Readers > New Books > Nonfiction, September 2008
Nonfiction, September 2008
- Ashton, Nigel
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A towering figure in the history of Jordan, King Hussein reigned for nearly half a century, from his grandfather’s assassination in 1953 to his own death in 1999. In this fascinating biography, Nigel Ashton recounts the eventful life of the king who not only survived but flourished amidst crisis after crisis as ruler of a poor desert nation surrounded by powerful and hostile neighbors.
- Baer, Robert
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The author of Sleeping with the Devil returns with a frighteningly prescient look at how Iran is on the cusp of becoming a superpower every bit as potent as Russia or China — and one America will soon have to make major concessions to in order to preserve its security.
- Baker, Stephen
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Every day, we produce loads of data about ourselves just by living in the modern world. Now, a group of mathematicians is sifting through this data to profile us and manipulate our behavior without our even realizing it.
- Bamford, James
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Bamford discloses inside, often shocking information about the National Security Agency in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
- Blum, Howard
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A masterpiece of narrative history that brings to life the original crime of the century, American Lightning shows the lasting impact the 1910 bombing of the Los Angeles Times offices had on three remarkable individuals and, through them, the country itself.
- Conant, Jennet
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Conant offers a rollicking true story of spies, politicians, journalists and intrigue in the highest circles of Washington during the tumultuous days of World War II.
- Dalai Lama
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This landmark exchange on human emotions is part of a conversation between two leading thinkers on the pursuit of psychological fulfillment.
- Filkins, Dexter
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A prize-winning New York Times correspondent chronicles a remarkable chain of events that begins with the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, continues with the attacks of 9/11 and moves on to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Frankel, Valerie
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Frankel has endured years of dieting, starvation and total preoccupation with her weight. Not wanting to pass this legacy onto her own daughters, she set out to cleanse herself of these painful and damaging cycles, which she chronicles in this hilarious, unflinching memoir.
- Fromkin, David
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The King and the Cowboy: Theodore Roosevelt and Edward the Seventh, Secret Partners (September 2008)Renowned historian Fromkin reveals how two unlikely world leaders — King Edward VII of England and Theodore Roosevelt — recast themselves as respected political players and established a friendship that would shape the course of the 20th century in ways never anticipated.
- Gartner, John
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On a quest to understand the mind of Bill Clinton — and to answer the question "What makes him tick?", a noted psychologist traveled across the U.S. and around the world to speak with hundreds of people who knew the former president and his family.
- Gellman, Barton
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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gellman documents how Vice President Dick Cheney redefined the role of the American vice presidency, assuming unprecedented responsibilities and making it a post of historic power.
- Glave, James
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Glave, a self-proclaimed child of suburbia, learns about the real implications and sacrifices involved in sustainable living, which he documents in this funny and informative look at the costs and benefits of living an eco-friendly lifestyle.
- Gonzales, Laurence
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The author of the Deep Survival reveals how modern society has made humans lazy and susceptible to previously unknown threats, and explains how to best use the lessons on evolutionary history to overcome the hazards of everyday life.
- Goodwin, Robert
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The never-before-told true story of the first great explorer and adventurer in American history — an African slave who led three Spanish noblemen on an eight-year journey from Florida to California in the 16th century.
- Hodgson, Moira
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The daughter of a Foreign Service officer, Hodgson came of age in many strange and exotic lands — experiencing unusual cuisine wherever she lived. This memoir reflects the author's talent for connecting her love of food with the people and places in her life.
- Jacobsen, Rowan
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Environmental writer Jacobsen examines how the disappearance of the world’s honeybee population puts the food we eat at risk.
- Jarvis, Cheryl
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When a group of thirteen middle-aged women friends decides to buy and share a $37,000 diamond necklace, they learn more than they ever thought possible about themselves, friendship and the power of possibility.
- Jenkins, Brian Michael
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For more than 30 years Jenkins has been advising the military, government and prestigious think tanks on the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Now he goes beyond what the experts know to examine how terrorists themselves think about such weapons.
- Juhasz, Antonia
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In the tradition of An Inconvenient Truth comes a chilling and important exposé of the modern American oil industry — and what citizens can do to take power back.
- Levitin, Daniel J.
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The author of This Is Your Brain on Music showcases his daring theory of "six songs," illuminating how the brain evolved to play and listen to music in six fundamental forms — for knowledge, friendship, religion, joy, comfort and love.
