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Game Changer
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Haddix, Margaret Peterson, PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, A talented teen athlete questions reality--and the role she plays in it--when a mysterious injury upends her world. Athletics are everything for eighth-grader KT Sutton. She's a softball star, and she's on track to get a college scholarship and achieve international fame. Then one day during a championship game--in the middle of an important play--she suddenly blacks out. When she wakes up, she's in a different world. One where school is class after class of athletic drills, and after-school sports are replaced by popular academic competitions. One where KT is despised for her talent, and where her parents are fixated on her brother's future mathletics career rather than KT's softball hopes. KT is desperate to get back to reality as she knew it, but bits and pieces of disturbing memories and dreams make her wonder if something truly awful happened there. What if she's lost something a lot more important than a softball game? From New York Times "bestselling author of Sent "and Sabtaged," an engaging and highly relevant exploration of society's debate of smarts versus sports.
The Breadwinner
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Ellis, Deborah, PUBLISHER: Groundwood Books, The Breadwinner brings to life an issue that has recently exploded in the international media the reality of life under the Taliban. Young Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan. Because he has a foreign education, her father is arrested by the Taliban, the religious group that controls the country. Since women cannot appear in public unless covered head to toe, or go to school, or work outside the home, the family becomes increasingly desperate until Parvana conceives a plan. She cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy to earn money for her family. Parvanas determination to survive is the force that drives this novel set against the backdrop of an intolerable situation brought about by war and religious fanaticism. Deborah Ellis spent several months talking with women and girls in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and Russia. This suspenseful, timely novel is the result of those encounters. Royalties from the sale of The Breadwinner will go toward educating Afghan girls in Pakistani refugee camps. A potent portrait of life in contemporary Afghanistan, showing that powerful heroines can survive even in the most oppressive... conditions. Booklist
Game Changer: Margaret Peterson Haddix
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Haddix, Margaret Peterson, PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster, A talented teen athlete questions reality--and the role she plays in it--when a mysterious injury upends her world. Athletics are everything for eighth-grader KT Sutton. She's a softball star, and she's on track to get a college scholarship and achieve international fame. Then one day during a championship game--in the middle of an important play--she suddenly blacks out. When she wakes up, she's in a different world. One where school is class after class of athletic drills, and after-school sports are replaced by popular academic competitions. One where KT is despised for her talent, and where her parents are fixated on her brother's future mathletics career rather than KT's softball hopes. KT is desperate to get back to reality as she knew it, but bits and pieces of disturbing memories and dreams make her wonder if something truly awful happened there. What if she's lost something a lot more important than a softball game? From New York Times "bestselling author of Sent "and Sabtaged," an engaging and highly relevant exploration of society's debate of smarts versus sports.
Scavenger
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Morrell, David, PUBLISHER: Vanguard Press, David Morrell's "Creepers" was a publishing event in , a powerful, edgy, dark thriller by a master of the genre. A "New York Times" best-seller, it won the prestigious Bram Stoker Award and earned numerous critical raves. "Scavenger," Morrell's latest novel, takes us in a harrowing new direction: a desperate high-tech scavenger hunt for a 100-year-old time capsule. Frank Balenger, the resolute but damaged hero of "Creepers," now finds himself trapped in a nightmarish game of fear and death. To save himself and the woman he loves, he must play by the rules of a god-like Game Master with an obsession for unearthing the past. But sometimes the past is buried for a reason. "Scavenger" is a brilliant, frightening hunter-hunted tale that layers modern technology over the dusty artifacts of earlier times. The result is a surreal palimpsest, one that contains the secret of survival for Balenger and a handful of unwilling players who race against the game's clock to solve the puzzle of the time capsule, only to discover that time is the true scavenger. Morrell's trademark action sequences are embedded with fascinating historical clues that make "Scavenger" a thrill-a-minute page-turner as well as a mesmerizing literary experience.
