Anthropologists have long considered kinship as the basis for social solidarity. But, what about when it is not? What about instances when kinship is characterized by neglect, violence, negative affect, or a lack of care? This edited volume, featuring slim and cutting-edge essays from a diverse group of anthropologists at different career stages, explores situations when kinship is experienced as difficult and ambivalent.   

This book describes the lives of children in rural communities of the Andes Mountains of Peru. It foregrounds the children’s own perceptions and feelings, so far as they can be known by researchers using ethnographic methods. It shows the great variety of Andean childhoods – some happy, others harsh and demanding – and suggests the options children face: follow the many to migrate to the city or risk their hopes on a better future in the rural setting. 
 

Background Artist tells the inspiring story of Tyrus Wong, a Chinese immigrant who eventually became a best-selling greeting card designer, Warner Bros. sketch artist, and instrumental influence on the beloved Disney animated film, Bambi. Covering his remarkable 106-year life, this book celebrates a multi-talented and pioneering Asian-American artist whose work shaped the American imagination.

Bruce Songs is an authoritative guide that delves into Bruce Springsteen's entire musical catalog, offering detailed album analysis, historical context, and song-by-song exploration. Packed with contemporary insights and rich visuals, it's an essential companion for Springsteen fans and music enthusiasts.

We Take Care of Our Own traces the evolution of Bruce Springsteen’s beliefs, beginning with his New Jersey childhood and ending with his most recent works from Springsteen on Broadway to Letter to You. The author follows the singer’s life, examining his albums and a variety of influences (both musical and non-musical), especially his Catholic upbringing and his family life, to show how he became an outspoken icon for working-class America; indeed for working class life throughout the world.
 

The Bravest Pets of Gotham takes readers on a fun historical tour of Old New York, sharing more than 100 touching, thrilling and amusing stories about the bond between FDNY firefighters and their four-legged friends. You’ll meet countless brave and intelligent firehouse pets, from horses, dogs, and cats to monkeys and goats. 
 

Michelle Ann Abate examines what The Family Circus, Ziggy, and The Far Side all have in common—they’re single-panel comics, a seemingly simple form that presents cartoonists with a wide range of possibilities. Covering everything from nineteenth-century political cartoons to twenty-first-century web comics, she reveals their complexity, artistry, and influence.  

Reel Kabbalah studies representations of esoteric Jewish conceptual traditions known as Kabbalah and Hasidism in five important fictional films from the first decade of the twenty-first century.  The book considers how film both stands in continuity with those traditions and modifies them in the New Age, often mystical vein of what is known as neo-Kabbalah and neo-Hasidism.

Performing The News: Identity, Authority, & the Myth of Neutrality explores how journalists from historically marginalized groups have felt pressure to conform when performing for audiences and are increasingly challenging restrictive, supposedly neutral forms of self-presentation. Through in-depth interviews, this book suggests ways to make journalism more inclusive and representative of diverse audiences

This classic work reveals the fascinating history, iconography, and people behind the twelve-lane behemoth we call the New Jersey Turnpike. Now a special updated and expanded edition examines how the road has changed in the past thirty-five years yet still epitomizes America at its very best and very worst.