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Something Nasty in the Slushpile
by Sammy LookerMost publishers keep a "slushpile" - the stack of unsolicited manuscripts which contains a large percentage of preposterous or frightening book proposals, which might just conceal that one jewel of a bestseller or classic novel lying near the bottom. Authors discovered via the slush pile include Roddy Doyle, J. K. Rowling and Philip Roth. Stephenie Meyer sent 15 query letters about her teenage-vampire saga and got nearly 10 rejection letters; one even arrived after she signed with an agent and received a three-book deal from Little, Brown. Sadly though, these are the exceptions...Written by a reader with over a decade of slush pile experience, Something Nasty in the Slushpile takes a tour through the 'do's and 'don't's of book proposal, including many examples of hilarious, misguided and plain weird approaches. The contents include: Famous first lines:After ten books of criticism, I am turning my attention to a subject close to my heart, the illustrated story of my own life ... I would have e-mailed you, but I am not allowed access to such facilities as I have just been sectioned. I should be out soon. Barmy USPs:It's like a British male version of Eat, Pray, Love. But less shrill and more believable. There are echoes of Paul Theroux and parallels with The Alchemist and SiddharthaMy book is just about me, just an ordinary 'Jo Bloggs' chipping away relentlessly at the big roadblocks put in my way ...How not to respond to constructive criticism:Dear so-called publisher...I have shown my manuscript to my spiritual guide and he agrees that you are utterly wrong...
Choke
by Diana LopezA heartfelt novel about the disturbing "choking game" trend -- and one girl's struggle for self-acceptance.If she could -- if her parents would let her -- eighth-grader Windy would change everything about herself. She'd get highlights in her hair, a new wardrobe; she'd wear makeup. But nothing ever changes. The mean girls at school are still mean, and Windy's best friend Elena is still more interested in making up words than talking about boys. And then one day, Windy gets the change she's been looking for. New girl Nina -- impossibly cool, confident, and not afraid of anyone -- starts hanging out with Windy! Nina even wants to be "breath sisters." Windy isn't sure what that means, exactly, but she knows she wants to find out. It sounds even better than a BFF. Windy is right, at first. Being a breath sister gains her a whole new set of friends, girls she feels closer to and cooler with than anyone else. But her inclusion in the new crowd comes at a dangerous price. Windy wants to change everything about her life ... but is she really willing to give up everything in the process?
Micro Media Industries: Hmong American Media Innovation in the Diaspora
by Lori Kido LopezWith the rise of digital tools used for media entrepreneurship, media outlets staffed by only one or two individuals and targeted to niche and super-niche audiences are developing across a wide range of platforms. Minority communities such as immigrants and refugees have long been pioneers in this space, operating ethnic media outlets with limited staff and funding to produce content that is relevant and accessible to their specific community. Micro Media Industries explores the specific case of Hmong American media, showing how an extremely small population can maintain a robust and thriving media ecology in spite of resource limitations and an inability to scale up. Based on six years of fieldwork in Hmong American communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California, it analyzes the unique opportunities and challenges facing Hmong newspapers, radio, television, podcasts, YouTube, social media, and other emerging platforms. It argues that micro media industries, rather than being dismissed or trivialized, ought to be held up as models of media innovation that can counter the increasing power of mainstream media.
Hopeful Girls, Troubled Boys: Race and Gender Disparity in Urban Education
by Nancy LopezThis book is an ethnographic study of Carribean youth in New York City to help explain how and why schools and cities are failing boys of color.
Complicated Lives: Girls, Parents, Drugs, and Juvenile Justice
by Vera LopezComplicated Lives focuses on the lives of sixty-five drug-using girls in the juvenile justice system (living in group homes, a residential treatment center, and a youth correctional facility) who grew up in families characterized by parental drug use, violence, and child maltreatment. Vera Lopez situates girls’ relationships with parents who fail to live up to idealized parenting norms and examines how these relationships change over time, and ultimately contribute to the girls’ future drug use and involvement in the justice system. While Lopez’s subjects express concerns and doubt in their chances for success, Lopez provides an optimistic prescription for reform and improvement of the lives of these young women and presents a number of suggestions ranging from enhanced cultural competency training for all juvenile justice professionals to developing stronger collaborations between youth and adult serving systems and agencies.
