Best Gerontology Social Sciences

He has taught more than 300,000 people what The Joy of Not Working is about: learning to live every part of their lives - work and play, employment, and retirement alike - to the fullest. In this completely revised and expanded edition, you too can join the thousands of converts and learn how to thrive at both work and play. "In The Joy Of Not Working, Zelinski explains how to. combat boredom, develop motivation, live for today, rethink. the terms of financial independence, and redefine. the meaning of fulfillment."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"THE HANDS DOWN BEST BOOK I"VE EVER READ ON RETIREMENT,WELL BALANCED,FUNNY AND EDUCATIONAL GAVE ME REAL PEACE AFTER READING SO MANY BOOKS ABOUT THE GIZILLIONS YOU NEED OR !!!"
"Zelinski reminds us of what is really important in life - not just being productivity machines until we get to our deathbeds, disappointed that we didn't really live. Zelinksi encourages us to question the workaholic culture and gives excellent, concrete exercises and tips for creating engaged lives that we truly love, in retirement, unemployment or even while employed."
"America is becoming obsessed with work and money to the point where we lose what we really want in life."
"whether you're unemployed, working for a long time still or planning on retiring soon, read this!"
"Second, that of being in a long-term committed relationship where some degree of self-sacrifice for another is more than made-up for by love, companionship, and partnership; one can have freedom and independence "on the side" while also in a committed relationship."
"I have developed my "Get-a-Life Tree" and have started scheduling important, meaningful stuff to do when that magic day comes at the end of the month when I can walk away from my 34-year career into something exciting, and much more important."
"Light and entertaining but with a profound message."
"Lots of suggestions to prevent boredom (or depression) and fill up those extra 18 hours you now have available."

On frequently traveled routes between seasonal jobs, Jessica Bruder meets people from all walks of life: a former professor, a McDonald’s vice president, a minister, a college administrator, and a motorcycle cop, among many others―including her irrepressible protagonist, a onetime cocktail waitress, Home Depot clerk, and general contractor named Linda May. Nomadland is a testament both to the generosity and creativity of the victims of our modern-medieval economy, hidden in plain sight, and to the blunt-end brutality that put them there. “In the early twentieth century, men used to ride the rails in search of work, sharing camps at night. But surprisingly, Nomadland also offers its residents much-needed camaraderie and adventure, which makes this book a joy to read.”. - Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed. Nomadland is a smart road book for the new economy, full of conviviality and dark portent.”. - Ted Conover, author of Rolling Nowhere and Immersion. Proud, resourceful, screwed-over, funny and in so many ways admirable, the American nomads Bruder lived with and reports on have sometimes lost everything but their bravado . “Some readers will come because they're enamored of road narratives, but Bruder's study should be of interest to anyone who cares about the future of work, community, and retirement.”. - Peter C. Baker, Pacific Standard.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Jessica Bruder, a magazine journalist, spent three years researching the growing phenomenon of people, mostly of retirement age, living in their vehicles. They were forced by financial circumstances to give up their homes or apartments and living in a vehicle allows them some shelter, some mobility, and an excuse to claim that they are not actually homeless, just "houseless.""
"They're encouraged by being told that they're not working hard enough if they're NOT taking at least 2 tylenols at the end of their shift - free OTC pain meds being a "perk" of working in an Amazon warehouse. They bring the non-cynical can-do work ethic of yesteryear, they're economically desperate, and Federal tax credits offset 25-40% of their wages!"
"Trapped between rising rents, ancient lingering student loans and ageism, workers in their sixties and seventies are living in vans, cars and old school busses while crossing the country for minimum wage seasonal jobs at parks, beet farms and Amazon fulfillment centers."
"Our "camp" spot $60/night. It was our intention when we actually retire in a few years to volunteer as camp hosts as a way of giving back and extending our retirement dollars. I assume they are just now allowed in to the places we stay, rigs must be 10 years or younger, you must prove you have 100,000 insurance, you have to have a background check if staying in any one place for longer than a month."

An exercise program for the prevention & treatment of back pain, osteoporosis and the postural changes of aging. Sara Meeks a physical therapist for nearly 50 years, specializes in helping people with low bone mass.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Life has already improved."
"It not only stopped the knee pain but helped with other joint pain and even seems to help with digestion."
"Makes the case for fewer repititions so the number of recommended stretches are manageable. I am 82 and needed this book (and I was asking for something like this over 15 years ago) bacause I have multiple back issues."
"This is an easy to follow, thorough book for anyone who has osteoporosis, neck/back pain, poor posture, or just cares about keeping their body in good form and health."
"This book is jam packed with practical, clear and useful information on how to exercise, stand, sit, sleep and live in a manner that strengthens bones - a real help to dealing with the shock of being diagnosed with osteoporosis."
"My physical therapist recommends and uses these exercises with me."
"This book is helping me to properly get some of that flexibility back, without overextending myself in the process, given my age."
"I am taking spinal physical therapy at my local hospital for some osteopenia and were given these exercises."
Best Social Sciences Reference

Updated for the first time since 2008, National Geographic's visual atlas of the world will delight and inspire history lovers, current event buffs, and cartography fans alike. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC cartographers bring a century of mapmaking experience and cutting-edge technology to bear on every atlas product.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Pro's: I love how in the beginning of every section they provide succinct description of the region, including most common natural disasters and other details."
"It is stunningly beautiful and thorough,but it must be noted that that it is 17 inches long (12"wide.)."
"Perfect family reference atlas."
"This World Atlas is absolutely and extraordinarily beautiful and graphic."
Best Children's Studies Social Science

