Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes, and Confabulations Associated with Our Greatest President ($1.17), by Edward Steers Jr.Book Description
The folklore surrounding history's towering figures often overshadows actual scholarship, both in terms of quantity and in terms of prevalence in the public consciousness. As one might expect with a revered national icon, nearly every facet of Abraham Lincoln's life has been subject to mythmaking as well as academic inquiry of widely varying quality and accuracy.
In Lincoln Legends, noted historian and Lincoln expert Edward Steers Jr. carefully scrutinizes some of the most notorious tall tales and distorted ideas about America's sixteenth President. Did Abraham Lincoln write his greatest speech on the back of an envelope on the way to Gettysburg? Did he appear before a congressional committee to defend his wife against charges of treason? Was Lincoln an illegitimate child? Was he gay? Edward Steers weighs the evidence in these and other heated debates about the Great Emancipator. Steers's conclusions will satisfy some and disappoint others, and he just might settle some of these enduring questions once and for all.
Saving the Jews: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Holocaust ($1.33), by Robert N. RosenBook Description
Saving the Jews is a rigorously researched narrative and interpretive history of how FDR and his administration dealt with the Nazi persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust, 1933-1945. It disputes the generally accepted view that Roosevelt abandoned the Jews of Europe and that America was a passive, callous bystander to the Holocaust, and reveals the true story.
The author has conducted new research that explains how the Roosevelt administration and American Jewry saved the passengers on the S.S. St. Louis; how American Jews (and the Jews of Palestine) opposed the bombing of Auschwitz and never asked Roosevelt to bomb the camps; how America and other western democracies saved over seventy percent of German Jewry from Hitler; how Rauol Wallenberg was sent to save Jews by the American government. The research done on this book has found no credible evidence that FDR was an anti-Semite but found that Roosevelt was personally close to many Jews. FDR secretly developed the strategy for the Wagners-Rogers Bill (allowing 20,000 German Jewish children to enter the U.S. in 1938, 1939). Yet most historians continue to accuse him of failing to support the bill.
Too Close to the Sun ($1.71), by Curtis Roosevelt Book Description
Curtis Roosevelt was three when he and his sister, Eleanor, arrived at the White House soon after their grandfather's inauguration. The country's "First Grandchildren," a pint-sized double act, they were known to the media as "Sistie and Buzzie." In this rich memoir, Roosevelt brings us into "the goldfish bowl," as his family called it-that glare of public scrutiny to which all presidential households must submit. He recounts his misadventures as a hapless kid in an unforgivably formal setting and describes his role as a tiny planet circling the dual suns of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Blending self-abasement, humor, awe and affection, Too Close to the Sun is an intimate portrait of two of the most influential and inspirational figures in modern American history-and a thoughtful exploration of the emotional impact of growing up in their irresistible aura.
By His Own Rules : The Ambitions, Successes, and Ultimate Failures of Donald Rumsfeld ($2.23), by Bradley GrahamBook Description
A penetrating political biography of the controversial Defense Secretary, by a longtime military affairs correspondent for the Washington Post. Once considered among the best and brightest of his generation, Donald Rumsfeld was exceptionally prepared to assume the Pentagon's top job in 2001. Yet six years later, he left office as the most controversial Defense Secretary since Robert McNamara, widely criticized for his management of the Iraq war and for his difficult relationships with Congress, administration colleagues, and military officers. Was he really the arrogant, errant, over-controlling Pentagon leader frequently portrayed or as his supporters contend, a brilliant, hard-charging visionary caught in a whirl of polarized Washington politics, dysfunctional federal bureaucracy, and bad luck? Bradley Graham, who closely covered Rumsfeld's challenging tenure at the Pentagon, offers an insightful biography of a complex and immensely influential personality. What emerges is a layered and revealing portrait of a man whose impact on U.S. national security affairs will long out-live him.
