Putting classical Greek and modern literature in conversation with contemporary political and religion theory, Ancient and Modern Religion and Politics examines the formation and disruption of identity and community in transitive colonial spaces and at the junctures of religion and politics. Utilizing texts from the Western classics roots to the postcolonial, this book focuses on issues of survival and peacemaking and emphasizes the role of art in the coming to voice of the oppressed.

Whitney J. LeBlanc has written the saga of a Creole family from Estilette Louisiana, against the backdrop of the birth of the blues. In the 1930's Phillip Fergerson's marriage to Martha, the beautiful Creole woman of his dreams turns into nightmares. Instead of becoming the doctor he promised to be, he becomes a high school teacher, and events of murder, lynching, voodoo and sexual abuse by a priest, set in motion the disintegration of the family. Martha's brother, Lightfoot, performs blues music in the juke-joints as he witnesses the beginning of the blues as an art form. We follow the early blues legends from Robert Johnson, to Bessie Smith to Leadbelly to Lightinn' Hopkins and BB King as they sing their way through the Delta. Martha, a proud and devoted Catholic, looks on in horror as one by one of her family falls under the influence of the devil%u2019s gut-bucket music. With his marriage falling apart, Phillip finds himself in the arms of a woman from his past. Each of the four children go their separate ways and Martha blames it all of the influence of the sinful music. She takes her revenge. It is a story filled with love, lust, murder, voodoo and adventure. One reviewer writes, "I couldn't put it down until I read the whole thing. Only when I got to the last page I was looking for more." Louisiana native Whitney J. LeBlanc has been a teacher, writer, producer, set designer and award winning theatre director. He holds a Master's Degree in Theatre Arts Production from the University of Iowa. He has spent more than half of his fifty year professional career in Hollywood as a television director of "Sitcoms," "The Young and the Restless" and "Generations." LeBlanc now lives in the Napa Valley with his physician wife and writes novels and creates stained glass windows for churches.

In this new work of political theory, John Randolph LeBlanc examines the political oeuvre of critic and activist Edward Said and concludes that Said preferred "reconciliation" to segregation in Palestine/Israel. LeBlanc argues that, for Said, the path to reconciliation requires recognizing the complex, intertwined positions of self and other in the region. Said's criticism speaks to the importance of negotiating the troubling, proximate, and unsettling presence of our most perplexing others; it suggests that peace will come not from rearranging geographies but from working through the aftereffects of exile and learning to share the deeply contested space. Forbearance and recognition, not separation, make reconciliation possible between two 'communities of suffering."

Now comes the powerful sequel to
Whitney LeBlanc's Blues in the Wind....
Shadows of the Blues -- a story of lust, love and voodoo.
Moving through the tumultuous decades of time, from the end of WWII to the Civil Rights Movement in the Sixties, the Fergerson/Broussard families' struggle continues, as Martha, the matriarch of the family, faces life in a mental institution. Her control continues to reach beyond the walls of her confinement, as she confesses to a lifetime of wrongdoings which threaten to destroy her family. In the small town of Estilette, Louisiana, where racism and injustice are simply a part of everyday life, the family struggles to escape the shadows of emotional conflicts, which are played out against a backdrop of the blues.
"Phillip took a deep breath and pulled at his eyebrows. Troubles were raining down on the family: Lala announced that she was getting a divorce--Rosa was running around with a man wanted by the law, and Lightfoot came close to killing Naomi. His family was unraveling right before his eyes.

