Coming Of Age In Second Life

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  coming of age in second life: Coming of Age in Second Life Tom Boellstorff, 2015-08-25 Millions of people around the world today spend portions of their lives in online virtual worlds. Second Life is one of the largest of these virtual worlds. The residents of Second Life create communities, buy property and build homes, go to concerts, meet in bars, attend weddings and religious services, buy and sell virtual goods and services, find friendship, fall in love--the possibilities are endless, and all encountered through a computer screen. At the time of its initial publication in 2008, Coming of Age in Second Life was the first book of anthropology to examine this thriving alternate universe. Tom Boellstorff conducted more than two years of fieldwork in Second Life, living among and observing its residents in exactly the same way anthropologists traditionally have done to learn about cultures and social groups in the so-called real world. He conducted his research as the avatar Tom Bukowski, and applied the rigorous methods of anthropology to study many facets of this new frontier of human life, including issues of gender, race, sex, money, conflict and antisocial behavior, the construction of place and time, and the interplay of self and group. Coming of Age in Second Life shows how virtual worlds can change ideas about identity and society. Bringing anthropology into territory never before studied, this book demonstrates that in some ways humans have always been virtual, and that virtual worlds in all their rich complexity build upon a human capacity for culture that is as old as humanity itself. Now with a new preface in which the author places his book in light of the most recent transformations in online culture, Coming of Age in Second Life remains the classic ethnography of virtual worlds.
  coming of age in second life: Coming of Age in Second Life Tom Boellstorff, 2015-08-25 Millions of people around the world today spend portions of their lives in online virtual worlds. Second Life is one of the largest of these virtual worlds. The residents of Second Life create communities, buy property and build homes, go to concerts, meet in bars, attend weddings and religious services, buy and sell virtual goods and services, find friendship, fall in love--the possibilities are endless, and all encountered through a computer screen. At the time of its initial publication in 2008, Coming of Age in Second Life was the first book of anthropology to examine this thriving alternate universe. Tom Boellstorff conducted more than two years of fieldwork in Second Life, living among and observing its residents in exactly the same way anthropologists traditionally have done to learn about cultures and social groups in the so-called real world. He conducted his research as the avatar Tom Bukowski, and applied the rigorous methods of anthropology to study many facets of this new frontier of human life, including issues of gender, race, sex, money, conflict and antisocial behavior, the construction of place and time, and the interplay of self and group. Coming of Age in Second Life shows how virtual worlds can change ideas about identity and society. Bringing anthropology into territory never before studied, this book demonstrates that in some ways humans have always been virtual, and that virtual worlds in all their rich complexity build upon a human capacity for culture that is as old as humanity itself. Now with a new preface in which the author places his book in light of the most recent transformations in online culture, Coming of Age in Second Life remains the classic ethnography of virtual worlds.
  coming of age in second life: My Second Life Faye Bird, 2014-07-01 The first time I was born, I was Emma. I was beautiful. I had everything to live for. But I died. Now I have been born a second time, and my previous life haunts me. Because in it I think I did something very wrong. I must find out what I did to Catherine. I must uncover the truth about Emma... Intriguing, compelling, heartbreaking. What if your past life could shatter your future?
  coming of age in second life: The Second Life of Mirielle West Amanda Skenandore, 2021-07-27 The glamorous world of a silent film star’s wife abruptly crumbles when she’s forcibly quarantined at the Carville Lepers Home in this page-turning story of courage, resilience, and reinvention set in 1920s Louisiana and Los Angeles. Based on little-known history, this timely book will strike a chord with readers of Fiona Davis, Tracey Lange, and Marie Benedict. Based on the true story of America’s only leper colony, The Second Life of Mirielle West brings vividly to life the Louisiana institution known as Carville, where thousands of people were stripped of their civil rights, branded as lepers, and forcibly quarantined throughout the entire 20th century. For Mirielle West, a 1920’s socialite married to a silent film star, the isolation and powerlessness of the Louisiana Leper Home is an unimaginable fall from her intoxicatingly chic life of bootlegged champagne and the star-studded parties of Hollywood’s Golden Age. When a doctor notices a pale patch of skin on her hand, she’s immediately branded a leper and carted hundreds of miles from home to Carville, taking a new name to spare her family and famous husband the shame that accompanies the disease. At first she hopes her exile will be brief, but those sent to Carville are more prisoners than patients and their disease has no cure. Instead she must find community and purpose within its walls, struggling to redefine her self-worth while fighting an unchosen fate. As a registered nurse, Amanda Skenandore’s medical background adds layers of detail and authenticity to the experiences of patients and medical professionals at Carville – the isolation, stigma, experimental treatments, and disparate community. A tale of repulsion, resilience, and the Roaring ‘20s, The Second Life of Mirielle West is also the story of a health crisis in America’s past, made all the more poignant by the author’s experiences during another, all-too-recent crisis. PRAISE FOR AMANDA SKENANDORE’S BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY “Intensely emotional…Skenandore’s deeply introspective and moving novel will appeal to readers of American history.” —Publishers Weekly
