Books about Fragile from Amazon.com

Once a sleeping giant, China today is the world's fastest growing economy--the leading manufacturer of cell phones, laptop computers, and digital cameras--a dramatic turn-around that alarms many Westerners But in China: Fragile Superpower, Susan L. Shirk opens up the black box of Chinese politics and finds that the real danger lies elsewhere--not in China's astonishing growth, but in the deep insecurity of its leaders. China's leaders face a troubling paradox: the more developed and prosperous the country becomes, the more insecure and threatened they feel. Shirk, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for China, knows many of today's Chinese rulers personally and has studied them for three decades. She offers invaluable insight into how they think--and what they fear. In this revealing book, readers see the world through the eyes of men like President Hu Jintao and former President Jiang Zemin. We discover a fragile communist regime desperate to survive in a society turned upside down by miraculous economic growth and a stunning new openness to the greater world. Indeed, ever since the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square and the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, Chinese leaders have been afraid of its own citizens, and this fear motivates many of their decisions when dealing with the U.S. and other nations. In particular, the fervent nationalism of the Chinese people, combined with their passionate resentment of Japan and attachment to Taiwan, have made relations with this country a minefield. The paperback edition features a new preface by the author..
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A mysterious circus terrifies an audience for one extraordinary performance before disappearing into the night. . . .

In a Hugo Award–winning story, a great detective must solve a most unsettling royal murder in a strangely altered Victorian England. . . .

Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams—and nightmares. . . .

These marvelous creations and more showcase the unparalleled invention and storytelling brilliance—as well as the terrifyingly dark and entertaining sense of humor—of the incomparable Neil Gaiman. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most original writers of our time.

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Safe Techniques to Reduce Pain, Build Strength, and Speed Recovery

Studies suggest that proactive strengthening and flexibility-recovery exercises can speed healing after spine surgery. Whether you’re preparing for or recovering from spinal surgery, recuperating from a back injury, or just dealing with a back that has "issues," this book offers an effective program to help you manage pain and regain strength and mobility.

These exercises modify traditional Pilates routines to accommodate partially immobilized spines, making this routine safe and effective therapy for your fragile back. The exercises are designed to not compromise a spinal fusion. Instead, they will do what Pilates exercises do best—stretch, strengthen, and tone the trunk with precise positioning and movement, while avoiding potentially dangerous repetition and overexertion. 

"Pilates for Fragile Backs is an excellent program for people who have had spinal fusion. The simple but effective Pilates-based exercises will help tremendously in reducing pain and restoring mobility." —Vijay Vad, MD, assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and author of Back Rx and Arthritis Rx.

"…Adhering to a program of Pilates, as described in Pilates for Fragile Backs, under the guidance of a certified instructor can be a most useful means to improve back function and relieve pain. Clearly, this is a valuable therapeutic modality that is underutilized in today’s current pain management programs associated with spinal disorders." —Charles Birbara, MD, chief of rheumatology at Worcester City Hospital in Worcester, MA

"In my practice, I constantly emphasize the importance of proper spinal alignment, good posture and a strong mid-section. Pilates for Fragile Backs highlights these points in an easy-to-follow exercise program for patients suffering with chronic back pain. I have recommended this program to many of my patients, and they are thrilled with the results." —Anthony S. Rainka, DC, South County Chiropractic, Sutton, MA

"As a physical therapist, I have been able to utilize the exercises in Pilates for Fragile Backs with my clients. They have shown a reduction in pain, an improvement in posture and balance, increased strength, and healthier muscle tone. Best of all, the program does wonders for their self-esteem." —Pam Craig-Stewart, PT, director of rehabilitation at Christopher House in Worcester, MA

"This book is a much needed labor of love that offers clear and helpful advice for anyone who has ever lived with chronic back pain. The spine problems addressed in this book are very challenging ones for doctors and therapists alike, and the authors use their first hand experience with spinal trauma to break new ground for exercise therapy. A specifically modified Pilates program indeed offers the possibility of comfort and relief for a largely under-served group in our society." —Ellen Kiley, RYT, therapeutic yoga practitioner specializing in scoliosis and spinal fusion

