How, when, and why has the Pacific been a locus for imagining different futures by those living there as well as passing through? What does that tell us about the distinctiveness or otherwise of this "sea of islands"? Foregrounding the work of leading and emerging scholars of Oceania, Pacific Futures brings together a diverse set of approaches to, and examples of, how futures are being conceived in the region and have been imagined in the past. Individual chapters engage the various and sometimes contested futures yearned for, unrealized, and even lost or forgotten, that are particular to the Pacific as a region, ocean, island network, destination, and home. Contributors recuperate the futures hoped for and dreamed up by a vast array of islanders and outlanders-from Indigenous federalists to Lutheran improvers to Cantonese small business owners-making these histories of the future visible. In so doing, the collection intervenes in debates about globalization in the Pacific--and how the region is acted on by outside forces--and postcolonial debates that emphasize the agency and resistance of Pacific peoples in the context of centuries of colonial endeavor. With a view to the effects of the "slow violence" of climate change, the volume also challenges scholars to think about the conditions of possibility for future-thinking at all in the midst of a global crisis that promises cataclysmic effects for the region. Pacific Futures highlights futures conceived in the context of a modernity coproduced by diverse Pacific peoples, taking resistance to categorization as a starting point rather than a conclusion. With its hospitable approach to thinking about history making and future thinking, one that is open to a wide range of methodological, epistemological, and political interests and commitments, the volume will encourage the writing of new histories of the Pacific and new ways of talking about history in this field, the region, and beyond.

Over the decades from 1900 to 1967 abortion was transformed from an important female-centred form of fertility control into a medical event, closely monitored by the State. This transition, the author argues here, took place against a background of debate over fertility control and its implications for women's maternal role. The book, originally published in 1988, suggests that the inter-war years saw a crucial mapping of boundaries in the debates over abortion. The distinction between methods of fertility control used before and after conception was more sharply drawn. The abortion law was difficult to enforce and in 1936 the Abortion Law Reform Association was founded by feminists to call for safe legal abortion as a woman's right. Resort to criminal abortion continued in the post-war years and the number of therapeutic abortions also began to increase. The medical profession's attempt to create a distinction between worthy medical and spurious social reasons for fertility control gave way in the face of women's demands for safe and effective means to plan when and if they would have children. After a hard-fought battle, the abortion law was reformed in 1967. The abortion decision, however, remained firmly in the hands of the medical profession.

Feminist Perspectives on the Body provides an accessible introduction to this extremely popular new area and is aimed at students from a variety of disciplines who are interested in gaining an understanding of the key issues involved. The author explores many important topics including: the Western world's construction of the body as a theoretical, philosophical and political concept; the body and reproduction; medicalisation; cosmetic surgery and eating disorders; the body in performance; the private and the public body; working bodies and new ways of thinking about the body.

Over the decades from 1900 to 1967 abortion was transformed from an important female-centred form of fertility control into a medical event, closely monitored by the State. This transition, the author argues here, took place against a background of debate over fertility control and its implications for women s maternal role.

The book, originally published in 1988, suggests that the inter-war years saw a crucial mapping of boundaries in the debates over abortion. The distinction between methods of fertility control used before and after conception was more sharply drawn. The abortion law was difficult to enforce and in 1936 the Abortion Law Reform Association was founded by feminists to call for safe legal abortion as a woman s right.

Resort to criminal abortion continued in the post-war years and the number of therapeutic abortions also began to increase. The medical profession s attempt to create a distinction between worthy medical and spurious social reasons for fertility control gave way in the face of women s demands for safe and effective means to plan when and if they would have children. After a hard-fought battle, the abortion law was reformed in 1967. The abortion decision, however, remained firmly in the hands of the medical profession.

Feminist Perspectives on the Body provides an accessible introduction to this extremely popular new area and is aimed at students from a variety of disciplines who are interested in gaining an understanding of the key issues involved. The author explores many important topics including: the Western world's construction of the body as a theoretical, philosophical and political concept; the body and reproduction; medicalisation; cosmetic surgery and eating disorders; the body in performance; the private and the public body; working bodies and new ways of thinking about the body.

