Family & Relationships

Transgender survivors of violence tell their stories

Transgender people face some of the highest rates of violence in the US and around the world, particularly within romantic relationships. In Transgressed, Xavier L. Guadalupe-Diaz offers a ground-breaking examination of intimate partner violence in the lives of transgender people.

Drawing on interviews and written accounts from transgender survivors of intimate partner violence, he sheds much-needed light on the dynamics of abuse that entrap trans partners in violent relationships. Transgressed shows how rigidly gendered discussions of violence have served to marginalize and silence stories of abuse. Ultimately, these stories of survival follow their unique journeys as they navigate—and break free—from the cycle of abuse, providing us with a better understanding of their experiences.

An emotionally compelling read, Transgressed offers new ways of understanding the complexities of intimate partner violence through the eyes of transgender survivors.

Celebrate the Ultimate Gift of Friendship

A book full of inspirational quotes and words of encouragement to help you appreciate your wonderful circle of friends.

Friends build us up. They make us stronger, smarter, and better. In this delightful, beautifully illustrated gift book; writer, artist, and friend extraordinaire Mary Anne Radmacher shares the many ways we celebrate each other.

Life-changing words. Discover the special talent that Radmacher has to change lives with her words. Read this extraordinarily touching book which includes an abundance of:

• Motivational quotes
• Poetry
• Aphorisms about the importance of friendship

The perfect gift for friends or yourself. With original four-color lettering, art and design, Mary Anne offers a funny, sweet, and perfect book for any occasion. "When we have a circle of friends, we have more fun. We get more done, we feel and are stronger, and we really do celebrate the power of our 'us.'" Says Mary Anne Radmacher.

If you enjoyed books like The Art of Showing Up, How To Win Friends and Influence People, or Dare to Lead then you’ll want to read Mary Anne Radmacher's Us!

#1 New Release in Family, Quotations, and Reference — Creative Ways to Show Your Love Every Day

Inspiration when the words are hard: Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right way to say “I love you” to the people you appreciate the most in life. The emotions are there, but the words don’t come. Say It Now shows you how to put your feelings into words—and actions, too. From activities that take just a minute, to love letters, joy jars, tribute videos, surprise parties, and more, this book helps you celebrate the most important people in your life.

Appreciate the time you have together: We never know how much time we have left with our loved ones. If there’s someone you care about deeply—a parent, grandparent, child, friend, colleague, teacher, or neighbor—don’t wait to express how you feel. Say It Now offers inspiring stories and ways to write those first love notes and share couples gifts that you’ll treasure for years.

Ideas for every love language: Whether it’s words of affection, thoughtful actions, handmade love gifts, or just your time and attention, Say It Now has ways for you to express your love in your own way. Start with these thirty-three ideas and make them your own. If you are a daughter looking for the right way to say “what I love about Dad,” or a husband looking for creative anniversary gifts, Say It Now has the inspiration you need.

Say It Now: 33 Ways to Say I LOVE YOU to the Most Important People In Your Life is an activity book to spark creativity, perfect for anyone who enjoys books like What I Love About You: Fill In the Love Journal, The Big Activity Book for Couples, or I Love You: The Activity Book Meant To Be Shared.

• Get inspired to say “I love you” to the important people in your life
• Make a big impact in someone’s day
• Save money with gift ideas that don’t cost much to create
• Build a stronger bond with friends
• Make someone’s day
• Feel positive, optimistic, and connected

Learn How to Deepen Your Relationship

Gratitude is the key. "We can have happier and more joy-filled relationships if we focus on what's right about them rather than what's wrong," writes M. J. Ryan in Attitudes of Gratitude in Love, the follow-up to her bestselling inspirational book Attitudes of Gratitude.

Discover amazing gratitude benefits. Gratitude is a simple, profound practice that can change your life. Research has confirmed its many emotional and physical benefits. Taking the time to notice and reflect upon good things opens our hearts, creates happiness, and restores us to a natural place where we notice what's right instead of wrong. In her characteristically down-to-earth style, Ryan helps readers use the practice of gratitude to get back in touch with why they fell in love in the first place and deepen the love between partners, no matter how long they've been together.

Find happiness and joy with positive thinking. When you find ways to be grateful every day, you experience more joy in life. Author and personal success mentor M. J. Ryan writes, "Gratitude births only positive feelings—love, compassion, joy, and hope. As we focus on what we are thankful for, fear, anger, and bitterness simply melt away, seemingly without effort." Attitudes of Gratitude in Love will teach you how to reach this positive place. The book is divided into two sections:

• Attitudes of gratitude that bring our personal lives more joy, peace, and love
• Simple behaviors we can begin to practice to change any relationship for the better, right this moment.

Readers of M. J. Ryan’s best-selling inspirational book Attitudes of Gratitude or personal growth books like The Book of Joy, The Gratitude Diaries, and The Happiness Project will learn more about the life-changing benefits of gratitude in Attitudes of Gratitude in Love.

• How to spot fake information and avoid online scams
• What a "digital tattoo" is, and how to avoid getting one
• The sneaky tricks scammers use to get your data
• What photos and information should never be shared
• And much more!

• The best of Asian parenting practices, such as how to teach children math, build a language-rich home, and raise tech-healthy kids.
• Teaching your child to broaden their attention span.
• Finding the right balance between work and play, while including family time.
• Helping your child see failure as a learning experience

In Autism Is the Future, Marlo Payne Thurman reveals how cognitive differences are the constructing pieces in understanding those with autism. Through her findings, she shows how those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) constantly challenge assumptions about intelligence and measuring intelligence.

Thurman proposes that sensory and cognitive development have evolved together into a very different form of intelligence in those with ASD, and it should be viewed not as a disability but instead as a difference to be celebrated and followed.

Thurman began working with children diagnosed with ASD in 1986. With group home management and intensive ABA therapy in her early career, she developed a special interest in meeting the unique needs of those individuals who were asynchronously developed into the realms of the "ASD savant." Most recently, she completed a landmark study proposing an alternative sensory-cognitive difference theory based on her extensive discussions and interactions with diagnosed adults. This research was the foundation for this book.

Diagnosed with autism at age fifty, Anita Lesko always knew something was different—but never let that stop her. In her incredible story, she describes how she went from an uncoordinated “misfit” kid to the successful and thriving adult she is today!

Lesko shares ALL her secrets to success, including:

And most importantly, patience and perseverance.

Some of the highlights of Anita’s life story include:

Through the framework of her impressive life, Lesko proves that you can do anything you set your mind to—and teaches you how to do it yourself.

Los temas útiles incluyen:

Winner of a 2008 Teachers’ Choice Award! Many children, especially those with developmental delays, have trouble understanding or expressing their feelings. This can result in difficulty with anger management. Listing possible responses to situations—and the likely outcome of each one—allows the child to make informed decisions about which responses to choose (e.g., walking away vs. hitting). This book provides a guide for caregivers along with a workbook portion that asks children to identify situations that trigger their anger, and helps them find appropriate ways to respond.

Helpful topics include:

Get your kids moving and giggling with the delightful suggestions in A Year of Mini-Moves for the In-Sync Child created by Carol Kranowitz and Joye Newman. Here are fifty-two weekly schedules that will incorporate quick movement activities into your day. These whimsical digital pages can also be printed and posted to brighten your walls at the clinic, at home and at school.

Pediatricians, teachers and other early childhood specialists now recognize that early motor development is one of the most important factors in the physical, emotional, academic and overall success of the child. Each of these mini-moves addresses one or more sensory, perceptual and visual motor skills that are the foundation of all future physical, cognitive, and emotional development.

Use these whimsical mini-moves at the beginning of your day or therapy session, at transition times or as inspiration for a more elaborate movement experience. Adapt each move to suit the abilities of the children.

The objective of the e-book A Year of Mini-Moves for the In-Sync Child is to reinforce the brain-body connection, while giving the child a moving experience that will last a lifetime!

Temple Grandin draws on her own experience to deliver an essential guidebook for guiding and nurturing autistic individuals. She gets to the REAL issues of autistics—the ones parents, teachers, and individuals on the spectrum face every day. Most autistic individuals deal with a variety of sensory differences. Dr. Grandin sheds light on the best ways to adapt and thrive.

In these helpful pages, Dr. Grandin offers do’s and don’ts, practical strategies, and try-it-now tips, all based on her insider perspective and extensive research. Interestingly, she argues that individuals on the autism spectrum must focus on their overlooked strengths to foster their unique contributions to the world. She has packed a wealth of knowledge into this book, which serves as an excellent reference resource for the parents, educators and caregivers on how to manage sensory issues.

