Drugs and the American Dream


Book Description

Drugs and the American Dream presents an up-to-date anthology of chiefly contemporary readings that explore the myriad sociological correlates of licit and illicit drug use in the United States. Unique approach to the topic that offers an organizing theme of sociological concepts-age, social class, ethnicity, gender, as well as societal response to drug use including drug education, treatment, and policy. The book is interdisciplinary in terms of approach, making it useful in a variety of contexts. Includes a wide array of ethnographic articles that place reader directly into the perspectives of drug users through their own voices Brief framing introductions to each article provide "interconnective tissue," guiding the student to the heart of what's important in the piece that follows. Offers a balanced approach to various substances-tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, and illegal drugs. Provides students with a realistic perspective on the extent of substance use in American society as well as a critical appreciation of the real versus imagined harms associated with use of various substances.




Fractured by Deceit: An Unforgettable Heart-pounding Psychic Romantic Suspense


Book Description

If you like breath-stealing paranormal romance, get ready to dive into Jami Gray’s gripping psychic romantic suspense series ... Hunted by a faceless enemy, she turns to him for help… Megan Rouser survived six months at the hands of a brutal telepath only to emerge with fractured memories and a terrifying premonition of impending danger. Determined to fight free of the trauma induce amnesia and regain control of her life, she turns to the one man who brought her out of hell and held her together in the aftermath for answers—Bishop. But who’ll protect him from her… Jacob Archer, aka Bishop, has spent his life protecting others, and as part of the off-the-books psychic ex-military team known as PSY-IV, it’s a skill he’s mastered. Rescuing the determined and intriguing Megan triggers all his white knight tendencies, despite lingering suspicions about her kidnapping. But what happens when the threat he should be watching for is her? As Megan and Bishop delve deeper into the twisted mind of a madman, will they find a way to survive unseen threats or be torn apart by the most intimate of betrayals? Fractured by Deceit is the fourth novel in the PSY-IV Teams Psychic Romantic Suspense series where facing danger requires a warrior’s heart and unusual skills. Although each book follows a different couple, these titles can be read in order or as standalones. For fans of Reily Garrett, Hazel Hunter, and Janie Crouch, this riveting romance is filled with unexpected twists and paranormal adventure that will keep you turning the pages long into the night.




Blowin' Up


Book Description

What many readers have wished for is now reality: a richly descriptive ethnography of street rappers. Blowing up refers to rappers dream of becoming rich and famous, or, at the least, successful as recording artists. Jooyoung Lee adds a shape to his story of Flawliis, VerBS, E. Crimsin, Psychosiz, and Tick-a-Lott: how do young black men from the inner city navigate their twenties? Blowin Up is a vibrant look at the young-adult stage of people who grow up in the shadow of gangs, dead-end jobs, and a glittering entertainment industry (the setting is Los Angeles). No other account of ghetto youth affords us this particular angle of vision. Lee discovers that in South Central L.A., rap can create bridges that bring young men together with peers from different neighborhoods (underscoring the importance of a healthy alternative to gangs). A rapper s underground artistic career is rooted in battle skills and crowd appeal, and, to boot, is meritocratic (whereas mainstream career success is based on branding, timing, funding, networks, and gimmicks). Rapping is an embodied artit takes much practice to learn, and requires body skills in dance, stance, and voice. Lee homes in on the skills and personalities of individual rappers, but he also illuminates the complex hip-hop scene around which these young men orbit, giving us detailed understandings of how young men navigate the intricate, tightly-wound world of tragedy and opportunity in the city. Lee balances the prospect of risk and existential uncertainty for youth entering a young adult life-stage with the hope for a big break in forging an entertainment career. In the end, Lee shows us how the arts can shape the lives of at-risk youth."




Dream Alchemy


Book Description

Discover safe and easy methods for gaining control of the transformative energy of dreams. Join bestselling author Ted Andrews as he shows you how to stimulate greater dream activity, experience the power of lucid dreaming, discover controlled out-of-body experiences, awaken your inner self, and much more. Using dream totems and mandalas, exercises in metamorphosis, and ancient dream guardians, this guide to dream alchemy presents the process of becoming a shapeshifter—someone who can shift between the waking and dreaming worlds. When you control your dream state, you can unveil your inner potential, clear the debris from your subconscious, and be inspired to reshape your life for a better future.




Ricochet


Book Description

A bully. A gun. A dare. A friendship ripped apart. An instant in which Connor Kaeden's life changes forever. . . .




