Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2018International adoption is in a state of virtual collapse, rates having fallen by more than half since 2004 and continuing to fall. Yet around the world millions of orphaned and vulnerable children need permanent homes, and thousands of American and European families are eager to take them in. Many government officials, international bureaucrats, and social commentators claim these adoptions are not "in the best inte...

The worlds developing countries will be experiencing massive increases in their urban populations over the 21st century. If managed intelligently and humanely, this growth can pave the way to sustainable development; otherwise, it will favour higher levels of poverty and environmental stress. The outcome depends on decisions being made now.The principal theme that runs through this volume is the need to transform urbanization into a positive force for development. Part I of this bo...

In a world divided by elemental abilities, the four kingdoms have rarely known peace.Koraine always dreamed of seeing the world and escaping the confines of Morwen, the water kingdom she grew up in. Finally, that wish was coming true—at a price. She was being forced to marry the prince of their rival kingdom, Abelon, the kingdom of fire.Bellamy always knew one day he would become king. He spent every day trying to prove himself as a prince to a father with ...

Cora Dalton has a lot on her plate.She's the CEO of her late father's architecture firm, takes care of her mother, is amid a major lawsuit, and is doing everything she can to control her life. When Jay, the man she had a wild one-night stand with, shows up at her office as the new Human Resources Director, she has to try even harder to control her feelings.As Jay and Cora's working relationship grows, so does their attraction to one another. But when Jay se...

Dakota Morris has decided it's time he lost that pesky virginity.He's a college graduate, and he's tired of being a virgin. So he goes out to a club his friends don't frequent, and picks up the hottest man he's ever seen. It's truly a night to remember... until he walks into the boardroom for his new job the next morning and wishes he could forget it, because his hot pick-up is also his new boss and CEO, Ajax Fyse.The fact that he unknowingly slept with his...

The world teeters on the brink of chaos in the sequel to Broken Flames.Bellamy and Koraine are fugitives, pursued relentlessly by the princess of the fire kingdom, Nyla, who will stop at nothing to drag them back home. As they flee across a world ready to erupt into war, Bellamy and Koraine must navigate treacherous alliances, ancient secrets, and the wrath of displeased goddesses.Nyla, driven by loyalty and love, embarks on a perilous journey that...

As Cora grapples with grief and depression, she seeks refuge in her lovers.However, Marco and Jay know they can heal her only so much. Letting her relinquish control in the bedroom liberates her, but only to a certain extent. Jay and Marco gently guide her to therapy, where she's able to unravel the complexities of her emotional turmoil and explore her feelings for them, her family, and her career.In the backdrop of this trio's trials, the past unfolds, sho...

In the thirty-five years since China instituted its One-Child Policy, 120,000 children—mostly girls—have left China through international adoption, including 85,000 to the United States. It's generally assumed that this diaspora is the result of China's approach to population control, but there is also the underlying belief that the majority of adoptees are daughters because the One-Child Policy often collides with the traditional preference for a son. While there is some truth to this, it...

A new edition of a book that takes a comprehensive look at the ways economic processes affect global environmental outcomes.This comprehensive and accessible book fills the need for a political economy view of global environmental politics, focusing on the ways international economic processes affect environmental outcomes. It examines the main actors and forces shaping global environmental management, particularly in the developing world. Moving beyond the usual e...

Corruption is one of the biggest global issues, ahead of extreme poverty, unemployment, the rising cost of food and energy, climate change, and terrorism. It is thought to be one of the principal causes of poverty around the globe. Its significance in the contemporary world cannot be undervalued. In this Very Short Introduction Leslie Holmes considers why the international community has only highlighted corruption as a problem in the past two decades, despite its presence throughout the mi...

The newly updated third edition provides a clear and user-friendly introduction to the complex debates around how development has been understood and achieved. It has been fully updated and expanded to reflect global political and economic shifts, as well as new approaches to development.The book deals with the evolution of development ideas and policies, focusing on economic, political, social, environmental and spatial dimensions. It highlights how development cannot be considere...

In 2005, famed civil rights leader and education activist Robert Moses invited one hundred prominent African American and Latino intellectuals and activists to meet to discuss a proposal for acampaignto guarantee a quality education for all children as a constitutional right—a movement that would “transform current approaches to educational inequity, all of which have failed miserably to yield results for our children.” The response was passionate, and the meeting launched a movement....