Topics include:

• How to deal with sensory overloads, withdrawals and sensitivities
• Learning how to help desensitize individuals to sensory stimulations
• Discovering simple strategies that can have amazing effects
• Best practices for incorporating sensory integration
• And much more!

If you have an out-of-sync grandchild and are looking for enjoyable interactions, this book is for you. It is part of the “Out-of-Sync" Series, intended to help parents, teachers, relatives, and professionals support kids with sensory processing differences.

Good Times with Out-of-Sync Grandkids is a guide for making memories. It includes more than fifty activities that the fictional Grammy and Pops have enjoyed over the years with their fictional grandchildren, Carrie, Darwin, and Edward. You may have met the kids in The Out-of-Sync Family: A Story about Sensory Differences (Sensory World, 2023).

The characters are imaginary, but their experiences are real, coming from the author’s life as a child, babysitter, mother, preschool teacher, special education consultant, Cub Scout leader, and grandparent. This book may trigger happy memories of what you, as a child, loved to do with your grandparents and may help you reanimate those shared experiences, adapting them to match your grandchild’s age, interest, and sensory differences.

Activities in the book address an out-of-sync child’s:

• Showing overresponsivity—or underresponsivity—to touch and movement
• Craving—or avoiding—sensory stimulation
• Being constantly—or hardly ever—on the go
• Confusion by what he or she hears, sees, feels, tastes, and smells
• Low energy/low muscle tone
• Lacking energy/being limp
• Tendency to trip on air, be clumsy and break things
• Being difficult to understand when speaking 
• Acting socially awkward
• Being loving and kind, but anxious and lacking self-confidence

Galardonado con el símbolo de excelencia de la revista “Exceptional Parent magazine” para padres excepcionales

Seleccionado como uno de los 10 mejores libros de la revista sobre crianza de niños con discapacidades “Brain Child”

Seleccionado como uno de los 19 libros que los bibliotecarios dicen que cambió sus vidas

Destacado en la revista “Oprah” como uno de los libros que marcó la diferencia con Rachel Griffiths

La edición revisada del innovador libro de 1998 que introdujo el Trastorno del procesamiento sensorial (SPD) a padres, maestros y otros no especialistas. SPD es un problema común y frecuentemente diagnosticado erróneamente en el cual el sistema nervioso central malinterpreta los mensajes de los sentidos. Esta nueva edición presenta información adicional sobre déficits visuales y auditivos, dificultades de habilidades motoras, TDAH, autismo, síndrome de Asperger y otros trastornos relacionados.

Winner of an iParenting Media Award - now in Spanish!

This picture book appeals to the visual strengths of students on the autism spectrum, with color photos of students demonstrating various social skills in the correct (and sometimes incorrect) way. The skills depicted are meant to be read, role-played, corrected when necessary, role-played some more and, finally, to be practiced by the student in real-life social situations. “Thought bubbles” show what people are thinking during these interactions (not always what you hoped!). Practical, engaging, and down-to-earth, this is a valuable tool to help teens navigate the often-mysterious rules of social conduct in everyday situations. Helpful sections include:

From a world-renowned expert on creative play and the impact of commercial marketing on children, a timely investigation into how big tech is hijacking childhood—and what we can do about it

“Engrossing and insightful . . . rich with details that paint a full portrait of contemporary child-corporate relations.” —Zephyr Teachout, The New York Times Book Review

Even before COVID-19, digital technologies had become deeply embedded in children’s lives, despite a growing body of research detailing the harms of excessive immersion in the unregulated, powerfully seductive world of the “kid-tech” industry.

In the “must read” (Library Journal, starred review) Who’s Raising the Kids?, Susan Linn—one of the world’s leading experts on the impact of Big Tech and big business on children—weaves an “eye-opening and disturbing exploration of how marketing tech to children is creating a passive, dysfunctional generation” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). From birth, kids have become lucrative fodder for tech, media, and toy companies, from producers of exploitative games and social media platforms to “educational” technology and branded school curricula of dubious efficacy.

Written with humor and compassion, Who’s Raising the Kids? is a unique and highly readable social critique and guide to protecting kids from exploitation by the tech, toy, and entertainment industries. Two hopeful chapters—“Resistance Parenting” and “Making a Difference for Everybody’s Kids”—chart a path to allowing kids to be the children they need to be.

From Jane Austen to Taylor Swift, a look at the surprising politics of romantic love and its dissolution.

Whatever the underlying motives – be they love, financial security, or mere masochism – the fact is that getting involved in a romantic partnership is emotionally, morally, and even politically fraught.

In Hard To Do, Kelli María Korducki turns a Marxist lens on the relatively short history of romantic partnership, tracing how the socio-economic dynamics between men and women have transformed the ways women conceive of domestic partnership. With perceptive, reported insights on the ways marriage and divorce are legislated, the rituals of twentieth-century courtship, and contemporary practices for calling it off, Korducki reveals that, for all women, choosing to end a relationship is a radical action with very limited cultural precedent.

Empower Your Sons Against Institutionalized Racism

“One of the most important pieces of literature for Black parents.”—MJ Fievre, author of Raising Confident Black Kids

A powerful guide to navigate the challenges of raising families in turbulent times. In What Every Black Parent Needs to Know about Saving Our Sons, gain profound advice on how to protect and nurture Black teen boys.

Essential knowledge, practical guidance. With intimate storytelling of her own son’s story and in-depth research against the chilling backdrop of racially motivated brutality, acclaimed author Marita Golden reveals alarming statistics and systemic issues affecting children of color—and remedies.

A powerful and timely resource, What Every Black Parent Needs to Know about Saving Our Sons addresses pressing issues of today with new material and updated resources. Wisdom from psychologists, writers, and young Black men initiates meaningful discussions and delves into the complexities of Black parenting. Tackle topics such as generational trauma, being Black in white spaces, institutionalized racism, gun violence and how to not get shot, supporting mental health for black men, and other problems Black kids face. Embark on a transformative journey towards raising confident, successful, and resilient kids.

Inside, find:

• Realities faced by Black families and the importance of teaching kids about racism
• Guidance to navigate, discuss, and explore the impact of fearing the black body
• Conversations and strategies to keep our kids safe and growing up great

If you liked The Light We Carry, Decoding Boys, Three Mothers, or American Carnage, you’ll love What Every Black Parent Needs to Know about Saving Our Sons.

An Indispensable Toolset for Same-Sex Parenthood

"An absolute ‘must-have’ for any LGBT couple engaged in family planning!” —Midwest Book Review

First published in 2016 and winner of four literary awards.* Now updated and packed with valuable information and more powerful stories of same-sex parents achieving and navigating parenthood.

Yes, you do have options. Same-sex couples (gay dads, lesbian moms, or other queer couples) are faced with many different options when choosing to have a family that includes beautiful children. In Journey to Parenthood, author, activist and father Eric Rosswood guides and helps prospective LGBTQIA parents explore adoption, foster care, assisted reproduction, surrogacy and co-parenting.

Create your own happy family unit. Each section includes a description of a specific family-building approach, followed by personal stories from same-sex couples and individuals who have chosen that particular path. Learn strategies for dealing with challenges you will encounter on this parenting journey.

Inside find:

• Strategies for successfully navigating same sex parenthood
• Firsthand accounts combined with critical tips and advice 
• Updated information about adoption, foster care, assisted reproduction, surrogacy and co-parenting

If you benefited from Eric Rosswood’s bestselling book We Make It Better or his Ultimate Guide for Gay Dads; or have read parenting books like Raised by Unicorns, Raising Good Humans, What to Expect When You're Expecting, or The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, you’ll want to read Journey to Parenthood.

* Winner of the 2017 IAN Book of the Year Awards in the Parenting/Family/Relationships category; the 2017 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards in the Parenting category; the 2017 Best Book Awards in the LGBTQ, Non-Fiction category; and finalist in the 2017 International Book Awards.

Parenting Teen Boys with Love and Confidence

“John is the real deal… He knows what kids are dealing with, what their struggles are, where their strengths lie, what they know, and what they need.”—Giuliana Rancic,  journalist, television personality, and infotainer

#1 Best Seller in Popular Adolescent Psychology

Dr. John Duffy; bestselling author of Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety, clinical psychologist, and parenting expert; offers 8 practical solutions for dealing with our national crisis of disaffected boys and young men.