  coming of age in second life: Stories of Culture and Place Michael Kenny, Kirsten Smillie, 2014-11-20 This original introduction to cultural anthropology is a textbook like no other. Structured as a narrative rather than a compendium of facts about cultures and concepts, it invites students to think of anthropology as a series of stories that emerge from cultural encounters in particular times and places. These moments of encounter are illustrated with reference to both classic and contemporary ethnographic examples--from Coming of Age in Samoa to Coming of Age in Second Life--allowing readers to grasp anthropology's sometimes problematic past, while still capturing the excitement and potential of the discipline.
  coming of age in second life: Ethnography and Virtual Worlds Tom Boellstorff, Bonnie Nardi, Celia Pearce, T. L. Taylor, 2024-08-06 A practical guide to the ethnographic study of online cultures, and beyond Ethnography and Virtual Worlds is the only book of its kind—a concise, comprehensive, and practical guide for students, teachers, designers, and scholars interested in using ethnographic methods to study online virtual worlds, including both game and nongame environments. Written by leading ethnographers of virtual worlds, and focusing on the key method of participant observation, the book provides invaluable advice, tips, guidelines, and principles to aid researchers through every stage of a project, from choosing an online fieldsite to writing and publishing the results. Provides practical and detailed techniques for ethnographic research customized to reflect the specific issues of online virtual worlds, both game and nongame Draws on research in a range of virtual worlds, including Everquest, Second Life, There.com, and World of Warcraft Provides suggestions for dealing with institutional review boards, human subjects protocols, and ethical issues Guides the reader through the full trajectory of ethnographic research, from research design to data collection, data analysis, and writing up and publishing research results Addresses myths and misunderstandings about ethnographic research, and argues for the scientific value of ethnography
  coming of age in second life: Making Virtual Worlds Thomas M. Malaby, 2009 Malaby shows how the workers of a very young but quickly growing company were themselves caught up in ideas about technology, games, and organizations, and struggled to manage not only their virtual world but also themselves in a nonhierarchical fashion.
  coming of age in second life: Coming of Age in Samoa Margaret Mead, 2024-05-07 First published in 1928, Coming of Age in Samoa is Margaret Mead's classic sociological examination of adolescence during the first part of the 20th century in American Samoa. Sent by the Social Science Research Council to study the youths of a so-called primitive culture, Margaret Mead would spend nine months attempting to ascertain if the problems of adolescences in western society were merely a function of youth or a result of cultural and social differences. Coming of Age in Samoa is her report of those findings, in which the author details various aspects of Samoan life including, education, social and household structure, and sexuality. The book drew great public interest when it was first published and also criticism from those who did not like the perceived message that the carefree sexuality of Samoan girls might be the reason for their lack of neuroses. Coming of Age in Samoa has also been criticized for the veracity of Mead's account, though current public opinion seems to fall on the side of her work being largely a factual one, if not one of great anthropological rigor. At the very least Coming of Age in Samoa remains an interesting historical account of tribal Samoan life during the first part of the 20th century. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.
  coming of age in second life: Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One Raphaelle Giordano, 2018-07-24 THE #1 FRENCH BESTSELLER MORE THAN 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE The feel-good #1 bestselling French novel about a woman whose mission to cure her routine-itis leads her to lasting joy and true fulfillment, for fans of The Alchemist and Hector and the Search for Happiness. At thirty-eight and a quarter years old, Paris native Camille has everything she needs to be happy, or so it seems: a good job, a loving husband, a wonderful son. Why then does she feel as if happiness has slipped through her fingers? All she wants is to find the path to joy. When Claude, a French Sean Connery look-alike and routinologist, offers his unique advice to help get her there, she seizes the opportunity with both hands. Camille's journey is full of surprising escapades, creative capers, and deep meaning, as she sets out to transform her life and realize her dreams one step at a time...
  coming of age in second life: The Making of Second Life Wagner James Au, 2008-02-26 The wholly virtual world known as Second Life has attracted more than a million active users, millions of dollars, and created its own—very real—economy. The Making of Second Life is the behind-the-scenes story of the Web 2.0 revolution's most improbable enterprise: the creation of a virtual 3-D world with its own industries, culture, and social systems. Now the toast of the Internet economy, and the subject of countless news articles, profiles, and television shows, Second Life is usually known for the wealth of real-world companies (Reuters, Pontiac, IBM) that have created virtual offices within it, and the number of users (avatars) who have become wealthy through their user-created content. What sets Second Life apart from other online worlds, and what has made it such a success (one million-plus monthly users and growing) is its simple user-centered philosophy. Instead of attempting to control the activities of those who enter it, the creators of Second Life turned them loose: users (also known as Residents) own the rights to the intellectual content they create in-world, and the in-world currency of Linden Dollars is freely exchangeable for U.S. currency. Residents have responded by generating millions of dollars of economic activity through their in-world designs and purchases—currently, the Second Life economy averages more than one million U.S. dollars in transactions every day, while dozens of real-world companies and projects have evolved and developed around content originated in Second Life. Wagner James Au explores the long, implausible road behind that success, and looks at the road ahead, where many believe that user-created worlds like Second Life will become the Net's next generation and the fulcrum for a revolution in the way we shop, work, and interact. Au's story is narrated from both within the corporate offices of Linden Lab, Second Life's creator, and from within Second Life itself, revealing all the fascinating, outrageous, brilliant, and aggravating personalities who make Second Life a very real place­—and an illuminating mirror on the real (physical) world. Au writes about the wars they fought (sometimes literally), the transformations they underwent, the empires of land and commerce they developed, and above all, the collaborative creativity that makes their society an imperfect utopia, better in some ways than the one beyond their computer screens.
