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Social science

  • Auteur:
    Isenberg, Nancy
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    The wretched and landless poor have existed from the time of the earliest British colonial settlement. They were alternately known as "waste people," "offals," "rubbish," "lazy lubbers," and "crackers." By the 1850s, the downtrodden included so-called "clay eaters" and "sandhillers," known for prematurely aged children distinguished by their yellowish skin, ragged clothing, and listless minds. In White Trash, Nancy Isenberg upends assumptions about America's supposedly class-free society. Poor whites were central to the rise of the Republican Party in the early nineteenth century, and the Civil War itself was fought over class issues nearly as much as it was fought over slavery. Reconstruction pitted poor white trash against newly freed slaves, which factored in the rise of eugenics. These poor were at the heart of New Deal reforms and LBJ's Great Society; they haunt us in reality TV shows like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty. We acknowledge racial injustice as an ugly stain on our nation's history. With Isenberg's landmark book, we will have to face the truth about the enduring, malevolent nature of class as well.

  • Auteur:
    Jackson, Lauren Michele
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    Explores how trends started in black communities are co-opted then turned into white profit and how this appropriation continues to uphold economic, political, and social inequality. In White Negroes, cultural commentator, essayist, and scholar Lauren Michele Jackson explores trends started in Black communities that have caught on and become cool, hugely popular and lucrative, but that exclude Black communities once mainstream audiences and mainstream dollars latch on. The consequences of this phenomenon can be easy to miss, as it is so ingrained in our consumer habits. Yet over and over, Black intellectual property is converted into white profit - one hashtag, hair style, music genre, and dance move at a time. This, Jackson argues, plays a role in keeping Black people from achieving economic, political, and social equity. Weaving together media scholarship and cultural critique, Jackson re-situates cultural appropriation as more than just a new buzzword. It is, she contends, simply another chapter in the long history of whiteness thriving at the expense, stolen labor and ingenuity of Black people. Further, her interrogation and exposure of the interracial antagonism resting on the other side of appropriation unravels behavior that feels normal only because it is common. Piercing, audacious, and bursting with pop-culture touchstones, White Negroes introduces a bold new voice in Jackson. Her debut is both a love letter to the creativity of Black folks and an urgent call for more thoughtful consumption by those who consider themselves "allies."

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    "The helping professions - education, social work, public health, and justice - are built on the colonial lie that Indigenous people need saving and helping. In White Benevolence, leading anti-racist scholars reveal the ways in which white settlers working in these institutions shape, defend, and uphold institutional racism, even while professing to support Indigenous people. White supremacy shows up in the everyday behaviours, comments, and assumptions of white professionals who reproduce myths of Indigenous inferiority and deficit, making it clear that institutional racism encompasses not only high-level policies and laws, but also the collective enactment of racism by people within these institutions. In this uncompromising and essential collection, authors argue that white settler social workers, educators, healthcare workers, and criminal justice workers have a responsibility to understand the colonial history of their profession and the ongoing effects on Indigenous people, be it violent policing, school push out, or denial of health care. The answer isn't cultural awareness training. What's needed is radical anti-racism, solidarity, and a relinquishing of the power of white supremacy."

  • Auteur:
    Serano, Julia
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    In the updated second edition of Whipping Girl, Julia Serano, a transsexual woman whose supremely intelligent writing reflects her diverse background as a lesbian transgender activist and professional biologist, shares her powerful experiences and observations-both pre- and post-transition-to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole. Serano's well-honed arguments stem from her ability to bridge the gap between the often-disparate biological and social perspectives on gender. In this provocative manifesto, she exposes how deep-rooted the cultural belief is that femininity is frivolous, weak, and passive, and how this "feminine" weakness exists only to attract and appease male desire. In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about transsexuality, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activists must work to embrace and empower femininity-in all of its wondrous forms.