Running Alone: Presidential Leadership from JFK to Bush II -- Why It Has Failed and How We Can Fix It ($1.17), by James MacGregor BurnsBook Description
A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian accounts for the growing isolation of America's presidents--from JFK to George W. Bush--and proposes solutions to reconnect them with the citizens they serve
A disastrous war in Iraq, prisoner abuse, secret wiretaps--the presidency of George W. Bush represents a crisis in American democracy. How did this happen? In Running Alone the revered political scientist and commentator James MacGregor Burns sets the imperial presidency of George W. Bush in the context of half a century of presidential politics.
In his 1960 campaign, John F. Kennedy turned his back on the Democratic Party. He relied instead on his personal charisma and his family's vast wealth to win office. Once elected, he governed much as he had run: alone. He ignored the Democratic platform and instead sought counsel from a small group of hand-picked advisors, including his own brother.
Kennedy fundamentally reshaped the role of President, and each of his successors has built on this model. American presidents have become increasingly isolated from the parties that brought them to power. Democratic presidents--Johnson, Carter, and Clinton--did tremendous damage to the Democratic Party by abandoning its core principles. Republican presidents have managed to lead more effectively in isolation, but have imperiled the nation in the process.
Drawing on his own personal letters, interviews, and recollections of America's presidents, Burns charts the decline of genuine leadership in the Oval Office and offers a stirring vision of what the presidency can and should be. America deserves better leaders, and with unsurpassed knowledge of American history and politics, Burns shows us the way forward.
Paranoid Nation: The Real Story of the 2008 Fight for the Presidency ($1.67), by Matt ToweryBook Description
An analysis of the 2008 presidential election
The Most Exclusive Club: A History of the Modern United States Senate ($1.24), by Lewis GouldBook Description
The first complete account of the modern United States Senate, and the people who shaped its role in the twentieth century
The Senate was originally conceived by the Founding Fathers as an anti-democratic counterweight to the more volatile House of Representatives, but in the twentieth century it has often acted as an impediment to needed reforms. A hundred years ago, senators were still chosen by state legislatures, rather than by direct elections. Now, in the wake of the 2004 elections, and the consolidation of Republican control, the Senate is likely to become a crucible of power shifts that will have enormous impact on American politics in the twenty-first century.
In The Most Exclusive Club, acclaimed political historian Lewis Gould puts the debates about the Senate's future into the context of its history from the Progressive Era to the war in Iraq. From charges of corruption to the occasional attempt at reform, Gould highlights the major players, issues, and debates (including the League of Nations, the McCarthy hearings, and the Iran-Contra affair) that have shaped the institution. Beyond the usual outsized figures such as Lyndon Johnson, Strom Thurmond, and Barry Goldwater, Gould also tells the story of the lesser-known Senate leaders who have played a vital role in America's upper house.
Filled with colorful anecdotes, this is a long-awaited history of one of the most powerful political bodies in the world, written by a master. Gould's sweeping narrative combines deft storytelling with a fresh look at the crucible of contemporary political debate and decision-making.
April 4, 1968 ($1.38), by Michael Eric Dyson; this is the later of two editions, both at the same price.Book Description
On April 4, 1968, at 6:01 PM, while he was standing on a balcony at a Memphis hotel, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and fatally wounded. Only hours earlier King-the prophet for racial and economic justice in America-ended his final speech with the words, "I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we as a people will get to the Promised Land." Acclaimed public intellectual and best-selling author Michael Eric Dyson uses the fortieth anniversary of King's assassination as the occasion for a provocative and fresh examination of how King fought, and faced, his own death, and we should use his death and legacy. Dyson also uses this landmark anniversary as the starting point for a comprehensive reevaluation of the fate of Black America over the four decades that followed King's death. Dyson ambitiously investigates the ways in which African-Americans have in fact made it to the Promised Land of which King spoke, while shining a bright light on the ways in which the nation has faltered in the quest for racial justice. He also probes the virtues and flaws of charismatic black leadership that has followed in King's wake, from Jesse Jackson to Barack Obama. Always engaging and inspiring, April 4, 1968 celebrates the prophetic leadership of Dr. King, and challenges America to renew its commitment to his deeply moral vision.
