Social Studies Books

What a pleasure to read. Wolverton weaves through the book personal history and her experiences at the Los Angeles Woman's Building to bring art history and feminism in LA to life. Wolverton easily evokes engaging images with just a few strokes of the pen.

Terry Wolverton's Insurgent Muse is one of the most powerful, moving memoirs I have ever read. Once I started reading, I literally could not put the book down and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. Wolverton writes with insight, courage and humor about her own coming of age as an artist, her coming out as a lesbian, and her experiences with the Los Angeles Woman's Building, not only as an institution but as a vision of a creative, collaborative community of women. Anybody who is interested in the connections between art and politics, especially how artists get politicized and how political art gets made, should read this book. Though there's no happy ending to this story - in that the Woman's Building is no more - I found Insurgent Muse incredibly inspiring and an important reminder that art DOES matter and that sisterhood - however chimerical it sometimes seems - can indeed be powerful.

This book is really two books in one. A facinating look at a pivitol moment in time for women in the arts woven together with the story of the author's own growth and evolution as an artist and a person. A must read for anyone who is interested in modern feminist history.

Insurgent Muse is much more than a retrospective of feminist art and history. Terry Wolverton has written a personal, honest, detailed history of the venerable Woman's Building. The discovery of self, the intensity of feminist spirit many found at the Woman's Building live on in this wonderful and courageous book.

For those who want to learn about the feminist art movement, "Insurgent Muse" is an informative and insightful book that is deeply complex yet very accessible. This book gives voice to an important but much neglected part of American history. What makes this book so compelling is Wolverton's ability to weave her personal experiences with this political movement. With gorgeous prose and honest and courageous self-exploration, Wolverton shares some valuable life lessons gleaned from some very difficult experiences. In particular, I appreciated her insights about the nature of empowerment and how the artist informs the art and vice versa.

I'm a pretty picky reader. Half the books I begin I never finish because I lose interest. Among those I finish, there are very few that leave a lasting impression. "Insurgent Muse" not only held me captive to the very last page, but it also left me with a feeling of excitement. I highly recommend this book. Read it and you won't be disappointed.

The backbone of Duke Ellimgtons music was his association with Billy Strayhorn. Where such genius came from emanates from poverty and rather ordinary family roots. This is a fascinating and beautifully documented story that completes any previous knowledge of the beauty that is Ellingtons music. Strayhorn was obviously an unrecognized genius deserving of notoriety and equal prominence.

Great Book... if you're an Ellington fan and like "Strays" music this is an absolute must. Very informative and interesting and also great reading. The author was here in Seattle for an Elllngton concert with Earshot Jazz and I met and chatted with him.... a very charming and informed man. cmm

one of the most interesting biographies I've ever read. When Billy Strayhorn was growing up in Pittsburgh he met Duke Ellington in the back of the theatre after a concert Duke performed at. He blew Duke away when Billy played the piano for him. Years later Duke would remember him and asked Billy to come out to NYC to see him. When Billy asked for directions Duke would write on a piece of paper, take the A train. While on the A train to Upper Manhattan to see Duke, Billy wrote the music for 'Take the A Train". So it goes the great collaboration between Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn would begin. Always in the background and never given the proper credit for all the music he wrote Billy Strayhorn would live a lush life. Travelling the world and meeting the kings and queens of the jazz world, he could be the life of the party but the applause for Duke Ellington's music would bypass him. Being black and gay back in those days was not acceptable behavior so Billy stayed in the background and Duke kept him. Billy wrote the music and Duke played it, his own personal muse. Billy loved the 3 am hour the best, it was the happiest hour of the day when you're too exhausted to care anymore and numb to everything else. A wonderful book.

i find myself always enjoying Books on People&this is no exception.very well detailed Book on a Important Composer&His Many Demons&Surroundings.I heard a few years back that Will Smith was considering doing the Bio Movie on Billy Strayhorn.it would be really interesting to see how things would come out on the Big screen.this book reflects on Music Talent&whole Life.very well done book.

This book has a lot going for it. Do you like music, swing and jazz? Do you like intersting people? Did you live through the 30's, 40's and 50's? Do you enjoy reading about that era? Do you enjoy reading a well written biogratphy? If the answer to any of these is yes, you'll like this book, it the answer is yes to several of these questions then you'll LOVE this book. David Hajdu has done an exemplary job of documenting the life of Billy Strayhorn. I really felt like I knew the man after reading this. He has done his research and he also writes with a very smooth style that keeps you intersted. I love music and I've read bios of Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, BB King, Chuck Berry, Led Zepplin, Allman Bros. on and on. This is one of the best if not the best music bio I've read.