On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple Computer
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Amelio, Gil / Simon, William, PUBLISHER: HarperCollins Publishers, Former CEO of Apple Computer Gil Amelio, who was replaced by Steve Jobs in the summer of , now chronicles his 17 months as head of Apple and reveals the inner workings of a company shrouded in myth and mystery. "On the Firing Line" is Gil Amelio's Up Close and Personal story that dares to unmask the personalities behind Apple Computer and lay bare the facts Apple fans don't know. It untangles the issues involved in Apple's desperate search for a CEO, describes how Steve Jobs claimed that Amelio was the only one who could save the company, and then shows how Jobs played a critical role in manipulating the board of directors to fire Amelio. In an engaging style, Amelio explores many of the problems he confronted as CEO and reveals how he constantly suffered a culture clash with the company and its people -- a clash he describes in terms of Brioni suits and oxfords meeting Levi's "TM" and Birkenstocks. A must-have for every Apple fan and computer world aficionado, this candid, often startling book takes readers inside the boardrooms and computer labs to reveal the way things really are at the company that has become an American icon.
Y: A Novel
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Celona, Marjorie, PUBLISHER: Free Press, For fans of "White Oleander "and "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," an exquisitely rendered debut about a wise-beyond-her-years foster child searching for a home, entwined with the heartbreaking story of the mother who abandoned her. "Y. The wishbone, fork in the road, empty wine glass. The question we ask over and over. Why?""My life begins at the Y..." so opens the story of Shannon, a newborn left at the doors of the local YMCA. Bounced between foster homes, Shannon endures neglect and abuse before she finally finds stability with Miranda, a single mother with a daughter of her own. But as Shannon grows, so do her questions. Who is her true family? Why would her parents abandon Shannon on the day she was born? The answers lie in the heartrending tale of her mother, a headstrong young woman with a flawed and desperate fate, trapped in a tragic series of events that will destroy her family and test the limits of her compassion and sacrifice. Sparkling with wit and surprisingly tender insights, Marjorie Celona's extraordinary novel offers a deeply affecting look at the choices we make and what it means to be a family. As the story builds, present and past converge to shape a unique and lasting story of identity and inheritance. "Y "marks the debut of an astonishing new talent.
The Kingmaker's Daughter
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Gregory, Philippa, PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Ltd, #1 "New York Times" bestselling author Philippa Gregory's stunning novel of conspiracy and a fight to the death for love and power at the court of King Edward IV of England. "The Kingmaker's Daughter" is the gripping story of the daughters of the man known as the "Kingmaker," Richard, Earl of Warwick: the most powerful magnate in fifteenth-century England. Without a son and heir, Richard uses his two daughters as pawns in political games, and they grow up to be influential players in their own right. In this novel, her first sister story since "The Other Boleyn Girl," Philippa Gregory explores the lives of these two fascinating young women. At the court of Edward IV and his queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Only a girl she is married and then left widowed and fatherless, with her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. She escapes by marrying Richard, Duke of Gloucester, but her choice will set her on a collision course with the power of the royal family, sacrificing the lives of those she loves most in the world, including her only son, Prince Edward. Ultimately, the kingmaker's daughter will achieve her father's greatest ambition.
Heart of the Dove
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Fobes, Tracy, PUBLISHER: Pocket Books, Brilliant new talent Tracy Fobes' first book, "Touch Not the Cat," received overwhelming critical acclaim. "Ms. Fobes' debut is a stunning novel...clever, evocative, and magical," said "Romantic Times." Her new book is as bewitching, a mesmerizing tale of magic -- and a love foretold centuries before.... Lucinda Drakewyck, one of a long line of Drakewyck witches, has foreseen her own death. Desperate for answers, she calls upon the magic in her cherished crystal dove, hoping for visions of the warrior whose love would first save her then destroy them both. When wounded Crimean cavalry officer Richard Clairmont walks into her secret forest glen, Lucinda recognizes him as her promised hero. Destiny has determined that only he can rescue her from a ghastly fate, and yet Lucinda fights the attraction between them, knowing if they love, both their lives are forfeit. Richard Clairmont doesn't believe in love, magic, or even himself. A captain in Her Majesty's Eleventh Hussars, he charged into the mouth of Hell and returned scarred forever. But from the moment he meets Lucinda Drakewyck, sunshine enters his life, throwing light on the shadows in his heart and making him question the possibility of magic. Together, they must stand against a malevolent presence and test the true power of their love.
