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Ticker: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart
by Mimi SwartzIt wasn’t supposed to be this hard. If America could send a man to the moon, shouldn’t the best surgeons in the world be able to build an artificial heart? In Ticker, Texas Monthly executive editor and two time National Magazine Award winner Mimi Swartz shows just how complex and difficult it can be to replicate one of nature’s greatest creations. Part investigative journalism, part medical mystery, Ticker is a dazzling story of modern innovation, recounting fifty years of false starts, abysmal failures and miraculous triumphs, as experienced by one the world’s foremost heart surgeons, O.H. “Bud” Frazier, who has given his life to saving the un-savable. His journey takes him from a small town in west Texas to one of the country’s most prestigious medical institutions, The Texas Heart Institute, from the halls of Congress to the animal laboratories where calves are fitted with new heart designs. The roadblocks to success —medical setbacks, technological shortcomings, government regulations – are immense. Still, Bud and his associates persist, finding inspiration in the unlikeliest of places. A field beside the Nile irrigated by an Archimedes screw. A hardware store in Brisbane, Australia. A seedy bar on the wrong side of Houston. Until post WWII, heart surgery did not exist. Ticker provides a riveting history of the pioneers who gave their all to the courageous process of cutting into the only organ humans cannot live without. Heart surgeons Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley, whose feud dominated the dramatic beginnings of heart surgery. Christian Barnaard, who changed the world overnight by performing the first heart transplant. Inventor Robert Jarvik, whose artificial heart made patient Barney Clark a worldwide symbol of both the brilliant promise of technology and the devastating evils of experimentation run amuck. Rich in supporting players, Ticker introduces us to Bud’s brilliant colleagues in his quixotic quest to develop an artificial heart: Billy Cohn, the heart surgeon and inventor who devotes his spare time to the pursuit of magic and music; Daniel Timms, the Brisbane biomedical engineer whose design of a lightweight, pulseless heart with but a single moving part offers a new way forward. And, as government money dries up, the unlikeliest of backers, Houston’s furniture king, Mattress Mack. In a sweeping narrative of one man’s obsession, Swartz raises some of the hardest questions of the human condition. What are the tradeoffs of medical progress? What is the cost, in suffering and resources, of offering patients a few more months, or years of life? Must science do harm to do good? Ticker takes us on an unforgettable journey into the power and mystery of the human heart.
Shameless: How I Ditched the Diet, Got Naked, Found True Pleasure...and Somehow Got Home in Time To Cook Dinner
by Pamela MadsenA funny, sexy, and wildly entertaining look at the rewards of fully realized desire in the life of one ordinary woman.At 43 years old, Pamela Madsen was happily married to the man she fell in love with at 17. She was the mother of two sons and had a successful career as a nationally known advocate for fertility issues. But she felt a growing sexual restlessness and yearning that wouldn't let up. And though Pamela loved her husband and didn't want to have an affair, she knew deep down that she needed more, much more. In Shameless, she tells the story of how she found it—and not only kept her marriage intact but made it stronger than ever.In this fearless memoir, Pamela tells the story of her search for sexual, personal, and spiritual wholeness. She explores, in riveting detail, what she experienced at the hands of sexual healers, men who brought her untold pleasure (and became her close friends in the process).But this is not just another sex book: Shameless is also an account of how Pamela's journey healed her issues with food and body image and most important, helped her weave the many roles that she played—daughter, friend, partner, mother—into one fully integrated person. It is a story about a woman falling in love with herself and a call to other women to do the same.
A Victory Garden for Trying Times
by Debi Goodwin“A compelling and intimate reflection on love and grief and ordinary things that comfort and sustain us.” — Alison Smith, award-winning journalist Ever since her childhood on a Niagara farm, Debi has dug in the dirt to find resilience. But when her husband, Peter, was diagnosed with cancer in November, it was too late in the season to seek solace in her garden. With idle hands and a fearful mind, she sought something to sustain her through the months ahead. She soon came across Victory Gardens — the vegetable gardens cultivated during the world wars that sustained so many. During an anxious winter, she researched, drew plans, and ordered seeds. In spring, with Peter in remission, her garden thrived and life got back on track. But when Peter's cancer returned like a killing frost, the garden was a reminder that everything must come to an end. A Victory Garden for Trying Times is a personal journey of love, loss, and healing through the natural cycles of the earth.
