Skip to Main Content
logo

Library Services

Public, Social, & Behavioral Sciences Resource Guide

Databases of interest

New books!

Women writing musicals: the legacy that the history books left out

The first-ever book to tell the stories of over 300 inspiring women who wrote Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals that Publishers Weekly calls "an exhaustive tribute to women whose contributions to Broadway musical history have often been overlooked." Library Journal praises the book, saying, "Tepper has fashioned a winning book on the unsung heroines of Broadway musicals that will be appreciated by readers of women’s studies and theater lore." Kirkus Reviews says it's an "encyclopedic reference" and a "long-overdue tribute to female lyricists and composers." From the composers who pounded the pavement selling their music in Tin Pan Alley at the turn of the twentieth century; to the lyricists who broke new ground writing shows during the Great Depression; to the book writers who penned protest musicals fighting for social justice during the 1970s; to those who are revitalizing the landscape of American theatre today, Women Writing Musicals tells the stories of over 300 inspiring women who wrote Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals. Jennifer Ashley Tepper's definitive book covers prolific and celebrated Broadway writers like Betty Comden and Jeanine Tesori, women who have written musicals but gained fame elsewhere like Dolly Parton and Sara Bareilles, and dramatists you’ve never heard of—but definitely should have. Among the gems shared here are the stories of Clara Driscoll, who saved the Alamo and also wrote a Broadway musical; Micki Grant, whose mega-hit musical about the Black experience made her the first woman to write book, music, and lyrics for a Broadway show; María Grever, who made her Broadway debut at age 56 and who was the first Mexican female composer to achieve international success; and the first all-female writing team for a Broadway musical, in 1922: Annelu Burns, Anna Wynne O’Ryan, Madelyn Sheppard, and Helen S. Woodruff. This book is a treasure trove for theatre-loving readers that Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor and singer Kristin Chenoweth praises as "a wonderful resource for actors, and an important read for anyone interested in theatre."

Understanding Bipolar Disorder: the Essential Family Guide: tools to thrive together

A compassionate approach to understanding and supporting loved ones with bipolar disorder If your loved one was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you probably have a lot of questions and concerns about how to help them live the healthiest life possible. Understanding Bipolar Disorder answers those questions and offers helpful guidance with essential information, practical strategies, and support for families of people suffering from bipolar disorder. Learn about what bipolar is, how it's diagnosed, the science behind it, and the treatments available, including medication, therapies, and community support. You'll find effective tools for dealing with a diagnosis as a family, advice for exploring therapy options as a team, and simple techniques for managing your family's stress levels to prevent emotional burnout. Understanding Bipolar Disorder includes: Relatable anecdotes--Read about what it's like to have bipolar disorder and to live with someone who has it. Family friendly activities--Explore exercises and questions you can work through together so you can learn how to best support your loved one with bipolar. Tools for thriving together--Discover tools that help you flourish as a family, including advice for getting ahead of moods, setting boundaries, maintaining healthy relationships, self-care, and more. Take the first step toward understanding and managing bipolar disorder--together.

Social Anxiety for Dummies

Break free from social anxiety, one step at a time Feeling anxious around people? Not sure where to start? Then this user-friendly, practical resource might be exactly what you're looking for. This workbook helps you tackle your fear of judgment and worry about what others think of you. You'll find simple step-by-step instructions, worksheets and real-world examples to help you gain insight and control over your social anxiety. Social Anxiety For Dummies is a solution-focused guide to creating a new mindset about social anxiety and your ability to cope with it. This book has easy-to-understand information and effective strategies to help you make positive changes in your life. Packed with tips and tools to conquer your social anxiety Create positive self-talk, reduce avoidance and face your fears Discover how to deal with social situations, dating, public speaking, kids with social anxiety and workplace anxiety Explore how positive psychology can help you live a life of meaning, with or without social anxiety A complete guide with proven ideas, this is a jargon-free and a fun approach to gaining mastery over your social anxiety. Social Anxiety For Dummies puts you on the fast track to building your self-esteem and confidence.