How to help our sons grow into happy, successful, capable adults. Recent decades have shown that boys are simply not thriving the way they should be. In Rescuing Our Sons, Dr. Duffy has developed 8 practical parenting steps to improve your understanding of your teenager, equip him with life skills to improve his present and his future, and bring your family together.

Become the effective, confident parent your teen needs. Raising responsible, confident boys is difficult, especially through the teen years. Dr. Duffy is dedicated to helping you encourage your son’s growth with positive parenting tips.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Practical and proven parenting strategies for dealing with the common issues that teen boys face, including gaming addictions, pornography, vaping, and drug use
• New perspectives and insights on your son’s teenage brain and behavior that will help you develop a more meaningful relationship with him
• Methods for effectively raising a motivated young man who can overcome depression, anxiety, and risky behaviors

Readers of books on parenting teens, such as The Teenage Brain, How to Raise an Adult, He’s Not Lazy, or Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety, will want to pick up a copy of Dr. Duffy’s Rescuing Our Sons. 

Create a Life After Divorce That You Love

“…divorce is a grand opportunity for reinvention of oneself. It has the potential to be a bright new beginning.” —Christiane Northrup, MD, NY Times bestselling author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom; The Wisdom of Menopause; and Goddesses Never Age

#1 New Release in Divorce

Offering a well-researched and tested method for recovering from a broken heart after divorce, Dr. Elizabeth Cohen brings her highly successful "Afterglow" process to you in Light on the Other Side of Divorce. Don’t just move on after a breakup―thrive.

Letting go of someone you loved. Dr. Elizabeth Cohen has been there―she knows how it feels to have your life derailed by divorce. As a therapist who has worked with hundreds of divorcing clients, she has developed the Afterglow method, which teaches you how to rediscover a life of growth, change, and abundance. Her method has been informed by her own healing journey and is based primarily on research-supported strategies, resulting in a balanced method that takes advantage of modern psychology and science, while remembering what it feels like to experience the emotions of divorce-recovery.

Set yourself up for success. It’s true, letting go and moving on is hard. But if you read this book and try the exercises, you will see change. You will feel different. You will feel a positive shift in your life and your attitude. People will comment that you look different. You will get more sleep, feel at ease, and have more hope.

Learn about:

• Tools for stoppling self-defeating thoughts and self-doubt
• State-of the art therapeutic approaches to managing fear and overwhelm
• Active strategies for lasting positive changes and results

Readers of divorce books for women and men like This Is Me Letting You Go by Heidi Priebe, Conscious Uncoupling by Katherine Woodward Thomas, and Finding Love After Heartbreak by Stephan Labossiere will find joy after heartbreak with Light on the Other Side of Divorce.

Develop the Intimate Relationship You Desire

"This book is AMAZING and so helpful to me in my relationship. It's showing me the way to transformation and a new way of being with my partner. Love it!" —Amazon review

M. J. Ryan reveals gratitude practices that create intimate relationships. Create the romantic relationship you desire by practicing gratitude!

Gratitude starves relationship anxiety! With this gratitude book learn how to have a happier relationship with your partner. Get the answers to some of your most pressing relationship questions and use this as a guide to your own personal growth.

Relationship goals made easy with gratitude. Enhance couple goals by making gratitude a constant part of your relationship. Take your time in creating relational happiness, and restoring your relationship without couples counseling. 

Inside, you’ll find:

• Gratitude practices to spark an intimate relationship
• A gratitude book centered on becoming your own relationship goals
• Practices to stabilize self-growth and starve relationship anxiety

If you liked The Four Laws of Love, Meditations on Self-Love, or The Naked Marriage, you’ll love Attitudes of Gratitude in Love.

How to Raise a Sexually Healthy, Safe, and Informed Child in Our Modern World

“A Modern Approach to the Birds and the Bees is the only book you’ll need for teaching sex education... —Amanda DeLis-Mireles, mother of four (ages 4–17) and teacher

#1 New Release in Human Sexuality and Health Education & Teaching

This book enables parents to engage in effective age-appropriate, evidence-based, integrated discussions with their children to optimize sexual health and reduce risk behaviors.

Raise sexually healthy kids. As parents, we want our children to be armed with scientifically accurate sexual education. But many of us lack the information, tools, and skill to be able to effectively engage in these complex conversations with our children. This book is an essential tool for parents, informing them about key issues surrounding sexual health so that they are better equipped to engage in age-appropriate, evidence-based, informed discussions with their children that improve sexual health and reduce risk behaviors throughout their lives.

Help your kids through puberty and beyond. Dr. Pickering knows that your children are going to face unique and difficult issues as they grow up. To help you prepare, A Modern Approach to the Birds and the Bees covers controversial and sensitive topics, diving into questions that many parents are afraid to ask. The chapters are written in an accessible format that will be easy for parents to understand and pass on to their kids. This book also takes an inclusive approach to sex education, capturing the unique concerns and questions related to modern sexuality, including:

• Issues related to social media and the internet
• Topics such as consent and personal safety
• Unique concerns in the LGBTQ+ community

Parents looking for age-appropriate books on sexuality and puberty like Celebrate Your Body (and Its Changes, Too!), Growing Up Great!, Boys & Sex, and Girls & Sex will love the scientifically based educational tools in A Modern Approach to the Birds and the Bees.

"Insightful, honest and very down-to-earth. I so wish there had been a book like this when I was a single dad." Steve Legg, editor, Sorted magazine

This is a book that comes alongside the reader as a travel guide and walks through the journey via a step-by-step approach. 

Walking the Single Parent Journey offers the reader a chance for self-discovery, of coming to terms with the pains and effects of the past in order to boldly face the challenges that lie ahead. The book discusses the everyday struggles and issues that single parents face, whilst offering advice and tips on managing and dealing with them successfully. The author encourages the reader to create systems and put strategies in place to help make life easier, drawing on her own experiences.

 - For anyone wanting a way through the minefield of dating without compromising faith
 - Want to keep your integrity by finding a way of dating that is simple and sincere?
 - With practical advice, this book will give you a route to the adventure of romance

'It's Complicated'

Matters of the heart always seem to be. But dating in the church? It can be even worse.

Relationships can be difficult to define, intentions hard to discern. But with singles making up a third of the total church congregation in the UK, there is a real need to demystify the dating process and return to dating in its simplest form.

Rediscover how to date.

In this brand new handbook, couples psychologist and dating course leader Aukelien van Abbema offers guidance on how to understand yourself and your own dating patterns, how to rely on your network of friends, and how to bring God into the whole process. Filled with wisdom, stories and practical advice, this book is a freeing reassessment of the dating scene.

Begin a whole new romantic adventure filled with hope, joy and a lot of laughter.

Go on, dare to date.

Sue Atkinson, author of the highly acclaimed "Climbing out of Depression and Building Self-Esteem", turns her attention to the subject of sexual and emotional abuse. Writing from her own experience, she gets alongside survivors to offer hope and guidance.

The book is divided into 5 sections: The start of it all; Deciding to heal; Understanding the chains; Working through the pain; and, Starting to heal.

The book is written in practical style with concrete advice and excellent pointers. The text is broken up into short sections to make it easy to digest.

God invented marriage. So it seems rather obvious to look to our Maker for marriage instructions. Yet by nature we prefer to work it out for ourselves, starting with our own needs, hopes and desires.

This book turns our thinking upside down. The author examines the Bible's teaching on marriage, while remaining firmly earthed in the twenty-first-century world where messing up, heartbreak, divorce and sexual chaos are distressingly common. Starting with God's grace applied to our pain and failure, the author centres on God's plan for sex and marriage, one of service.

Whether you are an engaged couple preparing for marriage, or have been married for many years, this Biblical wisdom will help you grow your love and commitment both to one another and to God.

Are you a new parent, or about to become one? Learn three simple habits that will keep love alive and protect your relationship against the pressures that parenting brings.

In the excitement and exhaustion of becoming parents, the first thing that can get overlooked is your relationship. You might spend less time together, argue over little things, drift apart.

In the UK, one in five children see their parents separate before the end of their first year at school. One in two children experience family breakdown before they finish school. But it doesn't have to be like this. Most family breakdown is avoidable.

In Let's Stick Together, relationship educator and father of six Harry Benson guides you through three simple habits that research shows make or break new mums and dads.

Illustrated with real-life examples from Harry's own back-from-the-brink marriage and those of other couples, Let's Stick Together highlights simple principles that will make your relationship the best it can be and ensure you don't become just another statistic.

Everyone wants a relationship that lasts. Yet nearly half of all today's parents split up.