Pizarro, el rey de la baraja.: Análisis de su sistema de acción política
by Alan GarcíaUna lección de política a través del estudio de uno de los principales conquistadores de América: Francisco Pizarro.Francisco Pizarro es una figura extensamente estudiada por historiadores, escritores y autores de las más diversas orientaciones, quienes durante casi 500 años se han preguntado cómo un aventurero español, a la cabeza de un reducido ejército, logró conquistar el Imperio Inca. En este libro, sin embargo, el ex presidente peruano Alan García desarrolla un análisis novedoso, desde un ángulo muy pocas veces abordado: Pizarro como personaje político. García explora de forma rigurosa los hechos históricos y extrae de ellos las reglas o normas políticas que guiaron los actos de Pizarro hacia el éxito en la conquista de unos de los mayores imperios de la América prehispánica.Pizarro no fue un ajedrecista al modo de Napoleón, pero fue un espléndido jugador de naipes. A partir de este hecho, Alan García elabora una comparación metafórica entre la política y el juego de cartas, para analizar el papel que el azar y el cálculo juegan en cada caso. Tal y como sucede en la baraja que, en principio, está regida por la suerte o la providencia, también las acciones de Pizarro estaban condicionadas por un contexto específico poco favorable; sin embargo, es ahí donde interviene la astucia del conquistador y del jugador de naipes: cuando vence la adversidad con inteligencia y construye infinitas posibilidades.Pizarro, el Rey de la Baraja, combina el análisis y conocimiento detallado de la historia con la agilidad de la prosa. Y más allá de su carácter histórico, nos brinda una comprensión de la política y el liderazgo, válida para los tiempos actuales.
Calladita me veo más bonita
by Martha Figueroa¿Quieres saber los secretos más íntimos de los famosos? Martha Figueroa te revela detalles candentes sobre el mundo del espectáculo, la política, la música y más. Relatos, reflexiones y anécdotas extraordinarias contadas con gran sentido del humor, como sólo Martha Figueroa sabe hacerlo. Un libro divertido, inteligente, agudo y muy relajado sobre su vida y sus encuentros #y desencuentros# con personajes de la actualidad: Miguel Bosé, Angélica Rivera, Ricky Martin, Salma Hayek, Gloria Trevi, Gabriel García Márquez, Belinda, Emmanuel, Manlio Fabio Beltrones, Eugenio Derbez, el Papa, Marcelo Ebrard, Pati Chapoy, Joaquín Sabina, Shakira, Miguel Ángel Mancera...Capítulos que pueden leerse de un tirón o por partes, de atrás para delante, con orden o en desorden, pero que te harán reír y entender por qué el mantra matutino de esta periodista es: "Calladita me veo más bonita, calladita me veo más bonita..."
A Fragmented Feminism: The Life and Letters of Anandibai Joshee
by Meera Kosambi"This book is a search for ‘the real Anandibai Joshee’ —— a search in which the readers are invited to participate." In her short and eventful life, Anandibai Joshee, the first Indian woman to earn a medical degree, broke many stereotypes. Literate at a time when it was taboo for a girl to attend school or even ‘pick up a paper’, she was courageous, articulate, and assertive. And ambitious. Fuelled by a desire to improve the healthcare that was available to Indian women at that time, she travelled across the seas to the United States to study medicine. Meera Kosambi’s biography of Anandibai is more than just a retelling of the life of a woman who was ahead of her times. Drawing on a host of narratives, Kosambi recovers Anandibai’s many voices, which have been submerged in history — that of a conflicted feminist, a nationalist, and a reformer, among others — and her engagement with the world at large. This volume is a testament to Meera Kosambi’s commitment to social history. When she passed away in 2015, she left an incomplete manuscript that has painstakingly been put together by the editors. Drawing on archival research, including a host of Anandibai’s letters, her poems in Marathi, newspaper reports, and rare photographs, this book will be of immense interest to scholars and researchers of modern Indian history, sociology, gender, and South Asian studies.
