Linda Mooney

Learn to think through today's complex social issues from a variety of perspectives with UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL PROBLEMS, 11E by award-winning authors Mooney, Van Willigen and Clever. This reader-friendly approach highlights the latest data, policies, theories and relevant examples as you examine the most important social issues facing the world in 2021. You review the long-term impacts of COVID-19, repercussions of the 2020 election and emerging social movements. Quotes from prominent celebrities and captivating features emphasize how today's social problems affect your own life as well as those around you. This edition progresses from studying micro problems related to health care, drugs and alcohol, families and crime to examining larger issues of poverty and inequality, population growth, aging, environmental problems, science and technology and world conflict. MindTap digital resources help you further develop the tools to understand institutional change and become socially engaged.

The 1940s. Life in Grimm City can be just as fabulous as it is dangerous. But it's not a place that can be found on any map. Welcome to a world of gun-toting, hard-drinking, cigarette-smoking fairies, elves, dwarfs, shifters, and witches, as well as human beings.Welcome to Noir Fairy Tales.Beldon Chase and Aura Dagger, of Chase and Dagger Detective Agency, are hired by Estin Ragg, a troll whose brother, Durif, was discovered dead under the 82nd Street Bridge. The coroner calls it a suicide, but Estin swears it was murder. The cops seem to be sitting on their hands because he's a troll, and everyone knows how much trolls are castigated and despised in the realm.Aura and Beldon are partners. He's an ex-cop who was framed for something he didn't do and kicked off the force. Soon after hanging out the shingle of his detective agency, he found Aura homeless in the streets after the death of her father. Something about the young woman touched him deep inside, and he took her in and trained her how to be a gumshoe. They're in love with each other, but it's Beldon who's put the skids on their relationship from becoming anything more than professional. Mostly because he's a Static, a man-beast unable to convert completely into a man or an animal. As Bel and Aura are digging through clues as to whether or not someone killed Durif Ragg, their relationship comes to a head. Aura wants a commitment from Beldon. He would do anything to give it to her, but his own insecurities are holding him back.Things eventually reach a breaking point when they discover who is actually behind Ragg's death, and why. Which culminates in Aura giving Beldon a choice-either they make this a permanent partnership in all ways, or she takes a hike, leaving him and the detective agency.

It's another night on the job for Deputy Sheriff Barbara Mero, giving chase to a suspect in a stolen vehicle. But when someone beats her to the perp, she's not sure whether to step in or not. Before she can stop him, a sledgehammer-wielding bearded biker on a red Harley delivers his own punishment, but with his parting words, Babs isn't so sure he's another bad guy.After further investigation, Babs knows this vigilante "Santa" meant well, but there's no proof he was even there. And after a few more run-ins with the red-cloaked badass, she's torn between duty and justice, but in her heart she knows he's the real deal.You see, there's a side of the story of Santa that doesn't get told, and that's where Dominik comes in. Being the twin to Kris, Dom's job isn't near as merry, though still necessary, answering the letters from the kids who want more than just toys. Those who want a better, safer life, food, and shelter. Basic needs a kid shouldn't have to wish for on Christmas. Alhough he's accepted his own lot in life, Dominik still has one regret. It's a lonely life. There's another side to jolly old Saint Nick, and he ain't a saint.

Three quick and dirty short stories.PETER AND HIS WOLFDo you remember hearing the musical story of "Peter and the Wolf" by Prokofiev when you were in elementary school? About the boy who lived with his grandfather, and who captured a wolf by the tail? Did you ever wonder if the story was real? Did you ever wonder whatever happened to the wolf? More importantly, did you ever try to guess what happened to Peter after he captured the wolf? This is the true story of what happened. A story that has never been told...until now.SUCKERSFelicia is a mouth model with the hots for her favorite photographer. He wants Felicia to pose with a new product. All she can think about is finding a way to get into Aaron's heart...and his pants.HIS LAST REQUESTIf you had only one more day to live, what would you do? Corwin knows. And no one and nothing is going to stop him from the telling the woman he has loved silently and from afar how much he cares for her.