  coming of age in second life: My Life as a Night Elf Priest Bonnie Nardi, 2010-06-02 An anthropologist's analysis of one of the world's most popular online world games
  coming of age in second life: Random Family Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, 2012-10-23 Selected as One of the Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times Set amid the havoc of the War on Drugs, this New York Times bestseller is an astonishingly intimate (New York magazine) chronicle of one family’s triumphs and trials in the South Bronx of the 1990s. “Unmatched in depth and power and grace. A profound, achingly beautiful work of narrative nonfiction…The standard-bearer of embedded reportage.” —Matthew Desmond, author of Evicted In her classic bestseller, journalist Adrian Nicole LeBlanc immerses readers in the world of one family with roots in the Bronx, New York. In 1989, LeBlanc approached Jessica, a young mother whose encounter with the carceral state is about to forever change the direction of her life. This meeting redirected LeBlanc’s reporting, taking her past the perennial stories of crime and violence into the community of women and children who bear the brunt of the insidious violence of poverty. Her book bears witness to the teetering highs and devastating lows in the daily lives of Jessica, her family, and her expanding circle of friends. Set at the height of the War on Drugs, Random Family is a love story—an ode to the families that form us and the families we create for ourselves. Charting the tumultuous struggle of hope against deprivation over three generations, LeBlanc slips behind the statistics and comes back with a riveting, haunting, and distinctly American true story.
  coming of age in second life: Second Life S. J. Watson, 2015-06-09 From the New York Times bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep, a sensational new psychological thriller about a woman with a secret identity that threatens to destroy her. How well can you really know another person? How far would you go to find the truth about someone you love? When Julia learns that her sister has been violently murdered, she must uncover why. But Julia's quest quickly evolves into an alluring exploration of own darkest sensual desires. Becoming involved with a dangerous stranger online, she's losing herself . . . losing control . . . perhaps losing everything. Her search for answers will jeopardize her marriage, her family, and her life. A tense and unrelenting novel that explores the secret lives people lead—and the dark places in which they can find themselves—Second Life is a masterwork of suspense from the acclaimed S. J. Watson.
  coming of age in second life: The Second Life of Samuel Tyne Esi Edugyan, 2013-06-02 Samuel Tyne always believed he was destined for greatness. Emigrating to Canada from Ghana in the 1960'S was the first step on this path, but fifteen years later his grand plans have stalled. He now has a wife Maud, twin thirteen year old daughters Chloe and Yvette, and a mind-numbing job. But then he is thrown a life line. His uncle Jacob dies, leaving him a grand but crumbling house in the town of Aster, and Samuel persuades his reluctant family to seize this chance for a new beginning. At first Aster seems perfect, but soon the town's faultlines are revealed, and the family begins to feel the strain. Samuel opens an electrical shop, but the business falters as he falls victim to his own outlandish ambitions, trying to build computers when all the townspeople want is lightbulbs and radios. His wife is unhappy, and as for his daughters - they are drifting into a private world of two, their behaviour becoming ever more sinister and disturbing to everyone around them. When their school friend Ama comes to stay and nearly drowns in mysterious circumstances, and then a series of fires around the town go unexplained, Samuel and Maud must face up to the secrets within their own family, secrets that threaten to completely tear apart the life they have built.
  coming of age in second life: Anda's Game Cory Doctorow, 2015
  coming of age in second life: Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life James Hollis, 2005-05-05 What does it really mean to be a grown up in today’s world? We assume that once we “get it together” with the right job, marry the right person, have children, and buy a home, all is settled and well. But adulthood presents varying levels of growth, and is rarely the respite of stability we expected. Turbulent emotional shifts can take place anywhere between the age of thirty-five and seventy when we question the choices we’ve made, realize our limitations, and feel stuck—commonly known as the “midlife crisis.” Jungian psycho-analyst James Hollis believes it is only in the second half of life that we can truly come to know who we are and thus create a life that has meaning. In Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, Hollis explores the ways we can grow and evolve to fully become ourselves when the traditional roles of adulthood aren’t quite working for us, revealing a new way of uncovering and embracing our authentic selves. Offering wisdom to anyone facing a career that no longer seems fulfilling, a long-term relationship that has shifted, or family transitions that raise issues of aging and mortality, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life provides a reassuring message and a crucial bridge across this critical passage of adult development.
  coming of age in second life: The Age of Miracles Karen Thompson Walker, 2012-06-26 NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People ∙ O: The Oprah Magazine ∙ Financial Times ∙ Kansas City Star ∙ BookPage ∙ Kirkus Reviews ∙ Publishers Weekly ∙ Booklist NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A stunner.”—Justin Cronin “It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change. On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world. “Gripping drama . . . flawlessly written; it could be the most assured debut by an American writer since Jennifer Egan’s Emerald City.”—The Denver Post “Pure magnificence.”—Nathan Englander “Provides solace with its wisdom, compassion, and elegance.”—Curtis Sittenfeld “Riveting, heartbreaking, profoundly moving.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.