Harry and Kate Benson began their own married life with great expectations. But within a few years, they stood on the brink of divorce. Today, their marriage is stronger than ever and they have helped many other struggling couples. So what changed?

In this ground-breaking book Harry and Kate tell their own inspiring, hope-filled story, set within the wider context of family research into what works. Harry and Kate's radical solution to strengthening families and reducing unnecessary family breakdown is simple.

Their research suggests a happy mum tends to mean a happy household. She is the lynchpin around whom the family rotates. So for most mums, the success of a marriage depends primarily on her husband's ability to make her feel valued. In other words: husband, love your wife. And she will love you right back. In that order. That's what mums want.

That's the recipe for happy family life.

A practical guide for all those living, or preparing to live, in a step-family.

Drawing on real-life examples, the authors - both step-parents themselves - help parents to explore key issues and to find the way forward that is best for them.

Questions addressed include:

- Will I make a good step-parent?

- What if we disagree over parenting styles?

- My past experiences of family life aren't good. Can I really make it work this time round?

- What about money issues? And where are we going to live?

- How will the other children feel if we have a new baby?

Rachel Waddilove has worked for many years as a nanny and private maternity nurse; her clients include celebrities, politicians and royalty.

In this book, she draws on her considerable professional and personal experience to advise young parents on everything they need to know about looking after a baby in its first year. Areas covered include: needs for the nursery, coming home from hospital, breast feeding vs bottle feeding, establishing a routine, sleep, crying and introducing solid food.

In addition to the host of practical information given, Rachel also considers the emotional and social aspects of becoming parents. Rachel's down-to-earth style and wealth of experience makes this an essential guide for new parents, expectant parents and all who want the best for the children in their care.

In this new edition to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Baby Book, Rachel has fully revised and updated the text, and written a new chapter about travelling with a baby.

The first book on self-harm written for parents by parents.

Are you concerned that your child may be self-harming?
Are you wondering what to do for the best?
Do you need more information and help?
If so, this is the book for you.

An ever-increasing number of young people are turning to self-harm in order to cope with the pressures of modern living, and this poses a huge problem for parents and others who care for them.

This book provides the answers you need to questions such as:

- How do I know for sure whether my child is self-harming?
- How should I approach my child?
- What help and treatment is available to us?
- What can I do to help my child?
- How have other parents coped?

Full of the real-life experiences of other parents who have been there, this is a practical book that will both inform and equip you to help your child and yourself through this difficult time.

One in four Christian women will experience domestic abuse, and for these women their experience can be incredibly challenging to their faith. Survivors report that they do not feel their churches are adequately equipped to support them, but that secular domestic abuse services do not understand their faith.

In No Visible Scars, author Sally Hope draws on her ten years of work supporting survivors and her own experiences of abuse, to help women undertake their own journey of healing.

The book explores domestic abuse and the unique challenges that Christian women face. Through research, personal stories and opportunities to journal, No Visible Scars seeks to help survivors find answers to commonly asked questions such as 'Where is God in all this?' and face the thorny theological concepts of divorce, submission and gender roles. Survivors will be helped to recognise that God is firmly on the side of the abused, He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.

No Visible Scars is based on the 'Always Hopeful' recovery programme for groups of Christian women who have experienced domestic abuse. Many survivors find attending a recovery group intimidating and would prefer to read a book in their own time; others don't have access to the programme. Through this book, survivors can learn more about their experiences and unpick some of the faith lies they may have acquired as a result.

From the rise of AI personal technology to the ability to connect to your loved ones wherever you are, you’d think that we’re advancing as a society. But for our young people’s mental health such progress has come at a cost.

The book examines the key mental health problems impacting young people today (such as depression, loneliness and anxiety) and explains how the lifestyle, culture and world they are living in has a significant mental health impact.

Suitable for parents, grandparents, teachers, youth workers and anyone in a position of care or interested in the future of mental health, this book offers tools, exercises and resources to support the next generation.

I thought having a baby would complete me. I was wrong.


I believed I’d be a great parent and a natural 'mum’. I wasn't.

I thought I’d know what to do. I didn’t.
What happens when two become three? When sleep is a myth? When friends used to see you – but now see your baby? Is your identity lost in motherhood? Does your brain still work? ‘In those early years I could barely follow an episode of Peppa Pig,’ says Anne, ‘let alone pick up a Bible.’
This book helps you make wise decisions over your children. It addresses the challenges of parenthood – for instance, should you return to work? Anne uses examples from her own struggle, together with biblical insights and other people’s experiences, to help you know you are not alone.
A droll and insightful companion for all who wrestle with parenthood.
Anne Calver is a Baptist minister.

If only this book weren't needed. If only men and women didn't beat their partners. If only spouses didn't cruelly manipulate and control. If only people didn't bully elderly relatives...

Most incidents go under the radar, and it is estimated that only around a third come to the attention of the police.

This book goes right to the heart of the matter: the human heart. We see how to walk with sufferers and apply the Bible to everyday-life situations. We learn how to do 'one anothering' in our churches and communities.

While offering practical help, the author focuses strongly on lasting solutions that are achieved only through God's power.

It is unparalleled as a building block of society, a universal theme in great literature and film, and has a huge impact on our mental health, wellbeing and happiness. But many of us are lonely or feel suffocated by the pressures of life and quantity of relationships we have to maintain. Now, more than ever, we need better, deeper friendships. We need the best of friends.

Full of practical advice, humour and wisdom, Phil Knox shows us how to choose our friends wisely and maintain lasting and meaningful relationships.

All of us will be familiar with supporting friends, family and colleagues through the ups and downs of relationships. But could some of the more difficult times of argument and conflict be more than general relationship issues? Is there something more sinister going on?

Over the course of a lifetime, 30% of women and 16% of men will be subjected to abuse by a partner, yet so many of us are unsure exactly what constitutes domestic abuse, and wouldn't know how to react if we, or one of our friends or family, found ourselves in a relationship with an abuser.

Natalie Collins is the perfect guide to lead you through this subject, amassing over a decade's experience leading workshops, raising awareness and capturing national media attention in her work against domestic abuse.

Highly readable, invaluably insightful and steeped in theological insight, Natalie starts right from the basics, exploring what domestic abuse is, why it is perpetrated and the impact it has on children and adults. Filled with case studies, including Natalie's own story, this book offers much-needed advice on how we can address domestic abuse, both as individuals and as a church community.

Parenting can be the best or worst of times. It can be a role we love best or one that causes great insecurity. There is no formal training for parenthood. There are no clear benchmarks of success and yet it demands all our resources, skills and attention. Parenting has no blueprint.

This book is the merging of the author's deep convictions of parenting with examples of both "When it worked" and "When it did not work". He has also elicited the help of his sons to write their perspectives on how their experiences and memories connect (or differ from) his own.

Each chapter has two sections. Section A contains reflections on habits that seemed to work in passing on faith. Section B then reflects on the same habit but from a more critical perspective.
These five chapters come from the author's experiences as a dad, as a Christian leader and as a theologian. The first section in each chapter marks those habits that he believes in passionately. They are the 'Do's', those habits formed in parenting for faith. They emerged in the business of parenting and have become clearer over life. The second section notes when parenting seemed to go wrong. These are the nightmares that skulk around the edges of a parent's consciousness, the failures, when high hopes are not realised. However it could be that in these 'cock ups' in being a parent are when the actual parenting for faith is really carried out. That at least is the comment made by the three sons commenting on the script.

"How am I supposed to keep going when all I want to do is hide? How does separation work. What are the ins-and-outs and complexities of divorce? Am I going to get through this?"

Ruth Clements divorce turned her world upside down, and now she guides the reader, with compassion and practical advice, on how to survive the maelstrom. Showing that there is always hope, and giving tips on how to deal with the practicalities of separation and divorce, Clements has written a guide that is warm, entertaining and practical.

This book will show you that there is a way through and will be your companion on the journey.

In this gutsy and intimate book, Rachel Gardner tackles head-on the issues facing teenage girls: self-image, the pull of the in-crowd, puberty, boys, sex, regrets and godly ambition. Credible yet shot through with biblical wisdom, parents and youthworkers can give this book with confidence.
To her readers, she writes:

I realize that you don't know me so it might feel a bit weird me saying that.

But it's true. I have written this book because I want to let you in on a bit of a secret; you are precious and your life is a gift to you.

It's a secret because few of us know it and fewer actually believe it.

