Jeff Miller’s heartbreaking, coming-of-age middle-grade novel—inspired by his personal experience living through his own parent’s heart transplant—invites readers into the world of a twelve-year-old birdwatcher looking for a place to call home and a way to save his mother, even if it means venturing deep into Florida swampland.   Twelve-year-old Graham Dodds is no stranger to hospital waiting rooms. Sometimes, he feels like his entire life is one big waiting room. Waiting for the next doctor to tell them what’s wrong with his mom. Waiting to find out what city they’re moving to next. Waiting to see if they will finally get their miracle—a heart transplant to save his mom’s life.   When Graham gets stuck in Florida for the summer, he meets a girl named Lou at the hospital, and he finds a friend who needs a distraction as much as he does. She tells him about a contest to find the endangered Snail Kite, which resides in the local gator-filled swamps. Together they embark on an adventure, searching for the rare bird . . . and along the way, Graham might just find something else—himself.   Jeff Miller crafts a heartfelt story about what it means to live in this unforgettable middle-grade novel. Rare Birds is a rare find that will resonate with fans of the Carl Hiassen’s Hoot and Melissa Savage’s Lemon. For readers looking for novels with literary appeal and classic themes of family, friendship, and the meaning of life, Rare Birds is a perfect pick.     Hardcover with dust jacket; 288 pages; 5.5 x 8.3 in.

This title is a guide to doing research in the burgeoning field of food studies. Designed for the classroom as well as for the independent scholar, the book details the predominant research methods in the field, provides a series of interactive questions and templates to help guide a project, and includes suggestions for food-specific resources such as archives, libraries and reference works. Interviews with leading scholars in the field and discussions of how the study of food can enhance traditional methods are included. Food Studies: An Introduction to Research Methods begins with an overview of food studies and research methods followed by a guide to the literature. Four methodological "baskets" representing the major methodologies of the field are explored together with interviews from leading scholars in: food history (Ken Albala); ethnographic methods (Carole Counihan); material culture and media studies (Psyche Williams-Forson); and quantitative methods (Jeffery Sobal). The book concludes with chapters on research ethics, including working with human subjects, and technology tools for research.

We search for the answers to life and they have been there all along, but to see it-it takes the opening of a door, the turning of a key. Here are the nine doors that led us to the place that we've longed for inside. It is a new dimension, a new understanding. Here we are able to find the missing pieces and identify the ones we already have, to put together our life's puzzle. After twenty years of research, this book emerges to offer the picture of existence. Come and find your path, which leads to your destiny, and to all of the wonderful and amazing events and people who are waiting in time to interact with you. Become who you were meant to be and accomplish what you were put here to do. From your identity to your purpose, discover all of the intangible dynamics that are waiting to emerge. Find answers to what was once thought unknowable and see old truth take on new meaning. From cover to cover, this is a once in a lifetime manuscript.

The storming of the US Capitol building in January 2021 focused attention on the multiple threats facing contemporary liberal democracies. Beyond the immediate problem of Covid-19, the past two decades saw political polarization, a dramatic rise in inequality, global warming and other environmental threats, as well as the growth of dangerous cultural and political divisions. Western liberal democracies find themselves in the midst of what political theorists call a legitimation crisis: major portions of the population lack confidence in the ability of governments to address our most pressing problems. This distrust in government and traditional political parties opened the door to populist leaders and a rising tide of authoritarianism. Liberal democracies face major structural and normative challenges in the near future that require us to look beyond the traditional set of solutions available. Democracy in Crisis points back to the world's first democratic government, Ancient Athens, to see what made that political arrangement durable and resistant to both internal and external threats. The argument focuses on several distinctive Athenian institutions and practices, and considers how we might reimagine them in the modern world. The book addresses questions of civic ideology and institutions, with extended treatment of two distinctive Athenian institutions, ostracism and sortition.

Chronic pain and illness forces a person to their knees. It leaves us grasping for the lifeboat, but each time our hand reaches out-the boat gets a little further away. It has the potential to torment a person until they lose sight of their dignity and self-respect. "Spring Devotions" is the fourth and final book of the "Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain" series. It is a book of tips and strategies for rebuilding life, finding balance, rediscovering passion, overcoming fear and isolation, and standing toe to toe with chronic pain and illness. It is priceless to anyone seeking to renew his or her inner strength. Sharing their medical expertise, and Celeste as patient and advocate, the authors add a flavor of ancient traditions of healing to contemporary thoughts, as they nudge their readers into realizing their own potential. This is your lifeboat, reach out and grab it, climb in and hold on tight for a wild ride. You will explore things you never thought possible.

There is nothing charismatic about chronic pain regardless of its source. Pain is greedy and demanding. It consumes our time, our relationships, and our function, and it threatens everything that is important in our lives, our character and our dignity. The winter season is often compared to death. In this case, it is the dying off of old thoughts and behaviors. It is a season that offers the experience of many feelings and the opportunity to be born into a new way of thinking. Winter Devotions provides the necessary tools to fight the grotesque monster that plays on fear, agony, loneliness, and resentment. As patient and professional, the authors use their practical advice for coping. Their readers start with a blank canvas as white as the pure driven snow, full of possibilities. Offering a blend of integrative therapies and day by day tidbits of wisdom and famous quotes, the authors help their readers finalize a picture worth a thousand words, encouraging them to explore their unique, and sometimes, universal experience. Readers have the opportunity to devise their own plan bringing hope to the challenges of living with chronic pain. Come with us as we walk the barren winter land appreciating that it is necessary to rid ourselves of previous conceptions in preparation for the spring season of rebirth.

