Social Psychology Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Psychology Paper - Essay Example We are to define the terms, map the terms to excerpts from the examples, and then correlate the reasons we selected those excerpts to those definitions. Terms to define and understand Confirmation Bias Balez (2008) defines confirmation bias as something that occurs when people project their expectations on one another and the other reacts in the way that person is projecting. This is commonly referred to as the "Pygmalion effect" (Overview section, para. 1). If one expects the best from another that is what one will receive. Conversely, if one expects the worst treatment, this is what one will receive. In the second scenario it was stated, â€Å"Though disappointed, he tried to hide it because at least she seemed to care for the students and it wasn’t really her fault that so many students showed up at the same time† (Example 2, 2011). Because Jonathan believed the best in Dr. Jones, he looked for ways to defend her behavior in cutting the advising sessions short. Addit ionally, Jonathan thought, â€Å"at least she seemed to care for the students† and â€Å"Dr. Jones was impressed with Jonathan’s maturity† (Example 2, 2011). External Locus of Control A person's perception of the source of his or her fate is termed locus of control. Those with an internal locus of control believe they are in control of their destiny or what may or may not occur in their environment. Treven & Treven (2011) describe those guided by an external locus of control as being guided by something outside him or herself. Externals faced with a stressor are more likely to be stressed, passive, and defensive. â€Å"She tried to disguise her disappointment and anger because her advisor cared too little for his students to allow enough time to meet every student for the time they needed† (Example 1, 2011). If Jessica had given much thought to the timing of their sessions, late in the term, a long wait, she may have realized that there would be concerns with the time frame. Both students were affected by the timing of the session being shortened and in being disappointed. However, Jessica was affected from an external standpoint and became angry and appeared â€Å"rude and incompetent† to her advisor (Example 1, 2011). Fundamental Attribution Error Per Changingminds.org (2011), the ability humans have to attribute the cause of events to one thing or another exists because humans have a need to explain the world, in their own mind and to those around them. This helps each of us to feel like we have some sense of control. When explaining behavior, it can affect the standing of people within a group. When another person has erred, we will often use internal attribution, saying it is due to personality factors. When we have erred, we will more likely use external attribution, attributing causes to situational factors rather than blaming ourselves. Antello, Prilipko, & Sheridan-Pereira (2010) define fundamental attribution error aaccording to Heider from 1958 as "observers attribute characteristics to actors on the basis of the actor's behavior" (Literature Review, para. 4). â€Å"Upon entering the room he was disappointed to hear Dr. Jones say she was running late with his student meetings and would have to get done in 10 minutes and there was only time for last minute checks of her schedule† (Example 1, 2011). â€Å"Because her advisor cared too little for his students† (Example 1, 2011). Jessica refused to take responsibility for her situation by getting angry. She

A New Architecture for Sustainable Development Research Proposal - 1

A New Architecture for Sustainable Development - Research Proposal Example Though the article is quick to blame developing countries for this problem, nothing has been mentioned of the role played by developed countries or the efforts that the developing countries may be putting in place to deal with this problem. Therefore, other than blame games, if developing countries have to embrace sustainability (which they should), developed countries have to reward them as a motivation to follow sustainable paths and to abscond from doing exactly what the developed countries did some few decades ago. UNIT Globalization and sustainability Confino, J. 12 July 2013. Should sustainability professionals fly less? The Guardian. [online] Available at http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/should-sustainability-professionals-fly-less DESCRIPTION: Thanks to globalization, the world has become a borderless global market with companies establishing their operations anywhere around the world. A good number of companies are based in westerns countries though they have their operations in Asia, Europe, and Africa or virtually in any corner of the world. This means that most executives make numerous business trips around the planet. What they do not realize is that by traveling in vehicles and taking flights, they are contributing to the same pollution that they are trying to fight in their businesses’ social corporate responsibility policies RELEVANCE: The article highlights the challenge that globalization has on the essence of sustainability. Global sustainability refers to the possibility of meeting the current needs without affecting the chances of future generations meeting theirs (Hart & Milstein, 2003) REFLECTION: By making numerous flights, we increase environmental pollution. Such pollution has the potential of preventing future generations from meeting their basic needs, which contradicts with our sustainability efforts. Maybe to solve this contradiction, it would be advisable to use more video conferencing and other real-time com munication channels to reduce our trips across the globe. Sustainable Organisations Eccles, R.G. & Serafeim, G. May 2013.The Performance Frontier: Innovating for a Sustainable Strategy. Harvard Business Review. [online] Available at http://hbr.org/2013/05/the-performance-frontier-innovating-for-a-sustainable-strategy/ar/1 DESCRIPTION: The article explains the culture of organizations in innovating strategies that would lead to sustainability in their business. Many organizations have put in place diverse measures towards achieving sustainability, some of which do not align with their business objectives. Therefore, the main question is what should an organization focus on to remain sustainable or to achieve sustainability? Today, there are numerous educational programs critical in bending the curve of the current world towards a more sustainable future ( Dey, Kurucz & Colbert, 2010).  

