An absolutely wonderful book. --Russell Baker "Rick Bragg writes like a man on fire. And All Over but theShoutin' is a work of art. While reading this book, I fell in lovewith Rick Bragg's mother, Margaret Bragg, a hundred times. I feltlike I was reading one of the prophets in the Old Testament whenreading parts of this book. I thought of Melville, I thought ofFaulkner. Because I love the English language, I knew I was readingone of the best books I've ever read. By explaining his life to theworld, Rick Bragg explained part of my life to me. You feel thingsin every line this man writes. His sentences bleed on you. I weptwhen the book ended. I never met Rick Bragg in my life, but Icalled him up and told him he'd written a masterpiece, and I sentflowers to his mother." --Pat Conroy "Searingly honest, beautifully written, All Over but the Shoutin'is perhaps the most courageous thing Pulitzer Prize-winningjournalist Rick Bragg has ever written. Making his reputation on

In May 1787, in an atmosphere of crisis, delegates met inPhiladelphia to design a radically new form of government.Distinguished historian Richard Beeman captures as never before thedynamic of the debate and the characters of the men who laboredthat historic summer. Virtually all of the issues in dispute—theextent of presidential power, the nature of federalism, and, mostexplosive of all, the role of slavery—have continued to provokeconflict throughout our nation's history. This unprecedented booktakes readers behind the scenes to show how the world's mostenduring constitution was forged through conflict, compromise, andfragile consensus. As Gouverneur Morris, delegate of Pennsylvania,noted: "While some have boasted it as a work from Heaven, othershave given it a less righteous origin. I have many reasons tobelieve that it is the work of plain, honest men."

In this forceful manifesto, Hirsch argues that childrenin the U.S. are being deprived of the basic knowledge that wouldenable them to function in contemporary society. Includes 5,000essential facts to know.

Beyond: Our Future in Space (英语) 平装 内容简介 With plans to launch hotels into orbit and experiments in suspending and reanimating life for ultra-long-distance travel, private companies and entrepreneurs have outpaced NASA as the leaders in the new space race. With accessible prose and relentless curiosity, Chris Impey reports on China's plan to launch its own space station by 2020, proves that humans could survive on Mars and unveils cutting-edge innovations such as the space elevators poised to replace rockets at a fraction of the cost. Setting mankind's urge towards exploration in the context of all human history and space travel thus far, he shows that the present-day scientists mapping billions of Earth-like exo-planets are the descendants of the first humans to venture out of Africa. We must forge ahead, argues Beyond, because exploration is in our DNA. 作者简介 Chris Impey is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona. In addition to his cr

The pleasure of reading the Education," wrote Alfred Kazin,"is the pleasure of reading a work of literature made up,literally, from historical facts . . . It is the pleasure of seeinghistory come alive, of seeing it move, of seeing behind history tothe actions and actors. It is the pleasure of seeing revealed thehumanity so often concealed in history. His political ideals shaped by two presidentialancestors--great-grandfather John Adams and grandfather John QuincyAdams--Henry Adams was one of the most powerful and original mindsto confront the American scene from the Civil War to the FirstWorld War. Privately printed in 1907 and published to wide acclaimshortly after the author's death in 1918, Adams's Education is lessa memoir and more a work of brilliant history which charts thegreat transformation in nineteenth-century American intellectuallife. A work of profound lyricism, enormous humanity, andremarkable prescience, The Education of Henry Adams presents aworld poised between the certainties

In the first hours there was nothing, no fear or sadness, justa black and perfect silence. Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke todiscover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as theirfamily members and supporters, to an exhibition game in Chile hadcrashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon learned that many weredead or dying—among them his own mother and sister. Those whoremained were stranded on a lifeless glacier at nearly 12,000 feetabove sea level, with no supplies and no means of summoning help.They struggled to endure freezing temperatures, deadly avalanches,and then the devastating news that the search for them had beencalled off. As time passed and Nando’s thoughts turned increasingly to hisfather, who he knew must be consumed with grief, Nando resolvedthat he must get home or die trying. He would challenge the Andes,even though he was certain the effort would kill him, tellinghimself that even if he failed he would die that much closer to hi

Based on Alex Haley’s bestselling classic The Autobiography ofMalcolm X, a rare, lucidly composed screenplay from one ofAmerica’s great masters of letters. Son of a Baptist minister; New York City hustler; honor student;convicted criminal; powerful minister in the Nation of Islam;father and husband: Malcolm X transformed himself, time and again,in order to become one of the most feared, loved, and undeniablycharismatic leaders of twentieth-century America. No one betterrepresents the tumultuous times of his generation, and there is noone better to capture him and his milieu than James Baldwin. Withspare, elegant, yet forceful dialogue and fresh, precise cameradirections, Baldwin breathes cinematic life into this controversialand important figure, offering a new look at a man who changedhimself in order to change the country.

Every spring thousands of middle-class and lower-incomehigh-school seniors learn that they have been rejected by America’smost exclusive colleges. What they may never learn is how manycandidates like themselves have been passed over in favor ofwealthy white students with lesser credentials—children of alumni,big donors, or celebrities. In this explosive book, the Pulitzer Prize–winning reporterDaniel Golden argues that America, the so-called land ofopportunity, is rapidly becoming an aristocracy in which America’srichest families receive special access to elite highereducation—enabling them to give their children even more of a headstart. Based on two years of investigative reporting and hundredsof interviews with students, parents, school administrators, andadmissions personnel—some of whom risked their jobs to speak to theauthor—The Price of Admission exposes the corrupt admissionspractices that favor the wealthy, the powerful, and thefamous. In The Price of Admission, Golde

In this astonishing true story, award-winning journalist SoniaNazario recounts the unforgettable odyssey of a Honduran boy whobraves unimaginable hardship and peril to reach his mother in theUnited States. When Enrique is five years old, his mother, Lourdes, too poor tofeed her children, leaves Honduras to work in the United States.The move allows her to send money back home to Enrique so he caneat better and go to school past the third grade. Lourdes promises Enrique she will return quickly. But shestruggles in America. Years pass. He begs for his mother to comeback. Without her, he becomes lonely and troubled. When she calls,Lourdes tells him to be patient. Enrique despairs of ever seeingher again. After eleven years apart, he decides he will go findher. Enrique sets off alone from Tegucigalpa, with little more than aslip of paper bearing his mother’s North Carolina telephone number.Without money, he will make the dangerous and illegal trek up thelength of Mexico the only way he c

In Strength in What Remains , Tracy Kidder gives us thestory of one man’s inspiring American journey and of the ordinarypeople who helped him, providing brilliant testament to the powerof second chances. Deo arrives in the United States from Burundi insearch of a new life. Having survived a civil war and genocide, helands at JFK airport with two hundred dollars, no English, and nocontacts. He ekes out a precarious existence delivering groceries,living in Central Park, and learning English by readingdictionaries in bookstores. Then Deo begins to meet the strangerswho will change his life, pointing him eventually in the directionof Columbia University, medical school, and a life devoted tohealing. Kidder breaks new ground in telling this unforgettablestory as he travels with Deo back over a turbulent life and showsus what it means to be fully human.