Looking for a Hero: Staff Sergeant Joe Ronnie Hooper and the
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Maslowski, Peter / Winslow, Don, PUBLISHER: University of Nebraska Press, Widely acclaimed as the Vietnam War's most highly decorated soldier, Joe Ronnie Hooper in many ways serves as a symbol for that conflict. His troubled, tempestuous life paralleled the upheavals in American society during the s and s, and his desperate quest to prove his manhood was uncomfortably akin to the macho image projected by three successive presidents in their "tough" policy in Southeast Asia. "Looking for a Hero" extracts the real Joe Hooper from the welter of lies and myths that swirl around his story; in doing so, the book uncovers not only the complicated truth about an American hero but also the story of how Hooper's war was lost in Vietnam, not at home. Extensive interviews with friends, fellow soldiers, and family members reveal Hooper as a complex, gifted, and disturbed man. They also expose the flaws in his most famous and treasured accomplishment: earning the Medal of Honor. In the distortions, half-truths, and outright lies that mar Hooper's medal of honor file, authors Peter Maslowski and Don Winslow find a painful reflection of the army's inability to be honest with itself and the American public, with all the dire consequences that this dishonesty ultimately entailed. In the inextricably linked stories of Hooper and the Vietnam War, the nature of that deceit, and of America's defeat, becomes clear.
Vanished
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: MacGregor, T. J. / Tj, MacGregor / MacGregor, PUBLISHER: Pinnacle Books, T.J. MacGregor has everything it takes to be a star. She combines dazzling writing skill with breathtakingly original and provocative plots, complex and interesting characters, and the kind of relentless suspense that pulls readers in from the very first page and doesn't let go until the thoroughly satisfying end. "Vanished" is MacGregor's triumph, a riveting new novel that promises to propel her right to the top of bestseller lists everywhere. Hundreds of birds lined his maple trees. In his eighteen years as a country veterinarian, Max Thorn had never seen anything like them. They were watching, waiting until Max's wife, Ellen, left on her morning run. At the edge of their property, she turned to wave and began to fade before his eyes. One minute she was there, the next she had vanished, leaving no trace but a circle of dead foliage and birds. Presumed guilty of Ellen's murder, Max finds himself on the run, desperate to prove his innocence. But as he soon discovers, his wife's chilling disappearance is not an isolated incident. Across the nation, other strange vanishings have been reported, other mentions of the mysterious birds and scorched earth, and it's clear that nothing will ever be the same again. Now, it will take a man, a woman, and a child to discover the chilling truth, before all hope vanishes.
Pity the Nation: The Abduction of Lebanon
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Fisk, Robert, PUBLISHER: Nation Books, With the Israeli-Palestinian crisis reaching wartime levels, where is the latest confrontation between these two old foes leading? Robert Fisks explosive Pity the Nation recounts Sharon and Arafats first deadly encounter in Lebanon in the early s and explains why the IsraelPalestine relationship seems so intractable. A remarkable combination of war reporting and analysis by an author who has witnessed the carnage of Beirut for twenty-five years, Fisk, the first journalist to whom bin Laden announced his jihad against the U.S., is one of the world's most fearless and honored foreign correspondents. He spares no one in this saga of the civil war and subsequent Israeli invasion: the PLO, whose thuggish behavior alienated most Lebanese; the various Lebanese factions, whose appalling brutality spared no one; the Syrians, who supported first the Christians and then the Muslims in their attempt to control Lebanon; and the Israelis, who tried to install their own puppets and, with their invasion, committed massive war crimes of their own. It includes a moving finale that recounts the travails of Fisks friend Terry Anderson who was kidnapped by Hezbollah and spent days in captivity. Fully updated to include the Israeli withdrawl from south Lebanon and Ariel Sharon's electoral victory over Ehud Barak, this edition has sixty pages of new material and a new preface. Robert Fisks enormous book about Lebanons desperate travails is one of the most distinguished in recent times.Edward Said
Istanbul Passage