I hope you will feel inspired to explore your abilities and dreams be encouraged to protect your heart and still keep it open to God and others appreciate your life and the mysteries in the world around you

May these words of wisdom help you know that you are lovely, lovable, unique, full of potential and, above all, cherished.
Rachel x

One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, a traumatic experience for any woman, but one in which she typically feels alone.

This 30-day devotional helps mothers who have lost children start to come to terms with what has happened. The purpose of this book is to inform, encourage and support all women who have experienced pregnancy loss, enabling them to find the strength they need to move forward.

Here are 30 reflections on the topic of losing a baby. The author herself suffered four miscarriages, and writes compassionately and personally. Each piece is followed by a meditation and space for personal reflection. The book ends with a liturgy for a lost child, and is attractively designed.

"This isn't just a relationship self help guide - although every young man should pick it up and read it […] This book outlines how couples who decide to commit to sticking together are more likely to do so than those who simply slide into an ever more constrained relationship.”

Frank Young, Head of Family Policy, Centre for Social Justice

You're in a relationship. Maybe you’ve been together for a while or you are just starting out. Maybe you’re living together or just thinking about it. It seems great. But you want to be sure.

With the decline of marriage, the relationship game has changed. Yet we’re still not very sure about how to play it. Moving in together early on has become the new social norm, but it’s not risk-free. The nature of cohabitation itself can encourage ambiguity and drift in a promising relationship and make it hard to end an unpromising one.

Accepting that cohabitation is here to stay, Harry Benson offers a roadmap to navigate the ups-and-downs of modern relationships. Drawing on the latest research on relationships and commitment, he introduces the Two-Year Rule and other Rules for Romance that will help couples make the right choices, find the reliable love they seek, and, ultimately, to "commit or quit".

How working parents can lead more purposeful lives, characterized by harmony, connection, and impact.

Parents in today's fast-paced, disorienting world can easily lose track of who they are and what really matters most. But it doesn't have to be this way. As a parent, you can harness the powerful science of leadership in order to thrive in all aspects of your life.

Drawing on the principles of his book Total Leadership--a bestseller and popular leadership development program used in organizations worldwide--and on their experience as researchers, educators, consultants, coaches, and parents, Stew Friedman and coauthor Alyssa Westring offer a robust, proven method that will help you gain a greater sense of purpose and control. It includes tools illustrated with compelling examples from the lives of real working parents that show you how to:

• Design a future based on your core values
• Engage with your children in fresh, meaningful ways
• Cultivate a community of caregiving and support, in all parts of your life
• Experiment to discover better ways to live and work

Powerful, practical, and indispensable, Parents Who Lead is the guide you need to forge a better future, foster meaningful and mutually rewarding relationships, and design sustainable solutions for creating a richer life for yourself, your children, and your world.

For more information, visit ParentsWhoLead.net.

"I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life." —Ronald Reagan

Noted political commentator Michael Reagan, the son of Ronald Reagan and first wife Jane Wyman, has traveled across America, giving speeches and meeting the public. Time and time again, people tell him how much they love and miss his father, and what his presidency meant to them. In a world where role models are few and far between, Ronald Reagan’s legacy stands strong.

In Lessons My Father Taught Me, Michael Reagan looks back over his years with his father and reflects on what he has learned from the greatest man he has ever known—and one of the greatest men the world has known.

When Michael was growing up, his father would drive him out to his ranch. There Ronald Reagan taught Michael how to ride a horse, how to shoot a gun, and much more. As they drove together or did chores together, Michael’s father told him stories and taught him about life, love, family, faith, success, and leadership. Michael didn’t fully appreciate those lessons at the time, but years later he remembered—and he understood.

Now, Michael Reagan shares his father’s wisdom and experience in this inspiring book.

A compelling examination of the social and legal experiences of lesbian, bisexual, and queer stepparent families

Lesbian, bisexual, and queer families formed after the dissolution of a marriage face a range of obstacles. In Queer Stepfamilies, Katie L. Acosta offers a wealth of insight into their complex experiences as they negotiate parenting among multiple parents and family-building in a world not designed to meet their needs. Drawing on in-depth interviews, Acosta follows the journeys of more than forty families as they navigate a legal and social landscape that fails to recognize their existence.

Acosta contextualizes the legal realities of LGBTQ stepparent families and considers the actions these parents take to protect their families in the absence of comprehensive policies or laws geared to meet their needs. Queer Stepfamilies reveals the obstacles these families face in family courts during divorce proceedings and custody cases, and highlights their distrust of courts when it comes to acting in their children’s best interests, especially in the event of an origin parent’s death.

As LGBTQ families continue to make social and legal strides in acceptance and recognition, this important book shows how queer stepparents find ways to make their unconventional families work, despite the many social and legal obstacles they encounter. Acosta provides a fresh perspective, broadening our understanding about families in the twenty-first century.

A personal, intimate account of the extraordinary ways that today’s families are being created.

From adoption and assisted reproduction, to gay and straight parents, coupled and single, and multi-parent families, the stories in Modern Families explain how individuals make unconventional families by accessing a broad range of technological, medical and legal choices that expand our definitions of parenting and kinship. Joshua Gamson introduces us to a child with two mothers, made with one mother’s egg and the sperm of a man none of them has ever met; another born in Ethiopia, delivered by his natural grandmother to an orphanage after both his parents died in close succession, and then to the arms of his mother, who is raising him solo.

These tales are deeply personal and political. The process of forming these families involved jumping tremendous hurdles—social conventions, legal and medical institutions—with heightened intention and inventiveness, within and across multiple inequities and privileges. Yet each of these families, however they came to be, shares the same universal joys that all families share.

A companion for all those who choose to navigate the world of modern kinship, Modern Families provides a “fascinating look at the remarkable range of experiences that is broadening the very idea of family” (Booklist).

Over the past thirty years, there has been a dramatic shift in the way the legal system approaches and resolves family disputes. Traditionally, family law dispute resolution was based on an “adversary” system: two parties and their advocates stood before a judge who determined which party was at fault in a divorce and who would be awarded the rights in a custody dispute. Now, many family courts are opting for a “problem-solving” model in which courts attempt to resolve both legal and non-legal issues.

At the same time, American families have changed dramatically. Divorce rates have leveled off and begun to drop, while the number of children born and raised outside of marriage has increased sharply. Fathers are more likely to seek an active role in their children’s lives. While this enhanced paternal involvement benefits children, it also increases the likelihood of disputes between parents. As a result, the families who seek legal dispute resolution have become more diverse and their legal situations more complex.

In Divorced from Reality, Jane C. Murphy and Jana B. Singer argue that the current "problem solving" model fails to address the realities of today's families. The authors suggest that while today’s dispute resolution regime may represent an improvement over its more adversary predecessor, it is built largely around the model of a divorcing nuclear family with lawyers representing all parties—a model that fits poorly with the realities of today's disputing families. To serve the families it is meant to help, the legal system must adapt and reshape itself.

The gay and lesbian community is experiencing a baby boom. Advances in gay rights coupled with increased availability of alternative reproduction techniques have led to an unprecedented number of openly gay and lesbian parents. Estimates are that between 6 and 14 million children in the United States are being raised by at least one parent who is gay. Yet, very little is known about how gay or lesbian headed families function, or whether they differ in any relevant ways from families headed by straight parents.
Written by two developmental psychologists, The Gay Baby Boom reports the findings of The Gay and Lesbian Family Study, the largest national assessment of gay and lesbian headed families. By asking participants detailed questions about the way they parent, the authors are able to describe for the first time exactly what takes place within gay and lesbian headed families across the county. Traditional research has tended to assume that there is something uniquely different and potentially psychologically damaging about children being raised by gays. The authors draw on their data to show these fears unfounded.

Explores the experiences of homeschooling mothers

Mothers who homeschool their children constantly face judgmental questions about their choices, and yet the homeschooling movement continues to grow with an estimated 1.5 million American children now schooled at home. These children are largely taught by stay-at-home mothers who find that they must tightly manage their daily schedules to avoid burnout and maximize their relationships with their children, and that they must sustain a desire to sacrifice their independent selves for many years in order to savor the experience of motherhood. Home Is Where the School Is is the first comprehensive look into the lives of homeschooling mothers. Drawing on rich data collected through eight years of fieldwork and dozens of in-depth interviews, Jennifer Lois examines the intense effects of the emotional and temporal demands that homeschooling places on mothers’ lives, raising profound questions about the expectations of modern motherhood and the limits of parenting.

