Braced

The first contemporary novel about a disease that bends the lives of ten percent of all teenagers: scoliosis. Rachel Brooks is excited for the new school year. She's finally earned a place as a forward on her soccer team. Her best friends make everything fun. And she really likes Tate, and she's pretty sure he likes her back. After one last appointment with her scoliosis doctor, this will be her best year yet.Then the doctor delivers some terrible news: The sideways curve in Rachel's spine has gotten worse, and she needs to wear a back brace twenty-three hours a day. The brace wraps her in hard plastic from shoulder blades to hips. It changes how her clothes fit, how she kicks a ball, and how everyone sees her -- even her friends and Tate. But as Rachel confronts all the challenges the brace presents, the biggest change of all may lie in how she sees herself.Written by a debut author who wore a brace of her own, Braced is the inspiring, heartfelt story of a girl learning to manage the many curves life throws her way.

This book presents basic design theories and principles and provides detailed analysis for excavation failure cases based on the author's research experience, aiming to provide a comprehensive picture of the subject matter. It focuses on the basal heave stability analysis, the apparent earth pressure as well as the strut force determination, the retaining wall deflection, the ground settlement, the protection measures such as jet grouting slabs or piles, case reports, back analysis methodology. From the very basic to the most advanced, it tries to attain theoretical rigorousness and consistency. On the other hand, this book also tries to cope with design practice, implemented by the recent publications from the authors. Students, researchers, and design engineers working in the field of civil engineering could benefit from this book.

This collection of 24 articles covers a range of topics in the analysis, design and construction of braced barrel vaults.

Design of Deep Braced Excavation in Urban Geotechnical Environments presents the design and calculation of deep braced excavation in urban geotechnical environments considering the soil characteristics of spatial variability and anisotropy, as well as excavation responses of urban adjacent utilities such as pipelines, tunnels, foundation piles and buildings. With economic development and further urbanization, excavation goes deeper, longer, and larger in scale. These conditions require advanced analysis and design methods. The text begins with coverage of overall stability, earth pressure and strut force, retaining wall responses, and ground movements. Numerical modeling and computer codes are outlined in detail. The authors then take a close look at the design of jet grouting for deformation control, instrumentation and back analysis for excavation, and the characteristics of deep braced excavation in complex geological environment. The final chapters conclude with an examination of the determination of excavation responses of urban adjacent utilities and failure analysis based on several case histories. This book provides the latest knowledge in both theory and practical application for geotechnical design engineers working on deep excavation problems. Presents the latest theory and knowledge surrounding deep braced excavations Systematically outlines theory, field reports, calculations, and back analysis, making it much easier to master the work relevant with deep braced excavations Provides detailed visual elements and hyperlinks to additional images and video for case excavations to enhance understanding

A powerful and redemptive story of how the dazzling world of roller derby helped one young woman transform her fear and self-doubt into gutsy, big-hearted, adventurous living “A universal story of healing and triumph, made all the more beautiful, wild, and free by Gabe’s fierce love for roller derby and her team, who become her family.”—ABBY WAMBACH, Olympian, activist, and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wolfpack ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Book Riot Growing up queer in a conservative Midwestern town, Gabe Montesanti never felt comfortable in her own skin. A competitive swimmer, she turned to perfectionism and self-control to create a sense of safety, only to develop an eating disorder and constantly second-guess her instincts. When she enters graduate school in St. Louis, she is determined to put the baggage of her childhood behind her. With no prior experience, she joins Arch Rival, one of the top-ranked roller derby leagues in the world. Gabe instantly falls in love with the sport’s roughness, intensity, and open embrace of people who are literally and figuratively scarred. She soon finds community and a sense of belonging, reveling in the tattoos, glitter, and campiness. But when Gabe suffers a catastrophic injury, she can no longer ignore the parallels between the physicality of roller derby and the unresolved trauma of her upbringing. Rendered inactive, forced to be still, Gabe realizes she needs to heal her emotional wounds as much as her physical ones; she must confront her fear and self-diminishment in order to feel truly alive. Told with unflinching honesty and a giant dose of wonder, Brace for Impact is a tender, inspiring memoir about the everyday heroism of pursuing a life less ordinary, and the deeply human need to be at peace with who you are.

Following Braced, which had three starred reviews, comes a story of a girl caught between her love of chess and her ADHD. Clea can't control her thoughts. She knows she has to do her homework . . . but she gets distracted. She knows she can't just say whatever thought comes into her head . . . but sometimes she can't help herself. She know she needs to focus . . . but how can she do that when the people around her are always chewing gum loudly or making other annoying noises?It's starting to be a problem-not just in school, but when Clea's playing chess or just hanging out with her best friend. Other kids are starting to notice. When Clea fails one too many tests, her parents take her to be tested, and she finds out that she has ADHD, which means her attention is all over the place instead of where it needs to be.Clea knows life can't continue the way it's been going. She's just not sure how you can fix a problem that's all in your head. But that's what she's going to have to do, to find a way to focus. In a starred review, called Alyson Gerber's first novel, , "a masterfully constructed and highly empathetic debut about a different kind ofacceptance." With , she explores even further how, when life gives you a challenge, the best way to face it is with an open mind, an open heart, and the open support of the people around you.