Causes of Economic Growth and Crashes

Causes of Economic Growth and Crashes Amy Zhi â€Å"How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes,† â€Å"Too Big to Fail† and the 2008 Recession The film â€Å"Too Big to Fail† takes viewers down the 2008 financial meltdown, also known as the â€Å"Great Recession of 2008,† and emphasizes its impact on the economy. The crisis was avoidable and caused by â€Å"widespread failures in financial regulation (Fed’s failure to stem the tide of toxic mortgages); dramatic breakdowns in corporate governance including too many financial firms acting recklessly by taking on too much risk; an explosive mix of excessive borrowing and risk by household and Wall Street that put the financial system on a collision course with crisis; and simply lacking a full understanding of the financial system they oversaw.† ( University of North Carolina). The book â€Å"How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes,† by Peter Schiff, comically interprets the effects of inflation, deficit spending, central banking, foreign trade, and the housing bubble and credit crunch of 2008. The U.S. economy boomed during the 2000-2007 period, as the global pool of fixed-income securities increased greatly from $36 trillion in 2000 to $80 trillion by 2007. In â€Å"How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes,† the Usonian economy starts with production and trade soon follows. Usonia now had savings and credit, an increase in savings decreases real interest rates and an increase in credits increases demand, hence, there was expansion in the Usonian economy. As the economy prospered, it created a paper currency backed by fish, similar to currency backed by full gold reserves in the U.S. However, fractional reserve banking develops and only a fraction of bank deposits were backed by actual fish for withdrawal. The government decided to delink the paper currency from the fish. Usonia degraded the value of the fish by creating more fish out of the value of one. This process of â€Å"shrinking fish† eventually leads to â€Å"fishflation.† As people start spend ing more and producing less, the economy stops blooming and crashes. A king from Sinopia, an island that still had no savings, bank credit, or business, observed Usonia and saw their luxurious lifestyle of credit and commerce. The king thought that the possession of Fish Reserve Notes was the key to advancement. Notes were then used as money across the entire ocean, and the economy was saved as Sinopia traded their fish for Usonia’s fish reserves. Thus, Usonia was again piled with savings and credit, causing a spending binge atmosphere in Usonia. This is similar to when China supplies the essential items for U.S. fiat currency. Usonia largely consumed and Sinopia produced, hence, the trade relationship was skewed. However, as Goodbank said, â€Å"The people will get wise. They will worry about their savings and withdraw their deposits,† which is exactly what happened next. Foreign islanders realized that the fish reserve was worthless with no backing at all. Therefore, islanders started to withdraw fishes with their fish reserves all at once. In truth, there really were not enough fish in the economy, so Usonia had no choice but to close the fish reserves window. It is fiat currency and worthless, backed by nothing but the faith in the government. Producers were harmed by the expansion of the money supply because resources were more expensive and workers would soon demand higher real wages. Production decreased further and the Usonian bank loan officials targeted the islands â€Å"hut loan market.† As lenders and borrowers in the U.S. put their immense amount of savings to use, the â€Å"Giant Pool of Money† â€Å"overwhelmed the policy and regulatory control mechanisms in the country.† (Abir) Citizens jumped to buy houses all at the same time, either for greed, fear, or stupidity. There were risky investors and individuals who thought there was no ceiling price on real estates. There were individuals jumping into the housing market because they were concerned if they didn’t, they would lose out on easy profit. Mortgage regulators were not paying close enough attention to the market and business practices, commodity mortgage buyers were not researching the loans they were taking out, and speculators /builders were pricing homes entirely too high in the first place. All of which lead to the housing bubble of 2008. Senator Cliff Cod of Usonia created Finnie Mae and Fishy Mac to buy hut loans from the market. â€Å"The hut lending program was a massive hit amongst banks as they were earning risk-free profits. These agencies created a big industry where hut building, hut selling and hut decorating industries took off.