Unequal Choices: How Social Class Shapes Where High-Achieving Students Apply to College (The American Campus)
by Yang Va LorHigh-achieving students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to end up at less selective institutions compared to their socioeconomically advantaged peers with similar academic qualifications. A key reason for this is that few highly able, socioeconomically disadvantaged students apply to selective institutions in the first place. In Unequal Choices, Yang Va Lor examines the college application choices of high-achieving students, looking closely at the ways the larger contexts of family, school, and community influence their decisions. For students today, contexts like high schools and college preparation programs shape the type of colleges that they deem appropriate, while family upbringing and personal experiences influence how far from home students imagine they can apply to college. Additionally, several mechanisms reinforce the reproduction of social inequality, showing how institutions and families of the middle and upper-middle class work to procure advantages by cultivating dispositions among their children for specific types of higher education opportunities.
Experiences of Donor Conception: Parents, Offspring and Donors through the Years
by Caroline Lorbach Eric BlythDrawing on the experiences of parents, offspring and donors and including her own and her family's story, this thought-provoking and informative book explores the process of donor conception. From finding out about an infertility problem, to considering whether - and how - to tell the children about their conception, and how those children feel as the adult offspring of a donor, she provides practical suggestions as well as in-depth consideration of the emotional and ethical issues involved. Lorbach takes the reader step-by-step through the process of deciding to use donor conception, choosing a donor, and discussing the decision with others - and considers the perspective of the donor alongside those of parents and offspring. Tackling difficult subjects such as disclosure and offspring's access to information about the donor, this important book is a much-needed resource for health, counseling and social work professionals as well as for the couples and families themselves.
The Dawn's Early Light: The War of 1812 and the Battle That Inspired Francis Scott Key to Write "The Star-Spangled Banner" (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf Ser.)
by Walter LordLord's stunning account of the War of 1812, when a young nation won its independence once and for allAt the dawn of the nineteenth century, the great powers of Western Europe treated the United States like a disobedient child. Great Britain blocked American trade, seized its vessels, and impressed its sailors to serve in the Royal Navy. America's complaints were ignored, and the humiliation continued until James Madison, the country's fourth president, declared a second war on Great Britain. British forces descended on the United States, shattering its armies and burning its capital, but America rallied, and survived the conflict with its sovereignty intact. This is the story of the turning points of that strange war, which inspired the writing of "The Star Spangled Banner" and led to the Era of Good Feeling that all but erased partisan politics in America for almost a decade. It was in 1812 that America found its identity, and first assumed its place on the world stage.
Conceptions of Chinese Democracy: Reading Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, and Chiang Ching-kuo
by David J. LorenzoClose attention to the writings of the founding fathers of the Republic of China on Taiwan shows that democracy is indeed compatible with Chinese culture.Conceptions of Chinese Democracy provides a coherent and critical introduction to the democratic thought of three fathers of modern Taiwan—Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, and Chiang Ching-kuo—in a way that is accessible and grounded in broader traditions of political theory.David J. Lorenzo’s comparative study allows the reader to understand the leaders’ democratic conceptions and highlights important contradictions, strengths, and weaknesses that are central to any discussion of Chinese culture and democratic theory. Lorenzo further considers the influence of their writings on political theorists, democracy advocates, and activists on mainland China.Students of political science and theory, democratization, and Chinese culture and history will benefit from the book's substantive discussions of democracy, and scholars and specialists will appreciate the larger arguments about the influence of these ideas and their transmission through time.
Conceptions of Chinese Democracy: Reading Sun Yat-Zen, Chiang Kai-Shek, and Chiang Ching-Kuo
by David J. LorenzoAn accessible and critical introduction to the political writings of three seminal figures in modern Chinese democratic thought.Author and political scholar David J. Lorenzo examines the democratic writings of Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, and Chiang Ching-kuo, providing a coherent summary that situates their ideas within the broader traditions of political theory. His comparative study allows the reader to understand each leader’s perspective while highlighting important contradictions, strengths, and weaknesses. Lorenzo further considers the influence of their writings on political theorists, democracy advocates, and activists on mainland China.Students of political science and theory, democratization, and Chinese culture and history will benefit from the book’s substantive discussions of democracy. Scholars and specialists will appreciate the larger arguments about the influence of these ideas and their transmission through time.
