From the acclaimed author of A Wilderness So Immense comes a pioneering study of Thomas Jefferson's relationships withwomen, both personal and political. The author of the Declaration of Independence, who wrote thewords “all men are created equal,” was surprisingly uncomfortablewith woman. In eight chapters, Kukla examines the evidence for thefounding father's youthful misogyny, beginning with his awkwardcourtship of Rebecca Burwell, who declined Jefferson's marriageproposal, and his unwelcome advances toward the wife of a boyhoodfriend. Subsequent chapters describe his decade-long marriage toMartha Wayles Skelton, his flirtation with Maria Cosway, and thestill controversial relationship with Sally Hemings. A rivetingstudy of a complex man, Mr. Jefferson's Women is sure tospark debate.

Descended from West African kings and healers, raised in theturbulence of Guinea in the 1960s, Kadiatou Diallo was married offat the age of thirteen and bore her first child when she wassixteen. Twenty-three years later, that child–a gentle, innocentyoung man named Amadou Diallo–was gunned down without cause on thestreets of New York City. Now Kadi Diallo tells the astonishing,inspiring story of her life, her loss, and the defiant strength shehas always found within.

The author of classic novels including Indiana and Lélia , George Sand is perhaps better known for herunconventional life. Belinda Jack unravels the many facets of thiswriter who counted among her friends and lovers everyone fromChopin and Liszt to Dostoyevsky and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.Sand defied convention by writing novels; but the fact that she wasa cigar-smoking cross-dresser who took male and female lovers,declared marriage “barbarous,” and championed socialism made her alegend. Allowing Sand’s voice to be heard, but wise enough toquestion it, Jack presents a riveting study of a woman raised byher aristocratic grandmother and her prostitute mother, and whoselife and work were forever fueled by rival worlds.

At the age of seventeen, Marco Martinez was a thug At the age of twenty-two, he was a hero Hard Corps tells the story of a young man’s incredibletransformation from gun-toting gang member to recipient of the NavyCross, the second-highest honor a U.S. Marine can receive. Gritty,riveting, and ultimately inspiring, Hard Corps captures the“ooh-rah” spirit of the U.S. Marine Corps and the grueling life onthe front lines.

The New York Times Bestseller That Reads Like a Back-PorchConversation with Reba! In a dazzling career, Reba McEntire has become a true countrysuperstar--and a trailblazing businesswoman with her own multimediaentertainment corporation. Yet she is a rare celebrity who is alsobeloved by her millions of fans for the way she lives her life. ForReba has balanced the demands of career and family, succeeded inshow business without sacrificing her values, and kept up with thetimes without abandoning her country roots. Here Reba writes about the roles a modern woman tries to fill,roles as many and varied as the fabric pieces of an heirloom quilt.Facing the challenges of being a wife, mother, stepmother,daughter, sister, performer, executive, community member, andChristian, Reba has found inspiration and comfort in the values ofher past as an Oklahoma ranch girl. In this generous and wise book,she shows how you can keep traditional values fresh and vital inyour own search for a fulfilling life. Whether you read it

When Anne Rice stopped crafting stories about vampires andbegan writing about Jesus, many of her fans were shocked. Thisautobiographical spiritual memoir provides an account of how theauthor rediscovered and fully embraced her Catholic faith afterdecades as a self-proclaimed atheist. Rice begins with herchildhood in New Orleans, when she seriously considered entering aconvent. As she grows into a young adult she delves into concernsabout faith, God and the Catholic Church that lead her away fromreligion. The author finally reclaims her Catholic faith in thelate 1990s, describing it as a movement toward total surrender toGod. She writes beautifully about how through clouds of doubt andpain she finds clarity, realizing how much she loved God anddesired to surrender her being, including her writing talent, toGod. Covering such a large sequence of time and life events is noteasy, and some of the author's transitions are a bit jarring. Fansof Rice's earlier works will enjoy discovering more about her lifean

A swashbuckling Texan, a teller of tall tales, a womanizer,and a renegade, Fred Cuny spent his life in countries rent by war,famine, and natural disasters, saving many thousands of livesthrough his innovative and sometimes controversial methods ofrelief work. Cuny earned his nickname "Master of Disaster" for hisexploits in Kurdistan, Somalia, and Bosnia. But when he arrived inthe rogue Russian republic of Chechnya in the spring of 1995,raring to go and eager to put his ample funds from George Soros togood use, he found himself in the midst of an unimaginably savagewar of independence, unlike any he had ever before encountered.Shortly thereafter, he disappeared in the war-rocked highlands,never to be seen again. Who was Cuny really working for? Was he a CIA spy? Who killedhim, and why? In search of the answers, Scott Anderson traveled toChechnya on a hazardous journey that started as as a magazineassignment and ended as a personal mission. The result is agalvanizing adventure story, a chilling pic