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Kanon, Joseph, PUBLISHER: Atria Books, From the acclaimed, bestselling author of "Stardust, " "The Good German, "and "Los Alamos"--a gripping tale of an American undercover agent in Istanbul who descends into the murky cat-and-mouse world of compromise and betrayal that will come to define the entire post-war era. A neutral capital straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul has spent the war as a magnet for refugees and spies. Even American businessman Leon Bauer has been drawn into this shadow world, doing undercover odd jobs and courier runs for the Allied war effort. Now as the espionage community begins to pack up and an apprehensive city prepares for the grim realities of post-war life, he is given one more assignment, a routine job that goes fatally wrong, plunging him into a tangle of intrigue and moral confusion. Played out against the bazaars and mosques and faded mansions of this knowing, ancient Ottoman city, Leon's attempt to save one life leads to a desperate manhunt and a maze of shifting loyalties that threatens his own. How do you do the right thing when there are only bad choices to make? "Istanbul Passage" is the story of a man swept up in the aftermath of war, an unexpected love affair, and a city as deceptive as the calm surface waters of the Bosphorus that divides it. Rich with atmosphere and period detail, Joseph Kanon's latest novel flawlessly blends fact and fiction into a haunting thriller about the dawn of the Cold War, once again proving why Kanon has been hailed as the "heir apparent to Graham Greene" ("The Boston Globe").
Star Wars Jumbo Kenner Action Figures 4 Pack Early Bird Set
40 years ago a generation of kids saw a movie that changed their lives. When they left the theater and went to the store to find action figures from their favorite new movie they did not exist. When the holidays rolled around and the kids wanted to find their favorite heroes, villains and droids under the tree, none could be found. The toy makers solution to this problem was The Star Wars Early Bird Kit. Parents, desperate for anything Star Wars to wrap for their kids, were sold a large cardboard envelope that had a fold out stand, some stickers, trading cards and a promise that WHEN the figures were made, they would be the first kids to receive them. Gentle Giant Ltd pays tribute to that classic Star Wars story 40 years later with the Star Wars JUMBO Early Bird 4-pack. This 4 pack of action figure is a great jumping on point to the Jumbo line for new collectors as well as bringing back some earlier, harder to find figures for current Jumbo connoisseurs. The Early Bird Jumbo figure 4-pack will come in a retro box mimicking the original Early Bird envelope, inside will be the familiar white mailer tray with Luke Skywalker (with his double telescoping lightsaber. The first DT saber in the Jumbo line!), Princess Leia (with white vinyl cape and blue blaster) Chewbacca (with greenish Early Bird crossbow blaster) and R2-D2 (with clicking head). Also included in the set will be larger reproductions of the stickers and a large foldout, replica display stand that will hold the original 12 figures along with the perforated cards attached to the front. Gentle Giant Ltd,s Jumbo line. Just like you remember, ONLY BIGGER!
Hitler's U-Boat Fortresses
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Bradham, Randolph, PUBLISHER: Lyons Press,.".. A most unexpected gift to our nation. I know veterans will want to read this; but I hope all Americans, especially the children, will read it so they understand the sacrifices their grandparents made..." --Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-South Carolina The French naval bases at St. Nazaire and Lorient, occupied by the Germans in June , quickly became the homes of massive U-boat fortresses--nearly indestructible submarine pens, built mostly by slave labor. From these bases, the U-boats struck merchant shipping at will from the Mediterranean to the North Sea. Thousands of vessels were lost, along with vital war material from the U.S. destined for Britain and the Soviet Union. The Royal Air Force began an all-out bombardment of the two ports. Despite their extensive efforts--and those of the Americans who joined them in --the fortresses would survive, surrounded by decimated French towns and countryside. The desperate battle was waged on land, air, and sea. Because the dock at St. Nazaire could house and repair Hitler's powerful warship, the "Tirpitz," British commandos carried out a daring raid to destroy it in March of . They succeeded, but with a great loss of life, and the Germans were able to quickly repair much of the damage. The defenses of these fortresses were so strong that General Eisenhower would ultimately decide to seek containment rather than destruction. The U.S. Army's 66th Infantry Division, on its way to take up the task, lost its troopship "Leopoldville" to a German torpedo, with 802 men going down with the ship. The French underground movement in the area would spawn a fighting force of men to fight alongside the Allies, and thesubsequent German reprisals would devastate many families in Brittany. Yet, the bases stood--and they continue to stand today.
