Display

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Barack Obama's lucid vision of America's place in the world and call for a new kind of politics that builds upon our shared understandings as Americans, based on his years in the Senate

"In our lowdown, dispiriting era, Obama's talent for proposing humane, sensible solutions with uplifting, elegant prose does fill one with hope."--Michael Kazin, The Washington Post

In July 2004, four years before his presidency, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners' minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Obama called "the audacity of hope."

The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama's call for a different brand of politics--a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of "our improbable experiment in democracy." He explores those forces--from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media--that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.

At the heart of this book is Barack Obama's vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats--from terrorism to pandemic--that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy--where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.

Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, Obama says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes--"waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them."

Nancy Athertonas delightful "Aunt Dimity" series continues to capture mystery fans across America with each new installment. This newest one finds Lori Shepherd overtaken by the blizzard of the century. Fortunately, sheas soon safe and dry with two other stranded backpackers in Ladythorne Abbey, the fabulous home of the late Lucasta DeClerke. Or is she? In the abbeyas cloisters and passages there still lingers the haunting presence of Lucasta, a mysterious madwomananot to mention the danger posed by an unstable caretaker.

When Lori thinks sheas learned of a plot to steal a priceless DeClerke family heirloom, she attempts to prevent the theft and, moreover, keep herself out of harmas way. But as Aunt Dimity says, aOld sins cast long shadows.a And Lori will need all the Dimity wisdom and compassion she can get to banish the hatred and guilt that shroud Ladythorne Abbey in a blanket considerably thicker than the accumulating snow.

Chicago gets the Avant-Guide treatment in this eye-opening exposé of the city's hip and hidden attractions. With razor-sharp editorial focus, this book breaks fresh ground by way of new discoveries and authoritative reports on stylish hotels, the latest restaurants, unique shops, and the best nightspots. Among the suggested lodging and itinerary options are hip boutique hotels like the Hotel 7 on Wacker Drive, Lula Café, a hot new style-spot with a deliciously eclectic menu nestled in beautiful Logan Square, and a ride on an "architectour" boat down the Chicago River. Later, you can check out the jet-set new boutiques along the Miracle Mile, followed by a visit to Foodlife, a bustling new restaurant bursting with singles, couples, and young urban families. After sunset, head over to Tomboy, a lofty lounge on Randolph Street that serves over 100 wines by the glass. Then arrive at the kitschy Club Foot just before midnight and take a whirl on the floor of this tremendously fun nod to new wave and glam rock. And that's just day one.

Military service was once taken for granted as a natural part of good citizenship, and Americans of all classes served during wartime.

Not anymore.

As Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer assert in this groundbreaking work, there is a glaring disconnect between the "all volunteer military" and the rest of us. And as that gap between the cultural "elite" and military rank-and-file widens, our country faces a dangerous lack of understanding between those in power and those who defend our way of life.

In America, it is increasingly the case that the people who make, support, or protest military policy have no military experience. As a result, the privileged miss the benefits of military service -- leadership, experience helpful to their future roles in public life, and exposure to a broader cross section of citizens -- while the military feels under-supported and morally distanced from the rest of the country. And when only a handful of members of Congress have military experience or a personal link to someone in uniform, perhaps it becomes too easy (or too hard) to send the military into combat.

Based on research and including the voices of many young military members who understand firsthand the value of service, AWOL is also a very personal book. Frank Schaeffer, father of a former enlisted Marine, knows the anguish and pride that millions of American parents feel every day as their children are off fighting a war in a foreign land. Kathy Roth-Douquet, wife of a career officer, has experienced the struggle of trying to keep the family together with a husband at war as well as the often untold satisfaction of raising children in an ethic of service. To the authors and numerous other families who are intimately acquainted with the glory and the sacrifice of military service, America needs a wake-up call before it's too late.

Nine-time world champion of poker Hellmuth, author of "Play Poker Like the Pros," offers an instructive and entertaining table-side look at the world of high-stakes poker.

Ball Four is a baseball classic, a number one bestseller when it was published; it still is in demand throughout the U.S. Now in a new updated hardcover edition, Ball Four will reach a whole new generation of avid baseball fans. In fact, Ball Four has been selected by the NY Public Library as one of the Books of the Century. And David Halberstam writes: a book deep in the American Vein, so deep in fact that is by no means a sports book. Bouton has written a baseball book about the reality of the game. Thirty years after its publication, it remains as wonderful to read as ever.

In "Bambi vs. Godzilla," David Mamet, the award-winning playwright and screenwriter, gives us an exhilaratingly subversive inside look at Hollywood from the perspective of a filmmaker who has always played the game his own way.
Who really reads the scripts at the film studios? How is a screenplay like a personals ad? Whose opinion matters when revising a screenplay? Why are there so many producers listed in movie credits? And what the hell do those producers do, anyway? Refreshingly unafraid to offend, Mamet provides hilarious, surprising, and bracingly forthright answers to these and other questions about virtually every aspect of filmmaking, from concept to script to screen.
He covers topics ranging from "How Scripts Got So Bad" to the oxymoron of "Manners in Hollywood." He takes us step-by-step through some of his favorite movie stunts and directorial tricks, and demonstrates that it is craft and crew, not stars and producers, that make great films. He tells us who his favorite actors and what his favorite movies are, who he thinks is the most perfect actor to grace the screen, and who he thinks should never have appeared there.
Demigods and sacred cows of the movie business-beware! But for the rest of us, Mamet speaking truth to Hollywood makes for searingly enjoyable reading.