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Raising Girls
by Sissy Goff Melissa TrevathanRaising Girls journeys into the heart of girls to help parents understand their daughter's different stages of development: what is normal, what is not, and how to relate effectively. Drawing on fifty-five years of combined counseling experience, the authors help parents call out the unique identity God has given their daughter.
Raising Girls in the 21st Century: From babyhood to womanhood – helping your daughter to grow up wise, warm and strong
by Steve BiddulphThe revised and updated edition of the bestselling parenting classic Raising Girls in the Twenty-first Century is Steve Biddulph’s warm, wise and up-to-the-minute look at how to help your daughter – at every age, from baby to teen. Girls today need to be strong, but also keep their hearts open. Steve brings the very best help from around the globe to build girls’ self-belief in a world that often wants to tear them down. In this revised and updated edition, you’ll learn how to raise your daughter to: • have a joyful childhood and not be forced to grow up too fast • navigate the fraught world of friends, peer pressure and bullying • be free and wild, to reduce anxiety, depression and self-harm • avoid technology addiction and other social media pitfalls • relate to boys with a clear head and strong heart There is also a powerful new section on ‘#MeToo in School’, shining a light on the reality of childhood sexual harassment, and how best to help your daughter fight it. Filled with unforgettable stories that will bring you to tears, and offering clear, practical help, Raising Girls in the Twenty-first Century is not just a guidebook but a fierce call-to-arms. The world’s best guide to girlhood is now in your hands.
Raising Global Families: Parenting, Immigration, and Class in Taiwan and the US
by Pei-Chia LanPublic discourse on Asian parenting tends to fixate on ethnic culture as a static value set, disguising the fluidity and diversity of Chinese parenting. Such stereotypes also fail to account for the challenges of raising children in a rapidly modernizing world, full of globalizing values. In Raising Global Families Pei-Chia Lan examines how ethnic Chinese parents in Taiwan and the United States negotiate cultural differences and class inequality to raise children in the contexts of globalization and immigration. She draws on a uniquely comparative, multisited research model with four groups of parents: middle-class and working-class parents in Taiwan, and middle-class and working-class Chinese immigrants in the Boston area. Despite sharing a similar ethnic cultural background, these parents develop class-specific, context-sensitive strategies for arranging their children's education, care, and discipline, and for coping with uncertainties provoked by their changing surroundings. Lan's cross-Pacific comparison demonstrates that class inequality permeates the fabric of family life, even as it takes shape in different ways across national contexts.
Raising Government Children: A History of Foster Care and the American Welfare State
by Catherine E. RymphIn the 1930s, buoyed by the potential of the New Deal, child welfare reformers hoped to formalize and modernize their methods, partly through professional casework but more importantly through the loving care of temporary, substitute families. Today, however, the foster care system is widely criticized for failing the children and families it is intended to help. How did a vision of dignified services become virtually synonymous with the breakup of poor families and a disparaged form of "welfare" that stigmatizes the women who provide it, the children who receive it, and their families? Tracing the evolution of the modern American foster care system from its inception in the 1930s through the 1970s, Catherine Rymph argues that deeply gendered, domestic ideals, implicit assumptions about the relative value of poor children, and the complex public/private nature of American welfare provision fueled the cultural resistance to funding maternal and parental care. What emerged was a system of public social provision that was actually subsidized by foster families themselves, most of whom were concentrated toward the socioeconomic lower half, much like the children they served. Analyzing the ideas, debates, and policies surrounding foster care and foster parents' relationship to public welfare, Rymph reveals the framework for the building of the foster care system and draws out its implications for today's child support networks.
Raising Happy Rabbits: Housing, Feeding, and Care Instructions for Your Rabbit's First Year
by Penny Ausley Brittany MayA practical and information-packed guide for purchasing and raising pet rabbits So, you’re thinking about buying or adopting a pet rabbit. Wonderful! Or maybe you’ve already brought a fuzzy bundle of joy home and you’re realizing you could use a little guidance. <P><P>Rabbits are adorable and soft and fun, but they also require a fair amount of work and knowledge to make sure they’re living a happy, healthy life. With the right approach, you will soon discover that your new pet rabbit can become your best pet ever. With time, attention, and patience, a deep bond can develop and you will be friends “furever.” <P><P>Raising Happy Rabbits will help you choose the right kind of rabbit for your home (if you haven’t already picked one), and answer your questions about housing, litter training, proper feeding, exercise, freedom, grooming, potential illnesses, playtime activities, what is normal/abnormal behavior, and much more. <P><P>Learn all about: Finding a vet Choosing an appropriate cage Pellets, hay, and fresh foods Growing herbs and lettuces for your bunny Toys to keep your rabbit engaged Illnesses to watch for And more! Make your first year with your bunny a fun and fulfilling experience that will bond you and your new rabbit for life.
Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin, and Redemption of Run-D. M. C. and Jam Master Jay
by Ronin RoThe year is 1978. Saturday Night Fever is breaking box office records. All over America kids are racing home to watch Dance Fever, Michael Jackson is poised to become the next major pop star, and in Hollis, Queens, fourteen-year-old Darryl McDaniels--who will one day go by the name D.M.C.--busts his first rhyme: "Apple to the peach, cherry to the plum. Don't stop rocking till you all get some." Darryl's friend Joseph Simmons--now known as Reverend Run--thinks Darryl's rhyme is pretty good, and he becomes inspired. Soon the two join forces with a DJ--Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell--and form Run-D.M.C. Managed by Run's brother, Russell Simmons, the trio, donning leather suits, Adidas sneakers, and gold chains, become the defiant creators of the world's most celebrated and enduring hip-hop albums-and in the process, drag rap music from urban streets into the corporate boardroom, profoundly changing everything about popular culture and American race relations. Through candid, original interviews and exclusive details about the group's extraordinary rise to the top--and its mortal end brought on by the tragic murder in 2002 of Jam Master Jay--Raising Hell tells of Run-D.M.C.'s epic story, including the rivalries with jealous peers, their mentoring of such legendary artists as the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, and the battles with producers, record executives, and one another. Ronin Ro delivers a meticulously researched, compellingly written, affecting behind-the-music tale of family, friendship, betrayal, murder, and the building of the culture and industry known as hip-hop.
Raising Hell, Living Well: Freedom from Influence in a World Where Everyone Wants Something from You (including me)
by Jessica ElefantePart cultural criticism, part rueful confessional, a reformed brand strategist brings to light the impact of influence on us and our society and offers an escape in this ironically persuasive case for not being so easily influenced anymore. &“Jessica Elefante practices what she preaches by rising above complaints to confront modern, twisted problems right in the face.&”—Jaron Lanier, bestselling author of Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right NowWe live in a world that is under the influence. Our lives are being choreographed by forces that want something from us. Everything from ingrained family values to mind-altering algorithms create our foundations, warp how we see the world, manipulate our decisions, and dictate our beliefs. Yet rarely do we question these everyday influences of our modern times even as we go further down the path of unwell, unhappy, and unhinged. A high-spirited exploration through the troublesome influences of our world, Raising Hell, Living Well, Jessica Elefante&’s eye-opening debut, follows one bullshit artist&’s journey, from small-time salesperson to award-winning corporate strategist to founder of the digital wellbeing movement Folk Rebellion, in coming to terms with how she was wielding influence—and the forces she was under herself. With whip-smart writing and wry humor, Elefante&’s collection of essays is a head-trip through her misadventures. From explaining productivity as a symptom of the influence of capitalism to how the wellness industry makes us feel more unwell or our unquestioning participation in oversharing, optimization, and instant gratification, she invites us to reexamine our world, our pasts, and ourselves through the lens of influence. Now a reformed brand strategist, Elefante lays bare her own culpability, sharing what she learned—and what she got wrong. She offers a new take on intentional living and provides a simple practice to deconstruct how the powers-that-be are attempting to modify our behaviors. Before you know it, you&’ll be questioning everything from how you take your coffee to how our social institutions are structured. And you&’ll learn how to live free from the influences around us—including Elefante herself. The much-needed subversive voice to demystify these times, Elefante will make you angry, make you laugh, and make you think about how you&’re really living. Unpretentious, sharply observed, and devil-hearted, Raising Hell, Living Well holds out a hand to help you climb out from under the influence.
Raising Henry
by Rachel AdamsRachel Adamss life had always gone according to plan. She had an adoring husband, a beautiful two-year-old son, a sunny Manhattan apartment, and a position as a tenured professor at Columbia University. Everything changed with the birth of her second child, Henry. Just minutes after he was born, doctors told her that Henry had Down syndrome, and she knew that her life would never be the same. In this honest, self-critical, and surprisingly funny book, Adams chronicles the first three years of Henrys life and her own transformative experience of unexpectedly becoming the mother of a disabled child. A highly personal story of one familys encounter with disability, "Raising Henry" is also an insightful exploration of todays knotty terrain of social prejudice, disability policy, genetics, prenatal testing, medical training, and inclusive education. Adams untangles the contradictions of living in a society that is more enlightened and supportive of people with disabilities than ever before, yet is racing to perfect prenatal tests to prevent children like Henry from being born. Her book is gripping, beautifully written, and nearly impossible to put down. Once read, her familys story is impossible to forget.
Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America's Overdose Crisis
by Beth MacyA &“deeply reported, deeply moving&” (Patrick Radden Keefe) account of everyday heroes fighting on the front lines of the overdose crisis, from the New York Times bestselling author of Dopesick (inspiration for the Peabody Award-winning Hulu limited series) and Factory Man. Nearly a decade into the second wave of America's overdose crisis, pharmaceutical companies have yet to answer for the harms they created. As pending court battles against opioid makers, distributors, and retailers drag on, addiction rates have soared to record-breaking levels during the COVID pandemic, illustrating the critical need for leadership, urgency, and change. Meanwhile, there is scant consensus between law enforcement and medical leaders, nor an understanding of how to truly scale the programs that are out there, working at the ragged edge of capacity and actually saving lives. Distilling this massive, unprecedented national health crisis down to its character-driven emotional core as only she can, Beth Macy takes us into the country&’s hardest hit places to witness the devastating personal costs that one-third of America's families are now being forced to shoulder. Here we meet the ordinary people fighting for the least of us with the fewest resources, from harm reductionists risking arrest to bring lifesaving care to the homeless and addicted to the activists and bereaved families pushing to hold Purdue and the Sackler family accountable. These heroes come from all walks of life; what they have in common is an up-close and personal understanding of addiction that refuses to stigmatize—and therefore abandon—people who use drugs, as big pharma execs and many politicians are all too ready to do. Like the treatment innovators she profiles, Beth Macy meets the opioid crisis where it is—not where we think it should be or wish it was. Bearing witness with clear eyes, intrepid curiosity, and unfailing empathy, she brings us the crucial next installment in the story of the defining disaster of our era, one that touches every single one of us, whether directly or indirectly. A complex story of public health, big pharma, dark money, politics, race, and class that is by turns harrowing and heartening, infuriating and inspiring, Raising Lazarus is a must-read for all Americans.
Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for Nurturing Identity in a Racialized World
by Farzana NayaniThe essential guide to parenting multiracial and multiethnic children of all ages and learning to support and celebrate their multiracial identitiesIn a world where people are more likely to proclaim color-blindness than talk openly about race, how can we truly value, support, and celebrate our kids' identities? How can we assess our own sense of Racial Dialogue Readiness and develop a deeper understanding of the issues facing multiracial children today?Raising Multiracial Children gives caregivers the tools for exploring race with their children, offering practical guidance on how to initiate conversations; consciously foster racial identity development; discuss issues like microaggressions, intersectionality, and privilege; and intentionally cultivate a sense of belonging. It provides an overview of key issues and current topics relevant to raising multiracial children and offers strategies and developmentally appropriate milestones from infancy through adulthood. The book ends with resources and references for further learning and exploration.
Raising Our Athletic Daughters: How Sports Can Build Self-esteem and Save Girls' Lives
by Jean ZimmermanThe first book to document how participating in sports changes young girls' lives during the difficult years of adolescence. From high-profile women's professional leagues to high-school-level champions, girl athletes are achieving record breakthroughs. Witness, for example, the first spectacular season of the WNBA, or the celebrated victories of women's teams at the 1996 Olympics. The female athlete is a new media darling especially beloved of today's teenage girls, who are almost as likely to have pictures of Rebecca Lobo, Mia Hamm, or Gabrielle Reece on their walls as posters of Leonardo DiCaprio.So it seems paradoxical that many books and studies attest to a truly sobering picture of girls' lives. With her book Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher was only the latest in a string of theorists to describe the dramatic ways in which girls loose self-esteem during the critical years of adolescence, contributing to eating disorders, drug problems, and chronic depression in many young women. In Raising Our Athletic Daughters, journalists Zimmerman and Reavill set out to talk with girls and their parents about how sports can transform girls' lives. Here are firsthand stories from the inner cities and rural playing fields across the nation, offering compelling evidence that participation in athletics makes an extraordinary difference in the lives of young girls, from reducing pregnancy rates and substance abuse to increasing college attendance. Raising Our Athletic Daughters is a clarion call for all those eager to help their children succeed and level the playing field, at last.