From its early beginnings in the 1960s, the academic field of biochemistry of exercise has expanded beyond examining and describing metabolic responses to exercise and adaptations to training to include a wide understanding of molecular biology, cell signalling, interorgan communication, stem cell physiology, and a host of other cellular and biochemical mechanisms regulating acute responses and chronic adaptations related to exercise performance, human health/disease, nutrition, and cellular functioning. The Routledge Handbook on Biochemistry of Exercise is the first book to pull together the full depth and breadth of this subject and to update a rapidly expanding field of study with current issues and controversies and a look forward to future research directions. Bringing together many experts and leading scientists, the book emphasizes the current understanding of the underlying metabolic, cellular, genetic, and cell signalling mechanisms associated with physical activity, exercise, training, and athletic performance as they relate to, interact with, and regulate cellular and muscular adaptations and consequent effects on human health/disease, nutrition and weight control, and human performance. With more emphasis than ever on the need to be physically active and the role that being active plays in our overall health from a whole-body level down to the cell, this book makes an important contribution for scholars, medical practitioners, nutritionists, and coaches/trainers working in research and with a wide range of clients. This text is important reading for all students, scholars, and others with an interest in health, nutrition, and exercise/training in general.

This book is devoted entirely to methods developed in and for studies of members of the bacterial family Streptococcaceae. Many of the studies that have been conducted on the Streptococcaceae were initiated because of the diseases they cause, or to enhance their utility from an industrial perspective. However, the results of many of these investigations have demonstrated a complexity among some members of the family that warrants an interest in them in their own right, apart from or in addition to any biomedical or industrial considerations. It is therefore hoped and expected that the advanced methods contained in this book will be of interest to those who work with the streptococci and other Gram-positive organisms, to researchers interested in industrial and medical microbiology and to any researcher who seeks to obtain a better understanding of how microorganisms interact with each other, their environment and their hosts.

From its early beginnings in the 1960s, the academic field of biochemistry of exercise has expanded beyond examining and describing metabolic responses to exercise and adaptations to training to include a wide understanding of molecular biology, cell signalling, interorgan communication, stem cell physiology, and a host of other cellular and biochemical mechanisms regulating acute responses and chronic adaptations related to exercise performance, human health/disease, nutrition, and cellular functioning. The Routledge Handbook on Biochemistry of Exercise is the first book to pull together the full depth and breadth of this subject and to update a rapidly expanding field of study with current issues and controversies and a look forward to future research directions. Bringing together many experts and leading scientists, the book emphasizes the current understanding of the underlying metabolic, cellular, genetic, and cell signalling mechanisms associated with physical activity, exercise, training, and athletic performance as they relate to, interact with, and regulate cellular and muscular adaptations and consequent effects on human health/disease, nutrition and weight control, and human performance. With more emphasis than ever on the need to be physically active and the role that being active plays in our overall health from a whole-body level down to the cell, this book makes an important contribution for scholars, medical practitioners, nutritionists, and coaches/trainers working in research and with a wide range of clients. This text is important reading for all students, scholars, and others with an interest in health, nutrition, and exercise/training in general.

