Urban Culture

When Taylor Flinn's parents shipped her off to an aunt for her last year of high school, James "Clutch" Mason had convinced himself it was for the best. Taylor, the wild, impulsive, and far too appealing 17-year-old had been driving him nuts. Her schoolgirl crush on him had been the last thing he needed. Now he had time to concentrate on his booming classic-car-part business, his newfound love of drag racing, and keeping his 20-year-old brother Barrett out of trouble.

The loss of walking as an individual and a community act has the potential to destroy our deepest spiritual connections, our democratic society, our neighborhoods, and our freedom. But we can change the course of our mobility. And we need to. Delving into a wealth of science, history, and anecdote, from our deepest origins as hominins to our first steps as babies, to universal design and social infrastructure, A Walking Life shows exactly how walking is essential, and how deeply reliant our brains and bodies are on this simple pedestrian act - and how we can reclaim it.

Intriguing events happen in the bayou when Hollywood comes to town. Lauren’s gap year is supposed to be about making extra money and figuring out what to do with the next phase of her life. Realistically, it’s a break between taking care of her alcoholic brother and certified insane mother. She deserves to have some fun, and to find trouble. However, trouble follows Lauren, with its wicked sense of humor, and thought it would be fun to gift her two love interests, who happen to be rivals. Her first gift is Latin heartthrob Jackson Cruz. Along with his notorious reputation, he is a cocky...

Everywhere we turn, a new device promises to transfigure our lives. But at what cost? In this urgent and revelatory excavation of our Information Age, leading technology thinker Adam Greenfield forces us to reconsider our relationship with the networked objects, services, and spaces that define us. It is time to re-evaluate the Silicon Valley consensus determining the future. We're told that innovations - from augmented - reality interfaces and virtual assistants to autonomous delivery drones and self-driving cars - will make life easier, more convenient, and more productive.

When Cassie, the woman he loves, leaves him for a job in New York, Dray Warner finds his life falling apart. With nothing else to lose, he takes up his friend's, Barrett Mason's, offer to head down to Mexico for some surfing and good times. But Dray's conscience, hot temper, and extreme fighting skills hurl him into a world of danger...a danger that could cost him his life.

Did a spider actually lay its eggs in a woman’s face? Do alligators really live in the New York City sewers? Listeners will be captivated by mysterious urban legends while also learning the facts about each claim. Which rumors hold a hint of truth and which claims are totally bonkers?

James Howard Kunstler's critically acclaimed and best-selling The Long Emergency, originally published in 2005, quickly became a grassroots hit, going into nine printings in hardcover. Kunstler's shocking vision of our post-oil future caught the attention of environmentalists and business leaders alike, and stimulated widespread discussion about our dependence on fossil fuels and our dysfunctional financial and government institutions.

It's 2042 and the country has gone back to more 'traditional' times. The National Realignment Act of 2037 effectively saw the repeal of equality between the sexes. "More and more, it is becoming evident that the single most divisive element of our society is that of equality. Equality is not part of the normal progression of nature; in fact, it is an aberration that has been introduced and must be rectified.” - Preamble, NRA 2037 Though it's only been five years since its inception, the Female Distribution System has already decreased violent crime, general hostility, and peace as more ...

This Very Short Introduction recounts the history of American culture and its creation by diverse social and ethnic groups. In doing so, it emphasizes the historic role of culture in relation to broader social, political, and economic developments. Across the lines of race, class, gender, and sexuality, as well as language, region, and religion, diverse Americans have forged a national culture with a global reach, inventing stories that have shaped a national identity and an American way of life.

Suzanna Steam is a sexy and entirely enigmatic figure... After seeing her on campus, Trent will stop at nothing to find her, even if it means leaving the planet! Sometimes a person sees that perfect, special something and it's love or at least lust at first sight. For Trent, that special person is Suzanna Steam. If you think stalking someone online is committment, think again. Trent finally tracks the elusive steampunk beauty down on another planet; Terbia, where the Lentency tables are hot and the local girls are even hotter! It wasn't his fault he accidentally fell in love with a member ...

