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The Social Trap. by Jadot, Elisa,film director.; Java Films (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Originally produced by Java Films in 2024.Adolescents who are connected to their smartphone for more than five hours a day are 66% more likely to suffer suicidal symptoms than those who use it for one hour a day. 44 US states are currently suing Meta, blaming it for the malaise of an entire generation. Faced with powerful tech giants like Meta, Tiktok, Snapchat, X and Discord, how can we protect children and their childhood?For the first time in history, state legislators and parents in the US and Europe are joining forces to fight these digital giants. Among them are five women who have chosen to turn their daily lives upside down to fight back against the Big 5: Alexis, Elisabet, Sofia, Laure and Socheata.They are victims, mothers, doctors and lawyers. They’re all behind a movement to change the destiny of future generations. Alexis, a victim of screen addiction, was among the first to take Meta to court, accusing it of “inciting suicide.” Elisabet is a mother of three. In just a few days, over 10,000 parents joined her WhatsApp group to fight for a "phone-free youth." As a result, the state has banned smartphones in schools. Sofia is a psychiatrist and pioneer in the treatment of screen addiction in children, some as young as seven. Socheata has been involved in the fight ever since her son was manipulated by an internet predator. She has joined an organisation that works alongside cybercrime police officers to track down paedophiles. Laure is a lawyer determined to change the laws that protect the Big 5.Through the struggles of these women, we will discover that digital control is a major public health and safety issue that goes well beyond what we imagine.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Documentary films.; Mass media.; Digital communications.; Health.; Criminal law.; Social sciences.; Science.; Child welfare.; Computer science.; Documentary films.; Mass media and culture.; Women's studies.; Current affairs.; Substance abuse.; Motion pictures--France.; Social media.; Youth.; Women social reformers.; Child psychology.; Self-esteem.; Motion pictures--Europe.;

What have we done / by Finlay, Alex,author.;
"In one of the year's most anticipated thrillers #1 New York Times bestseller Sarah Pekkanen calls "Alex Finlay's best yet," What Have We Done is a tale about the lives we leave behind and the secrets we carry with us forever. A stay-at-home mom with a past. A has-been rock star with a habit. A reality TV producer with a debt. Three disparate lives. One deadly secret. Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, a bond forged as residents of Savior House, an abusive group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down-after the disappearance of several kids-the three were split up. Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live successful, if troubled, lives. They haven't seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them. To save their lives, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their past-a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead. It's a reunion none of them asked for ... or wanted. But it may be the only way to save all their lives. What Have We Done is both an edge-of-your seat thriller and a gut-wrenching coming-of-age story. And it cements Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in thrillers today"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Novels.; Attempted murder; Group homes for children; Orphans; Secrecy;

Unconditional Break Through Past Limits to Transform Your Future [electronic resource] : by Zafar, Samra.aut; Pittaway, Kim.aut; cloudLibrary;
Lived experience and the science of healing tell the life-changing truth: unlearning is the key to setting yourself free  In an inspirational, practical self-help book, bestselling author of A Good Wife Samra Zafar weaves together research and personal stories to share how she has broken free of beliefs that held her back, and how readers can too. After escaping an abusive marriage in her twenties with her two daughters in tow, Samra Zafar thought the biggest challenges she would face would be supporting her family, putting herself through school, working in the corporate world, and rebuilding a support system for herself and her daughters. But she discovered the hardest challenge of all was within her own heart. Her childhood conditioning to criticize her every move paralyzed her from pursuing what she truly wanted, landed her in relationships that held her back rather than lifting her up, and constrained the way she wanted to mother her children. Finally, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she sought help. In Unconditional, Samra shares everything she has learned, as a woman, physician and mother, about unlearning the harmful beliefs we store deep within ourselves. Through the hard work of digging out past trauma, unpacking faulty ideas that no longer serve you, creating healthier neural pathways, and embracing who you truly want to be, you can learn to love yourself—unconditionally. 
Subjects: Electronic books.; Inspiration & Personal Growth; Happiness; Motivational & Inspirational;
© 2025., HarperCollins Canada,

Uncultured : a memoir / by Mestyanek Young, Daniella,author.; Larsen, Brandi.;
"In the vein of Educated and The Glass Castle, Daniella Mestyanek Young's Uncultured is more than a memoir about an exceptional upbringing, but about a woman who, no matter the lack of tools given to her, is determined to overcome. Behind the tall, foreboding gates of a commune in Brazil, Daniella Mestyanek Young was raised in the religious cult The Children of God, also known as The Family, as the daughter of high-ranking members. Her great-grandmother donated land for one of The Family's first communes in Texas. Her mother, at thirteen, was forced to marry the leader and served as his secretary for many years. Beholden to The Family's strict rules, Daniella suffers physical, emotional, and sexual abuse-masked as godly discipline and divine love-and is forbidden from getting a traditional education. At fifteen years old, fed up with The Family and determined to build a better and freer life for herself, Daniella escapes to Texas. There, she bravely enrolls herself in high school and excels, later graduating as valedictorian of her college class, then electing to join the military to begin a career as an intelligence officer, where she believes she will finally belong. But she soon learns that her new world-surrounded by men on the sands of Afghanistan-looks remarkably similar to the one she desperately tried to leave behind. Told in a beautiful, propulsive voice and with clear-eyed honesty, Uncultured explores the dangers unleashed when harmful group mentality goes unrecognized, and is emblematic of themany ways women have to contort themselves to survive"--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Mestyanek Young, Daniella.; Family International (Organization); Cults.; Social psychology.; Women.;

Demon Copperhead [text (large print)] : a novel / by Kingsolver, Barbara,author.;
Demon Copperhead is set in the mountains of southern Appalachia. It's the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities. Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Large type books.; Novels.; Opioid abuse; Orphans; Teenage boys;

