Sociology Memoirs

July 2014, a lonely road at twilight outside Croppa Creek, New South Wales: 80-year-old farmer Ian Turnbull takes out a .22 and shoots environmental officer Glen Turner in the back. On one side, a farmer hoping to secure his family’s wealth on the richest agricultural soil in the country. On the other, his obsession: the government man trying to apply environmental laws.

Few people watch sport for its politics. Yet what happens on the field of play often reflects the problems in our society. Such was the case in the '80s, when black footballers emerged from the dressing room to find bananas being hurled from the stands, and racially motivated attacks and police harassment were the norm. Today, things have improved. Crowds are less hostile and stars like Anthony Joshua and Sir Mohamed Farah are among our most revered sporting heroes. But for athletes of colour, success on the field seldom converts to power away from it.

You Are the First You tells the story of Whitney Holtzman’s journey through the sports and marketing world as a female entrepreneur, and the lessons she learned along the way. Whitney’s career in pro sports has included stops at ESPN and Major League Baseball, in addition to working for entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk at VaynerMedia. Her passion is at the intersection of sports and making the world a better place, which was showcased when she then joined RISE, a racial equality nonprofit with every pro sports league on the board.

After serving as a nurse in WW2, Molly Corbally joined the brand-new NHS and became one of the first official District Health Visitors, attending to mothers and babies from all walks of life in the picturesque village near Coventry she came to call home. Social work was uncharted territory at the time, and Britain was very much worse for wear - TB, polio, measles and whooping cough were just some of the hazards new babies faced. Social conditions could also add to the problems, when poverty and alcoholism were rife.

It’s the late 1960s, and two lovers converge on an arid patch of earth in South India. John Walker is the handsome scion of a powerful East-Coast American family. Diane Maes is a beautiful hippie from Belgium. They have come to build a new world - Auroville, an international utopian community for thousands of people. Their faith is strong, the future bright.

"La crise. On ne parlait que de ça, mais sans savoir réellement qu'en dire, ni comment en prendre la mesure. Tout donnait l'impression d'un monde en train de s'écrouler."

Natasha Carthew grew up in rural poverty in Cornwall, battling limited opportunities, precarious resources, escalating property prices, isolation and a community marked by the ravages of inequality. Her world existed alongside the postcard picture Cornwall, where wealth and privilege converged on sandy beaches and expensive second homes. In the rockpools and hedgerows of the natural world, Natasha found solace in the beauty of the landscape, and in the mobile library she found her means of escape. In her first non-fiction audiobook she returns to the cliff-paths of her childhood.

John Lynch was a promising athlete, but at age 11 was struck by a crippling illness. He was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis (JA), a disease that affects 300,000 children, making them unable to live full-functioning, pain-free lives. John continued to seek new treatments, but not until age 53 was he given the “miracle drug” that enabled him to sustain a 30-year legal practice. During that time, he dedicated his life to helping others who suffered from JA and became a much-honored advocate for easing their distress.

From Somerset stalwart to acclaimed writer and broadcaster, Vic Marks has lived a life steeped in cricket. In Late Cuts, he takes us beyond the boundary rope, sharing the parts of the game fans don't get to see, from the food served at tea-time (then: sweaty ham, now: quinoa, cranberry and feta salad) to the politics of the dressing room. With chapters on what it feels like to be dropped, how to be a good 12th man, captaincy, selection and more, this amusing and insightful collection will delight all cricket lovers.

Kara Swanson is the author of I'll Carry the Fork! Recovering a Life After Brain Injury. Her book, her keynote speeches, and her Online blog have helped TBI survivors, their support people, and the medical community all over the globe. Now Kara returns for a 20th-anniversary encore to the original. Incorporating the struggles and the successful strategies of the countless thousands she has met and worked with these last 20 years, Kara has created a unique and extraordinary compliment to the original.

