and stories from women who have successfully navigated this stage, the book is a blueprint for women seeking a whole new set of life choices.

Business & Investing / Economics

High Wire: The Precarious Financial Lives of American Families by Peter Gosselin (Basic Books)

For a generation, our nation's leaders told us that they'd freed the American economy from the dead hand of Washington and re-kindled the entrepreneurial spirit. Before us lay a dazzling landscape of free-market fortunes and with assets and investments, family units could play right along with the big boys of Wall Street – looking out for themselves, investing and diversifying their ways to wealth and security. But, for nearly a year now we've had to hold our breath as one disaster after another has swept over us. The fear has been so palpable, the problems seemingly so unsolvable, that no one has stepped back to spot the broader lessons in our current crisis.

Drawing on interviews with hundreds of Americans and new statistics he developed, prize-winning journalist Peter Gosselin in High Wire traces a quarter-century shift of economic risk onto backs of working people. It is a shift that has shaken the pillars of most families’ lives – stable jobs, solid benefits, government protections. This threat to working Americans’ security – and what to do about it – is a pressing concern to economists, policy-makers, and everyone who works for a living.

Gosselin, visiting fellow at the Urban Institute in Washington, is national economics correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in the Washington bureau. Gosselin takes readers across the terrain of their material lives to show how changes in work, benefits, homeownership, college and retirement, even brought-and-paid-for insurance, have shifted economic risks once borne by business and government to the backs of working families. With new data and real-life examples, he explains why Americans' mounting anxiety is warranted and how everyone from the working poor to those making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year are on a high wire, only one misstep away from financial disaster.

Gosselin shows that the full dimensions of this shift have gone largely unnoticed because economists and journalists have mostly looked at pieces of the puzzle such as the employer-employee relationship, government programs such as welfare, or pensions, and 401(k)s. While Gosselin looks at the big picture and supports his argument with new statistics developed for High Wire, he also puts a human face to this new reality.

High Wire explains the distressing reality that the old struts underpinning the American Dream – a good education, savings, sensible insurance, strong work ethic, company loyalty, prudent living – are no longer the guarantees of financial security they once were. Families are not, after all, the mini-financial firms the leaders of the last generation told us they were; households are not hedge funds. Our near-exclusive reliance on free market principles to solve every financial and social problem has led the nation down a political and ethical dead-end. Even with two earners in many households, families are more apt than they were a generation ago to take steep financial falls, ones from which they have a tougher time recovering. And as the sub-prime mortgage crisis has spread to other parts of the economy, many people are seeing their worst fears realized. More and more of us are operating on a high wire, just one misstep away from a financial free fall.

[Peter Gosselin] has done the most convincing job I’ve seen in capturing the failures of America to deal with a changing, complex and far less generous economy than it has known in the past… The main theme of Gosselin, a veteran reporter for the Los Angeles Times, is the rise of deep-seated financial, health and material risk. He gathers the many pieces of the new economic America together quite beautifully, even elegantly, and brings them alive with interesting and not the usually predictable individual examples. I learned many things in this book, and I’ve been covering this territory for a long time. – Jeff Madrick, economic analyst on Truthdig.com

Gosselin, the Los Angeles Times economic correspondent in Washington, has got something special going in the pages of High Wire. He has answered – analytically and lyrically – a question that clogs debate on economic matters in the nation’s capital: Why do Americans feel so anxious, even when the U.S. economy, on the whole, is performing quite ably? – John Aloysius Farrell, Robert Emmet Blog

In this alarming and vividly reported book, Gosselin puts to rest the notion that anyone can make it on their own with only a winning plan. This book must be a central part of the discussion on how to cure America's economic ills, before the ‘high wire’ becomes a trip wire for us all. – Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch

Incomes and living standards have become more volatile, and many families today are left bearing risks that they simply cannot handle. Peter Gosselin sets out to be the voice of the ordinary family, and he does an eloquent and convincing job of it in this important book. – Bob Solow, Nobel Prize-winning MIT economist

Gosselin’s spirit of humanity penetrates beyond dry statistics to reveal some of the deepest and most important economic issues facing the country today. – Robert Shiller, Yale finance theorist and author of Irrational Exuberance

Meticulously researched and written with verve, High Wire is a rare masterpiece of chilling logic about mounting economic risks in our families, our homes, and our jobs. All Americans should read this book. – Peter Bernstein, economic consultant and author of Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk

Gosselin's book is a provocative, controversial re-examination of every cherished economic assumption of the last three decades, and a vital contribution to learning what must be done to a secure a brighter financial future for America's families. High Wire reveals a quiet revolution in Americans' economic circumstances and shows how the ‘ownership society’ is fast becoming the ‘on-your-own society.’ Now is the time for a new direction.

Business & Investing / Organizational Behavior

Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block (Berrett-Koehler Publishers)

Modern society is plagued by fragmentation. The various sectors of our communities – businesses, schools, social service organizations, churches, government – do not work together. Likewise, many individual citizens, who long for connection end up marginalized, their gifts overlooked, their potential contributions lost. This disconnection and detachment makes it hard to envision a common future and work towards it together.

We know what healthy communities look like, and they've been described in detail. What Peter Block provides in Community is an exploration of the exact way community can emerge from fragmentation: How is community built? How does the transformation occur? What fundamental shifts are involved? There are many success stories out there. The challenge is how to create one in our own place.

Block, author of numerous books, partner in Designed Learning, is the recipient of the American Society for Training and Development Award for Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance and the Association for Quality and Participation President's Award and a member of Training magazine's HRD Hall of Fame. In Community he explores a way of thinking about our places that creates an opening for authentic communities to exist. He helps readers see how they can change the existing context of community from one of deficiencies, interests, and entitlement to one of possibility, generosity, and gifts. Questions are more important than answers in this effort, which means leadership is not a matter of style or vision but is about getting the right people together in the right way: convening is a more critical skill than commanding. As he explores the nature of community and the dynamics of transformation, Block outlines six kinds of conversation that will create communal accountability and commitment and describes how we can design physical spaces and structures that will foster a sense of belonging.

He also includes numerous examples of how individuals, on a small scale, are doing innovative work to rebuild community.

Building community and bringing people of diverse cultures and abilities together to the benefit of all is work that can seem like breaking trail in a pathless forest at night without a flashlight. Peter Block provides the flashlight. – Judith Snow, Social Inclusion Advocate, ABCD Faculty

Community is a gift; in this remarkable work, the arrhythmic heartbeat of today's fragmented communities beats again with new hope and possibility. It is an irresistible call to true citizenship and a desperately needed revival of community. – Sadanand Ward Mailliard, Founding Member of The Mount Madonna Center Community and Head of Community Studies Development, Mount Madonna Institute

From the person who gave us the best book written on business stewardship comes the best book on how to transform the places where we live, work, and play into authentic, effective communities. Some of Peter Block's conclusions may surprise you, but this compelling book is a must for all who love the places we call home enough to rethink our approach to building and maintaining community. – Dennis Bakke, CEO, Imagine Schools, Cofounder and CEO Emeritus, AES Corporation, and author of Joy at Work

Every earnest public servant, every volunteer, every disillusioned citizen, every civic leader, and every community activist or businessperson who truly want to make their communities better should read this book. It can serve as a guide or manual, but Community at its heart is a book of questions, and Peter gently and persistently reminds us that we are the answers. – James Keene, President, Alliance for Innovation and Western Director, International City/County Management Association

In this wonderfully practical book, Peter Block defines the nature of a community with manageable dimensions, creative directions, and hopeful possibilities. His methods lead us to a restoration of the joy of a genuine common life. – John McKnight, Professor of Education and Social Policy, and Codirector, Asset-Based Community Development Institute, Northwestern University

Peter Block clearly identifies the essential ingredients, qualities, questions, atmosphere. and actions needed to create and build vital communities filled with possibility, generosity, accountability, and deep engagement. Outstanding in its relevance, practicality, and clarity. – Angeles Arrien, PhD, cultural anthropologist and author of The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom

This book is more than practical advice on execution of theory; it is a spiritual primer for the building up of community and transforming hope that we so desperately need in today's world. Peter has touched us once again in that place we call ‘soul’ – Clint Kemp, Founding Pastor, New Providence Community Church

Peter's work has become the cornerstone of how our police department has developed over the years. What we have pleasantly discovered is that the more our capacity grows to work in partnership with each other, the more our capacity to serve our community is enhanced. – Michael Butler, Chief of Police, Longmont, Colorado

In the inspiring Community, bestselling Block explores a way of thinking about our places that creates an opening for authentic communities to exist and, with moving examples, details what each of us can do to make that happen. He combines penetrating and often contrarian insights into the nature of community with specific, pragmatic advice on how to restore and nurture it.

Business & Investing / Economics / Sociology

Not Keeping Up with Our Parents: The Decline of the Professional Middle Class by Nan Mooney (Beacon Press)

Educator, artist, social worker, not-for-profit administrator, journalist – these white-collar professions are typically populated with college-educated, middle-class professionals who pass up big-money careers in finance, medicine or law to pursue more personally meaningful work in creative and service-oriented sectors. Increasingly, though, these career choices are leaving middle-class professionals struggling to make ends meet, let alone fulfill social expectations and reach the economic stability of the ‘American dream.’

In Not Keeping Up with Our Parents, award-winning journalist Nan Mooney traces how and why today's educated professional middle class is experiencing financial volatility more profound and paralyzing than the struggles experienced by previous generations. Drawing on her own experiences and those of the hundreds of individuals she interviewed across America, Mooney highlights the struggles this group is facing, including negotiating massive student loans and credit card debt, struggling to pay high housing, health and child care costs, and choosing between funding their children's education and their own retirement. "The sort of family I grew up in seems near extinction these days, a middle-class family who can support themselves on a pair of middle-class jobs," Mooney writes. "Not only do many of today's educated middle-class professionals worry that they won't exceed their parents when it comes to financial success, they fear they can't even keep up with the middle-class, and often the working-class, lifestyles their parents modeled for them decades ago."

Drawing on more than a hundred interviews with diverse families across America, Mooney delves into the professional middle class’s sense of economic security and their plans for and fears about the future. She shows how profoundly middle-class expectations and realities have shifted: college tuition has increased 35 percent in the past five years; only 18 percent of middle-class families have three months' income saved, and 90 percent of those filing for bankruptcy are middle class. Additionally, the share of family income devoted to ‘fixed costs’ – housing, childcare, health insurance, and taxes – has climbed from 53 percent to 75 percent in the past two decades, and raising one child through age eighteen costs $237,000 for a middle-income family.
In Not Keeping Up with Our Parents, Mooney reveals the intimate financial lives of this strata of society – the social worker who makes $30,000 a year, the environmental scientist who makes $40,000, the college professor who makes $50,000 – to show how shifts in government policies and labor and business practices have meant plummeting financial and emotional security for this once comfortable center section. She illustrates how those in this class are increasingly choosing to delay or forgo having children, carrying significant debt well into middle age, and struggling so hard to keep their own finances secure that they have little resources to offer those less fortunate.

With up-to-date and accessible research, including a short history of the middle class, Mooney in Not Keeping Up with Our Parents explains what it has meant historically to be middle class and how these definitions have changed so dramatically over the decades. She shows that social programs once aided the growth of this class but shifts in policies and labor practices – and increases in fixed costs, such as health care, housing, education, childcare, and household debt – are making it increasingly difficult for families to retain their middle-class status.

Despite the difficult reality of middle-class struggles, Mooney offers proactive and concrete ideas on how individuals and society can stop this downward spiral. She advocates improving government-backed education, healthcare, and childcare programs as well as drawing on successful models from individual states and other countries.

Ultimately, Not Keeping Up with Our Parents encourages today's professional middle class to overcome their sense of fear and resignation and engage in the prospect of change. "Our expensive educations provided us with a sense of autonomy and activism. They gave us the cultural savvy and analytical tools to understand that social justice involves digging your heels in, risking something, sometimes everything, to accomplish core-level change," notes Mooney. "We are an educated, smart, organized, generous, frustrated, and frightened population. What better ingredients to start a revolution?"

[Mooney] gives an excellent analysis of the problems facing the large and important professional middle class. – Booklist

What happens when the center cannot hold? With great empathy and infectious alarm, Nan Mooney charts the travails of America's middle class in this important book. – Anya Kamenetz, author of Generation Debt
If you're wondering why, in our age of plenty, the financial treadmill keeps moving faster and faster for America's increasingly educated – and increasingly insecure – middle class, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It's all here: the big trends, the compelling portraits, the ideas for personal and political change, and the call to arms we so desperately need. – Jacob S. Hacker, author of The Great Risk Shift: The Assault on American Jobs, Families, Health Care and Retirement and How You Can Fight Back
A book for the distressed and confused because their life plan has gone to pieces. Mooney illuminates what has happened to them – and why. – Nicholas Von Hoffman, columnist for NY Observer and regular contributor to The Nation
We hear a lot about the runaway wealth of American professionals. In this important book, Nan Mooney reminds us that most have no such luck. Working in jobs they love provides a sense of moral worth, but doesn't cover the bills for teachers, legal aid lawyers, practicing artists, and others. Something has gone wrong in America and this book gives us a grip on the crisis. – Katherine Newman, coauthor of The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America and the Forbes Class of 1941 Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton

The first book to exclusively target the struggles of the professional middle class –educated individuals who purposely choose humanistic, intellectual, or creative pursuits –Mooney's Not Keeping Up with Our Parents is a simultaneously sobering and proactive work that captures a diversity of voices. Intimate personal accounts combined with Mooney's incisive analysis will make the book resonate deeply for America's professional middle class.

Business & Investing / Management & Leadership / Personal Growth

Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life by Stewart D. Friedman (Harvard Business School Press)

What if you could improve your performance in the areas that seem to be most at odds with each other – work and life beyond work – at the same time?

Most of us assume it can't be done. But contrary to the conventional wisdom, the different domains of our lives don't have to compete in a zero-sum game. However, managing them takes real leadership skill.

Leadership can – and indeed must – be learned. But first individuals have got to choose to lead. If they are going to make a difference, thinking of themselves as leaders will make it more likely that their legacy – not their fantasy, but the real impact of their lives, today and in the long run – is the one they really want.

Most leadership development books focus only on professional skills, while books about personal growth concentrate on needs beyond work. Total Leadership is different.

With examples and instruction, Stewart Friedman provides more than thirty hands-on tools for using proven principles to produce stronger business results, find clearer purpose in what readers do, feel more connected to the people who matter most, and generate sustainable change. Friedman is the founding director of the Wharton School's Leadership Program and of Wharton's Work/Life Integration Project, and former head of Ford Motor Company's Leadership Development Center.

Adapted from Friedman's popular Wharton School course, Total Leadership helps readers identify their core values – what's fundamentally important to them – and make them come alive in their everyday actions in all domains of life. By improving these areas of life simultaneously, they will get more done with less stress.

Friedman's approach has been pressure-tested by years of working with people at every level of experience, in companies large and small. He offers step-by-step instruction, to help readers create sustainable change and achieve higher levels of performance in all parts of their lives.

In Total Leadership, the culmination of over two decades of research and practice, Friedman shows that we don't have to make trade-offs between life's most important domains, and certainly not as often as we think. Nor should we, he adds. A trade-off mindset makes people feel all manner of painful emotions – including inauthentic, unfocused, rootless, resentful, and overwhelmed. It hurts those we care about most and it prevents us from leading and performing effectively in every part of life.

In the book, Friedman provides a blueprint for how to become a more successful and satisfied leader in all dimensions of life: work, home, community, and self (mind, body, and spirit). His proven, step-by-step ‘four-way wins’ approach shows how to produce sustainable, meaningful change that benefits all life domains by:

Being real – acting with authenticity by clarifying what's important: Understanding how crucial events in the past have shaped one's values and aspirations; assessing the relative importance of work, home, community, and self; taking stock of how much time and energy is invested in each of these four domains; and diagnosing one's level of satisfaction in each.
Being whole – acting with integrity by respecting the whole person: Identifying the most important people in one's life and their performance expectations, determining how different expectations affect one another, assessing how one uses different media for connecting with these ‘key stakeholders,’ and preparing and conducting dialogues with each one to verify assumptions and see things through their eyes.
Being innovative – acting with creativity by experimenting with new solutions: After seeing both what and who are important in a fresh light, designing and implementing small, smart, potent experiments that swiftly produce better results in all four parts of one's life and that transform alienation, exhaustion, and resentment into feelings of purpose, authenticity, connection, and optimism.

Total Leadership is not an abstract theory: Practicing this method results in demonstrable improvements in performance and satisfaction. Participants report increases in satisfaction across the board: an average of 20 percent in their work lives, 28 percent in their home lives, 31 percent in their community lives, and 39 percent with their physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. Similarly, participants report that their performance at work, at home, in their communities, and within themselves has improved by 9, 15, 12, and 25 percent, respectively. According to Friedman, these results occur even as they spend less time on work and more on the other parts of life – they're working smarter and enjoying the benefits of more intelligent choices for bringing the different elements into a coherent whole, creating mutual value among them.

In a world of work-life trade-offs, Stew Friedman offers what most think impossible: a field-tested program that gives you not only what you want in business, but also what you want in life. Brilliant. – Timothy Ferriss, New York Times bestselling author, The 4-Hour Workweek
Destined to be a classic, this is a remarkable book. I have studied leadership and led organizations for over twenty years. No other book has reshaped my thinking about leadership development as much as Total Leadership. – David A. Thomas, professor, Harvard Business School, and author, Breaking Through: The Making of Minority Professionals in Corporate America
Stew Friedman absolutely gets it. He is both a visionary and a much-needed advocate for a new kind of total leadership in the twenty-first century. What an empowering book! – Janet Hanson, Founder, 85 Broads
The best leaders are those who stay connected to their communities, to the people they love, to themselves. In Stew Friedman s Total Leadership, you'll learn simple, powerful new ways to make these connections happen and enjoy the rich rewards that inevitably follow. – Keith Ferrazzi, CEO, Ferrazzi Greenlight, and author, Never Eat Alone
As the pace of business continues to race forward at lightening speed, Stew Friedman offers us an innovative and sustainable model for successful leadership. Total Leadership provides a unique proposition for individuals who strive to be their very best both personally and professionally. – Dave Lissy, CEO, Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Total Leadership is so aligned with my thinking as an HR executive and medical director of a global business. With practical tools and compelling stories, Friedman demonstrates how to achieve four-way wins – a distinctive, important new concept for today s leaders. – Dr. Robert W. Carr, Vice President and Corporate Medical Director, GlaxoSmithKline

In the future, being a leader will require new ways to integrate work with the rest of one's life, resulting in more effective leadership and a more fulfilling life. Total Leadership points the away. – Robert Reich, professor, University of California, Berkeley, former U.S. Secretary of Labor

Total Leadership is a game-changing blueprint for how to perform well as a leader not by trading off one domain for another, but by finding mutual value among all four domains – work, home, community and the private self. Based on extensive research, the book is a unique and long-awaited resource. Readers gain greater clarity of purpose, accomplish more at work, and feel more connected to the people and causes that matter most to them. Many real-world examples pack this artfully crafted, fun-to-read guide for becoming a better leader and having a richer life. With clear instruction and hands-on exercises and tools, Total Leadership shows leaders at every level, and at any career stage (not just executives), how to enhance their performance and satisfaction.

