Misconception

A small-town Louisiana physician is poised to win confirmation as the next Surgeon General of the United States. But on the eve of his greatest professional achievement, Daniel Wyatt finds himself accused of gross infidelity...and the murder of his unborn child. In the midst of a media frenzy -- as a trial looms that will cast the nation's explosive pro-choice/anti-abortion debate into a blinding new light -- the accused stands to lose more than his reputation, his career, and his freedom. Because an issue that has dangerously polarized America has inspired the bloody wrath of a faceless killer. And Dr. Daniel Wyatt is suddenly more than front-page news -- he's a target.

The never-told story of the "other couple"-the biological parents of the baby-in the famous embryo mix-up case that astounded the public in September 2009. Now breaking their silence, Paul and Shannon Morell reveal for the first time the shocking truth of what happened to all their embryos and their long ordeal after discovering that their last-chance embryo had been mistakenly transferred into the womb of another woman. Theirs is a story of medical mix-ups, medical miracles, of bonding with their son after another woman gave birth to him, and of the faith that sustains them as they reflect on the huge questions arising from their IVF experience.

Every year, millions of women have their lives turned inside out by the experience of pregnancy. A contemporary woman find herself caught in an absurd paradox: while in the grip of one of the most primal, lonely, sensual and, in some ways, psychologically debilitating and physically dangerous experiences, she is overwhelmed by invasive, trivialising and infantilising cultural messages about what is happening to her - and who really owns the experience.

Fatal Misconception is the disturbing story of our quest to remake humanity by policing national borders and breeding better people. As the population of the world doubled once, and then again, well-meaning people concluded that only population control could preserve the “quality of life.” This movement eventually spanned the globe and carried out a series of astonishing experiments, from banning Asian immigration to paying poor people to be sterilized. Supported by affluent countries, foundations, and non-governmental organizations, the population control movement experimented with ways to limit population growth. But it had to contend with the Catholic Church’s ban on contraception and nationalist leaders who warned of “race suicide.” The ensuing struggle caused untold suffering for those caught in the middle—particularly women and children. It culminated in the horrors of sterilization camps in India and the one-child policy in China. Matthew Connelly offers the first global history of a movement that changed how people regard their children and ultimately the face of humankind. It was the most ambitious social engineering project of the twentieth century, one that continues to alarm the global community. Though promoted as a way to lift people out of poverty—perhaps even to save the earth—family planning became a means to plan other people‘s families. With its transnational scope and exhaustive research into such archives as Planned Parenthood and the newly opened Vatican Secret Archives, Connelly’s withering critique uncovers the cost inflicted by a humanitarian movement gone terribly awry and urges renewed commitment to the reproductive rights of all people.

If you’re tired of legal thrillers written by lawyers, read this amazing medical thriller written by Dr. Avner Hershlag who not only knows his stuff, but also knows how to write. Combining a little science fiction with a lot of science fact, Hershlag takes us on a scary journey through the fields of genetics and into the near future. Misconception delves deeply into a subject no less important than the mystery of life itself. Nelson DeMille, author of The Gold Coast When Dr. Anya Krim, the First Lady’s fertility specialist, delivers a grossly deformed baby of undetermined sex, she tries to figure out how the child was conceived. But, before she is able to determine the baby’s origin, she diagnoses a pregnancy in Megan, a Senator’s daughter, who has been in a coma for two years. The question of who has impregnated Megan leads to a shocking suspicion based upon the FBI’s DNA fingerprinting results. At the same time, the First Lady’s last-ditch attempt to have a child runs amok when the safety of her embryos is threatened. Anya not only has to secure the embryos she created. She must now prove that no one has altered them genetically. Anya, herself, is desperate to have a child of her own, but her fears of having sex threaten to leave her childless. How far will she go to have a child? Unforeseen complications threaten her reputation, her career, and ultimately, her life. Misconception takes the reader on a heart pounding and mysterious, yet intriguing journey, examining new reproductive and genetic technologies through Anya’s eyes. Along the way, she must grapple with issues of passion and hate, conservative and liberal politics, morality and medicine and ultimately life and death.

This engaging book helps readers identify and then discard 52 misconceptions about data and statistical summaries. The focus is on major concepts contained in typical undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, research methods, or quantitative analysis. Interactive Internet exercises that further promote undoing the misconceptions are found on the book's website. The author’s accessible discussion of each misconception has five parts: The Misconception - a brief description of the misunderstanding Evidence that the Misconception Exists – examples and claimed prevalence Why the Misconception is Dangerous – consequence of having the misunderstanding Undoing the Misconception - how to think correctly about the concept Internet Assignment - an interactive activity to help readers gain a firm grasp of the statistical concept and overcome the misconception. The book's statistical misconceptions are grouped into 12 chapters that match the topics typically taught in introductory/intermediate courses. However, each of the 52 discussions is self-contained, thus allowing the misconceptions to be covered in any order without confusing the reader. Organized and presented in this manner, the book is an ideal supplement for any standard textbook. An ideal supplement for undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, research methods, or quantitative analysis taught in psychology, education, business, nursing, medicine, and the social sciences. The book also appeals to independent researchers interested in undoing their statistical misconceptions.

How often have you heard it stated on TV, in the press, or by an acquaintance that the wall of separation between church and state are words taken right out of the US Constitution? This book examines the nation's historic understanding of, and the Founding Fathers' intentions regarding, the relationship of our Constitution to matters of faith.