You Don't Look Your Age...and Other Fairy Tales: And Other Fairy Tales
by Sheila NevinsINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“Thank you to Sheila Nevins for putting all this down for posterity. Women need this kind of honest excavation of the process of living.” —Meryl StreepAn astonishingly frank, funny, poignant book for any woman who wishes they had someone who would say to them, “This happened to me, learn from my mistakes and my successes. Because you don’t get smarter as you get older, you get braver.”Sheila Nevins is the best friend you never knew you had. She is your discreet confidante you can tell any secret to, your sage mentor at work who helps you navigate the often uneven playing field, your wise sister who has “been there, done that,” your hysterical girlfriend whose stories about men will make laugh until you cry. Sheila Nevins is the one person who always tells it like it is. In You Don’t Look Your Age, the famed documentary producer (as President of HBO Documentary Films for over 30 years, Nevins has rightfully been credited with creating the documentary rebirth) finally steps out from behind the camera and takes her place front and center.In these pages you will read about the real life challenges of being a woman in a man's world, what it means to be a working mother, what it’s like to be an older woman in a youth-obsessed culture, the sometimes changing, often sweet truth about marriages, what being a feminist really means, and that you are in good company if your adult children don’t return your phone calls.So come, sit down, make yourself comfortable, (and for some of you, don’t forget the damn reading glasses). You’re in for a treat.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (Into Reading, Read Aloud Module 6 #3)
by Jamie Smith Marion BauerNIMAC-sourced textbook
America the Beautiful: Together We Stand (Into Reading, Read Aloud Module 6 #1)
by Katharine BatesNIMAC-sourced textbook
Todd Solondz (Contemporary Film Directors)
by Julian MurphetFilms like Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness established Todd Solondz as independent cinema's premier satirist. Blending a trademark black humor into atmospheres of grueling bleakness, Solondz repeatedly takes moviegoers into a bland suburban junk space peopled by the damaged, the neglected, and the depraved.Julian Murphet appraises the career of the controversial, if increasingly ignored, indie film auteur. Through close readings and a discussion with the director, Murphet dissects how Solondz's themes and techniques serve stories laden with hot-button topics like pedophilia, rape, and family and systemic cruelty. Solondz's uncompromising return to the same motifs, stylistic choices, and characters reject any idea of aesthetic progression. Instead, he embraces an art of diminishing returns that satirizes the laws of valuation sustaining what we call cinema. It also reflects both Solondz's declining box office fortunes and the changing economics of independent film in an era of financial contraction.
Locally Laid: How We Built a Plucky, Industry-changing Egg Farm - from Scratch
by Lucie B. AmundsenHow a Midwestern family with no agriculture experience went from a few backyard chickens to a full-fledged farm--and discovered why local chicks are better.When Lucie Amundsen had a rare night out with her husband, she never imagined what he'd tell her over dinner--that his dream was to quit his office job (with benefits!) and start a commercial-scale pasture-raised egg farm. His entire agricultural experience consisted of raising five backyard hens, none of whom had yet laid a single egg. To create this pastured poultry ranch, the couple scrambles to acquire nearly two thousand chickens--all named Lola. These hens, purchased commercially, arrive bereft of basic chicken-y instincts, such as the evening urge to roost. The newbie farmers also deal with their own shortcomings, making for a failed inspection and intense struggles to keep livestock alive (much less laying) during a brutal winter. But with a heavy dose of humor, they learn to negotiate the highly stressed no-man's-land known as Middle Agriculture. Amundsen sees firsthand how these midsized farms, situated between small-scale operations and mammoth factory farms, are vital to rebuilding America's local food system. With an unexpected passion for this dubious enterprise, Amundsen shares a messy, wry, and entirely educational story of the unforeseen payoffs (and frequent pitfalls) of one couple's ag adventure--and many, many hours spent wrangling chickens.
Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History
by Tegan And Sara Blair Imani Monique LeAn inspiring and radical celebration of 70 women, girls, and gender nonbinary people who have changed--and are still changing--the world, from the Civil Rights Movement and Stonewall riots through Black Lives Matter and beyond.With a radical and inclusive approach to history, Modern HERstory profiles and celebrates seventy women and nonbinary champions of progressive social change in a bold, colorful, illustrated format for all ages. Despite making huge contributions to the liberation movements of the last century and today, all of these trailblazers come from backgrounds and communities that are traditionally overlooked and under-celebrated: not just women, but people of color, queer people, trans people, disabled people, young people, and people of faith. Authored by rising star activist Blair Imani, Modern HERstory tells the important stories of the leaders and movements that are changing the world right here and right now--and will inspire you to do the same.
