The gripping and inspiring story of two extraordinarywomen--from their imprisonment by the Taliban to their rescue byU.S. Special Forces. When Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer arrived in Afghanistan, theyhad come to help bring a better life and a little hope to some ofthe poorest and most oppressed people in the world. Within a fewmonths, their lives were thrown into chaos as they became pawns inhistoric international events. They were arrested by the rulingTaliban government for teaching about Christianity to the peoplewith whom they worked. In the middle of their trial, the events ofSeptember 11, 2001, led to the international war on terrorism, withthe Taliban a primary target. While many feared Curry and Mercercould not survive in the midst of war, Americans nonetheless prayedfor their safe return, and in November their prayers wereanswered. In Prisoners of Hope, Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer tell thestory of their work in Afghanistan, their love for the people theyserved, their arrest, t

Fingernail Moon,the true story of a mother and daughter’scourageous journey. An inspiring story of Janie Webster’s daringquest to save her daughter’s life. When Webster discovered that her husband had sexually abusedtheir daughter, her seemingly content life changed forever. Shebegan divorce proceedings, but the court allowed unsupervisedvisits between father and daughter. Then her husband was diagnosedwith AIDS. Terrified that he could further abuse and even infecttheir daughter, Janie Webster knew that she had to flee. Mother and daughter embarked on a five-year journey around theworld. Although often discouraged, they found within their physicaljourney a deep spiritual meaning. With God’s guidance, theyestablished and reestablished new lives in the countries where theystayed, finding people they could trust who provided them withfriendship and assistance. Despite the threat of deportation andimprisonment hanging over them, they sensed the hand of Godengineering their safe passage

In the first book to focus on the traumatic effects caused bycliques in our schools, an acclaimed parenting-advice team offers afresh perspective and an innovative eight-step program to turnaround the culture of cruelty that torments all students. There have always been "in crowds," but today's social pressuresforce children into explosive, destructive, and evenlife-threatening situations. No matter what role your child playsin this schoolhouse drama--clique leader, victim, or innocentbystander--this book is a must-read. Giannetti and Sagarese havehoned in on this little-understood phenomenon and come up withinsights that parents can use immediately. Read Cliques tounderstand: * Who the clique leaders are in your child's school * What you can do NOW to help your child avoid abuse * Times during the day when cliques are visible to adults * Where in your school you should start to lobby for change * Why your "innocent bystander" may not be so innocent * How you c

A fascinating look at some fascinating people who show howdemocracy advances hand in hand with crime in Japan.--MarioPuzo In this unorthodox chronicle of the rise of Japan, Inc., RobertWhiting, author of You Gotta Have Wa, gives us a fresh perspectiveon the economic miracle and near disaster that is modernJapan. Through the eyes of Nick Zappetti, a former GI, former blackmarketer, failed professional wrestler, bungling diamond thief whoturned himself into "the Mafia boss of Tokyo and the king ofRappongi," we meet the players and the losers in the high-stakesgame of postwar finance, politics, and criminal corruption in whichhe thrived. Here's the story of the Imperial Hotel diamond robbers,who attempted (and may have accomplished) the biggest heist inTokyo's history. Here is Rikidozan, the professional wrestler whoalmost single-handedly revived Japanese pride, but whose ownethnicity had to be kept secret. And here is the story of theintimate relationships shared by Japan's ruling party, itsf

Finally, homeschoolers have a comprehensive guide to designinga homeschool curriculum, from one of the country's foremosthomeschooling experts. , Rebecca Rupp presents a structured plan toensure that your children will learn what they need to know whenthey need to know it, from preschool through high school. Based onthe traditional pre-K through 12th-grade structure, Home LearningYear by Year features: The integral subjects to be covered within each grade Standards for knowledge that should be acquired by your child ateach level Recommended books to use as texts for every subject Guidelines for the importance of each topic: which knowledge isessential and which is best for more expansive study based on yourchild's personal interests Suggestions for how to sensitively approach less academic subjects,such as sex education and physical fitness

