Fast Food Nation


Book Description

An exploration of the fast food industry in the United States, from its roots to its long-term consequences.




A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication


Book Description

In this fifth edition of A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication, author Richard Jackson Harris continues his examination of how our experiences with media affect the way we acquire knowledge about the world, and how this knowledge influences our attitudes and behavior. Presenting theories from psychology and communication along with reviews of the corresponding research, this text covers a wide variety of media and media issues, ranging from the commonly discussed topics – sex, violence, advertising – to lesser-studied topics, such as values, sports, and entertainment education. The fifth and fully updated edition offers: highly accessible and engaging writing contemporary references to all types of media familiar to students substantial discussion of theories and research, including interpretations of original research studies a balanced approach to covering the breadth and depth of the subject discussion of work from both psychology and media disciplines. The text is appropriate for Media Effects, Media & Society, and Psychology of Mass Media coursework, as it examines the effects of mass media on human cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors through empirical social science research; teaches students how to examine and evaluate mediated messages; and includes mass communication research, theory and analysis.




There Is Power in a Union


Book Description

From the nineteenth-century textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, to the triumph of unions in the twentieth century and their waning influence today, the contest between labor and capital for the American bounty has shaped our national experience. In this stirring new history, Philip Dray shows us the vital accomplishments of organized labor and illuminates its central role in our social, political, economic, and cultural evolution. His epic, character-driven narrative not only restores to our collective memory the indelible story of American labor, it also demonstrates the importance of the fight for fairness and economic democracy, and why that effort remains so urgent today.




The Leaving


Book Description

Six were taken. Eleven years later, five come back--with no idea of where they've been. A riveting mystery for fans of We Were Liars. Eleven years ago, six kindergartners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to. Until today. Today five of those kids return. They're sixteen, and they are . . . fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mom she barely recognizes, and doesn't really recognize the person she's supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they're entirely unable to recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max--the only one who hasn't come back. Which leaves Max's sister, Avery, wanting answers. She wants to find her brother--dead or alive--and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story. But as details of the disappearance begin to unfold, no one is prepared for the truth. This unforgettable novel--with its rich characters, high stakes, and plot twists--will leave readers breathless.




The Occupation of Iraq


Book Description

Involved for over thirty years in the politics of Iraq, Ali A. Allawi was a long-time opposition leader against the Baathist regime. In the post-Saddam years he has held important government positions and participated in crucial national decisions and events. In this book, the former Minister of Defense and Finance draws on his unique personal experience, extensive relationships with members of the main political groups and parties in Iraq, and deep understanding of the history and society of his country to answer the baffling questions that persist about its current crises. What really led the United States to invade Iraq, and why have events failed to unfold as planned? The Occupation of Iraq examines what the United States did and didn't know at the time of the invasion, the reasons for the confused and contradictory policies that were enacted, and the emergence of the Iraqi political class during the difficult transition process. The book tracks the growth of the insurgency and illuminates the complex relationships among Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds. Bringing the discussion forward to the reconfiguration of political forces in 2006, Allawi provides in these pages the clearest view to date of the modern history of Iraq and the invasion that changed its course in unpredicted ways.




An Empire of Wealth


Book Description

“Superb . . . the best one-volume economic history of the United States in a long time and, perhaps, ever.” —Newsweek In this illuminating history, John Steele Gordon tells the extraordinary story of the world’s first economic superpower. He shows how the American economy became not only the world’s largest, but also its most dynamic and innovative. Combining its English political inheritance with its diverse, ambitious population, the nation was able to develop more wealth for more and more people as it grew. Far from a guaranteed success, America’s economy suffered near constant adversity. It survived a profound recession after the Revolution, an unwise decision by Andrew Jackson that left the country without a central bank for nearly eighty years, and the disastrous Great Depression of the 1930s. Yet, having weathered those trials, the economy became vital enough to Americanize the world in recent decades. Virtually every major development in technology in the twentieth century originated in the United States, and as the products of those technologies traveled around the globe, the result was a subtle, peaceful, and pervasive spread of American culture and perspective.




Twentieth-Century America


Book Description

As this most tumultuous century draws to a close, the need for a concise and trustworthy history is clear. Recent decades have seen the publication of American histories that are either bloated with unnecessary detail or infused with a polemical purpose that undermines their authority. InTwentieth-Century America, Thomas C. Reeves provides a fluidly written narrative history that combines the rare virtues of compression, inclusiveness, and balance. From Progressivism and the New Deal right up to the present, Reeves covers all aspects of American history, providing solid coverage of each era without burying readers in needless detail or trivia. This approach allows readers to grasp the major developments and continuities of American history and to come away with a cohesive picture of the whole of the twentieth century. The volume stresses social and well as political history, emphasizing the roles played by all Americans--including immigrants, minorities, women, and working people--and pays special attention to such topics as religion, crime, public health, national prosperity, and the media. Reeves is careful throughout to present both sides of controversial subjects and yet does not leave readers bewildered about which interpretations are most strongly supported or where to explore these issues more thoroughly. At the conclusion of each chapter, the author cites ten authoritative volumes for further study. The bibliographies, as well as the text, are refreshing in their lack of ideological bent. "Objectivity," Reeves suggests, "is an illusive but worthy goal for the historian." For anyone wishing to achieve a lucid historical overview of the past 100 years, Twentieth-Century America is the best place to start.




The Passing of the Buffalo


Book Description




Thousands of Lies


Book Description

When Agent Rx, chronic criminal and fugitive, goes off on a dust binge, he hits rock bottom and hits the road, leaving a trail of tears, violence and infamy in his wake. Meanwhile, Jordan Strong uncovers a highly classified method of time travel under the fixed scrutiny of various government agencies and chapters of the occult all coveting his guinea pig tits 'n appeal. Enlisting Rx's blue-collar bred double helix for tedium and accumulation of detail, they exploit parallel realities and paradoxical time lines to mine a collaborative novel transcribed from the voices of the dead. They stage the Phenotypical Exploitation, a kidnapping of Jane Bale and subsequent sale to NYC's dance music circuit, purveyor of drugs, sex and art. But their interests unravel when Agent Rx tries to reverse engineer the domestic trial of the century, bringing the novel, its author and the Exploitation's fatally erotic subject into notoriety for dollars on retrograde dimes. Together, they embark on a literary crusade of self-sabotage that threatens to fall off the cutting edge of a techno thriller, picaresque odyssey and log of skeletons. An upscale Polish call girl develops a posthumous reputation as the poster child for the right to die movement. The simultaneous advances in medical science and life expectancy coincide with the human colonization of Mars. A transgendered stick-up thug pulls off a career robbery, befriends a US President, gets used by the CIA, and becomes a father. A media star attempts to change her image. Paranormal visitations threaten the sanity of hard drug addicts, all the while a support group for movement disorders braces as a roundtable therapeutic free-for-all. Is a telephonic method of time travel the real deal, or an exploitation in itself, a device for dredging up juice from a cold vein? This is the story of two men among hundreds of ghosts and trees, from Cuba in the 1930s to New York in 2046. I know folks from the rust belt to the dust bowl who've never seen these trees. Go see them. You owe it to yourself.