Erin L. McCoy

A richly glittering debut about the interlocked fates of two women, raised worlds apart, who must join forces on an extraordinary journey, diving leagues beneath the water's surface--and straight into the fathomless heart of fear, forgiveness, and love. Thirteen years ago, Otta escaped her small town, determined to become a marine biologist. Now she's returned, carrying the guilt of a friend's disappearance during a deep-sea dive and unsure she'll ever be able to dive again. Then a stranger appears at her door. This stranger, May, says that her daughter has run away, and insists that she's under the nearby lake--alive. To find the missing girl, Otta and May must travel deeper and deeper under the water, confronting webs of fear, control, and delusion borne of a rampant nostalgia for a purer world. Along the way, they will also push their bodies to the mortal limit. Hypnotic and arresting, Underlake brings a poet's attention to language, evoking the ethereal work of Marilynne Robinson, Lauren Groff, and Emily St. John Mandel and the imaginative brio of Margaret Atwood. In taking her place as a major new voice in American fiction, McCoy shrewdly explores the American obsession with inheritance, property, and race, asking how we stake our claim on the timeline of history--and who we erase in the process.

Wrecks is a collection of poems inspired by the great auk, a flightless seabird driven to extinction in the mid-1800s. The last two known members of the species were killed on Eldey Island, Iceland, in 1844. The auk was repeatedly described by those who killed the bird as making human-like gestures and sounds, including sighs. Wrecks investigates how the human-nonhuman binary and the dehumanization it enables makes space for violence--against animals and the environment, but also against other humans. It explores the colonial systems that drive extinction, and the hierarchical structure by which hegemonic powers decide what is--and what is not--human. It engages the author's experience of dehumanization as an atheist growing up in the conservative South; it also interrogates her complicity in systems of structural racism, and her inheritance as the descendant of colonizers.

Millions of people around the world suffer from infertility. For them, the prospect of having a baby may have seemed unattainable just a century ago. However, new technologies have not only made it possible for more people to have children but have also helped parents assess the health of their babies before they're even born. Treatments include artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, preimplantation genetic diagnosis. and amniocentesis. However, these new treatments have also sparked controversies involving the boundaries of government control, private choice, religious belief, and parental wishes. This book helps readers explore the many sides of this complicated issue. Sidebars, full-color photographs, and a detailed glossary support the narrative.

When one country or region of the world is facing political upheaval, genocide, or war, what role should the international community play? Should powerful countries such as the United States police the world, ensuring widespread peace by intervening in such conflicts? Should each nation be responsible for managing its own conflicts? This book delves into the history of armed intervention to explore arguments both for and against military intervention, and to assess when and where it is necessary, if it is necessary at all. Full-color photographs, a glossary, and sidebars aid readers as they explore compelling sides of this debate.

Over the course of human history, torture has been used as an instrument of war, a means of extracting information, and a mode of punishment. Many argue that it is a necessary weapon in times of war. Others insist that it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, violates human rights laws, and fails to extract trustworthy information. This book dives into the debate over torture from all sides, using examples from recent history as well as sidebars, full-color photographs, and a glossary designed to improve young adults' understanding of this controversial topic.

In 2015, same-sex marriage was declared legal in all fifty states by the Supreme Court. Today, more than two dozen nations around the world have legalized same-sex marriage. However, the debate about whether such marriages should be allowed still rages on, both in the United States and around the globe. In some countries, homosexuality is illegal and those convicted of homosexual acts can even face the death penalty. Some argue that same-sex marriage erodes the institution of marriage or oppose it on religious grounds, while others view the ability to marry as a fundamental right. This book delves into all sides of the debate with the aid of full-color photographs, sidebars, and a glossary designed to improve young adults' understanding of this complex topic.

In 2015, same-sex marriage was declared legal in all fifty states by the Supreme Court. Today, more than two dozen nations around the world have legalized same-sex marriage. However, the debate about whether such marriages should be allowed still rages on, both in the United States and around the globe. In some countries, homosexuality is illegal and those convicted of homosexual acts can even face the death penalty. Some argue that same-sex marriage erodes the institution of marriage or oppose it on religious grounds, while others view the ability to marry as a fundamental right. This book delves into all sides of the debate with the aid of full-color photographs, sidebars, and a glossary designed to improve young adults' understanding of this complex topic.

When one country or region of the world is facing political upheaval, genocide, or war, what role should the international community play? Should powerful countries such as the United States "police the world," ensuring widespread peace by intervening in such conflicts? Should each nation be responsible for managing its own conflicts? This book delves into the history of armed intervention to explore arguments both for and against military intervention, and to assess when and where it is necessary, if it is necessary at all. Full-color photographs, a glossary, and sidebars aid readers as they explore compelling sides of this debate.

Genocide is the deliberate murder of a racial, ethnic, tribal, national, or religious group. It is one of the world's most horrifying crimes, yet the role that the international community should play when a genocide is underway remains unclear. Are other nations obligated to step in when a genocide is taking place? If so, what signals that it's time to step in? This book looks back at some of the most reprehensible acts of genocide in human history to gain a better understanding of what interventions have taken place in the past, and to what extent they have helped. Sidebars, full-color photographs, and a glossary help readers gain a deeper understanding of the many sides of this complex issue.

