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Unflinching could be one way to describe this debut collection. Raw could be another, as these unfiltered poems are thick with the pulp of anger and cast a narrative that stings. There is a mess that an uncle and a father and fort-building, prep-school boys could make of a girl's body, but after, there is also the truth and what it can wield. Here, you will not find perfect poems, no, but you will find a perfect kind of courage, a bravery that quite unpredictably signs off with something any survivor would do well to learn: “Live well. The cliché is true. It is the best revenge." –Nickole Brown, author of “Sister” In her inaugural full-lengt collection, Elizabeth Beck proves herself an earnest and courageous new voice. insignificant kaleidoscopes through a spectrum of emotion rooted in agonizing depths of cloistered pain. Reflective, instructive, and intimate, these poems lament, luxuriate, and sometimes they just let loose and howl. Beck unflinchingly empties every pocket and drawer, cracks up every floorboard, committed to not only exploring but living alongside the specters of her past. –Bianca Spriggs, Affrilachian Poet; author of Kaffir Lily In insignificant, Elizabeth Beck provides compelling witness to the violence–and its tragic after-effects–that too many girls suffer, without the ability to give it this kind of important voice. In stunning imagery, Beck sheds light on what can only be called crimes against humanity. –Sue William Silverman, author of Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You

The press called Martin's actions a "crime spree." Already convicted of armed robbery, Martin was facing the death penalty. In less than two weeks the jury would decide his fate. Terrified that his son would be sentenced to die, Phillip did the only thing he felt he could do: in an act of faith and desperation in his garage with the car exhaust running, Phillip made the consummate sacrifice to spare his son the ultimate punishment. Ironically, his suicide presented Martin's with another chance at life; the jury, moved by Martin's loss, spared his life. Phillip's story-like those of the other parents, siblings, children, and cousins chronicled in this book-vividly illustrates the precarious position family members of capital offenders occupy in the criminal justice system. At once outsiders and victims, they live in the shadow of death, crushed by trauma, grief, and helplessness. In this penetrating account of guilt and innocence, shame and triumph, devastating loss and ultimate redemption, the voices of these family members add a new dimension to debates about capital punishment and how communities can prevent and address crime. Restorative justice theory, which views violent crime as an extreme violation of relationships; searches for ways to hold offenders accountable; and meets the needs of victims and communities torn apart by the crime, organizes these narratives and integrates offenders' families into the process of transforming conflict and promoting justice and healing for all. What emerges from hundreds of hours' worth of in-depth interviews with family members of offenders and victims, legal teams, and leaders in the abolition and restorative justice movements is a vision of justice strongly rooted in the social fabric of communities. Showing that forgiveness and recovery are possible in the wake of even the most heinous crimes, while holding victims' stories sacred, this eye-opening book bridges the pain of living in the shadow of death with the possibility of a reparative form of justice. Anyone working with victims, offenders, and their families-from lawyers and social workers to mediators and activists-will find this riveting work indispensable to their efforts.

"Read and be soothed. Dancing on the Page is a collection that reminds us of the generational memory power of music-that songs have always helped humans "to remember important stories", to make sense of our lives by bringing the order of an album (or a manuscript) to our experiences. As B. Elizabeth Beck moves fluidly through time in these poems, she offers the reader wisdom across the soundtrack of her life. "Nobody else will ever remember / you. Everyone too consumed / in their own reality..." We are free then-to dance, to deeply feel, to let go of what does not serve our song-the wrong husband might just introduce us to the right band. Beck makes an argument for music being the tool through which we most vividly experience memory; here we are reminded that 'music makes sense.'" -Amelia Martens, author of The Spoons in the Grass are There to Dig a Moat

Lone mothers and their children currently comprise almost 20 per cent of all families with dependent children in Britain. Their numbers have nearly trebled since 1970. Politicians and the media have focused on them as a symptom and cause of a broader social breakdown, yet little is known about the causes, consequences and conditions of lone motherhood. Good Enough Mothering? provides accounts of historical patterns of mothering and ideologies of the family, cross-national comparisons of policies and experiences of lone mothers in developed and developing countries. It analyses recent social policies and legislative changes in family law, the Child Support Act and discourses about the creation of an underclass in Britain and the USA. This edited collection, with contributions from leading academics in their fields, builds on feminist scholarship on motherhood and 'the family' and contributes significantly to the feminist and social policy literature on lone mothers. Good Enough Mothering? will be essential reading for all students of social policy, women's studies and sociology.

" ... simple action-filled stories about the lives of more than fifty favorite Bible characters, including Noah, Moses, Jesus and the disciples. Each story emphasizes the overriding theme of the Bible: God loves his world, his people, and "me!""--Page 4 of cover.