“We speak of a mother’s love, but we forget her power.” Civilization has come to the alien, sunless planet its inhabitants call Eden.   Just a few generations ago, the planet’s five hundred inhabitants huddled together in the light and warmth of the Forest’s lantern trees, afraid to venture out into the cold darkness around them.   Now, humanity has spread across Eden, and two kingdoms have emerged. Both are sustained by violence and dominated by men – and both claim to be the favored children of Gela, the woman who came to Eden long ago on a boat that could cross the stars, and became the mother of them all. When young Starlight Brooking meets a handsome and powerful man from across Worldpool, she believes he will offer an outlet for her ambition and energy. But she has no inkling that she will become a stand-in for Gela herself, and wear Gela’s fabled ring on her own finger—or that in this role, powerful and powerless all at once, she will try to change the course of Eden’s history.

Product Description: A debut collection in the form of African praise poems, this book celebrates the people and landscapes of Ethiopia. Seen through the eyes of a young white boy in love with his older, black friend, these poems explore boyhood in all walks of life...read more

"You live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of Angela and Tommy. You shelter beneath the light and warmth of the Forest's lantern trees, hunting woollybuck and harvesting tree candy. Beyond the forest lie the treeless mountains of the Snowy Dark and a cold so bitter and a night so profound that no man has ever crossed it. The Oldest among you recount legends of a world where light came from the sky, where men and women made boats that could cross between worlds. One day, the Oldest say, they will come back for you. You live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of two marooned explorers. You huddle, slowly starving, beneath the light and warmth of geothermal trees, confined to one barely habitable valley of a startlingly alien, sunless world. After 163 years and six generations of incestuous inbreeding, the Family is riddled with deformity and feeblemindedness. Your culture is a infantile stew of half-remembered fact and devolved ritual that stifles innovation and punishes independent thought. You are John Redlantern. You will break the laws of Eden, shatter the Family and change history. You will be the first to abandon hope, the first to abandon the old ways, the first to kill another, the first to venture in to the Dark, and the first to discover the truth about Eden."

Product Description: The process of engaging in social work assessment should be therapeutic and perceived of as part of the range of services offered. This view acknowledges that assessment is more than an administrative task, a form of gatekeeping for resources, or a means of determining risk...read more

`All readers will be drawn to the style of the book as well as its content. The structure will make sure that it is not just a "one-off", being read as part of a course of study, but a book which is used frequently as a source of reference′ - Child Abuse Review `[Child Protection provides] a clear explanation of the Department of Health definitions of child abuse and suggests signs which may arouse suspicion. The exercises interspersed within the text would each provide opportunity for lively debate and indeed Beckett encourages this in his ensuing discussion′ - Accident and Emergency Nursing Journal `This book is clearly written and would be a useful reference for professional wishing to gain information about protecting children from child abuse. The author makes extensive use of case examples to illustrate points and this adds to the clear style of the book′ - Community Practitioner `Professionals who have regular contact with children (e.g., teachers, psychologists, or general practitioners) could benefit from the author′s very practical approach to indentifying and responding to suspected child maltreatment. In addition to being a useful resouce in itself, this text could be used successfully in a classroom setting with social work students or as a professional development tool for new and experienced child-protection social workers′ - Journal of Family Studies Child Protection provides a very readable introduction to child protection work. It is for social work students, experienced and non-experienced social workers and the whole range of professionals - nurses, police officers, teachers, doctors - who are following up concerns about the abuse and neglect of children. It is based on the author′s 18 years of experience in practice as well as his current work as a social work teacher. The material is presented in a fresh and accessible way. Chris Beckett makes extensive use of case examples to illustrate points and encourage readers to test their own thinking. He provides clear introductions, summaries and conclusions and invites the reader to reflect on what is being discussed and to relate these points to specific situations that might be encountered in practice and everyday life. Part One outlines the job of a child protection social worker - what it entails and the demand made on social workers Part Two looks at the different ways in which children can be abused and neglected and considers the indicators and warning signs as well as the long-term consequences. Part Three considers the causes of abuse and neglect. What leads adults to mistreat their children or fail to provide the care and protection they need? Part Four explores some of the difficulties and dilemmas involved in child protection social work. This is an excellent, clear and inspiring book and is a must for anyone embarking on or already involved in child protection work.

Presents a different approach to the realities of everyday practice. Exercises, case examples, chapter summaries, and practice notes are used in each chapter, enabling students to apply theory to practice as they progress through this book.

This textbook provides a student-friendly introduction to social and psychological human development across the lifespan. The author presents the key theories and empirical evidence about the way people grow and change over the lifespan, relating theoretical ideas to practice. The book uses examples based on real situations and invites the reader to measure ideas against their own experience and intuitions. It contains a wealth of material, presented with a strong focus on clarity and explanation.   (view table of contents)