Two high school seniors believe their love to be so strong that it will last forever.

Once we bowled in leagues, usually after work; but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolizes a significant social change. Drawing on surveys on Americans' changing behavior over the past twenty-five years, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and social structures, whether the PTA, church, recreation clubs, political parties, or bowling leagues. Our shrinking access to the "social capital" that is the reward of communal activity and community sharing is a serious threat to our civic and personal health. The loss of social capital is felt in critical ways : communities with less social capital have lower educational performance and more teen pregnancy, child suicide, low birth weight, and prenatal mortality. Social capital is also a strong predictor of crime rates, other measures of neighborhood quality of life, and health. America has faced this crisis before. At the turn of the last century, social capital was at low ebb, reduced by urbanization, industrialization, and vast immigration that uprooted Americans from their friends, social institutions, and families. Faced with this challenge, the country righted itself. Within a few decades, a range of organizations was created, from the Red Cross, Boy Scouts, and YWCA to Hadassah and the Knights of Columbus and the Urban League and social capital was rebuilt. Putnam calls on Americans to start the process again.

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center--a women's reproductive health services clinic--its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage. After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic. But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the cross hairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

Finalist for the 2014 Lambda Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult “ What Makes a Baby is extraordinary! Cory is a Dr. Spock for the 21st century.”—Susie Bright “A Truly Inclusive Way to Answer the Question 'Where Do Babies Come From?': The new book What Makes a Baby offers an origin story for all children, no matter what their families look like." — The Atlantic "This is a solid, occasionally quirky book on an important topic." —School Library Journal Geared to readers from preschool to age eight, What Makes a Baby is a book for every kind of family and every kind of kid. It is a twenty-first century children’s picture book about conception, gestation, and birth, which reflects the reality of our modern time by being inclusive of all kinds of kids, adults, and families, regardless of how many people were involved, their orientation, gender and other identity, or family composition. Just as important, the story doesn’t gender people or body parts, so most parents and families will find that it leaves room for them to educate their child without having to erase their own experience. Written by sexuality educator Cory Silverberg, and illustrated by award-winning Canadian artist Fiona Smyth, What Makes a Baby is as fun to look at as it is useful to read.

THE BIBLE FOR EVERY COUPLE PREPARING FOR THE BIRTH OF A BABY When it was first introduced more than thirty years ago, the Lamaze method was a revolutionary childbirth technique. Since that time, it has made pregnancy and childbirth easier for millions of women, lessening their dependence on pain medications before and after birth. Elisabeth Bing’s classic book on the Lamaze method guides women through the physical and psychological challenges of pregnancy. Six Practical Lessons for an Easier Childbirth details the changes a woman can expect in her body during pregnancy, labor, and delivery and provides a complete program of exercises for increased muscular control and relaxation during childbirth. This guidebook also emphasizes the partner’s supportive role in the Lamaze method, both in preparation and in the delivery room. This newly revised edition includes an expanded program with new photographs of exercises for every pregnant woman. Elisabeth Bing also provides more information on what to expect in the hospital, including updated information on cesarean births and the medications commonly prescribed during delivery. Filled with vital information and reassurance, Six Practical Lessons for an Easier Childbirth will make expectant couples better prepared than ever for this joyous, rewarding experience.

From the trusted team of Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley, a classic resource for younger children receives its most ambitiously updated edition yet. How does a baby begin and how is it born? How did I begin? Why are some parts of kids' bodies different from some parts of other kids' bodies? Most younger kids have questions about reproduction, babies, love, sex, and gender, too. Some also have concerns. For over twenty years, It's So Amazing! has provided children age seven and up with the honest answers they're looking for through age-appropriate, reassuring words and accurate, up-to-date, inclusive art. Throughout the book, two cartoon characters, Bird and Bee, are the voices of kids. They talk together to help children feel that they are not the only ones wondering how we all began. Rigorously vetted by experts and featuring updated and new facts on pregnancy, birth, adoption, bodies, sexuality, gender identity, OK touches, not OK touches, straight and LGBTQ+ families and people, and many other topics, this comprehensive resource for kids, parents, librarians, teachers, booksellers, and healthcare providers is the book that can help younger kids and their families talk together and find answers to their many questions.

