In one of the great euphemisms of our time, an embattled President Clinton admitted to an "inappropriate relationship" with his White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. But what exactly is an "inappropriate relationship?" For that matter, what is an "appropriate relationship?" And how can an understanding of the rules of "appropriateness" help us understand personal relationships in our modern world? Contributors to this book discuss the personal boundaries and taboos of modern relationships. Together they examine the power struggles that can occur when individuals are involved in "inappropriate" relationships, and the ways individuals in such a relationship may attempt to buffer themselves against sanctions--or even embrace this relationship as an agent of social change. Representing work from a range of disciplines, this collection will appeal to scholars, researchers, students, and professionals working on relationships issues in areas across the social sciences, including those working in the fields of social psychology, family studies, social anthropology, cultural studies, and communication.

A new, sexy standalone novel from #1 New York Times Bestseller, Vi Keeland. Terminated for inappropriate behavior. I couldn’t believe the letter in my hands. Nine years. Nine damn years I’d worked my butt off for one of the largest companies in America, and I was fired with a form letter when I returned home from a week in Aruba. All because of a video taken when I was on vacation with my friends—a private video made on my private time. Or so I thought… Pissed off, I cracked open a bottle of wine and wrote my own letter to the gazillionaire CEO telling him what I thought of his company and its practices. I didn’t think he’d actually respond. I certainly never thought I’d suddenly become pen pals with the rich jerk. Eventually, he realized I’d been wronged and made sure I got my job back. Only…it wasn’t the only thing Grant Lexington wanted to do for me. But there was no way I was getting involved with my boss’s boss’s boss. Even if he was ridiculously gorgeous, confident, and charming. It would be completely wrong, inappropriate even. Sort of like the video that got me into trouble to begin with. Two wrongs don’t make a right. But sometimes it’s twice as fun.

As cofounders of the leadership coaching and training firm Ridge Associates, authors Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover teach that good interpersonal communication is essential to getting things done. In this comprehensive and practical guide, they offer a proven method for understanding the key behavioral styles of those around you (including your own) and explain how you can leverage the strengths and weaknesses of each to relate to others--even the most difficult of coworkers--more winsomely. People Styles at Work . . . and Beyond does this by offering a self-assessment to determine which style you are and then uses that information to teach readers how to: recognize how they come across to other coworkers; read others' body language and behavior to identify the best ways to work with them; make small adjustments that will dramatically increase the quality and productivity of their interactions; find common ground with different people while retaining their individuality; relate less defensively and more effectively no matter how others act At work, at home, and even while you're out running errands, your ability to relate to others affects how well you get things done. Now including all new material on personal relationships, parenting, and more, this is the ultimate how-to can help any reader avoid conflicts and enhance important relationships.

Life itself can be like riding a roller coaster. It’s full of ups and downs, high and low points. Using the lyrics of an old gospel song by Linda Ronstadt, “Life is like a mountain railway with an engineer that’s brave. We must make this run successful from the cradle to the grave,” one of the greatest challenges we all face to navigate life’s journey is developing healthy, godly relationships. One of our greatest failures in developing healthy relationships is well described by a story sharer in this book. She compares a bad or toxic relationship with the plight of sin. “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” Such can be said about a bad or toxic relationship. In Dr. McGruder’s book Cutting Your Losses from a Bad or Toxic Relationship, he warns those who discover themselves in such a relationship and fail to heed warnings and escape from harm’s way. Remaining in such a relationship can waste a significant portion of your life’s journey, and the result can tally up to emotional, mental, psychological, and spiritual gross costs. However, this book will provide insight on how to survive and thrive it all!

Everyone knows the only thing more painful than relationships is not having them--or is it the other way around? Whatever, says author and cartoonist Nick Galifianakis. In his first book, If You Loved Me, You'd Think This Was Cute: Uncomfortably True Cartoons About You, he makes the case that either way, the only recourse is to embrace our frailties and laugh. Taken from Carolyn Hax's nationally syndicated advice column, this compilation spins the pain of dating, mothers-in-law, "beneficial" friends and more into ... the pain of self-recognition. The intricately drawn pen-and-ink panels and pointed captions explore some of life's most uncomfortable truths, exposing the humanity in our mistakes, the underbelly of our triumphs and the sheer heroism of trying and trying again. Throughout this character study of men and women (and the dogs who love them), Galifianakis mines our hopes and insecurities for a unifying truth: If we can't laugh at ourselves, he'll do it for us. "Nick snuck me into my first comedy club when I was only a back-acned teenager. The back acne went away but the comedy stuck. I know that last sentence sounds like a lyric from a Joan Baez song, but trust me, it's original." --Zach Galifianakis, from the foreword "Nick's cartoons are funny, witty, and smart. But what makes them so special are how universal and true they are, making the laughs they bring all the more poignant. Relationships, in all their glory, have never been captured quite so succinctly and with such charm." --Amy B. Harris, writer/producer for Sex and the City "Nick Galifianakis understands relationships unbelievably well, for a guy. My guess is he actually menstruates." --Gene Weingarten, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Washington Post humor columnist

Parenting today’s teens is not for cowards. Your teenager is facing unprecedented and confusing pressures, temptations, and challenges in today’s culture. Mark Gregston has helped teens and their parents through every struggle imaginable, and now he shares his biblical, practical insights with you in bite-size pieces. Punctuated with Scriptures, prayers, and penetrating questions, these one-page devotions will give you the wisdom and assurance you need to guide your teen through these years and reach the other side with relationships intact.

The Prudence of Love: How Possessing the Virtue of Love Benefits the Lover focuses upon the intersection of philosophical, theological, and psychological issues concerning love. Eric J. Silverman advocates an account of the virtue of love derived from Thomas Aquinas's account of charity and makes three claims concerning love's effect on a person's happiness. First, he argues that there are at least five distinct ways that possessing the virtue of love contributes to the lover's happiness. Surprisingly, only one of these benefits is primarily relational, while the other benefits are largely psycological. Second, Silverman argues that the combination of love's benefits typically increases the lover's overall level of happiness. Finally, he argues than possessing a loving disposition is a more reliable strategy for increasing one's overall happiness than possessing an unloving disposition. Throughout The Prudence of Love, Silverman demonstrates that love's benefits are identifiable according to all four major views of happiness. Book jacket.