This edition of New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman’s modern classic, Coraline —also an Academy Award-nominated film—is enriched with a foreword from the author, a reader's guide, and more. “Coraline is by turns creepy and funny, bittersweet and playful…can be read quickly and enjoyed deeply.” (San Francisco Chronicle Book Review). “Gaiman’s pacing is superb, and he steers the tension of the tale with a deft and practiced narrative touch.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Do not be deceived by the idea that Coraline is considered a " children book"."
"The issues I had with the book was that the middle just seemed to be there to make the book longer. The middle of the book seemed to repeat its self over and over which made the book get a little boring.The end of the book felt so rushed that it was hard to keep up with."
"Young Coraline is indeed a very brave young heroine, empowered and very clever in the face of what the dangers are and lurk furtively in fairy tales! Young readers will find the adaptation to a two-dimensional situation easier to digest than an older, less flexible reader where the blurred realities are more burdensome. "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.""
"I began to read Coraline with no expectations beyond a hope of being mildly entertained; it is, after all, a children's book, and I was checking it out to see if my son might enjoy the storyline."
"Coraline finds herself in a parallel world with a mom who wants her to stay."
"Movie great but graphic novel explains more and captures the complete story, spooky fun with very good graphics and colir."
Best Social Work

This bestselling work for professionals and students is the authoritative presentation of motivational interviewing (MI), the powerful approach to facilitating change. The companion Web page provides additional helpful resources, including reflection questions, an extended bibliography, and annotated case material. This book is in the Applications of Motivational Interviewing series, edited by Stephen Rollnick, William R. Miller, and Theresa B. Moyers. MI has fundamentally changed the way we think about working with less motivated clients, especially in today's health care climate, with its emphasis on evidence-based brief treatments. --Scott T. Walters, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Health Behavior and Health Systems, University of North Texas Health Science Center; member, Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). It is a 'must-adopt' text for courses in psychology, counseling, social work, mental health, addictions, and health care more broadly." " Motivational Interviewing is one of the few texts that I can assign to my MSW students year after year for my Clinical Practice course and know they will love it as much as I do. I have had more positive feedback from students regarding this book than any other text I've used, and it is wonderful to watch the light go on in their eyes as they gain understanding about behavior change and how MI works. ( Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions 2012-09-09). "Highly recommended to all practitioners in health settings and to clinicians supervising and teaching others." ( Community Mental Health Journal 2012-09-09). "This approach is one that can be powerfully used by occupational therapy practitioners who are working in mental health and substance abuse settings, or any psychosocial behavioral health setting....In preparing professional students for practice, I view this approach as foundational to their effectiveness in building motivation and strengthening commitment to change with their clients." The book illustrates clinical case examples to prepare psychiatrists who work in all different types of settings....This is a user-friendly, engaging, and comprehensive text that should be required reading for all practicing clinicians."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Buy it."
"Great book!"
"I love this book."
"Great book - great technique."
"Just exceptional."
"Not only does it provide useful information, it gives numerous scenarios that help you visualize the process."
"Great and easy read!"
"Loved this book!"
Best Library & Information Sciences

The lessons in this illuminative text are grounded in theory, but made accessible through numerous real-world examples — ready for immediate application to your next graph or presentation. Together, the lessons in this book will help you turn your data into high impact visual stories that stick with your audience. At JPMorgan Chase, she has helped improve our capabilities to explain complicated analysis to executive management and the regulators with whom we work. If you are a beginner in visualization, or if you struggle to produce good charts in your everyday job with tools like Excel, Tableau, Qlik, and the like, this is a great place to start learning the core principles ." Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic understands this and has written a straightforward, accessible guide that will help anyone who communicates with data connect more effectively with their audience. ".
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"People wanting a basic introduction to presentation graphics would be. well served by this book by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic. Knaflic's encouraging message. is that MS Excel and PowerPoint can be quite enough software for good. graphics, but you will need to go beyond the defaults and work at the. details. The subtitle flags a focus on "business professionals"; the content. tactfully implies junior people presenting with PowerPoint to. time-challenged bosses at brief meetings. Examples show how mediocre graphs can be improved by reducing clutter, killing the key, better use of color, and similar standard tricks. A splendid case study on avoiding spaghetti graphics (lots. of tangled lines) stands out, and the problem and the ideas deserved. more. What's not here includes Cleveland dot charts, histograms and box plots. even among the staples of good introductory statistics courses, let. alone (say) use of logarithmic scale, always one of the first graphical. devices for many sciences. But that. reference level could easily be some value not zero, such as parity. between men and women, or the mean of a variable, or 32 degrees. Fahrenheit to separate freezing and non-freezing temperatures. A tighter copy-editor would have signalled that. "leverage" (used as a verb about 70 times) was too much of a personal. favorite, while "de-emphasize" for "tone down", "utilize" for "use" and. "incredible" for things all too credible are among several other. repeated tics."
"A very good introductory book to the world of storytelling with data and data visualization."
"I'm halfway through the book and it has already proven to be thoroughly valuable."
"Cole presents a very clear and effective approach to building visualizations that can tell a story with minimal amount of clutter."
"I also had the honor of attending a live presentation with Cole."
"While I like to think that my visualizations are pretty good, when you are teaching people (or convincing them to change) you have to know WHY the visualization looks good and is effective."
"Recommended by a work colleague, this book does what it claims; clearly explains how and why you can create more appealing data charts."
"Great, basic concepts that any data viz, data science or analytics person should be aware of."
Best Folklore & Mythology Studies

