This book is an examination of cultural resistance to segregation in the world of black baseball through an analysis of editorial art, folktales, nicknames, "manhood" and the art of clowning. African Americans worked to dismantle Jim Crow through the creation of a cultural counter-narrative that centered on baseball and the Negro Leagues that celebrated black achievement and that highlighted the contradictions and fallacies of white supremacy in the first half of the twentieth century.

"Through an analysis of editorial art, folktales, nicknames, "manhood" and the art of clowning, African Americans worked to dismantle Jim Crow through the creation of a cultural counter-narrative that centered on baseball and the Negro Leagues, that celebrated black achievement, that highlighted the contradictions and fallacies of white supremacy in the first half of the twentieth century"--

In Manning Up, Manhattan Institute fellow and City Journal contributing editor Kay Hymowitz argues that the gains of the feminist revolution have had a dramatic, unanticipated effect on the current generation of young men. Traditional roles of family man and provider have been turned upside down as "pre-adult" men, stuck between adolescence and "real" adulthood, find themselves lost in a world where women make more money, are more educated, and are less likely to want to settle down and build a family. Their old scripts are gone, and young men find themselves adrift. Unlike women, they have no biological clock telling them it's time to grow up. Hymowitz argues that it's time for these young men to "man up."

Bonds forged in the military…friendship—strong and enduring. Three soldiers met during New Zealand Special Air Services (NZSAS) training. They passed the grueling selection process, and Nikolai Tarei, Louie Lithgow and Jake Ramsey became best friends and supporters through good and bad. Over the years, there have been women, but no one serious until now… INNOCENT NEXT DOOR Life in a small town is comfortable for Summer Williams, but living with her loving but overprotective family means it lacks adventure. And forget romance with interfering brothers around. It’s time to leave the cozy nest. Her grandiose plans come to a grinding halt when she becomes innocently involved with a crime boss. Then she bumps heads and lips with her uncle’s sexy but very bossy neighbor. Special Air Services soldier Nikolai Tarei owes his neighbor and friend a favor, but looking out for his twenty-two-year-old niece is stretching friendship too far. She is young but her sex appeal, sassiness and brazen disregard for safety have Nikolai scrambling to protect both her and his battered heart. SOLDIER WITH BENEFITS Joanna “Mac” McGregor loves her father, and she’ll do anything to keep him safe after Alzheimer’s starts to steal his mind. That takes money, and Mac uses her only skills—those of soldiering—when she takes up a security contract in Iraq. She doesn’t have time for men, her last vacation fling in Fiji relegated as one perfect moment to hold close during the grim reality of war. Soldier Louie Lithgow is tired of fighting, the constant danger, and has decided this is his last contract. He wants to retire, sink his savings into a place on the beach, and find the sexy Joanna, his holiday lover. Mac’s arrival in Iraq causes consternation. They’ve both been economical with the truth, but the attraction sizzling between them flares hot and bright. They embark on a clandestine affair—professional and confident during their high-danger day, passionate with the release of emotional stress during their torrid nights. One thing is clear—they have different goals and the future is both murky and dangerous. If they survive their contracts. SAFEGUARDING SORREL Sorrel Bitter Thyme seems destined to spend her entire life at the Children of Nature compound. Not an ideal situation. She dreams of so much more—a better future, one outside the cult where she can experience freedom. Jake Ramsey, a Special Air Services soldier on sick leave, agrees to go undercover in the cult to help local police close a case against the leader. Fun times when a beach holiday with a sexy babe would suit him better. Plain and dumpy Sorrel is his inside contact and not what he expects. Their partnership works well. A rapport blooms, and kisses meant to cement their cover, take on new possibilities. Jake uncovers secrets, and their loving heats up, passion coalescing into more than camaraderie. Then danger stalks Sorrel. What began as a favor is now deadly serious—a game Jake must win to keep Sorrel safe.