Can You Hear Me Now? ($2.40), by Michael Eric DysonBook Description
Over the last 20 years, Michael Eric Dyson has become one of America's most visible-and quotable-public intellectuals. Whether in his sixteen books, or in countless newspapers, television and radio appearances, or on stages, podiums, and pulpits across the world, Dyson has spun an enchanting web of words that has caught the attention of the masses and elites alike. He has weighed in on a myriad array of topics - from faith to fatherhood, and from race to sex, as well as sports, manhood, gender, music, leadership, politics, language, love, justice, literature, suffering, death, hope, relationships and much, much more. Can You Hear Me Now?, offers a sampling of Dyson's sharp wit, profound thought, and edifying eloquence on the enduring problems of humanity, from love to justice, and the latest topics of the day, including race and the presidency. It is both revealing and relevant, and at once thoughtful provoking and uplifting. Whether he is writing about Jay-Z or Barack Obama, addressing racial catastrophes or opportunities, or speaking about religion or the felicities of King's rhetoric, Dyson's intellect shines with insight and inspiration. Can You Hear Me Now? captures Dyson's incredible facility with words, and his prodigious intelligence, at a time when he has gained greater fame as a public intellectual, university professor, best-selling author, and most recently, as one of the first prominent blacks to endorse President Barack Obama. The time is ripe for his wit, wisdom and worldview, and this book is Dyson's most accessible compendium of thinking on a broad range of topics that haunt and shape the nation.
The Political Zoo ($1.17), by Michael SavageBook Description
As Aristotle said, "Man is a political animal." Talk radio sensation and New York Times best-selling author Michael Savage is afraid that the ancient philosopher was all too right, and in ways he never could have imagined. In Savage's funniest, most biting book yet, the nation's fiercest independent thinker invites you to take a riotous tour through The Political Zoo-an outrageous look at today's most prominent politicos and pundits as the reptiles, rats, and birds of prey they most resemble.
Animal by animal and cage by cage, Savage brandishes his irreverent wit to keep these beasts in check. Serving as resident biologist and zookeeper, Dr. Savage asks that you watch your step when approaching the widemouth copperhead Ted Turner (also known as Mouthus desouthus), do not feed the ego of stuffed turkey Alec Baldwin (Notalentus anti-americanus), and please keep your children with you at all times around wolf boy Bill Clinton (Fondlem undgropeum).
"The world of politics is filled with uncivilized, snarling, rapacious beasts that, like untrained mutts, raise their legs and urinate on everything we hold dear," says Savage. And this sensational book is your guide for navigating the jungle of today's animal-political kingdom.
The Sages ($1.17), by Charles R. MorrisBook Description
Throughout the violent financial disruptions of the past several years, three men have stood out as beacons of judgment and wisdom: Warren Buffett, George Soros, and Paul Volcker. Though their experiences and styles vary-Buffett is the canny stock market investor; Soros is the reader of shifting global tides in trade and currencies; and Volcker is the regulator and governor, sheriff and clean-up crew-they have very much in common. All three men have more than fifty years of deep involvement in markets. All are skeptical of Wall Street frenzies. They believe that markets tend to be right, but usually only over the medium term. They have seen too many cycles of herd-driven, emotion-riding booms and busts to make their views hostage to the sweeping and simplistic assumptions of "efficient-markets" models. With the benefit of his own deep understanding of markets and finance, Morris brilliantly analyzes the records of these men, distilling their wisdom and experience-and argues for the importance of consistent values in navigating the treacherous terrain of today's globalized world.
Think Like A Champion ($1.33), by Donald TrumpBook Description
Who better to give advice to aspiring leaders than Donald Trump, America’s best-known entrepreneur? Trump’s most basic strategies, principles, and thoughts are abridged here for the perfect pocket-sized gift for a budding boss.
Donald Trump shares his thoughts on life, personal and professional, in essays that reveal his winning strategies and lofty goals. With a foreword by Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Trump covers “Learn to Think on Your Feet,” “Keep it Short, Fast, and Direct,” “There are Times When You Should Move On,” and “How to Get Rich.”
Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today's Top Business Minds ($1.32), by Lori Ann LaRoccBook Description
Thriving in the New Economy gives you a unique look into some of today's best economic and business minds. A series of close profiles, the book offers inspirational personal stories, useful advice, and actionable strategies you can use immediately to skirt financial peril, seize opportunities, and flourish in the New Economy.