Paper has been the material of bureaucracy, and paperwork performs functions of order, control, and surveillance. Knowledge Making: Historians, Archives and Bureaucracy explores how those functions transform over time, allowing private challenges to the public narratives created by institutions and governments. Paperwork and bureaucratic systems have determined what we know about the past. It seems that now, as the digital is overtaking paper (though mirroring its forms), historians are able to see the significance of the materiality of paper and its role in knowledge making - because it is no longer taken for granted. The contributors to this volume discuss the ways in which public and private institutions - asylums, hospitals, and armies - developed bureaucratic systems which have determined the parameters of our access to the past. The authors present case studies of paperwork in different national contexts, which engage with themes of privacy and public accountability, the beginning of record-keeping practices, and their 'ends', both in the sense of their purposes and in what happens to paper after the work has finished, including preservation and curation in repositories of various kinds, through to the place of paper and paperwork in a 'paperless' world. The chapters in this book were originally published in a special issue of Rethinking History: The Journal of Theory and Practice.

Flowing from its source in northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River borders or passes through ten different states and serves as one of the most important transportation systems in the United States. During the Civil War, both sides believed that whoever controlled the river would ultimately be victorious. Cotton exports generated much-needed revenue for the Confederacy, and the Mississippi was also the main conduit for the delivery of materials and food. Similarly, the Union sought to maintain safe passage from St. Louis, Missouri, to Cairo, Illinois, but also worked to bisect the South by seizing the river as part of the Anaconda Plan. Drawing heavily on the diaries and letters of officers and common sailors, Barbara Brooks Tomblin explores the years during which the Union navy fought to win control of the Mississippi. Her approach provides fresh insight into major battles such as Memphis and Vicksburg, but also offers fascinating perspectives on lesser-known aspects of the conflict from ordinary sailors engaged in brown-water warfare. These men speak of going ashore in foraging parties, assisting the surgeon in the amputation of a fellow crewman's arm, and liberating supplies of whiskey from captured enemy vessels. They also offer candid assessments of their commanding officers, observations of the local people living along the river, and their views on the war. The Civil War on the Mississippi not only provides readers with a comprehensive and vivid account of the action on the western rivers; it also offers an incredible synthesis of first-person accounts from the front lines.

Bathsheba, the sassy, clever cat who always accompanies Miss Switch everyplace she goes (Miss Switch being the witch who also doubles as an enormously popular fifth-and sixth-grade teacher at Pepperdine Elementary School) now goes on an adventure of her own. In "MISS SWITCH AND THE VILE VILLAINS" Bathsheba sees that the Cowardly Lion in the land of Oz is almost in tears over the loss of his best friend, the Hungry Tiger. Can Bathsheba do something about this? On her own? It would mean flying a broomstick. "ALONE " Has any cat in the world flown a broomstick alone? Can she actually do it?

Written in diary form, this Cinderella-themed tale is expertly woven by the master award-winning authoress, Barbara Brooks Wallace. Anderson "Andy" Lillibeth Wardell makes 25 entries in her diary, spanning 8 long months, taking place in China and the United States. It is a most unsettling and trying time for the 10-year-old, whose been nicknamed Shao Gwai (Little Devil) by her servants Andy confides in us that she wishes her newborn baby brother be whisked off to an orphanage in China, where he would only visit her to deliver presents from time-to-time. But Andy discovers you must be very careful what you wish for when her baby brother goes away forever -- taking Mummy with him. Her tribulations ratchet up whilst in the U.S., when her Daddy marries a widow with twin daughters, both of whom befriend a stuck-up girl Andy thinks stole her best friend, Donald. It all reaches a fever pitch when an older Chinese girl at school confides in Andy, entrusting her with a secret that is almost more than she can bear to know. The diary culminates with a showdown between Donald and Andy during Christmastime, under a mistletoe. Andy's adventures have ended -- but it may be the start of a whole new diary

A simple touch and suddenly, Paige is in the past-living someone else's life, seeing the world through her eyes, and feeling her deepest emotions. Paige used to think memories existed only in one's mind. But now, she knows better. She can't explain how or why, but she has glimmers: special moments that have remained behind-clinging to a letter, a ring, even a worn-out pair of boots. When Paige returns from each glimmer, a small part of her has changed. Who is this gourmet cook, fashion designer, feisty lover? And how is she supposed to explain this to her family without them thinking she has completely lost her mind? Paige thinks her new talent is a gift, until ... she is transported into her sister's memory, and catches a glimmer of her secret life. Take this humorous and romantic journey as Paige learns about true love through the lives of three extraordinary women. eLit Book Awards (Illuminating Digital Publishing Excellence)2012 First place in Romance Kindle Book Review Best Indie Author 2012 Semifinalist in Romance New York Book Festival 2012 Runner-up in Romance More books by Barbara Brooke: Coming Beyond Glimmers (Book Two)

One of the lesser known stories of the Civil War is the role played by escaped slaves in the Union blockade along the Atlantic coast. From the beginning of the war, many African American refugees sought avenues of escape to the North. Due to their sheer numbers, those who reached Union forces presented a problem for the military. The problem was partially resolved by the First Confiscation Act of 1861, which permitted the seizure of property used in support of the South's war effort, including slaves. Eventually regarded as contraband of war, the runaways became known as contrabands. In "Bluejackets and Contrabands, " Barbara Brooks Tomblin examines the relationship between the Union Navy and the contrabands. The navy established colonies for the former slaves and, in return, some contrabands served as crewmen on navy ships and gunboats and as river pilots, spies, and guides. Tomblin presents a rare picture of the contrabands and casts light on the vital contributions of African Americans to the Union Navy and the Union cause.