"Bodacious Blues" completes the saga-trilogy of a Creole family from Estilette Louisiana. From the depression on, three generations of this family have struggled in the midst of blues music, religious conflicts, lust, lynching, murder, voodoo, and racism. Now comes the grandchildren of Martha Broussard, who carve out paths through the changing world, and their stories emerge as they experience the rites of passage into adulthood. Ann Martel develops into the doctor that her grandfather hoped her brother would become. Disappointed in love, she finds contentment and happiness with an older woman-partner.
Meanwhile, her brother, Les Martel, defies all who challenge the man he desires to be. Believing in an eye for an eye, he kicks the ass of anyone who stands in his way. He protests racial intimidation in Estilette, takes on an abusive lover in Chicago, fights a Paul Bunyan giant in the backwoods of Bemidji, kicks the ass of a contemptible womanizer in Nashville, and gives comeuppance to a backstabber in Hollywood. Living life on his own terms, he soon discovers that Hollywood is not the place he thought it would be- the values were not his values- the truth was not his truth- trust was deception- honesty was weakness and loyalty was an unknown word.
In "Bodacious Blues, " Les Martel brings the saga of this proud family, to a final conclusion in the 1980's. In a milieu of religious controversy, sexual cross-identification, and the racial exploitations of Hollywood, he discovers that coming of age as a man was not as easy as he thought.
Early review comments of this final novel of the trilogy follow:
"Whitney LeBlanc's, "Bodacious Blues" is an excellent and entertaining coda to his explosive Creole family trilogy. As with his two preceding volumes, "Blues in the Wind and Shadows of the Blues-Bodacious Blues" and its lead character Les Martel, takes us on a soulful and heartfelt journey. It was hard to put down."
"Robert Hooks -Award winning actor; producer; founder Negro Ensemble Company, The Group Theatre Workshop & The DC Black Repertory Company. "
"What an exciting novel. My mother, her father and his mother were born in Waterproof, Louisiana. This novel reminded me of some of the stories I heard. There is such a rich cultural history in Louisiana I felt like a fly on the wall experiencing Les's journey. This feels like as bestseller and a film.."
"Marla Gibbs -Lead Actress of 227 series. Major supporting actress of The Jeffersons series. Appeared in over 100 films and television productions. Producer, writer and recipient of many awards. "
"Talent will out Whitney has just completed his third historical novel. Last of the trilogy, Bodacious Blues depicts the trials and tribulations of the townspeople of Estilette Louisiana in their association with its most prominent families, the Fergerson/Broussards. Blues, voodoo and the inborn racism of the area touches everyone's lives in this, Whitney's tense climatic finish to the Fergerson/Broussard family.- Great reading "
"H. Wesley Kenney- Seven time Emmy winning Television Producer/Director"
"I have known Whitney J. LeBlanc since 1963 and he is without doubt the most creative man know. A brilliant scenic designer, playwright, director, stained glass artist and now novelist. Whitney never ceases to amaze. With "Bodacious Blues, " he draws us into the life of Les Martel, aspiring actor and a southern fish trying to swim in northern waters. It's a wonderful and very entertaining story that finds relevance for our present times. Well done my friend "
"Conrad John Schuck-Television, movie and stage actor. "

Research concerning sexual and gender minority (SGM) health has flourished in recent years in conjunction with a period of intense social, political, and legal discourse about SGM persons. While this attention has increased understanding and recognition of SGM experiences, recent advances have often been met with resistance and backlash rooted in social stigma and long histories of discrimination. This volume of Advances in Medical Sociology showcases rich theoretical and empirical contributions on SGM health and wellbeing. The chapters address a variety of topics, drawing from classic and contemporary sociological frameworks and constructs, and reflecting intersecting interdisciplinary approaches to SGM health. Research presented in this volume provides an in-depth focus on sexual and/or gender minority populations, as well as the diverse sub-populations within them; theoretical and empirical explanations for SGM health disparities and resilience; aging and life course perspectives on the health experiences of SGM persons; health in the context of critical relationships in the lives of SGM persons; and the experiences of seeking general and specialized health care among SGM. The time is ripe for deeper examinations of the social determinants of SGM health, and this volume seeks to begin filling existing gaps in the literature.

John Randolph LeBlanc examines the political oeuvre of critic and activist Edward Said and finds that Said preferred "reconciliation" to segregation in Palestine/Israel. LeBlanc argues that Said's criticism speaks to the importance of negotiating the troubling, proximate, and unsettling presence of our most perplexing others.

This book is devoted entirely to methods developed in and for studies of members of the bacterial family Streptococcaceae. Many of the studies that have been conducted on the Streptococcaceae were initiated because of the diseases they cause, or to enhance their utility from an industrial perspective. However, the results of many of these investigations have demonstrated a complexity among some members of the family that warrants an interest in them in their own right, apart from or in addition to any biomedical or industrial considerations. It is therefore hoped and expected that the advanced methods contained in this book will be of interest to those who work with the streptococci and other Gram-positive organisms, to researchers interested in industrial and medical microbiology and to any researcher who seeks to obtain a better understanding of how microorganisms interact with each other, their environment and their hosts.