  • Auteur:
    Jones, Cleve
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    Born in 1954, Cleve Jones was among the last generation of gay Americans who grew up wondering if there were others out there like himself. There were. Like thousands of other young people, Jones, nearly penniless, was drawn in the early 1970s to San Francisco, a city electrified by progressive politics and sexual freedom. Jones found community--in the hotel rooms and ramshackle apartments shared by other young adventurers, in the city's bathhouses and gay bars like The Stud, and in the burgeoning gay district, the Castro, where a New York transplant named Harvey Milk set up a camera shop, began shouting through his bullhorn, and soon became the nation's most outspoken gay elected official. With Milk's encouragement, Jones dove into politics and found his calling in "the movement." When Milk was killed by an assassin's bullet in 1978, Jones took up his mentor's progressive mantle--only to see the arrival of AIDS transform his life once again. By turns tender and uproarious, When We Rise is Jones' account of his remarkable life. He chronicles the heartbreak of losing countless friends to AIDS, which very nearly killed him, too; his co-founding of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation during the terrifying early years of the epidemic; his conception of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the largest community art project in history; the bewitching story of 1970s San Francisco and the magnetic spell it cast for thousands of young gay people and other misfits; and the harrowing, sexy, and sometimes hilarious stories of Cleve's passionate relationships with friends and lovers during an era defined by both unprecedented freedom and and violence alike. When We Rise is not only the story of a hero to the LQBTQ community, but the vibrantly voice memoir of a full and transformative American life.

  • Auteur:
    Larkin, Tim
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    Self-protection expert Tim Larkin arms us with what we need to know to prevent, prepare for, and survive the event of life-or-death violence.

  • Auteur:
    Khan-Cullors, Patrisse
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    This program includes a foreword read by Angela Davis Patrisse Khan-Cullors' and asha bandele's instant New York Times bestseller, When They Call You a Terrorist is now adapted for the YA audience! A movement that started with a hashtag—#BlackLivesMatter—on Twitter spread across the nation and then across the world. From one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement comes a poetic memoir and reflection on humanity. Necessary and timely, Patrisse Khan-Cullors' story asks us to remember that protest in the interest of the most vulnerable comes from love. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement have been called terrorists, a threat to America. But in truth, they are loving women whose life experiences have led them to seek justice for those victimized by the powerful. In this meaningful, empowering account of survival, strength, and resilience, Cullors and asha bandele seek to change the culture that declares innocent black life expendable. A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books

  • Auteur:
    Grace, Sharon
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    This is the story—a grandmother’s story—of the experiences and events that have shaped her life, including the sexual abuse of her four-year-old granddaughter in a daycare center. In these pages, the author will share her trials and tribulations and provide insight into overcoming life’s adversities, as well as what to do when the unthinkable comes out of nowhere. It is a personal, powerful, and agonizing story including a devastating fire, a flood, serious car accident, two failed marriages, a horrific family death, and the despicable acts of sexual abuse on her granddaughter, and the emotional impact it had on her family as well as the strength and forgiveness it took to overcome these challenges. Child sexual abuse is a violation of trust that can happen anywhere, anytime. Sex offenders do not pick and choose. Every child id a potential victim. When the Trust is Broken will not only educate the public but assist in recognizing some of the warning signs. Included are many success stories and many resources available to share. Everyone should have the tools and the power to protect their family. When the Trust is Broken will take you through the day of sentencing and the prosecution of the perpetrator. "Children need to know it was never their fault but the fault of the sex offender". The convicted sex offender in this case is now serving 21 years.

  • Auteur:
    Bravo, Lauren
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    Random House presents the audiobook edition of What Would the Spice Girls Do? written and read by Lauren Bravo. 'A joyous and energetic celebration of girlhood, friendship and pop culture. If you have ever sung into the lid of a can of Impulse body spray, you need to read this.' Daisy BuchananThe words 'girl power' conjure vivid memories of short skirts and platform boots. But it wasn't just about the look, it was about feminism. The Spice Girls gave a generation their first glimpse of the power of friendship, of staying true to yourself, of sheer bloody-mindedness. And the girl power generation went on to kick-start a new conversation around gender equality. We may have grown up asking What Would the Spice Girls Do?, but their particular brand of feminism is as relevant today as it was twenty years ago - we still need that fun and fearlessness, we still need accessible and all-embracing equality ... we still need a zig-a-zig-ah.'Lauren Bravo is one of my very favourite writers.' Dolly Alderton'The Spice Girls' arrival on the pop scene marked the gateway to a modern form of feminism, all dressed up as a riotously good time.' Stylist