Children / Ages 4-8 / Social Issues

A Girl Named Dan (Picture Books) by Dandi Daley Mackall, with illustrations by Renée Graef (Sleeping Bear Press)

A Girl Named Dan is the true story of author Dandi Daley Mackall's efforts to compete in sports as an equal, prior to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. It was this 37-word law that gave girls like Dan a chance and began to break down the discriminatory gender barriers.

Ten-year-old Dandi (affectionately called ‘Dan’ by family and friends) lives and breathes baseball. She may not be a fence buster but she can ‘hit 'em where they ain't’ in the neighborhood pick-up games and the boys know she's a contender.

…Quickly changing out of her school dress, Dandi headed for the after-school pickup game. Before she could take her usual spot in the outfield, she heard, "You can't play... because you're a girl. From now on, it's boys only."

It wasn't fair, though Dandi in A Girl Named Dan. Nobody ever caught her napping in the outfield or chasing junk at the plate like some of the boys did.

Rejected, Dandi turned to her other passion – writing. And then she heard about a writing contest put on by the Kansas City A's – there was no bigger fan of the 1961 Kansas City A's, and first prize was the honor of being batboy for the real team.

Winning the essay contest to become a batboy for the Kansas City A's was all Dandi could think about, even when she learned that the officials would enforce the for-boys-only rule. There was no doubt Dandi would enter, and she carefully penned her essay, "Why I Want to be Batboy for the Kansas City A's."

Dandi’s essay wins, but her joy is short-lived….

In present time, Mackall has rebounded well from her early rejection by the A's; she is the award-winning author of over 400 books for kids and adults, with sales of 4 million in 22 countries. Mackall conducts writing workshops across the country and speaks frequently at conferences and young author events. She was an instructor at Highlights and taught novel writing for the Institute for Children's Literature. Artist Renee Graef is well known as the illustrator for the ‘Kirsten’ books in the American Girl collection.

Mackall's true-life story, A Girl Named Dan, gives voice to the spirit of all of the young women who fought for justice and equality on and off the field.

Children / Ages 9-12 / Humor

The Castaway Pirates: A Pop-Up Tale of Bad Luck, Sharp Teeth, and Stinky Toes by Ray Marshall, illustrated by Wilson Swain (Chronicle Books)

Their ship has sunk…
Their lifeboat is leaky…
And a hungry shark is circling!

In The Castaway Pirates the pirates of The Stinky Toes are in terrible trouble!

In this pop-up pirate adventure, five pirates try to avoid being eaten by a shark when their ship springs a leak. They try to plug the hole with the captain's coat and then with his rope. They will try almost anything to save themselves . . . but will they succeed? Young readers find out in this zany high-seas adventure, which features elaborate pop-ups that grow wilder as the disaster unfolds.

In the end it is their smelly feet that turn the shark away.

Each spread in The Castaway Pirates enchants with a colorful, intricate pop-up designed by master paper engineer Ray Marshall. Marshall began his paper-engineering career in 1980, and in 1985 he won England's Smarties Prize for Children's Books Award for Watch It Work: The Car. This book is his twenty-fifth book and the first one he has written. Wilson Swain, an artist since he was a child, loves creating quirky characters.

The Castaway Pirates is an innovative children’s book, which delights and enthralls from the first page to the last, growing more elaborate and laughable with each turn of the page.

Health, Mind & Body / Psychology & Counseling

Comparative Psychology: Evolution and Development of Behavior, Second Edition by Mauricio R. Papini (Psychology Press)

Thus the sum of things is ever being renewed, and mortal creatures live dependent one upon another. Some species increase, other diminish, and in a short space the generations of living creatures are changed and, like runners, pass the torch of life. – Lucretius, De rerum natura (Book II, Lines 75-79).

Standing on top of a hill and overlooking the surrounding valleys and streams, a small group of Cro-Magnon humans are planning tomorrow's hunt. Their concern is to determine when and where to attack the herd, and the solution to this problem will require some behavioral knowledge. Where would these animals be tomorrow? Can they be better approached at night? Which ones are the most vulnerable? Although imaginary, scenarios such as this one must have been common throughout much of the evolutionary history of humans, unprotected and unequipped by means other than their intelligence and social organization to face environmental challenge. – from the Introduction

Comparative Psychology, Second Edition, is directed at upper level undergraduate courses or graduate seminars. The book is a core textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in Comparative Psychology, Animal Behavior, and Evolutionary Psychology. Its main goal is to introduce students to evolutionary and developmental approaches to the study of animal behavior.

The structure of the book, written by Mauricio R. Papini, Professor of Psychology at Texas Christian University, reflects the principal areas of importance to psychology students studying animal behavior: evolution, physiological issues, learning and cognition, development, and social evolution. Throughout, Comparative Psychology includes many examples drawn from the study of human behavior, highlighting general and basic principles that apply broadly to the animal kingdom.

Papini says his goals for the first edition of this book in 2002, were "to promote original research leading to new knowledge in its area of interest and to become a source of education for itself and for the larger science within which it is inserted." For this second edition, Papini says he gets closer to the original goals, and he addresses many of the comments made by colleagues and students about the original version. This second edition is clearly in line with the previous version, but also includes several differences that make Comparative Psychology more appealing. He also adds a chapter on development and evolution and a chapter on primate evolution.

Knowledge about the behavior of animals must have had important practical implications for early humans. But this is true even today, although the actual applications may be considerably different. In our time, research on animal behavior has widespread practical implications: From the testing of drugs with medical applications, to the development of animal models for a variety of pathological conditions, animal production, the treatment of maladaptive behavior in domestic animals, the implementation of conservation efforts to preserve endangered species, and many other applications. Most contemporary researchers would agree, however, that to meet many of these practical goals it is first necessary to answer many basic ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions about animal behavior. In scientific research, answers to these questions usually lead to improved understanding of natural phenomena and to new ideas of practical importance. It is this set of basic questions about the origin and causal control of behavior that constitutes the topic of Comparative Psychology.

Psychology is one of the disciplines concerned with the study of behavior in a broad sense, from social behavior and the properties of social groups, to the physiological basis of simple motor movements. Psychologists ask many different questions about behavior and are thus forced to use a variety of research procedures to find the answers. Psychology is so broad that it is sometimes difficult to visualize connections between its many areas of inquiry. The connecting theme is behavior: What can organisms do? Why do they do it? How can they do it? Comparative Psychology concentrates on what might be called the ‘biological end’ of psychology, an area that is traditionally known as comparative psychology.

Comparative psychology is almost an interdisciplinary area by definition. It originated from the intersection of experimental psychology and evolutionary biology, in the last portion of the nineteenth century, and is presently concerned with the study of the evolution and development of behavior, using experimental and field methods of observation, and a wide range of species. The main goal of comparative psychology is to uncover common and divergent behavioral processes among species, including humans. The ‘comparative’ part addresses the assumption that this discipline will ultimately provide a better understanding of the evolutionary origins of human behavior and a clear view of the unique and common behavioral properties of our own species, relative to the rest of the animal kingdom.

Complexity is one feature that characterizes behavioral phenomena. Even a simple monosynaptic reflex involving a sensory and a motor neuron in a feed-forward circuit in which information flows in only one direction poses serious empirical and theoretical obstacles. The question of the extent of the integration among similarly simple reflexes becomes almost intractable, and the addition of systems that can influence the reflex pathway without being strictly a part of it adds even more complexity to this picture. It is probably correct to conclude that all behavior is caused by a multitude of independent and interacting factors. Such multi-causality invites interdisciplinary interaction. Fruitful interaction is often accompanied by the emergence of new theories or even the crystallization of a new area. Many examples are discussed in Comparative Psychology, including the application of adaptive functional analysis to human social behavior, the correlations between brain areas and behavioral capacities, and the application of genetic techniques to understanding behavioral development.

The quality, scope, and originality of the book are outstanding, in fact, extensive – Comparative Psychology covers several specific topics included because they are rarely addressed in similar textbooks. According to Papini, students rated the first edition of the book anywhere from one of the wonders of the universe to a confusing account of animal behavior. It has been translated into Japanese and Spanish.

Health, Mind & Body / Psychology & Counseling

Integrating the 12 Steps into Addiction Therapy: A Resource Collection and Guide for Promoting Recovery, with CD-ROM by James R. Finley (Wiley)

Millions of Americans have at some time in their lives participated in a 12-step program for treatment of a chemical or non-chemical addiction. For many people, 12-step programs have played a critical role in helping them to manage their addictive behaviors.

Clinicians recognize that these grassroots efforts have a very high cure rate. However, little has been written on how to integrate these programs into a traditional therapy setting.

Integrating the 12 Steps into Addiction Therapy serves as a resource for clinicians treating addiction patients who are simultaneously enrolled in 12-step programs. This text, written by James R. Finley, seasoned therapist, educator, and manager, specializing in addictions and group family therapy:

Contains eight lesson plans and twenty-seven assignments.
Integrates in-depth discussion of 12-step programs with hands-on resources like homework assignments, treatment plan examples, and patient handouts.
Will also benefit 12-step program peer counselors.
Includes a companion CD-ROM with fully customizable homework assignments, lesson plans, and presentations.

During the decades since the founding of AA, some clinicians have relied on 12-step programs as a cornerstone of treatment, while others have advocated other approaches and at times fiercely criticized the 12-step approach. The arguments of both sides of this debate are examined in Section I of Integrating the 12 Steps into Addiction Therapy. However, aside from the discussion of the pros and cons of AA and related programs, the context of the debate and the treatment field has shifted in the era of managed care. Treatment is expected to be briefer, less intensive, and less expensive, and aftercare is harder to find or fund. Behavior is now the primary focus of therapy, as evidenced by the common replacement of the term mental health with behavioral health.

In today's world, the 12-step model is more valuable and necessary than ever before. Consistent with the emphasis on behavioral change, one of the many slogans often used in AA and its descendant programs is "you don't think your way into right acting, you act your way into right thinking." The foundation principles of 12-step life are honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness. These are non-addictive patterns of behavior and cognitive functioning that if learned and practiced will make the addict or alcoholic more open and receptive to other treatment interventions. They will also bring improvement in other behavioral problems that accompany addiction. They are often the treatment goals when dealing with marital and family relationship dysfunction and antisocial behavior.

The intent of Integrating the 12 Steps into Addiction Therapy is to provide clear explanations and practical tools for clinicians who are considering integrating 12-step participation into their work with their clients or patients and who want to learn more. It is also for those who are already using AA or other programs as resources and who are seeking tools and resources in a ready-to-use form easily adapted to meet the needs of a particular client or situation.

Integrating the 12 Steps into Addiction Therapy is organized into three sections and two appendices. The first section contains general information and guidelines on integrating treatment with 12-step work. The second section consists of 27 therapeutic homework assignments pertaining specifically to 12-step work, and the third section contains eight lesson plans for psycho-educational groups on topics related to 12-step work in early recovery. Appendix A is a partial list of recommended books and films for professional reference, self-education, and bibliotherapy or videotherapy, and Appendix B consists of the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions with notes on adaptations made by various 12-step programs addressing different addictive problems.

Readers may use the enclosed CD-ROM to install the homework assignments and lesson plans in a directory on their computer, allowing them to customize them.

Integrating the 12 Steps into Addiction Therapy serves as an indispensable resource for clinicians treating addiction patients who are simultaneously enrolled in 12-Step programs. It gives psychologists, therapists, counselors, social workers, and clinicians the tools and resources they need to fully utilize these peer therapy program techniques in treating a wide variety of addictions. Combining an in-depth discussion of the 12-Step Way with detailed treatment resources like homework assignments and client handouts, this guide belongs on the shelf of any therapist or counselor with patients suffering from addiction.
Health, Mind & Body / Psychology & Counseling / Parenting & Families

Is Your Child Bipolar?: The Definitive Resource on How to Identify, Treat, and Thrive with a Bipolar Child by Mary Ann McDonnell & Janet Wozniak (Bantam Books)

Years – eight to ten, on average – of misdiagnosis before accurate diagnosis. Treatments that made no difference or made things worse. Parents feeling helpless, hopeless, isolated, and exhausted. Kids feeling everything, but especially frustration and failure.

Some but not all of these children and teens have bipolar disorder. Many have other brain disorders in addition to or instead of bipolar. With an accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment options, and ongoing medical care and emotional support, these children and their families can grow, learn, and thrive. – from the book

More than three million American children suffer from some form of bipolar disorder, a life-impairing illness that can cause wild mood swings and even episodes of rage. But as parents, can readers tell the difference between a temperamental, moody child and one facing serious mental illness? Where do parents turn if their child’s tantrums and meltdowns are wreaking havoc?
Health experts once thought bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, did not exist in children and teens. However, leading experts like Janet Wozniak and Mary Ann McDonnell, the authors of Is Your Child Bipolar?, have shown that the illness may appear even before age six, with many cases either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Now, in the most complete and authoritative guide yet; psychiatric nurse McDonnell, executive director of S.T.E.P. Up 4 Kids, clinical university instructor, and private practitioner in pediatric psycho-pharmacology; and Wozniak, director of Pediatric Bipolar Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and assistant professor of psychiatry there and at Harvard Medical School, offer their expertise along with the latest information on this difficult condition.
In a rapidly changing field, Is Your Child Bipolar? explains what researchers know, what they suspect, and where studies now point. Drawing from their professional experience and sharing stories of families in their practices, McDonnell and Wozniak guide readers in how to:

Navigate the ‘diagnosis tangle’ to ensure accurate identification of the disorder.
Communicate effectively with doctors, teachers, and counselors.
Find allies and choose a treatment team.
Help the family cope.

McDonnell and Wozniak understand that raising a child or teen who has bipolar is an incredibly tough job. It can be incredibly scary, too: Kids with bipolar have a greatly increased risk for substance abuse and suicide. Chaotic moods can cause severe behavior problems and disrupt every area of life. The also know that kids with bipolar are also some of the most remarkable kids one will ever meet: creative and smart, resilient and strong. To help children tap into those strengths, parents need more than an accurate diagnosis and effective medical treatment. They need solid information about pediatric bipolar disorder, including what makes bipolar in kids difficult but not impossible to identify; research-based treatment, including both medical and nondrug therapies; parenting and schooling strategies; and emergency planning. Support from other parents who share their experiences helps, too.

That's what Is Your Child Bipolar? is about. McDonnell and Wozniak have gone beyond the plain facts and figures of what researchers and mental health specialists know about pediatric bipolar disorder. Readers will find information about disorders that can mask or mimic bipolar as well as how the authors diagnose bipolar; how treatment works, with examples from real kids and their families; and ideas and strategies for school, home, and growing up. At every turn, readers will find stories from and about parents and their kids.

Highly informative and compassionate…reflects a deep understanding of the children and their families. This unique approach demystifies the disorder, eases the apprehension that parents feel, and equips them to better work with the professionals who treat and educate their children. [The] memorable concepts and metaphors [in this book]…will long remain with their readers. – Demitri F. Papolos, M.D. and Janice Papolos, authors of The Bipolar Child

The ‘voices’ of afflicted parents and children will speak powerfully to readers who seek answers to the troubling questions posed by pediatric bipolar disorder. – Mary A. Fristad, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., Professor, Psychiatry and Psychology, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Ohio State University

A practical, thoughtful book...should serve as a valuable and accessible resource to readers who are trying to understand an oftentimes very vulnerable group of children and teenagers. – Robert L. Findling, M.D., Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland

Provides essential information for the diagnosis, treatment, education, and advocacy of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder. A must-have for all family members and health providers. – Melissa Delbello, M.D., M.S., Vice-Chair for Clinical Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Is Your Child Bipolar? is the definitive resource on how to identify, treat, and live with a bipolar child. For families as well as professionals, here is the only book on early-onset bipolar disorder written by pediatric specialists who combine clinical care and research. From medication to coping strategies, this accessible book offers clear explanations, inspiration, encouragement, and invaluable wisdom for all involved.

History / Americas / Civil War

Journey Through Hallowed Ground: Birthplace of the American Ideal by Andrew Cockburn, with a foreword by Geraldine Brooks, with photography by Kenneth Garrett (National Geographic)

Along the 175-mile stretch from Monticello to Gettysburg – designated by Congress as the official ‘birthplace of America’ – intriguing details of our nation’s past emerge from every town and byway. Journey Through Hallowed Ground spotlights key places and personalities on the route, revealing insiders’ stories of early America.
The creative team on the book includes renowned author Andrew Cockburn, along with National Geographic photographer Kenneth Garrett and Pulitzer Prize winning author Geraldine Brooks. Cockburn details the development of the American character through explorations. Interwoven is the story of the nonprofit organization, The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, which is innovating sustainable economic development to support historic preservation of this corridor, as covered by the Washington Post, Smithsonian and the New York Times.

Journey Through Hallowed Ground is the official book for The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership. The book celebrates the congressionally designated ‘birthplace of America’ and spotlights the places and personalities within this corridor, revealing the personal stories of each generation of Americans who worked to create, sustain and nurture our uniquely American ideals.

"The journey from Monticello to Gettysburg can be made in a few hours, but it stretches the full length of the American experience. Ancient burial mounds, blood-soaked Civil War battlefields, the homes of iconic historic figures from James Madison to George C. Marshall, prosperous farms, and thriving Main Streets – it is all here in this 175-mile-long corridor where so much of the story of us was written," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Abraham Lincoln first used the term ‘hallowed ground’ in his Gettysburg Address, and the description is as apt now as it was for generations prior. An enduring setting for our national chronicle, the meandering stretch of land – from Pennsylvania through western Maryland, along the eastern edge of West Virginia, to Charlottesville, Va. – contains nine U.S. presidential homes, two World Heritage sites, the largest collection of Civil War battlefields, the greatest concentration of rural historic districts in America, 15 national historic landmarks and 13 national parks.

