It was Henry David Thoreau, in Walden, who remarked, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” This statement appears to be just as true today as it was then. The majority of today’s men and women live in boring circumstances, and when the opportunity for change arises, they are often quick to seize […]

The process of growing up and passing through adolescence has been characterized by great inner turmoil, uncertainty, and tremendous pressures from family, close friends, peer groups and the neighborhood itself. Certainly, in our complex society, the problems youths face now seem more marked than ever before. Debby Devlin is a teen-ager embarking on her own […]

The overwhelming problems some people face in the course of their lives can frequently prompt them to commit acts they might never consider under usual circumstances. There is the employee who, laid off from his job, stoops to theft in order to feed his family; the witness who perjures himself in order to save a […]

Behind the outward serenity and closed doors of middle-class suburban homes, we find people tormented by the same problems that have afflicted men and women throughout the ages. While Americans today are leading “the good life”, enjoying material comforts unheard of in other countries, people still find themselves in an emotional turmoil, reinforced by the […]

There is something about adolescence that encourages young people to try the unknown, the forbidden. The illicit, the taboo, seem more attractive and exciting somehow. Maybe this is because most young people feel their rights have been infringed upon for long enough, and now is the time for them to “do their own thing”. And […]

Psychologists have long noted that man is a gregarious animal whose need for approval and affection is as real and basic as his need for food and shelter. This social need is reflected many times over in our everyday lives. There is the teenaged boy who frequently smokes marijuana, though he dislikes it, because he […]

Of all the social institutions which have had to endure change and weather criticism, the family concept is, perhaps, the most pronounced. Subjected to the undermining forces of alcoholism, the use of drugs and marijuana, and the advent of mate-swapping, the family unit has undergone immeasurable challenge in the wake of social advancement. SUCK-LOVING MOTHER […]

Immoral people capitalizing on the innocence of others to attain their goals — a story as old as man. The Bible, history books, law books — all contain countless examples. And when the innocent victim is young, the story is so much the sadder. Ginger Martin, the young girl in this book, is the victim […]

The story of June Richards may be totally shocking to some readers who have little contact with today’s teenagers and their attitudes regarding sex and sexual behavior. To even the most enlightened and permissive adults, the degree to which young girls have embraced the ideas of those who have fostered the sexual liberation movement is […]

Outwardly, most Americans maintain the strait-laced middle-class look that belies the social ferment behind closed doors. There is the secret use of drugs, fed by the marijuana syndrome. There is the river of alcohol flooding from door to door under the euphemism of social drinking. Then, of course, there is the advent of sexual fantasies […]