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Luttrell, Marcus / Robinson, Patrick, PUBLISHER: Little Brown and Company, On a clear night in late June , four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive. This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. But it is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers. A six-foot-five-inch Texan, Leading Petty Officer Luttrell takes us, blow-by-blow, through the brutal training of America's warrior elite and the relentless rites of passage required by the Navy SEALs. He transports us to a monstrous battle fought in the desolate peaks of Afghanistan, where the beleaguered American team plummeted headlong a thousand feet down a mountain as they fought back through flying shale and rocks. In this rich, moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare-and a tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Blackhorse Riders: A Desperate Last Stand, an Extraordinary
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Keith, Philip, PUBLISHER: St. Martin's Press, "This is the incredible true story of a brave military unit in Vietnam that risked everything to rescue an outnumbered troop under heavy fire--and the thirty-nine-year odyssey to recognize their bravery." Deep in the jungles of Vietnam, Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry, the famed Blackhorse Regiment, was a specialized cavalry outfit equipped with tanks and armored assault vehicles. On the morning of March , they began hearing radio calls from an infantry unit four kilometers away that had stumbled into a hidden North Vietnamese Army stronghold. Outnumbered at least six to one, the ninety-man American company was quickly surrounded, pinned down, and fighting for its existence. Helicopters could not penetrate the dense jungle, and artillery and air support could not be targeted effectively. The company was fated to be worn down and eventually all killed or captured. Overhearing the calls for help on his radio, Captain John Poindexter, Alpha Troop's twenty-five-year-old commander, realized that his outfit was the only hope for the trapped company. It just might be possible that they could "bust" enough jungle by nightfall to reach them. Not making the attempt was deemed unacceptable, so he ordered his men to "saddle up." With the courage and determination that makes legends out of ordinary men, they effected a daring rescue and fought a pitched battle--at considerable cost. Many brave deeds were done that day and Captain Poindexter tried to make sure his men were recognized for their actions. Thirty years later Poindexter was made aware that his award recommendations and even the records of the battle had somehow gone missing. Thus began the second phase of this remarkable story: a "battle" to ensure that his brave men's accomplishments would never be forgotten again. The full circle was completed when President Obama stepped to the podium on October , to award the Alpha Troop with the Presidential Unit Citation: the highest combat award that can be given to a military unit.
Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Trout, Nick, PUBLISHER: Broadway Books, "It's 2:47 a.m. when Dr. Nick Trout takes the phone call that starts another hectic day at the Angell Animal Medical Center. Sage, a ten-year old German shepherd, will die without emergency surgery for a serious stomach condition. Over the next twenty-four hours Dr. Trout fights for Sage's life, battles disease in the operating room, unravels tricky diagnoses, reassures frantic pet parents, and reflects on the humor, heartache, and inspiration in his life as an animal surgeon. And he wants to take you along for the ride.... " From the front lines of modern medicine, "Tell Me Where It Hurts" is a fascinating insider portrait of a veterinarian, his furry patients, and the blend of old-fashioned instincts and cutting-edge technology that defines pet care in the twenty-first century. For anyone who's ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at your veterinarian's office, "Tell Me Where It Hurts" offers a vicarious journey through twenty-four intimate, eye-opening, heartrending hours at the premier Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. You'll learn about the amazing progress of modern animal medicine, where organ transplants, joint replacements, and state-of-the-art cancer treatments have become more and more common. With these technological advances come controversies and complexities that Dr. Trout thoughtfully explores, such as how long (and at what cost) treatments should be given, how the Internet has changed pet care, and the rise in cosmetic surgery. You'll also be inspired by the heartwarming stories of struggle and survival filling these pages. With a wry and winning tone, Dr. Trout offers up hilarious and delightful anecdotes about cuddly (or not-so-cuddly) pets and their variously zany, desperate, and demanding owners. In total, "Tell Me Where It Hurts" offers a fascinating portrait of the comedy and drama, complexities and rewards involved with loving and healing animals. Part "ER," part "Dog Whisperer," and part "House," this heartfelt and candid book shows that while the technology has changed since James Herriot's day, the humanity and compassion remains unchanged. If you've ever had a pet or special place in your heart for furry friends, Dr. Trout's irresistible book is for you.
