“Necessity is the mother of invention,” a paraphrase derived from the philosopher Plato, who lived some 2,400 years ago, is still true today in our modern lives as it was back then. These are the true stories of some of the greatest minds of the 20th century who have helped change the world in which we live. It is a celebratory recognition of the contribution that amazing women have made to the modern conveniences we all take as a given today. Discover which famous Hollywood actress we can thank for WI-fi; what about the woman who invented Kevlar? The famous poet's daughter who created the first computer program? The woman who invented the wiper blades for cars who didn’t drive! These are just some of the true stories you will read. Explore sixteen real stories, from how chocolate chip cookies came about to the discovery of nuclear fission by brilliant women in ‘Our Mothers of Invention.”

Mother of Invention: How Our Mothers Influenced Us As Feminist Academics and Activists is an interdisciplinary collection that combines feminist theory with life writing to explore the diverse ways that mothers, whether or not they themselves identity as “feminist,” inspire feminist consciousness in their daughters and sons. It features creative and scholarly contributions from feminist academics, activists, writers and artists from different educational backgrounds, places and walks of life. While not an exclusive celebration of maternal relations, this collection provides an antidote to matrophobia and mother-blaming by critically exploring and affirming the myriad of challenges and complexities that constitute motherwork. It explores how the mothering of feminist daughters and sons intersects with issues of gender, sexuality, dis- ability, ethnicity, racialization, citizenship, religion, economic class, education, and socio-historical location. Collectively these essays explore the centrality of intergenerational matrilineal narratives in shaping feminist consciousness, they deconstruct dominant ideologies of patriarchal motherhood and womanhood, and they challenge the notion that there is a formulaic way to raise feminist daughters and sons, or a singular “correct” way to engage in feminist maternal practice.

A biography of a spiritual visionary, written by one of the great thinkers of our time A biography unlike any other, The Mother of Invention tells the story of every human being now on the earth . . . through the telling of the life story of futurist and visionary Barbara Marx Hubbard. We are all moving through the same process, the book and its subject declare. It is the process of the birthing of our species. In what may very well be a new literary style, this biography begins in December 22, 2012, unraveling Barbara’s story backward to the date of her birth. Throughout the book are special sections inviting us to explore how we may directly apply what Barbara has observed and learned during her remarkable 80-year journey . . . to our own daily lives. On this journey, we will witness Barbara as she became one of the first women ever to have her name placed in nomination for the vice presidency of the United States by a major political party, traveled to Russia as a cultural ambassador for peace, visited the Oval Office and asked the President a question that he could not answer, and developed a deep acquaintanceship with the American space program. Today, we continue to find her at the leading edge of contemporary thought and innovative action regarding our construction of the future. In a very real sense, the story of Barbara Marx Hubbard is the story of the future of all of us, rendering it one of the most relevant and compelling modern biographies of our time.

‘Some of our mothers marched the streets in the 1980s, demanding the emancipation of women. Three decades later, they accompanied their daughters to Aurat March, reflecting on past formations, present collectives and feminist futures. Some made concessions in their acceptance of traditional gender roles, forming conflictual relationships with daughters that pushed the boundaries of propriety. Some may not refer to themselves as feminist, differing from their daughters about the significance and implications of labels. Yet, the subtleties of our mothers’ adaptabilities are centred on women’s empowerment. Situated amongst these subtleties are moments of consciousness and selfdetermination that we, as daughters, navigate through, as we limn the contours of our own feminist formations.’ In this remarkable collection of essays about their mothers, women from Pakistan explore the many meanings of feminism and its varying interpretations through generations. How, they ask, do these meanings change, mould, attract and detract within and between generations? How do women bridge the cracks that emerge in these formations as they hold within them the joys, sorrows, conflicts and contradictions of their multiple feminisms?

An Invented Life is a story of spiritual and factual exile. It is the story of the Chertok family's life after the Russian Revolution in Eastern Europe and England told through Nina in her coming of age years between the two World Wars. Eminently readable, the book evokes the rich flavor and wit of pre-war Eastern European life in colorful descriptions of place, atmosphere and character. It also brings the reader face to face with the loss and disappearance of that world.

This wide-ranging anthology takes a close look at the breadth of human sexuality from a Jewish perspective. The essays begin with a look at biblical and rabbinic views on sexuality, and then proceed to explorations of sexuality at different moments in the life cycle, sexuality and the marital model, diverse expressions of sexuality, examples of sexuality education, the nexus of sexuality and theology, and the challenges of contemporary sexual ethics. The Sacred Encounter is a thought-provoking and important Jewish resource. Perfect for personal study, or for high school or adult classes. Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Nearly 70 renowned New England writers gather round the table to talk food and how it sustains us—mind, body, and soul A collection of essays by top literary talents and food writers, Breaking Bread celebrates local foods, family, and community, while exploring how what’s on our plates engages with what’s off: grief, pleasure, love, ethics, race, and class. Here, you’ll find Lily King on chocolate chip cookies, Richard Russo on beans, Jennifer Finney Boylan on homemade pizza, Susan Minot on the non-food food of her youth, and Richard Ford on why food doesn’t much interest him. Nancy Harmon Jenkins talks scallops, and Sandy Oliver the pleasures of being a locavore. Other essays address a beloved childhood food from Iran, the horror of starving in a prison camp, the urge to bake pot brownies for an ill friend, and the pleasure of buying a prized chocolate egg for a child. Profits from this collection will benefit Blue Angel, a nonprofit combating food insecurity by delivering healthy food from local farmers to those in need.

Suspenseful, captivating, and ultimately moving, The Last Chance is about four women friends in their late thirties trying to survive the dangerous and fast-paced world of New York City while also battling the subtle violence in their private lives. Each of them has dreams of finding love, success, and adventure in the big city. Each is desperately searching for a last chance. They will make difficult choices and face unbearable consequences, and by the end of the year, one of the women will die an unnatural and uncanny death . . . The Last Chance is a tense and unexpected story about what it takes to survive and find control over your fate when everything seems to be working against you.