As a clinical psychologist, Jean Baker had always considered herself open-minded and tolerant, but found she wasn’t prepared for the revelation that her only two children were both gay. Family Secrets is an inspirational story of how she and her family learned to accept one another and overcome their internalized fears and prejudices as well as how they coped with a much greater challenge in their personal lives--HIV/AIDS. Family Secrets is more than a parenting memoir, however. It is a guide that draws upon research and scientific findings to capsize the myths and stereotypes that contribute to societal homophobia. It offers important insight into the developmental needs of gay children, and it discusses the issues faced by gay and lesbian youth and their families. Offering practical suggestions about how parents and schools can help gay, lesbian, and bisexual children grow up to be productive, psychologically healthy adults, Family Secrets discusses the effects of social prejudice and stigma on the social and emotional development of sexual minorities. As long as homophobia is running rampant in American society, gay children are going to be reluctant or afraid to confide in their parents, and parents will have trouble understanding and accepting homosexuality in their children. To end the secrecy and build open and healthy environments for all children and adolescents, this book discusses: tactics for reducing homophobia in non-gay youths promoting tolerance and understanding of sexual minorities at home and in school the effects an AIDS death has on families “coming out” about HIV/AIDS discussing homosexuality with your children, regardless of whether or not they are gay or lesbian sexual orientation and the interaction of biology with experience Because Family Secrets is written from the viewpoint of a parent/psychologist, it offers insights into the developmental needs of gay and lesbian children in a way that no other book has done. School counselors, psychologists, marriage and family counselors, teachers, school administrators, and the parents and siblings of gays and lesbians will all benefit from reading this honest, helpful, and encouraging book.

As a longtime maternity nurse at a Northern Ontario hospital, Bets has experienced the daily creation of new families. Yet this sixty-something “matriarch” of the hospital has only experienced personal loss; most recently, her husband Raz. When she meets Hannah, a high-school student who wants to learn about nursing, Bets enjoys sharing stories of her work, never suspecting the new direction their lives will take. As Drownproofing unfolds from present to past and back again, the complexity of Bets’ own family story is slowly revealed. She’s confronted with tough choices that challenge her outlook on life and her definition of family. A compelling and emotional read, author Karen Lea Armstrong drew from her career as a family physician to tell this story with striking depth and drama.

An un-elected government has taken over the world, and you can’t buy a gallon of gas or a loaf of bread without its permission. It has bribed some governments and driven others into bankruptcy. But desperate people are mounting a revolution, which may be The Final War that will destroy civilization and wipe out mankind. An expedition holds the final ray of hope as it searches for the ancient Seven Cities of Shambhala, where the secret of world peace may still survive on towering monoliths. It’s a story of survival in the high Himalayas, a race down the Ganges and a last ditch defense of liberty.