For nearly a century, Kellogg, Idaho, was home to America’srichest silver mine, Sunshine Mine. Mining there, as everywhere,was not an easy life, but regardless of the risk, there wassomething about being underground, the lure of hitting a deep veinof silver. The promise of good money and the intense bonds offriendship brought men back year after year. Mining is about beinga man and a fighter in a job where tomorrow always brings the hopeof a big score. On May 2, 1972, 174 miners entered Sunshine Mine on their dailyquest for silver. Aboveground, safety engineer Bob Launhardt sat inhis office, filing his usual mountain of federal and statepaperwork. From his office window he could see the air shafts thatfed fresh air into the mine, more than a mile below the surface.The air shafts usually emitted only tiny coughs of exhaust; unlikedangerously combustible coal mines, Sunshine was a fireproofhardrock mine, nothing but cold, dripping wet stone. There weremany safety concerns at Sunshine, but fire wa

Original essays by Top Women Writers Julianna Baggott _ Curtis Sittenfeld _ Catherine Ingrassia _Elizabeth Crane Lara Vapnyar _ Lisa Carver _ Carina Chocano _ Rory Evans _ JenniferArmstrong _ Elise Mac Adam _ Janelle Brown _ Daisy de Villeneuve _Meghan Daum _ Amy Sohn _ Samina Ali _ Farah L. Miller _ Gina Zucker_ Kathleen Hughes _ Jacquelyn Mitchard _ Ruth Davis Konigsberg _Lori Leibovich _ Julie Powell _ Jill Eisenstadt _ Anne Carle _Amanda Eyre Ward _ Amy Bloom _ Dani Shapiro Anyone who is intimated by the prospect of planning a wedding willlaugh out loud and take solace in Altared. In this unexpected,heartwarming, thought-provoking collection, more than two dozen ofour most perceptive and entertaining writers offer a wide range oftakes on the modern wedding. It's all here. Fantasies.Realities. Fond memories. A few regrets. From planning it to doingit and everything in between.

On the heels of her acclaimed book In an Instant, the #1 New York Times bestseller she wrote with her husband, ABCNews anchor Bob Woodruff, and with the same candor and charm, LeeWoodruff now chronicles her life as wife, mother, daughter, sister,and friend. Woodruff’s deeply personal and, at times, uproariouslyfunny stories highlight such universal topics as family, marriage,friends, and how life never seems to go as planned. From raisingteenagers (“Now with a boy and girl on the precipice of seriousadolescence, the bathroom door is sealed tighter than a governmentnuclear testing ground”) to how she copes with tragedy (“Swimmingsurrounds me in the velvet wet of a bluish green world where I candive deep down and sob with no trace”), Perfectly Imperfect: ALife in Progress is the testimonial of a woman who embraces thechaos of her surroundings, discovers the splendor of life’s flaws,and accepts that perfection is as impossible to achieve as aspotless kitchen floor.

The island is nearly deserted, haunting, beautiful. Across aslip of ocean lies South Carolina. But for the handful of familieson Yamacraw island, America is a world away. For years the peoplehere lived proudly from the sea, but now its waters are not safe.Waste from industry threatens their very existence–unless, somehow,they can learn a new life. But they will learn nothing withoutsomeone to teach them, and their school has no teacher. Here is PAT CONROY’S extraordinary drama based on his ownexperience–the true story of a man who gave a year of his life toan island and the new life its people gave him.

A riveting and beautiful memoir of tragedy and hope–by a womannamed to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people inthe world Born in a village deep in the Cambodian forest, Somaly Mam wassold into sexual slavery by her grandfather when she was twelveyears old. For the next decade she was shuttled through thebrothels that make up the sprawling sex trade of Southeast Asia.She suffered unspeakable acts of brutality and witnessed horrorsthat would haunt her for the rest of her life–until, in her earlytwenties, she managed to escape. Unable to forget the girls sheleft behind, Mam became a tenacious and brave leader in the fightagainst human trafficking, rescuing sex workers–some as young asfive and six–offering them shelter, rehabilitation, healing, andlove and leading them into new life. Written in exquisite, spare, unflinching prose, The Road of LostInnocenceis a memoir that will leave you awestruck by the courageand strength of this extraordinary woman and will renew y