Social Policy Books - Page 6

One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All

Mark Robert Rank

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Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Despite its enormous wealth, the United States leads the industrialized world in poverty. One Nation, Underprivileged unravels this disturbing paradox by offering a unique and radically different understanding of American poverty. It debunks many of our most common myths about the poor, while at the same time provides a powerful new framework for addressing this enormous social and economic problem.
Mark Robert Rank vividly shows that the fundamental causes of poverty are to be found in our economic structure and political policy failures, rather than individual shortcomings or attitudes. He establishes for the first time that a significant percentage of Americans will experience poverty during their adult lifetimes, and firmly demonstrates that poverty is an issue of vital national concern.
Ultimately, Rank provides us with a new paradigm for understanding poverty, and outlines an innovative set of strategies that will reduce American poverty. One Nation, Underprivileged represents a profound starting point for rekindling a national focus upon America's most vexing social and economic problem.

Insurance Commander: How to Sell Property and Casualty Business Insurance

Baxter Dunbar

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great for a rookie. 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I am just getting started in my commercial P&C career. I do not even have my license yet, but feel a whole lot more comfortable talking to veterans of the industry. This is definitely not the end-all be-all of insurance books, but it is simple enough to get started with.

I started off with insurance texts and they were so dry that I could barely stay awake. After Insurance Commander I now have a grasp of the basic intricacies of the business. The only thing I would change about the book is the name (a little cheesy?).

A Very Valuable Tool 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I am just starting out in the insurance field as an Agent with no prior experience. During the time between making the decision to make the leap and actually landing a job, I dug every where I could looking for resources on everything that had to do with being a P&C Producer. By far, I would say this is one of the best resources for someone trying to get a good overview on how to think like one.

Of course, it is a bit cheerlead-y and full of narative, but quite honestly, it's what I found charming. I needed something that could hit home to me and motivate me to keep trying at something that seems very difficult.

I would highly recommend it to those looking for a good read on the (human) aspects of Business P&C Insurance.

the deliberate dumbing down of america - A Chronological Paper Trail: A Chronological Paper Trail

Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt, Charlotte Iserbyt-Thomson

Amazon Price: $29.20 List Price: $40.00 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: 3D Research Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $29.20

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Education Theory -> History
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Can't see the forest for the trees 3 out of 5 stars.
6 of 25 people found this review helpful.

The author posits that, since at least 1880, US education has been developed with the goal of producing an army of worker-bots, and that to do this, education has been engineered to destroy the cultural matrix that produced the author's ideal --- the rugged individualist, the "God-fearing, educated man of the early twentieth century."

The author overlooks the fact that in the early 20th century, education was mostly confined to white males of the middle and upper economic strata. She also assumes that fear of God was more prevalent then than now, which seems ridiculous in these times of crusading politicians and burgeoning mega-churches.

The book is a chronology, comprising excerpts from the published works and speeches of noted educators, social theorists, psychologists, sociologists, and other "experts," which she claims prove the existence of a movement to subvert traditional American values. This plot, she believes, was rooted in the desire of American industrialists Rockefeller, Ford, Carnegie, et al., to create a pliable workforce out of unbending Americans in response to the global convergence of business, politics and culture which they envisioned.

A basic fallacy of the book, I believe, lies in ascribing to classroom teachers vast powers to mold personality, alter values, and channel behavior.

The underlying problem is this: The author sees the trees and descries an orchard producing poisonous fruit. But the orderly planting she perceives to be the work of diabolical Designers is most likely only a tangled forest grown out of the chaotic strivings of humans struggling in utter darkness to improve their world.

That said, if you overlook the conspiracy theorizing, "Dumbing Down" offers an interesting overview of the development of modern educational theory.