  • Auteur:
    Rangwala, Tawfiq S.
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    WE Charity had changed the game. In its 25 years, the international development charity and youth empowerment movement impacted lives the world over. Innovation was at its core: while most charities focus on making the world a better place for our children, WE Charity focused on making better children for our world. Founded by the ubiquitous Kielburger brothers, WE Charity operated more like a Silicon Valley start-up than a traditional NGO. From creating stadium-filling events with A-list celebrity ambassadors to building schools, infrastructure, a hospital and even a university at lightning speed, the organization was always full-throttle. Its for-profit partner, ME to WE, filled shelves with socially-conscious products that allowed consumers to track the impact of their spending, invited young people and families to visit and work in communities WE Charity supported, and channelled proceeds back into the charity to make it self-sustaining. Unique and disruptive, WE generated energy, engagement, and accolades. But it also bred misunderstanding and, in some quarters, resentment. With a long history of propelling youth to act in support of myriad causes—making 'doing good doable,' the slogan went—WE Charity was the ideal candidate to administer the Canada Student Services Grant (CSSG) program. The program, if it had happened, involved matching students within non-profits in a summer in which Covid had stolen most job opportunities. And then, WE Charity in Canada was gone. It didn't crumble. It crashed. Unwittingly caught in the crosshairs of a partisan fight that reflects the increasing 'Americanization' of Canadian politics, WE Charity was forced to shutter its doors in Canada. Once a media darling with politicians of all stripes clamouring to appear at its events, the charity was suddenly a pariah accused (falsely) of a litany of wrongdoings: political cronyism; governance failures; heavy-handed decision-making by executives; lining the pockets of the founders; manipulating children; mistreating donors; racism and international corruption. Many were shocked. Detractors were delighted. Led by fringe commentators, the media quickly piled on. Allies who spoke out were castigated and forced to take cover. But while most Canadians have heard of the so-called 'WE Charity Scandal'—at times forming strong views—few are able to recount the true facts. Misperceptions and confusion have ruled the day. And many of the most important voices—including those of educators and young people—have gone unreported and unheard. In this book, former WE board member and lawyer Tawfiq Rangwala unpacks the evidence and provides the critical context around the headline-grabbing controversies that have shaped the narrative. Drawing on the factual record, his personal experiences inside the organization, and extensive interviews with supporters and critics, Rangwala cuts through the fog and explains what really happened, why it happened, and who should be held to account. The author goes even deeper with insightful, compassionate and heartbreaking interviews with WE supporters, benefactors and the politicians that used the awarding of the contract during the global pandemic crisis to paint a picture of conflicts of interest and special favours by the Prime Minister. Along the way, we learn what has been lost and the personal cost to Canadians and people around the world. More than just a story of the rise and fall of an iconic global charity, this is a cautionary tale of the collateral damage that can be levelled by unchecked partisan politics, social media pundits, and sensationalist headlines. In the end, Canadians are left to ponder whether the real 'scandal' is the demise of WE Charity and the values of fair play and due process that most of us hold dear.

  • Auteur:
    Gordon, Aubrey
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    From the creator of Your Fat Friend, an explosive indictment of the systemic and cultural bias facing plus-size people that will move us toward creating an agenda for fat justice. Anti-fatness is everywhere. In What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat, Aubrey Gordon unearths the cultural attitudes and social systems that have led to people being denied basic needs because they are fat and calls for social justice movements to be inclusive of plus-sized people's experiences. Unlike the recent wave of memoirs and quasi self-help books that encourage readers to love and accept themselves, Gordon pushes the discussion further towards authentic fat activism, which includes ending legal weight discrimination, giving equal access to health care for large people, increased access to public spaces, and ending anti-fat violence. As she argues, "I did not come to body positivity for self-esteem. I came to it for social justice."By sharing her experiences as well as those of others--from smaller fat to very fat people--she concludes that to be fat in our society is to be seen as an undeniable failure, unlovable, unforgivable, and morally condemnable. Fatness is an open invitation for others to express disgust, fear, and insidious concern. To be fat is to be denied humanity and empathy. Studies show that fat survivors of sexual assault are less likely to be believed and less likely than their thin counterparts to report various crimes; 27% of very fat women and 13% of very fat men attempt suicide; over 50% of doctors describe their fat patients as "awkward, unattractive, ugly and noncompliant"; and in 48 states, it's legal--even routine--to deny employment because of an applicant's size. Advancing fat justice and changing prejudicial structures and attitudes will require work from all people. What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat is a crucial tool to create a tectonic shift in the way we see, talk about, and treat our bodies, fat and thin alike.