Following in the tradition of such classics as Arthur Huff Fauset’s “Negro Folk Tales from the South” (1927), Zora Neale Hurston’s Mules and Men (1935), and Virginia Hamilton’s The People Could Fly (1985), acclaimed scholars Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Maria Tatar assemble a groundbreaking collection of folktales, myths, and legends that revitalizes a vibrant African American past to produce the most comprehensive and ambitious collection of African American folktales ever published in American literary history. Introductory essays, nearly 150 African American stories, and 20 seminal African tales as historical background The familiar Brer Rabbit classics, as well as news-making vernacular tales from the 1890s’ Southern Workman An entire section of Caribbean and Latin American folktales that finally become incorporated into the canon Approximately 200 full-color, museum-quality images. Gates' and Tatar's introductions provide essential critical frameworks for understanding black folk culture's centrality to wider American culture, while the secondary sources shed light on the various methodologies and philosophies that have informed how scholars gather folklore. An exhaustive, informative, and entertaining survey of African-American folklore, its centrality to American culture, and the universality of myth.”. - Kirkus Reviews. Extensively sourced, this groundbreaking gathering redefines African American folklore, establishes a canon, and traces the influence of these stories on American history, society, and culture. A rigorous achievement and a worthy and fascinating addition to any folklore, African American studies, or American literature collection.”. - Booklist.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book is the size of a textbook and is filled with many wonderful stories and insights into Black history."
"Beautiful copy, great information and compilation!"
"I’m satisfied with this product."
"My book is bound upside down!"
"To know the origin of so many African American Folktales is such a gift."
"I bought 20 copies as gifts for Christmas!"
"Should be on every serious book collectors shelf."
Best Privacy & Surveillance in Society

