Mother was an emotionally damaged woman shrouded in dark secrets. Father was a man plagued by alcoholism who lived in a state of drunken evasion before jumping ship. Kathleen was born into this family and a community plagued by toxic male aggression, submissive women, wannabe Mafia brutes, charlatan holy men and women, and lurid and criminal goings-on&#8212made possible by cheek-turners, complicit and fearful enablers, and an ever-present, overarching code of silence. The words etched into Kathleen's childhood bones never let her completely forget: "We are finally alone," from the teenager, and "You don't want to hurt a man's reputation, especially a holy man's," from the priest. An explosion of truth tells of cover-ups, drugs, and attempted suicide; the resilience found in books, art, and as a guitarist and singer in a metal band; the tragedy of September 11; and becoming a mother. Kathleen discovers reiki and leaves NYC for Vermont, finding shamanism and Brennan energy medicine. But just as she is finding healing, her mother makes the staggering near-death confession that she participated in Kathleen's abuse. A true heroine's journey, The Seller of Secrets is Kathleen's story of how she made peace with the past and found wisdom in her wounds.

What will our lives be like fifty years from now? What will we know about ourselves as humans, and how will that affect our lives? It's impossible to know the future for certain, but one thing we do know--perhaps nothing will alter our future more than the Genetics Revolution of the past thirty-five years. This book clarifies the history and examines the possible impact of five major areas of genetic research:

• The Human Genome Project and genetic engineering
• In vitro fertilization (IVF) and the technology of reproduction
• The Human Genome Diversity Project, which is studying the variation of the human genome
• Embryonic stem-cell research
• Cloning

All of these areas of research produce two reactions among the general public--hope for the improvement of people's lives, and fear of science out of control. The Genetics Revolution examines the scientific, social, and political impacts of the genetics on everyday life--in the past, in the present, and in the future. Each specific topic is contained within its own chapter for ease in accessing specific information. This is an ideal resource for students, teachers, and others preparing research papers. In addition, it integrates science and social science topics in a way that supports topics in the school curricula. The book contains documented, current information that both supports and challenges current thinking about genetics.