Traditionally, institutions of higher education have been viewed as the gateway to a better future, despite the fact that so many of the neighborhoods surrounding them have been filled with hopelessness and despair. In Promise and Betrayal, the authors want nothing less than to start a revolution in higher education, calling on partnerships between "town and gown" to create sustainable urban neighborhoods. John I. Gilderbloom and R. L. Mullins Jr. detail how higher education institutions can play an important role in helping to revitalize our poor neighborhoods by forming partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit groups. They advocate leaving the "ivory tower" and supplying the community with expert knowledge as well as creative and technical resources.

A wide-ranging look at the allure and changing significance of work.With seductions, misunderstandings, and misinformation everywhere, this immensely readable book calls for a new contract--with ourselves. Drawing from history, mythology, literature, pop culture, and practical experience, Ciulla probes the many meanings of work or its meaninglessness and asks: Why are so many of us letting work take over our lives and trying to live in what little time is left? What has happened to the old, unspoken contract between worker and employer? Why are young people not being disloyal when they regularly consider job-changing? Employers can't promise as much to workers as before. Is that because they promise so much to stockholders? Why are there mass layoffs and "downsizing" in a time of unequaled corporate prosperity? And why are the most common lies in business about satisfactory employee performance? The traditional contract between employers and employees is over. This thoughtful and provocative study shows how to replace it by the one we make with ourselves.

Being a chameleon demoness already made things tricky, but did it need to be this difficult? All Dahlia wanted was her freedom, but first, she needed to buy out of her promised bonding, a promise that was made for her before she was even born. Almost a century of trying had taken its toll, and she'd done things she wasn't proud of. Lost parts of herself along the way and flirted with the darkness inside her. And it flirted back. She told herself it would all be worth it in the end, but before she won that battle, everything in her life systematically blew up in her face-one piece at a time. Blaming it all on the beautiful, egotistical vampire who showed up in her life would be easy, but it started long before he arrived. With his help, she might succeed, but Dahlia wasn't sure she could trust an outsider-not even one sent by Lucifer himself. Dahlia was standing on the brink of having everything she'd ever dreamed of, but she also risked losing it all. Was her freedom really worth the cost?

Lawrence of Arabia meets Sebastian Junger's War in this unique, incendiary, and dramatic true story of heroism and heartbreak in Afghanistan written by a Pulitzer Prize–nominated war correspondent. Army Special Forces Major Jim Gant changed the face of America’s war effort in Afghanistan. A decorated Green Beret who spent years in Afghanistan and Iraq training indigenous fighters, Gant argued for embedding autonomous units with tribes across Afghanistan to earn the Afghans’ trust and transform them into a reliable ally with whom we could defeat the Taliban and counter al-Qaeda networks. The military's top brass, including General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, approved, and Gant was tasked with implementing his controversial strategy. Veteran war correspondent Ann Scott Tyson first spoke with Gant when he was awarded the Silver Star in 2007. Tyson soon came to share Gant’s vision, so she accompanied him to Afghanistan, risking her life to embed with the tribes and chronicle their experience. And then they fell in love. Illustrated with dozens of photographs, American Spartan is their remarkable story—one of the most riveting, emotional narratives of wartime ever published.

Isbister (economics, U. of California-Santa Cruz) draws from political theory, economics, and history to describe the forces and structures responsible for poverty in the Third World. He outlines the various paths taken by developing nations, and evaluates their successes and disappointments. Chapters consider nationalism and independence, economic development and underdevelopment, the impacts of American foreign policy, and prospects for the future. c. Book News Inc.

A stunning, in-depth look at the power and poetry of one of the most consequential rappers of our time. Kendrick Lamar is one of the most influential rappers, songwriters and record producers of his generation. Widely known for his incredible lyrics and powerful music, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. In Promise That You Will Sing About Me, pop culture critic and music journalist Miles Marshall Lewis explores Kendrick Lamar’s life, his roots, his music, his lyrics, and how he has shaped the musical landscape. With incredible graphic design, quotes, lyrics and commentary from Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alicia Garza and more, this book provides an in-depth look at how Kendrick came to be the powerhouse he is today and how he has revolutionized the industry from the inside.

Calder and Lily never imagined falling in love would mean breaking apart. But ever since Lily started wearing a glass pendant that once belonged to Nadia, Calder's adoptive mother, she's been having vivid dreams of what life was like for the mermaid matriarch. In fact, she's been dreaming as if she were Nadia! And Nadia, it seems, made a promise before her death. A promise to reunite Calder's biological mother with her son. Lily knows merfolk are bound to keep their promises. Calder's not buying into it, though. He chalks up the dreams to stress. He wants Lily to focus on the future—their future, not the past. Which forces Lily to send Calder away. Calder goes, feeling rejected and more than a little tempted to revert to his hunting ways. What both of them overlook is the present: Calder's sisters, Maris and Pavati, are fighting for control of the mermaid clan, and now that Lily and her dad have transformed into mer-creatures, both mermaids vie for daughter and father as allies. Which of the two mermaids can be trusted? Will Lily make costly mistakes, forcing her to descend to the depths of Lake Superior? And if Calder returns, will he be the same merman Lily grew to love? The stakes are high, with many lives at risk, but Calder and Lily must confront the past as well as their darkest impulses if they want a chance at being together.