Genocide is the deliberate murder of a racial, ethnic, tribal, national, or religious group. It is one of the world's most horrifying crimes, yet the role that the international community should play when a genocide is underway remains unclear. Are other nations obligated to step in when a genocide is taking place? If so, what signals that it's time to step in? This book looks back at some of the most reprehensible acts of genocide in human history to gain a better understanding of what interventions have taken place in the past, and to what extent they have helped. Sidebars, full-color photographs, and a glossary help readers gain a deeper understanding of the many sides of this complex issue.

Whether immigration helps or hurts the United States economically, socially, and culturally is a complex question that has both troubled and defined North America since the first colonists arrived. At various stages in American history, the country has both welcomed immigrants as the backbone upon which the nation was founded and rejected them because of their religious, cultural, or linguistic background or because of their economic status. This book outlines the legal and social history of immigration to the United States and frames the immigration debate today. Through full-color photographs and insightful sidebars, readers will gain a nuanced understanding of the many factors that continue to define immigration policy.

Drug abuse and addiction in the United States has reached the level of an epidemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports. More than one million incarcerated people suffer from opioid and other addictions, but only one in ten receives addiction treatment. The debate raging around drug abuse today is whether addicts who commit crime should be sent to jail or to treatment. This book investigates the debate on how to confront illegal drug use and abuse in the United States, using full-color photographs and sidebars to offer readers a complex understanding of the many proposed solutions to this problem.

As internet use and global connectivity have skyrocketed, so too has identity theft. Even though hundreds of millions of people are affected every year by this crime, it remains unclear whose role it is to promote cybersecurity and investigate and prosecute identity theft in the United States. This book explains how identity theft, data breaches, and fraud occur, how to protect oneself against these threats, and what obstacles U.S. law enforcement faces as it seeks to fight back. Full-color photographs, a glossary, and sidebars help readers comprehend this complex issue, which is more pressing than ever for children and young adults.

Where to draw the line between church and state in everything from laws and courtrooms to public schools and foreign affairs has been a point of contention throughout American history, a debate between those who believe in a complete separation and those who argue that religion was important to the Founding Fathers and has therefore always been an important part of American culture. This book dives into the foundational documents of the United States, important legal cases, laws governing social behavior, religion in the public schools, and separation of church and state on the international level. Photographs, sidebars, and images of the Constitution and Bill of Rights help readers gain a deeper understanding of the debate from all sides.

Millions of Americans struggle with poverty every day. The United States prides itself on being the land of opportunity, yet many disagree about why so many Americans have struggled to meet their basic needs. This book looks at the challenges surrounding poverty in America today, and explores the legal, political, social, and economic solutions, including food stamps, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, that have been proposed to remedy the problem. Readers will gain an in-depth understanding of the many factors causing poverty and of how governments and communities can do their part to help those in need. Full-color images and sidebars support this compelling narrative.

Rising ocean temperatures, melting glaciers, and widespread climate change have caused food shortages, threatened human settlements, and endangered wildlife. Accelerated global warming caused by pollution and the excessive release of greenhouse gases may be the most pressing threat our planet faces today, and it is key that children understand the complexity of this issue from an early age. Readers will learn the science behind global warming with the aid of full-color photographs and charts, a glossary, and sidebars. They will also discover what individuals, nations, and organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Nature Conservancy can do to save the planet.

The world is now home to more than 7.5 billion people, and the population is growing faster than ever before. Many experts have questioned whether Earth can sustain this growing population, or whether famine and water shortages are an inevitable result. Middle school readers will discover all the challenges in food and water production that humans face today, and learn about global efforts to battle the threat of food shortages. Full-color photographs, sidebars, and a glossary aid in their understanding of the issue.

The world is now home to more than 7.5 billion people, and the population is growing faster than ever before. Many experts have questioned whether Earth can sustain this growing population, or whether famine and water shortages are an inevitable result. Middle school readers will discover all the challenges in food and water production that humans face today, and learn about global efforts to battle the threat of food shortages. Full-color photographs, sidebars, and a glossary aid in their understanding of the issue.

Rising ocean temperatures, melting glaciers, and widespread climate change have caused food shortages, threatened human settlements, and endangered wildlife. Accelerated global warming caused by pollution and the excessive release of greenhouse gases may be the most pressing threat our planet faces today, and it is key that children understand the complexity of this issue from an early age. Readers will learn the science behind global warming with the aid of full-color photographs and charts, a glossary, and sidebars. They will also discover what individuals, nations, and organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Nature Conservancy can do to save the planet.

Since before history began, the human species has been waging a war. Viruses have claimed countless lives and have swept through civilizations in deadly pandemics. Certain viruses, such as Ebola, hantavirus, and strains of influenza, still pose a threat today. Some scientists believe that a large outbreak of an extremely deadly infectious disease is likely to occur soon. A virus could either develop naturally or be created by terrorists or hostile states for use as a weapon. This book uses photographs, sidebars, and a glossary to explain the most pressing of these threats we face today, and what individuals and organizations are doing to prevent an outbreak.