Runaway Planet: how global warming is already changing the Earth

Saving the world won't happen on the silver screen. In our fragile ecosystem, climate change is swiftly becoming the defining issue of how to prepare--and protect--the earth for the future. The climate change debate raged on in America in 2015, but the facts and the science now show irrefutably that our world is rapidly changing, and that irreparable damage has already begun. From rising sea levels to the spread of disease-carrying insects, from disappearing glaciers to the hottest temperatures ever recorded, climate change as a direct result of human beings' actions affects everyone, and for many it is a matter of life or death. But progress is being made--with an historic United Nations meeting in Paris, with pledges by over one hundred countries to reduce emissions, with simple awareness. While many changes cannot be undone, great strides can still be made to stabilize regions most likely to be affected by climate change over the course of future generations. The Washington Post tackles this issue in vivid detail, profiling those who are at the forefront of the climate change debate--and those who are in the field, promoting the causes and doing the science that both warns and advocates for a safer tomorrow, for the earth and all its inhabitants.

Roots and Legends : folktales from African culture

Pass down the powerful teachings of African and African American oral traditions with these 50 beautifully illustrated cultural folktales. In this captivating collection of folklore from the African diaspora, discover the stories that have been passed down through generations and continue to teach valuable lessons today through their vibrant, illustrative language. Through its 50 folktales, Roots & Legends celebrates the richness of the African and African American cultures and champions the importance of oral tradition, a practice that rose up through the dark times of slavery and oppression. Thoughtfully curated and richly illustrated, Roots & Legends features the wonder and educational lessons of cultural stories and figures such as: The Flying Africans Sukey and the Mermaid The Legend of Big Momma How the Leopard Got Its Spots Coyote Steals the Sun The Haunting of Sweet Hollow Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock And more! Divided into seven sections covering the spiritual nature of animals, people, the land and its sometimes spooky inhabitants, and more, each page is filled with timeless tales of heroes, tricksters, and everyday wisdom, and invites you to immerse yourself in the depth and beauty of African and African American folklore. A perfect choice for families interested in passing down African and African American heritage through storytelling traditions, Roots & Legends will enchant readers of all ages through its beautifully illustrated and accessible collection of folklore.

Realizing the Promise and Minimizing the Perils of AI for Science and the Scientific Community

Recommendations from the scientific community to ensure that the development and use of AI honors scientific norms In late 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, an AI chatbot capable of generating conversational answers and analyses, as well as images, in response to user questions and prompts. This generative AI is built with computational procedures, such as large language models, that train on vast bodies of human-created and curated data, including huge amounts of scientific literature. Since then, the worry that AI may someday outsmart humans has only grown more widespread. In the past, as society grappled with the implications of new technologies—ranging from nuclear energy to recombinant DNA—the scientific community developed practices designed to increase adherence to the norms that have protected the integrity of each new form of scientific exploration, development, and deployment. In the process, scientists expanded their community's repertoire of mechanisms designed to advance emerging science and technology while safeguarding the integrity of science and the wellbeing of the nation and its people. This book provides a historical perspective on and an ethical approach to emerging AI technologies; an overview of AI frameworks and principles; and an assessment of AI's current advances, hurdles, and potential. Experts from the fields of behavioral and social sciences, ethics, biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science, as well as leaders in higher education, law, governance, and science publishing and communication, comprise the book's contributors. Their essays remind us that, even as our understandings of emerging technologies and of their implications evolve, science's commitment to core norms and values remains steadfast. The volume's conclusion advocates for following principles of human accountability and responsibility when using artificial intelligence in research, including transparent disclosure and attribution; verification and documentation of AI-generated data and analysis; a focus on ethics and equity; and continuous oversight and public engagement.

Not Just a Bad Day : understanding depression

Depression affects approximately 280 million people around the world, and it's only becoming more common. As of 2021, 1 in 5 American adolescents had experienced a major depressive episode in the year prior alone. Depression can occur in anyone, and a variety of factors, from genetics to specific experiences, play a role in its development. With depression becoming increasingly prevalent, it is important to understand the disorder and the causes and symptoms related to it. This helps people identify it and support others or themselves. Not Just a Bad Day highlights what depression is, how it occurs, what treatments are available, and related conditions that may accompany it. Discover more about this widespread disorder.

