A “raw and fascinating” novel based on the author’s experiences as a New York City paramedic during the crack epidemic—”Burke is a poet of trauma” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Black Flies is the story of paramedic Ollie Cross and his first year on the job in mid-’90s Harlem. It is a ground’s eye view of life on the streets: the shootouts, the bad cops, the hopeless patients, the dark humor in bizarre circumstances, and one medic’s struggle to maintain his desire to help despite his growing callousness. It is the story of lives that hang in the balance, and of a single job with a misdiagnosed newborn that sends Cross and his partner into a life-changing struggle between good and evil. “Although Black Flies is a novel, it contains more reflections of lived experience than some memoirs. . . . Reading this arresting, confrontational book is like reading Dispatches, Michael Herr’s indelible account of his years as a reporter in Vietnam.” —The New York Times Book Review

Springtime is wonderful -- except for the gazillion blackflies and mosquitoes. But Helen has a plan . . .

"The Black Files (Simuliidae) of North America" is an authoritative illustrated reference--with importance for ecology, genetics, and conservation--of the black flies in North America including 43 species identified here for the first time.

The study of blackflies has come of age--the blackfly is now recognized as a carrier of major endemic diseases; its larval stages are seen to play a major role in the ecology of rivers and streams; and blackfly chromosomes have proved unusually amenable material for cytogenetical studies. The expanded interest in the blackfly has greatly increased the scientific literature about them--literature that is extremely technical, highly specialized, and often of little help to non-specialists. This work bridges the gap between specialists and those whose work brings them in contact with the blackfly, but who need information at a more general level. It synthesizes present knowledge about the natural history of the fly family Simuliidae, covering taxonomic background, elements of larval structure and life in water, adult fly structure, migration, mating, biting and bloodsucking, human diseases, and natural enemies of larval and adult flies. Over 1200 bibliographic citations, a glossary of technical terms, and numerous figures, tables and illustrations are included.

Black flies (simuliids) are among the most severe pests affecting humans and animals worldwide. Responsible for the transmission of onchocerciasis among humans and bovine onchocerciasis and avian malaria among wildlife and agricultural animals, black flies' competency as disease vectors is rivaled only by that of mosquitos and ticks. Because of their economic and medical importance, black flies have been the subject of intense research, tremendous progress having been achieved in many areas, including taxonomy, ecology, cytogenetics, biochemistry, and control. This book, evolving from an international conference of the world's foremost authorities, integrates for the first time the wide range of multidisciplinary research findings on black flies. The thirty-two chapters present a comprehensive discussion of systematics, biochemistry, sensory physiology, behavior and ecology of immatures and adults, population monitoring and management, current methods of control, and disease epidemiology. The annotated checklist identifies and provides geographical distribution of all formally described black flies in the world and includes almost 2,000 specific/subspecific and 121 generic/subgeneric names. The book provides a cohesive understanding of black flies and will be invaluable to entomologists, epidemiologists, biologists, veterinarians, parasitologists, and medical researchers concerned with developing an economically conservative, environmentally sound management system against black flies and simuliid-borne diseases worldwide.

A black teenage lesbian finds herself stranded in a dangerous and unfamiliar place: an all-white Christian youth backpacking camp.