Zwicky: The Outcast Genius Who Unmasked the Universe
by John Johnson Jr.Fritz Zwicky was one of the most inventive and iconoclastic scientists of the twentieth century. Among other accomplishments, he was the first to infer the existence of dark matter. He also clashed with better-known peers and became a pariah in the scientific community. John Johnson, Jr.,’s biography brings this tempestuous maverick alive.
Thunder Through My Veins: Memories Of A Metis Childhood
by Gregory ScofieldGregory Scofield's Thunder Through My Veins is the heartbreakingly beautiful memoir of one man's journey toward self-discovery, acceptance, and the healing power of art.Few people can justify a memoir at the age of thirty-three. Gregory Scofield is the exception, a young man who has inhabited several lives in the time most of us can manage only one. Born into a Métis family of Cree, Scottish, English and French descent but never told of his heritage, Gregory knew he was different. His father disappeared after he was born, and at five he was separated from his mother and sent to live with strangers and extended family. There began a childhood marked by constant loss, poverty, violence and self-hatred. Only his love for his sensitive but battered mother and his Aunty Georgina, a neighbor who befriended him, kept him alive. It wasn't until he set out to search for his roots and began to chronicle his life in evocative, award-winning poetry, that he found himself released from the burdens of the past and able to draw upon the wisdom of those who went before him. Thunder Through My Veins is Gregory's traumatic, tender and hopeful story of his fight to rediscover and accept himself in the face of a heritage with diametrically opposed backgrounds.
So Much More: A Poignant Memoir about Finding Love, Fighting Adversity, and Defining Life on My Own Terms
by Zulema Arroyo FarleyThe Last Lecture meets The Bright Hour in this poignant account of how the Latina Medium, Zulema Arroyo Farley, lives life to the fullest, refusing to let a rare form of cancer and chronic illnesses determine her destiny.On Zulema’s fourth date with the man who is now her husband, they created a “Life List” of adventures they would share together; from skydiving, to luxurious trips around the world, and as wine collectors, traveling the wine regions to meet their favorite producers. Wildly successful and in love, Zulema was living a fairy tale. But, two years into their marriage, the Life List took on a shocking urgency when she was diagnosed with sarcoma, an exceedingly rare and incurable form of cancer, along with a host of other complex and mysterious medical conditions. Challenged, but undaunted, Zulema relied on herself and those around her to summon the courage to face her illnesses head on, while never forgetting to embrace the spirit of the Life List with every passing day. Despite excruciating physical and mental pain, setbacks, and personal struggles, Zulema is determined to not leave a second of life unexperienced. And in this new life chapter, she reveals a long-kept secret: She’s a psychic medium. After years of seeing, hearing, and sensing presences that others couldn’t see, she learns how to trust them through her hardest times and channels her gift to serve for the good of all concerned. Her spirit guides and life wisdom will help readers embrace her most important vision: There is always so much more to live, to love, to learn, and to create.
Muchísimo más: Las conmovedoras memorias de mi encuentro con el amor, la lucha contra la adversidad y la definición de la vida en mis propios términos (Atria Espanol)
by Zulema Arroyo FarleyMuchísimo más combina lo mejor de La última lección y Un momento extraordinario en este relato conmovedor de cómo Zulema Arroyo Farley, La Médium Latina, vive su vida al máximo, rehusando permitir que una forma rara de cáncer o cualquier otra enfermedad crónica determine su destino.En la cuarta cita de Zulema con su ahora esposo, la nueva pareja creó una “Lista de vida” llena de aventuras que compartirían juntos, incluyendo aventuras de paracaidismo, viajes lujosos alrededor del mundo y como recolectores de vino, viajando a las regiones vitivinícolas para conocer a sus productores de vino favoritos. Sumamente exitosa y enamorada, Zulema estaba viviendo un cuento de hadas. Pero, a dos años de casarse, la Lista de vida tomó una urgencia sorprendente cuando le diagnosticaron sarcoma, una forma de cáncer extremadamente rara e incurable, junto a una serie de otras condiciones médicas complejas y misteriosas. Zulema, impávida ante los desafíos de su salud, confió en sí misma y en quienes la rodeaban para reunir el coraje necesario para enfrentar sus enfermedades de frente, sin olvidar nunca acoger el espíritu de la Lista de vida con cada día que pasa. A pesar del dolor físico y mental insoportable, los reveses y las luchas personales, Zulema está decidida a experimentar cada segundo de la vida. En este nuevo capítulo, ha revelado un secreto que había conservado toda la vida: Ella es una médium psíquico. Después de años viendo, oyendo y sintiendo presencias que otros no podían ver, ella ha aprendido a confiar en ellos en sus momentos más difíciles y utiliza su don en servicio de todo a quien le concierne. Sus guías espirituales y sabiduría de la vida ayudarán a sus lectores a acoger su visión más importante: Siempre hay mucho más que vivir, que amar, que aprender y que crear.