Jobs If You Like Social Media

There are many career options for people who like social media. This book explores what it's like to be a content creator, social media manager, customer service representative, and digital forensics investigator. Job descriptions, required training, tips for getting started, and future directions for each career are included.

It Didn't Start with You: how inherited family trauma shapes who we are and how to end the cycle

A groundbreaking approach to transforming traumatic legacies passed down in families over generations, by an acclaimed expert in the field   Depression. Anxiety. Chronic Pain. Phobias. Obsessive thoughts. The evidence is compelling: the roots of these difficulties may not reside in our immediate life experience or in chemical imbalances in our brains--but in the lives of our parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents. The latest scientific research, now making headlines, supports what many have long intuited--that traumatic experience can be passed down through generations. It Didn't Start with You builds on the work of leading experts in post-traumatic stress, including Mount Sinai School of Medicine neuroscientist Rachel Yehuda and psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score. Even if the person who suffered the original trauma has died, or the story has been forgotten or silenced, memory and feelings can live on. These emotional legacies are often hidden, encoded in everything from gene expression to everyday language, and they play a far greater role in our emotional and physical health than has ever before been understood.   As a pioneer in the field of inherited family trauma, Mark Wolynn has worked with individuals and groups on a therapeutic level for over twenty years. It Didn't Start with You offers a pragmatic and prescriptive guide to his method, the Core Language Approach. Diagnostic self-inventories provide a way to uncover the fears and anxieties conveyed through everyday words, behaviors, and physical symptoms. Techniques for developing a genogram or extended family tree create a map of experiences going back through the generations. And visualization, active imagination, and direct dialogue create pathways to reconnection, integration, and reclaiming life and health. It Didn't Start With You is a transformative approach to resolving longstanding difficulties that in many cases, traditional therapy, drugs, or other interventions have not had the capacity to touch.

Generative Artificial Intelligence: what everyone needs to know

Advances in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) have created a new class of computer systems that exhibit astonishing proficiency on a wide variety of tasks with superhuman performance, producing novel text, images, music, and software by analyzing enormous collections of digitized information. Soon, these systems will provide expert medical care; offer legal advice; draft documents; write computer programs; tutor our children; and generate music and art. These advances will accelerate progress in science, art, and human knowledge, but they will also bring new dangers. Have we finally discovered the holy grail of AI - machines that match or exceed human intelligence? Which industries and professions will thrive, and which will wither? What risks and dangers will it pose? How can we ensure that these systems respect our ethical principles? Will the benefits be broadly distributed or accrue to a lucky few? How will GAI alter our political systems and international conflicts? Are we merely a stepping stone to a new form of non-biological life, or are we just getting better at building useful gadgets? Generative Artificial Intelligence: What Everyone Needs to Know® equips readers with the knowledge to answer these pressing questions.

First Job 101: a teen guide to employment

Finding a job can be overwhelming, even for a seasoned professional. For first-time job applicants, it can be even harder not knowing the ins and outs of job searching and applications. From determining what jobs are available to balancing work and school, you can approach your first job search informed about the working world and with skills to present yourself as a dependable and valuable worker. This book is filled with practical advice about searching for job opportunities, creating a marketable résumé, preparing for interviews, and learning how to be a professional in any setting. Learn about the job application process, the importance of professionalism, and how to use a first job to build a life-long career.

Cracking the Cybersecurity Interview: essential strategies and learn concepts

This book establishes a strong foundation by explaining core concepts like operating systems, networking, and databases. Understanding these systems forms the bedrock for comprehending security threats and vulnerabilities. The book gives aspiring information security professionals the knowledge and skills to confidently land their dream job in this dynamic field.This beginner-friendly cybersecurity guide helps you safely navigate the digital world. The reader will also learn about operating systems like Windows, Linux, and UNIX, as well as secure server management. We will also understand networking with TCP/IP and packet analysis, master SQL queries, and fortify databases against threats like SQL injection. Discover proactive security with threat modeling, penetration testing, and secure coding. Protect web apps from OWASP/SANS vulnerabilities and secure networks with pentesting and firewalls. Finally, explore cloud security best practices using AWS to identify misconfigurations and strengthen your cloud setup.The book will prepare you for cybersecurity job interviews, helping you start a successful career in information security. The book provides essential techniques and knowledge to confidently tackle interview challenges and secure a rewarding role in the cybersecurity field.

