Is work a primordial curse, a punishment for our fallen state? Or a spiritual calling? Or is it a tedious necessity that technology will abolish, freeing us to indulge lives of leisure and plenty? In this book David Spencer argues that work is only an alienating burden because of the nature of work under capitalism. Expertly analysing past and modern debates on work, he makes the case not for the abolition of work – which can remain a source of meaning and dignity - but for its lightening. Taking inspiration from thinkers ranging from Marx and William Morris to Keynes and Graeber, he stresses the potential for the transformation of work beyond capitalism. He rejects the idea that high-quality work can only be open to a few while the majority are condemned to menial tasks and sets out an agenda for shortening the working week while also making work a site of creativity, usefulness and joy for all. This erudite book combines razor-sharp analysis with a compelling agenda for radical change. It’s essential reading for anyone interested in the future of their work.

Is work a primordial curse? Or a spiritual calling? Or is it a tedious necessity that technology will abolish, freeing us to indulge lives of leisure? In this book David A. Spencer argues that work is only an alienating burden because of the nature of work under capitalism. He makes the case not for the abolition of work – which can remain a source of meaning and dignity - but for its lightening. Engaging with thinkers ranging from Marx and William Morris to Keynes and Graeber, he rejects the idea that high-quality work can only be open to a few while the majority are condemned to menial tasks, and sets out an agenda for shortening the working week while also making work a site of creativity, usefulness and joy for all. This erudite book sets out a compelling agenda for radical change. It’s essential reading for anyone interested in the future of their work.

Just when you thought you knew what was going on in your community, here comes a story that just may shatter the security of your American Dream. This is a story about abuse, survival, false religion and dubious court systems in a state that may be advanced on some levels, but sometimes proves to be a miserable failure in terms of equity and fairness and conventional thinking. – Tim King, Editor/Salem-News.com, War Correspondent, Author, “BETRAYAL: Toxic Exposure of U.S. Marines, Murder and Cover-Up” BONSHEÁ pierces through the darkness that hides the legal system’s routine abuse of mothers and children. It is a work of immense courage, a true tale of heartbreak and salvation. Not a single particle of the wisdom Coral shares misses the mark. - Maureen T. Hannah, Ph.D., Chair, Battered Mother’s Custody Conference, Albany, New York BONSHEÁ illustrates the degree to which the legal system can also be used as a vehicle to further perpetuate abuse even after the victim has chosen to take a stand against the abuse. – John Haroldson, District Attorney, Benton County District Attorney’s Office, Corvallis, Oregon Coral Theill’s BONSHEÁ is intense in its effort to “open the doors” behind which many domestic violence perpetrators have stood for so long in the name of “privacy.” At every level, family and friends, key people in her community, the health care system, the legal and judicial system, and the culture which socializes us all, she met with adversity and re-victimization. In the telling of her recovery, which is truly remarkable given her circumstances, the reader gets a vivid sense of the indominability of her spirit and light. I recommend this book for health care providers, those in the criminal justice system, and volunteers or helpers of any kind to get insights and clarity about the complex dynamics of domestic violence and its toxic effects to individuals and society---and what needs to be done to eradicate this pandemic problem.” – Barbara A. May, PhD, RN, Professor Emerita of Nursing, Linfield College, Portland, Oregon

Why do some students make the most of college, while others struggle and look back on years of missed deadlines and missed opportunities? What choices can students make, and what can teachers and university leaders do, to improve more students’ experiences and help them achieve the most from their time and money? Most important, how is the increasing diversity on campus—cultural, racial, and religious—affecting education? What can students and faculty do to benefit from differences, and even learn from the inevitable moments of misunderstanding and awkwardness? From his ten years of interviews with Harvard seniors, Richard Light distills encouraging—and surprisingly practical—answers to fundamental questions. How can you choose classes wisely? What’s the best way to study? Why do some professors inspire and others leave you cold? How can you connect what you discover in class to all you’re learning in the rest of life? Light suggests, for instance: studying in pairs or groups can be more productive than studying alone; the first and most important skill to learn is time management; supervised independent research projects and working internships offer the most learning and the greatest challenges; and encounters with students of different religions can be simultaneously the most taxing and most illuminating of all the experiences with a diverse student body. Filled with practical advice, illuminated with stories of real students’ self-doubts, failures, discoveries, and hopes, Making the Most of College is a handbook for academic and personal success.

'Making Darkness Light is an illumination' Adam Phillips 'His sympathetic yet challenging account will undoubtedly win Milton new readers - and for that a chorus of Hallelujahs' Spectator For most of us John Milton has been consigned to the dusty pantheon of English literature, a grim puritan, sightlessly dictating his great work to an amanuensis, removed from the real world in his contemplation of higher things. But dig a little deeper and you find an extraordinary and complicated human being. Revolutionary and apologist for regicide, writer of propaganda for Cromwell's regime, defender of the English people and passionate European, scholar and lover of music and the arts - Milton was all of these things and more. Making Darkness Light shows how these complexities and contradictions played out in Milton's fascination with oppositions - Heaven and Hell, light and dark, self and other - most famously in his epic poem Paradise Lost. It explores the way such brutal contrasts define us and obscure who we really are, as the author grapples with his own sense of identity and complex relationship with Milton. Retracing Milton's footsteps through seventeenth century London, Tuscany and the Marches, he vividly brings Milton's world to life and takes a fresh look at his key works and ideas around the nature of creativity, time and freedom of expression. He also illustrates the profound influence of Milton's work on writers from William Blake to Virginia Woolf, James Joyce to Jorge Luis Borges. This is a book about Milton, that also speaks to why we read and what happens when we choose over time to let another's life and words enter our own. It will change the way you think about Milton forever.

The Art of Love tells the stories of the most fascinating couples of the art world – uncovering the passionate, challenging and loving relationships behind some the world's greatest works of art. Kate Bryan (broadcaster, writer and curator) delves into the complex world of artistic relationships, exploring the nuanced ways in which art and love can share the same space. When two married artists collaborate, do they ever get a moment off? What happens when love fades and two artists, known by one moniker, part? When a couple work independently, how do they manage jealousy and competition? In this book, you’ll meet love in all its glorious and complicated forms, including unlikely couples with conflicting philosophies (Yayoi Kusama & Joseph Cornell); unconventional marriages that prove love has many guises (Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera); couples who suffered from intense, public burnout (Marina Abramovic & Ulay); soul mates who found safety in each other (Ethel Mars & Maud Hunt Squire); and bitter rivalries that weren't built to last (Jasper Johns & Robert Rauschenberg). Through evocative stories and beautiful illustrations, Kate tells of the formation, and sometimes breakdown, of each romance – documenting their highs and lows and revealing just how powerful love can be in the creative process. Whether long-lasting, peaceful collaborations, or short-lived tumultuous affairs, The Art of Love, opens the door on some of the greatest love stories of the twentieth century.