Wolfgang Bosbach hat etwas zu sagen - notfalls auch gegen die Linie der eigenen Partei. Seine Geradlinigkeit kommt bei den Bürgern an, die im unübersichtlichen und manchmal auch als unehrlich wahrgenommenen Politikbetrieb nach Orientierung suchen. Ein Interview von Hugo Müller-Vogg mit Wolfgang Bosbach über die Herausforderungen in Zeiten der Anti-Terror-Politik und der großen Flüchtlingsströme, über Werte in der heutigen Gesellschaft und über Deutschlands Rolle in Europa und der Welt.

In this last book by the late Donald Pitkin comes a story of the Schorcht family, through whose fortunes and struggles one can see the transformations of Germany through the long 20th century.

In this passionate book, one of America’s leading progressive voices empowers those who wish for a fairer society. This Fight Is Our Fight lays out the many wrongs Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren seeks to right and builds on her meme, ‘Nevertheless, she persisted’, which spread across the world as a rallying cry for the millions who wish to fight back.

A history of the activism and achievement of African American athletes from Jesse Owens to Serena Williams to Colin Kaepernick, who advanced the cause of social justice through their outspokenness, commitment, and integrity. Muhammad Ali refused to fight in a war he believed was immoral. Wilma Rudolph retired from track and field to campaign for civil rights. Taking a Knee, Taking a Stand tells their stories and the stories of other prominent African American male and female athletes who often risked their careers to fight racial discrimination and promote social justice.

Paralyzed and unable to speak after a stroke, Cathy Hutchinson was trapped inside her mind, only communicating with the outside world through her eyes. Then she heard about an experiment called BrainGate at Brown University that hoped to allow immobilized patients to control robotic limbs with their thoughts. But can what sounds like science fiction eventually transform the lives of quadriplegics? And could it help Cathy take control of her life? Jessica Benko tells the story of a radical new technology, a pioneering group of researchers, and one woman's effort to transcend her condition and the body itself.

Mark Falanga is a slick urban dweller, at the top of his game professionally, with a gorgeous corporate executive wife and a hip coterie in the coolest neighborhood in the city. But when baby makes three, Mark and his family enter the twilight zone called the suburbs, where public schools are good, many wives stay home, and children ride their tricycles in the driveway.

Night delivers a litter of eight puppies in a poor neighborhood in Springfield, Tennessee, the week before Melissa Armstrong first meets her. As a volunteer for a local nonprofit, Melissa has experience with strays and plans to rescue Night and her litter within days. But nothing goes as planned. For the next six months, Melissa and a ragtag cast of characters try to trap the mutt with nets, catchpoles, spring traps, cheeseburgers, hot dogs stuffed with Benadryl, and the dog’s crying puppies. They fail so many times that Melissa is on the brink of giving up.

Growing up gifted and working-class in the foothills of the Ozarks, Monica and Darci became fast friends. The girls bonded over a shared love of learning as they navigated the challenges of their declining town and tumultuous family lives - broken marriages, shuttered stores and factories. They pored over the giant map in their classroom, tracing their fingers over the world that awaited them, vowing to escape. In the end, Monica left Clinton for university and fulfilled her dreams. Darci, along with many in their circle of friends, did not.

Memories of the Covid-19 pandemic stir up feelings of dread, isolation, and for some, death. As death tolls rose, Dr Suzanne Belibi jumped into action and discovered a medical strategy that effectively treated the disease, saved hundreds of lives, and restored families. The Audacity to Treat Covid-19 explains how through medical science and faith Dr. Belibi helped the most extreme cases survive.

Settembre 1887: una donna reporter non si è mai vista, ma la sua idea di un'inchiesta sotto copertura a Blackwell Island, manicomio femminile di New York, convince Cockerill e Pulitzer ad assumere Nellie Bly al "New York World". Quel suo reportage farà la storia del giornalismo. Nel tempo Nellie racconterà l'America agli americani e sarà pioniera di una figura mai esistita prima: la donna indipendente, artefice del proprio destino, la giornalista intrepida armata solo del proprio sguardo libero e della propria voce.