Melissa Bond

Brain on Fire meets High Achiever in this visceral, propulsive memoir detailing a woman’s accidental descent into prescription benzodiazepine dependence and the life-threatening impacts of the drugs’ long-term use. As Melissa Bond raises her infant daughter and a special-needs one-year-old son, she suffers from unbearable insomnia, sleeping an hour or less each night. She loses her job as a journalist (a casualty of the 2008 recession), and her relationship with her husband grows distant. Her doctor casually prescribes benzodiazepines—a family of drugs that includes Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan—and increases her dosage on a regular basis. Following her doctor’s orders, Melissa takes the pills night after night; her body begins to shut down and she collapses while holding her infant daughter. Only then does Melissa learn that her doctor—like many doctors—has over-prescribed the medication and quitting cold turkey could lead to psychosis or fatal seizures. Benzodiazepine addiction is not well studied, and few experts know how to help Melissa as she begins the months-long process of tapering off the pills without suffering debilitating, potentially deadly consequences. Each page thrums with the heartbeat of Melissa’s struggle—how many hours has she slept? How many weeks old are her babies? How many milligrams has she taken? Her propulsive writing crescendos to a fever pitch as she fights for her health and her ability to care for her children. Lyrical and immersive, Blood Orange Night shines a light on the prescription benzodiazepine epidemic as it reaches a crisis point in this country.

My Journey to the Edge of Madness

Blood Orange Night

A Memoir of Insomnia, Motherhood, and Benzos

"My son actually said to me once: 'You should get your hair cut like Gary Barlow.' I've shunned him since. He now lives in the shed." As the driving force behind Britpop giants Oasis and more recently his own High Flying Birds, guitarist Noel Gallagher has been called the finest song writer of his generation. Offstage, however, the outspoken star is probably as well known for his quick wit and excoriating humour as for his musical ability. The rocker is famed for readily offering illuminating thoughts on everything including other musicians, football, politics, life and the antics of kid brother, Liam. This hilarious volume brings together the funniest of Noel's high flying words.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Words

Michael Kerres

Olaf Zawacki-Richter

Svenja Bedenlier

Katja Buntins

In this open access edited volume, international researchers of the field describe and discuss the systematic review method in its application to research in education. Alongside fundamental methodical considerations, reflections and practice examples are included and provide an introduction and overview on systematic reviews in education research. Contents Reflections on the Methodological Approach of Systematic Reviews Ethical Considerations of Conducting Systematic Reviews in Educational Research Teaching Systematic Review Conceptualizations and Measures of Student Engagement The Role of Social Goals in Academic Success Target Groups Researchers, instructors, and students in the field of education and related disciplines The Editors Prof. Dr. Olaf Zawacki-Richter, Professor of Educational Technology, Center for Open Education Research (COER), Faculty of Education and Social Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany. Prof. Dr. Michael Kerres, Professor of Educational Science | Learning Technology & Innovations, Learning Lab, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany. Dr. Svenja Bedenlier, Research Associate, Center for Open Education Research (COER), Faculty of Education and Social Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany. Melissa Bond, Research Associate, Center for Open Education Research (COER), Faculty of Education and Social Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany. Katja Buntins, Research Associate, Learning Lab, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

Melissa Bond

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