God's Abundant Provision. A Promise...and A Right Lack is more than just a financial matter. Much of the hardships in life are the result of wrong thinking and wrong decisions. We must learn the importance of renewing our mind with God's higher thoughts. We can only prosper to the degree that our souls (thoughts) prosper. It is imperative that we seek first His kingdom, and not money or material possessions. Prosperity is never to be our goal in life. Many Christians are living far below what Jesus has purchased for them. They are struggling to attain what God has freely provided. Jesus came that we might have an abundant life. Living in lack is not abundant living. Lack goes against the very nature of God. Financial provision is not only a biblical promise, but the right of every born-again believer. In his book, Thou Shalt Not Lack, Jeff Miller presents reasons that Christians suffer lack, and what they can do to release the blessings of God in their lives. The same covenant that provides us with forgiveness and healing also provides us redemption from the curse of lack. As you apply the Biblical principles contained in this book you will begin to experience the goodness of God in a fresh way and will move out of the land of lack into God's full supply.

Being forced to look at life through a peep hole is petrifying, and that is exactly what chronic pain and illness does. It isolates, dominates and threatens the things all human beings hold dear. Chronic pain and illness is a bully with a ravenous appetite for creating mayhem in one's life. Anguishing physical and emotional pain is often overlooked. After all, "the person doesn't look sick." From the outside pain isn't visible, but from the inside, it is an unwanted intruder to the person experienced it. It is a thief of goals and dreams, finances and socialization. Finding balance and avoiding isolation when struggling with chronic pain is difficult. But, this book bursts from its bindings a metaphor for the reader to break free from the shackles it imposes. The authors expose their readers to infinite possibilities for viewing life through a door wide open to a landscape of honor and hope. Using their expertise as RN, educator, and clinical psychologist, the authors guide their readers through the physical and mental chaos.

Imagine a dragon breathing its inferno and then, watch it engulf everything in its path. Chronic pain acts like that; it is a raging fire that devours logical thinking. It incinerates comfort, companionship, dreams, and goals. When pain dominates, it's a force that must be challenged. Celeste Cooper and Jeff Miller have provided an arsenal to fight this dragon that threatens energy, growth, and healing. By focusing on each summer day, the authors send their readers on a personal journey of mindfulness and self-awareness, allowing the reader to create enduring images on how pain is perceived. Summer Devotions is the second of a four book series, Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain. It is a tribute to everyone committed to living a fearless life despite the roadblocks caused by living with chronic pain and illness.

We search for the answers to life and they have been there all along, but to see it-it takes the opening of a door, the turning of a key. Here are the nine doors that led us to the place that we've longed for inside. It is a new dimension, a new understanding. Here we are able to find the missing pieces and identify the ones we already have, to put together our life's puzzle. After twenty years of research, this book emerges to offer the picture of existence. Come and find your path, which leads to your destiny, and to all of the wonderful and amazing events and people who are waiting in time to interact with you. Become who you were meant to be and accomplish what you were put here to do. From your identity to your purpose, discover all of the intangible dynamics that are waiting to emerge. Find answers to what was once thought unknowable and see old truth take on new meaning. From cover to cover, this is a once in a lifetime manuscript.

The avocado is the iconic food of the twenty-first century. It has gone from a little-known regional food to a social media darling in less than a hundred years. This is an astounding trajectory for a fruit that isn't sweet, becomes bitter when it is cooked and has perhaps the oddest texture of any fruit or vegetable. But the idea that this rich and delicious fruit is also healthy despite being fatty and energy-dense gives it unicorn status among modern eaters, especially millennials. Through lively anecdotes, colourful pictures and delicious recipes, Jeff Miller explores the meteoric rise of the avocado, from its co-evolution with the megaherbivores of the Pleistocene to its acceptance by the Spanish conquistadores in Mexico and its current dominance of food consumers' imagination.

This title is a guide to doing research in the burgeoning field of food studies. Designed for the classroom as well as for the independent scholar, the book details the predominant research methods in the field, provides a series of interactive questions and templates to help guide a project, and includes suggestions for food-specific resources such as archives, libraries and reference works. Interviews with leading scholars in the field and discussions of how the study of food can enhance traditional methods are included. Food Studies: An Introduction to Research Methods begins with an overview of food studies and research methods followed by a guide to the literature. Four methodological "baskets" representing the major methodologies of the field are explored together with interviews from leading scholars in: food history (Ken Albala); ethnographic methods (Carole Counihan); material culture and media studies (Psyche Williams-Forson); and quantitative methods (Jeffery Sobal). The book concludes with chapters on research ethics, including working with human subjects, and technology tools for research.