Garrett's evocative images bring the region – its past and present – to life as they explore the development of the American character through Native American burial grounds; little-known battlefields; legends of heroes, spies, and wartime romances; breathtaking secrets of the Underground Railroad; and the sagas of nine presidents who lived in the region. From Jefferson's extraordinary hilltop estate, Monticello, to dozens of decisive battlefields of the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the Civil War, this is the place where American history was made and its ideals born.

This extraordinary tract of land set the stage for our national chronicle and served as backdrop to transformational American events, such as Captain John Smith's adventures in Monacan territory in the early 1600s and Gen. George Pickett's gallant, doomed charge at Gettysburg in 1863. It has given us Founding Fathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson; heroic figures like Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross; and models of dignity such as Gen. Robert E. Lee, who fought for his native South despite his stand against slavery. Its maps are a catalog of historical sites, from key battlefields of the American Revolution and the Civil War to the first U.S. meeting site of W. E. B. Du Bois's Niagara Movement.

Citizens as well as foreign visitors to America's cradle of liberty will find their journey enhanced by keeping this handsome and perceptive book near at hand. – Ron Maxwell, writer-director of the movies Gettysburg and Gods and Generals

Journey Through Hallowed Ground traverses some of the most picturesque – and certainly some of the most historic – acreage in this country. The land itself is steeped in the stories of untold thousands of Americans. To take the Journey is to trace the very soul of our nation, from its founding and framing to its testing in the heat of battle.
The Civil War Preservation Trust is proud to be a member of this unique partnership. – James Lighthizer, President, Civil War Preservation Trust

On every page, this book evokes the beauty of America's hallowed ground. In a rich tapestry of images and words, it weaves a powerful history that stretches for centuries – across the most dramatic events this country has known. This book is a gift to everyone who cares about this nation and its past. – Edward Ayers, National BookAward and Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Promise of the New South: Life After Reconstruction

There is no place in our country more saturated with history than the region celebrated in this fascinating book. With informative text, superb photography, and an evocative selection of artifacts, this book summons up each era of the American experience as it was lived in the realm where it first took root. Illustrated with dozens of stunning modern photographs as well as evocative artifacts that summon earlier eras and aspirations, Journey Through Hallowed Ground is a book to delight travelers, U.S. history buffs, and anyone else who seeks to capture the enduring spirit and tradition of this hallowed ground.

History / Americas / Military

George Washington's Secret Navy: How the American Revolution Went to Sea by James L. Nelson (McGraw-Hill Professional)

From the author of the critically acclaimed Benedict Arnold's Navy, here is the story of how America's first commander-in-chief – whose previous military experience had been entirely on land – nursed the fledgling American Revolution through a season of stalemate by sending troops to sea. Mining previously overlooked sources, James L. Nelson's narrative in George Washington's Secret Navy shows that George Washington deliberately withheld knowledge of his tiny navy from the Continental Congress for more than two critical months, and that he did so precisely because he knew Congress would not approve. Nelson introduces us to another side of a general known for his unprecedented respect for civilian authority. Here we meet a man whose singular act of independence helped keep the Revolution alive in 1775.

In July 1775, in his first inspection of the American encampment on the outskirts of Boston, the Continental Army's newly arrived commander-in-chief noted its haphazard design and shabby construction – clearly the work of men unprepared to face the world's most powerful fighting force. Washington had inherited not only an army of woefully untrained and ill-equipped soldiers, but a daunting military prospect as well. To the east he could see the enemy's heavily fortified positions on Bunker Hill and a formidable naval presence on the river beyond. British-occupied Boston was defended by impressive redoubts that would easily repel any American assault, and Boston Harbor bristled with the masts of merchant ships delivering food, clothing, arms, ammunition, and other necessities to the British. Washington knew that the king's troops had all the arms and gunpowder they could want, whereas his own army lacked enough powder for even one hour of major combat. The Americans were in danger of losing a war before it had truly begun.

According to George Washington's Secret Navy, despite his complete lack of naval experience, Washington recognized that harassing British merchant ships was his only means of carrying the fight to the enemy and sustaining an otherwise unsustainable stalemate. But he also knew that many in Congress still hoped for reconciliation with England, and in that climate Congressional approval for naval action was out of the question.

Creating a navy was a tacit declaration of sovereignty at a time when only the most radical in Congress, such as John and Sam Adams, were willing to go that far. Knowing Congress would not approve a navy, and knowing that one was absolutely necessary, Washington ordered ships to be armed and sent out on the high seas. And no one, not even many in his inner circle, knew what he was doing. So, without notifying Congress and with no real authority to do so, the general began arming small merchant schooners and sending them to sea to hunt down British transports ‘in the Service of the ministerial Army.’

George Washington's Secret Navy looks not just at the political and military drama surrounding Washington's ships, but also sets his fleet in context, assessing the fighting at sea, including the audacious capture of a British man-of-war by the civilians at Machias, Maine, and the burning of Falmouth (Portland) in response. The book also examines the loud and acrimonious debate in the Continental Congress as to whether there should be a navy at all, a debate that took place even as Washington was fitting out his fleet.

Considerable thought is given to the British perspective as well, the brutal, starving condition of the soldiers and civilians in Boston, the difficulty of determining how vigorously to prosecute the war with little input from London.

From the burning of the schooner Gaspe considered by England to be the most outrageous and unforgivable acts committed by the Colonies, to the naval bombardment and resulting total destruction of Falmouth, Massachusetts – to Washington's repeated pleas to Congress to launch an attack upon the enemy – from the halls of Congress in Philadelphia to the front lines in Boston and the deadly fighting on the high seas, George Washington's Secret Navy provides an invaluable historical look at a true hero and the men he led.

Mr. Nelson has taken an episode that occupies no more than a few paragraphs in other histories of the Revolution and, with convincing research and vivid narrative style, turned it into an important, marvelously readable book. – Thomas Fleming, author of The Perils of Peace: America's Struggle to Survive after Yorktown

A gripping and fascinating book about the daring and heroic mariners who helped George Washington change the course of history and create a nation. Nelson wonderfully brings to life a largely forgotten but critically important piece of America's past. – Eric Jay Dolin, author of Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America

The political machinations are as exciting as the blood-stirring ship actions in this meticulously researched story of the shadowy beginnings of American might on the seas. – John Druett, author of Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World

James Nelson is not the first historian to reveal this little-known albeit incredibly important aspect of our Revolution, but no one has done it more thoroughly or with greater literary grace. – William M. Fowler, author of Empires at War

Exhaustively researched from letters, diaries, military reports and other primary sources, Nelson provides an immediate, often gritty, almost play-by-play feel as the early skirmishing erupts into full-on revolution, with Washington at the center of the gathering storm. Nelson's gifts as a writer shine in George Washington's Secret Navy, and he brings immediacy to his descriptions of the ships, the sailors, the soldiers, civilians, and the sea and land that form the basis of this swiftly moving narrative. He also brings fresh insights to the influential decisions of Washington, John Adams, British General Thomas Gage, as well as King George and his cabinet, the many people, famous or now forgotten, who played a part in the creation of Washington's secret navy.

History / Americas / Women’s Studies

One Step over the Line: Toward a History of Women in the North American Wests edited by Elizabeth Jameson & Sheila McManus (University of Alberta Press)

We are stepping into unfamiliar territory.

This unfamiliar territory is the borderlands of women's histories traversing the American and Canadian Wests. Under the editorship of Elizabeth Jameson and Sheila McManus specialists in women's history, settler societies, colonialism, storytelling, education, and native and borderlands studies pool their distinct contributions in One Step over the Line, and forge the first comparative, transnational collection of its kind.

We cannot build bridges across unmapped divides.

One Step over the Line is not only the map; it is the bridgework to span the transnational, gendered divide.

Jameson holds the Imperial Oil-Lincoln McKay Chair in American Studies at the University of Calgary and was co-chair of the "Unsettled Pasts" conference organizing committee, and McManus is Associate Professor of History at the University of Lethbridge. Contributors include: Susan Armitage, Jean Barman, Nora Faires, Cheryl Foggo, Margaret D. Jacobs, Elizabeth Jameson, Joan M. Jensen, Cynthia Loch-Drake, Sheila McManus, Laurie Mercier, Mary Murphy, Helen Raptis, Molly P. Rozum, Char Smith, Sylvia Van Kirk, and Margaret Wilson.

One Step over the Line is one product of the conference, "Unsettled Pasts: Reconceiving the West through Women's History." Held at the University of Calgary in June 2002, "Unsettled Pasts" was the largest conference yet devoted to the history of women in western Canada, and the first major conference to emphasize comparative and transborder histories of women in the Canadian and U.S. Wests. The conference sparked new comparisons and collaborations, and it generated two anthologies. The first volume, Unsettled Pasts: Reconceiving the West through Women's History, edited by Sarah Carter, Lesley Erickson, Patricia Roome, and Char Smith, focuses on the Canadian prairie provinces and British Columbia. That book was inspired, as was the conference, by the desire to represent women's histories during the 2005 centennials of Alberta and Saskatchewan. This volume is inspired by a second goal of the "Unsettled Pasts" conference: to generate conversations that link and compare the histories of the women of western North America and the women whose journeys crossed the borderlands of the Canadian and American Wests.

The sixteen articles in One Step over the Line are arranged topically to suggest connections and comparisons among the experiences of women in the western United States and Canada. Eight of the authors are American, seven are Canadian, and one is British. They include a number of ‘founding mothers’ of western women's history, a number of young scholars in the early stages of their careers, and all the academic generations in between. The editors carried this cross-generational conversation forward as they collaborated to edit this volume. Seven of the articles are about women who emigrated from one country to the other, or compare women of the two nations. Histories that cross national borders are still too rare, largely because most historians have been trained as historians of particular nations. The editors in this volume suggest the promise of comparative and transnational approaches both through the essays that explicitly employ these perspectives, and by grouping articles topically to suggest comparisons and the potential of comparative and transnational frameworks. The articles, and the topical pairings, explore the meanings of place and nation in women's histories, adding further depth and complexity to the new scholarship on western women in Canada and the United States.

According to Jameson and McManus, borders and regions operate differently in our histories. U.S. historians have paid more attention to the border with Mexico than to the Canadian border, and a whole school of history has explored those borderlands since the 1920s. In popular U.S. imagination, the border between Mexico and the United States separates Americans from darker and poorer people who speak a different language; it appears as a line of cultural and social demarcation that coincides with national sovereignty. In Canada, the U.S. border has marked national identity in similar ways, functioning as a barrier against U.S. cultural and economic hegemony, separating Canada and Canadian culture from the United States.

As told in One Step over the Line, the border between Canada and the United States was mapped in several different stages, and then established through practice. Thomas Jefferson originally suggested the 49th parallel as a northern boundary of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1818, the United States negotiated with Britain to establish the northern border at 49º degrees north latitude as far west as the crest of the Rocky Mountains. West of there, however, the Oregon Country stretched from the northern border of Spanish/Mexican California to the southern border of Russian Alaska at 54 degrees 40º north′ latitude. Britain and the United States agreed not to dispute the ownership of this vast territory, but to share ‘joint occupation’ and defer drawing its boundaries.

In a messy stroke of timing, the question of who owned Oregon resurfaced just before the United States entered a war with Mexico in 1846. The question was particularly messy because by the 1840s the Pacific Northwest had become a complicated meeting ground. The joint occupation had seemed a good idea at first because almost no Europeans lived in Oregon Country anyway. But traders, missionaries, and farmers soon eyed the territory. Home to many different native cultures, Oregon Country became the westernmost outpost of the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) fur trade empire. Rival traders from the United States also moved into the region. The first American missionaries arrived in the 1830s, and then, in the early 1840s, Americans began heading west on the Oregon Trail to claim fertile agricultural land in Oregon.

American expansionists advocated establishing the border at 54º40′ north latitude. Chanting ‘Fifty-four Forty or Fight,’ they elected James K. Polk president in 1844, and the new president quickly notified Britain that he would not extend the joint occupation of Oregon country. But despite his supporters' slogans, Polk could not fight a war on two fronts, and so, as he prepared for war with Mexico, he quietly began diplomatic negotiations with Britain. In June 1846, the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Oregon establishing the border west of the summit of the Rocky Mountains at the 49th parallel, with a jog around the tip of Vancouver Island to place it under British sovereignty.

The lines that divide nations raise questions central to One Step over the Line. How do people's individual histories, or the histories of daily social life, connect with the histories of nation states? How do we link the histories of nations to the histories of cross-border migrations, to the people and economies and ecologies that traverse national borders? How do we respect the differences inscribed in national and social boundaries, yet challenge the inequalities of power and privilege they also erect? Crossing the boundaries of the national histories we know, like crossing social or class or racial boundaries, involves entering unfamiliar territory where all sorts of assumptions may be challenged, including unexamined assumptions about gender, history, and the nations to which we offer allegiance. Choosing to step across those lines means giving up the power of the familiar.

The "Unsettled Pasts" conference, and the articles that appear in One Step over the Line, build on a generation of scholarship that questioned the categories and assumptions that wrote women out of history. Those assumptions privileged elections and warfare over grassroots activism, public affairs over daily experience, powerful individuals over ‘ordinary’ people. History as a professional discipline developed with the rise of the nation state, and until quite recently historians assumed that nations were the primary and proper subjects of history.

Jameson and McManus emphasize that all of the categories of analysis used in this volume are historically constructed. Gender, race, class, and nations themselves have been understood and created in specific ways in different times and places. They all involve social relationships, among women and men, people who look different to one another, among citizens of the same country, among people with unequal access to resources and to power. As with all relationships, the behaviors of the participants change what happens, and what it means.

One Step over the Line reflects the state of a field in its infancy, and its silences and omissions may be read as calls for future research and scholarship. No articles follow the histories of First Nations or Indian women much beyond the fur trade. The racial and cultural diversity of neither West is fully represented in these pages. There is no attention to twentieth-century migrations, to the differences in immigration policies and foreign policies that attracted immigrants from the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, India, China, Vietnam, Chile, Mexico, El Salvador, Lebanon, or Iraq – to name some of the origins of recent immigrants – to either the Canadian or U.S. Wests. Nor is there sufficient attention paid to what the West offered women of different sexualities, or about relationships among women of different classes and cultures. There is much more to be done. Jameson and McManus see the need to incorporate the histories of native women throughout historical narratives, so that they do not appear as barriers to be overcome by colonial expansion who then fade from the narrative. We need to envision the history of social relationships always from the multiple perspectives of the people who enacted them.

International migrations, differences in local economies, class and race, gender and nationality – all this complexity makes the history of the North American West much richer, much messier, and much more interesting. We have only just begun to consider what regions themselves might mean when constructed from women's particular perspectives, and what national identity meant for all the various women who settled the U.S. and Canadian Wests. Did the West look different viewed from a sod house or earth lodge than it did astride a hunter's horse, or behind a plow? Did it look different from the perspectives of a miner toiling underground and the boarding house keeper who prepared his lunch bucket? What do the West Coast and the Great Plains have in common? What social boundaries, what geographies might map different people's Wests?

These are huge questions and One Step over the Line does not pretend to answer them. Jameson and McManus do, however, map some of the lines that have distinguished women's lives throughout western North America and some of the territory that some women shared. They chronicle some of the stories of how women helped draw the lines that divide people and nations, and initiated other efforts to bridge them.

The articles address a series of topics. They begin with two essays by the editors of One Step over the Line that frame some of the challenges and promises of transborder histories. In Section Two, two ‘founding mothers’ of western women's history, Susan Armitage and Sylvia Van Kirk, imagine how the history of one transnational region, encompassing the states of Oregon and Washington and the province of British Columbia, might be written from the perspectives of gender and race. In Section Three, Jean Barman, Molly Rozum, and Joan Jensen address how the stories of individual western women are embedded in particular western places, and how their stories in turn might alter the stories of their Wests. In Section Four, Helen Raptis and Margaret Jacobs explore how women educators worked to push the boundaries of race, using one of the few accepted professions for women as an arena for social activism. In Section Five, Char Smith, Nora Faires, and Cheryl Foggo explore the very different experiences of three very different groups of women who immigrated across the 49th parallel: prostitutes, wealthy American women of Calgary's business elite, and African Canadians.

Next, in Section Six, Laurie Mercier and Cynthia Loch-Drake explore class through the experiences of women who were involved, as workers and as wives, with the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, a union that played a significant role in both Canada and the United States. Finally, in Section Seven, professors Margaret Walsh and Mary Murphy discuss the challenges they have faced and the strategies they have employed in England and the United States to teach the comparative history of women in the Canadian and U.S. Wests. Each section is preceded by a brief introduction that suggests conceptual and comparative issues.

This is a compelling book for any serious student of immigration because it tells the story of Mexican indigenous women, examines a woman's right to abortion from a transborder context, and presents information on border women's political participation and the formation of nongovernmental organizations serving women. – Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences

Sixteen essays from the "Unsettled Pasts" conference at the University of Calgary comprise this foundational text. One Step over the Line takes a significant first step toward framing important questions and comparisons; it is the bridgework to span the transnational, gendered divide. Or one could say it is the first step across the line that has divided the histories of women in the Canadian and U.S. Wests, a giant step to begin exploring what links and separates our histories, as women of different races, sexualities, classes, and backgrounds; as Canadians and Americans. The book is a must for readers who have been searching for a wide, inclusive perspective on our western past.

One Step over the Line is a volume in The West Unbound: Social and Cultural Studies series, under the general editorship of Alvin Finkel and Sarah Carter.

History / Europe / Military / Ancient

Alexander the Great at War: His Army – His Battles – His Enemies Ruth Sheppard (General Military Series: Osprey Publishing)

Possibly the most famous commander in history, Alexander the Great never ceases to fascinate. As told in Alexander the Great at War, he was only 20 when he began his rule, but had already begun to show the military genius that would win him victories against the mighty Persian Empire.

Alexander was arguably the greatest military commander ever. Upon the assassination of his father King Philip II of Macedon in the summer of 336 BC, he took over the reins of power of a now united Greece. Two years later he led his combined Macedonian and Greek army into Asia and began the greatest military conquest in world history. In eleven short years and an extraordinary sequence of marches, battles and sieges, he overcame the might of the Persian Empire and campaigned across deserts, plains and forests as far as the Indian subcontinent to become master of most of the known world, at least on the battlefield.
In an epic campaign lasting 11 years he traveled thousands of miles through deserts, plains and forests, fought huge battles, and besieged many cities to become the master of a massive empire stretching from Greece to India. He died prematurely in Babylon at the age of 32, and no man could hold together the empire he had created. A god in his lifetime, his name is still world-famous millennia after his death.

