This is a story about one of our own, a US Army Sergeant who returns home after serving many years overseas. He had been to two different wars and, after 14 years overseas, this was to be his first duty assignment inside the United States. He encountered great difficulty from his home state when he tried to obtain his local driver's license, and only with the aid of a state senator, was he able to obtain his license. Then, when he went to register his car, in the new state where he was assigned, he noticed that he was being required to pay for unusual things before he was allowed to register his car. After going through all the local government's money making schemes, he, along with his wife and children, bought a house, using a mortgage, not far from where they were renting. They did so just in time to get caught up in the developing housing crisis that may affect his family's ability to hold on to their beautiful home. The sergeant had to do some quick thinking and find out everything he could about what was really going on; was there a conspiracy for the rich to get richer-at the expense of everyone else-was he the subject of predatory lending, and would his family suffer through the embarrassment of the foreclosure process? The sergeant began researching the history of land development, mortgaging, foreclosure, the economic crisis, and the government's involvement in all of this-and this is what he learned.

“Lewis shows again why he is the leading journalist of his generation.”—Kyle Smith, Forbes The tsunami of cheap credit that rolled across the planet between 2002 and 2008 was more than a simple financial phenomenon: it was temptation, offering entire societies the chance to reveal aspects of their characters they could not normally afford to indulge. Icelanders wanted to stop fishing and become investment bankers. The Greeks wanted to turn their country into a pinata stuffed with cash and allow as many citizens as possible to take a whack at it. The Germans wanted to be even more German; the Irish wanted to stop being Irish. Michael Lewis's investigation of bubbles beyond our shores is so brilliantly, sadly hilarious that it leads the American reader to a comfortable complacency: oh, those foolish foreigners. But when he turns a merciless eye on California and Washington, DC, we see that the narrative is a trap baited with humor, and we understand the reckoning that awaits the greatest and greediest of debtor nations.

Bored with endless grandstanding and people being wise after the event? Then The Age of Instability is the one book you should read on the financial crisis. Setting the near collapse of the international financial markets and banking system in a global and historical context, Sunday Times economics editor and bestselling author David Smith looks not only at the political and economic factors that contributed to the fall of Lehmans, collapse of Iceland and disintegration of the subprime mortgage market but also at the emergence of a culture of risk and greed that made it possible to believe that greed was good and the good times would last forever. It provides an authoritative yet accessible guide to what happened, where, and when with practical suggestions for what needs to happen next.

A New York Times Best Book of the Year A Time Best Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence Winner From journalist Adam Higginbotham, the New York Times bestselling “account that reads almost like the script for a movie” (The Wall Street Journal)—a powerful investigation into Chernobyl and how propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of the history’s worst nuclear disasters. Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded, triggering one of the twentieth century’s greatest disasters. In the thirty years since then, Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers its citizens and the entire world. But the real story of the accident, clouded from the beginning by secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation, has long remained in dispute. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham brings the disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand. The result is a “riveting, deeply reported reconstruction” (Los Angeles Times) and a definitive account of an event that changed history: a story that is more complex, more human, and more terrifying than the Soviet myth. “The most complete and compelling history yet” (The Christian Science Monitor), Higginbotham’s “superb, enthralling, and necessarily terrifying...extraordinary” (The New York Times) book is an indelible portrait of the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his will—lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats, remain not just vital but necessary.

Epic Recession explains the origins and future direction of the current economic crisis, and the relationships between the banking system's breakdown and the economy in general. Jack Rasmus describes how Epic Recession is highly resistant to traditional fiscal and monetary policy solutions and requires major structural changes in the economy in order to check and contain. The book analyzes in depth the origins and causes of Epic Recession—revealing its roots in corporate and government policies and fundamental structural changes in U.S. capitalist economy since the early 1980s. Epic Recession explains how the current economic crisis is similar to, and simultaneously different from, both the Great Depression of 1929-1934 and post-1945 recessions in the U.S. It categorizes Epic Recessions in two dominant forms: ‘Type I’ and ‘Type II’: The former similar to events of 1907-1914; the latter to events of 1929-1931. Rasmus argues today’s current crisis is evolving into a ‘Type I’, but has the potential for transforming into a ‘Type II’ and that 2011-2013 will be a critical period for determining which type will prevail. Epic Recession further provides a detailed critique of both George W. Bush and Obama administration recovery programs, in both their monetary and fiscal dimensions, and assesses why they have fared poorly thus far in resolving the crisis. The book concludes by presenting a full, thorough alternative program necessary for recovery.

This book is ideal for parents and carers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 2 - 9 (and potentially older depending on developmental level), who are looking for guidance and proactive behavioural strategies in managing tantrums and meltdowns. It offers an empathetic approach and provides explanations of what goes on in the brain and body of someone experiencing a meltdown, describing sensory reactions and brain processes. The authors help the reader to distinguish between tantrums and meltdowns, and how to react to these different emotional states. Summarising key strategies, the book then provides short- and long-term strategies to implement, offering practical response plans and a toolbox of techniques that empower parents to further support their child.

Tells the inside story of two of the most extraordinary months in the history of Welsh politics, including interviews with many of the key participants.

"From very early days, I knew I was different, but I didn't know I had Asperger's syndrome until I was diagnosed at forty-two. Who would have thought I had a form of autism? ..."Asperger's syndrome is a growing Autism Spectrum Disorder around the world. Aspergers, God and Me explores the devastating effects of Asperger's syndrome on my life. This is not just my story, but the story of many people with undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome.Travel with me as I reveal how I overcame the difficulties of Asperger's syndrome to live a fullfilled and blessed life. All proceeds go to Camp Autism.

Women today are fading. In a female culture built on Photoshopped perfection and Pinterest fantasies, we’ve lost the ability to dream our own big dreams. So busy trying to do it all and have it all, we’ve missed the life we were really designed for. And we are paying the price. The rise of loneliness, depression, and anxiety among the female population in Western cultures is at an all-time high. Overall, women are two and a half times more likely to take antidepressants than men. What is it about our culture, the expectations, and our way of life that is breaking women down in unprecedented ways? In this vulnerable memoir of transformation, Rebekah Lyons shares her journey from Atlanta, Georgia, to the heart of Manhattan, where she found herself blindsided by crippling depression and anxiety. Overwhelmed by the pressure to be domestically efficient, professionally astute, and physically attractive, Rebekah finally realized that freedom can come only by facing our greatest fears and fully surrendering to God’s call on our lives. This book is an invitation for all women to take that first step toward freedom. For it is only when we free-fall that we can truly fly.