"I underwent an anterior/posterior fusion (L4-S1) over a year ago due to degenerative disk disease with annular tears. Since then, Pilates has done wonders for me. I started pursuing basic lumbar stabilization mat work a couple of months following surgery. I had urged my neurosurgeon to allow me to begin sooner than usual because I’d had a big increase in pain. My physical therapist felt it had to do with the stiffness that begins to set in as the weeks go by without stretching and exercising. I had every confidence that Pilates would improve my situation and I swear by it! I've been back to work full-time. I am also walking about four miles, three days a week! I’m sure Pilates for Fragile Backs will be a major help to many others." —Diana Stahl, Cincinnati, OH.
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In The Fragile Edge, the documentary filmmaker and deep-sea diver Julia Whitty paints a mesmerizing, scientifically rich portrait of teeming coral reefs and sea life in the South Pacific. She takes us literally beneath the surface of the usual travel narrative, in an underwater equivalent of an African big-game safari. Hammerhead sharks rule a cascading chain of extraordinary creatures, from eagle rays to reef sharks, as the sound of courting humpback whales reverberates through the deep. Inspiring for both armchair and expert divers, The Fragile Edge reveals how science can extend our understanding of unfathomable waters, opening our eyes to the threats facing coral reefs and explaining why these fragile oases are vital to human survival. In this passionate, spiritual narrative of her adventures in the big blue, Julia Whitty emerges as one of our finest writers on the mystery, beauty, and fragility of the undersea world..
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A GUIDE TO FOLKTALES IN FRAGILE DIALECTS by award-winning author and poet Catherynne M. Valente is a delightful collection of poetry, short fables, and fairy tales that explore myth and wonder, ancient and modern, with an introduction by Midori Snyder.

"Structured around a series of folktale motifs, Valente's eloquent second full-length poetry collection dissects the perceived roles of women in Earth's and otherworldly fable and myth.... enlightening and enthralling."
-- Publishers Weekly

"Catherynne Valente writes in the language of dreams, which is not rational and yet always makes sense. I could read the poems in this book a hundred times and find new meanings, new pleasures in them. It is an astonishingly beautiful and deeply satisfying accomplishment ... A brilliant, beautiful book."
-- Theodora Goss

"A tale of two grandmothers, one mythical, one real, that will gently, inexorably break your heart. A story of a god's petty curse reimagined as a sensual, sexual postmodern nightmare. A sinister conspiracy of black magic and murder hatched in the land of Lewis Carroll. Those are just tiny morsels in the decadent poetic feast found in A Guide to Folktales in Fragile Dialects -- Catherynne Valente doesn't so much retell legends and fairy tales as twist and sculpt them into new shapes, stunning objets d'art built from exhilarating language that never flinch from painful truths."
-- Mike Allen, three-time Rhysling Award winner

"Her poems enchant, enthrall and devastate, and this collection takes the astonishing skill she showed in Apocrypha and distills it, deepens it, sharpens it into a tool to carve stories out of language. If Sappho had written Ovid's Metamorphoses, she could not have done better than this."
-- SF Site

Born in the Pacific Northwest in 1979, Catherynne M. Valente is the author of the Orphan's Tales series, as well as The Labyrinth, Yume no Hon: The Book of Dreams, The Grass-Cutting Sword, and four books of poetry, Music of a Proto-Suicide, Apocrypha, The Descent of Inanna, and Oracles. She is the winner of the Tiptree Award and the Million Writers Award and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the World Fantasy Award, the Rhysling Award, and shortlisted for the Spectrum Award. She currently lives in Northeastern Ohio with her partner, two dogs, and two cats. Her sixth novel, Palimpsest, will be released by Bantam Spectra in February of 2009..
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This classic text has been read and studied by an entire generation of social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other psychotherapists The new edition is a streamlined version and includes new information and references. The authors have defined the basic facts and skills required for therapists who work with troubled adolescents. The easy-to-read version blends the tried and true fundamentals with important contemporary issues, including juvenile violence, adolescent sex offenders, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The primary audiences are practitioners, students, and trainees in psychology, social work, pastoral counseling, psychiatric nursing, and psychiatry..
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With typical brio and boldness, Slavoj Zizek argues in The Fragile Absolute that the subversive core of the Christian legacy is much too precious to be left to the fundamentalists Here is a fitting contribution from a Marxist to the 2000th anniversary of one who was well aware that to practice love in our world is to bring in the sword and fire. .
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Thomas Bachand's stunning photographs of Lake Tahoe capture the sublime allure and fragility of this beloved leisure destination Bachand's images document a gorgeous, and changing, environment; as hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the region each year, environmental researchers work tirelessly to preserve the ecosystem for future generations. Bachand's work reveals the delicate balance between conservation and recreation, as images of both majestic landscapes and development are juxtaposed. Dr. Charles Goldman, Director of the Tahoe Research Group at UC Davis and a leader in the efforts to preserve Lake Tahoe, introduces this picturesque and thought-provoking volume..
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