Raising Our Children Out of Poverty
by Jan Wilson William J Hutchison John J Stretch Maria Bartlett Susan A TaylorRaising Our Children Out of Poverty shows what can be done at the national and local community levels to raise children out of poverty by strengthening families, communities, and social services. br>Based on the April 1998 symposium “Raising Our Children Out of Poverty” at the Saint Louis University School of Social Service, this important book is particularly timely given the prevalence of poverty among children in the United States. Social Work practitioners and other helping advocates will discover chapters discussing the future of foster care, ecumenical housing, collaborative practice in low income communities, fostering resiliency in children, programs that are alternatives to incarceration, and an innovative family support and empowerment program. This important book will help you provide improved services to families and children living in poverty.
Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in Coming Of Age Story From The Yukon River
by Velma WallisBorn in 1960, the sixth of thirteen children, Velma Wallis comes of age in a two-room log cabin in remote Fort Yukon, Alaska. Life is defined by the business of living off the land. Chopping wood. Hauling water from the river. Hunting moose. Catching salmon. Traping fur. Taking care of the dogs. For a thousand years, the Gwich'in clan had followed migratory animals across the north. But two generations before, the people had settled where the Porcupine River flows into the Yukon. Now, the Wallis family has a post office box and an account at the general store, and Velma listens to Wolf Man Jack on armed forces radio. The author discovers that her people have surrendered their language, traditional values, and religion to white teachers, traders, and missionaries. Flu epidemics have claimed many loved ones. Village elders seem like strangers from another land, and in a way they are. There is much drinking when the monthly government checks come, and that is when the pain comes out of hiding. RAISING OURSELVES is a gritty, sobering, yet irresistible story filled with laughter even as generations of Gwich'in grief seeps from past to present. But hope pushes back hopelessness, and a new strength and wisdom emerge.
Raising Parents: Attachment, Representation, and Treatment
by Patricia M. CrittendenHelping troubled parents to raise their children adequately is of crucial importance for parents, their children and society at large. Distressed parents have themselves often been endangered and, as a consequence, sometimes endanger their children either through maltreatment or through the effects of parental psychiatric disorder. Raising Parents explains how that happens and clusters parents in terms of the psychological processes that result in maladaptive childrearing. The book then delineates DMM Integrative Treatment in terms of assessment, formulation, and treatment. New formulations are offered for problems that have resisted treatment and cases demonstrate how the ideas can be applied in real treatment settings. The book closes with 10 suggestions for improving professionals’ responses to troubled families and endangered children. This edition of Raising Parents introduces DMM Integrative Treatment and demonstrates how to use it with vulnerable families. DMM Integrative Treatment is an interpersonal process and this book will be essential reading for clinicians from all disciplines, including psychiatry and psychology, social work, nursing and all types of psychotherapy.
Raising Rosie: Our Story of Parenting an Intersex Child
by Stephani Lohman Eric Lohman Georgiann DavisWhen their daughter Rosie was born, Eric and Stephani Lohman found themselves thrust into a situation they were not prepared for. Born intersex - a term that describes people who are born with a variety of physical characteristics that do not fit neatly into traditional conceptions about male and female bodies - Rosie's parents were pressured to consent to normalizing surgery on Rosie, without being offered any alternatives despite their concerns. <P><P> Part memoir, part guidebook, this powerful book tells the authors' experience of refusing to have Rosie operated on and how they raised a child who is intersex. The book looks at how they spoke about the condition to friends and family, to Rosie's teachers and caregivers, and shows how they plan on explaining it to Rosie when she is older. This uplifting and empowering story is a must read for all parents of intersex children.
Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting
by Carolyn HarrisHow royal parents dealt with raising their children over the past thousand years, from keeping Vikings at bay to fending off paparazzi. William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are setting trends for millions of parents around the world. The upbringing of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, is the focus of intense popular scrutiny. Royalty have always raised their children in the public eye and attracted praise or criticism according to parenting standards of their day. Royal parents have faced unique challenges and held unique privileges. In medieval times, raising an heir often meant raising a rival, and monarchs sometimes faced their grown children on the battlefield. Conversely, kings and queens who lost their thrones in wars or popular revolutions often found solace in time spent with their children. In modern times, royal duties and overseas tours have often separated young princes and princesses from their parents, a circumstance that is slowly changing with the current generation of royalty.
