With an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and an effortless ability to spin brilliant prose out of unlikely subject matter, Klosterman attacks the entire spectrum of postmodern America: reality TV, Internet porn, breakfast cereal, serial killers, Pamela Anderson, literary Jesus freaks, and the real difference between apples and oranges (of which there is none). Sex, Drugs and Coca Puffs is ostensibly about movies, sport, television, music, books, video games and kittens, but really it's about us. All of us.

Publisher description

Sexual practices and drug use among the young are examined in this book, calling into question mainstream assumptions about ‘adolescence’. Bringing together a range of cross-cultural and cross-national contributions, the book reveals both similarities and important differences that mark sexuality and drug use among young in different social and cultural settings. In doing so, it allows the reader to build up a clearer understanding of the challenges that must be faced in public health and education if we are to develop programs and interventions that really serve the needs of young people. The book will be of interest to professionals working with young people and is suitable for a wide range of multidisciplinary courses covering areas such as human sexuality, sex education, public health and social work.

A thought-provoking look at women’s health in developing nations! This book shows how war, military regimes, industrialization, urbanization, and social upheaval have all affected the choices Southeast Asian women make about their health and health care. When you read these first-person accounts from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Burma, you’ll be drawn into the lives of women dealing with drastic changes in their societies. The meticulous case studies in this book examine how social, cultural, and economic forces contribute to the way women make personal health care decisions. Women’s Health in Mainland Southeast Asia offers a thought-provoking look into the lives of women in this developing part of the world. Topics addressed in Women’s Health in Mainland Southeast Asia include: a proposed new approach to women’s health, where treatment is determined by society, culture, and gender rather than by biology alone the relationship between menstruation and other aspects of life for Burmese women the politics of abortion in Thailand the difficulties of seeking care for reproductive tract infections in Vietnam the influence of local culture on the treatment of reproductive health problems in northeast Thailand occupational health hazards faced by women working in the electronics industry in northern Thailand the links between migration, sex work, and HIV/AIDS among female garment factory workers in Cambodia

Based on interviews with 35 women who had been lured into the sex trade in Thailand. Describes the methods used to recruit these women, examines the conditions they face and looks at the help they receive from the Thai and Chinese authorities and others. Considers the problems they are confronted with on return to China and proposes solutions to combat this trafficking.

What led scientists to have acrobats copulate inside an MRI machine? Why do wordless patterns of sound send shivers down our spines and tickle ancient parts of our brains? How did a chemist's quest to create a drug to ease the pain of childbirth result in the creation of LSD? And did it change our understanding of the brain forever? From tortoiseshell condoms to superstar athletes on hallucinogens, science writer Zoe Cormier dissects these and other burning questions, amplifying them with insights from some of the world's bravest, cleverest, and downright weirdest scientists. Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll explores science at the edge, where scientists ask big, strange questions -- and sometimes experiment on themselves to find answers. It shines a light into the lesser-known corners of scientific research to gain insight into the nature of consciousness, happiness, and humanity. Not to mention our parties. Here are stories of unconventional scientists, innovative inquiries, hedonistic impulses -- and how the renegades of science have illuminated the secrets of our baser impulses.

No body speaks in strictly formal address anymore. Not even in China, where the common expressions tossed around in the newly metropolitan cities are far from text book China. This all-new, totally-up-to-date book fills the gap between how people really talk in China and what Chinese language students are taught.

An endlessly entertaining and informative look at how musicals have both reflected and adapted to America's changing mores

This is the third volume in a series examining the political importance of China's provinces under reform. The present book provides a survey of provinces as echelons of the peoples Republic of China. It seeks to locate the province as an administrative level in the Chinese state, through an examination of history, economic, social and political developments of these units. By situating the province history, this volume identifies new developments in the territorial administration of the People's Republic over the reform era. It also charts the consequent emergence of the city as an intermediate unit, situated between the province and the country, and providing challenges to the hierarchy of the bureaucratic state. This book includes detailed analyses of Chongqing, Henan, Guangdong, Anhui, Yunnan and Heilongjiang. It contains extensively researched empirical data collected from these provinces, and user friendly maps of these regions.