Beyond Distraction : understanding ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the second most impactful condition on young people's health in the United States. But ADHD is a complex disorder and is often misunderstood or stereotyped as just a few symptoms. ADHD may present with many different symptoms. Social factors such as age can also affect how the disorder manifests. Recognizing the breadth and complexity of ADHD helps people not only support someone with the disorder but also understand what their options are if they are diagnosed. This timely guide explains the causes, symptoms, and diagnosis of ADHD and covers ongoing research into the disorder, coping strategies, and treatments such as therapy options and medication. Find out more about ADHD and gain resources for understanding, treating, and living with it in Beyond Distraction.

Anxiety Rx : a revolutionary new prescription for anxiety relief - from the doctor who created it

This program is read by the author. From physician and neuroscientist Russell Kennedy, MD comes an award-winning book that offers a revolutionary, life-changing approach to healing anxiety. Dive into the refined and upgraded second edition—now even more practical! After years of trying different therapies for his debilitating anxiety without success, Dr. Russell Kennedy had an epiphany: anxiety does not start in the brain. Anxiety starts in the body, where trauma is stored and physical and emotional perception begin. Alarm bells originating in the body are what trigger those anxious thoughts that we call anxiety, and Russ realized that true healing starts only when we learn not to conflate the two. He understood that existing therapies focused only on the mind would never get to the root of the problem—at best, they could help manage symptoms, but they'd never truly heal anxiety. Wanting to make a difference for the millions who suffer from anxiety disorder, Russ created Anxiety Rx , a book that blends his personal story with medical science, neuroscience, and developmental psychology. Readers learn how to sever the connection between the somatic alarm and the flood of anxious thoughts—in the process they begin to heal old trauma and gain a sense of control previously unknown. Russ offers techniques not only for our thinking minds, but for our feeling bodies, changing not just our mindset, but our "body-set." Unraveling the intricate relationship between anxiety, the body, and the mind, Anxiety Rx offers a profound path toward healing and growth. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press Essentials.

Cleaning up Greenwash: corporate environmental crime and the crisis of capitalism

Through a green criminological perspective, Angus Nurse examines the contemporary reality of corporate environmental crime and illegal activities that have become normalized within many major corporations. Arguably this is an inevitable consequence of a corporate culture that prioritizes profits and the smooth operation of market activities over environmental concerns coupled with the increased political power of major corporations that can act almost with impunity and where problems do occur, can literally buy itself out of trouble. These same corporations are broadly perceived as being responsible actors. However, Nurse argues that corporate environmental offending is often deliberate and that corporations understand that they will often be allowed to continue with polluting and non-compliant behavior because the likely enforcement responses are fines and settlements rather than criminal prosecution. Using several case studies, Nurse explores biopiracy and the rights of indigenous peoples, the behavior of oil companies in African states, the regulation of corporate social responsibility and corporate environmental responsibility, an analysis of contemporary environmental legislation and the prosecution of environmental harm, and state-corporate crime and air pollution. Dealing with these problems requires a wider notion of crime and wrongdoing that directly engages with the types of environmental offending that represent a threat to human populations and non-human nature irrespective of whether these are defined as crime by justice systems.

Black Girls and How We Fail Them

From hip-hop moguls and political candidates to talk radio and critically acclaimed films, society communicates that Black girls don't matter and their girlhood is not safe. Alarming statistics on physical and sexual abuse, for instance, reveal the harm Black girls face, yet Black girls' representation in media still heavily relies on our seeing their abuse as an important factor in others' development. In this provocative new book, Aria S. Halliday asserts that the growth of diverse representation in media since 2008 has coincided with an increase in the hatred of Black girls. Halliday uses her astute expertise as a scholar of popular culture, feminist theory, and Black girlhood to expose how we have been complicit in the depiction of Black girls as unwanted and disposable while letting Black girls fend for themselves. She indicts the way media mistreats celebrity Black girls like Malia and Sasha Obama as well as fictional Black girls in popular shows and films like A Wrinkle in Time. Our society's inability to see or understand Black girls as girls makes us culpable in their abuse. In Black Girls and How We Fail Them, a revelatory book for political analysts, hip-hop lovers, pop culture junkies, and parents, Halliday provides the critical perspective we need to create a world that supports, affirms, and loves Black girls. Our future depends on it.