From the ashes : my story of being Métis, homeless, and finding my way / by Thistle, Jesse,author.;
"From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up. Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, but their tough-love attitudes meant conflicts became commonplace. And the ghost of Jesse's drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. One day, he finally realized he would die unless he turned his life around. In this heartwarming and heartbreaking memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful experiences with abuse, uncovering the truth about his parents, and how he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family through education. An eloquent exploration of what it means to live in a world surrounded by prejudice and racism and to be cast adrift, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help one find happiness despite the odds."-- Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Thistle, Jesse.; Métis; Addicts; Homeless persons;

From the ashes : my story of being Métis, homeless, and finding my way [Book Club Set] / by Thistle, Jesse,author.;
"From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up. Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, but their tough-love attitudes meant conflicts became commonplace. And the ghost of Jesse's drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. One day, he finally realized he would die unless he turned his life around. In this heartwarming and heartbreaking memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful experiences with abuse, uncovering the truth about his parents, and how he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family through education. An eloquent exploration of what it means to live in a world surrounded by prejudice and racism and to be cast adrift, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help one find happiness despite the odds."-- Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Thistle, Jesse.; Métis; Addicts; Homeless persons;

Hollywood Park : a memoir / by Jollett, Mikel,author.;
"Hollywood Park is a remarkable memoir of a tumultuous life. Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country's most infamous cults, and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction, and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer. We were never young. We were just too afraid of ourselves. No one told us who we were or what we were or where all our parents went. They would arrive like ghosts, visiting us for a morning, an afternoon. They would sit with us or walk around the grounds, to laugh or cry or toss us in the air while we screamed. Then they'd disappear again, for weeks, for months, for years, leaving us alone with our memories and dreams, our questions and confusion. So begins Hollywood Park, Mikel Jollett's remarkable memoir. His story opens in an experimental commune in California, which later morphed into the Church of Synanon, one of the country's most infamous and dangerous cults. Per the leader's mandate, all children, including Jollett and his older brother, were separated from their parents when they were six months old, and handed over to the cult's "School." After spending years in what was essentially an orphanage, Mikel escaped the cult one morning with his mother and older brother. But in many ways, life outside Synanon was even harder and more erratic. In his raw, poetic and powerful voice, Jollett portrays a childhood filled with abject poverty, trauma, emotional abuse, delinquency and the lure of drugs and alcohol. Raised by a clinically depressed mother, tormented by his angry older brother, subjected to the unpredictability of troubled step-fathers and longing for contact with his father, a former heroin addict and ex-con, Jollett slowly, often painfully, builds a life that leads him to Stanford University and, eventually, to finding his voice as a writer and musician. Hollywood Park is told at first through the limited perspective of a child, and then broadens as Jollett begins to understand the world around him. Although Mikel Jollett's story is filled with heartbreak, it is ultimately an unforgettable portrayal of love at its fiercest and most loyal"--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Jollett, Mikel; Synanon (Foundation); Rock musicians;

Under currents / by Roberts, Nora,author.;
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a novel about the power of family to harm--and to heal. Within the walls of a tasteful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, young Zane Bigelow feels like a prisoner of war. Strangers--and even Zane's own aunt across the lake--see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children's ballet recitals and baseball games. Zane and his sister know the truth: There is something terribly wrong. As his father's violent, controlling rages--and his mother's complicity--become more and more oppressive, Zane counts the years, months, days until he can escape. He looks out for little Britt, warning her: Be smart; Be careful. In fear for his very life, he plays along with the insidious lie that everything is fine, while scribbling his real thoughts in a secret journal he must carefully hide away. When one brutal, shattering night finally reveals cracks in the façade, Zane begins to understand that some people are willing to face the truth, even when it hurts. As he grows into manhood and builds a new kind of family, he will find that while the darkness of his past may always shadow him, it will also show him what is necessary for good to triumph--and give him strength to draw on when he once again must stand up and defend himself and the ones he loves ..."--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Domestic fiction.; Family violence; Adult child abuse victims;

To the Moon and back : a novel / by Ramage, Eliana,author.;
"Steph Harper is on the run. When she was five, her mother fled an abusive husband -- with Steph and her younger sister in tow -- to Cherokee Nation, where she hoped they might finally belong. In response, Steph sets her sights as far away from Oklahoma as she can get, vowing that she will let nothing get in the way of pursuing the rigorous physical and academic training she knows she will need to be accepted by NASA, and ultimately, to go to the moon. Spanning three decades and several continents, To the Moon and Back encompasses Steph's turbulent journey, along with the multifaceted and intertwined lives of the three women closest to her: her sister Kayla, an artist who goes on to become an Indigenous social media influencer, and whose determination to appear good takes her life to unexpected places; Steph's college girlfriend Della Owens, who strives to reclaim her identity as an adult after being removed from her Cherokee family through a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act; and Hannah, Steph and Kayla's mother, who has held up her family's tribal history as a beacon of inspiration to her children, all the while keeping her own past a secret. In Steph's certainty that only her ambition can save her, she will stretch her bonds with each of these women to the point of breaking, at once betraying their love and generosity, and forcing them to reconsider their own deepest desires in her shadow. Told through an intricately woven tapestry of narrative, To the Moon and Back is an astounding and expansive novel of mothers and daughters, love and sacrifice, alienation and heartbreak, terror and wonder. At its core, it is the story of the extraordinary lengths to which one woman will go to find space for herself."--
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Novels.; Astronauts; Belonging; Cherokee women; Identity (Psychology); Mothers and daughters; Sexual minorities; Sisters;