Confined by village life, Merope had found herself fascinated by the beasts that roam the hillside ever since she was young. Now as her life had come to an apparent standstill she would once more find herself wondering, that perhaps there was another life out there.

The question “What is human nature?” is in vogue today. Like everything else, this concept is being deconstructed in the context of the reigning ideology of individualistic materialism. Is there a fixed human nature, or is this simply a manipulatable social construct with no objective reference? This book says: “Yes, there is: the imago Dei: man/woman created in the image of God.” Hobson argues that this text from Genesis 1:26–28 is a God-given anthropological revelation that establishes the relational bond of human beings with their Creator and also with his creation, for which the imago equips us to be responsible stewards. Many of Hobson’s essays were delivered as talks in parishes. They explore from multiple angles the import of the imago Dei for theological and sacramental reflection, apologetics, aesthetics, art, and, at a hands-on practical level, for pastoral counseling and inner healing. His texts, one of which opens with a discussion of genocide, contain incisive critiques of the dark side of modernity alongside wide-ranging demonstrations of the pertinence of the imago Dei to the current debates about human dignity and rights. His book is a ringing call to the church to take the measure of the value of this anthropological revelation for its proclamation of the gospel.

From the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower:After the near-extinction of humanity, a new kind of alien-human hybrid must come to terms with their identity -- before their powers destroy what is left of humankind. Since a nuclear war decimated the human population, the remaining humans began to rebuild their future by interbreeding with an alien race -- the Oankali -- who saved them from near-certain extinction. The Oankalis' greatest skill lies in the species' ability to constantly adapt and evolve, a process that is guided by their third sex, the ooloi, who are able to read and mutate genetic code. Now, for the first time in the humans' relationship with the Oankali, a human mother has given birth to an ooloi child: Jodahs. Throughout his childhood, Jodahs seemed to be a male human-alien hybrid. But when he reaches adolescence, Jodahs develops the ooloi abilities to shapeshift, manipulate DNA, cure and create disease, and more. Frightened and isolated, Jodahs must either come to terms with this new identity, learn to control new powers, and unite what's left of humankind -- or become the biggest threat to their survival.

This exceptionally readable and down-to-earth handbook is destined to become the definitive guide to psychobiographical research, the application of psychological theory and research to individual lives of historical importance. It brings together for the first time the world's leading psychobiographers, writing lucidly on many of the major figures of our age - from Osama Bin Laden to Elvis Presley. The first section of the book addresses the subject of how to construct an effective psychobiography. Editor William Todd Schultz introduces the field, provides valuable definitions of good and bad psychobiography, discusses an optimal structure for biographical data. Dan McAdams explores the question of what psychobiographers might learn from current research in personality psychology. Alan Elms delivers wise advice on the tricky subject of theory choice in psychobiography. William Runyan asks why Van Gogh cut off his ear, and in the process explains how one evaluates competing interpretations of the same event in a subject's life. And Kate Isaacson describes a template for use in multiple-case psychobiography. Never before has method in psychobiography been so clearly and explicitly addressed. Those just getting started in the field will find in Section One a detailed roadmap for success. The remaining sections of the book are composed of richly engaging case studies of famous artists, psychologists, and politicians. They address compelling questions such as: What are the subjective origins of photographer Diane Arbus's obsession with freaks? In what ways did the early loss of Sylvia Plath's father affect her poetry and presage her suicide? Out of what painful life experience did James Barrie drive himself to invent Peter Pan? Why did Elvis experience such difficulty singing the song "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" What accounts for Bin Laden's radicalism, Kim Jong Il's paranoia, George W. Bush's conflict with identity? Why did Freud go so disastrously astray in his analysis of Leonardo? What made psychologist Gordon Allport's meeting with Freud so pungently significant? How did the loss of his father determine major elements of Nietzsche's philosophy? These questions and many more get answered, often in surprising and incisive fashion. Additional chapters take up the lives of Harvard operationist S.S. Stevens, Erik Erikson, Edith Wharton, Saddam Hussein, Truman Capote, Kathryn Harrison, Jack Kerouac, and others. Within each case study, tips are proffered along the way as to how psychobiography can be done more cogently, more intelligently, and more valuably.

The Fourth Edition of Pieces of the Personality Puzzle features insightful readings in personality psychology from a wide range of voices, with nearly a third of the readings new to this edition.

A Study Bible that Weaves God’s Story Together for an Unraveling World Journey through the interwoven story of the gospel from Genesis to Revelation. The NIV Storyline Bible features over 380 articles paired with book introductions that illuminate the interconnected nature of God’s inspired Word. The content adapted from Biblemesh.com explores major events, key characters, and the theology of the Bible over seven historical eras: Creation / Patriarchs / Moses / Israel / After Exile / Jesus / The Church. Book introductions provide a “Storyline” perspective on how each book relates to the rest of the Bible Over 200 major articles about theological principles, characters of the Bible, the political and cultural influences on the people of Israel, and the Bible’s major events Over 180 smaller articles address the same topics as the major articles, using an applicational perspective Topical feature indexes Full text of the accurate, readable, and clear NIV translation Beautiful full-color page design Over 200 full-color photos, graphs, and charts Exclusive Zondervan NIV Comfort Print® typeface

Auf einer Party umarmt die Philologin Persephone den Sicherheitsexperten Rothmann überfallartig. Sie kann sich den Verzicht auf den Vorlauf einer zivilen Kontaktaufnahme selbst nicht erklären. Sie nötigt Rothmann, auf sämtliche Präliminarien zu verzichten. Die beiden ziehen sich in das Schlafzimmer ihrer Gastgeber zurück. Dies ist bilateral mit dem Gefühl dringlichster Zärtlichkeit verbunden. Er herrscht kosmische Vertrautheit, pures Gattungsglück. Die Tiger im Dschungel feiern auch keine Verlobung. Sie sehen sich und erkennen sich in ihrer Schönheit.