Stir It Up: Lessons in Community Organizing and Advocacy

Rinku Sen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Stir It Up — written by renowned activist and trainer Rinku Sen— identifies the key priorities and strategies that can help advance the mission of any social change group. This groundbreaking book addresses the unique challenges and opportunities the new global economy poses for activist groups and provides concrete guidance for community organizations of all orientations.
Sponsored by the Ms. Foundation, Stir It Up draws on lessons learned from Sen's groundbreaking work with women's groups organizing for economic justice. Throughout the book, Sen walks readers through the steps of building and mobilizing a constituency and implementing key strategies that can effect social change. The book is filled with illustrative case studies that highlight best organizing practices in action and each chapter contains tools that can help groups tailor Sen's model for their own organizational needs. Stir It Up will show your organization how to

• Design and conduct actions that further campaign goals
• Develop effective leaders
• Build strong alliances and networks
• Generate and use solid research
• Design an effective media strategy
• Put in place a plan for internal political education and consciousness-raising

With the information, tools, and suggestions outlined in this book your organization can use your "good idea" to change the world.

The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics

David L. Kirp

Amazon Price: $17.79 List Price: $26.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harvard University Press Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $5.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Listen to a short interview with David L. Kirp
Host: Chris Gondek | Producer: Heron & Crane

The rich have always valued early education, and for the past forty years, millions of poor kids have had Head Start. Now, more and more middle class parents have realized that a good preschool is the smartest investment they can make in their children's future in a competitive world. As The Sandbox Investment shows, their needs are key to the growing call for universal preschool.

Writing with the verve of a magazine journalist and the authority of a scholar, David L. Kirp makes the ideal guide to this quiet movement. He crouches in classrooms where committed teachers engage lively four-year-olds, and reveals the findings of an extraordinary longitudinal study that shows the life-changing impact of preschool. He talks with cutting-edge researchers from neuroscience and genetics to economics, whose findings increasingly show how powerfully early childhood shapes the arc of children's lives.

Kids-first politics is smart economics: paying for preschool now can help save us from paying for unemployment, crime, and emergency rooms later. As Kirp reports from the inside, activists and political leaders have turned this potent idea into campaigns and policies in red and blue states alike.

The Sandbox Investment is the first full story of a campaign that asks Americans to endorse a vision of society that does well by doing good. For anyone who is interested in politics or the social uses of research--for anyone who's interested in the children's futures--it's a compelling read.

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The Politics of Immigration: Questions and Answers

Jane Guskin, David L. Wilson

Amazon Price: $9.56 List Price: $11.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Monthly Review Press Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $6.49

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the spring of 2006, millions of immigrants and supporters organized in cities and small towns across the United States to defend their rights following the passage of HR4437, a bill designed to punish unauthorized immigrants. In an unprecedented show of force, tens of thousands of workers marched out of meatpacking plants, factories, restaurants, landscape businesses and stores, while students—many of them the US-born children of immigrants—staged school walkouts. Thousands also observed a one-day national consumer boycott to demonstrate the economic power of immigrant communities.

The spring 2006 mobilizations—and the ensuing backlash from anti-immigrant sectors—pushed the topic of immigration to the front and center of U.S. politics. Polls show the public increasingly divided, with the debate framed as a choice between “deport them all” and “give everyone amnesty.” But dialogue is possible when we dig deeper. Why are people leaving their homes? Why are they coming here? What is the impact of our current enforcement policies? What kinds of alternatives exist?

Backed with a wide range of cited sources, The Politics of Immigration tackles questions and concerns about immigration with compelling arguments and hard facts, laid out in straightforward language and an accessible question-and-answer format.

For immigrants and supporters, the book is an effective tool to confront common myths and misinformation. For teachers, it provides a useful framework on the current debate, and ample opportunities for students to reach out and explore the intersecting issues.

Those who believe immigrants steal jobs from citizens, drive down wages, strain public services, and threaten our culture will find such assumptions challenged here, while people who are undecided about immigration will find the solid data and clear reasoning they need to develop an informed opinion.

Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study (Yale Nota Bene)

Thomas Sowell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this important book, an eminent authority presents a new perspective on affirmative action, investigating its actual consequences in the United States and in other countries where it has been in effect. Evaluating his empirical data, Thomas Sowell concludes that race preference programs worldwide have not met expectations and have often produced the opposite of what was originally intended.