The bestselling author of Saving Graces shares herinspirational message on the challenges and blessings of copingwith adversity. She’s one of the most beloved political figures in the country,and on the surface, seems to have led a charmed life. In many ways,she has. Beautiful family. Thriving career. Supportive friendship.Loving marriage. But she’s no stranger to adversity. Many know ofthe strength she had shown after her son, Wade, was killed in afreak car accident when he was only sixteen years old. She wouldexhibit this remarkable grace and courage again when the veryprivate matter of her husband's infidelity became public fodder.And her own life has been on the line. Days before the 2004presidential election—when her husband John was running for vicepresident—she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After rounds ofsurgery, chemotherapy, and radiation the cancer went away—only toreoccur in 2007. While on the campaign trail, Elizabeth met many others who havehad to contend with se

Ever wonder what it would take to turn all of your dreams intoreality? In The Life You Imagine , All-Star New York Yankeesshortstop Derek Jeter shows how you can use the same game plan thathelped an eight-year-old boy who fantasized about playing baseballfor the Bronx Bombers grow up and become MVP of the 2000 WorldSeries. With the help and support of both of his parents, Derekdeveloped a practical program that would assist him in achievingall of his personal and professional aspirations-and now he shareshis secrets to success so that you can get closer to living yourdream, too. In this inspiring, information-packed book, Derek provides you withthe ten lessons that have guided him throughout his life on and offthe field, from his dream of being a gifted, hardworking athlete tohis goal of becoming an active community leader. Using personalstories from his own life as a student athlete in Kalamazoo,Michigan, and as a Yankee team player, Derek writes about thesimple steps that put him on course for success, i

I don’t want to get out of bed.I’m so stupid.I did so manythings wrong.I don’t know what to do.I’m going to be in so muchtrouble.What am I going to do?I’m completely screwed.In 1991,fourteen-year-old Brent Runyon came home from school, doused hisbathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and lit a match. He sufferedthird-degree burns over 85% of his body and spent the next yearrecovering in hospitals and rehab facilities. During that year ofphysical recovery, Runyon began to question what he’d done,undertaking the complicated journey from near-death back to highschool, and from suicide back to the emotional mainstream oflife.In the tradition of Running with Scissors and Girl,Interrupted , The Burn Journals is a truly remarkablebook about teenage despair and recovery.

With deadpan humor and obvious affection, Five-Finger Discountrecounts the story of an unforgettable New Jersey family ofswindlers, bookies, embezzlers, and mobster-wannabes. In the memoirMary Karr calls “a page-turner,” Helene Stapinski ingeniouslyweaves the checkered history of her hometown of Jersey City—a placeknown for its political corruption and industrial blight—with thetales that have swirled around her relatives for decades.Navigating a childhood of toxic waste and tough love, Stapinskitells an extraordinary tale at once heartbreaking and hystericallyfunny.

“You keep fighting, okay?” I whispered. “We’re in thistogether. You and me. You’re not alone. You hear me? You are notalone. ” 5:38 p.m. It was the precise moment Sean Manning was born and thetime each year that his mother wished him happy birthday. But justbefore he turned twenty-seven, their tradition collapsed. A heartattack landed his mom in the hospital and uprooted Manning from hislife in New York. What followed was a testament to a family’sindestructible bond—a life-changing odyssey that broke a boy andmade a man—captured here in Manning’s indelible memoir.

A spirited and intimate look at American icon and activistPete Seeger, and his life and his accomplishments. Pete Seeger transformed a classic American musical style into aform of peaceful protest against war, segregation, and nuclearweapons. Drawing on his extensive talks with Seeger, Alec Wilkinsondelivers a first hand look at Seeger's unique blend of independenceand commitment, charm, courage, energy, and belief in humanequality and American democracy. We see Seeger, the child,instilled with a love of music by his parents; Seeger, theteenager, hearing real folk music for the first time; Seeger, theyoung adult, singing with Woody Guthrie. And finally, Seeger theman marching with the Rev. Martin Luther King in Selma, standing upto McCarthyism, and fighting for his beloved Hudson River. Thegigantic life captured in this slender volume is truly an Americananthem.

“On our first date, Rich ordered a chocolate soufflé at thebeginning of the meal, noting an asterisk on the menu warningdiners of the wait involved. At the time, I imagined he did itpartly to impress me, which it did, though today I know well thathe’s simply the type of man who knows better than to turn down ahot-from-the-oven soufflé when one is offered to him.” When Michelle Maisto meets Rich–like her, a closet writer with afierce love of books and good food–their single-mindedness at thetable draws them together, and meals become a stage for their longcourtship. Finally engaged, they move in together, but sitting downto shared meals each night–while working at careers, trying towrite, and falling into the routines that come to define ahome–soon feels like something far different from their firstdinner together. Who cooks, who shops, who does the dishes? Rich craves the lightfare his mother learned to prepare as a girl in China, but Michelleleans toward the hearty dishes h