Michael Atkinson

"Tattoos have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among young people. While tattooing is used as a symbol of personal identity and social communication, there has been little sociological study of the phenomenon. In Tattooed: The Sociogenesis of a Body Art, tattoo enthusiasts share their stories about their bodies and tattooing experiences. Michael Atkinson shows how enthusiasts negotiate and celebrate their 'difference' as it relates to the social stigma attached to body art - how the act of tattooing is as much a response to the stigma as it is a form of personal expression - and how a generation has appropriated tattooing as its own symbol of inclusiveness. Atkinson further demonstrates how the displaying of tattooed bodies to others - techniques of disclosure, justification, and representation - has become a part of the shared experience." "Cultural sensibilities about tattooing are discussed within historical context and in relation to broader trends in body modification, such as cosmetic surgery, dieting, and piercing. The author also employs research from a number of disciplines, as well as contemporary sociological and postmodern theory, to analyze the enduring social significance of body art."--Jacket.

Part gypsy, part untouched golden child of the sea, Kate Gilbert was the most bewitching woman Beau Landry had ever seen. Rashly he agreed to help rescue her friends, risking his ship, his crew, even his life. But Kate was no damsel in distress, he discovered, and showed him it was all he could do to match her bravado. But under the sultry moonlight, Beau took the lead, teaching his untutored Kate the exquisite joys of loving, vowing to make her happy, yet fearing that meant letting her go...