- Profiles include financial publisher Steve Forbes, The Vanguard Group founder Jack Bogle, Former National Economic Council Director and Former Special Assistant to the President on Economic Policy Lawrence Lindsey, former FDIC chair Donald Powell, Saks CEO Steve Sadove, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. President Jim Lentz, legendary vulture investor Wilbur Ross and more
- Looks at how leaders in economics, banking, automobiles, real estate, and retail are not just avoiding the unraveling economy, but actively evolving and growing their businesses
- Foreword by H. Wayne Huizenga; Afterword by Rudy Giuliani
Meltdown ($1.24), by Katrina vanden HeuvelBook Description
America's economy is in meltdown. Banks have failed, foreclosures are sweeping the housing market, and the Dow Jones has suffered its worst losses since the Great Depression. Faced with a complex and spiraling crisis, the government has poured billions of taxpayer dollars into a bailout with no end in sight. At every step of the way, The Nation, America's leading progressive weekly magazine, has tackled the most urgent questions facing the nation's leaders and its citizens with clarity and insight. Stretching back twenty years, Meltdown draws together the best of the magazine's coverage of the financial crisis and explores what steps President Obama and his new administration must take to ensure a more secure future for everyone.
The Return of the Great Depression ($1.59), by Vox DayBook Description
In this sophisticated yet readable book, Vox Day - one of the few economics writers to predict the current worldwide financial crisis - explains why it is likely to continue. Vox shows that the policies being pursued in Europe, Asia, and the United States are very similar to Japan's failed policies of the past 20 years and, therefore, doomed to similar results. According to Vox, the economic theories behind those policies are flawed and account for why most economists were unable to anticipate the recession or see that their expectations of an imminent recovery are incorrect. Vox applies a different theory, the one he used to predict the current crisis, to show that the world is in the early stages of a massive economic contraction. Then he turns to the six scenarios presently envisioned by the world's leading economists and assesses which is most likely to unfold. As the title suggests, Vox concludes that the most probable scenario is a Great Depression 2.0 that will be larger in scale and scope than that of the 1930s.
Rich is a Religion ($1.93), by Mark StevensBook Description
The secret to building and maintaining wealth isn't a specific stock-picking strategy. Instead, it's a philosophy and behavior that you need to understand and practice in order to have the peace of mind that comes with wealth. It is, in bestselling author Mark Stevens's words, "A means of thinking and behaving . . . a financial religion."
Amidst today's dramatic downturns in the economy—massive layoffs at banks and brokerages, housing foreclosures, and high unemployment—people keep blaming Wall Street institutions or the government for their personal money woes. However, the problem stems less from the system and more from individual behaviors. While portfolios shrink in value, people continue to live beyond their means, always trying to outspend their neighbors. People are working harder than ever and have less time to enjoy the comforts they do have.
If you're stressed about your financial future, stuck at a job that you hate, or feel trapped by your income, Rich Is a Religion is a road map that will help you transform your life. By showing you the mindset of millionaires and billionaires whom the author has known, you will learn how to make more money than you ever thought possible and how you can preserve this money for your entire life, regardless of economic downswings. With the insights found here, you'll also quickly learn the difference between doing well financially and creating true wealth.
