President Barack Obama’s mother, S. Ann Dunham, was an economic anthropologist and rural development consultant who worked in several countries including Indonesia. Dunham received her doctorate in 1992. She died in 1995, at the age of 52, before having the opportunity to revise her dissertation for publication, as she had planned. Dunham’s dissertation adviser Alice G. Dewey and her fellow graduate student Nancy I. Cooper undertook the revisions at the request of Dunham’s daughter, Maya Soetoro-Ng. The result is Surviving against the Odds, a book based on Dunham’s research over a period of fourteen years among the rural metalworkers of Java, the island home to nearly half Indonesia’s population. Surviving against the Odds reflects Dunham’s commitment to helping small-scale village industries survive; her pragmatic, non-ideological approach to research and problem solving; and her impressive command of history, economic data, and development policy. Along with photographs of Dunham, the book includes many pictures taken by her in Indonesia. After Dunham married Lolo Soetoro in 1967, she and her six-year-old son, Barack Obama, moved from Hawai‘i to Soetoro’s home in Jakarta, where Maya Soetoro was born three years later. Barack returned to Hawai‘i to attend school in 1971. Dedicated to Dunham’s mother Madelyn, her adviser Alice, and “Barack and Maya, who seldom complained when their mother was in the field,” Surviving against the Odds centers on the metalworking industries in the Javanese village of Kajar. Focusing attention on the small rural industries overlooked by many scholars, Dunham argued that wet-rice cultivation was not the only viable economic activity in rural Southeast Asia. Surviving against the Odds includes a preface by the editors, Alice G. Dewey and Nancy I. Cooper, and a foreword by her daughter Maya Soetoro-Ng, each of which discusses Dunham and her career. In his afterword, the anthropologist and Indonesianist Robert W. Hefner explores the content of Surviving against the Odds, its relation to anthropology when it was researched and written, and its continuing relevance today.

In her New York Times bestseller, Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds, Dr. Kelly A. Turner, founder of the Radical Remission Project, uncovers nine factors that can lead to a spontaneous remission from cancer—even after conventional medicine has failed. While getting her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkley, Dr. Turner, a researcher, lecturer, and counselor in integrative oncology, was shocked to discover that no one was studying episodes of radical (or unexpected) remission—when people recover against all odds without the help of conventional medicine, or after conventional medicine has failed. She was so fascinated by this kind of remission that she embarked on a ten month trip around the world, traveling to ten different countries to interview fifty holistic healers and twenty radical remission cancer survivors about their healing practices and techniques. Her research continued by interviewing over 100 Radical Remission survivors and studying over 1000 of these cases. Her evidence presents nine common themes that she believes may help even terminal patients turn their lives around.

In Surviving Against All Odds, Nicole Quiroz presents an intimate and personal account of her life story. From being raised in an abusive household and moving through detention centers and group homes, to falling in with regrettable company, dealing with addiction, struggling to overcome marital obstacles, and more, this book explores the moving testimony of one young woman's perseverance and the transformative power of God's love. Nicole is a dedicated wife and mother to two growing children. She frequently writes poetry and enjoys spending time in her garden. Nicole's faith in God has sustained her during her fight to find freedom from her past. Throughout her life it has been on her heart to help others. She hopes to shine a light on the dark things of this world. Showing that there can be healing through faith in God.

In this action-oriented book, a survival expert walks you through what to do in dozens of scary situations, from riding out a tsunami to surviving the fall of civilization. Fast-paced and remarkably practical, this latest book from best-selling survival expert Tim MacWelch breaks down the odds of your facing dozens of scary situations, from the fairly likely (getting lost in the woods or mugged on the mean streets, for example) to the unlikely but terrifying (being hit by an asteroid, attacked by zombies, or other sci-fi-worthy scenarios)—and provides concrete, doable strategies for how to improve your odds of survival. Each danger is rated with handy graphics that give an-at-a-glance idea as to how likely it is to befall you, how much you should worry about it happening, and how possible it is to increase your odds of survival. And then, in the pages that follow, he gives practical, step-by-step instructions, tutorials, and hints to help you beat the odds and live to tell the tale.

A specialist in biobehavioral medicine presents a holistic program for enhancing immunity and improving your chances of recovery from serious illness. This guide offers practical, science-based techniques that have been proven to help cancer and chronic disease survivors. You Can Beat the Odds reveals surprising risk factors—greater than smoking, diet, or cholesterol—that can make the difference between robust health and life-threatening illness. Even your genetic inheritance isn’t as fixed as you might have imagined.’ Brenda Stockdale’s mind-body approach addresses the underpinnings of illness, health, and healing. Each technique in her program is designed to improve the way your body responds to viruses, illnesses, and even daily stress. This volume includes exercises to help you personalize your program and integrate insights quickly into your everyday life.

If you have received an incurable cancer diagnosis, hearing about someone “who made it” is like spotting a rescue ship when you’re drowning in a stormy sea. Miracle Survivors provides that lifeline with a collection of stories of cancer survivors who were given a terminal diagnosis but shocked everyone by thriving years past their prognoses. These “miracle survivors” have different cancers and circumstances, but share a poor prognosis and incredible drive to overcome it. After being diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, award-winning author and blogger Tami Boehmer decided she and others like her desperately needed hope to override the dismal statistics and death sentences provided by many doctors. So she began interviewing incredible men and women from around the country who defied the odds and lived to tell about it. Miracle Survivors will help answer the question: What sets people apart who beat the odds of a terminal or incurable prognosis? Overcoming the odds wasn’t something that just happened to those who share their stories. Each person took a very active role in overcoming their challenges, whether it was activating their faith or transforming their lifestyle. Rather than passively accepting their circumstances, they decided to transform them. The book is essential reading for anyone with cancer, their loved ones, and everyone else who wants inspiration to conquer their life challenges.