As an intergalactic cop gifted with psionic abilities, Maurra instinctively went to the Ellinod's defense when she saw the immense and bestial-looking alien being attacked by a group of vicious Kronners. Little did she know what the Kronners had planned for her and the Ellinod until she woke up naked in a cell inside their ship. And it wasn't long before she found out a translation device had been implanted against her spine, debilitating her and making her helpless with pain whenever she tried to use her psi powers.Neither she nor the Ellinod had any idea how twisted their captors were, but they soon discovered that she and the beast were at the mercy of someone who expected them to "entertain" his "customers", and entertain them well regardless of the consequences.(Note: This book was previously released as Captive Surrender. It has been restored to its original content, including more than 7K additional words, and re-edited.)

Randy Greebley is your typical teenage boy, with the typical teenage boy issues, except for one big difference - when he gets horny, he tends to get "horny." Literally. His feelings for his best friend Cricket have grown recently, and it's becoming more than obvious, making it harder for him to hide his other side whenever he sees her. A nerdy, middle-class farm boy, Randy doesn't really have a lot to offer Cricket, but he can't let graduation pass without letting her know his true feelings. Can Randy get up the courage to reveal his secret and tell her how he truly feels? Does she feel the same, or will he always be stuck in the friendzone? A senior class trip to the water park could be the hardest test of all for them both.

She reaches into minds to discover the truth. But this time, what she finds could get her killed.Wrynter Poe is both blessed and cursed with a unique ability. She can't read minds, but she can follow a person's memories of an event they witnessed. Which is why she works as a special agent for the FBI in helping local law enforcement agencies solve crimes. But this gift comes with a price. She cannot touch the bare skin of another person, for fear of accidentally obtaining emotional discharge or feelings from them. Lieutenant Hammond Blake is an undercover cop who's been assigned to help this strange woman, when a homicide case she's helping with suddenly takes a dangerous turn. While that case is being investigated, he accompanies her to her next job to make sure she stays safe. All it takes is one touch, one breach of her self-imposed isolation, for the both of them to discover how much they need each other.What neither of them realize is that the homicide has far deeper roots within the police force. Roots involving corruption and a cover-up that will put both their lives in danger, and test Wrynter's abilities beyond her own endurance.

After being gone for months, there's nothing like being home for Christmas. Although Brindle has no family there to welcome her back, and the little town has grown since she left, it's still home to her and exactly where she wants to be in these final days. With a little help from a generous stranger full of the Christmas spirit, the holiday is sure to be perfect for Brindle. Full of love and memories, both old and new. She just prays she's able to enjoy it before she runs out of time and breath.

After losing her husband a couple years prior, Lily's children decide it's time for her to stop grieving and move on with her life. She's always wanted to travel, and a few days later she finds herself in New York City. Touring the Big Apple alone on her own schedule is perfectly fine with Lily, but a guided tour from a local proves to be even better. After repeated run-ins with the redheaded tourist from Tennessee, it seems fate is determined to bring Lily into George's life. So he decides to take a chance for the first time in over twenty years. Both have had heartache in their pasts. Both have loved and lost. Can they open up their hearts and risk the hurt again? Will they listen when the heart whispers?

She sold herself to a dark and angry master.He bought her, hoping she would save his world, and himself.Tired of letting his people down time and time again, Egan Pri, costell of Unurit, has decided to do whatever it takes to save his people. A Charm is coming to town, and if he can scrape up enough money to buy her, his people could reap the benefits...but he's skeptical. Still, he'll try anything. The only rule? Keep her happy. He could do that.Genesee ii Duuru, a magical gypsy of sorts, is ready to be sold. She feels the pull of a planet desperate for her help. The sadness, the hopelessness-it's time for her to do her part, what she was born to do. With two offers on the table, does she go with her heart, or the betterment of her tribe?Genesee finds herself wanting to heal more than just the land and the people. But with this being her first sale, she fears she's gotten in over her head. What had started out as answering a call for help had morphed into her becoming a pawn in a political game she had no business being a part of.Forgotten enemies, unexpected allies, and a love forbidden.