Raising the Bar (Crime Science Series)
by Kathryn Graham Ross HomelThis book provides a definitive review of knowledge about bar room environments and their regulation, and provides directions for the prevention of aggression, violence and injury in and around public drinking establishments. It shows why drinking establishments are high risk for aggression, why some establishments are riskier than others, the effectiveness of existing interventions and policies, and the importance of better regulatory models for achieving safer drinking establishments. The authors emphasise the need to understand the problem and to tackle it through evidence-based preventive strategies, providing a detailed review of the nature of problem behaviours within the specific context of public drinking establishments - while recognising that these establishments are businesses that operate in diverse communities and cultures. Special attention is paid to the difficulties in implementing and sustaining effective interventions within the kinds of regulatory structures and political and economic climates that currently prevail in western countries. The book draws upon the authors' extensive experience with observational, interview and intervention research related to reducing aggression and injury in drinking establishments, as well as their knowledge of the alcohol field, and of prevention, policing and regulation more generally.
Raising the Curve
by Ron BerlerBrookside Elementary in Norwalk, Connecticut, is preparing for a new school year and another chance to improve its failing scores on the statewide standardized test known as the CMT. The challenges are many, and for the faculty--whose jobs may depend on their students' ability to improve on the test--the stakes are high. Ten-year-old Hydea is about to start fifth grade with second-grade reading skills. Her friend Marbella is only a little further along. In past years, these students would have received help from the literacy specialist Mrs. Schaefer. But this year, due to cutbacks and a change in job description, she will have to select the few students whom she and the teachers can bet on--the ones who are close to passing the exams. And, for added measure, Principal Hay has already asked his faculty to teach to the test. Journalist Ron Berler spent a full year at Brookside. In Raising the Curve, he offers a nuanced and personal portrait of the students, teachers, and staff who make up the Brookside community, capturing their struggles as well as their pride, resilience, and spirited faith.
Raising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media
by Bill EllisRaising the Devil reveals how the Christian Pentecostal movement, right-wing conspiracy theories, and an opportunistic media turned grassroots folk traditions into the Satanism scare of the 1980s. During the mid-twentieth century, devil worship was seen a
Raising the Nation: How to Build a Better Future for Our Children (and Everyone Else)
by Paul LindleyChildren today grow up in an increasingly volatile, complex and uncertain world. Theirs is a generation disempowered from steering their lives while society’s systems are failing to provide the support they need. Yet, a country only prospers when its children – from all walks of life – thrive, meaning that the United Kingdom now faces some consequential choices. Raising the Nation builds a compelling case showing why we must nurture smart, strong and kind children to one day inherit the stewardship of society. Setting out big public policy ideas, enhanced by contributions from academic and campaigning experts, as well as those with lived experience, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan, singer and activist Charlotte Church, and ex-prime minister of Denmark and former CEO of Save the Children International Helle Thorning-Schmidt, this book is a manifesto to deliver our brightest possible future. Reframing political success, it shows why we must prioritise child-centred policies to ensure the future strength of our communities, environment and economy.
Raising the Resistance: A Mother's Guide to Practical Activism
by Farrah AlexanderA sensible guide for mothers looking to incorporate activism in their parenting to raise empathetic, politically aware children.Acknowledging the dual role of mother and citizen, Scary Mommy writer and mom Farrah Alexander provides empowerment and guidance for the modern progressive mother . . .Mothers are a force to be reckoned with. And after the Women’s March and midterm elections, moms have surely secured their spot in today’s feminist movement. But for those who aren’t ready to make a bid for the presidency, the way forward can seem daunting and unclear. Whether it’s correcting a misinformed family member about gender equality or running for political office, this bold and accessible primer presents active parents with different types of activism they can incorporate into their parenting, no matter how big or small.With practical guidance, political commentary, and inspiration, this feminist manifesto for moms tackles problems from political representation to sexual misconduct. It doesn’t just validate present-day feminist frustration, it also offers practical ways to channel it into solutions. Most importantly, it proves that by planting seeds of empathy and political awareness in their children, moms can raise their children to be change-makers. They can raise the resistance.Inside, learn:Self-care techniques for badass momsStrategies for becoming a role model in today’s feminist movementDifferent types of activism moms can use to take a stand, and more!Praise for Raising the Resistance“Will inspire every mom to demand action in their own community and empower them with the confidence and tools to do so.” —Shannon Watts, author of Fight Like a Mother