  • Auteur:
    Rather, Dan
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    In a collection of original essays, the venerated television journalist, Dan Rather, celebrates our shared values and what matters most in our great country, and shows us what patriotism looks like. Writing about the institutions that sustain us, such as public libraries, public schools, and national parks; the values that have transformed us, such as the struggle for civil rights; and the drive toward science and innovation that has made the United States great, Rather will bring to bear his decades of experience on the frontlines of the world's biggest stories, and offer readers a way forward. After a career spent as reporter and anchor for CBS News, where he interviewed every living President since Eisenhower and was on the ground for every major event, from the assassination of John F. Kennedy to Watergate to 9/11, Rather has also become a hugely popular voice of reason on social media, with nearly two million Facebook followers and an engaged new audience who help to make many of his posts go viral. With his famously plainspoken voice and a fundamental sense of hope, Rather has written the book to inspire conversation and listening, and to remind us all how we are ultimately united.

  • Auteur:
    Gladwell, Malcolm
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    A collection of Gladwell's best and most famous essays originally published in the New Yorker.

  • Auteur:
    Choi-Fitzpatrick, Austin
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    Drawing on fifteen years of work in the antislavery movement, Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick examines the systematic oppression of men, women, and children in rural India and asks: How do contemporary slaveholders rationalize the subjugation of other human beings, and how do they respond when their power is threatened' More than a billion dollars have been spent on antislavery efforts, yet the practice persists. Why' Unpacking what slaveholders think about emancipation is critical for scholars and policy makers who want to understand the broader context, especially as seen by the powerful. Insight into those moments when the powerful either double down or back off provides a sobering counterbalance to scholarship on popular struggle. Through frank and unprecedented conversations with slaveholders, Choi-Fitzpatrick reveals the condescending and paternalistic thought processes that blind perpetrators. While they understand they are exploiting workers' vulnerabilities, slaveholders also feel they are doing workers a favor, often taking pride in this relationship. And when victims share this perspective, their emancipation is harder to secure, driving some in the antislavery movement to ask why slaves fear freedom. The answer, Choi-Fitzpatrick convincingly argues, lies in the power relationship. Whether slaveholders recoil at their past behavior or plot a return to power, Choi-Fitzpatrick zeroes in on the relational dynamics of their self-assessment, unpacking what happens next. Incorporating the experiences of such pivotal actors into antislavery research is an immensely important step toward crafting effective antislavery policies and intervention. It also contributes to scholarship on social change, social movements, and the realization of human rights.

  • Auteur:
    Roberts, Dr. Jillian, Revell, Cindy
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    When it comes to explaining physical, cultural and religious differences to children, it can be difficult to know where to begin. What Makes Us Unique? provides an accessible introduction to the concept of diversity, teaching children how to respect and celebrate people's differences and that ultimately, we are all much more alike than we are different. Additional questions at the back of the book allow for further discussion. Child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts designed the Just Enough series to empower parents/caregivers to start conversations with young ones about difficult or challenging subject matter. Other books in the series deal with birth, death, separation and divorce. For more information, visit www.justenoughseries.com.

  • Auteur:
    Zelizer, Barbie
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    What Journalism Could Be asks readers to reimagine the news by embracing a conceptual prism long championed by one of journalism's leading contemporary scholars. A former reporter, media critic and academic, Barbie Zelizer charts a singular journey through journalism's complicated contours, prompting readers to rethink both how the news works and why it matters. Zelizer tackles longstanding givens in journalism's practice and study, offering alternative cues for assessing its contemporary environment. Highlighting journalism's intersection with interpretation, culture, emotion, contingency, collective memory, crisis and visuality, Zelizer brings new meaning to its engagement with events like the global refugee crisis, rise of Islamic State, ascent of digital media and twenty-first-century combat. Imagining what journalism could be involves stretching beyond the already-known. Zelizer enumerates journalism's considerable current challenges while suggesting bold and creative ways of engaging with them. This book powerfully demonstrates how and why journalism remains of paramount importance.