Alexander the Great at War examines all of Alexander's incredible campaigns, describing in detail his armies and the armies he defeated as he created his enormous empire, and explains the extraordinary generalship and tactics that won him his victories. Fully illustrated, Alexander the Great at War covers the development of his army, all his campaigns and battles, and the world in which he lived. Numerous maps and photographs, and full-color artwork reconstructions and 3-D ‘bird's-eye views’ of battles combine with text to relive one of history's most epic military adventures.
Author Ruth Sheppard works on various titles out of her editorial office at Osprey, where she has edited many titles and written two, the first being Empires Collide: The French and Indian War 1754-63.

The richly illustrative and authoritative Alexander the Great at War examines Alexander's campaigns in detail. His victories and the tactics that ensured them are explained and described with the help of maps, illustrations and reconstructions to bring the epic career of one of the world's greatest generals to life.

Home & Garden / Animal Care & Pets / Sports / Disaster Relief

Horses of the Storm: The Incredible Rescue of Katrina's Horses by Ky Evan Mortensen (Eclipse Press)

On Saturday evening, September 4, 2005, I sat in a small conference room in the equine veterinary hospital at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Six days earlier, Katrina had hit the Louisiana coast. What had once been a quiet veterinary school, gently nestled against the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, had been transformed almost overnight into a full-scale emergency response unit. … I sat with other faculty and staff taking call after call from frantic horse owners in the southeastern regions of Louisiana pleading for help. They asked for information, for direction, for updates on flood levels, and for access into storm-affected areas. But mostly, they asked for someone to venture into Hurricane Katrina's aftermath to try to find or check on their animals. That someone was us.

We took on the task willingly, trudging through the sludge, and enduring the chaos, the contamination, the devastation, and deluge to try to locate these missing animals and provide them with shelter and care until their owners could return for them.

This is the story of how our team from LSU's School of Veterinary Medicine and countless volunteers, through a collective effort, managed to save the lives of horses and other equids, as well as dogs, cats, goats, potbellied pigs, exotic birds, wildlife, and even a few pet iguanas after a hurricane that caused more devastation and despair than any other natural disaster in the modern history of the United States. – from the Introduction

On August 29, 2005, the United States suffered one of the nation's worst natural disasters when Hurricane Katrina slammed into southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Various accounts placed the eventual death toll at more than 1,800 and property damage at more than $81 billion.

"...The unknown is a dangerous thing and can be incredibly fearsome ... One thing was certain – humans were being evacuated and animals were not. So what would happen to the animals? ..."

In the midst of the uncertainty and chaos was born the largest equine rescue ever. Horses of the Storm, written by Ky Mortensen, Director of Advancement for the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, is the first-hand account of how the Louisiana State University's Equine Rescue Team spearheaded a dedicated team of heroic staff and volunteers and saved hundreds of horses and other animals in southern Louisiana from the devastation following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

In addition to the collection of essays, Horses of the Storm contains a disaster-preparedness guide for horse owners. Among the lessons learned, according to Mortensen, are dedication, coordination, flexibility, staying positive and being prepared. He outlines how to be prepared. For those organizing emergency response activities, volunteers can help through the most difficult times with extra hands, extra vehicles, and much needed supplies, but it is the responsibility of state and community planning agencies both to understand that volunteer training is needed and to deliver it.

Horses of the Storm gives a great accounting of events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. Our hats are off to the thousands of volunteers that came to the aid of the horse population in the affected areas. This book chronicles those events and tells a great story. – David Foley, executive director, American Association of Equine Practitioners

Horses of the Storm chronicles heroic equine efforts in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The book is a collection of gripping – and ultimately inspiring – first-hand accounts of dramatic rescues, failed attempts, and joyful reunions. It is important that these stories be recorded, and it is also important to detail the lessons learned, so that readers will be better prepared to ensure the well-being of their animals both during and prior to the next hurricane, wildfire, flood, or other disaster.

Home & Garden / Crafts & Hobbies

Sew Pretty Homestyle: Over 25 Irresistible Projects to Fall in Love With by Tone Finnanger (David & Charles)

‘Sweet’ is the word to describe this collection. Hearts abound.

Readers are encouraged to make their house a home with this selection of hand-sewn accessories. In Sew Pretty Homestyle, they learn to create accessories to enhance their home using simple but effective techniques. The book contains over 35 projects, each with step-by-step instructions and templates. A subtle color palette and romantic designs combine to create this collection. Easy-to-follow instructions, with color photos and illustrations accompany each project. The book contains

Projects – from cozy cushions and slippers to bags and quirky soft toys.
Homestyle ideas for every room include the kitchen, bathroom, children's bedrooms and even the garden.
Step-by-step instructions and actual-size templates.

With Sew Pretty Homestyle author Tone Finnanger says she hopes to make sure that readers won't run out of ideas in the near future, and that they will enjoy the company of the book in their armchair on rainy days. Readers will find a wide range of ideas for figures like house angels, stumpy-legged dogs, cute cats, happy horses and good-natured teddy bears. The various projects often pop up in new guises in different rooms, especially the hearts.

Contents include:

The Basics – Fabrics and Materials, Techniques, Embroidery and Stitching, Wrong Side Appliqués, Quilting, Transferring Patterns, Scallop Borders, Stuffed Figures, Faces, Fancy Hairdos
The Entrance Hall – Floor Mats, Slippers, Hearts, Bags, Dogs
The Kitchen – Cats, Fragrant Strawberries, ‘Belles Tentations’ Tapestry
The Dining Room - Cafetière Cosy, Table Mats, Chair Cushions
The Living Room – ‘My House’ Tapestry, Angels
The Conservatory – Pears, Roses, Horses, Garden Angels
The Hobby Room – Pin Cushions on Wooden Rings, Needle Case, Small Button Bags, Fabric Boxes, Fabric Tags
The Bathroom – Pompadour, Make-Up Bag, ‘Rose Water’ Tapestry, Small Wall Pouches, Dressing Gown Angels
The Bedroom – Hot Water Bottle, Cover Sleeping Masks, Leaf Wall Pouches
The Children's Room – Teddy Bears, Strawberry Cushions

The book also includes addresses to help readers obtain materials and full-size patterns.

The color palette and lovable designs combine to create a fresh and fun collection. Easy-to-follow instructions, gorgeous color photos and delightful illustrations accompany projects, and Sew Pretty Homestyle has a project to suit just about everyone's taste. Full size templates also go a long way toward ensuring good results.

Literature & Fiction / Historical

The Religion: A Novel by Tim Willocks (Tannhauser Trilogy: Tor Books)

Tim Willocks’ highly acclaimed epic tale, published in hardcover last year, is now available – in mass market paperback. Readers are warned to brace themselves for The Religion, Willocks' swashbuckling tale of romance, adventure, and religious conflict on the island of Malta during the 16th century.

It is May 1565.

Suleiman the Magnificent, emperor of the Ottomans, has declared a jihad against the Knights of Saint John the Baptist. The largest armada of all time approaches the Knights’ Christian stronghold on the island of Malta. The Turks know the Knights as the ‘The Hounds of Hell.’ The Knights call themselves ‘The Religion.’

In Messina, Sicily, a French countess, Carla la Penautier, seeks a passage to Malta in a quest to find the bastard son taken from her at his birth twelve years ago. The only man with the expertise and daring to help her is a Rabelaisian soldier of fortune, arms dealer, former janissary, and strapping Saxon adventurer by the name of Mattias Tannhauser, the son of a blacksmith. Young Tannhauser had been kidnapped by Muslim raiders and trained as a holy warrior before winning his release and settling in Sicily, where he becomes a prosperous arms dealer.

Tannhauser agrees to accompany the lady to Malta, where, amidst the most spectacular siege in military history, they must try to find the boy – whose name they do not know and whose face they have never seen – and pluck him from the jaws of Holy War.

Arriving on Malta, where Carla believes her son is, Tannhauser and Carla get caught in the Turkish attack on the Christian enclave. Meanwhile, Orlandu's father, Ludovico Ludovici, a monk and feared inquisitor, has returned to Malta with hopes of bringing Malta under papal control. Tannhauser has to find Orlandu, unmask the scheming and unscrupulous Ludovici, survive vicious combat against the Turks, win Carla's heart and find a way to escape the ‘island of fanatics and fools.’

The Religion transports readers from the mountains of Germany to the coast of Sicily; from the inner chambers of the Vatican to the frontlines of a holy war; from the noble hearts of men to souls gripped by vice; from the caresses of love to the harsh realities of violence and betrayal.

Author Willocks is a novelist and filmmaker. He is the author of the novels Bad City Blues, Blood-Stained Kings, and Green River Rising, which has been translated into fifteen languages. Willocks holds a degree in surgery and practiced psychiatry and addiction medicine until 2003. He also spent ten years writing screenplays and producing films in Hollywood.

Willocks has created a dazzling hero whose debut will leave readers eager for the next installment. – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The first in a projected trilogy, The Religion stirred excitement in some critics and distaste in others. Tim Willocks writes with visual detail (he's a screenwriter), but he also appeals to the other senses, creating what the Chicago Sun-Times described as "a thick stew of smells, colors, and sounds…. Fans of swashbuckling adventures will enjoy this work and undoubtedly overlook the book's flaws. But the novel is not for the faint at heart: all reviewers mentioned the blood and gore in every battle scene. – Bookmarks Magazine

Some of history's most savage wars have been waged in the name of religion, and Willocks sets his sprawling novel in the midst of a nasty one: the sixteenth-century siege, by Turkish forces, of the Maltese stronghold of the Knights of Saint John the Baptist. … Readers of unsubtle historical fiction will be hooked, and big publisher publicity stands behind the book, which usually translates as demand at the circulation desk. – Brad Hooper, Booklist
This sprawling epic brims with religious passions, political intrigue and steamy romance. A thrilling plot. – Library Journal (starred review)

A robust tale that entertains and informs about the 16th century clash between Islam and Christianity. Think Kingdom of Heaven with more IQ points, history and narrative zip. – USA Today

Stone walls crumble, war machines rumble, bodies fill the ditches, and once in a while there’s some terrific sex. A long, bloody, vastly entertaining story. – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A rollicking story. – Entertainment Weekly

This is what readers dream of – to be so swept away by a book that it leaves them breathless. The Religion is Book One of the Tannhauser Trilogy, and from the first page of this epic account of the last great medieval conflict between East and West, it is clear readers are in the hands of a master. There is something for everyone in The Religion. There is a thrilling plot, polished dialogue, and a satisfying denouement. There are historically accurate battle scenes and intriguing glimpses of romantic love. Not since James Clavell has a novelist so powerfully and assuredly plunged readers headlong into another time. Bloody; not for the faint of heart.

Medicine / Pharmacology

Pharmacotherapy Casebook: A Patient-Focused Approach, 6th Edition edited by Terry L. Schwinghammer (McGraw Hill Medical)

The purpose of the Pharmacotherapy Casebook is to help students in the health professions develop the skills required to identify and resolve drug therapy problems through the use of patient case studies. Case studies actively involve students in the learning process, engender self-confidence, and promote the development of skills in independent self-study, problem analysis, decision making, oral communication, and teamwork. Patient studies can also be used as the focal point of discussions about pathophysiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology; and pharmacotherapeutics individual diseases. By integrating the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences with pharmacotherapeutics, case studies help students appreciate the relevance and importance of a sound scientific foundation in preparation for practice.

Cases, organized by organ system, correspond directly to the text Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach, 6th Edition, and range from simple (a single disease state) to complex (multiple disease states and drug-related problems). Most cases have been substantially altered in this edition and new disorders and an appendix have been added.
The book is edited by Terry L. Schwinghammer, PharmD, FCCP, FASHP, BCPS, Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and clinical specialist in ambulatory care at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Cases have been provided by 183 clinicians from 82 different schools of pharmacy, health-care systems, and other institutions in the United States and Canada.

Pharmacotherapy Casebook fosters problem-solving skills. The book features 153 patient cases that help students identify and resolve drug therapy problems. Other features of the casebook include:

New disorders in this edition – influenza prevention and treatment, infections in immuno-compromised patients, and chemical exposure and emergency preparedness.
New appendix contains useful information on pharmacy and mathematical conversion factors and anthropometrics.
Realistic patient presentations include medical history, physical examination, and laboratory data followed by a series of questions using a systematic, problem-solving approach.
Integrates the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences with therapeutics.
Demonstrates the relevance and importance of a sound scientific foundation for pharmacy practice.

The patient cases in Pharmacotherapy Casebook are intended to complement the scientific information presented in the 6th Edition of the textbook. This edition of the casebook contains 33 more unique patient cases than the first edition. Students read the relevant textbook chapter to become familiar with the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of each disease state before attempting to make ‘decisions’ about the care of patients described in this casebook. By using these realistic cases to practice creating, defending, and implementing pharmaceutical care plans, students begin to develop the skills and self-confidence that will be necessary to make the real decisions required in professional practice.

The cases vary in the knowledge and experience required to answer the questions associated with each patient presentation. Some cases deal with a single disease state, whereas others have multiple diseases and drug-related problems. As a guide for instructors, each case is identified as being one of three complexity levels.

The sixth edition of Pharmacotherapy Casebook has five introductory chapters:

Chapter 1 describes the format of case presentations and the means by which students and instructors can maximize the usefulness of the casebook. A systematic approach is consistently applied to each case.

In Chapter 2, the philosophy and implementation of active learning strategies is presented. This chapter sets the tone for the casebook by describing how these approaches can enhance student learning. The chapter offers a number of useful active learning strategies for instructors and provides advice to students on how to maximize their learning opportunities in active learning environments.

Chapter 3 presents an efficient method of patient counseling developed by the Indian Health Service. The information can be used as the basis for simulated counseling sessions related to the patient cases.

Chapter 4 describes the patient care process and delineates the steps necessary to create care plans that can help to ensure that the drug-related needs of patients are met. A blank care plan form is included at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 5 describes two methods for documenting clinical interventions and communicating recommendations to other health care providers. These include the traditional SOAP note and the more pharmacy-specific FARM note. Student preparation of SOAP or FARM notes for the patient cases in this book will be excellent practice for future documentation in actual patient records.

Pharmacotherapy Casebook is the most trusted source in the field. This casebook is an essential companion to DiPiro, Talbert, Matzke, Yee, Wells and Posey: Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach, 6th Edition, providing students in pharmacotherapy, through realistic case studies, with practice in analyzing problems and making decisions. Previous editions of the casebook have received broad acceptance, and it has been adopted by many schools of pharmacy and nurse practitioner programs, and used in institutional staff development efforts and by individual pharmacists wishing to upgrade their pharmaceutical care skills. This new edition will be even more valuable in assisting health care practitioners to meet society's need for safe and effective drug therapy.

Medicine / Reference

The Clinical Orthopedic Assessment Guide, 2nd Edition by Janice K. Loudon, Marcie Swift & Stephania Bell (Human Kinetics)

The Clinical Orthopedic Assessment Guide, Second Edition, is the reference for comprehensive patient assessment. Conveniently packaged, it provides techniques for accurate patient assessment and functional information about normal and abnormal static and dynamic motions. Like the previous edition, the second edition takes a regional approach but now also includes material on the upper cervical spine, pelvis, and sacroiliac joint and information on the assessment of peripheral nerve injury and treatment techniques, i.e., adverse neurodynamics.

This second edition has been reformatted to a smaller size, with streamlined content and lay-flat binding making it more practical. The overall design and layout have been overhauled. Almost all illustrations have been converted to photos, and the quantity of photos has increased significantly. For clarity, many of the photos are enhanced with arrows showing direction of movement or highlighting specific elements. For easy recognition, special symbols have been added to the top of test and measurement pages so information can be located with a quick flip through the pages.

The streamlined organization of The Clinical Orthopedic Assessment Guide, Second Edition, makes it easier for users to find the information they need. The book flows through a presentation of clinical assessments and functional tests, including 40 new tests that were not included in the first edition, a section on gait and posture, and a new section on adverse neurodynamics. The regional sections are further broken down into specific joints, and each joint-specific chapter follows a common layout:

A description of joint basics, arthrokinematics, and neurology.
Surface palpation, muscle origin and insertion, and muscle action and innervation.
Subjective and objective examination sequences.
Clinical syndrome tables to assist with musculoskeletal differential diagnosis.

A suggested examination sequence for the history and test and measures is provided for each peripheral and spinal joint. Many of the tests are accompanied with sensitivity and specificity values to help determine test utility.
The book is written by Janice Loudon, PhD, associate professor in the department of physical therapy and rehabilitation science; Stephania Bell, MS, PT, clinical assistant professor in physical therapy education; and Marcie Swift, PhD, clinical assistant professor in the department of physical therapy and rehabilitation sciences, all at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.

Essential information regarding regional assessments and whole-body mechanical functions is at readers’ fingertips with The Clinical Orthopedic Assessment Guide, Second Edition. The book is a thorough reference, conveniently packaged, for orthopedic clinicians who use manual therapy techniques in patient assessment. The changes to overall design and layout make this resource more user friendly and visually appealing. A more compact size makes it easier to transport or attach to a clipboard.

Mysteries & Thrillers

The Writing Class: A Novel by Jincy Willett (Thomas Dunne Books)

Willett’s prose has sparkling moments and the tension is so strong that readers can hardly resist the temptation to peek ahead and see which student is the killer. – Publishers Weekly

Following on the success of her highly praised, audaciously titled novel, Winner of the National Book Award, Jincy Willett once again delivers a darkly comic treat for readers with The Writing Class, her tale of a university extension writing class with a deadly twist.

The story is recounted from the wry perspective of Amy Gallup. Amy is gifted, perhaps too gifted for her own good. Published at only twenty-two, she peaked early and found critical but not commercial success. Now her former life is gone, along with her writing career and beloved husband. A reclusive and insomniac widow, her sole companion a dour, flatulent basset hound who barely tolerates her, her daily mantra Kill Me Now, she is a loner afraid to be alone. Her only bright spot each week is the writing class that she teaches at the university extension.
This semester’s class in The Writing Class is full of the usual suspects: the doctor who wants to be the next Robin Cook, the overly enthusiastic repeat student, the slacker, the unassuming student with the hidden talent, the prankster, the know-it-all…. Amy’s seen them all before. But something is different about this class – and the clues begin with a scary phone call in the middle of the night and obscene threats instead of peer evaluations on student writing assignments. Amy soon realizes that one of her students is a very sick puppy, and when a member of the class is murdered, everyone becomes a suspect. As she dissects each student’s writing for clues, Amy must enlist the help of everyone in her class, including the murderer, to find the killer among them.