“A delight: terse, well-argued, and utterly convincing.”—Economist

“Among contemporary economists and social theorists, one of the most prolific, intellectually independent, and iconoclastic is Thomas Sowell. . . . Enormously learned, wonderfully clear-headed, he sees reality as it is, and flinches at no truth. . . . Sowell’s presentation of the data is instructive and illuminating—and disturbing.”—Carl Cohen, Commentary

“Another brilliant, bracing achievement by Thomas Sowell. With characteristic lucidity, erudition, and depth, Sowell examines the true effects of affirmative action around the globe. This book is compelling, important, mind-opening.”—Amy Chua, author of World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability

“A masterpiece that deserves to be one of the most influential books of our time. Any honest reader will be informed and enlightened.”—Donald Kagan, Yale University

“A gem of a book. A brilliant and learned analysis of the negative effects of racially preferential policies both in the United States and in several other countries around the world.”—Stephan Thernstrom, Harvard University

Cadette Girl Scout Handbook

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Cadette Girl Scout Handbook 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful.

This book is great for girls, grades 6-9, whether Girl Scouts or not. The handbook disscusses everyday issues for girls in this age group, dealing with everything from health and fitness, to friendships and relationships. Activities and ideas for discussion throughout are great for troop activities, or even classroom or individual use. Some of these activities can be applied to earn Girl Scout awards. The first chapter focuses on the history of girl scouting, trafitions, uniforms, troop organization and more. The last chapter explains the requirements to earn girl scout recognitions including the Silver Award, the highest award in Cadette Scouting.

Cadette GirlScout Handbook 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is really helping our new Cadettes focas in on creating thier own Girl Scout troop.

And the Truth Shall Set You Free

David Icke

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Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A must read 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 18 people found this review helpful.

The gentleman David Icke's meteoric rise really has been astonishing and I cannot praise him enough. This book gives a pretty thorough precis of his work to date particularly in his historical analysis. I would describe it as all the history you were never taught at school and were too nervous to ask. The less open minded will naturally shy away and automatically ridicule all his theories but those willing to take a second look at world events will love his fact reappraisal. If you were never quite convinced when your history teacher told you a little serb shooting a Duke started the first world war, or that all the major world revolutions and civil wars just started as spontaneous revolts by hmmmm those 'revolting peasants' then this is the book for you. The conclusions though despite Icke's admirable philosophy is that the Elite evil doers really do have the upper hand and are strengthening it daily through their puppet politicians and huge mega multinationals that seem intent on destroying the human spirit.

I sincerely believe that to promote this book and the message within is the duty of every reader. The more people aware of this information the more chance we have. Let's take them on.

Editorial Review:

Reveals the story behind global events which shape the future of human existence and the world we leave our children. Both reveals the background to the global conspiracy and offers an inspiring spiritual solution in which every man, woman and child on Planet Earth breaks free from daily programming.

Dimensions of Human Behavior: Bundle

Elizabeth D. Hutchison

Amazon Price: $89.95 List Price: $99.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sage Publications, Inc Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $80.92

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This Two-Volume Bundle is composed of Third Editions of Person and Environment (ISBN: 978-1-4129-4125-9) and The Changing Life Course (ISBN: 978-1-4129-4126-6) at a discounted price!

In the Third Edition of Person and Environment, you will meet social workers and clients from a variety of work settings and situations who bring the passion and power of social work to life through engaging case studies found throughout the text. These case studies help apply the latest theory and research to real life practice situations. The Third Edition offers new case studies and is thoroughly updated and revised to reflect recent census data, developing trends, and cutting-edge research on human behavior.

The Third Edition of The Changing Life Course aims to examine the human life course in nine age-graded periods, which include: 1) conception, pregnancy, and childbirth 2) infancy and toddlerhood 3) early childhood 4) middle childhood 5) adolescence 6) young adulthood 7) middle adulthood 8) late adulthood and 9) very late adulthood. By examining each of these periods, the life course perspective can be understood as ever changing and marked by predictable and unpredictable twists and turns, which ultimately contribute to a unique life journey.