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

It should be a time of joyous anticipation–the happiest timein a woman’s life. But for many women, the joys of pregnancy areclouded by feelings of fear, sadness, and confusion. And unlikepostpartum depression, which is widely portrayed in the media andembraced by the medical community, depression during pregnancy hasbeen rarely discussed and often misunderstood–until now. In thisgroundbreaking book–the first to focus exclusively on depression inpregnancy–Dr. Shaila Kulkarni Misri, a leading reproductivepsychiatrist, draws on her twenty-five years of clinical practiceand research to offer hope, help, and healing–as well as aprovocative, myth-shattering examination of a subject that has toolong been shrouded in darkness. The numbers are surprising: up to 70 percent of pregnant womenexperience some degree of depressive symptoms, and of those, 12percent meet the diagnostic criteria for major depression. Althoughit is at least as common as postpartum depression, which occursafter a child

America’s favorite fitness expert presents a breakthroughprogram to win the war against aging–a battle she has personallyfought and won. We all know that aging is inevitable–but how gracefully you ageis up to you. Scientific research shows that we can turn back theclock through a targeted regimen of age-busting exercise andnutrition. Now, in Fit and Fabulous After 40, award-winning fitnessexpert Denise Austin presents her own revolutionary, sure-fire planto help you stay healthy, strong, slim, and fabulous–no matter whatyour age! By exercising for just thirty minutes a day, usingcutting-edge techniques such as yoga and Pilates-based exercises,and eating for maximum health and vitality, you can build strength,shed extra pounds, improve flexibility and balance, and look yearsyounger. Fit and Fabulous After 40 includes: Easy-to-follow workout plans for every day of the week Fat-blasting, toning exercises to target specific areas of thebody Weekly nutrient-packed meal plans

Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the UnitedStates, tells his personal stories about more than thirty years offighting for social change, from teaching at Spelman College torecent protests against war. A former bombardier in WWII, Zinn emerged in the civil rightsmovement as a powerful voice for justice. Although he's a fiercecritic, he gives us reason to hope that by learning from historyand engaging politically, we can make a difference in theworld.

The Ride of Our Lives is the humorous yet deeply movingaccount of NBC journalist Mike Leonard's cross-country odyssey withhis eccentric parents, three grown children, and a daughter-in-law.Full of ups and downs, laughs and tears, the month-long journeybecomes a much larger tale of hope, persistence, and valuablelessons learned along the way. A celebration of the ties betweenparents and children, as well as the unforgettable community ofpeople one can meet across America, The Ride of Our Lives is aninspiring narrative of self-discovery and self-fulfillment-and howone unique family found blessings and simple pleasures on the roadcalled life.

Raising children ranks as one of life’s most rewardingadventures. Yet between Mom and Dad working full-time jobs, endlesscarpooling of overscheduled youngsters, and the never-endingpressures to buy and consume, family life can beincredibly—needlessly—complex. What if you could find a way tospend more time with your children, replace unnecessary activitieswith meaningful ones, and teach your children an invaluable lifelesson in the process? Living Simply with Children offers arealistic blueprint for zeroing in on the pleasures of familylife: ? How (and why) to live simply and find more time to be with yourchildren ? Activities and rituals that bring out the best in every familymember ? Realistic ways to reclaim your children from corporateAmerica ? Helping children of any age deal with peer pressure ? Raising kids who care about people and the planet ? How to focus on the “good stuff” . . . with less stuff Including sections on limiting television, env

Between 1850 and 1900, Boston underwent a stunningmetamorphosis from an insulated New England town into one of theworld’s great metropolises—one that achieved worldwide prominencein politics, medicine, education, science, social activism,literature, commerce, and transportation. In A City So Grand, Stephen Puleo chronicles this remarkableperiod in Boston’s history. He takes readers through the ferocityof the abolitionist movement of the 1850s, the thirty-five-yearengineering and city-planning feat of the Back Bay project,Boston’s explosion in size through immigration and annexation, thedevastating Great Fire of 1872, and the glorious opening ofAmerica’s first subway station in 1897. This lively journey paintsa portrait of a half century of progress, leadership, andinfluence.