Longlisted for the National Book Award | New York Times Bestseller A former Wall Street quant sounds an alarm on the mathematical models that pervade modern life and threaten to rip apart our social fabric. Most troubling, they reinforce discrimination: If a poor student can’t get a loan because a lending model deems him too risky (by virtue of his zip code), he’s then cut off from the kind of education that could pull him out of poverty, and a vicious spiral ensues. A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2016. A Boston Globe Best Book of 2016. One of Wired 's Required Reading Picks of 2016. One of Fortune 's Favorite Books of 2016. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2016. A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016. A Nature.com Best Book of 2016. An On Point Best Book of 2016 New York Times Editor's Choice. A Maclean 's Bestseller. Winner of the 2016 SLA-NY PrivCo Spotlight Award. “O’Neil’s book offers a frightening look at how algorithms are increasingly regulating people… Her knowledge of the power and risks of mathematical models, coupled with a gift for analogy, makes her one of the most valuable observers of the continuing weaponization of big data… [She] does a masterly job explaining the pervasiveness and risks of the algorithms that regulate our lives.”. — New York Times Book Review. " Weapons of Math Destruction is the Big Data story Silicon Valley proponents won't tell.... [It] pithily exposes flaws in how information is used to assess everything from creditworthiness to policing tactics.... a thought-provoking read for anyone inclined to believe that data doesn't lie.”. — Reuters. “Readable and engaging… succinct and cogent… Weapons of Math Destruction is The Jungle of our age… [It] should be required reading for all data scientists and for any organizational decision-maker convinced that a mathematical model can replace human judgment." “Indispensable… Despite the technical complexity of its subject, Weapons of Math Destruction lucidly guides readers through these complex modeling systems… O’Neil’s book is an excellent primer on the ethical and moral risks of Big Data and an algorithmically dependent world… For those curious about how Big Data can help them and their businesses, or how it has been reshaping the world around them, Weapons of Math Destruction is an essential starting place.”. — National Post. “Cathy O’Neil, a number theorist turned data scientist, delivers a simple but important message: Statistical models are everywhere, and they exert increasing power over many aspects of our daily lives… Weapons of Math Destruction provides a handy map to a few of the many areas of our lives over which invisible algorithms have gained some control. Weapons of Math Destruction should be required reading for anybody whose life will be affected by Big Data, which is to say: required reading for everyone. That’s why the catalogue of case studies in O’Neil’s book are so important; she’s telling us where to look.” —The Guardian “O’Neil is passionate about exposing the harmful effects of Big Data–driven mathematical models (what she calls WMDs), and she’s uniquely qualified for the task… [She] makes a convincing case that many mathematical models today are engineered to benefit the powerful at the expense of the powerless… [and] has written an entertaining and timely book that gives readers the tools to cut through the ideological fog obscuring the dangers of the Big Data revolution.” —In These Times. An unusually lucid and readable look at the daunting algorithms that govern so many aspects of our lives.”. — Kirkus Reviews (starred) “Even as a professional mathematician, I had no idea how insidious Big Data could be until I read Weapons of Math Destruction . O’Neil speaks from a place of authority on the subject… Unlike some other recent books on data collection, hers is not hysterical; she offers more of a chilly wake-up call as she walks readers through the ways the ‘big data’ industry has facilitated social ills such as skyrocketing college tuitions, policing based on racial profiling, and high unemployment rates in vulnerable communities… eerily prescient.”. — Publishers Weekly. — Paris Review “Through harrowing real-world examples and lively story-telling, Weapons of Math Destruction shines invaluable light on the invisible algorithms and complex mathematical models used by government and big business to undermine equality and increase private power. If you don’t want these algorithms to become your masters, read Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil to deconstruct the latest growing tyranny of an arrogant establishment.”. — Ralph Nader , author of Unsafe at Any Speed “In this fascinating account, Cathy O'Neil leverages her expertise in mathematics and her passion for social justice to poke holes in the triumphant narrative of Big Data.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"So here you are on Amazon's web page, reading about Cathy O'Neil's new book, Weapons of Math Destruction. If clicks on or sales of related items go down, Amazon will know, and can investigate and adjust the model accordingly. Take a look at Amazon's model above: while there are calculations (simple ones) embedded, it's people who decide what data to use, how to use it, and how to measure success. Math is not a final arbiter, but a tool to express, in a scalable (i.e., computable) way, the values that people explicitly decide to emphasize. She highlights that when we evaluate teachers based on students' test scores, or assess someone's insurability as a driver based on their credit record, we are expressing opinions: that a successful teacher should boost test scores, or that responsible bill-payers are more likely to be responsible drivers. Unable to measure quality directly, the magazine built a model based on proxies, primarily outward markers of success, like selectivity and alumni giving. Predictably, college administrators, eager to boost their ratings, focused on these markers rather than on education quality itself. To take a very simple example, imagine that Cathy is about to publish a sequel to Weapons of Math Destruction. The model is pretty easy to understand and audit, which builds confidence and also decreases the likelihood that it gets used to obfuscate. This makes it easier for wealthier candidates to find jobs than poorer ones, and perpetuates a cycle of inequality. It is short -- you can read it in an afternoon -- and it doesn't have time or space for either detailed data analysis (there are no formulas or graphs) or complete histories of the models she considers. As more and more aspects of our lives fall under the purview of automated data analysis, that's a hugely important undertaking."
"I don't know if O'Neil has personally ever had to take a psychology test to get a job, worked under the Kronos scheduling system, lived in a neighborhood with increased police presence due to crime rates, been victimized by insurance rates adjusted to zip codes, and endured corporate wellness programs. Despised by the rank and file of companies that I've worked for, Kronos software contains many aspects and automates things that previously were done by people, mostly managers. Well, say you have a workplace policy that mandates chronically-late employees be written up for tardiness and eventually fired if they don't shape up. What tended to happen at multiple companies I worked for was that managers would look the other way when their buddies were tardy, and write up people they didn't like. Kronos changed that, because the system automatically generated write-ups for any employee that clocked in late too many times. Well I have been poor, or at least this country's version of it, and I have lived in very high crime areas where if you didn't shut your window at night chances were good you would hear a murder. O'Neil argues that many crimes, like drug use by affluent college students, go unpunished because the police are busy in the poorer neighborhoods. I agree, but police resources are limited and for mercy's sake they should be sent where people are being killed, not where a college student is passed out in his living room. My current neighbors many be committing as many crimes as O'Neil implies, but I'm not terrified to walk down the street, so I don't mind the lack of police presence. I just would have liked acknowledgement that wellness programs really do have benefits for some people, instead of a chapter painting them as some sort of 1984-style nightmare where we are all forced to be thin. Despite winning multiple Employee and Student of the Year awards in my life, I can't pass those tests. Here O'Neil misses an opportunity to convince owners of companies that the tests can cost them highly desirable employees. Offering real, concrete ideas of how the tests could be improved to benefit both workers and company owners would have been a harder book to write, but a much more useful one. I hovered on the edge of a four star rating for this book, until a chance conversation with a Japanese woman a couple days ago. My friend was not complaining, she thought the reforms overall a good thing, though her family had lost a lot from it."
"The book takes a look at the rise of computer-generated approaches to the flood of personal data being gathered on us daily and takes a hard look at the unintended consequences of relying on them uncritically."
"PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!"
"Bought it for one of my daughters who is majoring in accounting and she loves it!"
"Thought the concept was great but unfortunately poorly executed by the author."
"I found the information to be fascinating, and important for everyone to understand."
"Gift."
Best Criminology

