With about 70,000 domestic and international adoptions each year in the United States and Canada, adoption remains a major means of building families in both countries. Its continued success can be inferred not only from the yearly statistics, but from a report issued in 2003 by the U.S. Census Bureau. To the surprise of many, the report announced the existence of 1.6 million adopted children in the U.S. under the age of eighteen. Written by a former social worker who has placed hundreds of children in foster and adoptive homes and a clinical psychologist who has counseled adopted children and parents, this book offers a comprehensive look at the adoption process by merging the best of social work with the best of psychology.
Adoption can be a frustrating and intimidating undertaking for the unprepared. This guide provides prospective adoptive parents with the insider information that they need to navigate the process-and it provides students with the sort of expert opinion that they need to grasp the academic theory they receive in the classroom.

The Basics of Adoption: A Guide for Building Families in the U.S. and Canada

Parenting & Relationships

Dickerson, James L.

Allen, Mardi

Adoption

Praeger

Adoptive and Foster Parent Screening

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Dickerson, James L. L.

Mental Health

Routledge

Free yourself from the vicious cycle of diet excuses and take control of your life! Accept that you are telling yourself there are reasons you are not losing weight, that keep you stuck and paralyzed. Acknowledge they are excuses so you can move forward and take action to live a healthy life free from struggle! You can enjoy a full, active life in your ideal body. I’ll Start on Monday will help you: · Identify the weight loss excuses you are making. · Learn how they are preventing you from attaining your ideal weight. · Discover why your past weight loss efforts have not been successful. · Apply tools hundreds have used to achieve lasting results. · Gain powerful strategies to your action plan for maximizing success. You will also be inspired by the author’s personal journey, as she reveals how she overcame an unhealthy relationship with food – by changing her thinking and banishing excuses like…”I’ll Start on Monday.” “Until I met Coach Mardi, I continually sabotaged my healthy lifestyle. After working with her, applying the concepts and action plans she has now put into this book, I am 40 pounds lighter” – M.A., Engineer, Venezuela The Lotus flower grows in muddy water, rising above to flourish with extraordinary beauty. Just like the lotus, you have the ability to rise above challenges and create your ideal life. ~Coach Mardi Allen

I'll Start on Monday: Overcoming Your Weight Loss Excuses!

Diets & Weight Loss

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Mojo Triangle Travel Guide focuses on the origins of America's original music. The Mojo Triangle, a geographical and cultural area located within a triangular connection between New Orleans, Nashville and Memphis, is the birthplace of country, blues, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll. The Mojo Triangle has presented the world with an astonishing array of music.
The triangular concept of defining American music was originated by author James L. Dickerson in the early 2000s after decades of writing about the music created in the South. In 2005 he published a book, Mojo Triangle, that was named the best non-fiction work in the South by the Independent Publishers Association and presented with an IPPY Award. The book was updated and reprinted in 2014.
Mojo Triangle Travel Guide takes the historical information presented in Dickerson's work and presents a road map for tourists to explore the historic triangle for the purpose of understanding America's impressive contributions to music. The book is divided into seven chapters:
 Chapter 1 New Orleans
Chapter 2 Natchez
 Chapter 3 Natchez Trace
Chapter 4 Mississippi Delta
Chapter 5 Memphis
Chapter 6 Muscle Shoals
Chapter 7 Nashville
Each chapter begins with a brief explanation for the destination area's contribution to music and brief bios of the recording artists from each area, followed by practical information about where travelers should go to find music venues, restaurants, and places to spend the night.
From the bright lights of the major cities in the Triangle to the country crossroads of Mississippi, this book provides you with the information you will need to plan a memorable vacation or a week-end adventure you will never forget.

Mojo Triangle Travel Guide

Travel

United States

Sartoris Literary Group

Mojo Triangle Travel Guide presents a road map for tourists to explore the historic triangle for the purpose of understanding America's impressive contributions to music. 
Each chapter begins with a brief explanation for the destination area's contribution to music and brief bios of the recording artists from each area, followed by practical information about where travelers should go to find music venues, restaurants, places to spend the night, and historical points of interest.
Major feature of the book are rare photographs, interviews with many of the musicians who played important roles in the creation of America's music, and feature articles on human and cultural landmarks within the Mojo Triangle. 
The triangular concept of defining American music was originated by author James L. Dickerson in the early 2000s after decades of writing about the music created in the South. In 2005 he published a book, Mojo Triangle, that was named the best non-fiction work in the South for that year by the Independent Publishers Association and presented with an IPPY Award. The book was updated and reprinted in 2014.