From actor, comedian, co-creator of Marcel the Shell, and New York Times bestselling author of Little Weirds, Jenny Slate, a wild, soulful, hilarious collection of genre-bending essays depicting the journey into motherhood as you’ve never seen it before. What happened was this: Jenny Slate was a human mammal who sniffed the air every morning hoping to find another person to love who would love her, and in that period there was a deep dark loneliness that she had to face and befriend, and then we are pleased to report that she did fall in love, and in that period she was like chimes, or a flock of clean breaths, and her spine lying flat was the many-colored planks on the xylophone, but also she was rabid with fear of losing this love, because of past injury. And then what happened was that she became a wild-pregnant-mammal-thing and then she exploded herself by having a whole baby blast through her vagina during a global plague and then she was expected to carry on like everything was normal—but was this normal, and had she or anything ever been normal? Herein lies an account of this journey, told in five phases—Single, True Love, Pregnancy, Baby, and Ongoing—through luminous, laugh-out-loud funny, unclassifiable essays that take the form of letters to a doctor, dreams of a stork, fantasy therapy sessions, gossip between racoons, excerpts from an imaginary olden timey play, obituaries, theories about post-partum hair loss, graduation speeches, and more. No one writes like Jenny Slate.

Rae Perry is young, unmarried, and far from home as she awaits the birth of her first child -- accompanied by the angry, moody man she's loved since high school. Lila Grey is a fortune-teller with no interest in the future, a mother who lost her daughter long ago, on a cold, cold day. Now, as these two women meet, it is earthquake weather in California -- when animals panic, friends and lovers quarrel, ice cubes dissolve in the palm of your hand. It is a time when things are in the air, and the unexpected happens. For Rae and Lila, it will mean the sudden intertwining of their lives and fates -- as each makes a bid to change her fortune forever...

The national C-section rate is at an all-time high of 31 percent. Are all these C-sections necessary, or are some of them done simply for the sake of convenience? Inductions seem to be the norm, but are they always needed? Today, expectant mothers are often left feeling powerless, as their instincts are replaced by drugs and routine medical procedures. What you are about to discover is that you have a choice, and you have the power to plan the kind of birth that's right for you -whether it is at a birth center, a hospital, or at home. In YOUR BEST BIRTH, internationally known advocates of informed choice Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein inspire women to take back the birth experience, with essential advice on: · Positive and negative effects of epidurals, Pitocin, and other drugs and interventions · Inducing vs. allowing your labor to progress naturally · The truth behind our country's staggering C-section rate · Assembling your birth team and creating your birth plan. With chapters such as "Obstetricians: Finding Dr. Right," "Epidurals: You Haven't Got Time for the Pain," and "Electronic Monitors: Reading between the Lines," Lake and Epstein will encourage you to consider whatever your doctor, mother, and best friend may suggest in a new light. The book also includes inspiring birth stories, including those from well-known personalities, such as Laila Ali and Cindy Crawford. Packed with crucial advice from childbirth professionals, and delivered in a down-to-earth, engaging voice, YOUR BEST BIRTH is sure to renew your confidence and put the control back where it belongs: with parents-to-be! Review: "Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake have taken a wonderful and constructive approach to ensuring an optimal birthing experience. Their language creates a 'climate of confidence' for pregnant women and their families, who must make key decisions about where, how and with whom to give birth in a health care system often unresponsive to our needs. This book is like a good friend giving wise counsel." --Judy Norsigian, co-editor of Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth and Executive Director, Our Bodies Ourselves

Jonathan Goldstein reimagines and recasts the Bible's greatest heroes and answers such age-old questions as : Wouldn't a person get bored living in a whale? How did Joseph explain Mary's pregnancy to the guys at work? And what was Cain's problem anyway? --back cover.

