Compassion, courage, honesty, integrity, loyalty, responsibility, and wisdom are qualities we all admire and desire for our children as well as ourselves. Profiles in Character presents twenty-six inspirational and thoughtful stories illustrating seventeen universally admired virtues. This is a book written for teachers by a teacher. These stories will instruct and inspire students and provide material for 'teaching in the affective domain.' Since each story can be read in five minutes or less and is accompanied by discussion questions and follow-up activities, the stories can be used as brief devotionals or to occupy a full class period. Each virtue is illustrated by one to three stories and can be implemented from middle school to graduate school as part of students' character education. These classroom-tested stories provide enough material to make a substantial contribution to a character education curriculum.

The thread running through this collection of essays is the inviolate marriage between philosophy and psychology. Psychotherapist Mary Capocefalo has written, "Long before psychologists were asking questions about mind and behavior, philosophers were expressing the same curiosity." The Socratic method of teaching by asking questions is indispensable in psychotherapy. Aristotle spoke about happiness as though he had read twentieth-century psychological research on the subject. Albert Camus reduced the study of philosophy to a single psychological issue: suicide. Conversely, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung addressed the question of the meaning of life. Lawrence Kohlberg and John Robert Coles investigated moral behavior. And Viktor Frankl integrated existentialism into the practice of psychotherapy. "East is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet," does not apply to philosophy and psychology.

Compassion, courage, honesty, integrity, loyalty, responsibility, and wisdom are qualities we all admire and desire for our children as well as ourselves. Profiles in Character presents twenty-six inspirational and thoughtful stories illustrating seventeen universally admired virtues. This is a book written for teachers by a teacher. These stories will instruct and inspire students and provide material for "teaching in the affective domain." Since each story can be read in five minutes or less and is accompanied by discussion questions and follow-up activities, the stories can be used as brief devotionals or to occupy a full class period. Each virtue is illustrated by one to three stories and can be implemented from middle school to graduate school as part of students' character education. These classroom-tested stories provide enough material to make a substantial contribution to a character education curriculum.

Suicidal Thoughts is a compilation of some of the most moving and insightful writing accomplished on the topic of suicide. It presents the thoughts and experiences of fifteen writers who have contemplated suicide-some on a professional level, others on a personal level, and a few, both personally and professionally. Through this collection, the reader is able to bear witness to the struggle between life and death and to the devastating aftermath of suicide. Suicidal Thoughts provides readers with a better understanding of the reasons why some individuals give serious consideration to killing themselves.

"Oh, no, not another philosophy book " After twenty-six centuries of reflecting and writing, what can be said about philosophy that hasn't already been said? This book is different because it is written for students who are not interested in philosophy or who are struggling to understand it. Professor Malikow makes it easy to understand the sophisticated ideas and profound truths of philosophy by his use of everyday language, analogies, examples, and stories mixed with a bit of humor.

Teachers for Life is a book of educational psychology, philosophy of education, and pedagogy that addresses what it mean to learn, creating a learning environment, motivation, intelligence, lesson planning, grading, and much more. Max Malikow provides a review of some things new teachers have been taught, a preview of situations they are certain to encounter, and a compensation for some things they should be. He draws upon his 33 years of teaching, knowledge of educational research, and the collective experience of countless teachers. Teachers for Life will be of interest to current and aspiring teachers.

"May you live all the days of your life," wrote Jonathan Swift. This book is for "baby boomers" who are thinking about their remaining years. If offers life-enriching discoveries and activities that will add meaning, pleasure, and satisfaction to the years ahead.

Often, we are "doing philosophy" without realizing it. Each of the essays and articles in this collection addresses an aspect of ordinary life: A woman protests a parking ticket. An overdue library book is returned. A college student decides to transfer to another school. Two cars, heading in opposite directions, pass each other without incident. A letter is written to a college. A man is self-conscious about a skin condition. An elderly woman's sister passes away. At a glance, none of these mundane events merits philosophical consideration. Yet, each provides an opportunity to address one or more of seven philosophical topics: epistemology, logic, ethics, value theory, aesthetics, metaphysics, and free will/responsibility. The purpose of this collection is to give rise to philosophical discussion, but not mere discussion for the sake of discussion. Rather, the purpose of each piece is to refine the reader's thinking on the commonplace issues that constitute everyday life.

For each of us, if life is to be experienced as worthwhile, if not thrilling, and occasionally pleasant, if not joyful, our diligence is required. Even the most enviable of lives includes challenges, disappointments, frustrations, and confusions. There is a word for circumstances that challenge, disappoint, frustrate, and confuse - that word is predicament. Being a human being is not easy. Every advantage we enjoy seems to be accompanied by a disadvantage. We can acquire information, but also experience the frustration of forgetting. We can create, but also be tormented with "writer's block." We can know the euphoria of being in love, but also suffer heartbreak from a lover's rejection. These are but a few of the phenomena that can make life difficult, troubling, perplexing, and, perhaps, a predicament.