Bestselling author Donald Jeffries turns his critical eye onto the topic of bullying to show how teachers, principals, and other school officials invariably side with the bullies in the most egregious cases, instead of protecting the victims. He also shows how many so-called anti-bullying activists and nearly all the professional "experts" excuse bullying and in fact laud sociopathic behavior in general. As Jeffries demonstrates, this curious phenomenon is due to the power and influence of the social hierarchy, and it revolves to a great extent around the enduring popularity of sports. Jeffries talked to parents who'd battled a system that logically should have been working for them, some of whom lost a child to bullycide, the term for children who kill themselves over bullying. His investigation into what has become one of the most talked about issues in America is as explosive and controversial as anything he has written.

It is 2010. The economy is in shambles and Jimmy James is a homeless felon. Desperate for refuge when his unemployment benefits end, Jimmy faces continual rejection from shelters and employers, leaving him to reconsider the promise he made to God to give up the lucrative life of gangs and drugs. Still, he is a man of his word. Despite the temptation to return to his dark past, Jimmy does his best to avoid the police and stay on a straight-and-narrow path. Determined to beat the odds, Jimmy finally finds a place to lay his head and a minimum wage job at a packaging company. Regardless of the rejection and judgment he continually must face, he keeps his head held high. When he takes a risky gamble with the money he has saved for housing and heads to New York, Jimmy soon discovers that when it comes to pursuing dreams, its all or nothing and that sometimes, hope, faith, and new beginnings can arrive in unexpected ways. Fracas shares the compelling tale of a homeless felons struggle to recreate his life after prison, pursue his dreams, and overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice is the first text to fully integrate concepts of anti-oppressive practice with generalist practice course content. This comprehensive approach introduces concepts of social justice and offers detailed insight into how those principles intersect with the practice of social work at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The book covers ethics, values, and social work theory, and discusses the fundamentals of working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The book illustrates practice within organizations and communities, in addition to highlighting policy and social movement activism and practice within a global context. Maintaining an integrative approach throughout, authors Karen Morgaine and Moshoula Capous-Desyllas effectively bridge the gap between anti-oppressive principles and practice, and offer a practical, comprehensive solution to schools approaching reaccreditation under the mandated CSWE Standards.

"Stephen King's HOLLY marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers have witnessed Holly's gradual transformation from a shy and reclusive (but also brave and ethical) homebody in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges's partner in Finders Keepers and End of Watch to a full-fledged, smart and occasionally tough private detective on her own in The Outsider and If It Bleeds. In this new novel, Holly once again claims the spotlight, and must face some of her most depraved adversaries yet. When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her own mother has just died, and Holly is supposed to be taking time off. But something in Penny Dahl's desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down. Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie's disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are smart, they are patient, and they are ruthless. Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outhink and outmaneuver this brilliant and twisted pair in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King"--

Brooklyn’s Hasidic community of Lubavitchers is turned upside down when family tragedy strikes and everyday life changes forever in the life of Zev Altshul. He is first placed into the care of the closed and close-knit community where he grew up, but soon realizes he can’t stay. His saving grace is handball; it’s his gift from God, and the one thing he can rely on as he is shuttled, chased, and abandoned by trusted elders, family, and friends. Even as Zev never fully escapes from the guilt of his choices, he sets course across the United States to discover where loyalty really lies and what it means. He seeks out his long-lost sister, only to find himself as unprepared for life outside the Lubavitcher community as he was unwilling to remain. Forced out of his second home, Zev plays handball to support himself in the goyische world, but obligations he doesn’t fully understand still tie him to Crown Heights and follow him to Chicago and New Mexico threatening always to return Zev to life among the Lubavitchers. Lyrical, vivid, and thoroughly engaging, this is certainly among the first novels of its kind.

Published social science rarely gives real attention to the actual doing of research, making the process appear magical, or at least self-evident and simple. This book is intended to right the balance by illuminating the craft and the choices made as the research process unfolds for the sociologist. The metaphorical image of going "backstage" speaks to the reader’s experience with each of the seventeen interviews, which illuminate the choices and constraints of researchers as well as unanticipated developments, good and bad. The volume represents a range of interests, themes, research philosophies and approaches from a diverse group of contributors. Particularly suited for advanced undergraduate and graduate research methods students, the volume addresses virtually all of the most vexing methods questions through accessible and compelling first-hand descriptions of sociological research. The volume is an invaluable addition to the library of all social science researchers. From the Foreword by Howard Becker: "The stories in Sociologists Backstage tell how the contributors, who differ in so many ways, dealt with the situations they found themselves in as they did their research, and how who they were and what they had become in their lives intersected with those situations. The stories will fascinate you, and give you a lot to think about as you go ahead with your own research adventure."