As Jodi Picoult's Picture Perfect begins, it is daybreak in downtown Los Angeles. A woman suffering from amnesia is taken in by an officer new to the L.A. police force, after he finds her wandering aimlessly near a graveyard. Days later, when her husband comes to claim her at the police station, no one is more stunned than Cassie Barrett to learn that not only is she a renowned anthropologist, but she is married to Hollywood's leading man, Alex Rivers.As Alex helps Cassie become reaccustomed to her fairy-tale existence, fragments of memory return: the whirlwind romance on location in Africa, her major anthropological discovery, the trajectory of Alex's career. Yet as Cassie settles into her glamor-filled life, uneasiness nags at her. She senses there is something troubling and wild that she cannot remember, something that would alter the picture of her perfect marriage. When she finds a positive pregnancy test in her bathroom, she is flooded with dark memories. Trying to piece together her past, she runs to the only person she trusts will keep her hidden--Will Flying Horse, the policeman who had initially harbored her.Moving from the sweltering African grasslands to the desolate plains of the reservation to the claustrophobic glitz of Hollywood, Jodi Picoult's story is one rich in detail, breadth, and emotion. Picture Perfect is a lush, beautifully written novel that will captivate its readers.

"Mom, where do babies come from?" Many parents live in fear of the day their child asks this question—which inevitably happens, often as early as the preschool years. Here is a picture book designed especially for young children who are becoming aware of their bodies, but aren't ready to learn about sexual intercourse. Written with warmth and honesty, Amazing You! presents clear and age-appropriate information about reproduction, birth, and the difference between girls' and boys' bodies-- Description from Goodreads.com.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sidney Sheldon’s most popular and enduring heroine—Tracy Whitney of If Tomorrow Comes—returns in a sensational sequel full of passion, suspense, and breathtaking twists. Tracy Whitney never thought she wanted to settle down. With her suave and handsome partner, Jeff Stevens, she’d been responsible for some of the world’s most astounding heists, relishing the danger and intensity of life on the wild side. But there is still one thing missing from Tracy’s perfect life: a baby. At first “going straight” feels like a new adventure. But as the months pass and Tracy’s longed for pregnancy doesn’t happen, she finds herself yearning for the adrenaline rush of the old days. When a mysterious and beautiful stranger enters their lives, Tracy and Jeff’s once unbreakable partnership is suddenly blown wide open. Jeff wakes one morning to find Tracy gone, vanished without a trace. For more than a decade, a broken Jeff struggles to carry on knowing Tracy is out there somewhere. But the rest of the world believes Tracy Whitney is dead . . . until a series of murders leads a tenacious French detective to her doorstep. Eleven victims, in ten different cities, over nine years—all of the cities where Tracy pulled off some of her most brilliant capers. Someone is targeting her, manipulating a series of disturbing events and raising terrifying ghosts she thought were dead and buried. Once again, this clever woman finds herself out on the edge, playing the odds in a desperate game of roulette. But this time, she’s got everything to lose—including the man she cannot forget. Tomorrow has come at last. But it isn’t the future Tracy bargained for . . .

"Tired of worrying about what you should be eating for your baby--and for you? Dr. Jennifer Ashton, chief women's health correspondent for ABC News, has delivered 1,500 happy, healthy babies, and now she's here to help yours. Eat This, Not That! When Youre Expecting features trimester-by-trimester meal plans, detailed restaurant-by-restaurant guides, and aisle-by-aisle supermarket swaps--not to mention easy, delicious recipes that satisfy every craving. Now you can order, cook, and enjoy meals with total confidence, thanks to this authoritative, must-have healthy-eating guide, from Americas most trusted OB/GYN with David Zinczenko, co-founder of Eat This, Not That!"--

"Empowering, modern, and judgment-free."--Booklist CONSENT. SEXTING. VIRGINITY. THE BIG O. Sex-positive vlogger Hannah Witton covers it all in this informative and accessible must-have sex education resource for teens Nobody really has sex all figured out. So Hannah Witton wrote a book full of honest, hilarious (and sometimes awkward) anecdotes, confessions, and revelations. Hannah talks about doing it safely. Doing it joyfully. Doing it when you're ready. Not doing it. Basically, doing it the way you want, when you want (if you want). Doing It works as both an educational introduction to sex as well as a guidebook for those who are already sexually active. It offers valuable insight on important topics that teens don't always learn about in sex ed at school, such as healthy relationships, porn, contraception, sex shaming, and more. Approachable and empowering, this is the go-to resource for all things s-e-x.

