World War 2

The customary picture of the World War II era in California has been dominated by accounts of the Japanese American concentration camps, African Americans, and women on the home front. The Way We Really Were substantially enlivens this view, addressing topics that have been neglected or incompletely treated in the past to create a more rounded picture of the wartime situation at home. Exploring the developments brought to fruition by the war and linking them to their roots in earlier decades, contributors address the diversity of the musical scene, which arose from a cross-pollination of styles brought by Okies, blacks, and Mexican migrants. They examine increased political involvement by women, Hollywood's response to the war, and the merging of business and labor interests in the Bay Area Council. They also reveal how wartime dynamics led to substantial environmental damage and lasting economic gains by industry. The Way We Really Were examines significant wartime changes in the circumstances of immigrant groups that have been largely overlooked by historians. Among these are Italian Americans, heavily insular and pro-Fascist before the war and very pro-American and assimilationist after, and Chinese American men, who achieved new legitimacy and entitlement through military service. Also included is a look at cultural negotiation among multiple ethnic groups in the Golden State. A valuable addition to the literature on California history, The War We Really Were provides an entree into new areas of scholarship and a fresh look at familiar ones.

Stephanie Coontz, the author of The Way We Never Were, now turns her attention to the mythology that surrounds today’s family—the demonizing of “untraditional” family forms and marriage and parenting issues. She argues that while it’s not crazy to miss the more hopeful economic trends of the 1950s and 1960s, few would want to go back to the gender roles and race relations of those years. Mothers are going to remain in the workforce, family diversity is here to stay, and the nuclear family can no longer handle all the responsibilities of elder care and childrearing.Coontz gives a balanced account of how these changes affect families, both positively and negatively, but she rejects the notion that the new diversity is a sentence of doom. Every family has distinctive resources and special vulnerabilities, and there are ways to help each one build on its strengths and minimize its weaknesses.The book provides a meticulously researched, balanced account showing why a historically informed perspective on family life can be as much help to people in sorting through family issues as going into therapy—and much more help than listening to today’s political debates.

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.

The second edition of Jack Crumley’s An Introduction to Epistemology strikes a balance between the many issues that engage contemporary epistemologists and the contributions of the major historical figures. He shows not only how philosophers such as Descartes, Hume, Locke, Berkeley, and Kant foreground the contemporary debates, but also why they deserve consideration on their own terms. A substantial revision of the first edition, the second edition is even more accessible to students. The new edition includes recent work on contextualism, evidentialism, externalism and internalism, and perceptual realism; as well, the chapter on coherence theory is substantially revised, reflecting recent developments in that area. New to this second edition is a chapter on feminist epistemology, which includes discussions of major positions and themes, such as feminist empiricism, feminist standpoint epistemology, postmodern epistemology, and feminist critiques of objectivity. It presents the important contributions of philosophers such as Sandra Harding, Helen Longino, Genevieve Lloyd, and others. Each chapter ends with a list of study questions and readings for further study.

Learn how traditional herbal practitioners are responding to the sudden, massive popularity of herbal medicine! Herbal Voices: American Herbalism Through the Words of American Herbalists examines how herbal practitioners who started in the 1960s and 1970s are reacting to the mainstream popularity of herbal medicine today. This unique book features interviews with 20 of America’s most prominent herbalistsfocusing on their careers, their beliefs, and their perspectives on the contemporary herbal product boom in recent years. Also included is important information on herbal organizations, publications, schools, and companies where seeds and rootstock of endangered medicinal plants can be obtained, as well as a list of the United Plant Savers’ At Risk and To Watch medicinal plants. Herbal Voices synthesizes the words of a representative group of herbalists into a compelling picture of modern American herbalism as they offer their opinions on the roles of science, folklore, and spirituality in herbal medicine. This timely resource addresses controversial issues that arise within the herbal community, such as the endangered plant crisis, professionalism and licensure, and shifting the American consciousness toward a more Earth-centered way of life and health. In Herbal Voices, you’ll hear from many well-known herbal practitioners, including: Rosemary Gladstarfounder of The California School of Herbal Studies and United Plant Savers, co-founder of Sage Mountain Herbs, and author of Herbal Healing for Women and of the Sage Healing Way series James Greenformer Director of The California School of Herbal Studies, a member of the advisory committee for United Plant Savers, and author of both The Herbal Medicine-Makers Handbook and The Male Herbal David HoffmannFellow of Britain’s National Institute of Medical Herbalists, former President of the American Herbalists Guild, and author of The New Holistic Herbal, An Elder’s Herbal, and Therapeutic Herbalism Richo Cechherbalist, owner of Horizon Herbs, executive board member of United Plant Savers, and author of Growing Your Garden Pharmacy Sharol Tilgnerlicensed naturopathic physician, founder and current President of Wise Woman Herbals, Inc., editor of Herbal Transitions, associate editor of Medical Herbalism, and author of Herbal Medicines From the Heart of the Earth For the first time, these leading educators, clinicians, and business owners share the joys and pitfalls of practicing an age-old healing tradition in modern America. This rich resource of reflections fills a gap in the existing literature that will be useful for herbalists, herbal enthusiasts, historians, anthropologists, popular culturists, and holistic/alternative medical practitioners.