Most Popular Books by Taylor Clark

Nerves make us bomb job interviews, first dates, and SATs. With a presentation looming at work, fear robs us of sleep for days. It paralyzes seasoned concert musicians and freezes rookie cops in tight situations. And yet not everyone cracks. Soldiers keep their heads in combat; firemen rush into burning buildings; unflappable trauma doctors juggle patient after patient. It''s not that these people feel no fear; often, in fact, they''re riddled with it. In Nerve, Taylor Clark draws upon cutting-edge science and painstaking reporting to explore the very heart of panic and poise. Using a wide range of case studies, Clark overturns the popular myths about anxiety and fear to explain why some people thrive under pressure, while others falter-and how we can go forward with steadier nerves and increased confidence.

Starbucked will be the first book to explore the incredible rise of the Starbucks Corporation and the caffeine-crazy culture that fueled its success. Part Fast Food Nation, part Bobos in Paradise, Starbucked combines investigative heft with witty cultural observation in telling the story of how the coffeehouse movement changed our everyday lives, from our evolving neighborhoods and workplaces to the ways we shop, socialize, and self-medicate. In Starbucked, Taylor Clark provides an objective, meticulously reported look at the volatile issues like gentrification and fair trade that distress activists and coffee zealots alike. Through a cast of characters that includes coffee-wild hippies, business sharks, slackers, Hollywood trendsetters and more, Starbucked explores how America transformed into a nation of coffee gourmets in only a few years, how Starbucks manipulates psyches and social habits to snare loyal customers, and why many of the things we think we know about the coffee commodity chain are false.

On February 13, 1982, the Guatemalan army stormed into the remote northern Guatemalan village of Santa Maria Tzeja. The villagers had already fled in terror, but over the next six days seventeen of them, mostly women and children, were caught and massacred, animals were slaughtered, and the entire village was burned to the ground. Twelve years later, utilizing terms of refugee agreements reached in 1982, villagers from Santa Maria who had fled to Mexico returned to their homes and lands to re-create their community with those who had stayed in Guatemala. Return of Guatemala''s Refugees tells the story of that process. In this moving and provocative book, Clark Taylor describes the experiences of the survivors -- both those who stayed behind in conditions of savage repression and those who fled to Mexico where they learned to organize and defend their rights. Their struggle to rebuild is set in the wider drama of efforts by grassroots groups to pressure the government, economic elites, and army to fulfill peace accords signed in December of 1996. Focusing on the village of Santa Maria Tzeja, Taylor defines the challenges that faced returning refugees and their community. How did the opposing subcultures of fear (generated among those who stayed in Guatemala) and of education and human rights (experienced by those who took refuge in Mexico) coexist? Would the flood of international money sent to settle the refugees and fulfill the peace accords serve to promote participatory development or new forms of social control? How did survivors expand the space for democracy firmly grounded in human rights? How did they get beyond the grief and trauma that remained from the terror of the early eighties? Finally, the ultimate challenge, how did they work within conditions of extreme poverty to create a grassroots democracy in a militarized society?

John Sanford is a driven Houston businessman with little life outside of his work. Compelled by circumstances beyond his control to relocate his manufacturing to Mexico, he partners with Mexican businessmen who are fluent in both Spanish and English. Rather than trust his new associates, John decides he must learn Spanish and commits to a total immersion language course that requires him to live in a Mexican household. He is placed in the home of Lourdes de Madrid Rodriguez, a haughty and complex woman with a dark past. John has a difficult time adjusting to his new world. Tension rises between him and Lourdes, and ultimately deep feelings are awakened in both of them. But can their blossoming love overcome painful histories that haunt them both? "Under a Mexican Moon" is tale of love, life, and death filled with complex characters and painful secrets. How much of themselves will John and Lourdes have to give up in order to come together? Will love finally prevail or will the journey simply be too costly?

If you feel that your life is always on the fast track with work and caring for others with little time to nurture yourself, consider implementing these simple practices of allowing time for your own personal self-care. Take a journey with the author that leads you along a path of finding more space and personal transformation. From Stressed to Blessed is a creative pause to renew and explore what your heart and soul might discover. A new way of becoming more present, healthy, and strong is the theme. There are simple and profound insights from your Creative Muse waiting to be seen and heard. There is a divine spark within you, no matter what your belief that has been held in place. As you consider these resting places that could change your stress to calm, your self doubt to self-love, please be gentle with yourself, because "Love is who you really are." Learn these gentle practices that come on the wings of angels and traditional ritual from meditation, Reiki healing, Shamanism, guided visualization, and intentional creativity.(R) With these self-care practices you can begin to unravel your critic mind and realign with your inner wise self to find the miracles in everyday awareness. Don''t put off loving yourself any longer! The author personally invites you to connect with her and other like-minded individuals in her exclusive online group for sharing and support with your new self-care practices. If you feel that your life is always on the fast track with work and caring for others with little time to nurture yourself, consider implementing these simple practices of allowing time for your own self-care. Take a journey with the author that leads you along a path of finding more space and personal transformation. From Stressed to Blessed is a creative pause to renew and explore what your heart and soul might discover. A new way of becoming more present, healthy, and strong is the theme. There are simple and profound insights from your Creative Muse waiting to be seen and heard. There is a divine spark within you, no matter what your belief that has been held in place. As you consider these resting places that could change your stress to calm, your self doubt to self-love, please be gentle with yourself, because "Love is who you really are." Learn these gentle practices that come on the wings of angels and traditional ritual from meditation, Reiki healing, Shamanism, guided visualization, and intentional creativity.(R) With these self-care practices you can begin to unravel your critic mind and realign with your inner wise self to find the miracles in everyday awareness. Don''t put off loving yourself any longer! The author personally invites you to connect with her and other like-minded individuals in her exclusive online group for sharing and support with your new self-care practices.

Much attention has been given to the development potential of Africa in recent years. One of the most frequently cited areas for investment is agriculture, especially given that more than 70% of people across sub-Saharan Africa rely on agriculture for both food and income. While both men and women across the developing world contribute to this sector, the notion that women are less productive than men persists. Recent studies demonstrate that men do, in fact, tend to produce more agricultural output than women. However, that is only the beginning of the story. Using both OLS regression and fixed effects models, this paper finds that much of the productivity gap between men and women in the agricultural sector of Malawi is explained by differences in access to vital agricultural inputs, including high quality land and extension services. Additionally, the presence of plots containing multiple crops negatively impacts agricultural yields and tends to harm productivity more significantly in women than in men. Using these findings as a basis for policy, direct government intervention that expands the scope and availability of extension services, reforms land ownership and inheritance rights, and invests in female empowerment programs should further reduce gender-based productivity differences. If fully implemented, these policies should support the country''s rapid economic growth and help lead to a Malawi that is food secure.