  coming of age in second life: The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner Stephenie Meyer, 2010-06-05 Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by the riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion. 'I'm as surprised as anyone about this novella,' said Stephenie Meyer. 'When I began working on it in 2005, it was simply an exercise to help me examine the other side of Eclipse, which I was editing at the time. I thought it might end up as a short story that I could include on my website. Then, when work started on The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide, I thought the Guide would be a good fit for my Bree story. However, the story grew longer than I anticipated, until it was too long to fit into the Guide.
  coming of age in second life: The Outsiders S. E. Hinton, 2012-05-15 Inspiration for the 2024 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical! Over 50 years of an iconic classic! The international bestseller-- a heroic story of friendship and belonging. No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far. The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of fiction that laid the groundwork for the YA genre. S. E. Hinton's classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published. The Outsiders transformed young-adult fiction from a genre mostly about prom queens, football players and high school crushes to one that portrayed a darker, truer world. —The New York Times Taut with tension, filled with drama. —The Chicago Tribune [A] classic coming-of-age book. —Philadelphia Daily News A New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Book A Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book An ALA Best Book for Young Adults Winner of the Massachusetts Children's Book Award
  coming of age in second life: Second Wind Dr. Bill Thomas, 2014-03-11 From one of the most original and innovative thinkers in medicine, this “stirring and splendid book” (Wall Street Journal) offers groundbreaking insight to the postwar generation on facing their second coming of age, a developmental opportunity to reshape their lives and our society. Dr. Thomas is at the forefront of a strong nationwide movement to reframe “life after adulthood” as an exciting stage of human growth and development. In Second Wind, he explores the dreams and disappointments, the struggles and triumphs of a generation of 78 million people who once said they would never grow old and never trust anyone over thirty. Instilled with the belief that they would always be Joni Mitchell’s “stardust,” many Boomers are having a harder time transitioning into elderhood than previous generations. But the reality is that every 10.8 seconds an American turns sixty-five. Among all the human beings who have ever lived to see old age, more than half are living among us right now. In Second Wind, Dr. Thomas attempts to guide Boomers into this final developmental stage filled with hope and a new sense of what is possible. As the Post War generation entered adulthood, they saw three models of what an adult could be: hippies, activists, and squares—the “square” model becoming the dominant model. Now, many Boomers now feel “stuck” inside the frenzied, performance-based, money-driven world that no longer suits them. But if they can learn to go slower, go deeper, and be more connected to themselves, their loved ones, and other members of their community, they can find the wisdom, happiness, and fulfillment that comes with a life that is in balance.
  coming of age in second life: Generation Left Keir Milburn, 2019-06-07 Increasingly age appears to be the key dividing line in contemporary politics. Young people across the globe are embracing left-wing ideas and supporting figures such as Corbyn and Sanders. Where has this ‘Generation Left’ come from? How can it change the world? This compelling book by Keir Milburn traces the story of Generation Left. Emerging in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, it has now entered the electoral arena and found itself vying for dominance with ageing right-leaning voters and a ‘Third Way’ political elite unable to accept the new realities. By offering a new concept of political generations, Milburn unveils the ideas, attitudes and direction of Generation Left and explains how the age gap can be bridged by reinventing youth and adulthood. This book is essential reading for anyone, young or old, who is interested in addressing the multiple crises of our time.
  coming of age in second life: Silicon Second Nature Stefan Helmreich, 2000-08-29 Looks at the emerging field of artificial life - the product of imagination - a mix of biology, mythology and technology.
  coming of age in second life: Bordering Nira Yuval-Davis, Georgie Wemyss, Kathryn Cassidy, 2019-06-10 Controlling national borders has once again become a key concern of contemporary states and a highly contentious issue in social and political life. But controlling borders is about much more than patrolling territorial boundaries at the edges of states: it now comprises a multitude of practices that take place at different levels, some at the edges of states and some in the local contexts of everyday life – in workplaces, in hospitals, in schools – which, taken together, construct, reproduce and contest borders and the rights and obligations associated with belonging to a nation-state. This book is a systematic exploration of the practices and processes that now define state bordering and the role it plays in national and global governance. Based on original research, it goes well beyond traditional approaches to the study of migration and racism, showing how these processes affect all members of society, not just the marginalized others. The uncertainties arising from these processes mean that more and more people find themselves living in grey zones, excluded from any form of protection and often denied basic human rights.
  coming of age in second life: Why the World Needs Anthropologists Dan Podjed, Meta Gorup, Pavel Borecký, Carla Guerrón Montero, 2020-11-26 Why does the world need anthropology and anthropologists? This collection of essays written by prominent academic, practising and applied anthropologists aims to answer this provocative question. In an accessible and appealing style, each author in this volume inquires about the social value and practical application of the discipline of anthropology. Contributors note that the problems the world faces at a global scale are both new and old, unique and universal, and that solving them requires the use of long-proven tools as well as innovative approaches. They highlight that using anthropology in relevant ways outside academia contributes to the development of a new paradigm in anthropology, one where the ability to collaborate across disciplinary and professional boundaries becomes both central and legitimate. Contributors provide specific suggestions to anthropologists and the public at large on practical ways to use anthropology to change the world for the better. This one-of-a-kind volume will be of interest to fledgling and established anthropologists, social scientists and the general public.