Ghetto girls birth ‘em. Hood rats love ‘em. Society fears ‘em. Police target ‘em. And the penitentiary welcomes ‘em. From the coochie to the casket, this troublemaking band of misfits wreaks havoc on the community. They are loyal to no one but themselves and not even death can scare them. They are untamed, untrained, and worst of all, unchained. They run through the city with reckless abandon and perform unspeakable acts of random terror on innocent, law-abiding citizens. They are the definition of troublemakers. They are Youn Lionz. Antwan, the ringleader, is a twenty-year-old malcontent with big dreams and small money. Ever the optimist, Antwan won’t stop reaching for the moon until he’s touched the stars. Temp, his fiery, quick-tempered partner can’t seem to keep it in his pants, and because of it, the majority of his money goes toward paying for abortions. Bishop is the only member of the crew to be employed on any level, albeit part time. He likes being part of the crew but is getting increasingly tired of some of their antics. When a tragic turn of events leaves him holding a smoking gun, his loyalty to his crew is severely tested. Niko has his own set of problems. Hanging out with his comrades provides him with his own personal fortress of solitude, far away from the pain of his abusive mother. Chris is the quiet one of the crew. He doesn t say much, but he’s always down to put in work. Guard ya grills . . . the Young Lionz are on the loose.

The Truth Hurts is the culmination of a journey that stretches from the gem of the Pacific Northwest, Seattle, to the vibrant Cajun-infused metropolis of New Orleans. The ebb and flow of the Mississippi River is the framework for blood, death, and betrayal, while exploitation, coupled with secrets and deception, thrusts the human spirit to the brink of destruction. In the quest to be kingpin of gangland, outsiders find that the Big Easy doesnt easily surrender itself to intimidation or fear. The mirror of reality will spin a parable of lingering emotional wounds that will force the doors of humility and humanity to open, as worlds collide and the truth unfolds. Love and hope will finally prevail . . . and the truth will hurt.

The New York Times bestseller: a revelatory inside story of the trial and final days of New England Patriots superstar Aaron Hernandez, by his attorney and New York Times bestselling author Jose Baez. When renowned defense attorney Jose Baez received a request for representation from Aaron Hernandez, the disgraced Patriots tight-end was already serving a life sentence for murder. Defending him in a second, double-murder trial seemed like a lost cause--but Baez accepted the challenge, and their partnership culminated in a dramatic courtroom victory, a race to contest his first conviction, and ultimately a tragedy, when Aaron took his own life days after his acquittal. This riveting, closely-observed account of Aaron's life and final year is the only book based on countless intimate conversations with Aaron, and told from the perspective of a true insider. Written with the support of Hernandez's fiancée, Unnecessary Roughness takes readers inside the high-profile trial, offering a dramatic retelling of the race to obtain key evidence that would exonerate Hernandez, and later play a critical role in appealing his first conviction. With revelations about Aaron's personal life that weren't shared at trial, and an exploration of the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy diagnosis revealed by his autopsy, Jose Baez's Unnecessary Roughness is a startling courtroom drama and an unexpected portrait of a fallen father, fiancé, and teammate.

I Think I Need to Talk to a Doctor tells author Jason Ventre's life story-so far anyway. He shares his history for many reasons, but chief among them is the need to explain his life experiences so that others may try to avoid having them. Diagnosed with bipolar syndrome, he talks honestly about the repercussions of his decisions-mostly bad ones, when considered on a scale from moderate to devastating. He still deals with repercussions from those choices on a daily basis. From describing the funny challenges of childhood and trying to figure out what mattered and what didn't to recalling his failed relationships, Ventre paints an honest picture of a boy who was just different. Rather than trying to change who he was, he just went with whatever he felt-with unforgettable results. Now he takes those results and unapologetically turns them into lessons. Ventre reminds us that we all have pasts full of mistakes; although it might be a great thought to say that we can learn from our past, history has shown us that we're more likely to just "think" that we've learned from our mistakes as we continue to make them. I Think I Need to Talk to a Doctor shows that sometimes laughing at our irrational decisions might be the only way to grow from them and hopefully teach others not to travel down the same road of lost maturity.