#1 New York Times Bestseller |. Named one of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times • The Washington Post • The Boston Globe • The Seattle Times • Esquire • Time Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction | Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction | Winner of a Books for a Better Life Award | Finalist for the Los Angeles Book Prize | Finalist for the Kirkus Reviews Prize | An American Library Association Notable Book A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time. Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. a searing indictment of American criminal justice and a stirring testament to the salvation that fighting for the vulnerable sometimes yields.” —David Cole, The New York Review of Books “Searing, moving . Just Mercy will make you upset and it will make you hopeful.” —Ted Conover, The New York Times Book Review “Inspiring . Stevenson is not only a great lawyer, he’s also a gifted writer and storyteller.” — The Washington Post “As deeply moving, poignant and powerful a book as has been, and maybe ever can be, written about the death penalty.” —The Financial Times “Brilliant.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer “Not since Atticus Finch has a fearless and committed lawyer made such a difference in the American South. Just Mercy is his inspiring and powerful story.” —John Grisham “Bryan Stevenson is one of my personal heroes, perhaps the most inspiring and influential crusader for justice alive today, and Just Mercy is extraordinary. But at the same time that [Bryan] Stevenson tells an utterly damning story of deep-seated and widespread injustice, he also recounts instances of human compassion, understanding, mercy, and justice that offer hope. Just Mercy is a remarkable amalgam, at once a searing indictment of American criminal justice and a stirring testament to the salvation that fighting for the vulnerable sometimes yields.” —David Cole, The New York Review of Books. For decades he has fought judges, prosecutors and police on behalf of those who are impoverished, black or both. Injustice is easy not to notice when it affects people different from ourselves; that helps explain the obliviousness of our own generation to inequity today. Against tremendous odds, Stevenson has worked to free scores of people from wrongful or excessive punishment, arguing five times before the Supreme Court. The message of the book, hammered home by dramatic examples of one man’s refusal to sit quietly and countenance horror, is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made. Stevenson has been angry about [the criminal justice system] for years, and we are all the better for it.” —Ted Conover, The New York Times Book Review “Inspiring . “As deeply moving, poignant and powerful a book as has been, and maybe ever can be, written about the death penalty.” —The Financial Times “Brilliant.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Not since Atticus Finch has a fearless and committed lawyer made such a difference in the American South. Bryan Stevenson, however, is very much alive and doing God’s work fighting for the poor, the oppressed, the voiceless, the vulnerable, the outcast, and those with no hope. The stories told within these pages hold the potential to transform what we think we mean when we talk about justice.” —Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow “A distinguished NYU law professor and MacArthur grant recipient offers the compelling story of the legal practice he founded to protect the rights of people on the margins of American society. It is inspiring and suspenseful—a revelation.” —Isabel Wilkerson, author of The Warmth of Other Suns “Words such as important and compelling may have lost their force through overuse, but reading this book will restore their meaning, along with one’s hopes for humanity.” —Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Mountains Beyond Mountains “Bryan Stevenson is America’s young Nelson Mandela, a brilliant lawyer fighting with courage and conviction to guarantee justice for all. It is as gripping to read as any legal thriller, and what hangs in the balance is nothing less than the soul of a great nation.” —Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My tendency is to put things into "liberal" and "conservative" buckets and this one seemingly fit into the liberal bucket and I am a professed conservative."
"I have a new hero . Bryan Stevenson. This is a great book."
"This is a system that condemns children to life imprisonment without parole, that makes petty theft a crime as serious as murder, and that has declared war on hundreds of thousands of people with substance abuse problems by imprisoning them and denying them help. JUST MERCY explores a number of devastating cases, including children as young as fourteen facing life imprisonment, and scores of people on death row - mostly poor, and mostly black - who have been unfairly convicted. But the central focus is on Walter McMillan, a black man sentenced to death for the murder of a prominent young white woman. Ours is no longer a country that sees compassion as a virtue; instead, we write harsher and harsher laws that demand longer and longer sentences for those we consider undesirables. It's rare these days to meet someone who truly dedicates himself to those least able to help themselves, especially someone who isn't after media attention or self-promotion."
Best Demography Studies

The controversial book linking intelligence to class and race in modern society, and what public policy can do to mitigate socioeconomic differences in IQ, birth rate, crime, fertility, welfare, and poverty. Herrnstein and Murray have written one of the most provocative social science books published in many years....This is a superbly written and exceedingly well documented book. Malcolme W. Browne The New York Times Book Review Mr. Murray and Mr. Herrnstein write that "for the last 30 years, the concept of intelligence has been a pariah in the world of ideas," and that the time has come to rehabilitate rational discourse on the subject. Prof. Eugene D. Genovese National Review Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray might not feel at home with Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Lani Guinier, but they should....They have all [made] brave attempts to force a national debate on urgent matters that will not go away. In the second round of reaction, some commentators suggested that Herrnstein and Murray were merely bringing up facts that were well known in the scientific community, but perhaps best not discussed in public.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Although you would not glean as much from the vicious attacks that have been leveled against this book since its publishing, the major thesis is that intelligence is highly correlated with success in America. This same kind of intelligence, needless to say, is valuable to employers and leads to success at work. There are enclaves of high income, highly intelligent people in Boston, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. What they also find, but which does not excite controversy, is that Ashkenazi Jews average 115, Americans of Northeast Asian descent average about 107, American Indians average about 90, and Hispanic Americans about the same. They produce highly reproducible results – there are a wide range of intelligence tests available, and all of them will yield pretty much the same results for a given individual. In practical terms, a one standard deviation difference in population averages means that only one person in six in the lower population has an intelligence at or exceeding the average of the higher group. Only one white person in six is as smart as the average Ashkenazi Jew, and only one black and six is as intelligent as the average white. Intelligence is highly correlated with success in school, income, health and happiness. In round numbers, intelligence explains about 25% of the difference in levels of success. At the same time, as noted in Lynn's book above, the intelligence of nativeborn Americans is declining."
"The Bell Curve got so much positive attention as a revolutionary, critical review of issues so current and pressing within our society, at the time, and today that I felt I would really appreciate reading it and reviewing the authors scientific efforts. In fact, as you will find, upon studying the text, the Bell Curve IS about the relationship between "Intellect" and "One's ability to succeed in life". It is scary to me, but when I, a student of the Bell Curve, see these commentators on telivision or read of them in the papers.... speaking of "dirty little books", "racism disguised as science" etc..., I have the feeling that If this were not the 20th century, and if we did not have the constitution protecting our right to publish scientific findings, these very same negative commentators might just try to force Murray to renounce his scientific findings, keeping us all in the dark for as long as possible."
"Interesting book on the study of human cognition."
"It is not about what we want, but about what nature does with human nature and its most distinctive feature / evolutionary advantage. What really bothers many readers and many more opinionated none-readers of this book, is the fact that nature does not care what they think, and shall never consult with them."
"Everybody should read this controversial book."
"Fantastic reading combined with a good seller equals a satisfied customer."
Best Communication & Media Studies