Space, Drama, and Empire: Mapping the Past in Lope de Vega's Comedia (Campos Ibéricos: Bucknell Studies in Iberian Literatures and Cultures)
by Javier LorenzoSpanish poet, playwright, and novelist Félix Lope de Vega (1562–1635) was a key figure of Golden Age Spanish literature, second only in stature to Cervantes, and is considered the founder of Spain’s classical theater. In this rich and informative study, Javier Lorenzo investigates the symbolic use of space in Lope’s drama and its function as an ideological tool to promote an imagined Spanish national past. In specific plays, this book argues, historical landscapes and settings were used to foretell and legitimize the imperial present in Hapsburg Spain, allowing audiences to visualize and plot, as on a map, the country’s expansionist trajectory throughout the centuries. By focusing on connections among space, drama, and empire, this book makes an important contribution to the study of literature and imperialism in early modern Spain and equally to our understanding of the role and political significance of spatiality in Siglo de Oro comedia.
War, Politics And Society In Early Modern China 900-1795
by Peter LorgeThis comprehensive survey of Chinese military history is the only book in English to span the significant years from 900 - 1795. Peter Lorge questions current theories on China's relationship to war, and argues that war was the most important tool used by the Chinese in building and maintaining their empire. Emphasizing the relationship between the military and politics, chapters are organised around specific military events and, Lorge argues, the strength of territorial claims and political impact of each dynasty were determined by their military capacity. Ideal as a course adoption text for Asian military studies, this is also valuable for students of Chinese studies, military studies and Chinese history.
Before Bemberg: Women Filmmakers in Argentina
by Matt LosadaBefore Bemberg: Argentine Women Filmmakers calls into question the historiography of Argentine women filmmakers that has centered on María Luisa Bemberg to the exclusion of her predecessors. Its introductory discussion of the abundant initial participation by women in film production in the 1910s is followed by an account of their exclusion from creative roles in the studio cinema, which was only altered by the opportunities opened by a boom in short filmmaking in the 1960s. The book then discusses in depth the six sound features directed by women before 1980, which, despite their trailblazing explorations of the perspectives of female characters, daring denunciations of authoritarianism and censorship, and modernizing formal invention, have been forgotten by Argentine film history. Looking at the work and roles of Eva Landeck, Vlasta Lah, María Herminia Avellaneda and María Elena Walsh and Maria Bemberg, the book recognizes these filmmakers’ contributions at a significant moment in which movements to eliminate gender-based oppression and violence in Argentina and elsewhere are surging. Watch some of the films discussed in the book with English subtitles (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_6F4am5024rklIWwExUVA?view_as=subscriber).
Thinking About Social Problems: An Introduction to Constructionist Perspectives (2nd edition)
by Donileen R. LosekeThis second edition of a classroom text devotes more attention to new social movements that emphasize social change through identity transformation rather than through structural change, and looks more closely at the importance of emotion in constructing public consciousness of social problems. The author teaches at the University of South Florida. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
I Saw the Lord: A Wake-Up Call for Your Heart
by Anne Graham LotzWhen we call ourselves Christians, we expect that our love for Jesus, our hunger for His presence, our urgent longing to see Him again will be a constant, motivating force in our lives, writes Anne Graham Lotz. Yet sometimes …in the busyness of our days or the duties of our jobs or the familiar habits of our worship or the everyday routine of our homes, the longing becomes complacency, and we sleep through opportunities to be with Him. Anne knows from personal experience that it’s then, as we’re drifting in comfortable complacency, that we most need a wake-up call—a jolt that pushes us to seek out a revival of our passion for Jesus that began as a blazing fire but somehow has died down to an ineffective glow. The revival we need now is not a tent meeting or a series of church services designed to save the lost. It’s something completely different: authentic, personal revival. In I Saw the Lord, Anne shares the revival lessons she has carried to audiences throughout the world, showing you how you can experience an authentic, deeper, richer relationship with God in a life-changing, fire-blazing revival. It begins here. Now. Open this book and hear the wake-up call. Then get ready for the fire of revival to fall … on you!
