Dawn strolled over to another wall where a large, framed, penciled drawing presented a grinning skull, a transparent round pipe with smoke curling from it, and a horned skull with hollow eyes that appeared to be laughing at her, like the phantom of her nightmare. Devoid of color, gray and white swirls of smoke depicted illusionary demons-there were demons in the smoke. The artwork, a little on the dark side, seemed almost symbolic. She remembered a time, not so very long ago, when Preston City was the safest place to live. Then drugs became more than a troubling issue. Van Morrison and Bob Kaley invaded their town and death walked stealthily through the halls of their school, out onto their quiet streets. They had arrived in town at about the same time last year, a simple coincidence? Van Morrison, a drug pusher on the south side, Bob Kaley, a respected teacher in her school. It seemed unlikely the two would have any connection. Still, she had her suspicions. Dawn wondered if it was her imagination working overtime linking a social studies teacher to disreputable drug pusher.

A celebrated science and health reporter offers a wry, bracingly honest account of living with anxiety. A racing heart. Difficulty breathing. Overwhelming dread. Andrea Petersen was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at the age of twenty, but she later realized that she had been experiencing panic attacks since childhood. With time her symptoms multiplied. She agonized over every odd physical sensation. She developed fears of driving on highways, going to movie theaters, even licking envelopes. Although having a name for her condition was an enormous relief, it was only the beginning of a journey to understand and master it—one that took her from psychiatrists’ offices to yoga retreats to the Appalachian Trail. Woven into Petersen’s personal story is a fascinating look at the biology of anxiety and the groundbreaking research that might point the way to new treatments. She compares psychoactive drugs to non-drug treatments, including biofeedback and exposure therapy. And she explores the role that genetics and the environment play in mental illness, visiting top neuroscientists and tracing her family history—from her grandmother, who, plagued by paranoia, once tried to burn down her own house, to her young daughter, in whom Petersen sees shades of herself. Brave and empowering, this is essential reading for anyone who knows what it means to live on edge.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020 One of A Mighty Girl's Best Books of the Year A Bank Street Best Books 2021 Finalist for the Cybils Awards Len is a loner teen photographer haunted by a past that's stagnated her work and left her terrified she's losing her mind. Sage is a high school volleyball star desperate to find a way around her sudden medical disqualification. Both girls need college scholarships. After a chance encounter, the two develop an unlikely friendship that enables them to begin facing their inner demons. But both Len and Sage are keeping secrets that, left hidden, could cost them everything, maybe even their lives. Set in the North Carolina mountains, this dynamic #ownvoices novel explores grief, mental health, and the transformative power of friendship.

Bizarre illnesses and plagues that kill people in the most unspeakable ways. Obsessive and inspired efforts by scientists to solve mysteries and save lives. From The Hot Zone to The Demon in the Freezer and beyond, Richard Preston’s bestselling works have mesmerized readers everywhere by showing them strange worlds of nature they never dreamed of. Panic in Level 4 is a grand tour through the eerie and unforgettable universe of Richard Preston, filled with incredible characters and mysteries that refuse to leave one’s mind. Here are dramatic true stories from this acclaimed and award-winning author, including: • The phenomenon of “self-cannibals,” who suffer from a rare genetic condition caused by one wrong letter in their DNA that forces them to compulsively chew their own flesh–and why everyone may have a touch of this disease. • The search for the unknown host of Ebola virus, an organism hidden somewhere in African rain forests, where the disease finds its way into the human species, causing outbreaks of unparalleled horror. • The brilliant Russian brothers–“one mathematician divided between two bodies”–who built a supercomputer in their apartment from mail-order parts in an attempt to find hidden order in the number pi (π). In fascinating, intimate, and exhilarating detail, Richard Preston portrays the frightening forces and constructive discoveries that are currently roiling and reordering our world, once again proving himself a master of the nonfiction narrative and, as noted in The Washington Post, “a science writer with an uncommon gift for turning complex biology into riveting page-turners.”

A guide to recognising, managing, overcoming and surviving the work-related stress suffered by so many teachers and school leaders working in schools today. This unique, honest, provocative and humorous analysis of the challenges of leading a 21st century school is filled with scenarios and strategies guaranteed to inspire, reassure and help leaders overcome the pressures on them. In addition to helping school leaders recognise and manage stress in themselves, the book covers how to help and support members of staff to manage stress levels and the pressures of their job. School staff suffering from and not being able to manage high-levels of stress is a huge barrier to school improvement as well as successful sustainable educational leadership. Stress in schools is on the increase as teachers and leaders have higher imposed targets than ever before and feel like they have less support. A recent report stated that two-fifths of teachers are leaving the profession within five years of starting and teachers taking leave due to stress is also on the increase (it was reportedly up 10% over the last 4 years in 2012 and on the increase). Stress in the teaching profession has often gone untalked about and headteachers especially feel unable to talk about it openly, however it is very prevalent in the news at the moment, especially since the head of Ofsted Sir Michael Wilshaw caused outrage when he said that teachers do not know what stress is. Leading From the Edge is unique because it looks at work related-stress from a school leader's personal experience. James Hilton worked as a headteacher for 15 years in large schools. Following a nervous breakdown, brought on by work-related stress in 2006 and after a significant period of absence, he returned to headship, more self-aware than before. Chris Roome, the mental health therapist who taught him many of the positive strategies he learned in his recovery will act as a consultant on the book adding significant credibility to the work. Each chapter will conclude with learning points and a wealth of practical self-help strategies. Foreword by Richard Gerver.