  • Auteur:
    Brown, Ian
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    Are the men you know obsessed with strange details? Do they sometimes seem to have less interest in you than they do in box scores and the history of the bolo tie? Do they become sexually aroused at unusual moments — perhaps while reading a history of the Battle of Trafalgar? Why are they fixated on cars and heroes and strippers and silence? Do they ever think about anything but sex? Are they ever faithful? And how can a man be so headstrong about not asking for directions and such a wimp about pain? What I Meant to Say: The Private Lives of Men answers these and other questions about the male animal — whether you’re a woman seeking enlightenment, or a man looking for company. After all, there’s a lot to clear up. Thanks to the women’s movement and gay liberation, contemporary manhood has changed beyond recognition in the past forty years. At the same time, the age-old preoccupations of men — their unreachable loneliness, the unstoppable physicality of their bodies and desires — remain as bewildering and mysterious as ever. Until now. What I Meant to Say presents new and unpublished work from twenty-eight of Canada’s most thoughtful and articulate male writers, as they map the uncharted terrain of men’s private lives. At once touching and hilarious, insightful and provocative, What I Meant to Say is a personal tour of the secret male psyche, but this time it’s open to men and women alike.

  • Auteur:
    Reist, Michael
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    An inside look at what our schools are like today and practical advice for navigating the educational system. School is our children’s second home. They will spend more time there than anywhere else in their formative years. We all need to talk honestly about the nature of this environment, how it works, and how it doesn’t work. Our kids are depending on us to create a school system where they can learn as well as feel happy. The more we know about how school works, the better we will be able to navigate our way through "the system" and help our children do the same. What Every Parent Should Know About School is an honest, positive, thought-provoking look at what schools are today and what they could be in the future.

  • Auteur:
    Dionne, Evette
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    A poignant and ruthlessly honest journey through cultural expectations of size, race, and gender--and toward a brighter future--from National Book Award nominee Evette DionneMy body has not betrayed me; it has continued rebounding against all odds. It is a body that others map their expectations on, but it has never let me down. In this insightful, funny, and whip-smart book, acclaimed writer Evette Dionne explores the minefields fat Black woman are forced to navigate in the course of everyday life. From her early experiences of harassment to adolescent self-discovery in internet chatrooms to diagnosis with heart failure at age twenty-nine, Dionne tracks her relationships with friendship, sex, motherhood, agoraphobia, health, pop culture, and self-image. Along the way, she lifts back the curtain to reveal the subtle, insidious forms of surveillance and control levied at fat women: At the doctor's office, where any health ailment is treated with a directive to lose weight. On dating sites, where larger bodies are rejected or fetishized. On TV, where fat characters are asexual comedic relief. But Dionne's unflinching account of our deeply held prejudices is matched by her fierce belief in the power of self-love. An unmissable portrait of a woman on a journey toward understanding our society and herself, Weightless holds up a mirror to the world we live in and asks us to imagine the future we deserve.

  • Auteur:
    Starhawk
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    Writing from the front lines, Starhawk chronicles the global justice movement sparked by Seattle's 1999 anti-World Trade Organization protest. A life-long activist, Starhawk is deeply involved as a direct action participant and trainer in the antiglobalization movement. The book is divided into "Actions" and "Visions." In Part I, Starhawk begins with an overview of the complex political and economic powers that the antiglobalization movement opposes. Then, recounting the blow-by-blow events of the critical confrontations faced by the antiglobalization protestors-from Seattle to Genoa-Starhawk discusses police brutality, the Black Bloc versus the pacifists, and the magic of solidarity. In Part II, Starhawk spins a vision of the future of the antiglobalization movement. Drawing on her twenty years of experience as an activist, ecofeminist, and witch, she explores the debate between violent and nonviolent tactics; the definition of an economy of true abundance; and how we can transform our rage and despair, face our fears, and renew our spirits while acting to change the world. Starhawk is the author or coauthor of eight books, including The Twelve Wild Swans: Journeys Into Magic, Healing and Action (HarperSanFrancisco, 2000); the Twentieth Anniversary Edition of The Spiral Dance (HarperSanFrancisco, 1999); and Circle Round: Raising Children in the Goddess Tradition (Bantam, 1998). Well-known in the Wiccan and Pagan Community, Starhawk is a columnist on the web for beliefnet.com and for znet. She lives in San Francisco. Marketing Plans: Bookstore events and publicity in San Francisco. Nationwide radio interviews. National print feature and review campaign. Web publicity on anti-globalization sites. Ads in Z Magazine, The Progressive, The Nation, Utne Reader, Mother Jones, PanGaia, Reclaiming. Course adoption campaign. Also Available Global Uprising: Confronting the Tyrannies of the 21st Century TP $19.95, 0-86571-446-0 USA

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