You will see the powerful and deceptive methods of manipulation that affect us all, as numerous organizations and political activists cunningly plot to have their stories seen, heard, and believed by as many people as possible. The depths of lies, distortions, and omissions from traditional mainstream media will shock you; and now they’re colluding with the top tech companies trying to maintain their information monopolies. Mark's YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers and more than 400 million views, and his viral videos have been mentioned on the Fox News Channel, CNN, the Drudge Report, TMZ, the New York Daily News , the Washington Times , and other media outlets around the world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I believe a person that is not ready to be awakened may experience severe soul pain and Mark forgot to put "Trigger warning" on the cover but still I believe for awakened people this is going to be great laugh and joy to read pages and see how death of media complex is unravelling and humanity awakening while people that still caught in nets of news manipulators may feel really bad but after few weeks I believe healing effects of truth will be refreshing."
"The book mentions how our leftists media is trying to persuade us to accept insanity like there being more than 2 genders, and how the media is pushing fake hate crimes committed by leftists in attempt to frame Trump supporters as Nazis,white Supremacists,KKK members, and racist."
"A lot of people don't know history and how much the media has been involved with the CIA and FBI and the rest of our federal gov't to create stories, manipulate events, etc."
"The news media has become so untrustworthy, the majority of sane Americans have seen this before even reading Marks book!"
"Great book and well written!!!!"
"Excellent book; this will not disappoint."
"Awesome work once again by Mark Dice as he exposes the nature of propaganda - otherwise known as the mainstream news in America."
"A must read."
Best Museum Studies & Museology

Beautifully designed and illustrated with color photographs throughout, The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects is a rich and fascinating journey through America's collective memory, and a beautiful object in its own right. Kirkus Reviews : “Smithsonian Undersecretary Kurin’s tales are abundant, so much so that it seems almost a shame to stop at a mere 101 items....A well-conceived and well-illustrated pleasure to read, combining narrative history and keepsake volume.”.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Kurin has written a very interesting series of articles about these 101 objects and how they relate to the history of America."
"Love this book...Didn't think it would be this thick for softcover...Alot of good information inside.. Great purchase..."
"Pages inside the book are good, but the jacket and cover are torn and worn in places."
"The book is filled with an immense amount of information which is presented in a fascinating, readable way."
"I am moving to the USA soon and thought it would be interesting to get to know some of the history of my next home country and this book is a really great source for that."
"An excellent book: One of the best put out by The Smithsonian."
Best Specific Demographic Studies

From a former marine and Yale Law School graduate, a powerful account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually their grandchild (the author) would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of their success in achieving generational upward mobility. Vance’s grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother, struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, and were never able to fully escape the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. “[A] compassionate, discerning sociological analysis…Combining thoughtful inquiry with firsthand experience, Mr. Vance has inadvertently provided a civilized reference guide for an uncivilized election, and he’s done so in a vocabulary intelligible to both Democrats and Republicans. [Vance] offers a compelling explanation for why it’s so hard for someone who grew up the way he did to make it…a riveting book.” ( Wall Street Journal ). “[ Hillbilly Elegy ] couldn’t have been better timed...a harrowing portrait of much that has gone wrong in America over the past two generations...an honest look at the dysfunction that afflicts too many working-class Americans.” ( National Review ). Vance’s memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy”, offers a starkly honest look at what that shattering of faith feels like for a family who lived through it.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Drugs, crime, jail time, abusive interactions without any knowledge of other forms of interaction, children growing up in a wild mix of stoned mother care, foster care, and care by temporary "boyfriends," and in general, an image of life on the edge of survival where even the heroes are distinctly flawed for lack of knowledge and experience of any other way of living. Second, the author's growing realization, fully present by the end of the work, that while individuals do not have total control over the shapes of their lives, their choices do in fact matter—that even if one can't direct one's life like a film, one does always have the at least the input into life that comes from being free to make choices, every day, and in every situation. I hate to fall into self-analysis and virtue-signaling behavior in a public review, but in this case I feel compelled to say that the author really did leave with me a renewed motivation to make more of my life every day, to respect and consider the choices that confront me much more carefully, and to seize moments of opportunity with aplomb when they present themselves."
"I never heard of the author until I saw him on Morning Joe a few days ago but I looked him up and read several articles he wrote for various publications so I bought his book. He suggests that tribalism, mistrust of outsiders and "elites," violence and irresponsibility among family members, parents without ethics and a sense of responsibility, terrible work ethics, and an us-against-them mentality is dooming the people who live that way to becoming poorer, more addicted, and more marginalized."
"I grew up without running water in Boone County, WV, and wound up with a degree from Harvard Law School."
"I escaped inner city Baltimore (see The Wire) due to luck, the ability to do well in school and a few good teachers.Instead of trying to describe my early life to my family and friends, I will give them this book."
Best Disaster Relief