"[An] empathetic study of the meanings of cross-racial adoption to adoptees."—Law and Politics Book Review

Can White parents teach their Black children African American culture and history? Can they impart to them the survival skills necessary to survive in the racially stratified United States? Concerns over racial identity have been at the center of controversies over transracial adoption since the 1970s, as questions continually arise about whether White parents are capable of instilling a positive sense of African American identity in their Black children.

Through in-depth interviews with adult transracial adoptees, as well as with social workers in adoption agencies, Sandra Patton, herself an adoptee, explores the social construction of race, identity, gender, and family and the ways in which these interact with public policy about adoption. Patton offers a compelling overview of the issues at stake in transracial adoption. She discusses recent changes in adoption and social welfare policy which prohibit consideration of race in the placement of children, as well as public policy definitions of "bad mothers" which can foster coerced aspects of adoption, to show how the lives of transracial adoptees have been shaped by the policies of the U.S. child welfare system.

Neither an argument for nor against the practice of transracial adoption, BirthMarks seeks to counter the dominant public view of this practice as a panacea to the so-called "epidemic" of illegitimacy and the misfortune of infertility among the middle class with a more nuanced view that gives voice to those directly involved, shedding light on the ways in which Black and multiracial adoptees articulate their own identity experiences.

Why are so many children and teens today struggling with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges, and who or what is to blame? Mind the Children provides insight into the scale, scope, and causes of the youth mental health crisis. From the decline in family life and religious affiliation to the rise in marijuana use and the ubiquity of cell phones and other screens, this book explores the cultural, institutional and technological changes that are making kids' lives more difficult.

Contributors to the book -journalists, researchers, and clinicians- address topics as varied as how schools may paradoxically worsen matters they are trying to address, how political rhetoric may affect children's ability to cope with ordinary challenges, and how to reverse the shortage of professionals available to help kids. Mind the Children will help parents and policymakers gain a comprehensive understanding of a multifaceted problem, which other experts have been too quick to trace to a single cause.

How the power of peers and peer culture shapes individual behavior and future success

For decades, parents across America have asked their kids, “If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?” The answer is, “Duh, yes.” Peers, as parents well know, have a tremendous impact on who their kids are and what they will become. And even while they insist otherwise, parents know that they’re largely powerless to change this. But the effect of peers is not just a story about kids; peers can also affect adult behavior—they affect what we do and who we are well into old age. Noted sociologists Syed Ali and Margaret M. Chin call this “the peer effect.” In their book, they take readers on a tour of how our peers, and the peer cultures they create, shape our behavior in schools and the workplace. Ali and Chin begin their look at the peer effect at the high school from which they both graduated: New York City’s prestigious Stuyvesant High School, arguably the best public high school in the nation. Through a fascinating and often humorous narrative, they show how peers can influence each other—in this case, how highly motivated students can create a culture of influence to achieve success in learning and in admission to elite colleges. They also show the many other ways that peers can influence one another beyond school performance, from hookup culture to school bullying and youth suicide.

Ali and Chin are also interested in the extent to which the peer effect can last. Through interviews with adult graduates of Stuyvesant, they investigate the long-lasting effects of high school peer culture. They also examine the peer effect in post–high school settings, notably around workplace misconduct, including the steroid culture in baseball and the use of excessive force by the police. The Peer Effect ultimately offers ways to understand the power of peer influence and apply this understanding to resolving issues regarding schools, college graduation rates, workplace culture, and police violence. In the tradition of big idea books like The Tipping Point, The Peer Effect will forever change the way we look at the world of human behavior.

They go by many names: helicopter parents, hovercrafts, PFHs (Parents from Hell). The news media is filled with stories of well-intentioned parents going to ridiculous extremes to remove all obstacles from their child’s path to greatness . . . or at least to an ivy league school. From cradle to college, they remain intimately enmeshed in their children’s lives, stifling their development and creating infantilized, spoiled, immature adults unprepared to make the decisions necessary for the real world. Or so the story goes.

Drawing on a wealth of eye-opening interviews with parents across the country, Margaret K. Nelson cuts through the stereotypes and hyperbole to examine the realities of what she terms “parenting out of control.” Situating this phenomenon within a broad sociological context, she finds several striking explanations for why today’s prosperous and well-educated parents are unable to set realistic boundaries when it comes to raising their children. Analyzing the goals and aspirations parents have for their children as well as the strategies they use to reach them, Nelson discovers fundamental differences among American parenting styles that expose class fault lines, both within the elite and between the elite and the middle and working classes.

Nelson goes on to explore the new ways technology shapes modern parenting. From baby monitors to cell phones (often referred to as the world’s longest umbilical cord), to social networking sites, and even GPS devices, parents have more tools at their disposal than ever before to communicate with, supervise, and even spy on their children. These play important and often surprising roles in the phenomenon of parenting out of control. Yet the technologies parents choose, and those they refuse to use, often seem counterintuitive. Nelson shows that these choices make sense when viewed in the light of class expectations.

Today’s parents are faced with unprecedented opportunities and dangers for their children, and are evolving novel strategies to adapt to these changes. Nelson’s lucid and insightful work provides an authoritative examination of what happens when these new strategies go too far.

Investigates social parents – people who function as parents but who may not be recognized as such
in the eyes of the law

What makes a person a parent? Around the world, same-sex couples are raising children; parents are separating and re-partnering, creating blended families; and children are living with grandparents, family friends, and other caregivers. In these situations, there is often an adult who acts like a parent but who is unconnected to the child through biogenetics, marriage, or adoption—the common paths for establishing legal parenthood. In many countries, this person is called a “social parent.” Psychologically, and especially from a child’s point of view, a social parent is a parent. But the legal status of a social parent is hotly debated.

Social Parenthood in Comparative Perspective considers how the law does—and how it should—recognize social parenthood. The book begins with a psychological account of social parenthood, establishing the importance of a relationship between a child and a social parent and the harms of not protecting this relationship. It then turns to social scientists to identify and explore some circumstances when a child may have a social parent. And to compare legal responses to social parenthood, the book draws on the expertise of legal scholars in nine countries in North America and Europe. The legal contributors describe the existing laws governing social parents, critique their efficacy, and offer new insights. Though almost all of the countries analyzed have adapted to the new reality of family life by recognizing social parents in some manner, the nature and extent of the recognition varies widely.

The volume concludes by discussing some of the issues flowing from the decision to recognize social parents, including whether social parents should have the same legal rights and responsibilities as other legal parents, whether all social parents must be treated identically, whether the law should limit a child to two parents, and much more. Families are changing, and the law must adapt accordingly. Social Parenthood in Comparative Perspective charts a way forward by offering solutions to help policymakers consider options for addressing social parenthood.

Explores the surprising diversity of fathers and fatherhood throughout American history and society

The nuclear family has been endlessly praised as the bedrock of American society, even though there has rarely been a time in history when a majority of Americans lived in such families. This book deconstructs the myth of the nuclear family by presenting the rich diversity of family lives in American history from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century. To tell this story, Jürgen Martschukat focuses on fathers and their relations to families and American society. Using biographical close-ups of twelve different characters, each embedded in historical context, American Fatherhood provides a much more realistic picture of how fatherhood has been performed within different kinds of families. Each protagonist covers a crucial period or event in American history, presents a different family constellation, and makes a different argument with regard to how American society is governed through the family.

Ditch the devices and bring back the magic of being a kid

Screens are everywhere. Children spend an average of 7.5 hours on digital devices every day with profoundly negative consequences. While some tech may "amplify" real-life experience, the vast majority undermines it by limiting physical activity, creating anxiety, or damaging self-esteem. Childhood Unplugged takes a bold approach to creating healthy boundaries around the use of digital media.

Drawing on her own family's experience, plus interviews with digital minimalists, educators, and child development experts, Katherine Martinko presents:

• Meticulously researched analysis of the impacts of excessive screen time on children's physical, neurological, emotional, and social development
• Specific pathways to reduced screen exposure, naturally leading to more time spent outdoors, increased confidence and empathy, and more creative and active play
• Inspiration for caregivers overwhelmed by the thought of severing ties with the digital babysitter
• Age-appropriate advice for parents of babies and toddlers, school-aged children, and adolescents.

Taking a calming, nonjudgmental approach, Childhood Unplugged is a lifeline for parents, caregivers, educators, and anyone who questions the role of digital media and yearns for the young people in their life to experience the profound beauty and magic of childhood.

AWARDS

• FINALIST | 2023 Foreword INDIES Awards: Family & Relationships

Live your passion and purpose and change the world as an empowered elder.

Your career has wound down, the kids have moved, and your schedule is clear...for the next 30 years.

