Many people may not realize this or think about it in this way, but infertility and reproductive problems are "big business" now. A new book gives it a name: "the baby business". This book is an important look at several important aspects: "the high-tech commodification of procreation: the fabulous revenues commercial fertility clinics earn from couples' desperate desire for children and the ensuing conflicts between medical ethics and the profit motive; the premiums paid for sperm and eggs from genetically desirable donors; the possible exploitation of poor, nonwhite and Third World surrogate mothers paid to gestate the spawn of wealthy Westerners; the fine line between modern adoption practices and outright baby selling..." (Publisher's Weekly Review).
For a important, interesting perspective on this "business" check out:
The Baby Business: how money, science, and politics drive the commerce of conception by Debora L. Spar
Call # RG133.5.S666 2006
In Prison Air: the cells of Holmesburg Prison is a collection of stunning photographs. They capture the graffiti, the art, the anger, the isolation and desolation of prison life. There is no text to explain them, no words about the abuse, overcrowding, drug experiments. But the nothingness in many of them is sufficient explanation and terrifying. As the sign in one cell says, "For whom, for what?"
(Vairo Library HV9481.P52H657 2005)
A psychologist, social worker, and a communications specialist join forces to offer assistance to those helping chldren and families deal with the effects of disasters in When Their Worlds Fall Apart. There are sections describing the effects of disasters on children and families, including natural disasters, technological and complex mult-system disasters. There are also chapters focusing on various interventions including prevention, handling a crisis, postdisaster needs, planning, dealing with the media, and helping the helpers. The book is chock full of real life examples, worksheets, and sources of additional information. Human service professionals are the target, but parents would also benefit from looking at this book. (Vairo Library HV553.W48 2005)