Newly orphaned Jenny travels from China to live with a grandfather she has never met only to be condemned to a dark cellar room and a cruel servant's life. Why?

"Guaranteed chills and thrills," says "Horn Book" of "Ghosts in the Gallery," nominated by "Mystery Writers of America" for its EDGAR Award.

"Descriptions draw the reader a picture of time and place and atmosphere that is nearly perfect. Sure to be a hit," says "School Library Journal."

"Washington Parent" calls this book a "real page turner."

Colin Trevelyan, newly orphaned heir to his parents' fortune, is kidnapped in the night from his ancestral home and taken to the grim Broggin Home for Boys, where he is underfed, overworked, and destined for a short life in a deadly glass factory.

This story "immediately hooks readers, who will gobble up this satisfying fare," says "School Library Journal."

"Fully realized Victorian melodrama that would make Dickens proud," says "The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books."

A "Junior Literary Guild" selection and winner of the "Mystery Writers of America" EDGAR Award.

Perfecta Jones is hemmed in by boring houses that to her are no more exciting than shoes boxes. She must obey ridiculous rules of the owner, Mr. Droopert P. Snoot, who has no use for children. On one magical night, Perfecta enters the house across the street, the only one "not" owned by Mr. Snoot. What happens to her there is an adventure that will change her life

"Characters reminiscent of Roald Dahl"-"ALA Booklist"

"Sets up nasty, convention-bound adults against the free-wheeling imagination of childhood to a surprisingly moving ending."-"Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"

"How," Amelia wonders, "could four short months have such a wonderful beginning and such a grim and terrible ending?" Why must she now find herself riding to the docks of London en route to a strange new life in America, seated beside the stone-faced, bloodless, tight-lipped woman in the grim black hat? "The plot twists and turns at an alarming rate in the is story of dastardly crimes and firm friendships, and that's exactly what makes it so much fun." says "Booklist" in its starred review. "A Junior Library Guild" book, and "Mystery Writers of America EDGAR nominee."

."The mystery has plenty of snakes and twists as well as characters that step right off the pages."-"A Booklist Editor's Choice Book" "With a fine hand for Gothic embroidery and a nifty surprise conclusion that ties up all the loose ends, Wallace has delivered another very satisfying read."-"School Library Journal" Winner of the "Mystery Writers of America EDGAR AWARD"

This is a story about furkens, descendants of a branch of genus elf, who have lost their elfin powers of being able to vanish and now hide fearfully in human houses. They are sadly often mistaken for mice, although don't smell like mice. They smell like warm apricot jam!

They are "endearing, fully developed creatures," says Horn Book.

ALA Booklist adds, "A tale that will have readers clamoring for a sequel."

Nineteen months before the D-day invasion of Normandy, Allied assault forces landed in North Africa in Operation TORCH, the first major amphibious operation of the war in Europe. Under the direction of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, AUS, Adm. Andrew B. Cunningham, RN, Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN, and others, the Allies kept pressure on the Axis by attacking what Winston Churchill dubbed "the soft underbelly of Europe." The Allies seized the island of Sicily, landed at Salerno and Anzio, and established a presence along the coast of southern France.

With Utmost Spirit takes a fresh look at this crucial naval theater of the Second World War. Barbara Brooks Tomblin tells of the U.S. Navy's and the Royal Navy's struggles to wrest control of the Mediterranean Sea from Axis submarines and aircraft, to lift the siege of Malta, and to open a through convoy route to Suez while providing ships, carrier air support, and landing craft for five successful amphibious operations. Examining official action reports, diaries, interviews, and oral histories, Tomblin describes each of these operations in terms of ship to shore movements, air and naval gunfire support, logistics, countermine measures, antisubmarine warfare, and the establishment of ports and training bases in the Mediterranean. Firsthand accounts from the young officers and men who manned the ships provide essential details about Mediterranean operations and draw a vivid picture of the war at sea and off the beaches.