Humor & Entertainment

Author Chris Minshew was at a point in his life where he felt suicide was his only option. He made it to the point of placing the pistol against his head. Then something happened that brought him back from the brink of death. That experience—and what he was able to learn and accomplish in subsequent years—convinced him to interview others who had shared his experience. Back From the Brink is a collection of riveting stories told by individuals who either attempted suicide and failed—and then realized it was a bad choice—or individuals who have stepped back from that fatal choice and gone on to live satisfying lives filled with hope. There is life after saying no to suicide.
Back From the Brink has garnered high praise, including:"There is power in the personal narrative. Back From The Brink is an intimate collection of stories provided by individuals who've survived attempting suicide. This unique book gives a voice to a pervasive epidemic so many struggle to talk about. These are stories that need to be heard."—J.L. Craig, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist
"Who knows more about suicide than someone who has attempted it , or changed their mind at the last minute, and gone on to live a productive life? Chris F. Minshew has done a public service by interviewing individuals who have attempted suicide and recovered, or who have journeyed to the brink of suicide and stepped back to say no to taking their own lives, himself included. Their stories of struggle and redemption are inspirational. This is an excellent book for anyone who is contemplating suicide because it shows there is always hope."—Kris Jones, MSW, Project Director, SAMSHA Suicide Prevention grant
 "Through this compilation of the exceptional and courageous stories of those who have faced suicide, Chris Minshew provides a unique view into the agonizing struggle when one comes to the point of unbearable life. The personal chronicles of those who have survived suicide are both touching and disturbing as they tap into the struggles for the reader who relates to this overwhelming experience. This book will validate the sorrow of suicide, yet will offer hope for the return to life."—James D. Herzog, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist
The book was written for those individuals who have survived suicide attempts and want to build a new life—and for those who are contemplating suicide but want to find encouragement from others who understand their problems.
 There are an estimated 5 million individuals who have attempted suicide in America. You may be surprised to learn that one in every nine of us experience serious suicidal thoughts and about 5 percent of us will actually attempt suicide in our lifetime.

Back From the Brink: Saying No to Suicide

Self-Help

Minshew, Chris

Death & Grief

For dog lovers, this is as good as it gets.
This collection of stories represents the best dog stories ever told by some of America’s most talented writers. The stories are inspirational, humorous, adventuresome, revealing, and filled with examples of mutual love and devotion. Some of the stories are true. Others are the invention of creative minds that know what it is like to love a dog.
 Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck writes about traveling the roads of America with his best friend, a French poodle named Charley. His loving relationship with Charley serves as a reminder of the roadblocks often inherent in human relationships. No doubt Steinbeck would have subscribed to humorist Will Rogers’s observation that “if there are no dogs in Heaven,then when I die I want to go where they went.”
Mark Twain’s “A Dog’s Tale” is a short story that first appeared in the December 1903 issue of Harper’s magazine. The story is told from the point of view of a loyal household pet that states in the first sentence, “My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian."
 Former Harper’s magazine editor Willie Morris writes of growing up in Mississippi with his dog, Skip. The story was made into a major motion picture named "My Dog Skip."
In his hunting story, “The Slough,” Andrew McKean, editor in chief of Outdoor Life magazine, ttells the heartbreaking and brilliantly written story of his last hunt with his beloved Willow. This tale of glory, love and loss will leave you in tears for a week.
In “Story of a Marine Hero,” New York Times bestselling author Maria Goodavage introduces the reader to Lucca, a decorated and highly skilled U.S. Marine canine that fought alongside her handlers through two bloody wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
New York Times bestselling author Garth Stein tells an intriguing story in “The Demented Zebra” of a sensitive and creative dog left home alone.
Memphis Magazine managing editor Frank Murtaugh writes about his childhood pet, Susie, who made him into the man that he is today.
Nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist Marshall Ramsey writes about the death of his family dog, Banjo.
In “The Adventures of Sherlock Hound,” Judge James D. Bell writes about his fictional, crime fighting creation, Sherlock Hound.
In her story ”Brothers From Different Mothers,” Annie Oeth writes about the unusual friendship between her dog and cat.
In his story, “The Three Amigos,” Sartoris Literary Group publisher James L. Dickerson writes about rabbit hunting in the Delta—and how it killed his ambition to become a Baptist preacher.
 Other writers also share their love of dogs in this book. If you do not already have a dog, you will almost certainly rush out after reading the book and acquire one.
What Others Are Saying
“Dog Stories for the Soul lives up to its title. It’s a splendid idea, skillfully assembled by editor Mardi Allen, who has her own dog story to tell … A dog owner, dog lover, or even a prospective dog owner will be reminded of and perhaps even rediscover the depths of his own humanity in these stories. It’s a perfect gift for dog owners and a must-read for those missing their canines.”—Brown Burnett, Memphis Parent magazine.
 “As a vet who has a dog in my family, this book stirred every emotion in me. Dogs can bring us so much joy, and this book captures the special relationship we have with them. A must read for dog lovers!”—David May, D.V.M., Animal Medical Hospital“What a wonderful collection of stories about canine companions. This book gives the reader a glimpse into the lives of these dogs and their owners, and portrays what the human-animal bond really is . . . wonderful! If you love dogs, you will enjoy reading this book.”—M. Juli Gunter, DVM, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Dermatology, Assistant Clinical Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University.

Dog Stories For The Soul: An Anthology

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Pets & Animal Care

Screening Adoptive and Foster Parents

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Books by Allen, Mardi