When the author's twenty-eight-year-old daughter, Kelsey, was killed in a bicycle-bus accident in Boston, she yearned to find a way to continue their conversation. Although most of Barbara's religious beliefs were destroyed the moment she learned of Kelsey's death, she soon realized grief could be a form of spiritual practice and embarked on an inward pilgrimage that included mindfulness meditation, Jewish methods for interpreting sacred texts, Quaker ways of listening for the inner guide,...

They are women who ventured into business, aviation, and medicine when it wasn't a "woman's place." These women over-came life's hardships and opened doors of opportunity to claim their part of Texas. Their spirit continues to shine in the accomplishments of outstanding Texas women.

A case study and dramatic retelling of young girls on trial for arson at a reform schoolIn 1931 sixteen poor, white girls—all teenaged inmates at Samarcand Manor, officially named the State Home and Industrial School for Girls, in Samarcand, North Carolina—were accused of burning down two campus buildings in protest against living conditions. Barbara Bennett offers not only a dramatic retelling of this historic case in Smoke Signals from Samarcand, but also reveals...

For animal lovers, nature enthusiasts, and the vast readership for gripping true-life stories, this African saga is a must-read adventure. It chronicles the unique Harnas Wildlife Foundation in Namibia, where Marieta van der Merwe and her family, former wealthy cattle farmers, have sold land to buy and care for embattled wildlife. We meet Sam, the "AIDS" lion infected by mistake at a vet clinic. Boerjke, a baboon with epilepsy and Down syndrome. Savanna, the one-eyed lioness. And Marieta v...

The collaborative effort of nearly 100 China scholars from around the world, this unique one-volume reference provides 89 in-depth biographies of important Chinese women from the fifth century B.C.E to the early twentieth century.

2021 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice MagazineHow globalization is undermining sustainable social environments for childrenThis book uses the ecological model of child development together with ethnographic and comparative studies of two small villages, in Italy and the United States, as its framework for examining the well-being of children in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Global forces, far from being distant and abstra...

By the author of Modoc: A famed trainer's "wonderful" memoir of his bond with a lion—and his quest to change how animals were treated in Hollywood ( People).When Ralph Helfer, author of Modoc and one of Hollywood's top animal behaviorists, first began working, he was shocked by the cruelty that was accepted practice in the field. He firmly believed in "affection training"—that love, not fear, should be the basis of any ani...

It's the middle of the night in the Namibian desert when zoologist Tammie Matson wakes with a start to find two elephants standing beside her tiny tent. She makes a promise: "If you just let me survive tonight I will give up Africa. I'll give it all up. Just don't let them stand on me."It's not a promise she will easily keep. At 29, Tammie has spent nearly half her life in Africa, her first love, working as a conservationist. But as her 30s approach, Tammie is conscious of...

Jenna Butler draws on her own experiences of her grandmother's disappearance into senile dementia to reassemble a sensual world in longpoem form that positively crackles with imagery and rhythm. Identities and memories flow and flicker as she strings together fragments of narrative into stories that comprise one woman's life. It entwines her disappearing life with that of the persona of the woman's granddaughter through a choreographed confusion of identities: of she's and I's. Few poets c...

A trainer shares true stories of famous lion, orangutan, and other animal actors that "will hold readers enthralled" ( School Library Journal).They are major stars who do not speak a word onscreen, yet are world famous for their compelling performances. Who are they? The animal stars of the big screen, of course! In The Beauty of the Beasts, Ralph Helfer shares with the reader his love of animals and his work with some of Hollywood's biggest stars:...

"Once I started this incomparable story, I couldn't put it down, and I cannot get it out of my mind—nor will I ever. The message of what can be accomplished by training through affection and joy will thrill all animal lovers." —Betty WhiteA captivating true story of loyalty, friendship, and high adventure that spans several decades and three continents, Modoc is an unforgettable piece of historical narrative and one of the most remarkable true stor...

When she was fifteen, Tammie Matson went on safari with her father to Zimbabwe - and it changed her forever. Back in Australia she turned her life upside down to build her future in Africa.Returning to the safari camps - this time as a worker - she out-ran a charging lioness, played with a cheetah, stumbled across poachers and watched with amazement as a witchdoctor struck fear into his victims' hearts. This was the adventure she was looking for and deciding to study zoology gave h...