Flexible Families examines the struggles among Nicaraguan migrants in Costa Rica (and their families back in Nicaragua) to maintain a sense of family across borders. The book is based on more than twenty-four months of ethnographic fieldwork in Costa Rica and Nicaragua (between 2009 and 2012) and more than ten years of engagement with Nicaraguan migrant communities. Author Caitlin Fouratt finds that migration and family intersect as sites for triaging inequality, economic crisis, and a lack of state-provided social services. The book situates transnational families in an analysis of the history of unstable family life in Nicaragua due to decades of war and economic crisis, rather than in the migration process itself, which is often blamed for family breakdown in public discourse. Fouratt argues that the kinds of family configurations often seen as problematic consequences of migration—specifically single mothers, absent fathers, and grandmother caregivers—represent flexible family configurations that have enabled Nicaraguan families to survive the chronic crises of the past decades. By examining the work that goes into forging and sustaining transnational kinship, the book argues for a rethinking of national belonging and discourses of solidarity. In parallel, the book critically examines conditions in Costa Rica, especially the ways the instabilities and inequalities that have haunted the rest of the region have begun to take shape there, resulting in perceptions of increased crime rates and a declining quality of life. By linking this crisis of Costa Rican exceptionalism to recent immigration reform, the book also builds on scholarship about the production and experiences of immigrant exclusion. Flexible Families offers insight into the impacts of increasingly restrictive immigration policies in the everyday lives of transnational families within the developing world.

A New York Times Best Illustrated Book From highly acclaimed author Jenkins and Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator Blackall comes a fascinating picture book in which four families, in four different cities, over four centuries, make the same delicious dessert: blackberry fool. This richly detailed book ingeniously shows how food, technology, and even families have changed throughout American history. In 1710, a girl and her mother in Lyme, England, prepare a blackberry fool, picking wild blackberries and beating cream from their cow with a bundle of twigs. The same dessert is prepared by an enslaved girl and her mother in 1810 in Charleston, South Carolina; by a mother and daughter in 1910 in Boston; and finally by a boy and his father in present-day San Diego. Kids and parents alike will delight in discovering the differences in daily life over the course of four centuries. Includes a recipe for blackberry fool and notes from the author and illustrator about their research.

Two captive dancers. One cruel master. A single performance to determine whether they live or die. Anya I've served the four families since I was kidnapped three years ago. I've accepted my fate, knowing that escape is impossible. My villainous master abuses me, but I've learned to live this lonely life. I've become complacent in my misery... then my master brings home another captive for me to train, and his presence changes everything. Ezra I was violently taken and brought to kneel at her feet. She demands that I dance with her, but I refuse to recognize anyone as my master. Yet when I see the horror of her existence with my own eyes, I know I have to save her. I could never have expected her to break down my walls... I could never have expected to form an unbreakable bond... I could never have expected to fall in love. This is a dark romance series involving many triggering elements which may be upsetting for some readers. A complete list of tropes and triggers can be found on the author's website. This is book 1 of 3 in a complete trilogy. It is not a standalone, and the books must be read in order. READING ORDER Anya & Ezra's Story Book 1: Counts of Eight Book 2: Dance with Death Book 3: Pas de Trois SPIN-OFF Murphy & Stella's Story Book 4: King of Masters

In previous life, in order to save his sister, Su Ye volunteered to sacrifice for the gods of nine heavens. He did not expect that all this is the man's trick to let him die in vain. Su Ye had learned the truth, was unacceptable for a moment, and died with hatred.At the moment Su Ye in the previous life died , another young boy named Su Ye crossed over him. At a dangerous time between life and death, He replaced the previous Su Ye to start a new life.He inadvertently obtained a book of martial arts, gained a spcial power, and used this power to escape out of chaos. Since then, he has relied on this cheat book to improve his ability through cultivation, to avenge Su Ye of the previous life.As a soul that from another world came through, he eventually dominated the world!☆About the Author☆Wu Yue Chu Ba, a well-known online novelist. He has a wealth of creative experience and has authored many novels, most of them are fantasy types. His novels have deeply attracted most readers.一句话

He's going to make her the reluctant queen of his criminal empire... whether she wants it or not. Stella I'm a proudly independent woman. I'm tough, single, and I run my own business. But Murphy stumbled into my tattoo shop one night and knocked me right off my feminist feet. We had a one-night stand, but it turned into a long-distance affair of the heart. I'm falling for him. I'm losing myself for a man I hardly know. But I want him so much that I overlook all the secrets he's keeping. Murphy I'm the born leader of the O'Shea family. We make a living stealing women and selling them to new masters. I've acquired my own plaything, but I have little interest in her easy submission. I want a challenge. I want a woman who will stand by my side and make me stronger. I don't want a pet...I want a wife. I'm meant to have an arranged marriage in five years, but I'm not waiting. I met my match when I found Stella. I want her...and I'm going to take her. This dark romance book involves many triggering elements. A complete list of tropes and triggers can be found on the author's website. RECOMMENDED READING ORDER Book 1: Counts of Eight Book 2: Dance with Death Book 3: Pas de Trois SPIN-OFF Book 4: King of Masters

Born and raised in nowhere villages, having moved to more of the same, and with a worthless drunk for a master, all Tolan really wants out of life is his own shop and a steady income. Given he's usually left to train himself in Finding magic and do his master's job, that's probably not happening anytime soon. Watching the shop one day while his master is out drinking yet again, Tolan gets an unexpected client: a child barely old enough to walk, screaming that Tolan 'find secret', and who clings to Tolan like he's all that's left in the world. But finding secret proves to be a far greater task than Tolan ever could have guessed and leads him right into the arms of a man, and a life, that he never dared hope to find.