In your youth, you cared about people and planet earth, and you had grand visions of changing the world. At some point, those passions and that sense of purpose got buried under diapers and the 9-5. Still, that old you remains alive. Now, with the rest of your life ahead, you can be the change and make this next stage of your life the most powerful yet.

But where to start?

Helen Wilkes, a retired professor and activist, takes readers on an inspiring journey to find renewed purpose in retirement. Along the way she helps readers navigate the transition to a post-work identity by fanning the embers of lost passions and developing new interests.

Whether you are drawn to gardening clubs, to social justice issues, political campaigning, ethical investing, or creativity through the arts, The Aging of Aquarius offers inspiration, practical steps, and extra resources to help reignite your passion, your sense of purpose, and to effect real change in the world as an empowered elder.

Everything you need to know to create an intentional community from scratch

An intentional community is a group of people who have chosen to live or work together in pursuit of a common ideal or vision. An ecovillage is a village-scale intentional community that intends to create, ecological, social, economic, and spiritual sustainability over several generations.

The 90s saw a revitalized surge of interest in intentional communities and ecovillages in North America: the number of intentional communities listed in the Communities Directory increased 60 percent between 1990 and 1995. But only 10 percent of the actual number of forming-community groups actually succeeded. Ninety percent failed, often in conflict and heartbreak. After visiting and interviewing founders of dozens of successful and failed communities, along with her own forming-community experiences, the author concluded that "the successful 10 percent" had all done the same five or six things right, and "the unsuccessful 90 percent" had made the same handful of mistakes. Recognizing that a wealth of wisdom were contained in these experiences, she set out to distill and capture them in one place.

Creating a Life Together is the only resource available that provides step-by-step, practical "how-to" information on how to launch and sustain a successful ecovillage or intentional community. Through anecdotes, stories, and cautionary tales about real communities, and by profiling seven successful communities in depth, the book examines "the successful 10 percent" and why 90 percent fail; the role of community founders; getting a group off to a good start; vision and vision documents; decision-making and governance; agreements; legal options; finding, financing, and developing land; structuring a community economy; selecting new members; and communication, process, and dealing well with conflict. Sample vision documents, community agreements, and visioning exercises are included, along with abundant resources for learning more.

Uncovers the class and race dimensions of the "cupcake wars"

In the wake of school-lunch reform debates, heated classroom cupcake wars, and concerns over childhood obesity, the diet of American children has become a “crisis” and the cause of much anxiety among parents.

Many food-conscious parents are well educated, progressive and white, and while they may explicitly value race and class diversity, they also worry about less educated or less well-off parents offering their children food that is unhealthy. Jennifer Patico embedded herself in an urban Atlanta charter school community, spending time at school events, after-school meetings, school lunchrooms, and private homes. Drawing on interviews and ethnographic observation, she details the dilemma for parents stuck between a commitment to social inclusion and a desire for control of their children’s eating. Ultimately, Patico argues that the attitudes of middle-class parents toward food reflect an underlying neoliberal capitalist ethic, in which their need to cultivate proper food consumption for their children can actually work to reinforce class privilege and exclusion.

Listening closely to adults' and children's food concerns, The Trouble with Snack Time explores those unintended effects and suggests how the "crisis" of children’s food might be reimagined toward different ends.

Honorable Mention, 2020 Stirling Prize for Best Published Work in Psychological Anthropology, given by the Society for Psychological Anthropology

Honorable Mention, New Millennium Book Award, given by the Society for Medical Anthropology

How youth on the autism spectrum negotiate the contested meanings of neurodiversity

Autism is a deeply contested condition. To some, it is a devastating invader, harming children and isolating them. To others, it is an asset and a distinctive aspect of an individual’s identity. How do young people on the spectrum make sense of this conflict, in the context of their own developing identity?

While most of the research on Asperger’s and related autism conditions has been conducted with individuals or in settings in which people on the spectrum are in the minority, this book draws on two years of ethnographic work in communities that bring people with Asperger’s and related conditions together. It can thus begin to explore a form of autistic culture, through attending to how those on the spectrum make sense of their conditions through shared social practices.

Elizabeth Fein brings her many years of experience in both clinical psychology and psychological anthropology to analyze the connection between neuropsychological difference and culture. She argues that current medical models, which espouse a limited definition, are ill equipped to deal with the challenges of discussing autism-related conditions. Consequently, youths on the autism spectrum reach beyond medicine for their stories of difference and disorder, drawing instead on shared mythologies from popular culture and speculative fiction to conceptualize their experience of changing personhood.

In moving and persuasive prose, Living on the Spectrum illustrates that young people use these stories to pioneer more inclusive understandings of what makes us who we are.

They go by many names: helicopter parents, hovercrafts, PFHs (Parents from Hell). The news media is filled with stories of well-intentioned parents going to ridiculous extremes to remove all obstacles from their child’s path to greatness . . . or at least to an ivy league school. From cradle to college, they remain intimately enmeshed in their children’s lives, stifling their development and creating infantilized, spoiled, immature adults unprepared to make the decisions necessary for the real world. Or so the story goes.

Drawing on a wealth of eye-opening interviews with parents across the country, Margaret K. Nelson cuts through the stereotypes and hyperbole to examine the realities of what she terms “parenting out of control.” Situating this phenomenon within a broad sociological context, she finds several striking explanations for why today’s prosperous and well-educated parents are unable to set realistic boundaries when it comes to raising their children. Analyzing the goals and aspirations parents have for their children as well as the strategies they use to reach them, Nelson discovers fundamental differences among American parenting styles that expose class fault lines, both within the elite and between the elite and the middle and working classes.

Nelson goes on to explore the new ways technology shapes modern parenting. From baby monitors to cell phones (often referred to as the world’s longest umbilical cord), to social networking sites, and even GPS devices, parents have more tools at their disposal than ever before to communicate with, supervise, and even spy on their children. These play important and often surprising roles in the phenomenon of parenting out of control. Yet the technologies parents choose, and those they refuse to use, often seem counterintuitive. Nelson shows that these choices make sense when viewed in the light of class expectations.

Today’s parents are faced with unprecedented opportunities and dangers for their children, and are evolving novel strategies to adapt to these changes. Nelson’s lucid and insightful work provides an authoritative examination of what happens when these new strategies go too far.

As seen on BABYLIST

Mom's Choice Award Winner

From the CEO of Mommy’s Bliss comes a book for new moms that’s not about the baby. It’s about you, mama.

You might be just a few days out of the hospital or months into your sleep-deprived postpartum journey when the realization hits you: life as you know it—your whole identity—will never be the same. Mom Your Way will guide you through this fundamental shift into new motherhood. With a healthy dose of humor and comforting best-friend energy, Yasmin Kaderali shares judgment-free wisdom for navigating your postpartum life.

Based on Yasmin’s years serving moms at the helm of the wellness brand Mommy’s Bliss—and her own experience as the mom of two little boys—Mom Your Way dishes the dirt on what to expect in your postpartum months and offers useful advice on caring for your new self, from managing sleep and emotions to dealing with body changes that no one really talks about. You’ll learn about building your support network, setting boundaries with family and friends, resisting labels, and banishing mom guilt. Throughout, Yasmin offers relatable anecdotes, simple tips, trusted product recommendations, and journaling prompts to help you thrive in the fourth trimester and beyond.

Answers the question: Why are women freezing their eggs?

Why are women freezing their eggs in record numbers? Motherhood on Ice explores this question by drawing on the stories of more than 150 women who pursued fertility preservation technology. Moving between narratives of pain and empowerment, these nuanced personal stories reveal the complexity of women’s lives as they struggle to preserve and extend their fertility.

Contrary to popular belief, egg freezing is rarely about women postponing fertility for the sake of their careers. Rather, the most-educated women are increasingly forced to delay childbearing because they face a mating gap—a lack of eligible, educated, equal partners ready for marriage and parenthood. For these women, egg freezing is a reproductive backstop, a technological attempt to bridge the gap while waiting for the right partner. But it is not an easy choice for most. Their stories reveal the extent to which it is logistically complicated, physically taxing, financially demanding, emotionally draining, and uncertain in its effects.

In this powerful book, women share their reflections on their clinical encounters, as well as the immense hopes and investments they place in this high-tech fertility preservation strategy. Race, religion, and the role of men in the lives of single women pursuing this technology are also explored. A distinctly human portrait of an understudied and rapidly growing population, Motherhood on Ice examines what is at stake for women who take comfort in their frozen eggs while embarking on their quests for partnership, pregnancy, and parenting.

