Late ’70s San Francisco. The Summer of Love is a hazy memory, the AIDS crisis is looming, and nearby Silicon Valley is still an obscure place where microchips are made. The City by the Bay is reeling from a string of bizarre tragedies that have earned it a new name: the “kook capital of the world.” Yet out of the darkness comes a creative rebirth, instigated by punk and sustained by the steady influx of outsiders who view the city as a place of refuge, a last resort. What ensues is a collision of sounds and ideas that spans the golden age of analog DIY culture, from the dark cabaret of Tuxedomoon and Factrix, the apocalyptic sounds of Minimal Man and Flipper, the conceptual humor of Gregg Turkington’s Amarillo Records; through to the subversive pop music of Faith No More, the left-field experimentalism of Caroliner, Mr. Bungle, and Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, and much more. Drawing on extensive research—including interviews with over 100 musicians, artists, and other key players—WHO CARES ANYWAY is the first book to chronicle the wild post-punk San Francisco music scene, courtesy of those who lived it. It’s a tale full of existential drama, tragic anti-heroes, dark humor, spectacular failures—and even a few improbable successes.

Let's face it: life is not always fair, but it is funny-if we choose to view it that way. Meet Sarah: at thirty-something, she's openly waging war on those last (ever-present) ten pounds, trying (a little) desperately to retain her young and trendy persona, and doing all she can to avoid a certain inner verdict: "You have become your mother." While celebrating everyday hazards and opportunities, Sarah lifts the veil on her hilarious angst, even as she redefines herself: as wife, parent, business woman, and friend. You'll be nodding along in recognition as these true stories play out. Why not laugh, too? No sense being paralyzed by life's cruel jokes; instead, take them on with a grain of salt and a smile. Sisters, lay claim your destiny and step into your brilliance.

Emo Boy is a comic book hero for the world's losers and outsiders.

Everything led up to this moment—the point when the teasing, the cruelty, the pressure all became too much. And someone finally snapped. Now six students, from six different cliques, are trapped in the student store while a shooter terrorizes their school. The shooter’s identity is teased out through the students’ flashbacks until the reader breathlessly reaches the final page. It’s only there that he discovers the shocking answer to the question: Who is shooting out in the quad? This gripping thriller by educator C. G. Watson is inspired by observations made in her own high school. Quad examines in heartrending detail how even the most casual cruelties can tear people apart.

InWhose Life Is It Anyway?, psychologist Nina Brown helps readers evaluate their family ties and decide if they are so caught up in others needs that they neglect their own health and happiness. She gives readers a variety of techniques for shielding themselves from the demands of their loved ones, building strong boundaries, checking their tendency toward excessive empathy, and staying free of dominating or manipulative relationships.

We all know we should give to charity, but who really does? In his controversial study of America's giving habits, Arthur C. Brooks shatters stereotypes about charity in America-including the myth that the political Left is more compassionate than the Right. Brooks, a preeminent public policy expert, spent years researching giving trends in America, and even he was surprised by what he found. In Who Really Cares, he identifies the forces behind American charity: strong families, church attendance, earning one's own income (as opposed to receiving welfare), and the belief that individuals-not government-offer the best solution to social ills. But beyond just showing us who the givers and non-givers in America really are today, Brooks shows that giving is crucial to our economic prosperity, as well as to our happiness, health, and our ability to govern ourselves as a free people.

This book is a compilation of true stories highlighting experiences of teenagers with disabilities in an urban high schoolJessica, thought she could conceive when already pregnant; Shirley, haunted by an abortion; Bill, homeless and addicted to drugs; Matt, felt unwanted; Wang, so disturbed he wanted to join his deceased mother; Paul, scarred physically and emotionally that he reacted like a volcano; Patrick, desired to be Patricia; Singh, Anyango, and Peggy, victims of brutal bullying; Abel, consumed and sold drugs; Parker, smoked marijuana with his uncle; Shirley, rejected by those she thought loved her. Depicted are supportive parents and those who enabled their childrens inappropriate behaviors. Also described are students who inspired the author during times of desperation and those who reignited her hope in her many troubled students. The conclusion outlines crucial information and data that pertain to children with disabilities - special education, homelessness, teen pregnancy, parental involvement, etc.