CHASING SHADOWS tells the story of a young man who pays a heavy price for pursuing his own dream. When he announces that he intends to be a poet instead... of a doctor, his working class family thinks he's gone crazy. They send him to psychiatrists who shoot electricity though his brain, warn him that he'll never hold a job, and confide that he will suffer from nervous breakdowns all his life. After a stint in a state mental hospital, he spends the 'sixties on the mean streets of New York City, not as a fair weather hippie with a room of his own in Scarsdale whenever he tires of the hard life, but as a fugitive from everyone, and everything, he once loved.

It is taken for granted in the knowledge economy that companies must employ the most talented performers to compete and succeed. Many firms try to buy... stars by luring them away from competitors. But Boris Groysberg shows what an uncertain and disastrous practice this can be. After examining the careers of more than a thousand star analysts at Wall Street investment banks, and conducting more than two hundred frank interviews, Groysberg comes to a striking conclusion: star analysts who change firms suffer an immediate and lasting decline in performance. Their earlier excellence appears to have depended heavily on their former firms' general and proprietary resources, organizational cultures, networks, and colleagues. There are a few exceptions, such as stars who move with their teams and stars who switch to better firms. Female stars also perform better after changing jobs than their male counterparts do. But most stars who switch firms turn out to be meteors, quickly losing luster in their new settings. Groysberg also explores how some Wall Street research departments are successfully growing, retaining, and deploying their own stars. Finally, the book examines how its findings apply to many other occupations, from general managers to football players. Chasing Stars offers profound insights into the fundamental nature of outstanding performance. It also offers practical guidance to individuals on how to manage their careers strategically, and to companies on how to identify, develop, and keep talent.

Providing decent, safe, and affordable housing to low- and moderate-income families has been an important public policy goal for more than a century. In... recent years there has been a clear shift of emphasis among policymakers from a focus on providing affordable rental units to providing affordable homeownership opportunities. Due in part to programs introduced by the Clinton and Bush administrations, the nation's homeownership rate is currently at an all-time high.Does a house become a home only when it comes with a deed attached? Is participation in the real-estate market a precondition to engaged citizenship or wealth creation? The real estate industry's marketing efforts and government policy initiatives might lead one to believe so. The shift in emphasis from rental subsidies to affordable homeownership opportunities has been justified in many ways. Claims for the benefits of homeownership have been largely accepted without close scrutiny. But is homeownership always beneficial for low-income Americans, or are its benefits undermined by the difficulties caused by unfavorable mortgage terms and by the poor condition or location of the homes bought?Chasing the American Dream provides a critical assessment of affordable homeownership policies and goals. Its contributors represent a variety of disciplinary perspectives and offer a thorough understanding of the economic, social, political, architectural, and cultural effects of homeownership programs, as well as their history. The editors draw together the assessments included in this book to prescribe a plan of action that lays out what must be done to make homeownership policy both effective and equitable.Contributors: Eric S. Belsky, Harvard University; Charles C. Bohl, University of Miami; Rachel G. Bratt, Tufts University; J. Michael Collins, Policy Lab Consulting Group, LLC; Walter Davis, Statistics New Zealand; Mark Duda, Harvard University; Avi Friedman, McGill University; Edward G. Goetz, University of Minnesota; Roberto G. Quercia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Carolina Katz Reid, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; Nicolas Retsinas, Harvard University; William M. Rohe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Michael A. Stegman, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Lawrence J. Vale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Shannon Van Zandt, Texas A&M University; Harry L. Watson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The audacious, gripping travelogue of a writer chasing the ghost of Graham Greene into the heart of Africa.Of all the anarchic and war-torn African... nations, none is more forbidding than Liberia, the land that nurtured child soldiers, the violent trade in "blood diamonds," even ritual murder. Graham Greene, in search of extreme adventure, ventured through its dense jungles to write the travel classic Journey Without Maps; three-quarters of a century later, Tim Butcher decided to follow Greene's footsteps, only to find the path even more ominous and overgrown than in his predecessor's day. Among the devils he encounters are masked sorcerers whose magical powers depend on cannibalism and missionaries long forgotten in the hinterland he traverses. Butcher, a former African correspondent for the London Telegraph and author of Blood River, his best-selling account of a dramatic journey through the Congo, has produced in this thrilling sequel a book that The Independent hails as "fascinating, harrowing, and eventful."