Dream Your Reality


Book Description

September would forever be a cruelly remembered month. The accident, the funeral, the seemingly everlasting loneliness that began on the 29th seemed unbearable for Janie Michaels. Having admired her soulmate Thomas since primary school, how could she possibly live without him? Her heart ached immensely. Making her way painfully through the reality of her loving husband's death, Janie was entertaining ideas of joining him. She was uncertain if she could survive alone, without the love of her life. Unexpectedly reuniting with an old pal, she hadn't seen since high school, seems to help somewhat. Martin had been a mutual friend of the once merry couple before moving away over a decade before. Now his return wasn't all he had been wishing for. When a kindly, yet bewildering, stranger appears at Janie's place of employment, her life takes a major turn. However, through any means necessary, Thomas would try to make it home to his wife and his old life...By Any Means Necessary...




Dreams


Book Description

Jensen's furthest-reaching book yet, Dreams challenges the "destructive nihilism" of writers like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris who believe that there is no reality outside what can be measured using the tools of science. He introduces the mythologies of ancient cultures and modern indigenous peoples as evidence of alternative ways of understanding reality, informed by thinkers such as American Indian writer Jack Forbes, theologian and American Indian rights activist Vine Deloria, Shaman Martin Prechtel, Dakota activist and scholar Waziyatawin, and Okanagan Indian writer Jeannette Armstrong. He draws on the wisdom of Dr. Paul Staments, author of Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, sociologist Stanley Aronowitz, who discusses science's lack of accountability to the earth, and many more. As in his other books, Jensen draws heavily from his own life experience living alongside the frogs, redwoods, snails, birds and bears of the upper northwest, about which he writes with exquisite tenderness. Having taken on the daunting task of understanding one's dreams as a source of knowledge, Jensen achieves the near-impossible in this breathtakingly brave and ambitious new work.




Neem Dreams


Book Description

Set in southern India in the mid 1990s. Four strangers are on quests related to India's neem tree. Meenakshi runs a village-based women's project. Pandora is an eco scientist looking for a story. Jade wants natural products for a New York store. Andy hopes to find a cure for HiV/AIDS. The neem has been used since ancient times for household, medicinal and agricultural purposes and now is the centre of the clash between tradition and modernisation. When first published in India in 2003 Neem Dreams was widely acclaimed for the accuracy of observation and the pitch perfect depiction of the various characters.




Ricochet


Book Description

Tim Dry's Ricochet is a novella-length blasphemical wedding of fevered edginess, violence, drug-fuelled nightmares, psychedelia, and madness, set in London and Paris, and written in the mould of a collision between Hunter S. Thompson and William Burroughs. Partly a stream of consciousness narrative and partly a morality tale for the end times, it's a signpost to the apocalypse of the nuclear imagination, the logical implosive endpoint of the Beatnik generation's experiment. Here lies the carcass of reality in all its rotting, putrid, and fully decomposed glory: it's what remains of the dreams of the Love Generation, laid bare for all to see.




Linked by Deception: A Riveting Friends to Lovers Psychic Romantic Suspense


Book Description

If you like breath-stealing paranormal romance, get ready to dive into Jami Gray’s gripping psychic romantic suspense series ... When it comes to the relationship game, she’s learned her lesson well… With her ability to weave illusions, Jinx Thorne grew up running successful cons with her grifter father, until the day he taught her how easy it is to deceive those you love. Armed with that hard-earned wisdom, she retreats behind her emotional walls determined to avoid a repeat lesson. But forced to play intimate criminal partners with the seductively charming Rabbit, his friendship does the impossible—eroding her defenses and leaving her on shaky ground. With his patience at an end, he’s about to change the rules… As the PSY-IV Team’s tech wizard, Rabbit Tessier can manipulate all things electronic, yet that’s not his only area of expertise. As an acknowledged flirt, he enjoys his role as the team’s heartbreaker, but after he’s partnered with the intoxicating queen of illusions that satisfaction wanes, and he’s done playing games. As they undertake a dangerous mission where things could go sideways in a blink, he’ll take the biggest gamble of all and lay his cards on the table. Will Rabbit and Jinx risk turning illusion into truth as they race through a maze of conspiracies and lies before the clock runs out? Linked by Deception is the fifth novel in the PSY-IV Teams Psychic Romantic Suspense series where facing danger requires a warrior’s heart and unusual skills. Although each book follows a different couple, these titles can be read in order or as standalones. For fans of Janie Crouch, Hazel Hunter, and Janie Crouch, this riveting romance is filled with unexpected twists and paranormal adventure that will keep you turning the pages long into the night.