  coming of age in second life: Foster Claire Keegan, 2010-09-02 *ORDER THE NEW NOVEL BY CLAIRE KEEGAN, SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE, NOW!* 'No better feeling than reading a book that makes you excited to discover everything its author has ever written...' - Douglas Stuart (Winner of the Booker Prize 2020) 'Foster confirms Claire Keegan's talent. She creates luminous effects with spare material, so every line seems to be a lesson in the perfect deployment of both style and emotion' - Hilary Mantel (Winner of the Booker Prize 2012 and 2009) 'Marvellous-exact and icy and loving all at once.' - Sarah Moss 'A haunting, hopeful masterpiece.' - Sinéad Gleeson A small girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland, without knowing when she will return home. In the strangers' house, she finds a warmth and affection she has not known before and slowly begins to blossom in their care. And then a secret is revealed and suddenly, she realizes how fragile her idyll is. Winner of the Davy Byrnes Memorial Prize, Foster is now published in a revised and expanded version. Beautiful, sad and eerie, it is a story of astonishing emotional depth, showcasing Claire Keegan's great accomplishment and talent.
  coming of age in second life: Consuming Life Zygmunt Bauman, 2013-05-08 With the advent of liquid modernity, the society of producers is transformed into a society of consumers. In this new consumer society, individuals become simultaneously the promoters of commodities and the commodities they promote. They are, at one and the same time, the merchandise and the marketer, the goods and the travelling salespeople. They all inhabit the same social space that is customarily described by the term the market. The test they need to pass in order to acquire the social prizes they covet requires them to recast themselves as products capable of drawing attention to themselves. This subtle and pervasive transformation of consumers into commodities is the most important feature of the society of consumers. It is the hidden truth, the deepest and most closely guarded secret, of the consumer society in which we now live. In this new book Zygmunt Bauman examines the impact of consumerist attitudes and patterns of conduct on various apparently unconnected aspects of social life politics and democracy, social divisions and stratification, communities and partnerships, identity building, the production and use of knowledge, and value preferences. The invasion and colonization of the web of human relations by the worldviews and behavioural patterns inspired and shaped by commodity markets, and the sources of resentment, dissent and occasional resistance to the occupying forces, are the central themes of this brilliant new book by one of the worlds most original and insightful social thinkers.
  coming of age in second life: Luck and Circumstance Michael Lindsay-Hogg, 2011 The acclaimed director of such films as Brideshead Revisited shares the story of his youth and career, providing coverage of such topics as his childhood as the son of star Geraldine Fitzgerald, his relationships with Hollywood elite and the allegations that Orson Welles was his real father.
  coming of age in second life: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Pulitzer Prize Winner) Junot Díaz, 2008-09-02 Winner of: The Pulitzer Prize The National Book Critics Circle Award The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award The Jon Sargent, Sr. First Novel Prize A Time Magazine #1 Fiction Book of the Year One of The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century One of the best books of 2007 according to: The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, People, The Village Voice, Time Out New York, Salon, Baltimore City Paper, The Christian Science Monitor, Booklist, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, New York Public Library, and many more... Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read and named one of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister—dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA. Encapsulating Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere—and risk it all—in the name of love.
  coming of age in second life: The Hard Crowd Rachel Kushner, 2021-04-06 Now includes a new essay, “Naked Childhood,” about Kushner’s family, their converted school bus, and the Summers of Love in Oregon and San Francisco! “The Hard Crowd is wild, wide-ranging, and unsparingly intelligent throughout.” —Taylor Antrim, Vogue From a writer celebrated for her “chops, ambition, and killer instinct” (John Powers, Fresh Air), a career-spanning collection of spectacular essays about politics and culture. Rachel Kushner has established herself as “the most vital and interesting American novelist working today” (The Millions) and as a master of the essay form. In The Hard Crowd, she gathers a selection of her writing from over the course of the last twenty years that addresses the most pressing political, artistic, and cultural issues of our times—and illuminates the themes and real-life experiences that inform her fiction. In twenty razor-sharp essays, The Hard Crowd spans literary journalism, memoir, cultural criticism, and writing about art and literature, including pieces on Jeff Koons, Denis Johnson, and Marguerite Duras. Kushner takes us on a journey through a Palestinian refugee camp, an illegal motorcycle race down the Baja Peninsula, 1970s wildcat strikes in Fiat factories, her love of classic cars, and her young life in the music scene of her hometown, San Francisco. The closing, eponymous essay is her manifesto on nostalgia, doom, and writing. These pieces, new and old, are electric, vivid, and wry, and they provide an opportunity to witness the evolution and range of one of our most dazzling and fearless writers. “Kushner writes with startling detail, imagination, and gallows humor,” said Leah Greenblatt in Entertainment Weekly, and, from Paula McLain in the Wall Street Journal: “The authority and precision of Kushner’s writing is impressive, but it’s the gorgeous ferocity that will stick with me.”