From the expert team behind IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL and IT'S SO AMAZING! comes a book for younger children about their bodies — a resource that parents, teachers, librarians, health care providers, and clergy can use with ease and confidence. Young children are curious about almost everything, especially their bodies. And young children are not afraid to ask questions. What makes me a girl? What makes me a boy? Why are some parts of girls' and boys' bodies the same and why are some parts different? How was I made? Where do babies come from? Is it true that a stork brings babies to mommies and daddies? IT'S NOT THE STORK! helps answer these endless and perfectly normal questions that preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary school children ask about how they began. Through lively, comfortable language and sensitive, engaging artwork, Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley address readers in a reassuring way, mindful of a child's healthy desire for straightforward information. Two irresistible cartoon characters, a curious bird and a squeamish bee, provide comic relief and give voice to the full range of emotions and reactions children may experience while learning about their amazing bodies. Vetted and approved by science, health, and child development experts, the information is up-to-date, age-appropriate, and scientifically accurate, and always aimed at helping kids feel proud, knowledgeable, and comfortable about their own bodies, about how they were born, and about the family they are part of.

An honest and reassuring guide to puberty for elementary school children Puberty can be an exciting?and confusing?time for children. In the follow-up to her bestselling Amazing You! , Dr. Gail Saltz navigates the curiosity and confusion that youngsters feel as they start to notice the changes their bodies undergo. She also talks about reproduction and emerging sexuality all with her renowned brand of warmth and candor. This refreshingly accessible picture book also includes an author?s note to parents.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner takes readers into the heart of women’s lives in an unforgettable, timely tale. Jules Strauss is a Princeton senior on a full scholarship who plans on selling her “pedigree” eggs to help save her father from addiction. Annie Barrow, a struggling Pennsylvania housewife, thinks that carrying another woman’s child will help her recover a sense of purpose and will bring in some much-needed cash. India Bishop, thirty-eight (really, forty-three) and recently married to the wealthy Marcus Croft, yearns for a baby for reasons that have more to do with money than with love. When her attempts at pregnancy fail, she turns to Jules and Annie to make her dreams come true. But each of their plans is thrown into disarray when Bettina, Marcus’s privileged daughter, becomes suspicious that her new stepmother is not what she seems... Told with Jennifer Weiner’s trademark wit and sharp observations, Then Came You is a hilarious, tender, and timely tale that explores themes of class and entitlement, surrogacy and charity, the rights of a parent and the measure of a mother.

Conscious Eating has been referred to as the "Bible of Vegetarians," for both beginners and advanced students of health. This classic work in the field of live-food nutrition is an inspirational journey and a manual for life. Included is new information on enzymes, vegetarian nutrition for pregnancy, and an innovative international 14-day menu of gourmet, Kosher, vegetarian, live-food cuisine, plus 150 recipes.

A Mystery That Can Finally Be Told! After her father, Dr. George Hodel, a prominent Hollywood physician was acquitted in a sensational incest trial, 16-year-old Tamar gave birth to a blue-eyed, white skinned baby girl. She insisted that the father was "Negro." Outraged by the audacity of their daughter and the stigma attached to a mixed-race child within their midst, her mother quickly arranged to have the baby permanently given away to Jimmie Lee, a black maid in a Nevada casino. Overwhelmed by the problems of raising a white-skinned baby in her black community, Jimmie spent the next twenty years struggling to secretly raise Fauna. Together they endured extreme poverty, alcoholism, starvation, sexual abuse, pregnancy and death, hopelessly bound and knotted together by relentless bigotry. Fauna survived this difficult world with a vow to find the one person who knew her beginnings, her biological mother, Tamar, the woman of her dreams. Fauna sets out to discover the truth, only to uncover her family's notorious secret: her extraordinary grandfather and the murder of the Black Dahlia. ."haunting, poignant and heart-wrenching." The stuff of which movies are made." --Cliff Rothman, Contributor, Vanity Fair ..".laughter, sass, spirit and tears leaves the readers awash in hope." --Alfre Woodard, Actor