Eloise Ristad deals here with complex problems which torment and cripple so many of our most creative and talented people, and she does so with compassion, wisdom, and wit. The problem of stage fright, for instance, is a suffering of epidemic proportions in our society, and involves modalities of thought and projections that rob spontaneity and enthusiasm in artistic performance. Those interested in creative education have long felt that an entirely new, holistic and nurturing process of allowing individuals to discover and express themselves is needed if our educational system is to avoid the neuroses and creative blocks of the past generation. This book illuminates through its conversational style the destructive inhibitions, fears, and guilt experienced by all of us as we fail to break through to creativity. This story is told to me day after day in conservatories and college campuses around the world. Indeed I felt at times that she was telling of my own most petty and debilitating fears. But what is important, A Soprano on Her Head supplies answers and methods for overcoming these universal psychological blocks--methods that have not only been proven in her own studio, but which trace back through history to the oldest and wisest systems of understanding the integration of mind and body. The work bears scrutiny both scientifically and holistically. - Foreword.

Life lessons from single mothers throughout history form the inspiration for single mothers today. Single moms are not just a product of our modern culture. There have been single mothers throughout history, women who have raised not only their children but also nations with a higher vision for life. Holding Her Head High recounts stories of twelve such women from the third to the twenty-first centuries, women who found ways to twist their fates to represent God's destiny for their lives. These uniquely powerful, brave women, within the scope of their own world and times, are like the ninety-nine percent of single mothers today who never intended to carry that distinction. They are abandoned, widowed, or divorced, all carrying wounds, yet they also all found ways to exhibit courage, kindness, dignity, and faith to heal themselves by healing others. Actress Janine Turner, herself a single mother, describes the social implications for women and children from the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages to Pioneer days, including a single mother of slavery. Stories from women like Rachel Lavein Fawcett, abandoned single mother of Alexander Hamilton; Abagail Adams, a wartime widow; Harriet Jacobs, an unwed mother of slavery whose autobiography was published the year the Civil War began; and widowed Belva Lockwood, the first woman to officially run for President, all carrying wounds but all offering insight, wisdom, and encouragement. Lessons include: Listen for God's higher calling Hold your head high Dare to dream Champion your children Heal with humor Don't Give Up Before the Miracle

She’s terrified of the ocean Marina owner Erica Peck might live near the water, but no way will she ever, ever go in the water. Not since The Incident. But given a choice of facing a bullet or going into the water to retrieve a stolen treasure, she might end up as fish food either way. He lives under the sea Reel Tritone, second son of the king of the Mers has always been fascinated by Humans. As the Spare heir, Reel doesn’t have a tail. Or much purpose. But when the devil-may-care ne'er-do-well sees a woman about to become a shark snack, he only has one choice. Even though it’s kinda, sorta, totally against the rules to turn a Human into a Mer, even to save her life. The OMG-OMG-OMG totally naked tailless merman is a hallucination, right? But it’s all too real when a death edict sends Erica and Reel on a madcap underwater mission to retrieve stolen treasure from a vengeful ex sea-goddess. Even if they survive, how can they stay together when he’s a merman and she’s afraid of the water?

As a young girl growing up in the Midwest, Sunny experiences the shame and stigma of scandal when her father is banned from their church for having an affair with the pastor’s best friend’s wife. As Sunny grows older, she begins to build the life she’s always wanted: she marries, buys a house, enrolls in graduate school, and soon has a baby on the way. But when she experiences the psychological phenomena of orgasmic labor, it triggers a chain of bizarre events, and she gradually descends into a world of delusion and paranoia. As Sunny struggles to separate the real from the unreal, she relies upon friends and family to ground her in truth and love—and keep her from going over the edge into madness.

Explores the theme that women are objectified as sexual and reproductive bodies by symbolic beheading in myths and by such practices as veiling, head coverings, and cosmetic highlighting. Shows how women's heads link them to speech, identity, and mind, all characteristics classically reserved for men, and how beheading women reduces them to mute and anonymous flesh. Most of the examples are drawn from Oriental, classical Greek and Roman, and early Christian contexts, but some modern cases are also examined. The seven essays were presented at a panel of the American Academy of Religion, date and place not noted. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

After watching women go from having bird feathers in their hats to wearing whole dead birds, the Massachusetts Audubon Society is founded in 1896 in order to take a stand against what they consider an incredibly appalling practice. Reprint.

Being totally scared of the ocean is no big deal when it means being on TV with the boy of your dreams — right? Hannah Smart is the happiest she’s ever been. She’s doing great in school, she’s got her own spot on the Friday evening news, and she’s desperately in love with the boy next door. But when Hannah’s boss asks her to be part of a treasure-hunting reality show for teens, she instantly feels ill. For most kids, a high-seas adventure searching for treasure would sound amazing, but for Hannah, who suffers horribly from seasickness, it’s a total nightmare. When she finds out that her crush and “the more perfect than perfect” Piper Steele will both be there, she has no choice, and agrees to the trip. In true Hannah fashion, she comes up with a plan to overcome her fears once and for all. What she doesn’t know is that Piper has a cunning plan as well, which means stormy seas for Hannah Smart. CCBC’s Best Books for Kids & Teens (Spring 2017) Selection