† (Krishna) All of production and advancement occurred while no actual fish were being generated, so, nothing productive was actually happening. Although loans were not the best use of savings, political officials â€Å"encouraged hut ownership and education.† (Krishna) There were tax breaks on hut loans, which caused even more people to invest on these huts. Sinpoian fish were being imported to Usonia like rapid waves, credit levels were high and risk was ignored. Huts started becoming more luxurious and unreasonably expensive. Eventually, â€Å"the â€Å"hut market† took a down turn and every associated industry felt the pain.† (Krishna) As U.S. home pri ces declined steeply after peaking in mid-2006, it became more difficult for borrowers to refinance their loans. In addition, â€Å"assets dramatically plummeted, while the liabilities owed to global investors remained at full price.† (Abir) One of the primary causes of the recession was government intervention in the housing market. This intervention, primarily through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, helped inflate the housing bubble that triggered the crisis. Due to the lack of regulation, banks and credit card companies were freely lending out money to people. Even those who could not afford expensive houses took out loans that they seemingly couldn’t pay back to buy the expensive houses. During the 2008 recession, struggling banks and lenders cut back lending and created a sudden sharp reduction in availability, causing a credit crunch. Consumers were no longer able to borrow and spend, while businesses also cut back their investments as demand decreased. In â€Å"Too Big to Fail,† Dick Fuld, CEO of Lehman Brothers, a large investment bank, is seeking investment, but investors are hesitant because Lehman is exposed to toxic housing assets from the housing bubble. The Lehman’s counterparty risk, risk that a counterparty will not pay as obligated on a transaction, is impacting the entire financial market, while the stock market is in a free fall. The government could only do one thing, urge consumers to spend more. They wanted to keep spending though the crisis and borrow more, however, this would eventually lead to a depression. In the film, Henry Paulson, U.S. Treasury Secretary, plans to buy the toxic assets from the banks, so they wouldn’t go bankrupt and could lend out money again. Paulson later then decides to inject capital into the banks, for it was easier and could boost lending more quickly. By injecting the capital, he expected that the banks will have the money now to lend out to citizens and credit will flow again. The banks agreed, markets stabilized, and the banks repaid their Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds. However, Paulson’s expectations were wrong, banks didn’t lend out the money from the injections. As the epilogue of â€Å"Too Big to Fail† stated, â€Å"credit standards continued to tighten resulting in rising unemployment and foreclosures. As bank mergers continued in the wake of the crisis, these banks became even larger and ten financial institutions held 77% of all U.S. banking assets and have been declared â€Å"too big to fail.†Ã¢â‚¬  (Gould) Congress created â€Å"TARP in October 2008, part of which was used by the Treasury to inject much needed capital into the nation’s banks. The Fed aggressively lowered interest rates during 2008, adopting a zero interest rate policy by the end of the year. It engaged in massive quantitative easing in 2009 and early 2010, purchasing Treasury bonds and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities to bring down long term interest rates.† (Blinder and Zandi) â€Å"The Troubled Asset Relief Program of 2008 rescued our financial system from almost certain meltdown, saving the U.S. financial system at the brink of disaster.† (Weller) Shortly after TARP enacted, loan tightening and interest rates eased. The Recovery Act spending helped decrease unemployment and personal disposable incomes increased. â€Å"Industrial production turned around with infrastructure spending spurred by the Recovery Act. After-tax income grew more quickly following the payroll tax cut , followed by job growth accelerating and decrease in household debt. The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 â€Å"strengthened the fledgling economic recovery by cutting the payroll tax and continuing extended unemployment insurance benefits.