Author: The American Non-Dilemma: Racial Inequality Without Racism The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s seemed to mark a historical turning point in advancing the American dream of equal opportunity for all citizens, regardless of race. Yet 50 years on, racial inequality remains a troubling fact of life in American society and its causes are highly contested. In The American Non-dilemma, sociologist Nancy DiTomaso convincingly argues that Americas enduring racial divide is sustained more by whites preferential treatment of members of their own social networks than by overt racial discrimination. Drawing on research from sociology, political science, history, and psychology, as well as her own interviews with a cross-section of non-Hispanic whites, DiTomaso provides a comprehensive examination of the persistence of racial inequality in the post-Civil Rights era. DiTomaso sets out to answer a fundamental question: if overt institutionalized racism has largely receded in the United States, why does racial inequality remain a national problem? Taking Gunnar Myrdals classic work on Americas racial divide, The American Dilemma, as her departure point, DiTomaso focuses on the white side of the race line. To do so, she interviewed a sample of working-class whites about their life histories, political views, and general outlook on racial inequality in America. She finds that while the vast majority of whites profess strong support for civil rights and equal opportunity regardless of race, they continue to pursue their own group-based advantage, especially in the labor market. This opportunity hoarding, as DiTomaso calls it, leads to substantially improved life outcomes for whites due to their greater access to social resources from family, neighborhoods, schools, churches, and other institutions with which they are engaged. At the same time, the subjects of her study continue to harbor strong reservations about public policiessuch as affirmative actionintended to ameliorate racial inequality. In effect, they accept the principles of civil rights but not the implementation of policies that would bring about greater racial equality. DiTomaso also examines how whites understand the persistence of racial inequality in a society where whites are, on average, the advantaged racial group. Most whites see themselves as part of the solution rather than part of the problem with regard to racial inequality, but, due to the unacknowledged favoritism they demonstrate toward other whites, DiTomaso finds that they are at best uncertain allies in the fight for racial inequality. Weaving together research on both race and class, along with the life experiences of DiTomasos interview subjects, The American Non-dilemma provides a compelling exploration of how racial inequality is reproduced in todays society, how people come to terms with the issue in their day-to-day experiences, and what these trends may signify in the contemporary political landscape.

Author: Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin After drawing its first breath, every newborn mammal turns his or her complete attention to obtaining milk. This primal act was once thought to stem from a basic fact: milk provides the initial source of calories and nutrients for all mammalian young. But it turns out that milk is a much more complicated biochemical cocktail and provides benefits beyond nutrition. In this fascinating book, biologists Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin reveal this liquids evolutionary history and show how its ingredients have changed over many millions of years to become a potent elixir. Power and Schulkin walk readers through the early origins of the mammary gland and describe the incredible diversification of milk among the various mammalian lineages. After revealing the roots of lactation, the authors describe the substances that naturally occur in milk and discuss their biological functions. They reveal that mothers pass along numerous biochemical signals to their babies through milk. The authors explain how milk boosts an infants immune system, affects an infants metabolism and physiology, and helps inoculate and feed the babys gut microbiome. Throughout the book, the authors weave in stories from studies of other species, explaining how comparative research sheds light on human lactation. The authors then turn their attention to the fascinating topic of cross-species milk consumptionsomething only practiced by certain humans who evolved an ability to retain lactase synthesis into adulthood. The first book to discuss milk from a comparative and evolutionary perspective, Power and Schulkins masterpiece reveals the rich biological story of the common thread that connects all mammals.

Author: by Michael R. Dolksi D-Day, the Allied invasion of northwestern France in June 1944, has remained in the forefront of American memories of the Second World War to this day. Depictions in books, news stories, documentaries, museums, monuments, memorial celebrations, speeches, games, and Hollywood spectaculars have overwhelmingly romanticized the assault as an event in which citizen-soldiers the everyday heroes of democracyengaged evil foes in a decisive clash fought for liberty, national redemption, and world salvation.

Author: THOMAS REPPETTO New York City has long been a breeding ground for spies, saboteurs, terrorists, and other threats to the nation and its greatest city. Battleground New York City examines the history of domestic security operations and the people and agencies involved in safeguarding the city that never sleeps. Starting with the bloody draft riots during the Civil War, Thomas Reppetto guides the reader through New York Citys history, emphasizing the battles against twentieth-century German and Russian spies and more recent ones against Islamic radicals. This book illustrates how, over the course of two world wars, numerous political and social upheavals, and shocking terrorist attacks, the United States developed a complex web of organizations responsible for identifying and neutralizing security risks. New York has been the training and proving ground for law enforcement agencies in developing the organizations, strategies, and tactics now used to protect citizens nationwide. The histories and operations of the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department, and other organizations provide insight into recent events and what the United States needs to do to protect all of its citizens. Battleground New York City is the exciting story of the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting a city under threat.