The Spirit of Father Damien: The Leper Priest
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: De Volder, Jan / Steffen, John / Allen, John L., PUBLISHER: Ignatius Press, Father Damien, famous for his missionary work with exiled lepers on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, is finally Saint Damien. His sanctity took 120 years to become officially recognized, but between his death in and his canonization in --amid creeping secularization and suspicion of the missionary spirit he so much embodied--Fr. Damien De Veuster never faded from the world's memory. What kept him there? What keeps him there now? To find an answer, Belgian historian and journalist Jan De Volder sifted through Father Damien's personal correspondence as well as the Vatican archives. With careful and even-handed expertise, De Volder follows Father Damien's transformation from the stout, somewhat haughty missionary of his youth, bounding from Europe to Hawaii and straight into seemingly tireless priestly work, to the humble and loving shepherd of souls who eventually succumbed to the same disease that ravaged his flock. De Volder finds that--as spiritual father, caretaker, teacher, and advocate--Father Damien accomplished many heroic feats for these poor outcasts. Yet the greatest gift he gave them was their transformation from a disordered, lawless throng exiled in desperate anarchy into a living community built on Jesus Christ, a community in which they learned to care for one another. Every generation seems to have its own image of this world-famous priest. Already during his life on Molokai and at his death in , many considered him a holy man. Even today, in the highly secularized Western world, he is widely admired. In his native Belgium honored him with the title "the greatest Belgian" in polling conducted by their public broadcasting service. Statues honor his memory in the National Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and at the entrance to the Hawaiian State Capitol in Honolulu. In , in the presence of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope John Paul II beatified him in Brussels, Belgium; and in Pope Benedict XVI canonized him in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Today Father Damien is the unofficial patron of outcasts and those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. "Illustrated with many photos." De Volder contends that the common thread running through the saint's life, the spirit of Father Damien that so speaks to the world, is at once uniquely Christian, fully human, and as important today as ever before.
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Wittman, Robert K. / Shiffman, John, PUBLISHER: Broadway Books, "The Wall Street Journal "called him "a living legend." "The London Times "dubbed him "the most famous art detective in the world." In "Priceless, "Robert K. Wittman, the founder of the FBI's Art Crime Team, pulls back the curtain on his remarkable career for the first time, offering a real-life international thriller to rival "The Thomas Crown Affair." Rising from humble roots as the son of an antique dealer, Wittman built a twenty-year career that was nothing short of extraordinary. He went undercover, usually unarmed, to catch art thieves, scammers, and black market traders in Paris and Philadelphia, Rio and Santa Fe, Miami and Madrid. In this page-turning memoir, Wittman fascinates with the stories behind his recoveries of priceless art and antiquities: The golden armor of an ancient Peruvian warrior king. The Rodin sculpture that inspired the Impressionist movement. The headdress Geronimo wore at his final Pow-Wow. The rare Civil War battle flag carried into battle by one of the nation's first African-American regiments. The breadth of Wittman's exploits is unmatched: He traveled the world to rescue paintings by Rockwell and Rembrandt, Pissarro, Monet and Picasso, often working undercover overseas at the whim of foreign governments. Closer to home, he recovered an original copy of the Bill of Rights and cracked the scam that rocked the PBS series "Antiques Roadshow." By the FBI's accounting, Wittman saved hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art and antiquities. He says the statistic isn't important. After all, who's to say what is worth more --a Rembrandt self-portrait or an American flag carried into battle? They're both priceless. The art thieves and scammers Wittman caught run the gamut from rich to poor, smart to foolish, organized criminals to desperate loners. The smuggler who brought him a looted 6th-century treasure turned out to be a high-ranking diplomat. The appraiser who stole countless heirlooms from war heroes' descendants was a slick, aristocratic con man. The museum janitor who made off with locks of George Washington's hair just wanted to make a few extra bucks, figuring no one would miss what he'd filched. In his final case, Wittman called on every bit of knowledge and experience in his arsenal to take on his greatest challenge: working undercover to track the vicious criminals behind what might be the most audacious art theft of all. "From the Hardcover edition."