  coming of age in second life: Sloterdijk Now Stuart Elden, 2012 This book represents the first major engagement with Sloterdijk's thought in the English language, and will provoke new debates across the humanities. The collection ranges across the full breadth of Sloterdijk's work, covering such key topics as cynicism, ressentiment, posthumanism and the role of the public intellectual.
  coming of age in second life: The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger, 2025-01-22 The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger and published in 1951, is a classic American novel that explores the themes of adolescence, alienation, and identity through the eyes of its protagonist, Holden Caulfield. The novel is set in the 1950s and follows Holden, a 16-year-old who has just been expelled from his prep school, Pencey Prep. Disillusioned with the world around him, Holden decides to leave Pencey early and spend a few days alone in New York City before returning home. Over the course of these days, Holden interacts with various people, including old friends, a former teacher, and strangers, all the while grappling with his feelings of loneliness and dissatisfaction. Holden is deeply troubled by the phoniness of the adult world and is haunted by the death of his younger brother, Allie, which has left a lasting impact on him. He fantasizes about being the catcher in the rye, a guardian who saves children from losing their innocence by catching them before they fall off a cliff into adulthooda. The novel ends with Holden in a mental institution, where he is being treated for a nervous breakdown. He expresses some hope for the future, indicating a possible path to recovery..
  coming of age in second life: The Second Life of Nick Mason Steve Hamilton, 2016-05-17 An NPR and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year A Library Journal Best Thriller of the Year “A gamechanger. Nick Mason is one of the best main characters I've read in years.”—Harlan Coben From New York Times-bestselling, two-time Edgar-award-winning author Steve Hamilton comes an unforgettable new hero, a man who will walk out of prison and into a harrowing double life that is anything but free. Nick Mason has already spent five years inside a maximum security prison when an offer comes that will grant his release twenty years early. He accepts—but the deal comes with a terrible price. Now, back on the streets, Nick Mason has a new house, a new car, money to burn, and a beautiful roommate. He’s returned to society, but he's still a prisoner. Whenever his cell phone rings, day or night, Nick must answer it and follow whatever order he is given. It’s the deal he made with Darius Cole, a criminal mastermind serving a double-life term who runs an empire from his prison cell. Forced to commit increasingly more dangerous crimes, hunted by the relentless detective who put him behind bars, and desperate to go straight and rebuild his life with his daughter and ex-wife, Nick will ultimately have to risk everything—his family, his sanity, and even his life—to finally break free.
  coming of age in second life: The Second Life of Ava Rivers Faith Gardner, 2018-08-28 Ava's disappearance was the crack in the Rivers family glacier. I wish I could explain to you how we were before, but I can't, because the before is so filmy and shadowed with the after. The after is all Vera remembers. When her twin sister, Ava, disappeared one Halloween night, her childhood became a blur of theories, tips, and leads, but never any answers. The case made headlines, shocked Vera's Northern California community, and turned her family into tragic celebrities. Now, at eighteen, Vera is counting down the days until she starts her new life at college in Portland, Oregon, far away from the dark cloud she and family have lived under for twelve years. But all that changes when a girl shows up at the local hospital. Her name is Ava Rivers and she wants to go home. Ava's return begins to mend the fractures in the Rivers family. Vera and Ava's estranged older brother returns. Vera reconnects with Max, the sweet, artistic boy from her childhood. Their parents smile again. But the questions remain- Where was Ava all these years? And who is she now?
  coming of age in second life: World Book Day 2015 Dork Diaries Rachel Renée Russell, 2015-03-05 A dorktastic new DORK DIARIES book for World Book Day 2015! Nikki Maxwell is the Queen of the Dorks and in this adorkable book she's ready to spill all her top tips to living life the dorky way! Coping with crushes, avoiding BFF dramas, planning pop-star sleepovers, surviving embarrassing families, how to start your very own dork diary, Nikki's here with advice on EVERYTHING you need to know. So whether you're already dorkalicious or a dorky-diva in training, HOW TO BE A DORK is the ultimate guide to being a true dork!
  coming of age in second life: Cyberchiefs Mathieu O'Neil, 2009-04-15 Leading author presents a critical introduction to the world bank -- ideal for students.
  coming of age in second life: Coming of Age in the Other America Stefanie DeLuca, Susan Clampet-Lundquist, Kathryn Edin, 2016-04-19 Weak labor markets and subpar postsecondary educational institutions, including exploitative for-profit trade schools and under-funded community colleges, saddle some young adults with debt and trap them in low-wage jobs. A third of the youth surveyed--particularly those who had not developed identity projects--were neither employed nor in school. To address these barriers to success, the authors recommend initiatives that help transform poor neighborhoods and provide institutional support for the identity projects that motivate youth to stay in school. They propose increased regulation of for-profit schools and increased college resources for low-income high school students. Coming of Age in the Other America presents a sensitive, nuanced account of how a generation of ambitious but underprivileged young Baltimoreans has struggled to succeed.