In circumstances where medical personnel are overwhelmed and access to modern technology is limited or non-existent, The Survival Medicine Handbook(tm) is the essential reference book for every library. Here's just some of the topics covered: · MEDICAL PREPAREDNESS BECOMING A MEDICAL RESOURCE · THE EFFECTIVE SURVIVAL MEDIC · FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN PREPARING · LIKELY MEDICAL ISSUES YOU WILL FACE · MEDICAL SKILLS YOU WILL WANT TO LEARN · MEDICAL SUPPLIES NATURAL REMEDIES · ESSENTIAL OILS · THE MEDICINAL GARDEN · THE PHYSICAL EXAM · THE MASS CASUALTY INCIDENT · PATIENT TRANSPORT · HYGIENE-RELATED MEDICAL ISSUES · LICE, TICKS, AND WORMS · DENTAL ISSUES · RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS · FOOD AND WATER-BORNE ILLNESS · DIARRHEAL DISEASE/DEHYDRATION · DEALING WITH SEWAGE ISSUES · FOOD POISONING · APPENDICITIS/ABDOMINAL PAIN · URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS · HEPATITIS · PELVIC AND VAGINAL INFECTIONS · WOUND INFECTIONS · ABSCESSES · TETANUS · MOSQUITO BORNE ILLNESS · FUNGAL INFECTIONS · HYPERTHERMIA (HEAT STROKE) · HYPOTHERMIA · ALTITUDE SICKNESS · WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS · TORNADO PREPAREDNESS · HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS · EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS · ALLERGIC REACTIONS ASTHMA · POISON IVY, OAK, AND SUMAC · RADIATION SICKNESS · BIOLOGICAL WARFARE · MINOR WOUNDS · MAJOR AND HEMORRHAGIC WOUNDS · SOFT TISSUE WOUND CARE · WOUND CLOSURE/OPEN WOUNDS · LOCAL ANESTHESIA AND NERVE BLOCKS · HOW TO SUTURE/STAPLE SKIN · BLISTERS, SPLINTERS, AND FISHHOOKS · NAIL BED INJURIES · BURN INJURIES · ANIMAL BITES · SNAKE BITES · INSECT BITES AND STINGS · HEAD INJURIES · SPRAINS AND STRAINS · DISLOCATIONS · FRACTURES · AMPUTATION · THYROID DISEASE · DIABETES · HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE · HEART DISEASE AND CHEST PAIN · ULCER AND ACID REFLUX DISEASE · SEIZURE DISORDERS · JOINT DISEASE · KIDNEY AND GALL BLADDER STONES · SKIN CONDITIONS · VARICOSE VEINS · CPR · HEADACHE · EYE PROBLEMS · NOSEBLEED · EARACHE · HEMORRHOIDS · BIRTH CONTROL, PREGNANCY, AND DELIVERY · ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION · SLEEP DEPRIVATION · ESSENTIAL OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS · A PRIMER ON PAIN MEDICATIONS · NATURAL PAIN RELIEF · STOCKPILING MEDICATIONS HOW TO USE ANTIBIOTICS, · EXPIRATION DATES. Joseph Alton, MD practiced as a board-certified Obstetrician and Pelvic Surgeon for more than 25 years before retiring to devote his efforts to his new mission: To put a medical prepared person in every family for any disaster. He is an actively-licensed Life Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a retired fellow of the American College of Surgeons, has served as department chairman at local hospitals and as adjunct professor at local university nursing schools.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Within the last 30 years, after working in the health field as a medical professional and obtaining a copy of the first edition of this very helpful guide, this book is outstanding in every aspect as a valuable reference to emergency situations, where no other help is available. Although I have collected hundreds of books that cover this topic, I felt this one is extremely useful for my daughter to have in her home."
"I have shown it to others in my family and they will be purchasing one also for their libraries."
"So, you can either walk around blindly and hope everything is sunshine and roses forever, or you can read this book, take the time to make a first aid kit, and live your life knowing if you do somehow walk across glass barefoot with no help to be found, this book will tell you how to sew it back up!"
"Great resource."
"Wonderful well presented book written in an easy to understand common sense manner."
"Dr Alton and Nurse Alton are great at conveying a tough to instruct upon subject, providing medical oversight in a disaster situation, to the general non-medical public in layman's terms and in a concise, comprehensive and well re-emphasizing manner."
"Much of the medical care in the past was good old common sense and some information on what to look for and how to treat."
"This book is written in plain English, very understandable even if you were not a medical professional..and if you are a medical professional, it will serve as refresher, and is of great help in Putting your thoughts in order and having a pretty good idea on what to expect ( not only off grid, but in case of war where reaching a hospital is next to impossible ) .. there is a list of references ( written and videos ) at the back , and suggestions of classes to take, very helpful."
Best Philanthropy & Charity