This book brings a variety of voices into conversation about the issues of identity, community, tension and violence, and peace in the West: from Sophocles to Alice Walker, from Lincoln to Martin Luther King, Jr. and from Euripides to Edward Said.

"Bodacious Blues" completes the saga-trilogy of a Creole family from Estilette Louisiana. From the depression on, three generations of this family have struggled in the midst of blues music, religious conflicts, lust, lynching, murder, voodoo, and racism. Now comes the grandchildren of Martha Broussard, who carve out paths through the changing world, and their stories emerge as they experience the rites of passage into adulthood. Ann Martel develops into the doctor that her grandfather hoped her brother would become. Disappointed in love, she finds contentment and happiness with an older woman-partner.
Meanwhile, her brother, Les Martel, defies all who challenge the man he desires to be. Believing in an eye for an eye, he kicks the ass of anyone who stands in his way. He protests racial intimidation in Estilette, takes on an abusive lover in Chicago, fights a Paul Bunyan giant in the backwoods of Bemidji, kicks the ass of a contemptible womanizer in Nashville, and gives comeuppance to a backstabber in Hollywood. Living life on his own terms, he soon discovers that Hollywood is not the place he thought it would be- the values were not his values- the truth was not his truth- trust was deception- honesty was weakness and loyalty was an unknown word.
In "Bodacious Blues, " Les Martel brings the saga of this proud family, to a final conclusion in the 1980's. In a milieu of religious controversy, sexual cross-identification, and the racial exploitations of Hollywood, he discovers that coming of age as a man was not as easy as he thought.
Early review comments of this final novel of the trilogy follow:
"Whitney LeBlanc's, "Bodacious Blues" is an excellent and entertaining coda to his explosive Creole family trilogy. As with his two preceding volumes, "Blues in the Wind and Shadows of the Blues-Bodacious Blues" and its lead character Les Martel, takes us on a soulful and heartfelt journey. It was hard to put down."
"Robert Hooks -Award winning actor; producer; founder Negro Ensemble Company, The Group Theatre Workshop & The DC Black Repertory Company. "
"What an exciting novel. My mother, her father and his mother were born in Waterproof, Louisiana. This novel reminded me of some of the stories I heard. There is such a rich cultural history in Louisiana I felt like a fly on the wall experiencing Les's journey. This feels like as bestseller and a film.."
"Marla Gibbs -Lead Actress of 227 series. Major supporting actress of The Jeffersons series. Appeared in over 100 films and television productions. Producer, writer and recipient of many awards. "
"Talent will out Whitney has just completed his third historical novel. Last of the trilogy, Bodacious Blues depicts the trials and tribulations of the townspeople of Estilette Louisiana in their association with its most prominent families, the Fergerson/Broussards. Blues, voodoo and the inborn racism of the area touches everyone's lives in this, Whitney's tense climatic finish to the Fergerson/Broussard family.- Great reading "
"H. Wesley Kenney- Seven time Emmy winning Television Producer/Director"
"I have known Whitney J. LeBlanc since 1963 and he is without doubt the most creative man know. A brilliant scenic designer, playwright, director, stained glass artist and now novelist. Whitney never ceases to amaze. With "Bodacious Blues, " he draws us into the life of Les Martel, aspiring actor and a southern fish trying to swim in northern waters. It's a wonderful and very entertaining story that finds relevance for our present times. Well done my friend "
"Conrad John Schuck-Television, movie and stage actor. "

Authored by Stewart Richardson and Richard LeBlanc Title: Dit Clapper and The Rise Of The Boston Bruins This book is an inspiring look at Aubrey "Dit" Clapper who was one of the greatest players to ever play in the National Hockey League. This compelling biography is a nostalgic walk down memory lane and is filled with photographs and valuable information on both Dit and the Boston Bruins.