Life hasn't always been great for Rainn and Gerran, but it couldn't be much more perfect than it is now. Rainn was happy to move to the remote mountains of Pennsylvania to be with her love, and to satisfy his "other" side. There, they are perfectly content. Only one more thing could make their lives complete.Gerran is the last of his kind and hopes to create a new life with his human wife. When test after test shows there is no hope, they are both heartbroken. The two are just too different, their systems too incompatible, and there's no way around it. Unable to accept why they can't be given their hearts' desire, Rainn vows to do whatever it takes to make her husband happy. A deal with an unlikely stranger could be the answer, but it comes with a very steep price. Is the sacrifice worth the reward? To save his race and bear his child, she will do anything.

Gus Balfour has lived with his "shortcomings" all his life. He's been picked on, made fun of, and obviously had problems in the bedroom. But through the years, he's learned other ways to please the ladies. Or so he thought. When his girlfriend leaves because he simply doesn't have enough to give, he decides it's time to take matters into his own hands...or well, maybe a surgeon's. After learning about the complications and exorbitant costs that go along with the surgical enhancement, he thinks all hope is lost. But a name and number left by his housekeeper could change his life.Syan isn't the old, wrinkly witch he was expecting, but she quickly proves there's no job too big, or too small, when you've got the magic touch.

Kreg Regius has been having a little trouble lately. The kind of trouble every male fears, no matter what species. Despite the dangers of people finding out how different he is, Kreg is desperate for relief and finds himself seeking professional help.With nothing to do but wait, his brother prescribes a night out. When that proves to be fruitless, he makes his escape, and his night takes an interesting turn. The shapely brunette he shares a cab with could be just what the doctor ordered. Immediately, things for Kreg start looking up. In more ways than one.

An old cottage. A cold winter's night. And shadows on the wall reflecting two bodies in the heat of passion...except that one of them died over a century ago.At first, Connie thought the disembodied voice in the room was due to her exhaustion. But when the apparition insisted she was the reincarnation of his lost love, she had no choice but to allow herself to become swept up in the moment, the memories, and the romance.

Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I OAnd on this farm he had some pigs, E I E I OWith a hack hack here, and a chop chop there, Here a shriek, there a screamEverywhere the blood streams... Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I OIn rural Georgia in 1948, a man was lucky to get any kind of work. Which was why Cletus Pink felt he'd been blessed when an old farmer named MacDonald offered him a job. But what was making the horrific sounds coming from the main house? Worse, why was there always fresh blood oozing out from underneath the kitchen's back door?

Four years ago Byron Shales was a manager for a department store. Now he hunts down and captures the newly zombie-fied dead, and resells them at auction to the highest bidder. What his buyers do with them after the sale is finalized is none of his business, and frankly he couldn't care less.His beliefs and apathy come to a sickening halt when he elects to keep one young woman for himself, and discovers that all his pre-conceived notions about these non-living creatures have been a lie. In fact, the truth about Rothsburg's Disease may be more horrifying than the flesh-eating creatures it infects.

Once upon a time, there lived a man with five rambunctious daughters. They were an average American farming family except for one minor detail. The man was a warlock, and all of his daughters were witchlets-half witch and half human.It was the Fourth of July, and Amberly Blakeney knew her time had come to find her heart's call. The last thing she expected was to discover that her new love harbored a secret that could jeopardize their future happiness. To make matters worse, when her father learns Matt's secret, he refuses to let Matt and Amberly have their Happily Ever After. And he will do whatever it takes, humanly or magically, to keep the young couple apart.