Roy Rowan is one of only two living American journalists who covered the fall of China to the Communists, and in Chasing the Dragon, he recounts his... personal experiences during one of modern history’s most tumultuous and significant events.An amazing true personal account of the Chinese Revolution and the fall of China to the Communists.

Inside of Hong Kong was the infamous Walled City. Strangers were not welcome there. Police hesitated to enter. It was a haven of filth, crime and sin.... Prostitution, pornography and drug addiction flourished. Jackie Pullinger had grown up believing that if she put her trust in God, He would lead her. When she was 20 years old, God called her to the Walled City. She obeyed. And as she spoke of Jesus Christ, brutal hoods were converted, prostitutes retired from their trade and heroin junkies found new power that freed them from the bondage of drug addiction. Hundreds discovered new life in Christ. Chasing the Dragon tells the whole amazing story—exactly as it happened. Equally amazing has been the reach of this ministry, now detailed in this updated and revised edition. From Hong Kong to the Philippines, Thailand and beyond, the ministry that started with Jackie and her friends taking people in to live and care for them has continued and developed to form the present St. Stephen’s Society. Readers will be inspired by this tale of trust and loving as Jesus would.

Since the early 2000s, India's economic performance has been celebrated and disparaged by different sections of the international policy community. The... exuberance of India's own economic managers and business elites culminated in the dramatic failure of the 'India shining' election campaign in 2004. Against such a backdrop, it became imperative to examine India's true position in the world economy and specifically its relative performance vis-¿is China, the default benchmark for contemporary economic success. Chasing the Dragon: Will India Catch Up with China?addresses one of the most relevant questions of contemporary times-whether Asia's two giant economies will reclaim their historical position in the international political economy-and in India's case, critically examines its prospects for overcoming its disparity with its northern neighbour. Using empirical data compiled from diverse sources, it evaluates the legacies of the two professedly socialist yet very different systems in terms of human development and economic infrastructure.This book offers an extensive survey of the first decades after reforms in India and China, along with the economic changes in the post-reforms period as a whole, and the nature of the lead opened up by China. The role of investments made by overseas actors, the competition for natural resources, and the export markets that are bound to emerge soon between India and China are all explored and their implications discussed. The authors evaluate the prospects of India catching up with China, and indicate how this might be accomplished.Rich in analysis and debate, this book will be invaluable to students of international business, economics, international relations, the media, business houses, policy makers, and ministries of finance and external affairs.

In this perfect match of author and subject, Pulitzer Prize-winner Samantha Power tackles the life of Sergio Vieira de Mello, whose work for the U.N.... before his 2003 death in Iraq was emblematic of moral struggle on the global stage. Power has drawn on a staggering breadth of research (including 400 interviews) to show us a heroic figure and the conflicts he waded into, from Cambodia's Khmer Rouge to the slaughter in Bosnia to the war-torn Middle East. The result is a peerless portrait of humanity and pragmatism, as well as a history of our convulsive age.

Kyle Keegan was like many teenagers: eager to fit in at school, he experimented with alcohol and drugs. Soon, his abuse of these substances surpassed... experimentation and became a ruthless addiction to heroin that nearly destroyed his life.Now in recovery, Keegan tells his remarkable story in Chasing the High. Starting with the early days of alcohol and drug use, Keegan charts his decline into crime and homelessness as his need for heroin surpassed all thoughts of family and friends, of right and wrong. He then goes on to use these experiences to offer guidance and practical advice to other young people who may be struggling with substance abuse. In straightforward, easy-to-understand language and along with the psychiatric expertise of Howard Moss, MD, Keegan discusses what is known about the neurobiology of addiction in young people, how to seek treatment, and how to get the most out of professional help. He also covers such topics as therapies which are used to combat addiction, how to talk to families and friends about substance abuse, and how to navigate risky situations. Both an absorbing memoir and a useful resource for young people.Part of the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative series of books written specifically for teens and young adults, Chasing the High offers hope to young people who are struggling with substance abuse, helping them to overcome its challenges and to go on to lead healthy, productive lives.

