Short Sociology

When did “parenting” become a verb? Why is it so hard to parent, and so rife with the possibility of failure? Sitcom families of the past—the Cleavers, the Bradys, the Conners—didn’t seem to lose any sleep about their parenting methods. Today, parents are likely to be up late, doomscrolling on parenting websites. In Long Days, Short Years, Andrew Bomback—physician, writer, and father of three young children—looks at why it can be so much fun to be a parent but, at the same time, so frustrating and difficult to parent.

On an average day in America, seven young people aged 19 or under will be shot dead. In Another Day in the Death of America, award-winning Guardian journalist Gary Younge tells the stories of the lives lost during the course of a single day in the United States. It could have been any day, but Younge has chosen November 23, 2013. Far from a dry account of gun policy in the United States or a polemic about the dangers of gun violence, the book is a gripping chronicle of an ordinary but deadly day in American life.

As more of us live longer, the fear of an old age devastated by brain diseases like dementia is growing. Many people are already facing the challenges posed by these progressive and terminal conditions, whether in person or because they are caring for loved ones. Dementia is now the fifth most common cause of death across the world. It is a small wonder that understanding, preventing, and finally curing these illnesses is now a global priority.

The debate between science and religion is never out of the news: Emotions run high, fueled by polemical best sellers like The God Delusion and, at the other end of the spectrum, high-profile campaigns to teach "Intelligent Design" in schools. Yet there is much more to the debate than the clash of these extremes. As Thomas Dixon shows in this balanced and thought-provoking introduction, many have seen harmony rather than conflict between faith and science.

Is our sexuality determined primarily by our genes? Or is it shaped by the social norms and expectations we happen to be born into? This Very Short Introduction audiobook provides an accessible, thoughtful, and thought-provoking introduction to major debates around sexuality in the modern world, highlighting the social and political aspects of sexuality.

In this subject guide, psychologist Dr. Jerry Kennard provides a concise and informal introduction to panic attacks, panic disorder, and the management of panic. The guide is for people who want something more than a leaflet or a webpage, but less than a formal textbook. There was a time when the study of the human condition and mental health specifically was confined largely to students of psychology, medicine or nursing, or those involved in social care or health-related occupations.

In this Very Short Introduction, Philip N. Jefferson explores how the answers to these questions lie in the social, political, economic, educational, and technological processes that impact all of us throughout our lives. The degree of vulnerability is all that differentiates us. He shows how a person's level of vulnerability to adverse changes in their life is very much dependent on the circumstances of their birth, including where their family lived, whether it was peacetime or wartime, whether they had access to clean water, and whether they are male or female.

This is the story of an unforgivable con man. Vulnerable families were his prey. His promise was an impossible dream and a lie. Peter Candlewood understood the system. That’s how he could commute prison sentences and reunite hopeless families with incarcerated loved ones. For a price. Except there was no Candlewood. No hope. Just a lowly Texas con artist who bet on the desperate - and won. And he wasn’t working alone. The multimillion-dollar deception cost the betrayed more than their savings.

I numeri parlano chiaro: da gennaio a giugno 2016, i nuovi nati in Italia sono diminuiti del 6%. Si tratta quindi di quasi 14mila bambini in meno di sei mesi. Non è certo una novità per il nostro paese, che negli ultimi anni ha seguito una linea discendente e costante delle nascite. Ma negli ultimi tempi questa tendenza si è accentuata in maniera decisa e, unita a un aumento della popolazione anziana, sta portando a un sostenuto calo demografico nel nostro paese.

Le famiglie stanno cambiando. Ormai non esiste soltanto la famiglia tradizionale, formata da padre e madre sposati e i loro figli, un modello che ha dominato decenni la società e il suo immaginario. Le tipologie di famiglie si diversificano sempre di più ed è necessario prenderne atto e adeguare gli istituti giuridici e ogni altro aspetto che riguarda la famiglia, per accogliere e tutelare al meglio queste nuove realtà.

Il reddito di cittadinanza, detto anche di base, di sussistenza o reddito minimo universale, è un sistema che garantisce un introito periodico incondizionato a ogni persona maggiorenne per il resto della sua vita e per il solo fatto di essere un cittadino di quello Stato. Questa forma di sicurezza sociale, erogata dallo Stato, si somma ai redditi che la persona già riceve ad altro titolo. Inoltre, i soldi percepiti a titolo di reddito di cittadinanza non sono vincolati in alcun modo a un utilizzo specifico.

L'uso del placebo in ambito medico-farmacologico si è limitato per molto tempo a testare la validità dei farmaci più che per cercare una via alternativa di guarigione. Tuttavia, quando ci si trova di fronte a guarigioni scientificamente inspiegabili, o a miglioramenti o peggioramenti nel corso di una terapia non riconducibili al trattamento farmacologico, si deve considerare il potere che la mente ha sui meccanismi biologici e neurobiologici. Grazie a un nuovo approccio scientifico, che parte dalle teorie di Bruce H. Lipton sul "segnale" ambientale che influenza le nostre cellule, si può cogliere l'essenza profonda dell'effetto placebo.

Dreaming with Trillium takes you on a journey into the world of the plants. Through introducing concepts of active imagination, shamanic practices, and how to connect and dream with Plant Spirits (and what that means), this short book provides insight, encouragement, and practical application for you to discover or strengthen your relationship with the plant world in general and Trillium in particular.

When we think about viruses, we think about diseases such as the flu. For the most part, the flu comes and goes—the body is able to fight it. For some, it can be deadly. There are of course more dangerous viruses out there such as Ebola that in some cases kills 90 percent of those infected. In today's world, viruses can spread very quickly and it's for this reason we must be vigilant. Carl Zimmer in his book A Planet of Viruses discusses what viruses are and why they are so hard to eradicate. He also explains how not all viruses are bad and are, in fact, vital to our survival. Enjoy!