Many books celebrate being gay, but few offer guidance into particular sexual activities, the physical and emotional health of actors, and some of the challenges many of us gay men encounter. While little or no moral judgments are proffered, healthful preferences are cited vis-a-vis the unhealthful. "Just because we 'can,' does not means we 'should.'"

Without insisting gay is a "lifestyle," it highlights those activities and circumstances often associated with being a gay man, and it discusses them honestly and candidly. No other published book offers such excellent information on such a broad array of issues in an intelligent and "whole earth catalogue" sort of way. I've had occasion to recommend it, and every recipient appreciates the referral.

Until it is surpassed, which seems unlikely, it's the best "handbook" to acceptance, adaptation, adjustment, approval, and analysis of most concerns we gay men face. Very highly recommended.

Do not pass up this one. A comprehensive guide to modern gay life! Covers a range of topics that even surprised me. I guarantee you will learn something from this book as I did.

It's hard to think of a group that has amassed more information about gay men and their health problems than New York's Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). Now nearly twenty years old, the group has just published a comprehensive guide to gay male health, Men Like Us: The GMHC Complete Guide to Gay Men's Sexual, Physical and Emotional Well-Being. The result is a snappy, savvy, and indeed almost encyclopedic look at our sexual, physical and emotional health, with common-sense language and lots of information.

Part One of this book is called "Sex Basics." This involves the penis, anal pleasures, mutual masturbation, how to use condoms and so on. Our attention is flagged any time a disease risk is involved. Barely a page goes by that the book doesn't use a sidebar, or a quote from an expert, or testimony from one or another gay men who's been there and done that, which keeps things on a light tone. There's even a self-help guide for

deformalities and abnormalities of the penis and which ones need medical attention (there are actually a couple that don't).

"Body Basics" is Part Two of the book. It introduces the basics of healthy exercise (both the aerobic and the body-builder type), tells how to deal with digestive problems, find a good doctor, investigate alternative health (if you so desire), monitor things like cholesterol and blood pressure, and understand the aging process. The presumed audience is a male in his late thirties or early forties who is just starting to notice that things like cardiac health and abundant vitality can no longer be taken for granted.

Part Three, "Major Medical," has two sections. The first deals with the realities of AIDS in a very sophisiticated yet easy-to-follow format. This section really shines, and here it's worth remembering that the Gay Men's Health Crisis was the first group ever formed to deal with AIDS (before it even was called that). The second section is a very knowledgeable "user's guide" to getting the most out of a hosptial stay.

Part Four has a section on therapy and mental health, one on friendships, and one on spirituality. Of the three, the spirituality section is the weakest because it lumps spiritual and religious topics together and treats them superficially. (Remember, too, this is not GMHC's forte here.) Men Like Us is a great book for any gay owner of a male body who wants to keep it in good shape. And it's wonderful when it comes to the ins and outs of AIDS. The books is probably best suited for someone age 35 or older who lives a relatively "out" gay life and is comfortable finding bias-free resources: a gay or sympathetic doctor, say. Indeed, Men Like Us book seems to make the assumption that its readers have been around the block a time or two, as when it reiterates that the rules for oral hygiene are "the same rules you've heard since you were a little homosexual-in-training." While this would still be a good book for a 22-year-old if only for the safe-sex guidance, it might not be as useful as for someone older.

Men Like Us is the complete guide to a gay man's life. The operative word is COMPLETE. This book had absolutely everything!
From anatomy (and yes, sexual pleasure), to exercise and diet, relationships and intimacy, medical care (which included lengthy passages on HIV), mental health and therapy, and on a deeper note, spirituality and community.
While the book does deal with some hard topics, it never loses it's fun feel. On nearly every page you will find funny, helpful diagrams or cartoons, depicting different aspects being discussed.
While, obviously, this book isn't for everyone (it'd probably give old Grandma a heart attack with it's vivid descriptions of anything from oral pleasuring to the "toys and tools" section) it is just right for that special man in your life. Uncle, brother, nephew, friend, etc.
This is a positive, clever, and helpful guide to gay living. No gay man's library would be complete without it.