Raising the Skirt: The Unsung Power of the Vagina
by Catherine Blackledge'A meticulous guide not only to the vagina but to changing perceptions of womanhood' OBSERVER'An empowering and enlightening book' IRISH TIMESThe vagina is the ultimate symbol of female power. Sexual power, creative power and the power to prevent harm. For too long, though, the true extent of vaginal power has been ignored, hidden and misrepresented. Raising the skirt: the unsung power of the vagina reveals this revolutionary view of female genitalia and points the way to a new understanding of what it means to be female. An inspiration for millennia, the vagina is actually a muscular marvel of engineering - sensitive and strong, fluid and flexible. Far from being a passive vessel, female genitalia control the most important role of all: the survival of the species.Originally published as THE STORY OF V: OPENING PANDORA'S BOX
Raising the Skirt: The Unsung Power of the Vagina
by Catherine Blackledge'A meticulous guide not only to the vagina but to changing perceptions of womanhood' OBSERVER'An empowering and enlightening book' IRISH TIMESThe vagina is the ultimate symbol of female power. Sexual power, creative power and the power to prevent harm. For too long, though, the true extent of vaginal power has been ignored, hidden and misrepresented. Raising the skirt: the unsung power of the vagina reveals this revolutionary view of female genitalia and points the way to a new understanding of what it means to be female. An inspiration for millennia, the vagina is actually a muscular marvel of engineering - sensitive and strong, fluid and flexible. Far from being a passive vessel, female genitalia control the most important role of all: the survival of the species.Originally published as THE STORY OF V: OPENING PANDORA'S BOX
Raising the Stakes: E-Sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming
by T. L. TaylorHow a form of play becomes a sport: players, agents, referees, leagues, tournaments, sponsorships, and spectators, and the culture of professional computer game play.Competitive video and computer game play is nothing new: the documentary King of Kong memorably portrays a Donkey Kong player's attempts to achieve the all-time highest score; the television show Starcade (1982–1984) featured competitions among arcade game players; and first-person shooter games of the 1990s became multiplayer through network play. A new development in the world of digital gaming, however, is the emergence of professional computer game play, complete with star players, team owners, tournaments, sponsorships, and spectators. In Raising the Stakes, T. L. Taylor explores the emerging scene of professional computer gaming and the accompanying efforts to make a sport out of this form of play.In the course of her explorations, Taylor travels to tournaments, including the World Cyber Games Grand Finals (which considers itself the computer gaming equivalent of the Olympics), and interviews participants from players to broadcasters. She examines pro-gaming, with its highly paid players, play-by-play broadcasts, and mass audience; discusses whether or not e-sports should even be considered sports; traces the player's path from amateur to professional (and how a hobby becomes work); and describes the importance of leagues, teams, owners, organizers, referees, sponsors, and fans in shaping the structure and culture of pro-gaming.Taylor connects professional computer gaming to broader issues: our notions of play, work, and sport; the nature of spectatorship; the influence of money on sports. And she examines the ongoing struggle over the gendered construction of play through the lens of male-dominated pro-gaming. Ultimately, the evolution of professional computer gaming illuminates the contemporary struggle to convert playful passions into serious play.
Raising the Stakes
by T. L. TaylorCompetitive video and computer game play is nothing new: the documentary King of Kong memorably portrays a Donkey Kong player's attempts to achieve the all-time highest score; the television show Starcade (1982--1984) featured competitions among arcade game players; and first-person shooter games of the 1990s became multiplayer through network play. A new development in the world of digital gaming, however, is the emergence of professional computer game play, complete with star players, team owners, tournaments, sponsorships, and spectators. In Raising the Stakes, T. L. Taylor explores the emerging scene of professional computer gaming and the accompanying efforts to make a sport out of this form of play. In the course of her explorations, Taylor travels to tournaments, including the World Cyber Games Grand Finals (which considers itself the computer gaming equivalent of the Olympics), and interviews participants from players to broadcasters. She examines pro-gaming, with its highly paid players, play-by-play broadcasts, and mass audience; discusses whether or not e-sports should even be considered sports; traces the player's path from amateur to professional (and how a hobby becomes work); and describes the importance of leagues, teams, agents, organizers, referees, sponsors, and fans in shaping the structure and culture of pro-gaming. Taylor connects professional computer gaming to broader issues: our notions of play, work, and sport; the nature of spectatorship; the influence of money on sports. And she examines the ongoing struggle over the gendered construction of play through the lens of male-dominated pro-gaming. Ultimately, the evolution of professional computer gaming illuminates the contemporary struggle to convert playful passions into serious play.