When a blogger with a vendetta investigates him, a teen werewolf must outwit paranormal monster hunters. Sixteen-year-old Cody Forester has a secret identity. He’s a werewolf. Kind of like a superhero with fangs. But when he wolfs out while protecting the girl he loves, he does more than make the front-page news. He comes to the attention of Storey Evans, a popular blogger who views herself as an investigative reporter. When she was young, Storey witnessed her father being torn to shreds by a pack of werewolves. The horror of that night turned into a vendetta. She now runs a blog called ...

Don’t Try to Ride the Wave of 20th-Century Ministry Leaders, are you called to a place where Jesus’ name is most often spouted as a curse word? Because in the 21st-century, the culture is shifting. The “easy places” are increasingly post-Christian—even pre-Christian. If you want to minister successfully right now, you must: • Learn the mind-shifts necessary to make disciples in the world as it exists today • Rethink outmoded ideas of funding, metrics, and team-building • Find out how to model a faith community that’s relevant to the needs of the culture where God’s ...

Silicon Valley technology is transforming the way we work, and Uber is leading the charge. Upending our understanding of work in the digital age, Uberland paints a future where any of us might be managed by a faceless boss. Based on award-winning technology ethnographer Alex Rosenblat's experience of riding over 5,000 miles with Uber drivers, daily visits to online forums, and face-to-face discussions with senior Uber employees, Uberland goes beyond the headlines to reveal the complicated politics of popular technologies that are manipulating both workers and consumers.

Newsroom Sparks Fly in the Heart of Cleveland... ...Will they break the story, or will the story break them? In the bustling heart of Cleveland, Tyler Washington, a relentless reporter for the revered Cleveland Chronicle, thrives on exposing the city's most hidden stories. His path often intersects with Andrea Hart, the newspaper's iron-willed managing editor—a formidable and tenacious black woman who orchestrates the newsroom like a maestro. In their intense world of journalism, an undeniable chemistry smolders between them. Both are haunted by past heartbreaks and harbor reservations ...

Tales of Hardship, Love and Happiness in Tate & Lyle’s East End Factories. On an autumn day in 1944, Ethel Alleyne walked the short distance from her house to Tate & Lyle’s refinery on the shining curve of the Thames. Looking up at the giant gates, Ethel felt like she had been preparing for this moment all her life. She smoothed down her frizzy hair, scraped a bit of dirt off the corner of her shoe and strode through. She was quite unprepared for the sight that met her eyes …

The Women Who Made New York reveals the untold stories of the phenomenal women who made New York City the cultural epicenter of the world. Many were revolutionaries and activists, like Zora Neale Hurston and Audre Lorde. Others were icons and iconoclasts, like Fran Lebowitz and Grace Jones. There were also women who led quieter private lives but were just as influential, such as Emily Warren Roebling, who completed the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge when her engineer husband became too ill to work.

Bicycle/Race paints an unforgettable picture of Los Angeles—and the United States—from the perspective of two wheels. This is a book of borderlands and intersections, a cautionary tale about the dangers of putting infrastructure before culture, and a coming-of-age story about power and identity.

Barrett "Rett" Mason has never found the one girl who can tame his wild heart. And sometimes life is just easier and less complicated without love. While working for Kingston Construction, Barrett becomes fast friends with the owner's son, Cole. They have one major thing in common - their insatiable appetite for women. But when Barrett meets Cole's sister, Finley, the easy, care-free, no commitment lifestyle he's grown used to suddenly loses its appeal. Now Barrett has met his match and the one girl who is just too damn impossible to walk out on.

Danny Hook is a directionless twenty-something-year-old fresh out of therapy. Dealing with his disappointed family and dead-end career, he's sure things couldn't get much worse, until a drink-driving accident leaves his best friend Nudge dead. Danny also discovers he can see ghosts - but only when he's drunk. Saddled with a best friend who can't leave his side, they must figure out what's going on and why Nudge can't cross over. Can Danny negotiate family life, therapy and a ghost that refuses to fade into the background before time runs out?

When a super-werewolf terrorizes his hometown, a teenage werewolf must dig deep to find courage enough to stand up to him. Cody Forester is a sixteen-year-old werewolf. He only found out six months ago, and already he is showing powers that Uncle Bob, his mentor, cannot match. His closest friends begin to think he is dangerous. Even Brittany, the girl he loves, says he is scary. Cody learns to keep his new abilities under wraps. Until another super-werewolf comes to South Florida. Vilk Bodark owns Georgia. He has a hand in a variety of illegal ventures: loan sharking, money laundering, ...