I can truthfully say that most every question that I had regarding issues ranging from the widest range of topics imaginable were answered in a professional & very informative manner. Some of the topics ranged from "The Anatomy Of Pleasure", "Sex Acts And Facts","Sex Troubles",& much more in chapter one. Through 13 chapters of fact filled up to date info.this encyclopedic book keeps your attention in high gear, gets you thinking about what really matters, and is written in an entertaining manner as well. This all-inclusive "COMPLETE GUIDE TO GAY MEN'S SEXUAL, PHYSICAL, AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING" is a must read, and a great reference I refer to very often. If there is one book on gay men's info. this is the ONE!!!

I picked up this book in a store, never having heard about it before, and I read it in two days. This is a well-written account, with alternating chapters by mother and son, of what it was like to grow up as a gay male, and what it was like to raise a boy who was somehow different from the rest. There is a four-year age difference between myself and Chris Shyer, and our stories were in many, many ways similar, including my living near Chris' hometown. This book made me think of some of my own painful experiences coming to accept myself in a societal landscape where I was targeted as different. For that reason, this made it a sometimes difficult read for me but I still couldn't put the book down until I was finished. Very, very highly recommended!

I absolutly loved this book. This book tells a very touching story of a difficult inner struggle to come out and be the wonderful person Chris is. The Mothers story is equally as touching, as she tries to find ways to "fix" her sons sexual preference. you read her own struggle with denial and her struggle and her need to "change " him. The story takes many turns in their suburban lives. Growing up at a time when homosexuality was so misunderstood. When people believed this was something that was learned or some kind of devient behavior.The book comes full circle-with Chris admitting his sexuality and his Mother accepting him as he is-a wonderful Man and loving son. I recommend this book to anyone who has a family member trying to come out-or just a friend. It is so beautifully told!

notlikeotherboys@hotmail.com

A wonderful book for anyone who comes in contact with, works with, is friends with, is or is related to a gay person--and that's EVERYONE. This book gives gay people courage knowing that they are not alone, blasts stereotypes of the "freaks" that some people think gays are, and is a helpful "guide" for parents who need to re-think their mindset on what a perfect family is.

I read this book only a few months after I came out. At that time in my life I still didn't accept myself as gay. This book helped me see that you don't have a be a queen to be gay. This book also helped me look back on my own childhood. That helped me see that I've been gay all along and that I was discovering it instead of creating it.

This book is an absolute joy to read. My parents read this book, too, and that helped both of us start our conversations from some common ground.

I found "Open My Eyes, Open My Soul" by Yolanda King to be a wonderful collection of essays by people from all walks of life about their own experience with either intolerance or a gift of tolerance and love.
This is a book the world has been needing. I will frequently refer to it in my speaking engagements and will recommend it along with future editions that will be printed. Thank you Yolanda. You are a blessing to this world.
Carrie bluehawk601@yahoo.com

Everyone has a story to share of a defining moment (or many!) when they see past the surface images to the humanity that connects us heart to heart. I think the best "media pairing" of the message would be this book with the movie, "Love Actually". Both clearly and often joyfully illustrate that no matter what your casual or even paranoid observations regarding the world may be, or your current loss of hope or elevated fears for the future, Love IS all around, and it is everywhere, within everyone, ever eager to burst into bloom. I highly recommend this book, a collection of personal "moments of awakening and realization" to anyone who needs an emotional lift and to anyone who loves and wishes to open their hearts even more. Blessings to you both, dear Yolanda King and Elodia Tate!!! Looking forward to more of the same soon!

This book leaves a lasting impression of love and commonality of the human spirit no matter the race, culture, or beliefs. We are one humanity, one world. Every story shows how people touch each other's lives in a positive way. Both celebrities' stories and "other author" stories remind us that we have so much in common.

Marie McBride

If everyone in the world read this book, all fighting would stop because people would see every other human being as a brother or sister--not someone "different" just because of the color of their skin or their religion or particular culture. This book is a wake-up call that spawns peaceful feelings and longings for a harmonious world. This book is for everyone--not just members of minority groups. I happen to be Caucasian, but reading these heartfelt stories makes me want to shake people who hate and remind them of what Dr. Martin Luther King sacrificed his life for.