What Wives Wish their Husbands Knew about Sex: A Guide for Christian Men ($1.59), by Ryan Howes, Richard Rupp & Stephen W. SimpsonBook Description
It's an unfortunate reality that many men grow up in churches that suppress their God-given sexual urges. As a result, many Christian men, single and married, are frustrated with their love lives and their sex lives. The authors of this book claim that Christian men should be the greatest lovers in the world and then work to show men how to do it. They help men:
- learn what the Bible says about a healthy sex life
- discover how to relate to women as men instead of as boys
- address psychological and spiritual issues that interfere with healthy sexuality
- learn specific techniques that create a strong relationship, great foreplay, and passionate sex
Masters of Sex ($3.76), by Thomas MaierBook Description
In Masters of Sex, critically acclaimed biographer Thomas Maier offers an unprecedented look at William Masters and Virginia Johnson, their pioneering studies of intimacy, and the sexual revolution they inspired. Masters and Johnson began their secret studies in a small Midwest laboratory, and soon became the nation's top experts on sex. Over the course of more than forty years, they analyzed and explained the secrets of orgasm, emotional fulfillment, and sexual dysfunction. But they divorced after twenty years amid a clash of success, betrayal, and jealousies. Weaving interviews with the notoriously private William Masters and the ambitious Virginia Johnson, Maier offers a titillating portrait of the legendary couple. Entertaining, revealing, and beautifully told, this groundbreaking book sheds light on the eternal mysteries of desire and intimacy, and their complicated roles in the American psyche.
Binge: What Your College Student Won't Tell You ($1.33), by Barrett SeamanBook Description
In Binge, Barrett Seaman reveals what every parent, student, and educator needs to know about the college experience. Seaman spent time with students at twelve highly regarded and diverse colleges and universities across North America. During his two years of research, he immersed himself in the lives of the students, often living in their dorms, dining with them, speaking with them on their own terms, and listening to them express their thoughts and feelings. Portraying a campus culture in which today’s best and brightest students grapple with far more than academic challenges, Binge conveys the unprecedented stresses on campus today. While sharing revealing interviews and the often dramatic stories, Seaman explores the complexities of romantic relationships and sexual relations, alcohol and drug use, anxiety and depression, class and racial boundaries, and more. Despite the disturbing trends, Seaman finds reasons for optimism and offers provocative and well-informed suggestions for improving the undergraduate experience. Sometimes alarming, always fascinating, and ultimately hopeful, Binge is an extraordinary investigative work that reveals the realities of higher education today.
Rick and Bubba's Expert Guide to God, Country, Family, and anything else we can think of ($2.41), by Rick Burgess & Bubba BusseyBook Description
Rick and Bubba are two of America's zaniest syndicated radio hosts. Now, Rick and Bubba bring their own brand of southern humor and homespun wisdom to the book world. Rick and Bubba's Expert Guide to God, Country, Family, and Anything Else We Can Think Of is a sometimes touching, always hilarious, look at the world through Rick and Bubba's eyes. Rick and Bubba wax eloquent on everything from little league soccer to the frustrations of getting the family ready for church on a Sunday morning, to big Southern hair.
The Rick & Bubba Code: The Two Sexiest Fat Men Alive Unlock the Mysteries of the Universe ($1.55), by Rick Burgess & Bubba BusseyBook Description
Zany radio hosts Rick & Bubba rocketed onto the New York Times bestseller list with their first book, Rick & Bubba's Expert Guide to God, Country, Family and Anything Else We Can Think Of. Now, Rick & Bubba are back and this time the world truly isn't safe.
In The Rick & Bubba Code, Rick and Bubba tackle subjects ranging from the South, politics, and romance to manhood, in-laws, and political correctness. No cow is sacred. No hold is barred. Laugh along with the "sexiest fat men alive" as they uncover the mysteries of the universe.
Lives of the Planets: A Natural History of the Solar System ($1.21), by Richard CorfieldBook Description
A grand overview of the dynamic and endlessly fascinating backyard of astronomy--our solar system.
Lives of the Planets describes a scientific field in the midst of a revolution. Planetary science has mainly been a descriptive science, but it is becoming increasingly experimental. The space probes that went up between the 1960s and 1990s were primarily generalists--they collected massive amounts of information so that scientists could learn what questions to pursue. But recent missions have become more focused: Scientists know better what information they want and how to collect it. Even now probes are on their way to Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto, with Europa--one of Jupiter's moons--on the agenda.
In a sweeping look into the manifold objects inhabiting the depths of space, Lives of the Planets delves into the mythology and the knowledge humanity has built over the ages. Placing our current understanding in historical context, Richard Corfield explores the seismic shifts in planetary astronomy and probes why we must change our perspective of our place in the universe. In our era of extraordinary discovery, this is the first comprehensive survey of this new understanding and the history of how we got here.