When God Stood Up: A Christian Response to AIDS in Africa
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Cantelon, James, PUBLISHER: John Wiley & Sons, THE VICTIMS OF THE AIDS PANDEMIC IN AFRICA ARE FAR MORE NUMEROUS THAN THE DEAD AND DYING. MILLIONS OF ORPHANS AND WIDOWS ARE TRYING TO SURVIVE IN EXTREME POVERTY AND SOCIAL OPRESSION. JAMES CANTELON, A CANADIAN PASTOR, HAS CHALLENGED CHURCHES IN AFRICA-AND IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES-TO UNITE IN A COMMON CAUSE TO BRING RELIEF TO SUFFERING OF INTOLERABLE MAGNITUDE. When God Stood Up is the story of a remarkable journey that affirms God's presence in the most ravaged places on Earth. Millions of our fellow human beings are depending on just to be "God's hand extended." Read about their stories and be humbled. "The book puts HIV/AIDS into terrifying perspective. Jim and Kathy Cantelon are the face of God's love to so many who are so desperate." --Deborah Grey, MP (ret'd). "As Jim narrates his accelerated response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it reminds one of the image G.K. Chesterton captured of St. Francis: always running.' Within a matter of weeks, the author catapults out of Vancouver to the Durban colloquium, to hospitals and church events across the sub-Sahara-you sometimes look for a page to catch your breath Come to think of it, with the awesome destruction of human life described here, what could be mode appropriate? When God Stood Up carries a sense of that which it issues a call for: breathless haste." --John & Ruth Kerr, Trans-Africa Theological College, Kitwe, Zambia "Posturing God as standing up sends readers a signal: beware. Coddled for years by an image of a benign and permissive deity, Cantelon gives a yank on our leash of grace. Human tragedy, he reminds us, isn't just unfortunate-it's the stuff of life that strikes at the very heart of faith, a fait he asserts that should neither be smug nor comfortable. This God of justice makes it clear that those who call themselves by his name are to do no less than embrace justice." --Brian Stiller, President, Tyndale University & Seminary, Toronto "This is more than the story of the calling of a man to a god-sized mission. It is an informative, unfolding drama of perhaps the most critical issue of our time-AIDS in Africa. As Jim has cast and recast his vision, people all over the world have been caught and reeled in to unexpected roles, in response to the pandemic. My husband and I are in that number. Be warned as you read, you too may be stirred to action " --Moira Brown, Co-host, 100 Huntley Street, CTS-TV
Generosity: An Enhancement
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Powers, Richard, PUBLISHER: Picador USA, A "NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW" NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR The National Book Award-winning author of "The Echo Maker "proves yet again that "no writer of our time dreams on a grander scale or more knowingly captures the zeitgeist." ("The Dallas Morning News"). What will happen to life when science identifies the genetic basis of happiness? Who will own the patent? Do we dare revise our own temperaments? Funny, fast, and magical, Generosity celebrates both science and the freed imagination. In his most exuberant book yet, Richard Powers asks us to consider the big questions facing humankind as we begin to rewrite our own existence. Richard Powers is the author of ten novels, including "Generosity," "Gain," "The Time of Our Singing," "Galatea 2.2," and "Plowing the Dark." "The Echo Maker "won the National Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Powers has received a MacArthur Fellowship and a Lannan Literary Award. He lives in Illinois. Winner of the National Book AwardA "New York Times Book Review "Notable Book of the Year in A "Washington Post "Notable Book of the Year in A Society for Midland Authors Fiction Award Finalist What will happen to life when science identifies the genetic basis of happiness? Who will own the patent? Do we dare revise our own temperaments? Funny, fast, and magical, "Generosity "celebrates both science and the freed imagination. In his most exuberant book yet, Richard Powers asks us to consider the big