Suspenseful, witty, brilliantly written, unexpectedly hilarious, and a joy from start to finish, The Writing Class is a one-of-a-kind novel that rivals Willett’s previous masterpieces.

Mysteries & Thrillers / Historical

The Spies of Warsaw: A Novel by Alan Furst (Random House)

The Spies of Warsaw: A Novel by Alan Furst, 9 CDs, unabridged: running time ~10 hours (Simon & Schuster Audio)

…the greatest living writer of espionage fiction. – Houston Chronicle

War is coming to Europe.

An autumn evening in 1937.

A German engineer arrives at the Warsaw railway station. Tonight, he will be with his Polish mistress; tomorrow, at a workers’ bar in the city’s factory district, he will meet with the military attaché from the French embassy. Information will be exchanged for money. So begins The Spies of Warsaw, the latest novel by Alan Furst, lauded by the New York Times as ‘America’s preeminent spy novelist.’ Furst has been translated into seventeen languages, he is the bestselling author of Night Soldiers, Dark Star, The Polish Officer, The World at Night, Red Gold, Kingdom of Shadows, Blood of Victory, Dark Voyage, and The Foreign Correspondent.
In The Spies of Warsaw, French and German intelligence operatives are locked in a life-and-death struggle on the espionage battlefield. At the French embassy, the new military attaché, Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier, a decorated hero of the 1914 war, is drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal, and intrigue in the diplomatic salons and back alleys of Warsaw. At the same time, the handsome aristocrat finds himself in a passionate love affair with a Parisian woman of Polish heritage, a lawyer for the League of Nations.
Colonel Mercier must work in the shadows, amid a cast of venal and dangerous characters – Colonel Anton Vyborg of Polish military intelligence; the mysterious and sophisticated Dr. Lapp, senior German Abwehr officer in Warsaw; Malka and Viktor Rozen, at work for the Russian secret service; and Mercier’s brutal and vindictive opponent, Major August Voss of SS counterintelligence. And there are many more, some known to Mercier as spies, some never to be revealed.
The audio version, yet to be released, of The Spies of Warsaw is read by Daniel Gerroll whose Broadway credits include Plenty, High Society, and Enchanted April and many Off-Broadway television and film credits.

What gleams on the surface in Furst’s books is his vivid, precise evocation of mood, time, place, a letter-perfect re-creation of the quotidian details of World War II Europe that wraps around us like the rich fug of a wartime railway station. – Time
Some books you read. Others you live. They seep into your dreams and haunt your waking hours until eventually they seem the stuff of memory and experience. Such are the novels of Alan Furst, who uses the shadowy world of espionage to illuminate history and politics with immediacy. – Nancy Pate, Orlando Sentinel

The Spies of Warsaw is Furst’s finest novel to date – the history precise, the writing evocative and powerful, more a novel about spies than a spy novel, exciting, atmospheric, erotic, and impossible to put down. The book has an extraordinarily believable cast of characters.

Parenting & Families / Self-Help

A Mother Apart: How to Let Go of Guilt and Find Happiness Living Apart from Your Child by Sarah Hart (Crown House Publishing Limited)

This is a book for women with deep, hidden scars who may have been searching, intentionally or unconsciously, for help in healing them. This is also a book for therapists, counselors, general practitioners, health practitioners and others looking to help such women. … You'll find it within this compellingly written self-help book underpinned by a profound compassion for, and deep understanding of, all mothers apart from their children across a wide range of circumstances. – from the Foreword by Penny Cross, Chair of the charity Mothers Apart from their Children:

The number of mothers living apart from their children continues to rise. Women leave their children, lose custody, lose touch, choose part-time motherhood or find themselves with no contact at all, for a whole range of reasons.

A Mother Apart provides insight and support to women as they struggle to find ways to adjust to living apart from their children. A Mother Apart moves beyond the stigma linked to mothers who leave their children and offers understanding and practical support to help mothers come to terms with their emotions as they adjust to and come to terms with life apart from their children. This book provides insight and sympathetic approaches to help manage complex situations and strong emotions, including how to:

Understand and free themselves from excessive guilt and other difficult feelings.
Grieve the loss but move forward with an open heart.
Figure out how to stay connected as a mother even when living independently.
Learn the art of big hearted mothering: deep love from afar, over time.
Find positive ways to integrate their lives as a mother apart and as an independent woman.
Making good decisions about the future.
Understand that the capacity to love from afar makes them a most extraordinary mother.

A Mother Apart is written by Sarah Hart, a qualified and experienced counselor, who has worked for over ten years with women dealing with gender-specific issues connected to finding personal and professional fulfillment, work/life balance and living apart from their children. She has a Masters Degree in Policy Studies, focusing on working women, motherhood and social policy. Drawing on personal experience of living apart from her child, she offers a pragmatic approach to supporting women who find themselves living apart from their children.

The primary audience for A Mother Apart is mothers who consciously choose to leave their children or who find themselves separated due to circumstances out of their control, i.e., sharing or losing custody, children taken into foster care, mental illness, or abduction. The secondary audience includes caring relatives and friends, new or inexperienced partners, counselors working with women, and services that support women going through divorce and separation.

In this touching, inspiring and deeply wise book, Sarah Hart has distilled the wisdom of her extensive personal and professional experience. It is a book to treasure to return to again and again as compassion, insight and useful practical suggestions leap off every page. Sarah covers all the struggles and heartaches mothers in this situation are likely to encounter and shows us how to reach a deeper healing and love than we might ever have imagined possible. – Anne Geraghty, author of In the Dark and Still Moving

An indispensable guide for mothers living without their children: profound, compassionate, realistic, hopeful and creative. A wonderful source for healing and reparation, it holds the wisdom of one who has come through this unique and rarely understood trauma. I wish it had existed years ago. – Rosie Jackson, author of Mothers Who Leave

If you are a woman living apart from your children, take this book as your companion on the lumpy, bumpy journey toward a healthier life. Much more than a self-help book, A Mother Apart is rich with insight, compassion and a practical focused plan for developing different patterns of self care. This book is also a superb resource for the practitioner who supports the growing and diverse range of non-resident mothers eager to write their healing stories. – Diana L. Gustafson, Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial Hospital

A Mother Apart is an accessible and supportive guide for women who, for whatever reason, no longer have full-time residence of their children. In a thought provoking first chapter, Sarah Hart examines the stereotypical role of mother as primary carer which, despite changes in the position of women in society, continues to cause feelings of guilt and shame in mothers living apart from their children. …From the perspective of a family lawyer, there are particularly useful chapters in the book on how mothers can deal with the challenges of co-parenting with ex-partners, the impact of a new wife and ‘mother’ figure in the child's life, how to help children cope with divorce and separation and how to make the most of contact when it takes place. – Miranda Fisher, Solicitor, Charles Russell LLP

A thoughtful and sensitive guide to a difficult issue. – Psychologies

Women who find themselves living separate from their children usually feel isolated, unheard, and stigmatized by friends, relatives, and society at large. Finally, here is a resource for this ever-growing population of women. A Mother Apart provides insight and practical support as they struggle to find ways to adjust to living apart. Hart's eminently practical, therapeutic advice reflects an astonishing depth of feeling for mothers apart. Her tender approach will help readers begin a journey back to happiness, one that people might not believe could ever take place.

Religion & Spirituality / Christianity

Twentieth-Century Global Christianity: A People's History of Christianity edited by Mary Farrell Bednarowski, general editor, Denis R. Janz (A People’s History of Christianity, Volume 7: Fortress Press)

Whether in the sugar cane fields of Central America or the cathedrals of Europe or the jails of Eastern Europe, popular Christianity has displayed a variety of movements, currents, and countercurrents that invite yet defy explanation.

A specific focus and intent of this final volume of A People's History of Christianity is to delve behind the global phenomenon of Christianity to glimpse some of the rich and dynamic life ways within it. The book goes from global to local, the many faces of global Christianity. Ranging over the whole century and across several continents, the scholars in Twentieth-Century Global Christianity probe Christians' creative encounters with popular culture, liturgy and spirituality, social change and Marxism, intrareligious and interreligious dialogue, and changes in gender expectations and roles.
In this, the culminating volume of A People's History of Christianity, religious historian Editor Mary Farrell Bednarowski leads a distinguished group of scholars with origins and experiences in different countries and continents in exploring the nearly endless variety and endlessly evolving traditions and practices of Christians in the last century. Bednarowski is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Contributors include the editor; Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Ghana; Jim Forest, Netherlands; Jan Michael Joncas, University of St. Thomas; Patrick Henry, St. John’s University; Bruce Forbes, Morningside College; Valerie Demarinis, Upsaala University; Rosetta E. Ross, Spelman College; Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Drew University; Mark Noll, Wheaton College; Ann M. Pederson, Augustana College; Eleazar Fernãndez, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities; Ann Braude, Harvard Divinity School; and Christina L.H. Traina, Northwestern University, among others.
Volume 7 has in common with the other volumes in the series the challenge of exploring how the history of Christianity and Christians changes its contours when we emphasize the people's history rather than the institution's history. Like the others, Twentieth-Century Global Christianity takes for granted that no single definition of ‘the people’ is adequate for the stories, particularly not those traditional polarities by which we have tried to decide who is ordinary and who is not and in spite of the fact that there is some truth in all of them: laity rather than clergy; more likely to be female than male; uneducated rather than educated; poor rather than affluent; nonprofessional rather than professional (meaning those who have devoted their lives to the church); and, more recently, southern rather than northern. These either-or configurations mask the complexities of interaction that make up the lives of Christians. There are just too many kinds of cross-pollination among categories for this on-the-one-hand, on-the-other-hand typology to work.

Volume 7, Twentieth-Century Global Christianity, focuses on a one-hundred-year period of time rather than on a discernible era in church history like the Reformation. It is striking and very much a part of the people's history that the twentieth century has seen so much scientific, medical, and technological progress and so little movement in the realm of ‘human’ progress. The most obvious challenge of this volume is to select compelling, representative, evocative, and multifaceted examples of the people's histories from endless possibilities. Readers will find their own favorite omissions – an exercise, it is hoped, that will be stimulating rather than frustrating. In contrast with most earlier eras of Christian history, the twentieth century offers too many sources from which to choose, rather than hardly any.

The question arises: Who should write the people's history? Insofar as possible, the authors of these chapters let the people tell their own stories. They work to let the people about whom they write speak through them rather than speaking for them. Because we are closer to the sources of people's history in the twentieth century than are historians concerned with previous centuries, there is a great deal in the chapters of Twentieth-Century Global Christianity not just about what people have done but about what they have had to say.

Then there is the matter of tone: how to tell the people's history without romanticizing it or being condescending toward it or being fearful of its influence. We witness in the telling of the stories in Twentieth-Century Global Christianity a transvaluation of values: that is, they turn upside down and all around the aspects of Christianity that historians have considered important enough to record. One of the major purposes of a people's history of Christianity is to stir things up rather than to settle them down.

In terms of major cultural themes in the people's history of Christianity in the twentieth century, there doesn't seem to be much new under the sun. Besides the stories of disillusionment, hope, and courage, the history of Christianity in the twentieth century is full of the unexpected. From the vantage point of people's history, we return to the ‘human-ness’ of Christianity as a major and paradoxical discovery of religious and church historians during the twentieth century. At one level and in the parlance of theology, this refers to its fallibility, its sinfulness, its brokenness. But at another level we have come to understand the churches' human-ness as a mark of its creativity.

We now have overwhelming evidence that the Christian church in all its varieties, and however it ultimately participates in the transcendent, is a human institution for good and for ill. In every era, its history calls for both rejoicing and repenting. However much the stories in the chapters in Twentieth-Century Global Christianity are all over the map, they have in common an emphasis on the voices, the agency, the emotions, and the daily dilemmas and joys of ordinary Christian people.

The four chapters of part 1 of Twentieth-Century Global Christianity, the Authority of New Voices, opens up the lives of those whose presence has been mostly absent from the history of Christianity, at least until very recently.

In his portrayal of Filipino people's religiosity, Eleazar Fernandez writes about the eclectic piety, the daily lives, and the economic struggles of ordinary Filipinos. Unlike the rest of Asia, the Philippines is 85 percent Catholic, and issues of colonization continue to abound on its many islands. Filipino piety crosses institutional boundaries between Catholicism, Protestantism, and practices from folk and nature religion. He draws on the folk wisdom of the people to be found in popular sayings and argues that "popular spirituality calls for a spiritual practice that is not isolated in certain places and moments considered spiritual."

Rosetta Ross's chapter on rural, evangelical black women in the mid-twentieth-century South describes the details of daily life for women who were poor sharecroppers denigrated for reasons of race. Some of these women, like Victoria Way DeLee (b. 1925) and Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer (1917-1977), found in evangelical Christianity the courage and the community support to take on exploitative agricultural labor practices, white supremacy, and the violence of the civil rights era.

Mercy Amba Oduyoye incorporates references to a history of colonialism and Western Christianity in a chapter that recounts the history of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, of which she is the primary founder. She offers the opportunity to listen to voices heretofore unheard in public, those of African women. For Oduyoye, the Circle's work also requires the constructing of an African theology that is new: two-winged (that is, both female and male) and dependent upon neither the static worldview of traditional African religion nor the traditional forms of Western Christianity.

Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz writes about Latinas in Spanish Harlem, women who are the heart of their parish church and who embody the life of its community. They are aware of themselves as church, in opposition to the dictates and the indifference of the clergy and the hierarchy. They convene retreats and conduct services and exhibit their own ritual expertise, educated and empowered by the liturgies they have attended all their lives.

The chapters in part 2 of Twentieth-Century Global Christianity, Traditions and Transformations, focus on some of the variety of contexts all over the globe that not only foster change but compel it in response to political and economic realities and calamities, as well as issues of cultural influence.

In "Orthodoxy under Communism," Paul Mojzes turns readers in the direction of a different kind of Christian people's experience, that of Eastern Europeans during the years of communist rule. Mojzes describes an intriguing inversion of power that is often a part of the people's history – that the tradition was preserved by those with the least to lose, the least powerful, and, therefore, ironically empowered in their powerlessness to safeguard the faith and its practices for their children and grandchildren when the time came – as it did – that they could once again be public about their faith. The rapidity with which Orthodox Christianity was resurrected in the countries of the former Soviet Union offers evidence as to how close to the surface it had remained, however invisible to onlookers both outside and inside.

Mark Noll and Ethan Sanders outline a people's history of North American evangelicalism with a focus on prayer, worship (particularly music), and material culture. They demonstrate how pervasive evangelical piety is within North American society, how attuned it is to popular culture, and where it fits within the broader framework of American Protestantism. Most pivotal, they predict, is how evangelicals negotiate their ‘twin but sometimes competing strengths’ – connection to the historic tradition and the impulse to adjust the faith to new realities.

Luis Rivera-Pagan grounds his study of the growing attraction of Pentecostalism for Latin Americans in a classic anthropological text by Stanley W. Mintz, Worker in the Cane: A Puerto Rican Life History (1960), whose astonishment at Taso Zaya's conversion to Pentecostalism has been ignored by most scholars. Rivera-Pagan places Taso within the context of the brutal life of cane workers to interpret why his conversion is a story of "extraordinary healing, both physical and spiritual" and a transformation of identity, family life, and purpose in the world. Rivera-Pagan speaks to controversies about whether Pentecostal religion offers a worldly or unworldly religious worldview in Latin America, suggesting a need to redefine what historians and theologians mean by those concepts.

Bruce Forbes analyzes how a biblical theme – the Apocalypse and the struggle between good and evil (and, more broadly, American Christianity's apocalyptic expectations) – crosses the boundaries of institutional Christianity and shapes the imagination of popular culture. He focuses on apocalyptic fiction as it is manifested in the immensely popular Left Behind series, cowboy narratives (the traditional ‘western’), and tales of superheroes in comic books.

Jean-Paul Wiest's chapter on Catholicism at the end of the twentieth century in China is somewhat more institutionally oriented – the Chinese government and the Vatican – than the other essays in Twentieth-Century Global Christianity. But it points to the complexities of Catholicism's situation in China at the very end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first, and the pressures that ordinary Chinese Catholics have to negotiate as a result. Wiest's analysis reinforces the people's history discovery that an understanding of Catholicism in China focused only on the struggle between two mammoth institutions will come nowhere near telling the whole story.

In her chapter on existential ritualizing in contemporary Sweden, Valerie DeMarinis speculates that although Christianity appears to be declining in the West, particularly in Western Europe, looking at people's history makes us more inclined to ask not, "Why is religion going away?" but "What new forms is religion taking?" She demonstrates that those who have departed from traditional observance in the state Lutheran church nonetheless have a need for spiritual depth in their lives and for ritual celebration, or at least marking, of significant aspects of their lives.

The chapters in part 3 of Twentieth-Century Global Christianity, Innovation and Authenticity, offer examples of how people's history can illuminate the efforts of twentieth-century Christians to respond to dilemmas and opportunities in their daily lives that require new ways of thinking and acting as Christians: family realities, work, personal identity crises, relationships with other Christians, inevitable and ‘ordinary’ crises of life and death.

Victoria Barnett's chapter about ordinary Christians in Nazi Germany before and during the Holocaust depicts the distorted use of theological innovation for the sake of upholding the power of cultural ideology and state power. She points to widespread active and passive complicity in the Nazi regime and the reality that help for persecuted Jews often came from Christians on the margins in various ways, many of them women, rather than from church leaders.

Patrick Henry relates how ordinary people, theologians and laypeople alike, have moved ecumenism into the everyday lives of Christians much faster than the official ecumenical agreements and bilateral dialogues of denominations and faith and order commissions. Grassroots ecumenism often gets its start at the kitchen table rather than in official meeting places. Its insights and accomplishments offer previews of a Christianity that will be post-denominational: more unified but not necessarily lacking the distinctive characteristics of its various branches. Margaret O'Gara speaks of this phenomenon as ‘the ecumenical gift exchange;’ a reality that has by no means come totally to fruition but whose spirit can be discerned in the stories Henry tells.

Margaret Bendroth's chapter on gender in twentieth-century Christianity relates issues of gender to the recent scholarly ‘discovery’ of gender as an essential category of analysis for understanding religion and to how assumptions about gender identity affect the daily lives of Christians. Bendroth looks at how gender issues have played out in different parts of the world and how the lives of both women and men have been circumscribed by inflexible expectations about what they must do or what they cannot do based on gender.

Oscar Cole-Arnal takes on labor and social justice movements in Canada from a comparative perspective: Social Gospel Protestants in western Canada and urban Roman Catholicism in Quebec. This is a narrative of agricultural and urban poverty and exploitation and of the activists, both laypeople and clergy, who worked to change those realities that so powerfully affected the daily lives of farmers and factory workers.