Vivir para contarla
by Gabriel García MárquezLas memorias de Gabriel García Márquez: un recorrido por los días de su infancia y juventud en los que se fundó el imaginario que se reflejaría después en sus obras. Vivir para contarla es, probablemente, el libro más esperado de la primera década del siglo, compendio y recreación de un tiempo crucial en la vida de Gabriel García Márquez. En este apasionante relato, el Nobel colombiano ofrece la memoria de sus años de infancia y juventud, aquellos en los que se fundaría el imaginario que, con el tiempo, daría lugar a algunos de los relatos y novelas fundamentales en la literatura en lengua española del siglo XX. Estamos ante la novela de una vida, a través de cuyas páginas García Márquez va descubriendo ecos de personajes e historias que han poblado obras como Cien años de soledad, El amor en los tiempos del cólera, El coronel no tiene quien le escriba o Crónica de una muerte anunciada y que convierten Vivir para contarla en una guía de lectura para toda su obra, en acompañante imprescindible para iluminar pasajes inolvidables que, tras la lectura de estas memorias, adquieren una nueva perspectiva. «Mi madre me pidió que la acompañara a vender la casa. Había llegado a Barranquilla esa mañana desde el pueblo distante donde vivía la familia y no tenía la menor idea de cómo encontrarme. Preguntando por aquí y por allá entre los conocidos, le indicaron que me buscara en la librería Mundo o en los cafés vecinos, donde iba dos veces al día a conversar con mis amigos escritores. El que se lo dijo le advirtió: "Vaya con cuidado porque son locos de remate". Llegó a las doce en punto. Se abrió paso con su andar ligero por entre las mesas de libros en exhibición, se me plantó enfrente, mirándome a los ojos con la sonrisa pícara de sus días mejores, y antes que yo pudiera reaccionar, me dijo: "Soy tu madre".» Carlos Fuentes dijo... «A los que un día le dirán: "Esto fuiste", "esto hiciste" o "esto imaginaste", Gabo se les adelanta y dice simplemente: soy, seré, imaginé. Esto recuerdo. Gracias por la memoria.»
How to Treat People: A Nurse's Notes
by Molly CaseA fascinating and poignant memoir of the body and its care, told through the experiences of a young nurse. As a teenager, Molly Case underwent an operation that saved her life. Nearly a decade later, she finds herself in the operating room again—this time as a trainee nurse. She learns to care for her patients, sharing not only their pain, but also life-affirming moments of hope. In doing so, she offers a compelling account of the processes that keep them alive, from respiratory examinations to surgical prep, and of the extraordinary moments of human connection that sustain both nurse and patient. In rich, lyrical prose, Case illustrates the intricacies of the human condition through the hand of a stranger offered in solace, a gentle word in response to fear and anger, or the witnessing of a person’s last breaths. It is these moments of empathy, in the extremis of human experience, that define us as people. But when Molly’s father is admitted to the cardiac unit where she works, the professional and the personal suddenly collide. Weaving together medical history, art, memoir, and science, How to Treat People beautifully explores the oscillating rhythms of life and death in a tender reminder that we can all find meaning in being, even for a moment, part of the lives of others.