questions facing humankind as we begin to rewrite our own existence. " Powers'] cerebral new novel offers a chilling examination of the life we're reengineering with our chromosomes and brain chemistry... Powers sticks so closely to the state of current medical science and popular culture that this isn't so much a warning as a diagnosis. And as with any frightening diagnosis, you'll be torn between denial and a desperate urge to talk about it... With "Generosity," Powers has performed a dazzling cross-disciplinary feat, linking the slippery nature of 'creative nonfiction' to the moral conundrums of genetic engineering. Although you might expect a novel so weighted with medical and philosophical arguments to flatten its characters into brittle stereotypes, ultimately that's the most impressive aspect of this meditation on happiness and humanness. As "Generosity" drives toward its surprising conclusion, these characters grow more complex and poignant, increasingly baffled by the challenge and the opportunity of remaking ourselves to our heart's content."--Ron Charles, "The Washington Post Book World" "For the past 20 years or so, Richard Powers seems to have been engaged in a prodigious attempt to redress the imbalance of knowledge that was the subject of C. P. Snow's famous 'Two Cultures' lecture. That, y
The Damascened Blade
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Cleverly, Barbara, PUBLISHER: Charnwood, Author of "New York Times Notable Book of the Year "The Last Kashmiri Rose Winner of the CWA Dagger Award for Best Historical Crime Fiction In her acclaimed mysteries set in the age of the British Raj, Barbara Cleverly brilliantly captures a fascinating collision of cultures against a backdrop of jasmine-scented nights and neatly trimmed English gardens. In her gripping new novel, the author of "The Last Kashmiri Rose and "Ragtime in Simla transports us to the remote and exotic setting of India's North-West Frontier, where a group of travelers is swept into a spellbinding drama of kidnapping, vengeance, and murder. Scotland Yard Detective Joe Sandilands has been given the unenviable mission of guarding a spirited young American woman with far more wealth than sense. Lily Coblenz, accompanied by a cunning businessman, a woman doctor, and two quarreling military strategists, expects the adventure of a lifetime when she arrives at a remote British outpost. But when the son of a Pathan tribal leader is discovered dead, Sandilands, a decorated war veteran, knows that his mission to protect Lily has suddenly taken a startling new turn that may bring them all to the brink of war. Now, from the far reaches of an empire, Joe Sandilands must separate lies from truths, innocents from killers--and find the one person with a desperate motive for murder and the key to India's destiny. Praise for the Novels of Barbara Cleverly "THE DAMASCENED BLADE "This marvelous historical delivers." --"Publishers Weekly RAGTIME IN SIMLA "Captivating and enchanting. Attractive, magnetic, duplicitous women grab all the best roles in "Ragtime in Simla. Between the natural beauty ofthe setting and the seductiveness of the women, it's a wonder that Joe Sandilands gets out of Simla with heart and mind intact." "--New York Times Book Review ""Ragtime in Simla contains enough scenes of smashing action in and around the marvelously invoked Simla to delight even Rudyard Kipling." "--Chicago Tribune "Ms. Cleverly deftly transports readers to an exotic locale filled with intrigue, suspense, and characters skilled in the art of deception. This is a perfect travel companion for historical mystery fans." "--Booklist "Fully developed characters and a convincing portrayal of time and place lift Cleverly's second historical.... The author's talents seem capable of transcending any shift in scene." "--Publishers Weekly "The sense of place is exotic, enveloping and superbly depicted. Joe Sandilands' second outing is a fitting follow-up to his auspicious debut." --"Contra Costa Times "Cleverly gets credit for a fresh and fascinating setting. She gives her tale a final flip that will leave readers guessing and surely keep Joe Sandilands busy for many books to come." --"Rocky Mountain News THE LAST KASHMIRI RO Acquista Ora