Beyond the Megacity connects and reconnects the global debate on the contemporary urban condition to the Latin American tradition of seeing, considering, and theorizing urbanization from the margins. It develops the approach of "peripheral urbanization" as a way to integrate the theoretical agendas belonging to global suburbanisms, neo-Marxist accounts of planetary urbanization, and postcolonial urban studies, and to move urban theory closer to the complexity and diversity of urbanization in the Global South. From an interdisciplinary perspective, Beyond the Megacity investigates the natures, causes, implications, and politics of current urbanization processes in Latin America. The book draws on case studies from various countries across the region, covering theoretical and disciplinary approaches from the fields of geography, anthropology, sociology, urban studies, agrarian studies, and urban and regional planning, and is written by academics, journalists, practitioners, and scholar-activists. Beyond the Megacity unites these unique perspectives by shifting attention to the places, processes, practices, and bodies of knowledge that have often been neglected in the past.

In this first person account of bipolar disorder, Michael Lukas tells the story of discovering his illness as he finds himself transformed from high school valedictorian to correctional facility inmate over the course of a summer. The changes begin with an unexpected and deep depression. This is followed by Lukas' first explosive manic episode which results in his expulsion from Stanford University. We are invited to relive these intense experiences and to understand the effects on a young man's life as he fights to regain control of his future. Through Lukas' intimate account of struggle and eventual acceptance of his illness, The Veil offers insight for all who struggle with extreme emotional states and their consequences, and for all who love them. Michael Lukas has lived with bipolar disorder for 20 years and has worked tirelessly to get it under control. In that time, he has been homeless, jailed, committed, and deeply in debt. He now lives with his wife and children in San Francisco.