Politics of Chinese Language and Culture: The Art of Reading Dragons (Culture and Communication in Asia)
by Kam Louie Bob HodgeAn innovative text which adopts the tools of cultural studies to provide a fresh approach to the study of Chinese language, culture and society. The book tackles areas such as grammar, language, gender, popular culture, film and the Chinese diaspora and employs the concepts of social semiotics to extend the ideas of language and reading. Covering a range of cultural texts, it will help to break down the boundaries around the ideas and identities of East and West and provide a more relevant analysis of the Chinese and China.
Floral Diagrams: An Aid to Understanding Flower Morphology and Evolution
by Louis P. Ronse De CraeneFloral morphology remains the cornerstone for plant identification and studies of plant evolution. This guide gives a global overview of the floral diversity of the angiosperms through the use of detailed floral diagrams. These schematic diagrams replace long descriptions or complicated drawings as a tool for understanding floral structure and evolution. They show important features of flowers, such as the relative positions of the different organs, their fusion, symmetry, and structural details. The relevance of the diagrams is discussed, and pertinent evolutionary trends are illustrated. The range of plant species represented reflects the most recent classification of flowering plants based mainly on molecular data, which is expected to remain stable in the future. This book is invaluable for researchers and students working on plant structure, development and systematics, as well as being an important resource for plant ecologists, evolutionary botanists and horticulturists.
Metaphysics: Contemporary Readings (2nd Edition)
by Michael J. LouxMetaphysics: Contemporary Readings is a comprehensive anthology that draws together leading philosophers writing on the major themes in Metaphysics. Chapters appear under the headings: Universals Particulars Modality and Possible Worlds Causation Time Persistence Realism and Anti-Realism. Each section is prefaced by an introductory essay by the editor which guides students gently into each topic. Articles by the following leading philosophers are included: Allaire, Anscombe, Armstrong, Black, Broad, Casullo, Dummett, Ewing, Heller, Hume, Kripke, Lewis, Mackie, McTaggart, Mellor, Merricks , Parfit, Plantinga, Price, Prior, Putnam, Quine, Russell, Smart, Swinburne, Taylor , Van Cleve, van Inwagen, Williams. Featuring a new section on causation, this new edition is highly accessible and provides a broad-ranging exploration of the subject. Ideal for any philosophy student, this reader will prove essential reading for any metaphysics course. The sections and selections of readings have been updated to complement Michael Loux's textbook Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction, third edition.
Antiquity and Capitalism: Max Weber and the Sociological Foundations of Roman Civilization
by John R. LoveThis ambitious book addresses questions concerning an old theme - the rise and fall of ancient civilization - but does so from a distinctive theoretical perspective by taking its lead from the work of the great German sociologist Max Weber.
Eldritch Tales: A Miscellany of the Macabre
by H. P. LovecraftFollowing on from the phenomenal success of NECRONOMICON comes ELDRITCH TALES. Howard Phillips Lovecraft died at the age of 47, but in his short life he turned out dozens of stories which changed the face of horror. His extraordinary imagination spawned both the Elder God Cthulhu and his eldritch cohorts, and the strangely compelling town of Innsmouth, all of which feature within these pages. This collection gathers together the rest of Lovecraft's rarely seen but extraordinary short fiction, including the whole of the long-out-of-print collection FUNGI FROM YOGGOTH. Many of these stories have never been available in the UK! Stephen Jones, one of the world's foremost editors of dark fiction, will complete the Lovecraft story in his extensive afterword, and award-winning artist Les Edwards will provide numerous illustrations for this must-have companion volume to NECRONOMICON.
