Ann Byers

Veterans and military families have a wealth of stories and history to offer students and certain needs that can be filled by energetic, engaged, and caring young people. This type of service learning helps students put their history and social studies education into context. This book presents service learning with many examples of how students can use it to get to know and learn from local veterans while also giving back to them and providing assistance to a segment of the population that has served our national interests and now requires our assistance and support.

The U. S. Constitution gives Congress the powers to define who is a citizen and to regulate who can reside in the country. Congress's exercise of these powers throughout American history has been affected by the beliefs and attitudes as well as the politics and economics of the times. This book traces the evolution of immigration law from early America to today's post-9/11 era. Well-researched, balanced text shows legislation and court decisions at their best and worst, covering periods of exclusion and times of greater openness. Evocative photos and political cartoons illuminate the heated debates and human realities of earlier eras and today.

The secretive and underworld element of gangs creates many questions about them and gang culture. What is a gang and what are today's prevalent kinds? What problems exist currently? What are real gang activities? What is being done about gangs and urban violence? This book answers these questions and many more. Outlaw motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, and street gangs are examined and readers learn that most street gangs are loosely organized with no hierarchy. Females make up nearly a sixth of the total gang membership, and the average age of a gang member is seventeen or eighteen years old. This authoritative book concludes with a discussion of the strategies of prevention, intervention, and suppression of gangs.

Rich in both natural beauty and natural resources, Wyoming is home to such marvels as the Teton, Big Horn, and Sierra Madre Mountains, the Powder and Bighorn Rivers, and the Yellowstone, Devil's Tower, Grand Teton, and Bridger-Teton National Parks. In between the majestic mountains and rushing rivers lies some of the nation's best grazing land, making the state a haven for cattle ranchers. Wyoming is so varied that it also contains prairies, sagebrush steppes, desert scrubland, coniferous and deciduous forests, and even alpine tundra. First explored by fur trappers, who soon yielded to gold rushers, ranchers, and cowboys, Wyoming has long preserved its rugged individualistic streak, fostering the independent-minded who sought only to make a living without being bothered or confined by anyone or anything. That spirit still flourishes today, making Wyoming one of the most fascinating states in the Union, one that is still very much on the frontier of still-Wild West. This book brings the state to vivid life, in all its unique detail and rugged spirit.

Alice Lok was deported to Auschwitz, a Nazi death camp, in 1944. Upon her arrival, she faced a "selection." Alice had to stand in line as a Nazi doctor examined the new camp inmates. If the doctor pointed one direction, it meant hard labor, but labor meant life. If the doctor pointed the other way, that meant immediate death. Alice was lucky. She survived Auschwitz and two other camps. However, millions of Jews were not so lucky. There were six Nazi death camps in operation during World War II and thousands of other work and prison camps. Author Ann Byers details the stories of young people who were forced to live in Nazi camps during the Holocaust.

This exciting book provides solid tips in planning for a first apartment, including strategies to help in searching for one. It also offers readers guidance in trying to avoid possible differences with roommates (such as suggestions for terms to be covered in a roommate agreement). Students learn about planning for the costs of living on their own, budgeting for expenses, including moving, rent, utilities, food, transportation, and maintenance, as well as those expenses that are unexpected. The application, inspection, and rental agreement stages are explained, as are the steps for moving out of an apartment.

Today, the average person cannot buy a car or a house without borrowing money. Many people cannot go to college unless they have loans. Even small purchases, if made online, require a credit card. Borrowing, or credit, is a fact of modern life. Students learn about the ways to take control of credit, making it work for them. This compelling book about credit and credit card smarts provides a thorough explanation of secured and unsecured credit, the types of accounts, calculating interest, understanding statements, choosing the right card, traps and trip-ups, fees, billing cycles, minimum payments, balance transfers, and cash advances. Readers will learn about credit scores and credit reports, whether they are a good credit risk. The book describes the steps readers can take in guarding their credit and personal information, and the steps that need to be taken if ID theft happens to them.