The latest from the author of the bestselling Caffeine for the Creative MindHow do you develop solutions that rock? Ones that surpass their initial... purpose and grab an industry by its throat, turn interested parties into concept evangelists, and influence behaviors and alter perceptions? Read Chasing the Idea Monster and find out.This fun and insightful book sorts out the hallmarks of a monstrous idea by providing the author's "idea measurement" tools in the form of seven primary questions to gauge the potential of any idea. These seven questions are supported by real-world examples of ideas that succeeded in winning over their audience, as well as those that ignored the measurement and failed miserably.Features warnings and anecdotes from some of the world's most prominent creatives, marketing teams, and business professionalsA proven method for determining if an idea will be a "big idea," or else will die a painful deathAuthor is a respected industry expert whose Caffeine for the Creative Mind successfully reached an audience both in the creative community and beyondWant to get a better sense of what makes a successful idea, and how yours measures up? Start Chasing the Idea Monster and scoring big creative wins today!

Growing Up Girl is an eclectic collection of poems, essays, and short stories that document the transition from girl to woman, as told by the girls and... women who know the journey best. Whether she's coming undone or coming out the writing is authentic and passionate.

During the past half century, U.S. policy in East Asia was guided by a simple dictum: avoid the domination of East Asia by any power other than the... United States. Increasingly, however, this policy approach seems questionable in a globalizing world, a massively changed East Asia, and a much deeper U.S. economic involvement in the region. Even as East Asian leaders often tell Americans they want a continued U.S. presence for security purposes, they also fear an American effort to "contain" China that will put them between a rising regional power and the global superpower, creating dangerous tensions that ultimately would threaten the region's golden goose--China's powerful economic growth engine. Others, like some Japanese, would welcome a conclusion by the United States that a powerful China ultimately threatens American interests. Chasing the Sun addresses major policy problems of East Asia--from the management of our relations with China to the North Korean nuclear problem to the growth of East Asian regionalism. The book answers how, in light of East Asia’s growing power and influence, the United States can retain influence commensurate with its interests. The transformation of the region requires us to ask whether some longstanding perspectives are still relevant, as well as what changes are needed in American policy.

The experimental artist Peter Fischli once observed, “There’s certainly a subversive pleasure in occupying yourself with something... for an unreasonable length of time.” In this same spirit, David Dowling takes it upon himself to attend and report on the all-consuming annual Moby-Dick Marathon reading at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.       The twenty-five-hour nonstop reading of Melville’s titanic epic has inspired this fresh look at Moby-Dick in light of its most devoted followers at the moment of their high holy day, January 3, 2009. With some trepidation, Dowling joined the ranks of the Melvillians, among the world’s most obsessive literary aficionados, to participate in the event for its full length, from “Call Me Ishmael” to the destruction of the Pequod. Dowling not only survived to tell his tale, but does so with erudition, humor, and a keen sense for the passions of his fellow whalers.      The obsession of participants at the marathon reading is startling, providing evidence of Ishmael’s remark that “all men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life.” Dowling organizes his savvy analysis of the novel from its romantic departure to its sledge-hammering seas, detailing the culture of the top brass to the common crew and scrutinizing the inscrutable in and through Melville’s great novel.   Chasing the White Whale offers a case study of the reading as a barometer of how Melville lives today among his most passionate and enthusiastic disciples, who include waterfront workers, professors, naval officers, tattooed teens, and even a member of Congress. Dowling unearths Moby-Dick’s central role in these lives, and by going within the local culture he explains how the novel could have developed such an ardent following and ubiquitous presence in popular culture within our technology-obsessed, quick-fix contemporary world.

Leonard A. Slade, Jr., a native of North Carolina, has lived in Albany, New York, since 1988. He is Professor of Africana Studies, Adjunct Professor of... English, Collins Fellow, and Citizen Academic Laureate at the University at Albany (SUNY). He is also Past Director of the Humanistic Studies Program and the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program. The author of twenty-one books, including fifteen books of poetry, Slade has received a number of national awards for his work. He studied poetry with Pulitzer Prize Winners Stephen Dunn and Donald Justice. His poetry has been praised by Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Houston A. Baker, Jr.

This bewitching first novel is a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, disguised as an adventure, and delivered as a work of art.When a book of unexplainable... occurences brings Petra and Calder together, strange things start to happen: Seemingly unrelated events connect; an eccentric old woman seeks their company; an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one is spared from suspicion. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has stumped even the FBI?