The Perfect Affair (The Shady Sisters Trilogy #1)
by Lutishia LoveleyThe Shady Sisters TrilogyIn this thrilling new series, acclaimed author Lutishia Lovely dives into the scandalous heart of romantic obsession with a cunning, sexy seductress, and the object of her affections. . .Freelance writer Jacqueline Tate arrives in Los Angeles and soon meets brilliant, award-winning scientist Randall Atwater, the man she's come to cover at a conference on trends and technology. He is everything she's read about--brainy, witty, handsome, and cool. And after a week spent with the most fascinating man she's ever known, there's no way she can give him up. There's just one problem: Randall's wife of twenty years. No matter--men like Randall are few and far between. Jacqueline knows that with a few bold moves, she can win the man she loves. But what happens when her love story is not a love story? "There's drama, laughter, and little bit of naughtiness. . .An exceptional read." --Urban Reviews on All Up In My Business "The action, dialogue and well-crafted characters are so riveting that they'll make your heart race in anticipation . . ." --RT Book Reviews on Heaven Forbid
The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning
by James LovelockThe global temperature is rising, the ice caps are melting, and levels of pollution across the world have reached unprecedented heights. According to eminent scientist James Lovelock, in order to survive an assault from her dependents, the Earth is lurching ever closer to a permanent ?hot state. OCO Within the next century, we will almost certainly be forced to give up many of the comforts of western living as supplies are threatened. Only the fittest?and the smartest?will survive. A reluctant jeremiad from one of the environmental movementOCOs elder statesmen, "The Vanishing Face of Gaia" offers an essential wake-up call for the human race.
Irreplaceable
by Stephen LovelyOne windy April afternoon, a young woman bicycles alone along a stretch of Iowa highway. She's pedaling hard, hurrying to get home in time for dinner . . .Alex Voormann is a cerebral thirty-year-old archaeologist married to the woman of his dreams--a beautiful, ambitious botanist named Isabel. When Isabel, an organ donor, is killed by a reckless driver, Alex reluctantly consents to donate her heart. Janet Corcoran is a young, headstrong mother of two, an art teacher at an inner-city school in Chicago. Sick with heart disease, she is on the waiting list for a transplant, but her chances are slim. She watches the Weather Channel, secretly praying for foul weather and car accidents, a miracle. The day Isabel dies, she gets her wish.Flash forward a year. Janet sends Alex a long letter. She'd like to learn something about the woman who saved her life. Alex isn't interested in talking to the recipient of his dead wife's heart. Since Isabel's accident, he's become grief-stricken and bewildered. His closest companion is his mother-in-law, Bernice. They spend their nights reminiscing about Isabel and hiding out from the world. Meanwhile, a local blues musician named Jasper, the man responsible for Isabel's death, attempts to atone for his misdeed. Jasper is devastated by the knowledge that he destroyed a life but attracted to the idea that he was partially responsible for saving another life--Janet's. He sees her as his ultimate salvation.Irreplaceable is the story of what happens after the transplant--not only to Alex but within the concentric circles of family that spiral outward from him and from Janet. Stephen Lovely takes us vividly inside the lives of these characters to reveal their true intentions--however misguided--and gives us a stunning debut novel of loss and love.
U.S. Trade Policy: History, Theory, and the WTO (Luther Hartwell Hodges Series On Business, Society, And The State)
by William A. Lovett Alfred E. Eckes, Jr Richard L. BrinkmanLovett (Tulane Law School), Eckes (a former commissioner of the U.S. International Commission during the Reagan and Bush I administrations), and Brinkman (international economics, Portland State U.) evaluate the evolution of U.S. trade policy, focusing on the period from the establishment of the Gen
The Mourning Emporium (Undrowned Child Ser.)
by Michelle LovricTwo summers ago, Venice was dying and an 11-year-old girl made her first (so she thought) visit to the city where she instantly felt she belonged. Teodora, it transpired, was the undrowned child, destined to save Venice from its long-standing enemy, Bajamonte Tiepolo, the traitor. According to a long ago prophecy, Teo and Renzo (the studious son) were the only people equipped to defeat the baddened magic that the traitor brought to the stricken city. But they couldn't kill him - and so, subdued, but bitter, he returned to his shadowy existence.Now he's back. And in need of a new army, he sets his sights on London - who are weak with mourning the death of their Queen, Victoria. Teo and Renzo find themselves on board a ship for orphans whose course seems mysteriously set for London. Once again, destiny brings them face to face with their enemy, who will stop at nothing to destroy not only London and Venice but the children at the heart of the prophecy that binds him to his failure.