This book lifts up, acknowledges, rejoices in, and teaches us about our wonderful differences. We learn through this book that we all receive gifts of lessons and experiences handed down through our cultural ties. It shows us how strong, powerful and united we can be. Share this book with loved ones and those who need to hear the message.

Anyone wishing to experience what Pioneer life [on any frontier] was like for their Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers, etc. and their families, this is a must read! There are interesting descriptions of how the Kansas Pioneers built their Sod Homes on the Great Plains. [Pages 54-55]. The description of the Great Blizzard of New Year's Day 1886, that my Grandfather weathered and loved to tell the story [mid Page 92], was an accidental verification I had sought for years. Family researchers might glean some everyday 'Pioneer life' tidbits, tweeked to fit their state's history, to enliven their family stories. Afterall, all of these amazing Pioneer women experienced the same happenings of their day!

Pioneer Women is a remarkable book. A collection of writings from women who experienced our country when it was raw and their families young. The stories are captivating for all ages.

Since I found that my great grandmother's brother and sister went on a Wagon Train to Nebraska from Bedford County PA in the 1870's and 1880's, I have benn interested in reading about Pioneer Families. This book was actual experiences of the women who survived in the early settlements of this country. How can we not be proud of their determination to survive and how much their faith in God played a role in their daily lives?

I read somewhere that a statistically large number of prominent Americans were born in 19th century Kansas. That was perhaps a result of the hard, but ultimately rewarding pioneer life that is described in these pages. Kansas and the West a century ago were in the vanguard of social innovation and progressive politics in the U.S.

Author Stratton re-discovered the oral histories of 800 Kansas pioneer women collected by her great-grandmother in the 1920s. She has taken this mountain of material and organized it into 15 themes in 15 chapters, giving background on each theme and quoting the pioneer women. For example, one chapter details the long journey to the frontier of Kansas undertaken by many of the women and their families. Blizzards, fatal disease, fear of Indians and other dangers greeted them. Other chapters describe the social life of the pioneer women, the education of their children, frontier churches, and the famous Kansas crusades for suffrage and temperance.

It would also be interesting to read some of the 800 oral histories. The author doesn't tell us where they are or if they are available to the general public. Certainly they should be made available as they are irreplaceable primary sources

The role of women on the frontier has been a popular subject of women writers for two or three decades now. This is one of the better books on the subject -- and one that can be enjoyed by readers of either sex.

Smallchief

In a world where history is written by the winners, we often don't find accounts of history from a womans' perspective. This is a compilation of 800 verbal histories of women that lived through all the well documented times. It paints an intimate picture through the voices of the remarkable women that helped to build this country. The book is well written, with good flow. The chapters are formed well, and it ushers the reader smoothly through time. It would be a worthwhile read for a re-enactor. I bought the book at a local goodwill, and can't imagine giving it up. It has a permanent home in my library. I only wish there was a complete, unabridged, publication of the verbal histories available.

This is not a review on pragmatics of human communication, it is a review on a book. This might be an imperative read when you're working with human beings and/or when you're a pragmatist, but you'd probably already knew everything in it. This is no book for the communication specialist: it will be too disturbing. There is no 'sender', 'no channel' and 'no reciever' in the bbok. It also has no 'message'. It is also not recommended for people who do not want to change. Finally, it is not for lay people, because it is better to live in ignorance than know that a conversation in basically about nothing.

The last chapter of this book, which I read over 30 years ago, and still remember to this day, is a true stunner, especially the last sentence. The truth therein is timeless. When I finished it, I remained seated and awestruck for a long time, contemplating a cosmic truth which has never left me to this very day. The specific memory is carved in stone, so to speak.

Ever heard of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig? Well, POHC goes even further - towards a mathematical truth about our very existence. This book is far more than its title suggests. Quite simply it is the second most important book I've EVER read... and Pirsig's is not the first, either.

If you have the intelligence to absorb it, this book will probably change the very foundation of what you call "me"... it will fundamentally challenge your mind. Read it if you have confidence in your OWN intellect.

BTW - for a reference point, I was the only student in my class at Western Michigan University who apparently understood the implications of this book. It was a 400 level Communications course with 28 students, and the course was "built" around the book.