Cristina Traina analyzes popular Catholic manuals on sexuality and marriage over three different periods in the twentieth century. She looks into the bases on which Catholic writers, many of them celibate, negotiated popular, cultural understandings of ‘good’ sexuality and its place in marriage, and tried to find ways to make them conform to Catholic teachings. Ordinary people came to be defiant of official prescriptions as they came into conflict with the realities they experienced in the privacy of those lives.

Ann Pederson catalogues the dilemmas faced by ordinary people when they encounter the complexities of life's beginnings and endings at the close of the twentieth century when it became clear, because of advances in science and medicine, that these experiences are no longer discernible moments but processes. Their unfoldings are fraught with uncertainly and dissent, both individual and cultural. In many cases the advice of experts, religious or medical, does not suffice.

In this seventh and final volume of the People's History, readers can begin to gauge how far Christian believers have come since the earliest ‘Jesus movements’ of first-century Galilee. In the engrossing and visually rich chapters in Twentieth-Century Global Christianity, expert observers of Christian traditions and peoples showcase the multiple trajectories and rich ambiguity, the innovation and transformation, the retrenchment and accommodation that have characterized Christianity in what is arguably its most engrossing era ever. In deeply informed discussions, the book dives into the fascinating and vital contexts in which these questions, conflicts, and changes arose across the globe. Special consideration is given in the many voices formerly at the margins that, in the last century, emerged to enliven, illumine, and challenge historical Christianity in its traditional venues. Whether from the rural South of the United States, former colonies in Africa, or the Philippines, these new voices have renewed and reframed Christian practices and beliefs. The second set of chapters, Twentieth-Century Global Christianity also shows the fascinating ways in which strong traditional Christianities were creatively transformed at the intersections with massive social forces.

Other volumes in A People’s History of Christianity series, under the general editorship of Denis R. Janz, Provost Distinguished Professor of the History of Christianity at Loyola University, New Orleans, include:

Christian Origins – Richard Horlsey, editor
Late Ancient Christianity – Virginia Burrus, editor
Byzantine Christianity – Derek Krueger, editor
Medieval Christianity – Daniel E. Bornstein, editor
Reformation Christianity – Peter Matheson, editor
Modern Christianity to 1900 – Amanda Porterfield, editor

Religion & Spirituality / Christianity / Philosophy

C. S. Lewis as Philosopher: Truth, Goodness and Beauty edited by David J. Baggett, Gary R. Habermas, & Jerry L. Walls, with a foreword by Tom Morris (IVP Academic)

[C.S. Lewis] – The stunning clarity of his thought and the scintillating crispness of what he wrote in expression of that thought have together stimulated generations of readers to aspire to some measure of that intellectual power and to at least a small fraction of the positive impact that Lewis has had in people's lives. … Lewis is most broadly known and remembered generally as a Christian writer. Technically he was throughout most of his adult life a professor of literature. But really, he was a philosopher. Philosophy is the love of wisdom, along with an unending desire to find it, understand it, put it into action and pass it on to others. Lewis brought a philosophical cast of mind to everything he did. And his philosophical instincts were astute. His way of being a philosopher was certainly distinctive, in engagement with great literature, through writing memorable fiction himself, and in grappling with topics of real life through his immensely popular books and essays on matters of faith. He didn't hold a regular position within a university department of philosophy, or publish in the technical academic journals run by philosophy professors, or even allow his own intellectual agenda to be dictated by the fads and styles of thought favored by those who paradigmatically think of themselves and each other under the honorific label of ‘philosopher,’ but he was a genuine philosopher nonetheless, and as such, has had a tremendous impact on the world. This book is a welcome exploration of what is behind some of that impact. – Tom Morris, from the Foreword

What did C. S. Lewis think about Truth, Goodness and Beauty?

The fifteen essays in C. S. Lewis as Philosopher explore these three major philosophical themes from the writings of Lewis. David J. Baggett, Gary R. Habermas and Jerry L.Walls edit this overview of Lewis's philosophical thinking on arguments for Christianity, the character of God, theodicy, moral goodness, heaven and hell, a theory of literature, and the place of the imagination. Baggett is associate professor of philosophy, Habermas is Distinguished Research Professor and chair of the department of philosophy and theology, both at Liberty University in Lynchburg; and Walls is professor of the philosophy of religion at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.

According to Walls in the Introduction, the first reaction some persons might have to the title of C. S. Lewis as Philosopher is to think "Interesting, but C. S. Lewis was not really a philosopher." And depending on what they mean, they could well be right. Professionally speaking, Lewis (1898-1963) was a teacher of English literature whose most distinguished academic position was the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he received in 1954. Before going to Cambridge, he taught for several years at Oxford, a university well known for its large philosophy faculty. Basil Mitchell, a friend of Lewis's, who studied and taught philosophy at Oxford, has remarked that if he had been asked to produce a list of philosophers at Oxford, "Lewis wouldn't have been mentioned among them." In the world of Oxford's academic life, Lewis was a literary scholar; indeed, he was arguably the most accomplished member of the English faculty, though he never received a chair and was passed over several times when such positions were open.

But, Walls says, there is more to the story if we want an accurate answer to the question of whether Lewis was really a philosopher. If we ask what he is best known for and which of his many books have been most influential, a number of titles that are distinctly philosophical come quickly to mind. It is safe to guess that if asked to list books by C. S. Lewis, many persons who could not come up with a single title of his scholarly works in English literature could easily rattle off philosophical titles like Miracles, The Problem of Pain and The Abolition of Man. Moreover, his most famous work in popular theology, Mere Christianity, is very much a philosophical work as well.

Contents of C. S. Lewis as Philosopher include:

I. Truth

Lewis's Philosophy of Truth, Goodness and Beauty – Peter Kreeft
From Atheism to Deism: A Conversation Between Antony Flew and Gary R. Habermas – Gary R. Habermas and Antony Flew
Defending the Dangerous Idea: An Update on Lewis's Argument from Reason – Victor Reppert
Aut Dens aut Malus Homo: A Defense of C. S. Lewis's ‘Shocking Alternative’ – David A. Homer
The Abolition of Man: C. S. Lewis's Prescience Concerning Things to Come – Jean Bethke Elshtain
C. S. Lewis and Emotional Doubt: Insights from the Philosophy of Psychology – Gary R. Habermas

II. Goodness

Is Divine Iconoclast as Bad as Cosmic Sadist? Lewis versus Beversluis – David Baggett
Pursuing Moral Goodness: C. S. Lewis's Understanding of Faith – Kevin Kinghorn
‘Belief’ in the Writings of C. S. Lewis – David Rozema
To Reign in Hell or to Serve in Heaven: C. S. Lewis on the Problem of Hell and Enjoyment of the Good – Matthew Lee
C. S. Lewis on the Necessity of Gratuitous Evil – Michael Peterson

III. Beauty

Evil and the Cosmic Dance: C. S. Lewis and Beauty's Place in Theodicy – Philip Talton
Lewis's Miracles and Mathematical Elegance – Russell W. Howell
Beastly Metaphysics: The Beasts of Narnia and Lewis's Reclamation of Medieval Sacramental Metaphysics – Michael P. Muth
Lewis and Tolkien on the Power of the Imagination – Gregory Bassham

C. S. Lewis as Philosopher provides impressive evidence that Lewis's philosophical legacy is a substantial one, with lasting significance. These essays show that Lewis had interesting things to say on a wide range of philosophical topics and that his writings provide distinctive and penetrating insights on fundamental issues of perennial concern.

The great classic triumvirate of Truth, Beauty and Goodness is a particularly apt framework for engaging C. S. Lewis and philosophy. These magnificent ideals are not only at the heart of the classic philosophical enterprise, the tradition into which Lewis was initiated in his Oxford philosophical training, but they are also of crucial significance in the Christian vision of reality he came to embrace. Before his conversion, Lewis sought truth, was enchanted by beauty, and aspired to goodness, but he struggled to find a way to hold these goals together. In an oft-quoted passage describing his preconversion mindset, he wrote: "The two hemispheres of my mind were in the sharpest conflict. On the one side a many-islanded sea of poetry and myth; on the other a glib and shallow ‘rationalism.’ Nearly all that I loved I believed to be imaginary; nearly all that I believed to be real I thought grim and meaningless."' What this passage represents is the despairing view that the truth is not beautiful, that the beautiful is not true.

According to Walls in C. S. Lewis as Philosopher, during this period of his life, Lewis seemed committed to following the Truth, even if that meant abandoning the reality of Goodness and Beauty. Indeed, the period during which he was most focused on the goal of becoming a philosopher was one in which he thought the honest pursuit of Truth would cost him what he cared about most deeply. As is well known, it was his conversion to Christianity that allowed him to bring the two hemispheres of his mind together. It was in Christianity that he discovered a true myth, a beautiful story that not only spoke to our imaginations and longing for goodness and meaning, but was also rooted in real history. In short, Christianity provided a way to hold together Truth, Goodness and Beauty.

His conversion also opened the door to a far larger and more exciting world to be explored philosophically as well as experientially. Now his reason led him past the shallow limits of rationalism to a world of reality that reason alone could never capture. His reason led him to see that Ultimate Reason is the best explanation of why we can reason at all. It led him to see that ultimate goodness in the form of objective morality is at least as real as the world of nature that is beautiful, but marred by cruelty and waste. And if objective good is real, then there must be a solution to the problem of pain.

The essays in C. S. Lewis as Philosopher celebrate Lewis the philosopher by engaging him seriously as a thinker who has much to teach about these three great ideals. They not only honor his philosophical contributions but also enable readers today to show the power and glory of Truth, Beauty and Goodness and the splendor of the One in whom they are perfectly joined. The book will be of particular interest to philosophers, philosophy students, and C. S. Lewis readers.

Religion & Spirituality / Christianity / Religious Studies

Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society edited by Susan R. Holman (Holy Cross Studies in Patristic Theology and History Series: Baker Academic)

Wealth and poverty are issues of perennial importance in the life and thought of the church. Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society brings patristic thought to bear on these issues. The contributors offer explanations of poverty in the New Testament period, explore developments among Christians in Egypt and Asia Minor and in early Byzantium, and connect patristic theology with contemporary public policy and religious dialogue. The volume, edited by Susan R. Holman, a member of the board of the Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, inaugurates the new series, Holy Cross Studies in Patristic Theology and History, a partnership between Baker Academic and the Stephen and Catherine Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. The series is a deliberate outreach by the Orthodox community to Protestant and Catholic seminarians, pastors, and theologians. These multi-author books include contributors from all traditions but focus on the patristic (especially Greek patristic) heritage.

Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society is a collection of essays representing a cross-section of recent research on the dynamics of poverty and wealth in Christianity in late antiquity. The essays range from close textual readings to broad topical overviews, to creative application and contemporary issues, and were originally presented as papers at the conference on ‘Wealth and Poverty in Early Christianity’ in October 2005. This was the Institute's second annual conference inviting international scholars, graduate students, and interested clergy together to discuss leading topics relevant to patristic studies.

Poverty and wealth are never purely academic. Human need and affluence have been treated as moral issues across most cultures throughout history. The Christian responses may have characteristics particular to Christian views on such things as the material world, the divine body, and the incarnation of God in Christ, but, as the essays in the book show, there was a great variety in the how and why of early Christian choices to speak and act on the economic discrepancies that existed – and bothered – writers in antiquity as much as they bother many today.

Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society is divided into five parts that proceed more or less chronologically. Part 1 explores several texts and issues that are particularly relevant to New Testament studies. Steven Friesen begins with a look at how four early Christian texts explained the cause of poverty with different calls to action, and suggests that patristic studies be more attentive to the reconstruction of submerged perspectives in considering models for the future. Denise Buell’s study examines textual hints for Christian charity within a social setting where both donors and recipients were poor, and challenges the binary rhetoric of donor/recipient by interpreting these texts in light of the fact that most early Christians lived on the economic margins. Gorge Hasselhoff hones in on a single passage – James 2:2–7 – and looks ‘back’ at the scarce patristic exegesis of this passage. His conclusions suggest a curious marginalization of this passage that may hint at a long-standing discomfort concerning its comments on rich and poor. Concluding the first section, Edward Moore looks at the gnostic Hymn of the Pearl, which, he argues, understands the promise of wealth as a call to transcendence, and poverty as a lack of a transformative vision of God.

Part 2 of Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society brings readers to four different case studies from Egypt in late antiquity: wealthy lay patrons, monks, church-supported widows, and the sick. Annewies van den Hoek offers a close reading of one of the most frequently cited patristic texts on wealth and poverty: Comparing Clement of Alexandria's treatise Quis dives salvetur? treatise with later texts from Augustine and Paulinus of Nola, van den Hoek suggests striking theological similarities among these authors' defense of an intellectual detachment from wealth, a detachment that reflects a very cautious attitude toward renunciation. David Brakke unveils the anxieties about money, charity, and economic activity that percolate through Evagrius's advice to those more seemingly intrepid about renunciation: his fellow hermit-monks in the Egyptian desert. His comments on the lower-class monks suggest that Evagrius, like Clement, wrote for upper-class readers. Adam Serfass pushes at the curtain of this literary bias in his essay, a detailed look at Egyptian papyri that provide documentary evidence for how churches sought to meet the everyday needs of the poor, testaments to the cautious redistribution of wealth in several churches. Finally, editor Holman offer a few observations on the rhetoric of rich and poor in a text about an incubation-healing shrine near Alexandria as it operated in the late sixth and early seventh centuries, particularly as views on wealth and poverty may have related to monastic social ideals about humility and moral justice.

Part 3 of Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society offers five studies on themes from the fourth-century Cappadocians in Antioch and Asia Minor. Rudolf Brandle builds on his 1979 landmark study of John Chrysostom's use of Matt. 25:31–46 with several exciting new insights. Believing that all wealth was rooted in injustice. Arguing that the Matthew text is the integrative force behind the central thought in Chrysostom's theology, Brandle's theological study suggests that John Chrysostom offers a new approach to soteriology that deserves further study. Wendy Mayer then teases out the relationship, in John's time, between private asceticism, wealth, and economic poverty. Her tightly nuanced essay suggests that economic and voluntary poverty were valued differently, and that these differences lie at the heart of understanding the shifting roles of wealth and poverty in society from the fourth century onward. In the next essay, Francine Cardman builds on this theme of theater with a study of Chrysostom's sermons on Lazarus and the rich man, particularly focusing on the irony of John's use of theater. Even as he railed against the circus and the shows, John used theatrical devices as a deliberate preaching rhetoric. Efthalia Makris Walsh then returns the reader's gaze to widows, with a short summary of Chrysostom's exegesis of Old and New Testament widows and its application to the theology about, and practical issues concerning, the care of widows in his day. Demetrios Constantelos concludes the section with a reminder of how classical Greek texts influenced the development of Christian rhetoric about philanthropy in this period, particularly in the example of Basil of Caesarea.

Part 4 of Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society looks at several issues that characterized the tension between wealth and poverty in late antiquity and the early Byzantine period: church finery, monastic gift exchange, and the question of trade, profit, and salvation. Edward Siecienski begins with a turn of the coin, to discuss the dazzling liturgical splendor that characterized that space within which late antique ascetic preachers denounced ostentation and wealth. Their failure to denounce church finery universally and consistently may suggest in part the aesthetic pressures they faced from theological competitors, but it more likely relates also to patristic views of spiritual beauty. Daniel Caner asks how early Byzantine monks conceptualized their surplus resources, when they had any. Focusing on eulogist, or ‘blessings,’ this essay suggests a monastic economy of charitable leftovers that might be compared with Jewish gleanings and that existed within an ascetic environment that was often characterized by extreme scarcity, where leftovers were a blessing indeed. Angeliki Laiou concludes part 4 with an examination of how hagiographical texts from the late patristic and Byzantine periods discuss trade and profit. Her examples suggest that merchants were not vilified, and that neither profit nor trade was considered illegitimate for Christians.

The two chapters in Part 5 turn to the modern problems of poverty to suggest ways that patristic texts might contribute to modern religious and policy dialogue. Timothy Patitsas offers an unusual, provocative study of modern international responses to need that have (or have not) worked, and what the Christian tradition might offer in building the future. Finally, Brian Matz concludes Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society with his description of a very different project, one emerging from the international academy, that seeks to develop and apply a systematic approach to patristic socioethical texts that directly relate to modern Catholic Social Thought, particularly in modern Europe. These two essays hint at the creative potential for patristic studies in the coming decades.

This is a splendid book, a substantial contribution on a topic of perennial import for scholars of religion and theology. The essays collected here offer important reassessments of scholarship to date. They present fresh, vivid material and provide revised models through which to study, reflect upon, and respond to deprivation and surplus as realities in antiquity and in our own time. Practical, pragmatic considerations are interwoven with cultural, historical, and theological analyses. Excellent work throughout! – Susan Ashbrook Harvey, professor of religious studies, Brown University

In this collection of essays, the reader will find insightful questions raised and conclusions made concerning the early Christian perspectives of need and surplus. It is refreshing to find careful attention paid to the kind of complexities that existed in the minds of those who wrote, directly or (mostly) indirectly, on these matters. – D. H. Williams, professor of religion in patristics and historical theology, Baylor University

This volume is a rarity: a collection of conference papers that is both coherent and consistently excellent. Ably edited by Susan R. Holman, these essays … never lose sight of the primary theme of the book: the problem of poverty and the appropriate Christian response to it. The outstanding contributors deftly balance theological and rhetorical analysis with attention to social and economic contexts. The result is an essential contribution to the historical reconstruction of early Christian moral traditions and their theological retrieval today. – David G. Hunter, Cottrill-Rolfes Chair of Catholic Studies, University of Kentucky

The collection of conference papers entitled Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society contains insightful questions and informed and thoughtful discussion of them throughout. The book is aimed at Protestant and Catholic seminarians, pastors and theologians and relevant to patristic studies, but it has immediate relevance to a broad range of readers, both those working in an academic setting as well as those engaged in social justice and social action that serves the world through the ecclesia. The studies reveal a great deal of variety in antiquity in how the church community treated moral issues. The thorough theological analysis pays careful attention to complexity and should lead to a reassessment of the scholarship in this field.

Religion & Spirituality / Christianity / Theology / Reference

The Resurrection Effect: Transforming Christian Life and Thought by Anthony J. Kelly (Orbis Books)

Anthony Kelly in The Resurrection Effect argues that theology depends on the resurrection of Christ for its methods and themes, for "Unless that happened, hope would be a repressive optimism, or an accommodation to routine despair." The resurrection, like a work of art, Kelly shows, eludes any single point of view. As the key to God's relationship to Jesus and ourselves, it provides the most critical horizon from which to grasp life, its pattern, and what we can hope for from God who raised Jesus from the dead.