A Republic, If You Can Keep It
by Neil GorsuchJustice Neil Gorsuch reflects on his journey to the Supreme Court, the role of the judge under our Constitution, and the vital responsibility of each American to keep our republic strong. <P><P>As Benjamin Franklin left the Constitutional Convention, he was reportedly asked what kind of government the founders would propose. He replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” <P><P>In this book, Justice Neil Gorsuch shares personal reflections, speeches, and essays that focus on the remarkable gift the framers left us in the Constitution. Justice Gorsuch draws on his thirty-year career as a lawyer, teacher, judge, and justice to explore essential aspects our Constitution, its separation of powers, and the liberties it is designed to protect. <P><P>He discusses the role of the judge in our constitutional order, and why he believes that originalism and textualism are the surest guides to interpreting our nation’s founding documents and protecting our freedoms. He explains, too, the importance of affordable access to the courts in realizing the promise of equal justice under law—while highlighting some of the challenges we face on this front today. <P><P>Along the way, Justice Gorsuch reveals some of the events that have shaped his life and outlook, from his upbringing in Colorado to his Supreme Court confirmation process. And he emphasizes the pivotal roles of civic education, civil discourse, and mutual respect in maintaining a healthy republic. <P><P>A Republic, If You Can Keep It offers compelling insights into Justice Gorsuch’s faith in America and its founding documents, his thoughts on our Constitution’s design and the judge’s place within it, and his beliefs about the responsibility each of us shares to sustain our distinctive republic of, by, and for “We the People.” <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Tasting Grace: Discovering the Power of Food to Connect Us to God, One Another, and Ourselves
by Melissa d'ArabianThe winner of The Next Food Network Star season five and New York Times best-selling author of Ten Dollar Dinners shares how God used food to invite her into His love.It wasn't until Melissa d'Arabian evaluated her relationship with food in light of her relationship with God that she began to appreciate food as not only a gift from him but also as a deeper invitation into his love. As she prayed, studied Scripture, and reflected on the stories from her own life, Melissa saw how God had used food to draw her into community, to redeem her moments of greatest tragedy, and ultimately to connect her more to him.In Tasting Grace, Melissa shares sixteen invitations that will transform your perception of food and the role it plays in your own life, from equality to connection to hospitality to stewardship and more. She explains how through her experiences, she learned to trust the ingredients--in recipes and in life--and join God in the act of creation.Whether you are a mom struggling to throw together a healthy meal for your family each night or a single woman longing for fellowship around your table, you will draw encouragement and inspiration from Melissa's reminder that all food, first and foremost, is a gift from God. When you return to him as the source, you will find the freedom to enjoy his beautiful and delicious creation.Advance praise for Tasting Grace“What a beautiful book. Using stories of her own triumphs and pain, Melissa digs past the surface layers of food as we see it on television, in cookbooks, and on social media. Rather, she helps us think about it in a whole new way—as nothing short of a spiritual force, a vessel through which we can experience (and extend) compassion, comfort, fellowship, love, enjoyment, and grace. It has given me a brand-new lens with which to examine the deeper significance of the food I cook, eat, and share.”—Ree Drummond, author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks“The intersection between faith and food is endlessly interesting to me, and Melissa articulates the significance and beauty of that intersection so well. Melissa is a great storyteller, and she invites us into her story and gives us a seat at her table with graciousness and wisdom. This is a lovely, meaningful book.”—Shauna Niequist, New York Times best-selling author of Present Over Perfect and Bread and Wine“This is a beautifully written book. These aren’t just words on pages; they are an invitation to a feast, to hospitality, and to finding lasting purpose in your life. Melissa has set a table fit for a King, pulled our chairs, and reminded us there’s a place for us here. This is a book that will not only feed your imagination but also your soul.” —Bob Goff, author of New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody Always
The Manzoni Family: A Novel
by Natalia GinzburgWinner of the Bagutta Prize, The Manzoni Family set in ducal Italy and post-revolutionary France, captures the story of Alessandro Manzoni—celebrated Milanese nobleman, man of letters, and author of the masterpiece of nineteenth-century Italian literature, I promessi sposi (The Betrothed)—and the women of his life. The dynastic tale begins with the matriarchal figure of Giulia, the mother whom the young Alessandro Manzoni found in Paris after she had abandoned him as an infant. Following her, there is Enrichetta, the woman he and his mother chose to be his wife, and the many children she had by him until her death; literary friends from the beau monde in Italy and Paris; and Alessandro's second wife, Teresa, and her children. Against the background of Napoleonic occupation, the reestablishment of Austrian hegemony, and the stirrings of the revolutionary urge for unification and independence, Ginzburg gracefully weaves the story of the Manzoni dynasty, a family that seems to grow autonomously around the life of the writer, effortlessly incorporating the epic tumult and emotion of the age. Ginzburg explores this fascinating true story and celebrated author with the elegance that has assured her rightful place among history’s acclaimed literary titans.
Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope into Action; A Memoir
by David FajgenbaumThe powerful memoir of a young doctor and former college athlete diagnosed with a rare disease who spearheaded the search for a cure—and became a champion for a new approach to medical research.“An extraordinary memoir . . . It belongs with Atul Gawande’s writings and When Breath Becomes Air.”—Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of OriginalsDavid Fajgenbaum was a former Georgetown quarterback nicknamed the Beast in medical school, where he was also known for his unmatched mental stamina. But things changed dramatically when he began suffering from inexplicable fatigue. In a matter of weeks, his organs were failing and he was read his last rites. Doctors were baffled by his condition, which they had yet to even diagnose. Floating in and out of consciousness, Fajgenbaum prayed for the equivalent of a game day overtime: a second chance. Miraculously, Fajgenbaum survived—only to endure repeated near-death relapses from what would eventually be identified as a form of Castleman disease, an extremely deadly and rare condition that acts like a cross between cancer and an autoimmune disorder. When he relapsed while on the only drug in development and realized that the medical community was unlikely to make progress in time to save his life, Fajgenbaum turned his desperate hope for a cure into concrete action: Between hospitalizations he studied his own charts and tested his own blood samples, looking for clues that could unlock a new treatment. With the help of family, friends, and mentors, he also reached out to other Castleman disease patients and physicians, and eventually came up with an ambitious plan to crowdsource the most promising research questions and recruit world-class researchers to tackle them. Instead of waiting for the scientific stars to align, he would attempt to align them himself. More than five years later and now married to his college sweetheart, Fajgenbaum has seen his hard work pay off: A treatment that he identified has induced a tentative remission and his novel approach to collaborative scientific inquiry has become a blueprint for advancing rare disease research. His incredible story demonstrates the potency of hope, and what can happen when the forces of determination, love, family, faith, and serendipity collide.“A page-turning chronicle of living, nearly dying, and discovering what it really means to be invincible in hope.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit
Eyes to the Wind: A Memoir of Love and Death, Hope and Resistance
by Ady BarkanIn this inspirational and moving memoir—reminiscent of When Breath Becomes Air and The Bright Hour—activist Ady Barkan explores his life with ALS and how his diagnosis gave him a profound new understanding of his commitment to social justice for all. Ady Barkan loved taking afternoon runs on the California coast and holding his newborn son, Carl. But one day, he noticed a troubling weakness in his hand. At first, he brushed it off as carpal tunnel syndrome, but after a week of neurological exams and two MRIs, he learned the cause of the problem: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. At age 32, Ady was given just three to four years to live. Yet despite the devastating diagnosis, he refused to let his remaining days go to waste. Eyes to the Wind is a rousing memoir featuring intertwining storylines about determination, perseverance, and how to live a life filled with purpose and intention. The first traces Ady’s battle with ALS: how he turned the initial shock and panic from his diagnosis into a renewed commitment to social justice—not despite his disability but because of it. The second, told in flashbacks, illustrates Ady’s journey from a goofy political nerd to a prominent figure in the enduring fight for equity and justice who is “willing to give [his] last breath to save our democracy” (CNN). From one of today’s most vocal advocates for social justice, Eyes to the Wind is an evocative and unforgettable memoir about activism, dedication, love, and hope.
EW The Ultimate Guide to Stephen King
by The Editors of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly presents The Ultimate Guide to Stephen King.
The American President: A Complete History
by Kathryn MooreRemarkable and comprehensive, this single-volume reference offers a fascinating glimpse into the American presidency and its continuing evolution. It's organized chronologically and contains detailed personal and political profiles of each president, official portraits, timelines for every term, intriguing facts and stats, and much more. Readable, rigorously researched, and completely revised and updated to include the 2012 campaign and election, The American President paints a vibrant portrait of the highest office in the land.