† (Weller) In the end, Usonia was completely out of fish. They borrowed more and more to the point where most of their debt was funded by more debt. Citizens don’t save more since borrowing is a simple and easy process. Most people just walk in wanting more money, and walk out with more money and debt. Although higher taxes create more jobs and government revenue, it discourages work and investment. Plus, individuals and private businesses use money more efficiently than the government. In today’s society, spending is almost the route to happiness. That is, people spend to make themselves and others happy. We can’t spend less, but perhaps we can spend smarter. The book’s message itself is very clear. If the U.S. keeps spending and borrowing freely, it will soon meet with hyperinflation and an even more severe economic devastation. Bibliography University of North Carolina. Subprime mortgage crisis. 13 January 2008. 25 April 2014 http://www.stat.unc.edu/faculty/cji/fys/2012/Subprime mortgage crisis.pdf>. Abir, Zaber. THE Global Financial Crisis: Above Beyond. 6 December 2012. academia.edu. 25 April 2014 http://www.academia.edu/2344211/THE_Global_Financial_Crisis_Above_and_Beyond>. Blinder, Alan and Mark Zandi. How the Great Recession Was Bought to an End. 27 July 2010. economy.com. 25 April 2014 https://www.economy.com/mark-zandi/documents/End-of-Great-Recession.pdf>. Romer, Christina. Treatment and Prevention: Ending the Great Recession and Ensuring that It Doesn’t Happen Again. City Club of Cleveland. Cleveland: whitehouse.gov, 2010. 16. Krishna, Radha. How an Economy Grows Why it Crashes : Summary. 14 August 2011. 25 April 2014 http://radhakrishna.typepad.com/rks_musings/2011/08/how-an-economy-grows-why-it-crashes-summary.html>. Schiff, Irwin and Peter Schiff. How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes. Hoboken: Wiley, 2010. Too Big to Fail. Dir. Curtis Hanson. Perf. Peter Gould. 2011. Weller, Christian. 10 Reasons Why Public Policies Rescued the U.S. Economy. 29 May 2012. 25 April 2014 http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2012/05/29/11593/10-reasons-why-public-policies-rescued-the-u-s-economy/>. Williams, Roy. Birmingham investment experts have mixed reactions to report on Great Recession. 20 February 2011. 25 April 2014 http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2011/02/birmingham_investment_experts.html>.

The aztecs :: essays research papers fc

A Travel Guide to the Aztecs ______________________ Honor Code This is the 13th century and this is Nadir, from the History channel 13. This guide will show to you how fun and amazing a trip to the Aztec civilization can be, so if you ever want to visit the Aztec civilization this paper should be your travel guide. I have lived almost all my life learning about the Aztecs and working for the History channel 13. I will guide you through the Aztec civilization, how they live, their economy, food, geography, government, language, people and religion. The Aztec empire was discovered was discovered and conquered by a conquistador known as Cortes. Cortes arrived in Mexico in 1519 and at arriving he burnt all his ships, so that no one could go back. Cortes kidnapped Montezuma 1, and bribed the whole Aztec tribe. Montezuma 1 ended up dyeing and Cortes escaped. But Cortes came back and by 1527 totally finished the Aztec empire. During the 1100s and1200s, the Aztec people were searching for a new home. â€Å"They decided to settle close to the ruins of the old city, Tula. One of the Aztec gods had told the Aztec people that there would be a sign which would show were the Aztec people should settle, and this sign was an eagle carrying a serpent.†* After traveling for about two-hundred years they saw this sign. This sign was actually an eagle sitting on top of a cactus, but as they had been searching for a long time they took this as the sign. But this new place had a lot of hostile inhabitants and they were not happy with the Aztecs coming to their land. They made the Aztecs pay taxes to their king, and they treated them very badly. They ended up killing the Aztec king to gain full authority. The new king of the Aztecs joined up with the Texcoco and overcame the Tepanec Empire. After this war, the Aztecs got their first king Montezuma 1st. The Aztecs also defeated the city of Tlateclolco, which ended a fter a long time. In 1519, when Cortes arrived, Tenochitlian was a place where merchants and soldiers controlled a substantial amount of Meso America. The Aztec Empire started falling in 1521 when the Spaniards and their leader Cortes captured their king Montezuma and cut down their food supplies. A person who was an Aztec needed to follow eight rules, to lead what is called an â€Å"exemplary life†*.