Katie, a charismatic and articulate young woman, adopted. thirteen children in Uganda and has established a ministry, Amazima, that feeds and sends hundreds more to school while teaching them the Word of Jesus Christ. "Kisses from Katie" is another wonderful reminder that 'big' things for the kingdom do not come from age or experience, but as an overflow of a deeper love within. "With reckless abandon, Katie Davis followed her heart to care for orphans living in extreme poverty in Uganda. "Katie Davis has the story that makes radio talk show hosts stop in their tracks and say with deep disbelief, 'No, she didn't.'. At the age of nineteen, Katie Davis left the upper-middle-class life to move to Uganda, start a nonprofit organization, and begin the adoption process for thirteen daughters who needed a mother. "I was profoundly moved, challenged, and convicted as I read "Kisses from K"atie, and I came away wanting to know Jesus the way that Katie does. This is an honest and compelling account of one young woman's journey of obedience to a Jesus who loves the whole world, especially the forgotten and the marginalized. But if you stand willing to act upon belief, here you will encounter the full heartache and joy that await any person who ventures near to God's heart through adoption and other ways of loving the orphan in distress." Her devotion to the Lord and her love for His children challenge me to give sacrificially, serve selflessly, and live out my salvation with radical abandon!"
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The story of a young woman following her heart to serve her Lord in. a far off land."
"Amazing adventure of a young woman who falls in love with kids in Uganda."
"One of my all time favorite books!"
"Katie is an inspiring woman of courage and faith."
"A religious Sister gave it to my wife and I before leaving to Kenya to help at a girls school, and this book really inspired us!"
"As a parent of young adults who went to college and started their lives by marrying and getting decent jobs, I was asking myself, what would I have done if my child would have chosen to do what Katie did?"
"Does that mean God wants me to leave behind everything that is familiar to me to care for the poor and the orphaned on another continent? But she is confident that she is firmly in the palm of God's hand as she builds her family through adopting these daughters. It is altogether real that God wants to use us right here, right now, in our own comfort zone....or maybe just stepping out of it a little."
"Great book that demonstrates how God works and gives new passions to those who are obedient and open to what He has for them."
Best Emigration & Immigration Studies

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Isabel Wilkerson, the Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper writer, has now come back to write a fascinating and sweeping book on what she calls ""the biggest underreported story of the twentieth century." Of course we all know the tale of the "Dust Bowl" and the "Okies", as captured by Steinbeck in words, by Dorothea Lange in photographs, and even in song by Woody Guthrie. The title of this book is taken from Richard Wright's "Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth": "I was taking a part of the South to transplant in alien soil, to see if it could grow differently, if it could drink of new and cool rains, bend in strange winds, respond to the warmth of other suns, and, perhaps, to bloom." Our families became friends, as also "Miz Edna's" husband had served in New Guinea with my father (as a cook, however, remember the WWII Army was still segregated) ."
"It does a commendable job of presenting the sweep of history while also telling individual stories of those who left brutal conditions for better lives elsewhere."
"I am awed by the sacrifice and courage displayed by my mother who made the decision to leave her family in Alabama to give us a chance to realize our greatest potential by driving north to start a new life."
"This collection of stories takes the reader through the history of the black migration from the South to the North and lays out in clear terms the challenges blacks faced and provides a foundational understanding of the challenges blacks continue to face in America today."
"This book was well articulated by a very pleasant-voice lady."
"I knew very little about this period in our history, and as a result of this book, I've sought out more information."
"This book, by focusing on the stories few individuals citizens, transcendentally captures both the unspeakable tragedy of Jim Crow, and the remarkable faith and sheer fortitude of those making the journey north (I'll never forget Ida Mae!!)."
Best Urban Planning and Development

One of the most acclaimed books of our time, winner of both the Pulitzer and the Francis Parkman prizes, The Power Broker tells the hidden story behind the shaping (and mis-shaping) of twentieth-century New York (city and state) and makes public what few have known: that Robert Moses was, for almost half a century, the single most powerful man of our time in New York, the shaper not only of the city's politics but of its physical structure and the problems of urban decline that plague us today. "The most absorbing, detailed, instructive, provocative book ever published about the making and raping of modern New York City and environs and the man who did it, about the hidden plumbing of New York City and State politics over the last half-century, about the force of personality and the nature of political power in a democracy. This is a study of the corruption which power exerts on those who wield it to set beside Tacitus and his emperors, Shakespeare and his kings." "In the future, the scholar who writes the history of American cities in the twentieth century will doubtless begin with this extraordinary effort." "The feverish hype that dominates the merchandising of arts and letters in America has so debased the language that, when a truly exceptional achievement comes along, there are no words left to praise it. Important, awesome, compelling--these no longer summon the full flourish of trumpets this book deserves. "Required reading for all those who hope to make their way in urban politics; for the reformer, the planner, the politician and even the ward heeler." The most unlikely subjects--banking, ward politics, construction, traffic management, state financing, insurance companies, labor unions, bridge building--become alive and contemporary. It is like one of the great Russian novels, overflowing with characters and incidents that all fit into a vast mosaic of plot and counterplot.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This was a tip from New York Magazine on "How to read 'The Power Broker'": Buy a cheap paperback version, tear it into thirds, read one third at a time."
"This was a monumental accomplishment as Moses controlled all municipal building in NYC for years and had a stranglehold on power even over numerous mayors. What I found fascinating was Moses’ expert manipulation of the system of government in NY which gave him a stranglehold on power for years. I would have liked more information about Moses’s family but it may have been trimmed since the book was whittled down considerably before publishing."
"As someone has lived in New York City for many, in a neighborhood Moses wanted to tear down to build a freeway, The Power Broker is a fascinating insight into the city in its current form. His editors at the time thought no body would read such a long book so they cut several chapters, including Moses's battles with Jane Jacobs."
"This book is a truly fascinating study for those interested in the urban history of New York, political power, or urban development."