The Resurrection Effect deals with the resurrection of the crucified Jesus as the focal event affecting all Christian faith and theology. With such a concentration, however, Kelly intends neither to add another specialization to an already over-specialized theological curriculum, nor is Kelly, a Redemptorist priest, Professor of Theology at the Australian Catholic University, trying to fit the resurrection more neatly into a theological system as one theme among many. But he does intend to explore the focal character of the resurrection event for faith, and, as a consequence, the need for theology, in all its specializations, to proceed in the light of the resurrection.

Why an exploration of the ‘resurrection effect’ is timely is explained in different ways as the book unfolds, but the resurrectional focus of Christian life and thought is always in need of being refreshed and sharpened. Our present hope in the face of all the challenges of life, suffering and death, is an effect of the resurrection. The effect of the resurrection is to see the world and to live in it otherwise. That is hardly an original insight; in fact, it is so taken for granted that the originality of the resurrection's effect on the life of faith can be forgotten. The Resurrection Effect aims to sharpen the focus and to assist readers to register the resurrection effect in all aspects of their lives. To this end, the chapters converge in one aim – to refresh faith and theology in receptivity to the focal phenomenon of the resurrection.

One way of elaborating a phenomenology of the resurrection is to appeal to a class of phenomena designated as ‘saturated phenomenona’ (Jean-Luc Marion). The term suggests that the appearance or self-disclosive impact of some phenomena, is so multi-dimensional, so inexhaustible in significance, so over-brimming and prodigal in its effect, that its special status must be recognized. In a word, these phenomena are recognized as ‘saturated’. Saturated phenomena affect us, not merely with the superabundance of their significance, but with the strange power to call us, individually or communally, to see the world within a different horizon. To a super-saturated degree, the resurrection of the Crucified is a singular instance of a phenomenon of this kind expresses some aspect of the manner in which the resurrection reveals itself to reflective faith.

It is as though the silvering which backs the mirrors of our perception is stripped away and lets the light of a larger world shine through – so that we see more than our own reflection. In ways discussed in The Resurrection Effect, the resurrection encompasses the life of faith with an inexhaustible significance. In recent years, theology has been criticized for not clearly focusing on the specifics of Christian revelation, and thereby being too influenced by dominant ideologies of the day. If the Christianity of this new millennium is to be increasingly in spiritual dialogue with the great religions of the East, if it is to be a bearer of hope in the face of the horrendous evils of our time, it will be necessary to reclaim what is distinctive to Christian experience if the Christian contribution is to be authentic. The Resurrection Effect aims to refine the sensibility of faith to "the fullness, the superabundance, the inexhaustible flowing forth ... and encompassing flood of the divine attributes" (Newman) as they are embodied in Christ risen from the dead. To this end, Kelly structures the reflections into nine chapters followed by a brief conclusion.

Chapter One, " ‘Placing’ the Resurrection: A Theological Problem" is deliberately provocative. The Resurrection Effect points out the awkwardness of the place of the resurrection in theology, and attempt to suggest some of the reasons for this strange unevenness and even neglect. The resurrection is obvious, but what can be overlooked is the need to take the resurrection as granted, as the great presupposition in all theological systematic and moral discourse. Kelly suggests that the postmodern critique of philosophical and theological systems provides a fresh opportunity for Christian rationality to give a fuller and more vital recognition to the unique phenomenon of the resurrection as the focus of Christian life and thought.

Chapter Two, "A Phenomenological Approach to the Resurrection", moves into more technical areas. It considers a special class of phenomena that can be designated as ‘saturated’, because of the prodigality of their significance. By reflecting on such instances of these as ‘revelation’, ‘the event’, ‘the work of art’, ‘the body’ and ‘the face’, Kelly suggests a number of perspectives in which the unique phenomenon of the resurrection can be freshly appreciated as the mystery at the heart of Christian experience.

Chapter Three, "The Resurrection and the Phenomenon of the New Testament" is broad in scope. The basic point is that the New Testament is a literary phenomenon arising out of the experience and proclamation of the resurrection. The rhetoric of these documents of faith is marked with a special creativity straining to express what has occurred, but can never be fully expressed in its excess and world-transforming effect.

Chapter Four, "The Resurrection Event", attempts a synthetic expression of the culminating event that gave rise to the New Testament – and to the life and mission of the Church. After a consideration of the multi-dimensionality of the resurrection event, Kelly presents some six aspects integral to it (paschal, paternal, filial, effusive, sacramental and eschatological).

Chapter Five, "Paul and the Resurrection Effect", focuses on Paul as a primary witness to the resurrection effect in his life and thinking. After considering the character of the Pauline experience of the risen Christ, Kelly locates his conversion within the larger setting of his life and mission. The Resurrection Effect then examines how Paul's experience of the risen One determined the character of his hope and sense of God.

Chapter Six, "Resurrection: The Visual Phenomenon", addresses a basic question. From one point of view, the self-disclosures of the risen Christ to the vision of the early witnesses finish with Paul. This does not mean that the resurrection makes faith blind and renders it sightless. Are there other forms of ‘seeing’ and sensing that are part of the resurrection effect in the ongoing life of the Church?

Chapter Seven, "Subjectivity, Objectivity and the Resurrection", answers some of the questions inherent in the previous chapters, and leads into the account of ‘salvific realism’ to follow. It recognizes that a play of polarities between the subjective and the objective aspects of the resurrection is inevitable, but suggests such polarities are most fruitfully resolved in the field of communication introduced by the phenomenon of the resurrection event itself.

Chapter Eight, "The Salvific Realism of the Resurrection", is more systematic in style. It treats first the ‘salvific objectivity’ encountered in the divine initiative, the ‘otherness’ and humanity of Christ's presence, the offer of forgiveness, the witness of the empty tomb, and engagement with the wider world. Yet there is a correlative ‘salvific subjectivity’ manifested in the experience of the disciples, in their sense of a new beginning and understanding, in their vocation to witness, in the universality of their mission, and in the sober acceptance of a reactive world.

Chapter Nine, "Extensions of the Resurrection Effect", restricts itself to just three theological considerations in which the resurrection does not usually figure in any significant manner. First is the resurrection in relation to the revelation of the Trinity. Secondly, Kelly remarks on the strange absence of the resurrection in moral theology and Christian ethics. Thirdly, in the context of interfaith dialogue, he reflects on the transcultural and universal significance of the resurrection for the mission of the Church.

Anthony Kelly weaves a backdrop of contemporary philosophical and theological thinking together to place the phenomenon of Christ's resurrection in bold relief. Those who read this book will come away with a wealth of new insights into how the resurrection saturates the entirety of Christian faith. – Robert Schreiter, Catholic Theological Union

This accessible study of the Resurrection is fresh and alive. Anthony Kelly speaks not only to the theologian, but to those in pastoral ministry and religious education. Like all good theology, it transforms the reader as well as informs ... a remarkable achievement. – Donald Cozzens, John Carroll University

Not only is The Resurrection Effect a remarkably clear and probing analysis of the very basis of Christian faith and hope but also it commences the enormously important project of a phenomenology of the Christ. Anthony J. Kelly has subtly but surely changed the course of studies in the resurrection. – Kevin Hart, The University of Virginia

In this clear and accessible study, Kelly makes a contribution to the resurrection of theology as an assured, distinctive mode of Christian rationality. The Resurrection Effect sharpens the focus and assists readers to register the resurrection effect in all aspects of their lives.

Religion & Spirituality / New Age / Self-Help / Personal Transformation

Roadmap to Reality: Consciousness, Worldviews, and the Blossoming of Human Spirit by Thomas J. Elpel (HOPS Press)

Two people can share the experience of walking a dog, riding in a car, or watching a movie together, yet perceptions of those experiences may differ greatly. Children's movies, for example, often include humor intended for the parents. Kids are oblivious to the puns and cultural references that are not part of their world.

In the journey ahead we find that the reality experienced by children is defined by predictable patterns of behavior and perception. We explore the world as children see it and discover how perceptions of reality change as we mature. Each of these generalized perceptions of reality can be thought of as a worldview. – from the Introduction

What if our entire experience of reality were based on an assumption that could be proven false? In Roadmap to Reality, Thomas J. Elpel tests the assumption that we are a sentient (self-aware) species, and finds evidence suggesting otherwise. Like automatons, we copy beliefs and behaviors from generation to generation without consciously evaluating why we do what we do. We absorb a definition of reality and act on it without ever questioning the source of that definition. We don't act; we react.
Roadmap to Reality is the quest to unravel the illusions to discover what reality really is. The journey follows the link between technology and thought, showing how hunter-gatherer, agricultural, industrial, and informational societies define reality in predictable ways. In essence, production technology dictates how we perceive cause and effect, how we solve problems, and how we approach parenting and governing. Roadmap to Reality sequentially follows simple ideas and commonsense logic to reveal how consciousness and worldviews evolve in layers over time.

Author Elpel's interest in wilderness survival skills and nature evolved into a quest for planetary survival and sustainability. Initial research in ecology and architecture led to questions about economics and decision-making. Elpel discovered that it is easy to achieve sustainable prosperity, but we are incapable of seeing the answers. This realization led to questions about psychology, worldviews, and the insight that our actions are driven by perceptions of reality.

According to Roadmap to Reality, technological advances restructure language and thought, changing individual and cultural perceptions of reality. Worldviews follow established patterns:

Preconscious: Infants, animals, and humans prior to fifty thousand years ago. Subconscious life without self-awareness.
Magical: Young children and hunter-gatherer cultures. Magical, symbolic interpretation of reality. First-person.
Mythical: Children and agricultural states. Concrete thinking, role playing, black-and-white views. Second-person.
Sequential: Adolescents and adults in industrial states. Linear cause and effect, equal rights. Third-person.
Systems: Informational cultures, integrated design, transnational networking. Self perceived as object.
Holistic: Ecological awareness and sustainability. Transnational mutualism. Self perceived as part of web of life.
Mystical: Microbiology and genetics, Gaia-oriented, all species have the right to exist. Identify with planet and all life.
Observer: Quantum physics and nanotechnology, global web consciousness. Self as creator. Transcend matter.
Nonlinear: Relativity, quantum physics, time paradox. Nonlinear cause and effect. Transcend time.
Universal: Similar to preconscious, perceive reality without judging it. One with everything in universe. No mind.

Given that the definition of reality changes with each worldview, one wonders if there is some universal reality that encompasses all others. The pages of Roadmap to Reality explore these realities in depth, building a roadmap to navigate through them in search of the real reality.

In the quest to determine what reality is, we must acknowledge that reality itself probably doesn't change from one worldview to another. It is our perceptions of reality that constantly evolve. Therefore, the quest to define reality is the quest to understand ourselves and why we perceive reality the way we do. Along the way we discover unexpected insights about humanity, including: 1) we may not qualify as self-aware or sentient beings, 2) free will is an illusion, 3) the mind and our self-identity are illusions, 4) the illusions are generated by the structure of language, and 5) the structure of language is linked to technological innovation.

According to Roadmap to Reality, the ultimate goal of the quest is freedom. We cannot be free as long as we are deluded by illusions of sentience, free will, and self-identity. We must shatter those illusions to discover our true nature. As a bonus to the journey, we discover answers to the challenge of achieving environmental sustainability, global peace, and prosperity for all. The answers are staring us in the face already. We only need to open our eyes to see what reality really is.

Roadmap to Reality enables readers to step outside of ordinary reality to obtain a fresh perspective on culture, government, prosperity, sustainability, and meaning. The quest takes readers to the ends of the universe with a casual writing style, peeling back the layers of consciousness to discover the reality beyond. Roadmap to Reality will change readers’ perspective of history and world events, and it will change readers themselves, enabling them to let go of preconceived notions about the nature of reality to discover a more holistic, more satisfying life experience.

Religion & Spirituality / New Age / Popular Culture

Top Secret: The Truth Behind Today's Pop Mysticisms by Robert M. Price, with a foreword by Julia Sweeney (Prometheus Books)

Have you read The Secret? Millions of people have. It is the latest spiritual fad to capture America's attention, offering a sure-fire formula for self-fulfillment and success – and is endorsed by Oprah Winfrey, no less. But what is the secret within The Secret?

America may be the land of plenty, but in the midst of our Walmarts, enormous supermarkets, and other signs of material surfeit, many seem to be experiencing a gnawing spiritual hunger. New religions, spiritualities, and religious therapies attract throngs of believers to mega-churches, Yoga classes, and the bestseller bookshelves.

If readers are trying to make sense of the offerings in this spiritual wonderland, Top Secret is just the book for them. Noted religion scholar Robert M. Price, Professor of Scriptural Studies at the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, examines the historical roots and the current appeal of today's pop mysticisms.

Applying his impressive background in theology and biblical criticism, Price in Top Secret examines the wisdom offered by recent popular books and movements that have promised Americans spiritual enlightenment. Delving into these New Age spiritualities with a critical but objective eye, Price seeks to determine what these new doctrines have to teach us and if the teachings are healthy and wise. Are these gurus offering only watered-down versions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and the Kabbalah? Would we be better off sticking with the old traditions? Are these popular spiritualities the equivalent of junk food, momentarily tasty but lacking in real substance? If so, how do we explain the alleged benefits derived by their many readers?

Among the many spiritual guides Price puts to the test are Rhonda Byrne (The Secret) and Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now), who offer us ‘the law of attraction’: if we concentrate on what we really want in life, think really hard about it, we can will it to come true. He then moves on to discuss Deepak Chopra (How to Know God) as well as Chogyam Trungpa (Cutting through Spiritual Materialism) and Pema Chodron (Awakening Loving Kindness), who seek to bring their own brands of Hinduism and Buddhism to a willing Western audience; psychiatrist Helen Schucman, who claims that for her A Course in Miracles she actually channeled Jesus Christ; Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love), who offers that a lack of love is our biggest problem; the Reverend Joel Osteen (Your Best Life Now), whose evangelical theology really boils down to mind power and positive thinking.

Price in Top Secret does not deny the genuine insights conveyed by these writers and groups, most of whom seem never to have met face-to-face with rational scrutiny in print before, showing again and again how there are no ‘bad guys’ from whom one can learn nothing. Instead, he says that gullible fans of the books and authors tend to take too much from them, while skeptics tend to write them off completely because of the errors and wild claims they sometimes make. The middle ground Price establishes may entertain and edify even the most skeptical rationalist as well as pry open the mind of the most bubbly New Ager.

Writing with candor, directness, and humor, Price ... takes a fair yet critical approach to the spiritual smorgasbord currently pervading America. Among others topics, he discusses the ideas and works of New Age guru Deepak Chopra and neo-Buddhist Eckhart Tolle. Even evangelical Christianity receives his scrutiny and assessment. Price's intent is "to sift through the facts, claims, the doctrines, in order to separate the wheat from the chaff." In short, his work provides an in-depth survey of religious teachings that have permeated the 21st century. Highly recommended... – Library Journal

Filled with interesting historical accounts of ancient and modern religious beliefs, presented in a thoroughly accessible and playful manner, Price's thought-provoking insights offer readers inspiration and wisdom. Critical and appreciative at the same time, Price applies his impressive background in theology and biblical criticism to put current New Age trends in perspective. Whether readers are skeptics looking for a rational approach to understanding current religion or seekers in search of a deeper, more informed understanding of popular spiritualities, they won't be disappointed by Top Secret.

Religion & Spirituality / New Age / Biographies & Memoirs

William Blake's Sexual Path to Spiritual Vision by Marsha Keith Schuchard (Inner Traditions)

William Blake's Sexual Path to Spiritual Vision uncovers the secret and mystical sexual practices at the heart of William Blake’s creative and spiritual life, revealing newly discovered documents connecting Blake’s mother and Blake himself to Moravian and Swedenborgian erotic and visionary experimentation.

William Blake (1757-1827) has long been treasured as an artist and poet whose work was born out of authentic spiritual vision. The acutely personal, almost otherworldly look of his artwork, combined with its archetypal casting and depth of emotion, transcend societal conventions and ordinary experience. But much of the overtly sexual work has been destroyed or altered, deemed too heretical by conservative elements among the mystic Moravians and Swedenborgians, whose influence on Blake has been uncovered only recently.
Author Marsha Keith Schuchard’s investigation into the radical psychosexual spiritual practices surrounding Blake, which includes new archival discoveries of Blake family documents, reveals that Moravian and Swedenborgian erotic and visionary experimentation fueled much of Blake’s creativity. The book shows Blake had access to the kabbalistic and tantric techniques of psychoerotic meditation, which used sexual arousal to achieve spiritual vision. Drawing also upon modern art restoration techniques, Schuchard shows that Blake and his wife, Catherine, were influenced by these secret kabbalistic and tantric rituals.

The research in William Blake's Sexual Path to Spiritual Vision includes the family documents and reveals how early Moravian and Swedenborgian erotic and visionary experimentation found expression in the explicit sexual imagery of his art. Much of this was lost to posterity, however, when religious conservatives pressured Blake's pious executor to suppress the more overtly sexual aspects of his work, which were subsequently altered or destroyed.

Schuchard's latest findings, combined with advances in photographic techniques used in modern-day art research, reveal this previously censored imagery. The recovery of these elements supports the belief that Blake explored extramarital sexual practices that were designed to transcend the bonds of social convention and that he pressured his wife to join him in these explorations. The author's exhaustive research provides a new context for understanding the mystical practices at the heart of Blake's most radical beliefs about sexualized spirituality and its relation to visionary art.

Schuchard places Blake at the heart of a secret London as high on spiritualized sexuality as San Francisco in the ‘summer of love.’– Miranda Seymour, The Sunday Times

This remarkable book opens the reader's eyes to what fired Blake's writings and art. – David V. Bennett, The Independent

Exposes a forgotten visionary/sexual underworld. Scholarship with the momentum of a detective story. – Iain Sinclair, The Guardian

In William Blake's Sexual Path to Spiritual Vision, using new and fastidious research methods, Schuchard breaks new ground with her investigation of the psycho-sexual practices that surrounded this famous artist.

Social Sciences / Women’s Studies / Hispanic Studies / Emigration & Immigration

Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Mobility, Labor, and Activism edited by Doreen J. Mattingly & Ellen R. Hansen (University of Arizona Press)

With the emergence of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the curtailment of welfare programs, and more aggressive efforts by the United States to seal the border against undocumented migrants, the prospect of seeking a livelihood – particularly for women – has become more tenuous during the twenty-first century. In the face of the ironic juxtaposition of free trade and limited mobility, Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border takes a new look at women on both sides of the border to portray them as active participants in the changing structures of life, often engaged in political struggles.

