"Civic Rites" explores the religious origins of Western democracy by examining the government of fifth-century BCE Athens in the larger context of ancient Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. Deftly combining history, politics, and religion to weave together stories of democracy's first leaders and critics, Nancy Evans gives readers a contemporary's perspective on Athenian society. She vividly depicts the physical environment and the ancestral rituals that nourished the people of the earliest democratic state, demonstrating how religious concerns were embedded in Athenian governmental processes. The book's lucid portrayals of the best-known Athenian festivals - honoring Athena, Demeter, and Dionysus - offer a balanced view of Athenian ritual and illustrate the range of such customs in fifth-century Athens.

Sara Collingwood is the 24-year-old daughter of a wealthy couple in New York City. Her privileged bubble bursts when her parents are tragically killed in a plane crash. Money mismanagement at her father's firm forces her to leave her penthouse apartment and anything of value is sold to satisfy bad debts. She moves upstate to Syracuse, NY and discovers a loving home life with her aunt and uncle. In the midst of her new-found happiness, she gives her heart to the one man she was never supposed to know about; much less meet and fall in love.

Almost one in five near-death experiences are not peaceful suggestions of heaven. In a wide-ranging and far from gloomy look at the other near-death experience, Nancy Evans Bush gives the first comprehensive look at a fascinating but neglected topic: NDEs and deathbed visions of fear, emptiness, and even hell. A wonderfully readable book, grounded in thirty years of experience and research, Dancing is packed with first-person accounts, engrossing discussion and factual answers to a myriad of questions, both religious and secular, with practical suggestions for integrating such an experience or encountering one as a caregiver. Here are ways of thinking about the subject that will be new to many readers. What becomes evident is that to see these only as a terrible threat about death is largely to miss their point. absolutely enthralling literary, adventurous, incisive, informative and smart one of the strongest, most thought-provoking books on the paranormal I've ever seen. Steve Volk Fringe-ology The book is an outstanding piece of work. It is a wonderfully comprehensive and rich history of what can be known and what might be considered about NDEs and] bursts with anecdote and commentary, reinforcing for the reader that there is always another way to see things. Wayne Rollins, MDiv, PhD Soul and Psyche, Jung and the Bible, and other titles Dancing Past the Dark is what we have all been waiting for a must for any experiencer of any type of encounter with the numinous. P. M. H. Atwater, LHD Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story A valuable contribution to the NDE literature and engagingly written. It needs to be seen and read by the wider public. J. Harold Ellens, MDiv, PhD Nancy Evans Bush holds a Masters Degree in Pastoral Ministry and Spirituality from St. Joseph University, Connecticut. She was Executive Director and later President of the International Association for Near-Death Studies and a member of its Board of Directors for many years. She is considered the world expert on distressing NDEs.

This anthology introduces a body of literature that nurses and health care professionals can turn to for support, inspiration, and catharsis . Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, and T.S. Eliot are among the featured contributors in an inspiring selection of poems, biographies, essays, letters, articles, and stories.

This book is a revised and updated version of The State of the Art of Professional Education and Practice (1988), edited by Robert B. Young and Leila V. Moore. The goal of this book is to present a visionary reexamination of the status of student affairs preparation and practice by some of the field's leading thinkers. In the years since the original book was prepared, important changes have taken place within student affairs and in higher education generally. Higher education is being bombarded with issues resulting from the rapid changes in society. If student affairs are to continue to play a positive and meaningful role in the educational enterprise, its practitioners must be thoroughly familiar with these issues and take the lead in developing strategies to address them. The intent of this book is to assist practitioners and educators with these challenges. Co-published with American College Personnel Association.

An essential "how-to" book for youth services librarians who are interested in effecting social change and offering a dynamic, relevant program for girls. Cultivating Strong Girls: Library Programming That Builds Self-Esteem and Challenges Inequality gives youth services librarians practical guidance on how to offer programming that will support the engagement, growth, and achievement of girls. The program plans are simple enough to be applied by everyone who works with girls. Presenting this type of programming allows librarians to build meaningful relationships, have a positive impact on patrons and in the community, and follow programming guidelines outlined in the Young Adult Library Services Association's report, "The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action." With gender bias, inequality, and low self-esteem issues still at the forefront for women and girls, public library programming that addresses these topics fills a genuine need. This step-by-step guide to running a "Strong Girls School" program supplies material broken down into six sessions. Detailed yet easy-to-follow instructions and tips ensure that the program can be implemented in libraries or classrooms. Written by an experienced young adult librarian who has tested and refined these strategies in the real world, the book offers direction for related crafts, recommended resources, and extension activities, including peer mentoring or community service opportunities. Presents complete, low-cost program instructions and recommended resources for librarians who want to offer relevant and dynamic programming for girls Suggests extension activities, including peer mentoring and community service opportunities for girls who complete the program Addresses programming concerns and potential pain points Encourages librarians to develop meaningful and lasting relationships with patrons