Backyard Politics : a psychological understanding of today's political and social divide

A fresh understanding of today's political divide. Dr. Craig Wiener, a clinical psychologist for over forty years, approaches the current political divide from a desire to understand the differences between opposing political ideologies, and to create space for multiple points of view in highly charged political discussions. Utilizing an innovative way to conceptualize the two main viewpoints driving American politics, Dr. Wiener discusses how the people holding these perspectives may view, respond to, and interact with highly contentious political issues such as poverty, racism, the patriarchy, and family life. In assessing these issues, he proposes solutions for managing the interpersonal conflicts that occur within our tense political atmosphere. Backyard Politics is a must-read analysis of today's political landscape and a proposed way to overcome our intense differences.

The Autistic Trans Guide to Life

This essential survival guide gives autistic trans and/or non-binary adults all the tools and strategies they need to live as their very best self. Blending personal accounts with evidence-based insights and up-to-date information, and written from a perspective of empowerment and self-acceptance, the book promotes pride, strength and authenticity, covering topics including self-advocacy, mental health and camouflaging and masking as well as key moments in life such as coming out or transitioning socially and/or physically. Written by two leading autistic trans activists, this book honestly charts what life is like as an autistic trans person and is vital, life-affirming reading.

The Anti-Civil Rights Movement: affirmative action as wedge and weapon

In this deeply researched and powerfully written exposé, Mike Steve Collins pulls back the curtain on the networks of power and influence that are pulling the strings to undo progress toward a more just and equitable society. The efforts of this anti-civil rights movement, as Collins calls it, most recently came to a head on June 23, 2023, when the US Supreme Court effectively ended affirmative action in higher education and opened the door to even more regressive policies, laws, and bans. The ruling was the fulfillment of a decades-long battle by right-wing activists and their networks to divide the country. As Collins sees it, American society is trapped in a style of thinking and decision-making that makes bad choices seem rational. Called a prisoner's dilemma by game theorists and a hermeneutic trap by Collins, this way of thinking has led to policy choices that make everyone worse off, in part by creating hostility between communities that could productively work together and form powerful coalitions. The work of the anti-civil rights movement, led by figures such as Edward Blum and Christopher Rufo, has repeatedly found ways to undermine the shared interests of the American people by splitting coalitions and pitting marginalized groups against each other even while claiming and perhaps feeling the highest of motives. From racial segregation in the 1960s to the modern boogeyman of critical race theory, conservative elites have wielded cultural and political wedges to expand their power to set the political, educational, and legal agenda. Affirmative action has long been a weapon of choice in conservatives' arsenal against social progress, and few have leveraged it as successfully--and detrimentally--as Edward Blum. In 2014, the year after he helped gut the affirmative action aspect of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, Blum created Students for Fair Admissions and brought a suit against Harvard University for discriminating against Asian Americans. A decade later, this latest effort in a long string of traps and dilemmas became the Supreme Court case that upended affirmative action. Collins's groundbreaking work is a field guide to the personalities, funding, and dilemmas that characterize the ongoing war between the civil rights movement and the anti-civil rights movement--between the forces represented by figures such as Thurgood Marshall, a hero of the civil rights movement, and his replacement on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, a hero of the anti-civil rights movement. This book will help readers better understand the battles that have been fought in the past, where the next fight might take place, and what will be necessary in order to win.

Under fire and under water : wildlife, flooding, and the fight for climate resilience in the American West

As a detailed look at the rising stakes and urgency of the various interconnected issues, this book is an important first step toward that understanding--and consequently toward the rethinking and reengineering that will allow people to live sustainably in the American West under the conditions of future global warming.