- Lindesay, William
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Carrying his camera and a file of vintage photographs — the earliest dating from 1871 — author-photographer William Lindesay traveled across Northern China for three years, searching for settings where the Great Wall could be examined in the past and present, side by side. The result, The Great Wall Revisited, presents 72 of the most elucidating then- and-now comparisons.
- Lukas, Christopher
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Lukas's family's history of depression stretched back years, but no one spoke of it. Written with heartrending candor, this work not only captures the devastation of this family legacy, it also details the strength and hope that can provide a way of escaping depression's grasp.
- Mam, Somaly
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In the vein of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Infidel and Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone, this Cambodian woman's memoir is a story of triumph over years of sexual slavery and puts a face and a voice to a human-rights disaster of global proportions.
- Matthews, Owen
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Stalin's Children is a transcendent memoir of one family's always passionate, sometimes tragic connection to Russia.
- McCarthy, Jenny
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In this inspiring follow-up to her best-selling memoir about her successful efforts to save her son from autism, Jenny McCarthy shares a variety of recovery stories from other parents of autistic children across the country.
- Myron, Vicki
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The charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa, starts in the worst possible way. Only a few weeks old, on the coldest night of the year, he was stuffed into the returned book slot at the library. For the next 19 years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility and, above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most.
- O'Reilly, Bill
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In his most intimate book yet, O'Reilly goes back in time to examine the people, places and experiences that launched him on his journey from being a working-class kid to influential television personality and best-selling author.
- Patterson, James
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In this nonfiction work with the pace of a thriller, Patterson tells the true story of one family's struggle with an agonizing medical mystery that began when the Friedmans' five-year-old son began having irrepressible tics and involuntary utterances.
- Pennington, Ty
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From the star of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition comes a home design manual that combines inspirational stories with practical advice to show how good design really can change lives for the better.
- Roiphe, Anne
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This poignant memoir of new widowhood is an elegant pastiche not of grief, but of renewal. Roiphe writes her way into the unknown world of life after love, capturing the infinite number of firsts that lie ahead.
- Sabar, Ariel
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My Father's Paradise is Sabar's quest to reconcile present and past as he brings to life the ancient town of Zakho, telling his family's story and discovering his own role in this sweeping saga.
- Sanders, Tim
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Sanders highlights a positive force of change in the business world, maintaining that 65 percent of all Americans are willing to switch to a brand associated with a good cause, where price and quality are equal.
- Smith, Philip
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In this charming and profound memoir of a most unusual father-and-son relationship, Smith describes growing up in Miami during the psychedelic 1960s with his father, a renowned decorator, who one day discovers he can talk to the dead and heal the sick.
- Somers, Suzanne
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From bestselling author Somers comes the follow-up to Ageless and The Sexy Years a book about how readers can achieve maximum health and a revitalized sexuality by practicing breakthrough medicine.
- Tough, Paul
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Geoffrey Canada is a driven crusader for children who argues that to change the lives of poor children, everything has to change — their schools, their families, their neighborhoods — all at once. Tough offers a behind-the-scenes look at Canada's Harlem Children's Zone organization.
- Tyldesley, Joyce
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Cleopatra is often portrayed as a woman ruled by emotion rather than reason. Tales of seduction, intrigue and suicide have clouded Cleopatra's true political genius. Stripping away these misconceptions, Egyptologist Tyldesley offers a magnificent biography of a most extraordinary queen.
- Ulanski, Stan L.
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Exploring the fascinating science and history of the sea highway known as the Gulf Stream, Ulanski examines the biological life teeming in the stream and the role of ocean currents in the settlement of the New World.
- Weston, Kath
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If sharp-eyed observations and down-to-earth critique — of the health care system, imperialism, the state of the environment, or corporate downsizing — are what you're looking for, Weston suggests the bus is the place to find it. The result is a moving meditation on living poor in the world's wealthiest nation.
- White, Bill
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The Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Intrepid survived combat in World War II to become the recovery ship for America's first astronauts and later returning to action in Vietnam. White and Gandt bring this history to life in a stirring tribute.
- Wolf, Naomi
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From an icon in the contemporary feminist movement and a well-respected political commentator comes this clear, accessible handbook about how to understand and use democracy.