Your kids are looking at their screens All. The. Time.--and you're concerned. Maybe you've read Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation or Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods and you want to stop screen addiction and nature deficit disorder before it's too late. This book can help.

Don’t just focus on taking away screens; focus on creating a fun childhood!

2021 INDIE Awards Gold Winner (Family & Relationships category)

Katy Bowman is my go-to expert on the importance of movement for the body. Grow Wild is no exception to that. Filled with delightful, rich nuggets of information on everything from the best shoes to put on your child's feet (if necessary!) to the importance of climbing trees, this book is a real gem for any family wanting to make the most of their movement opportunities on a daily basis.--Angela Hanscom, author of Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children

Our kids are moving less than any other generation in human history; indoor time and screen time have skyrocketed. As adults and kids turn more to convenient, tech-based solutions, tasks that once required head-to-toe use of our muscles and bones can be done with a click and a swipe. Without meaning to, we’ve created an "anxious generation" by opting for wired convenience over the movement-rich environment that our physical, mental, and environmental health depends on.

Grow Wild helps parents start to address this massive problem, serving as a field guide to all the movement opportunities we’re currently missing.

Learn to stack your life for richer experiences that don’t take more time:

• Set up your home to promote more movement, naturally
• Dress for (movement) success
• Add snacktivities to your meals
• Plan dynamic celebrations
• Create a dynamic homework space
• Bring nature into your home and play

Bowman, a leader in the Movement movement, has written Grow Wild to show where movement used to fit into the activities of daily life and more importantly, how it can again.

The perfect companion to Bowman’s bestseller Move Your DNA, Grow Wild provides practical, everyday, nature-rich ideas on how to let kids move their DNA while doing things they’ll love. The book features:

• 100+ full-color photographs of kids and families moving
• Success stories from parents, grandparents, teachers
• Study sessions that make movement research more accessible to laypersons
• Written to all that work with children―parents, teachers, relatives, health professionals, and more
• A book to be referenced again and again as kids grow up!

Grow Wild is essential reading for a wide range of readers―anyone who spends time with children. Humans live in many places and there are countless movement opportunities wherever you live, you just need to know how to spot them.

Children and their families can thrive by learning to move more inside, adventure more outside, and grow wild in any environment.

Let’s face it—modern life is stressful. With constant demands on your time and attention, it’s not surprising that you’ve neglected what used to be your North Star: your relationship. You might feel disconnected from each other and stuck in a cycle of go-nowhere arguments. Perhaps you miss the spark that made you excited to see one another at the end of the day. You might long for the time when the two of you were in sync on most things and could laugh at misunderstandings and miscommunications.

Fire It Up is the solution to relationships that are struggling, feeling stale, or just in need of a little extra care. Experienced couples therapist Carolyn Sharp outlines a clear four-step process to bring back the love, connection, and vitality to any marriage, with humor and authenticity. She’ll help you understand how relationships work—and why your partner does that annoying thing. Get to the heart of the problem and empower yourself with the knowledge to make lasting change in your relationship.

Married Love or Love in Marriage (1918) is a book on reproductive health by Marie Stopes. Banned in the US and scorned by the British establishment, Married Love or Love in Marriage was controversial for its openness regarding sex and the use of contraceptives between husbands and wives. While relatively conservative by today’s standards, the pioneering work was an essential, bestselling book that guided generations of men and woman on how to nurture happy, healthy sexual relationships without increasing the stresses of motherhood and everyday life. "More than ever to-day are happy homes needed. It is my hope that this book may serve the State by adding to their number. Its object is to increase the joys of marriage, and to show how much sorrow may be avoided." Working with this goal in mind, Marie Stopes set out to rewrite the rulebook on sexual relationships between married men and women. Published the same year that she opened the first birth control clinic in the United Kingdom, Married Love or Love in Marriage pursued the thesis that desire and happiness could be nurtured within the home between a husband and wife by educating men and women on the use of contraceptives. An immediate bestseller, Stopes’ work marked a seismic shift in discourse on women’s reproductive health, paving the way for many of the reforms and attitudes some take for granted today. Risking her reputation and leaving behind a successful career in paleobotany, Stopes dedicated herself to the rights of women in England and around the world, for whom the burden of motherhood often proved not only limiting, but detrimental to their physical and mental health. This edition of Marie Stopes’ Married Love or Love in Marriage is a classic of British scientific literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

The Physiology of Marriage (1829) is a book length essay by French writer Honoré de Balzac. Written from the point of view of an author who has overheard scandalous conversations between two women, The Physiology of Marriage is both a critique of the institution of marriage and a satirical attempt to scientifically explain the cause and frequency of marital infidelity. The essay was an early success for Balzac, gaining him a reputation as a talented writer and creative critic of contemporary French society.

The essay consists of a series of meditations that approach marriage through a variety of scientific, philosophical, and anecdotal methods. Arguing that marriage is an institution that runs counter to human nature, the author uses questionable mathematics to calculate the number of married women in France who are likely to seek out affairs in order to feel a passion denied to them. Describing the likely signs of marital infidelity—standoffishness, a change in dress, lack of romance—he claims that French men have grown far too accepting of their wives’ affairs. Rather than reject the institution altogether—he sees it as integral to upholding the social order—the author suggests that young women be allowed a certain amount of freedom to explore their romantic inclinations and to prepare themselves for the banality of married life. The Physiology of Marriage finds satire in treating seriously and scientifically the often hidden and always complex matters of the heart, as well as through its suggestion that women, not men, are to blame for the proliferation of infidelity in France.

This edition of Honoré de Balzac’s The Physiology of Marriage is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Hints for Lovers explores the romantic rules of engagement by providing a detailed strategy to help readers successfully navigate and improve their own personal relationships. It offers a light-hearted take on how to find and maintain love in any era.

The author frequently examines the fundamental differences between men and women and how they inform romantic expression. He dives into the psychology of relationships as well as the impact of intimacy such as kissing and making love. It’s a comprehensive analysis of courtship that ranges from dating to engagement and ultimately, marriage.

Published in 1909, Hints for Lovers is greatly influenced by the social constructs of the early twentieth century. The tongue-in-cheek anecdotes consist of many dating principles that are still relevant today. Arnold Haultain’s playful point of view makes for an entertaining and delightful read.

With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Hints for Lovers is both modern and readable.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Most fathers parent less than most mothers. Those fathers who do parent equally or more so than mothers are poorly supported by our society. For children this means a loss of adult care, as well as an ongoing and sharply defined differentiation between fathers and mothers. Fathers are not present in children's lives to a significant degree, if at all, or when they are present, they are often rendered socially invisible. For many men, their parenthood is defined as biological or economic, while a minority of men struggle against the presumption that they are not caregivers.
In Redefining Fatherhood, Nancy Dowd argues that this skewed social pattern is mirrored and supported by law. Dowd makes the case for reenvisioning fatherhood away from genes and dollars, and toward nurture. Integrating economic, social and legal aspects of fathering, she makes the case for focusing on social, nurturing behavior as the core meaning of fatherhood. In this nuanced and complex analysis, she explores the barriers to redefinition, including concepts of masculinity, the interconnections between fathers and mothers, male violence and homophobia.
Redefining Fatherhood offers a progressive view on how men, and society at large, can change understandings and practices of fatherhood.

Winner, 2026 Adele E. Clarke Book Award, given by the ReproNetwork
Winner, 2024 Eileen Basker Memorial Prize, given by the Society for Medical Anthropology

How embryo adoption advances the Christian Right’s political goals for creating a Christian nation

In 1997, a group of white pro-life evangelical Christians in the United States created the nation’s first embryo adoption program to “save” the thousands of frozen human embryos remaining from assisted reproduction procedures, which they contend are unborn children. While a small part of US fertility services, embryo adoption has played an outsized role in conservative politics, from high-profile battles over public investment in human embryonic stem cell research to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Based on six years of ethnographic research with embryo adoption staff and participants, Risa Cromer uncovers how embryo adoption advances ambitious political goals for expanding the influence of conservative Christian values and power.

Conceiving Christian America is the first book on embryo adoption tracing how this powerful social movement draws on white saviorist tropes in their aims to reconceive personhood, with drastic consequences for reproductive rights and justice. Documenting the practices, narratives, and beliefs that move embryos from freezers to uteruses, this book wields anthropological wariness as a tool for confronting the multiple tactics of the Christian Right. Timely and provocative, Conceiving Christian America presents a bold and nuanced examination of a family-making process focused on conceiving a Christian nation.