That human relationships are something mysterious and intriguing is hardly a question. But whether an account of them that is limited by scientific standards can do justice to their complexity and nature is quite another. However, I'm convinced that in this case the subject not only survives the operation - the methodology and presentation don't kill their subject or explain it away - but benefits from it to a rather surprising extent. That is, it achieves the difficult task of being both accurate and rigourous on the one hand and sheading light on the parts of us that have to do with us being human on the other - the thoughts and feelings in our behaviour. This is not only in stark contrast to the behaviorist paradigm dominant at the time this work was written, but marks an equally important departure from the intrapsychic focus of psychoanalysis. Thus the introduction of models based on cybernetic principles, systems theory, game theory, mathematics etc allowed for a completely new dimension in human relations to appear.

The new approaches that made it possible and which found so excellent synthesis in "Pragmatics.." are to a considerable extent traceable back to the works of Gregory Bateson. Indeed, it wasn't untill reading his "Steps to the Ecology of Mind" that I came to realize this. However, the relative lack of originality is compensated by the degree of integration and condensation achieved in "Pragmatics" - perhaps higher than any other single writing in "the Palo Alto framework" before or after has (intended) - which naturally exceeds that of "Steps..." - which is a collection of Bateson's articles dating from 1930s to 1970s. So above anything else, the two make an excellent complementary reading.

A very intresting book. After I have got this book, I acquired all the other books by the author and found that this book is probably his best one. A must read for those who are interested in knowing the interactions between communication and paradoxical psychotherapy.

I bought the book wanting to know something more about the world of communication and was delighted to find references to my youth interests: logics and mathematic and to my more recent one: spirituality. What was of a particular interest, even if it might be considered a bit partial, was the importance the authors put on paradoxes both as the root for patology and cure. In this latter respect references are given to zen sayings and their relationships to actual therapeuthical episodes.
A problem stemming for the emphasis put on the interrelated cause of neurosis is that individuals tend to be quite neglected: so giving the feeling that people having no stable relationships with other people must be either totally healty or... incurable.
Already bought two other books from the same author.

I love the way Keith Brown captures the essence of mother-son relationships in the African American family. It portrays the values that are developed between mothers and sons to produce strong black males. Each story is an example of encouraging motivation and hope for future generations of mother-son relationships.

This wonderful collection of stories to read about the bond between mother's and son's.

This book is so moving. Within the first few pages, I was so captivated by the warm feelings that are shared. This mother to son bond is unexplainable. I immediately told my family and friends that they have to read this book if no other.

This is to the response from Gloria Alibaruho dated 25 December 1999.

I just read your review of the book, Sacred Bond: Black Men and Their Mothers. You said in your review. "All of the mothers are acquainted with life as a journey rather than a destination." I think that is a very profound statement - your focus on "journey" implies a continuous activity as opposed to "destination" which is a fixed point in time. Too often, whether we set the stage or someone else does, we focus on a fixed point in our lives, the time when the journey is completed. We forget to celebrate the activities that brought us to our goal. This celebration serves to strengthen us and provides inspiration for the next day. That is why some goals are never reached - the preparations for the journey are not made and then we loose sight of our destination. Metaphorically, it is like taking a hike in a dense forest and forgetting to bring a map or compass.

I have a notebook of quotations that give me inspiration and I have just included your quotation in the book. Thanks for your words of wisdom.

Sincerely,

Susan Lightfeather lightfeather@exotrope.net

As I read this book, I could see myself in every one of the mothers. I laughed, I cried, and I was blessed to be touched by their experiences. As a mother, it was reassuring to read that I am on the right track. Through their trials and tribulations, the bond strengthened. To the authoris: Thank you for capturing these magnificent stories. To the mothers/sons: Thank you for letting us into your life.

This was a Social Studies book. The book is interesting as it describes a day in the life of a Pilgrim girl using text and photographs from Plymouth Plantation. Anthony D. Fredericks recommended it in Social Studies Through Children's Literature and you can find accompanying questions and activities there. Recommended for grades K-3rd.

My daughter studied colonial history in fourth grade, in Virginia, and I ordered a few books for her on the topic and as soon as the books arrived, she chose this one first and sat down and read the whole thing! She loved it.

....then you will enjoy purchasing this book. This book is a real-life look at a day in the life a of pilgrim girl. It shows great photographs of a little pilgrim girl's clothes and her day to day living conditions. This book will say in pictures what a hundred descriptions cannot convey to a kid. A great teaching book.

Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrom Girl is an exceptional teaching tool for the young "history detectives" in your circle. Textbooks are never enough. What better way to understand that the "story" of history happened to real people who looked just like us, had needs and families just like us, but lived a different lifestyle because of the time in which they lived.

Follow this up with a visit to a museum, and the story of our history becomes very real!

This is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it.

Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the life of a Pilgrim Girl and its partner books about Samuel Eaton a Pilgrim boy and Tapenum"s Day about a Wampanoag Indian boy are excellent. I used all three in teaching about Massachusetts history. The books are well researched. The setting is Plymouth Plantation where reenactors wear authentic clothing and use authentic reproductions of tools, furniture, etc. The books depict children's work, play, families, homes and clothing. The books should be in every school library.

Again, we have been hit. All of us. Another school, this time San Diego. And another boy who was mocked and abused and taunted until he even told people what he was going to do. All the tenets we need to have to understand the inner world of THIS boy are in Shooter. The book is a handbook on a sad and lonely psyche in a boy unafraid of finally lashing out. If school boards won't get this in the schools for discussion, let the parents chip in and get it in in truck loads! I wonder where the author is tonight - and if she wishes we would listen? Bless the children as we sit idly by when there is this first, pioneering, and excellent book on WHY!

I'm a kid, but I'm 17 and I know exactly what Harold felt. Most of my friends either still feel or have felt the same way. How come Dr. Woodhouse knew this? The book made me cry so I won't put my name here but my counsellor said that was good and wants to read Shooter in The Skie with me, in parts. But I want to save it because there are certain pages I have saved so that I can read them when I feel alone. I thought I was crazy. I think a lot of kids do. I wish we had this book as an assignment in, may be, grade 9 and we could write our answers. I gace it to my sister and my mom read it. I just wonder if the writer, who seems really smart and honest, had to make an okay ending or parents and teachers would freak! I think Harold would have gone, but gone peacefully. Maybe not. Thanks for giving this to me, Mrs. Woodhouse. I wish I could talk to you. R.T. (student)

I am close to retiring as a scondary school principal and I was as impressed when I read this fine book the second time as I was the first time through. As a once English teacher, I presume to say that this author is an important writer, and an invaluable social critic as well. The detail she provided of this boy's psyche are invaluable to us and, when we think about it, we should have inferred some aspects of "his" psychological pain from various behaviors. But the author has handed us the boy's pain and his wishes on a silver platter. The questions she has included are perfectly pertinent and, I might add indicative of her thoughtfulness. The questions have been clearly thought out so as to be useful, not inciting.

I will be recommending that this book become part of a social studies curriculum. However, were I younger, and my career in mid gear, I would insist on it. What is the saying? "God, save the children"? This exzcellent book could help us to save at least a few. Mrs. H. Mason

As a criminal lawyer I was intrigued to read Shooter on a cross-country flight. As the author would know, most of these kids are first-time offenders, going straight to murder. Dr. Woodhouse captures the torment and confusion that set in when they realise what they have done. Most of them have never seen the inside of a police station, let alone a prison, let alone a maximum security prison. Among the other extremely important issues that this book deals with in such a fine, readable story, is the mess we have made of dealing with our youthful offenders. The boy in this book is not unusual. He should not have been where he was, but this is what we are doing with 13 to 15 year olds who snap. I wish everyone involved with family court, youth offenders, and the related legislation and sentencing would read this pioneering book. The author is a hard-nosed criminologist taking us through this story and process with the artistry and care of a poet. Congratulations to the author, but also to the publisher for being smart, brave and sufficiently prescient to publish this fundamentally informative book. WE NEED MORE OF THE SAME!!

The book is so revealing. "Shooter" opens the door to a subject we have been discussing from behind many, many doors, both socially and institutionally. The author, Dr. Woodhouse, obviously possesses the very rare ability to feel, understand, and to explain the complex emotional and mental make up of her fellow human beings. I have seen her do it in person, as a presenter. Now, I have experienced her curious acumen in her writing. I bought HARD LESSONS for my family to increase the chances of staying in touch with our children - my nephews and nieces included. I bought SHOOTER IN THE SKY to take us all a step further toward sensing and feeling their pain before they become either a potential victim or just another kid in serious pain and isolation. Thank you again, Dr. Lauren.