Editors are Doreen J. Mattingly, associate professor of women’s studies at San Diego State University and Ellen R. Hansen, associate professor of geography and chair of the Department of Social Sciences at Emporia State University. The contributions – including several chapters by Mexican as well as U.S. scholars – focus on issues related to migration, both short- and long-term; empowerment reflecting shifts in women’s consciousness in the workplace; and political and social activism in border communities.
One enduring quality of feminist scholarship about the border region is the portrayal of women as active agents influencing the world around them, rather than as passive victims of forces beyond their control. The central concern of Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border is the agency of women in the border region, in the context of the structural constraints of the local and transnational locations. Women's relationships to change at the border take a variety of forms. The mobility, labor, and activism suggested by the three section divisions refer to different areas of women's lives in which they change, and are changed by, the border context. The chapters all put women's experiences and women's stories at the heart of the investigations. The chapters treat gender as a changing social construct and acknowledge the great variation within the category ‘woman.’ By definition, border regions are places of cultural diversity and, therefore, of multiple gender ideologies. For women in the border region, different cultural constructs of gender shape the ideological terrain they negotiate. The chapters in Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border illustrate the opportunities and obstacles presented by the region's multiple gender ideologies.

At a superficial level, the border creates differences between ‘Mexican’ and ‘American’ peoples and cultures. The chapters in the book do not assume the validity of the Mexican/American binary; instead, they illuminate the cultural mosaic that actually shapes women's lives at the border. One of the interesting things about studying the border is that it provides a window into the ways women's lives cross boundaries, in both a physical and a metaphorical sense. Women living near the U.S.-Mexico border cross for a variety of reasons, including work, shopping, socializing, and collaborative activities. Simultaneously, women's lives are also shaped by transnational social processes, ideologies, and discourses. In particular, cross-border immigrants maintain attachments to people and institutions in their places of origin. The contributors to Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border exemplify these cross-border patterns in their own lives. All of the authors have traveled and worked in both Spanish- and English-speaking countries, most have lived on both sides of the border, and many have published in both languages.

As the chapters in this volume show, the geographical extent of the border's influence varies widely, and it is not possible to map a cohesive border region that captures all the meanings of the border. Despite these conceptual complexities, the U.S.-Mexico border is important as the specific geographical context of people's lives – the space within which women's agency takes shape.

The physical border dividing the United States and Mexico is about two thousand miles long and spans a diversity of landscapes and settlements. From the Pacific Coast to the cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, it is formed by the political line drawn by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; for the rest of its extent to the east, it is formed by the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo. The case studies in Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border take place in the urban areas along the western half of the border. Human settlement along the border is primarily urban, formed by twin cities from San Diego-Tijuana on the west to Brownsville-Matamoros on the east. With the exception of the San Diego-Tijuana twin cities, the largest populations are found on the Mexico side of the border. The cities on the U.S. side tend to be among the lowest income in the United States, whereas the cities on the Mexico side are high income relative to the rest of the country.

The central theme of Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border is the interplay between the external forces at the border that shape women's lives and women's individual and collective actions. The chapters are grouped into three sections dealing with women's daily and longer-term mobility, women's employment, and women's political activism. They are tied together by the themes of empowerment, the tension between agency and socioeconomic structures, and the gendered nature of social processes, particularly mobility.

One theme in the growing literature on gender and migration is the potential for women to find emancipation and empowerment through labor migration and the associated loosening of traditional patriarchal relations. Yet many have found this emancipation relative to migrant men to be insignificant, as it occurs in the context of marginalization of the migrant group as a whole.

In chapter 2, "The Unsettling, Gendered Consequences of Migration for Mexican Indigenous Women," Elizabeth Maier draws on life narratives of Mexican indigenous women living in the border region to discuss the paradoxical effect of migration on women's lives. In the first half of the chapter, Maier carefully documents the myriad of added work pressures on women's lives that result from leaving traditional indigenous communities for resettlement as low-wage workers in heterogeneous border cities. In the second part of the chapter, Maier shifts her focus and examines the ways that the unsettling experiences of immigration and employment also provide a space for the empowerment of indigenous immigrant women.

A second way that mobility is gendered is through the division of labor. In chapter 3, "Women's Daily Mobility at the U.S.-Mexico Border," Ellen Hansen shows the gendering of everyday movement among women on both sides of the border. Her interviews in Douglas, Arizona, and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, reveal that daily mobility for women on both sides of the border is shaped by their roles in the household and the communities. Specifically, women's lower likelihood of having a car and their responsibility for children lead to time-consuming and complex daily mobility patterns.

Although the border region presents challenges and constraints for women, the proximity of different economic and political landscapes also presents border women with exceptional opportunities. Hansen's chapter includes examples of women regularly crossing the border to take advantage of opportunities for work, children's education, or shopping. Norma Ojeda, in chapter 4, "Abortion in a Transborder Context, " takes up the issue of crossing the border for opportunities on the other side, weaving together women's daily mobility between San Diego, California, and Tijuana, with the cultural context and health-care services at the border. Focusing on the controversial and emotionally charged issue of obtaining abortions, Ojeda's study analyzed movements and attitudes of Hispanic and non-Hispanic women from both sides of the border as they sought abortion services in San Diego.

Women's labor provides a valuable vantage point for analyzing the interplay between economic structure and individual agency, as well as the tension between oppression and empowerment. Many studies have concluded that women's employment in export processing is best seen as a double-edged sword, offering women economic autonomy but insufficient wages to rise out of poverty.

In chapter 5 of Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border, "The Changing Gender Composition of the Maquiladora Workforce along the U.S.-Mexico Border;" Susan Tiano uses empirical data on manufacturing employment in Mexican border cities to examine three alternative theories/scenarios about industrialization's gendered impacts. They are (1) The integration thesis, which argues industrialization benefits women by absorbing them into the formal labor force; (2) The exploitation thesis, which argues capitalism takes advantage of patriarchal relations to create a low-wage labor force; (3) The marginalization thesis, which argues that industrialization prefers male workers and therefore relegates women to the margins of employment. Tiano uses the three theses to reflect on changes in employment in border maquiladoras since the late 1990s, an era when both overall employment and the proportion of women in the workforce have declined. Tiano's research suggests that while the pattern of feminization in export manufacturing may well be changing, women continued to be marginalized and exploited by the global economy.

A different approach to the relationship between employment and women's empowerment is found in chapter 6, "The Roots of Autonomy through Work Participation in the Northern Mexico Border Region," by Ana Bergareche. She explores the factors that influence whether employment contributes to women's autonomy, and therefore to their empowerment. Her interviews with women in Cuidad Juarez show that the factors most important in women's ability to transform social constraints into growth experiences are their positive spiritual beliefs and support networks with other women. By showing that age influenced how women found autonomy through work, the chapter contributes to our understanding of the diversity of women's experiences in the border region.

The question of differences among women in terms of empowerment and employment is developed further by Doreen Mattingly in chapter 7, "Domestic Service and International Networks of Caring Labor? In this chapter, she examines the strategies used by two groups of working mothers in San Diego: immigrant domestic workers and the professional women who employ them. The chapter illustrates how the gender divisions of household labor place pressures and constraints on working women, but that the women differ in the ways they manage their ‘double days?’ While professional women pay for additional assistance, the immigrant domestic workers they employ must rely on the unpaid labor of female family members, a difference that perpetuates inequalities between the two sets of households.

At the same time that globalization has increased the burden of poor women, however, the privatization of social services has created space for binational cooperation and for women to take on new roles as activists and community leaders. As in other geographical contexts, women's organizing and activism in the border region span the geographic scale from the local to the global. The expansion of colonias and the development of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to manage them are both manifestations of the neoliberal influence of the United States on both sides of the border.

The emergence of women community activists and leaders is tied to their household gender roles. Activism is seen by some women as a natural outgrowth of their roles as caretakers within the family. In chapter 8 of Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border, "Mexican Women's Activism in New Mexico Colonias," for example, Rebecca Dolhinow reports on interviews with women leaders in colonia communities in New Mexico. Through an examination of women's discussions about gender roles, as well as observations of interactions, Dolhinow argues that gender itself is transnational in colonias, as women negotiate between traditional expectations that assign women to the roles of wives and mothers and the responsibilities of leadership in their communities. Not surprisingly, Dolhinow found that women who emerge as leaders are either single or in unusually egalitarian relationships. The border setting of the colonias shapes distinct patterns of constraints and opportunities for women, as the immigrant households transplant gender ideologies into a new context. The physical space of the colonia creates an opportunity for women's leadership, but the opportunity is available only to those in positions to renegotiate traditional gender roles.

Dolhinow's chapter focuses on low-income households in the United States. South of the border, Mexican women activists of various socio-economic standing are described in chapter 9, "Styles, Strategies, and Issues of Women Leaders at the Border." Irasema Coronado describes how women activists began their work. Some became activists in response to perceived needs in their own low-income communities, but women of higher socioeconomic class levels also responded to religious duty or because they were members of political parties. While the focus of Coronado's research is Mexican border cities, the, influence of U.S. donors and international agencies on the structure of activism is also apparent in the work of activists who form autonomous organizations.

The final two chapters, by Silvia Lopez Estrada and Patricia Manning, deal with collaborative efforts by women. The formation of autonomous NGOs by Mexican women activists is the particular focus of Silvia Lopez Estrada in chapter 10, "Border Women's NGOs and Political Participation in Baja California." Like Coronado, Lopez Estrada draws on interviews and ethnographic work in her research. Lopez Estrada presents a picture of a diverse set of Mexican women's activist organizations, analyzing them in the context of the border region, Mexican feminism, and the changing nature of government. The chapter is of particular interest because it shows how the gaps left by the neoliberal state have created a space that women have filled.

In chapter 11, "'Making Believe' and `Willing Partners' in Academics' Activism in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands," Patricia Manning presents the most explicit investigation of binational cooperation. She does this through a discussion of her work in two transnational organizations: the Transborder Consortium for Research and Action on Gender and Reproductive Health at the U.S.-Mexico Border and Mujer Sana-Healthy Woman. This example shows the border as a dynamic place where the prevalent political trend against the authority of the Mexican government and in favor of global neoliberalism creates new spaces for women's organization and influence.

Common Threads: Gender, Empowerment, and Change

The chapters in Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border are linked by the portrayal of women as agents of change, whether they are physically moving across or along the border, working in paid and unpaid labor, or participating in movements to bring social change and justice. They are leaders as well as students, participants, and observers. Women on both sides of the border are taking advantage of opportunities to further efforts to gain autonomy, to create new paths and challenge traditions, and to empower themselves and their communities. In every sense of the word, they are movers.

Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border gives readers a sense of the kind of engaging, fulfilling work undertaken through the Transborder Consortium and Mujer Sana-Healthy Woman and some of the factors that have made them sustainable and productive.

Transnational authorship is one of the distinguishing and valuable characteristics of this volume. The impact of these chapters makes clear the vital roles that women play in changing the U.S.-Mexico border region as they shape their own lives.

In addition to emphasizing women's agency, Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border contributes in other ways to a dynamic tradition of feminist scholarship. And by illustrating the current state of social science research on gender and women's lives in the region, Mattingly and Hansen offer fresh perspectives on the material reality of women's daily lives in this culturally and historically rich region.

Travel / Guidebooks

Bulgaria by Richard Watkins & Christopher Deliso (Country Guide Series: Lonely Planet)

...for the adventurous traveler who wants to live like a native. – Real Simple Magazine

This revision of Bulgaria, with two expert authors, is based on 80 days of in-country research and contains 35 detailed maps and a new chapter on Bulgarian wine.
Whether travelers are looking forward to exploring ancient Roman ruins, hiking the Pirin mountains, relaxing along the Black Sea coast, drinking with the locals after wandering through timeless cobblestoned streets or marveling at stunning church frescoes, Bulgaria won't disappoint.

For most foreign holidaymakers, Bulgaria's main lure is its long, sandy coastline – which still boasts swaths of stunning beaches and picturesque bays despite the expansive construction work – but there is so much more to this country, and so much of it remains largely untouched and unvisited by overseas tourists. Networks of well-maintained hiking trails and horse-riding routes allow travelers to discover Bulgaria's lush mountainous and forested landscapes, inhabited by bears, lynx, rare birds and other kinds of wildlife now becoming scarce elsewhere in Europe.

There's nothing quite like a personal recommendation from someone who's been there to get started, so the authors asked travelers, Lonely Planet authors and staff for their highlights from Bulgaria. This is what they said:

Belogradchik Rocks – There is a little town in the northwest called Belogradchik where they have some beautiful old forts and rock formations.
Hiking Around Bansko – Use Bansko as a base and do some hiking out of there. Travels can get to ski lifts that will take them higher and from there do some nice hikes. There is also a narrow-gauge railroad that travels to Bansko – it is quite slow, but the scenery is very impressive.
Tryavna – Is well worth visiting to see the traditional woodcarvings, cobblestone streets and good architecture.
Hiking the Lakes – the Seven Lakes area. There is a great network of huts (called hizhas) which travels can hike between so they don't have to bring camping or cooking equipment.
Traditional Taverns – Travelers imbibe traditional Bulgarian hospitality at one of the many sociable mehanas (taverns) found all over the country. Decked out in colorful folksy style, and often providing live traditional music, they are great places to tuck into witty rustic cuisine, rounded off with some excellent local wines
Travelers can visit the wine town of Melnik, where houses and wine cellars are dug into the hillsides and where weird, eroded sandstone spires stick up from the valley floor. The food served at the taverns is as good as it gets, and to shake off the extra weight, there's a lovely walk up the valley to the Rozhen Monastery, overlooking the mountains.
Nesebar has tons of history and ancient ruins. Travelers can explore several Roman ruins as well as a couple of centuries-old traditional houses and churches. Nesebar has nice sandy beaches nearby if travelers go to the new town, south of the causeway that leads into old Nesebar.
Kyustendil & Boyana Church – The elegant spa town of Kyustendil, near the border with Macedonia, is a great place to relax, have a bath or walk in the forests. On the way to or from Sofia, stop off at Boyana to visit the ancient, frescoed church.
Varna is lively and fun especially during the summer months. Travelers will find a lot of Bulgarian tourists here and can still go to one of the beaches for the day. A hot spring runs across the beach and into the sea.
Koprivshtitsa is a charming old village with some lovely places to stay in the old Bulgarian revival style.
Plovdiv – The old town is wonderful, and readers might want to visit one of the many house-museums as well as the Roman amphitheatre. If travelers have the time, there are at least two worthwhile side trips: the Bachkovo Monastery is the second-largest in Bulgaria, and is in a beautiful setting in the hills south of Plovdiv; similarly, the Tsarevets Fortress is an old encampment of buildings and churches in the hills south of town.
Troyan is good for traditional pottery and the journey through the pass southwards is stunning.
At the market of Kazanlak, the voluble vendors are proactive enough to urge travelers to purchase things they may not need – items like live chickens, saddles and whips. Nevertheless, the tomatoes are ruddy and ripe and the pure, thick mountain honey is certainly worth a couple of leva.

According to Bulgaria, five centuries subjugated to Ottoman rule and, more recently, four decades locked firmly behind the Iron Curtain turned Bulgaria into a distant, enigmatic country in the eyes of much of the rest of the world. Images of cheap wine downed at student house parties, budget ski holidays and umbrella-wielding Cold War assassins were once among the popular stereotypes, but Bulgaria today is a vastly different country from what it was even 10 years ago.

A fully paid-up member of NATO and the EU, Bulgaria has the feel of a nation at an important crossroads. Massive foreign investment has created a construction boom, not just around the larger beach and mountain tourist resorts, but in the cities, too. More tourists than ever are discovering this country and an ever-rising number of foreigners are investing in property. At the same time, the Bulgarian population is declining faster than almost anywhere else in Europe, wages are amongst the lowest on the continent – prompting increasingly long and bitter strikes – and the old problems of bureaucratic incompetence and organized crime bubble away in the background. The environmental image caused by overdevelopment has been a particular cause for public alarm over recent years, and there are several national and international organizations campaigning to bring some of these issues to wider world attention.

According to Bulgaria, getting around the country is easy, with cheap and efficient public transport to ferry you between the cities and into the remoter, rural corners, where the traditional, slow pace of life continues much as it has done for centuries. Here travelers will come across multicolored monasteries, filled with fabulous icons and watched over by bushy-bearded priests, and impossibly pretty timber-framed villages with smoke curling lazily over the stone-tiled roofs and donkeys complaining in the distance, where headscarfed old ladies and their curious grandchildren still stare in wonderment at the arrival of outsiders. The cities, too, are often overlooked highlights, from dynamic, cosmopolitan Sofia with its lovely parks, sociable alfresco bars and fascinating museums, to the National Revival architectural treasures and Roman remains of Plovdiv, and the youthful maritime cockiness of Varna.

Prices have certainly risen since Bulgaria became a member of the EU, but compared with countries in Western Europe, travelers will find it by and large a pleasingly cheap destination, and an easy and enjoyable one to travel round once they have mastered the Cyrillic alphabet and enough Bulgarian to buy a bus ticket.

English is widely understood in the big cities and tourist centers, and German is the more common second language in the coastal resorts, but in the countryside, knowledge of foreign languages is rare. Learning a few basic phrases will certainly ease travelers’ passage and make their trip more enjoyable. The new tourist offices in the main cities are happy to help with any queries and staff at backpacker hostels and upscale hotels, which are more used to dealing with international guests, almost always speak English and have plenty of information to hand.

According to Bulgaria, most foreign tourists still come to Bulgaria on all-inclusive package deals, either for sunbathing on the coast or skiing in the mountains, which can work out to be quite cost-effective as they also include airfares. If travelers are based at a beach or ski resort, it is easy to visit nearby attractions by public bus, hire car or on day trips organized by local tour companies. Some agencies based in Sofia run a huge range of day trips and multi-day activity and special-interest tours, so if travelers are keen on archaeology, bird-watching, botany, caving or climbing (to name just a few), these are a good way to see the best that the country has to offer.

The Lonely Planet authors and editors see their job as inspiring and enabling travelers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large. They offer travelers rich travel advice, not just in Bulgaria, but in all their guidebooks, informed by the wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages. They find the special, the unique and the different for travelers wherever they are. They visit thousands of places in person to get the details right, offering the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent. They challenge their growing community of travelers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world. And they tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travelers; not clouded by any other motive.