  coming of age in second life: Naked Harbin Ethnography Scott MacLeod, 2016 An anthropology of Harbin Hot Springs, virtual Harbin, the 1960s forward, counterculture, virtual worlds and information technology The book's target audiences are undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, information technology social scientists, Internet studies' researchers, academics interested in the virtual, and people with a fondness for the 1960s. My book comes into conversation with Tom Boellstorff's Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human (Princeton 2008), and could be read in academic courses in direct conversation with Coming of Age in SL. For my next Harbin book, I plan to build a virtual Harbin, ideally in a movie-realistic interactive 3D virtual earth, Google-made, and do actual virtual comparative fieldwork, what I'm calling ethno-wiki-virtual-world-graphy - http: //scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/ethno-wiki-virtual-world-graphy - as an innovative methodology in Anthropology. I'd like for readers to be able to visit virtual Harbin and have a Harbin experience, in their bathtubs, for example, for the meditative releasing action of the warm waters, - and write ethnographically about this. Naked Harbin is an actual-virtual ethnographic comparison based on extensive field work at actual Harbin Hot Springs, but comes into direct conversation with Boellstorff's Coming of Age in Second Life, which is based on extensive field work in the 3D interactive virtual world of Second Life. My Naked Harbin also examines the significance of making a virtual field site for actual-virtual comparison. After you check in at the gate at Harbin, one resident who has worked there for years often says, Go play. This ethnography of Harbin Hot Springs in northern California explicitly and theoretically brings together approaches to the comparative study of both the actual and virtual, by developing new methodologies in studying Harbin - as a kind of hippy or Alternative haven from modernity. Through this anthropological book and conceiving of virtual Harbin, you can begin not only to be there - to visit Harbin virtually in the text, as it were - but also to revisit the 1960s and its related freedom-seeking movements. Moreover, Harbin Hot Springs' clothing-optionality, spirituality and alternative culture are attractive in mysterious ways. In the way that Margaret Mead's work was theoretical and gained widespread attention at the same time, this book will appeal due to the broad interest in emerging interactive virtual worlds, as well as 1960's informed alternative Harbin's exotic, yet familiar, attractiveness, now mediated digitally. As information technologies and wondrous developments like virtual worlds continue to develop rapidly, I hope to engage you, the reader, further in the conversation about the creativity in countercultural thinking, in virtual worlds, in comparative ethnography, and in the experiences of interacting in this virtual Harbin, even as visitors to actual Harbin enjoy visiting this hot springs' retreat center. - Scott MacLeod http: //www.scottmacleod.com/ActualVirtualHarbinBook.html Academic Press at World University and School http: //worlduniversityandschool.org/AcademicPress.html
  coming of age in second life: The Tyranny of Science Paul K. Feyerabend, 2011-05-06 Paul Feyerabend is one of the greatest philosophers of science of the 20th century and his book Against Method is an international bestseller. In this new book he masterfully weaves together the main elements of his mature philosophy into a gripping tale: the story of the rise of rationalism in Ancient Greece that eventually led to the entrenchment of a mythical ‘scientific worldview’. In this wide-ranging and accessible book Feyerabend challenges some modern myths about science, including the myth that ‘science is successful’. He argues that some very basic assumptions about science are simply false and that substantial parts of scientific ideology were created on the basis of superficial generalizations that led to absurd misconceptions about the nature of human life. Far from solving the pressing problems of our age, such as war and poverty, scientific theorizing glorifies ephemeral generalities, at the cost of confronting the real particulars that make life meaningful. Objectivity and generality are based on abstraction, and as such, they come at a high price. For abstraction drives a wedge between our thoughts and our experience, resulting in the degeneration of both. Theoreticians, as opposed to practitioners, tend to impose a tyranny on the concepts they use, abstracting away from the subjective experience that makes life meaningful. Feyerabend concludes by arguing that practical experience is a better guide to reality than any theory, by itself, ever could be, and he stresses that there is no tyranny that cannot be resisted, even if it is exerted with the best possible intentions. Provocative and iconoclastic, The Tyranny of Science is one of Feyerabend’s last books and one of his best. It will be widely read by everyone interested in the role that science has played, and continues to play, in the shaping of the modern world.
  coming of age in second life: Understanding Global Terror Christopher Ankersen, 2007-07-30 International terrorism and the 'war' against it have come to define the age in which we live. The threat of terrorist attacks and the measures taken by governments around the world to prevent such atrocities are now part of our daily lives. But what exactly do we mean by global terrorism? Why does it occur? And, most importantly, what can be done about it? This book explores global terror from a range of perspectives - from the impact of terrorism on the international system to the American 'War on Terror' and the individual motivations of the suicide bomber. Core themes such as the funding of terrorist groups and the roles of intelligence-gathering and international law in combating terrorism are fully explored. The volume also offers in-depth analyses of the relationship between globalization and terrorism as well as regional and country-based responses to the rise of terrorist networks in Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia and Africa. Understanding Global Terror includes a thought-provoking preface by Philip C. Bobbitt and contributions from Christopher Ankersen, Alexander Bialsky, James Boutilier, Chris Brown, Michael Cox, Lawrence Freedman, Margot Light, Christopher Mackmurdo, Kerry Lynn Nanikvell, Martin Navias, Ami Pedahzur, Arie Perliger, Dinah Pokempner, Timothy Shaw, and William Wallace.
  coming of age in second life: Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Malcolm Hughes, 2012 Combines the most significant approaches and ideas in developmental, social and behavioural psychology to produce a comprehensive picture of what it means to experience adolescence today. Drawing upon European research, data and examples, the text takes a fresh approach to understanding adolescent development from a broad range of perspectives.
word choice - I am cumming or I am coming - English Language …
Feb 7, 2015 · will cum, will come, cummed, came, is cumming, is coming, have cum, have come. Because only a few of the standard recognized resources (dictionaries) describe these words …

