Most Popular Books by Leslie Swartz

How I Lost My Mother is a deeply felt account of the relationship between a mother and son, and an exploration of what care for the dying means in contemporary society The book is emotionally complex – funny, sad and angry – but above all, heartfelt and honest. It speaks boldly of challenges faced by all of us, challenges which are often not spoken about and hidden, but which deserve urgent attention. This is first and foremost a work of the heart, a reflection on what relationships mean and should mean. There is much in the book about relationships of care and exploitation in southern Africa, and about white Jewish identity in an African context. But despite the specific and absorbing references to places and contexts, the book offers a broader, more universal view. All parents of adult children, and all adults who have parents alive, or have lost their parents, will find much in this book to make them laugh, cry, think and feel.

One of the greatest challenges facing modern global health is how to include the most marginalized and impoverished people in international efforts to promote social and economic development. In Disability and International Development disability rights are situated within the broader context of global health and the need for much greater inter-sector collaboration. Reports from a broad cross-section of low- and middle-income countries—locales as diverse as Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Kyrgyzstan, and Papua New Guinea—move beyond surface discussions of "what is working" and "what shows promise" to discuss political and governance contexts, the roles of disabled persons in research by outsiders, concurrent struggles (e.g., women’s or children’s rights), and instructive inroads made by community activists and national Disabled People’s Organizations. The results are provocative, and offer new lenses for viewing both the issues and the populations they affect. Each of the book’schapters spotlights a topic as representative of the enormity and immediacy of challenges to inclusive global health, including: The impact of international human rights law on domestic law and local traditions. The effect of failed states on the lives of people with disabilities. Empowerment and advocacy: disability organizations and movements. HIV/AIDS interventions with disabled persons. Assistive technologies in low-income countries. Strategies for improving the lives of children with disabilities. Cross-disciplinary as well as cross-cultural, Disability and International Development will attract a wide audience of professionals in rehabilitation, social welfare and human rights; governmental and non-governmental organizations and disabled people’s organizations; researchers and practitioners. It will also be relevant to those working in health and welfare administration, health policy, international aid and development, and human rights. In addition, graduate students in disability studies, public and global health and international development should find this an important guide to the future of these fields.

This book introduces key issues in understanding social and cultural factors as they relate to mental health and illness, and to a southern African understanding and construction of these categories. It lays out central international and local debates in the field of mental health in an accessible way, making use of extensive research and case studies. Central theoretical debates (such as those between relativism and universalism, and between hermeneutical and critical approaches) are presented early in the text, and referred to throughout the more applied chapters. The aim is to equip the reader to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to understanding specific aspects of mental health and illness. Stressed throughout is the role of the mental health professional in the construction of ideas of mental health and illness.

Taking its title from the wordplay of a child who has cerebral palsy, this book spotlights the world of disability - a world that tends to be secret, a source of stigma, shame and disgrace. The subtle and sensitive photography of Angela Buckland records her journey through this world from when she first suspected that her son was disabled to her decision to record the experiences of seven families with disabled children. This is not a book of easy answers, yet it provides families and healthcare professionals with a compassionate, understanding and inspiring guide to ordinary people's real experiences.