Dietary Manipulation For Arthritis

A rheumatic disease, or what is commonly called as arthritis is the inflammation of the joints and also affects the skeletal muscles, bones, ligaments, cartilages and tendons for both males and females (Smeltzer & Bare).The goals and strategies involved in the treatment of the disease consists of suppressing the inflammation and the autoimmune response of the patient through pharmacologic therapy, controlling the patient’s pain by joint protection and easing pain with splint use, thermal modalities and relaxation techniques, and maintenance or improvement of the joint’s mobility through the implementation of exercise programs for joint motion and strengthening the muscles and the patient’s overall health (Smeltzer & Bare).In addition, other goals and strategies include the maintenance or improvement of the patient’s functional status through utilization of adaptive techniques and devices, increasing the patient’s knowledge of the disease process by providing and reinforcing patient teaching, and promotion of self-management by the patient’s compatibility with the therapeutic regimen by emphasizing this compatibility (Smeltzer & Bare). Pharmacologic treatment for patients with this disease includes medications like salicylates, NSAIDS, and disease – modifying antirheumatic drugs (Kee, Hayes, and McCuistion).However, given that the patient does not want to take any pharmacologic measures, dietary manipulation will be utilized and this involves the exclusion of food items in the diet and the intake of specific minerals. However, dietary manipulation is not greatly acknowledged as one of the therapeutic management for arthritis, mainly because there are no enough researches that can prove its efficiency (Rayman and Pattison). However, some research show that around 30% to 40% of the rheumatoid patients can benefit from excluding foods individually identified during the reintroduction phase of an elimination diet.Albe it it might be mentioned in passing during a nurse’s health teaching on which food items to avoid, which to eat in moderation, and which to eat in great amounts, there is no wide acceptance of this strategy yet (Rayman and Pattison). Several therapeutic diets are available for use by patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The exclusion diet, the elemental diet, the fasting and vegan diet, and the Mediterranean diet, are among them.The exclusion diet is based on the evidence that the removal of certain food items in the patient’s diet can benefit the patient as evidenced by 36% of the patients claimed that they were much better after the food exclusions and 39% asserted feeling better, after the study that was conducted (Rayman and Pattison). These were supported with objective measurements that showed a decrease in pain and in the number of painful joints, a reduction in morning stiffness, a decrease in the time it took to walk 20 yards, improvement in grip strength, amon g many others (Rayman and Pattison).Some of the food items that cause worse symptoms are corn, wheat, bacon or pork, oranges, milk, eggs, and beef (Rayman and Pattison). The elemental diet requires the intake of monosaccharide and disaccharides, amino acids, and medium-chain triglycerides, with the addition of vitamin and mineral supplements (Rayman and Pattison). This diet has shown to stimulate enhancements in the subjective measures of arthritis symptoms and it was asserted that when weaned from the diet the usual symptoms return. However, the effectiveness of the diet is surpassed by the poor tolerance of the patients.The fasting and the vegan diet seems to have an anti-inflammatory effect and offers relief of pain during fasting and the presence of pain when eating is resumed (Rayman and Pattison). Hence, fasting is followed by a vegan diet as an alternative. The ‘Mediterranean diet’ is named as such because it reflects the certain patterns of eating that is employ ed by countries in the Mediterranean basin and it is comprised of plant foods like fruits, vegetables, wholegrain cereals, fish and poultry with the olive oil as the main source of lipid (Rayman and Pattison).Several reasons can explain why these diets can help alleviate symptoms in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. The food items that are to be eliminated are those in which the patient is allergic or intolerant to and can reduce IgG antibody levels and moreover, reduction in food intake can help decrease gastrointestinal permeability to bacteria and other antigens (Rayman and Pattison). In addition, the change in the gut’s flora and the exclusion of lectins in legumes can also help alleviate the symptoms.The 50 year old patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis can be given one of the aforementioned dietary manipulations if she chooses not to take anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive medication. The diet that can best fit her would be the fasting or vegan diet because o f its anti-inflammatory effect that can serve as an alternative to the drugs that the patient is not taking. The patient would be advised to fast and to follow fasting by a pure vegetarian diet.This diet is to exclude all kinds of meat which includes fish and chicken meat, and all other products that are made from animals, like eggs, cheese, milk, and honey (Kovacs). It is first best to inform that patient of all the other dietary manipulations that are available for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and justify the selection chosen for the patient and how this will help alleviate her symptoms and can somehow be an alternate to taking drugs. However, the patient should be notified of the possible side effects of this diet and the consequences of not taking the recommended drugs to her illness.Given her vegan diet, it is still needed that the patient consume and have a balanced diet. The patient should be given a diet plan which consists of the proper balance of protein, carbohydrat es, fruits and vegetables. The most common vegan food that can be utilized for the patient’s diet are tofu, black-eyed peas, broccoli, soy yogurt or milk, Spinach and whole wheat bread, among many others (Kovacs). These can supply the adequate protein needs of the patient and hence, she can still receive a balanced diet in spite of having utilized the vegetarian diet.