adjectives - When should I use next, upcoming and coming?
Apr 28, 2021 · "in coming months" "in the next few months" (this may suggest more immediacy than other options, but not necessarily) "in the upcoming months" (this is awkward and …

future time - "Will come" or "Will be coming" - English Language ...
Jun 4, 2016 · I will be coming tomorrow. The act of "coming" here is taking a long time from the speaker/writer's point of view. One example where this would apply is if by "coming" the …

Coming vs. Going - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
Aug 19, 2020 · Indeed, "immigration" and "coming to a new country" are closely aligned. The problem is that your example sentence seems to be spoken by an omniscient narrator who …

present tense - Do you come? Are you coming? - English …
Are you coming? is a complete question asking whether someone will join you in your travels. The same applies in your next two sentences. Are you coming with me? (correct) Do you come …

Is coming or comes - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
Jul 20, 2021 · A movie timetable is a future arrangement, and it would be normal and natural to use present continuous in this situation. This is re-enforced by idiom. Movie trailers often say …

word usage - Why "coming up"? Why not simply "coming"?
May 28, 2019 · The phrase "coming up" can also be sued to mean "happening soon, as in . The Fourth of July is coming up. In this sense "coming" could also be used, but "coming up" …

word usage - using "next" to days of the week - English Language ...
Apr 13, 2017 · Edit: Inspired by comments, the closest next Saturday can also be identified as "this coming Saturday", and the next following Saturday, as "Saturday week" or (as I learned …

word usage - My birthday is coming/coming up - English …
Jun 22, 2019 · Had The Game of Thrones used "winter is coming up" it just wouldn't have had the same ring to it as "winter is coming." But which form to use is a matter of personal opinion and …

phrase choice - "Coming soon" or "coming next" or…? - English …
Oct 15, 2015 · If X is coming soon, something could come before X, even though by saying soon you are saying not much time will pass before X comes. If X is coming next, nothing else …

word choice - I am cumming or I am coming - English Language …
Feb 7, 2015 · will cum, will come, cummed, came, is cumming, is coming, have cum, have come. Because only a few of the standard recognized resources (dictionaries) describe these words …

adjectives - When should I use next, upcoming and coming?
Apr 28, 2021 · "in coming months" "in the next few months" (this may suggest more immediacy than other options, but not necessarily) "in the upcoming months" (this is awkward and …

future time - "Will come" or "Will be coming" - English Language ...
Jun 4, 2016 · I will be coming tomorrow. The act of "coming" here is taking a long time from the speaker/writer's point of view. One example where this would apply is if by "coming" the …

Coming vs. Going - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
Aug 19, 2020 · Indeed, "immigration" and "coming to a new country" are closely aligned. The problem is that your example sentence seems to be spoken by an omniscient narrator who …

present tense - Do you come? Are you coming? - English Language …
Are you coming? is a complete question asking whether someone will join you in your travels. The same applies in your next two sentences. Are you coming with me? (correct) Do you come with …

Is coming or comes - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
Jul 20, 2021 · A movie timetable is a future arrangement, and it would be normal and natural to use present continuous in this situation. This is re-enforced by idiom. Movie trailers often say …

word usage - Why "coming up"? Why not simply "coming"?
May 28, 2019 · The phrase "coming up" can also be sued to mean "happening soon, as in . The Fourth of July is coming up. In this sense "coming" could also be used, but "coming up" …

word usage - using "next" to days of the week - English Language ...
Apr 13, 2017 · Edit: Inspired by comments, the closest next Saturday can also be identified as "this coming Saturday", and the next following Saturday, as "Saturday week" or (as I learned it) …

word usage - My birthday is coming/coming up - English Language ...
Jun 22, 2019 · Had The Game of Thrones used "winter is coming up" it just wouldn't have had the same ring to it as "winter is coming." But which form to use is a matter of personal opinion and …

phrase choice - "Coming soon" or "coming next" or…? - English …
Oct 15, 2015 · If X is coming soon, something could come before X, even though by saying soon you are saying not much time will pass before X comes. If X is coming next, nothing else …