"The Twinkie Bin" is the story of a teenage girl struggling to survive an unhappy and destructive home life as well as the pressures inherent in growing up. The main character desperately wants to be a successful, good kid. But there are so many issues, and there is too much pain. Without supportive adults in her life, she is unsure of what to do. She turns to alcohol.
Her drinking sends her out of control, spiraling down a path of self-destruction. She winds up in an adolescent drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. She is unable to open up to the counselors there. Her life becomes increasingly unhappy rather than better. Depressed and suicidal, she is transferred to a mental hospital. She hits hard when she lands in The Twinkie Bin - a pivotal event in her young life. "The Twinkie Bin" is a powerful and heart-wrenching adolescent survival story. It courageously addresses teen issues such as drinking, depression and parental conflict. The novel takes the reader on an emotional journey through an honest account of teen angst. "The Twinkie Bin" is a poetic memoir with a message of hope.

While there has been considerable research on lesbian and/or gay parenting, very little research has focused on how the children of lesbian and gay parents negotiate between their family identity and the definitions of family imposed by society. Families headed by gay and lesbian parents do not fit into a "traditional," ideologically-driven definition of family - rendering them virtually invisible due to their lack of representation in the media, school curriculum, and "normal" society. This book is an exploration of the concept of family as it was defined by six early adolescents and their lesbian parents. In an era with increased political and social tension surrounding issues of gay and lesbian marriage rights and validity for same sex parents, this qualitative study explored how these youth experience the disjunctures between their family identity and the definitions of family imposed by the larger society. The authors of this study, informed by queer theory and inquiry, conclude that identity is not realized through definitive and rigid boundaries but within and between these locations. This book is addressed to counselors, educators, and researchers interested in understanding, and even promoting, social justice for those living in diverse family structures.

There is a wide range of sanctions used by the criminal justice system to punish criminal offenders including death, imprisonment and community supervision. All of these sanctions involve a social institution exerting direct social control over an individual either through loss of life or liberty or via constant supervision. And even after a prison sentence or community supervision term has ended there are continuing penalties, for while a prison term may be completed the label of "convicted felon" last a lifetime. A unique Florida law affords judges the discretion to withhold adjudication for felony offenders sentenced to probation. This sentencing option allows offenders to avoid the label of "convicted felon" and retain all rights normally lost upon felony conviction within the state of Florida, including the right to vote and carry fire arms. This book investigates the individual and social contingencies which impact the withholding of adjudication from a social threat and social control perspective.

"Adolescent Depression: Outside/In" is an innovative book for adolescents, parents, and clinical professionals. Keena, a licensed addictions and mental health counselor, takes her readers inside the depressed adolescent's imagination, and insecurities.

Using a combination of narrative, poetry, and prose, Ms. Keena has taken her personal experiences with depression and has woven a masterful work. Through her own experiences, Ms. Keena has shown a way to understand the sense of lost helplessness of depressed adolescents. She then shows us the path towards hope and recovery.

This book will help adolescents, parents, and clinicians understand the difficulties and challenges that can arise as the treatable illness of depression begins to emerge in adolescence.

Samuel M. Silverman, MD
Fellow of the American
Psychiatric Association

A paperback original.

From the author of the bestselling Don't Sweat the Small Stuff series comes a beautifully designed journal for teens to record the stresses of everyday life.

In Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens, Richard Carlson, Ph.D., offered teens simple techniques for coping with life's everyday challenges. Now he offers them a tool in which to write about and reflect upon every facet of their lives: academics, sports, social situations, family life, money matters, even work.

Filled with guiding questions for teens to answer, blank lined spaces for recording stressful moments, and inspirational quotes, the Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens Journal is private space for teenagers to record and come to terms with their most intimate thoughts and fears.

Wisdom for Bad Days and Hard Times.
It used to be you could count on someone else to make important decisions for you. But now that you're getting older, more and more choices-even the hard ones-are up to you. It isn't always easy to know how to act or what to say-whether you're faced with minor hassles, like getting a zit before your first date, or major crises, like a friend's alcohol abuse. In this 31-day devotional, you'll find stories about teens who are going through the same things you are, solid advice to help you make good decisions in tough times, space to scribble your thoughts and prayers, and things to think and pray about-all to help you get to know the God who's right by your side, no matter what life brings!

Now in Ukrainian. It's a wrinkly, spongy mass the size of a cauliflower that sits in our heads and controls everything we do! Welcome to the world of the brain... What is the brain made of? How does it work? Why do we need one at all? Discover the answers to these questions and much more in this fun, fact-packed introduction to the brain. Filled with colourful illustrations and bite-sized chunks of information, this book covers everything from the anatomy of the brain and nervous system to how information is collected and sent around the body. Other topics include how we learn, memory, thinking, emotions, animal brains, sleep, and even questions about the brain that are yet to be answered. With entertaining illustrated characters, clear diagrams, and fascinating photographs, children will love learning about their minds and this all-important organ. The Brain Book is an ideal introduction to the brain and nervous system. Perfect for budding young scientists, it is a great addition to any STEAM library.