The River of Earth

The River of Earth The novel River Of Earth by James Still is a story about life in e Appalachia just before The Great Depression. The story provides a very clear description of the problems and challenges the mountain people faced after the settlement of their land. Even though the novel is shadowed by other writings of the time period dealing with poor southern life, it is still considered a great neglected masterpiece. The story is about a family that considers awkward. They struggle to put enough food on the table for the entire family, most of the time the mother barely eats.They live in a small smoke house that is very cramped and cluttered because of the number of people living in it. The Father is waiting for the coal mines to open so he can work, while the mother takes care of the kids, the family does not complain; they feel blessed for what they have . The father is very proud and doesn’t turn anyone away when they need help. In the book he allowed a group of miners to take most of his beans from the garden to help keep their families feed .The mother is a very strongwilled woman. She never lets anything bring her down; when the family begins to have trouble with food she suggests that they begin growing a garden and providing for themselves. The kids are smart and goodwilled from what they are taught by their parents. They display good moral values in their characters. The garden is a source of life for the family in the book. This is so because as times get harder they grow together and the garden also becomes more and heartier.They begin to have more food for their dinners, this helps the family keep their spirits up and continue to hope for good blessings to be brought to the family such as the mines opening. As the family grows stronger they begin to add to their source of food. Instead of eating only soup and vegetables and potatoes, they add begin to eat meat. They own a guinea Chicken which starts to lay a large amount of eggs they let hatch and raise. The kids are not embarrassed about what they eat, they seem happy for what they have.The father makes the children go to school because he feels that everyone should learn the basics of academics such as reading and writing to help them survive is the world. At first they are scared and don’t want to go because they have never been and feel they are too young. As they continue to grow they start to show improvements and gain confidence in their ability to perform in the classroom. They fear for the teacher being run off because the older kids don’t like him and some of the parents don’t appreciate his teaching methods.The main character and his sister hope he stays so they will continue to learn. The main character is sent by his father to stay with his grandmother. This is where you learn that the strong heart runs in the family. This is true because she is a seventy-eight year old woman and will still patch out two acres of corn and make enou gh bread for the winter to do what she can to keep her family feed. In her old age she hasn’t kept the best health. Some days she is too sick to get out of the bed. The main character takes care of her he cooks all the meals for her and helps her start to feel better.Living with her he hears stories of his father and how he is an honest man. Also his grandmother tells him about his grandfather and all the great things he would do. Living with his grandmother is a great experience for the main character because she brings him history of his family and teaches him many things on how to live a content life. Also being away from home helps himself grow as a person. It teaches to stick up for himself and make his own decisions without the influence of others. When the main character returns to his family he learns that the baby had died from croup.Also the family moves to a farm they rented in Flaxpatch on Little Angus. Here they plant crops and farm together as a family. The fath er has returned from the mines and decides he wishes to move back because he heard they would stay open through the winter. They go and he works there for a while and earns decent money, enough to support his family. During the winter the main characters grandmother dies. It’s a sad moment for the entire family. This is so because she was such a strong figure in the book even with her bad health.After the winter the father decides to stop mining and move the family to a place where he can find a different job or stat a farm. In the end the main character imagines his grandmother talking to him about his baby sibling crying. This story gives great detail to a life lived by the mountain families of the Appalachia. It puts you in the shoes of a young boy who is growing up in the hard time period just before The Great Depression. James Still does a great job of capturing the culture of the time period. Unfortunately, this book will always remain a neglected masterpiece.